The hormone’s amino acid

Insulin, an endocrine hormone, is one of the most well-studied proteins synthesized by the human body. Its relatively simple structure and short amino acid sequence have made it a useful model for many protein studies. It is synthesized in beta cells of the pancreas through posttranslational cleavage of proinsulin, and released upon stimulation by elevated levels of glucose in the blood. Insulin plays an important role in regulating several anabolic processes, and is most well-known for lowering the level of blood sugar by promoting the uptake and storage of glucose by the liver.Deficiency of, or resistance to insulin, results in either of the two forms of diabetes mellitus, a chronic metabolic disorder whose occurrence has increased among humans, especially in the United States; yet to this day, there is no definite cure for either form of the disease. Type II diabetes in particular must be treated with combinations of several different approaches, including dietary management, weig ht loss programs, and oral or antidiabetic drugs, or possibly surgical procedures such as gastric bypass.This proposal discusses the potential of taurine (2-amino ethanesulfonic acid), which had previously been tested in studies on rats and mice, to raise levels of insulin sensitivity in human subjects with insulin resistance, and raises the possibility that taurine could be used in a supplemental form for the treatment of diabetes mellitus type II patients. Introduction The endocrine hormone insulin was the first protein whose amino acid sequence was completed. For his work on deciphering its structure, Fred Sanger won the 1958 Noble Prize.Its discovery is considered a landmark, proving that proteins have a unique and defined sequence of amino acids, which has since been termed the primary structure. Since then, insulin has been used as a model for many subsequent studies regarding the structure and properties of various proteins. It is the human body’s major anabolic hormon e, promoting reactions that lead to the uptake of glucose and its conversion into storage forms such as glycogen and triglycerides, while simultaneously inhibiting their breakdown for use as fuel. It also promotes the uptake of amino acids and the synthesis of proteins, promoting growth.Insulin was also the first protein to be synthesized using recombinant DNA in bacteria, and this technique has made possible the large scale production of supplemental insulin for use in one of the most serious metabolic diseases prevalent among humans, diabetes mellitus. The rising incidence of this disease, particularly in the United States, has drawn further interest into researching the intricacies of insulin and its role in regulating numerous anabolic body functions, as well as the various ways in which insulin’s functions can be regulated.Type II diabetes, the most common form of the disease, has no cure, and research is proceeding to look into several ways to increase sensitivity to in sulin in insulin-resistant individuals suffering from this form of diabetes. In particular, taurine, a derivative of the amino acid cysteine, has shown a promising ability to potentially lower obesity and insulin resistance in rats and mice, although so far there have been few test studies on humans. Compared to other, more complex proteins, insulin is relatively small.It has a compact and monomeric structure (although it is capable of forming dimers or hexamers under certain conditions), with a molecular weight of roughly 6 kDa. The structure of active insulin is made up of two linked chains, labeled A and B, connected by two disulfide bonds, with a third disulfide bond linking the A chain back onto itself. This is a structure typical of the insulin family or group of proteins, which includes other peptide hormones such as relaxin, mammalian Leydig cell-specific insulin-like peptide, early placenta insulin-like peptide, and insulin-like growth factors I and II in humans.Evolutionar ily related hormones belonging to this family have also been found in some insects and molluscs, and the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. The hormone’s amino acid sequence (specifically, the sequence of the A and B chains) is conserved to such a degree that in most mammals, insulin extracted from another species remains biologically active. For instance, insulin from pigs and even bacteria, has been used to treat human patients suffering from diabetes mellitus.

The Rise of Christianity – Did Jesus Want to Start a New Religion?

If the Gospels are accurate in reporting that God sent Jesus to earth, what did Jesus come to earth to do? What was his mission? Let's briefly consider a few of Jesus' own statements about why he came. How better to discover his mission than to hear what he himself had to say about it? â€Å"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets,† he said, thus endorsing the teaching of the entire Old Testament. â€Å"I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them† (Matthew 5:17). Jesus came to â€Å"fulfill† the Old Testament, in part, by living in complete obedience to God.Although he faced the same temptations that stalk us, it is written that he never sinned once. That's why he could become the perfect sacrifice for every nation’s sins, as the Bible tells us: â€Å"God made him who had no sin [Jesus] to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God† (2 Corinthians 5:21). The Christian message is not merel y about eternal life some day, after we die, in some far-off heaven. It is about living life to the maximum right here and right now. There really is no other way to take Jesus' words: â€Å"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life† (John 10:10).In the era that Jesus walked the Earth in, we can imagine the Roman Empire. The Roman government practiced syncretism, accepting that all religious beliefs, philosophical teachings, and government systems are ultimately compatible, or a reflection of, a larger system – the Roman system. They practiced one of the first â€Å"one country, two systems† policies – pronouncing that all people had religious freedom, political freedom, and freedom of thought, yet maintaining strict control. The Jews held much distrust and often hatred for the Roman Empire – they were unwilling subjects.At the time of Jesus’ birth, the local Roman ruler, King Herod had initiated a massacre of all Jewish baby boys born at the time. Such actions added more reasons for Jewish resentment of the foreign Roman government. The Jews understood the world to be divided into two types of people: Jewish and Gentile (non-Jew). The Jews worked hard to disassociate themselves from the Gentiles. King Herod employed many laborers by commissioning many public works (e. g. building temple in Jerusalem, palaces, ports, fortresses, stadiums, ornate stone carvings, etc. ) There was a very large disparity between rich and poor.Jesus approached the scene with the proclamation that he had come to dispatch the difference between rich or poor, Gentile or Jew, and sinner or saint. While accumulating followers, others opposed his ministry with the belief that he was gaining fame all for the sake of wanting to be seen as God Almighty. All the same, Jesus never stated or claimed to be God. He did ,nonetheless ,claim to be the son of God. It is true that Jesus never said, â€Å"I am God † directly. However, most of His teachings were done through parables, and not by direct statements. His disciples asked Him why He taught this way.His answer was: â€Å"To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. For whoever has, to him shall more be given, and he shall have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. † (Matthew 13:11-13) Along with witnessed miracles performed, his technique and approach reeled in crowds of all kinds of denominations.Some may hold the opinion that he hoodwinked desperate believers by using magic or tricks to allure them into his ministry. Others were awfully intimidated by Jesus and his prophecies , thus forth came his crucifixion. Even after death, there was still more to come. â€Å"Don' t be alarmed,† he said, â€Å"You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. † (Mark 16:6) The book from the evangelist Mark records that after three days, Jesus Christ arose from his grave and ascended back to Heaven to reunite with his father, God Almighty.After death and acclaimed resurrection, many still testified to spiritual and physical encounters with Jesus. One person who can testify to this is the apostle Paul. Apart from Jesus, Paul is the most significant figure in the development of early Christianity. He has profoundly influenced such monumental figures as Augustine, Luther, and Calvin. Of the 27 books of the New Testament, thirteen are attributed to Paul. Luke tells us in Acts 9 that Paul was on the road to Damascus when he saw a light from heaven and heard a voice saying, â€Å"Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?†Paul responds, â€Å"Who are you, Lord? † and the r eply came, â€Å"I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. † Paul was blind for three days, and then his site was restored when Ananias laid hands on him. This story is not in Paul’s own writing, although Paul does tell us something of his conversion experience (See Gal. 1. 13. -16; 1 Cor. 15. 3-9). In one way or another, it seems that Paul believes that he received a revelation of the risen Christ. Whatever happened, it completely changed Paul's life, and he went from being a persecutor of Christians to the greatest missionary of the early church.Paul’s influence of early Christianity was one of great measure. Paul was the author of many writings that were written during his imprisonment of an estimated six to seven years in Rome. During this period of time Paul authored books in letters to all churches holding different denominations with instruction and inspiration to motivate and minister to his readers about following the teachings of Christ and repenting their sins to God through prayer and worship. The Bible does not tell us how or when the apostle Paul died, and history does not provide us with any information.The only thing we have to go on is Christian tradition, which has Paul being behead in Rome, around the mid 60s A. D. , during the reign of Nero. His role in Christianity has resulted in giving him the title â€Å"The Founder of Christianity†. Just as Paul was captivated by his experience with Jesus many others also became believers because of their experiences. Recorded in the book according to the evangelist Luke, there was a woman with the inability to stand straight up (a condition referred to as stooped ) who meets Jesus on a Sabbath Day (A Saturday supposedly) in one of the synagogues of the city he was then in.Although the Law of Moses states that the Sabbath is a day of rest; Jesus heals this woman of her condition and she is then enabled to stand upright without unease and strain. Jesus is said to have opposed many rules and laws through his miracles, but nonetheless continued to heal and preach to many whether the situation and timing was convenient or not ; gaining many followers in the process of doing so.In response to the question of whether or not Jesus was setting out to form his own religion; it is my opinion that that is a misconception to say so. Jesus, in my perspective, was set on saving lives and teaching sinners to follow God and repent their sins so that they could join he and his father in Heaven. It will most likely always be someone’s opinion that Jesus had other motives behind his healing and ministries, however the revealing of the truth is yet to arrive to us. Was he our messiah or our magician? You decide.

Advantage and Disadvantage of Living Abroad

Up to now there are more people living abroad. Some people live abroad to travel study or work. Living abroad has many advantages and disadvantages. The first advantage is easy to learn another language. This means if you are living abroad, you can learn another language. For example, your original language is Chinese, but now you living in America, you can learn English and speak it well. In addition, the second advantage is can know different culture. This means you can learn lots of knowledge and custom in that country.The final advantage is can make friend with people from different country. This means you can be happy with new friends. For instance, I study in Malaysia; I have friends from Japan, Korea, and Malaysia. Aside for the advantage, there are some disadvantages of living abroad. Firstly, you may not easily find a helper to help you if you are having a problem. Moreover, you will waste a lot of money on transportation. For example, take cab can cost you more than driving your own car.You need adapt to your new environment is also a disadvantage at living abroad. For example, you need to try to eat those indigenous foods though you don’t like it. At the end, living abroad also has many disadvantages. To sum up living abroad can be easy to learn another language, know different culture and make friends with people from different country. But also need to conquer those issue such as different environment, transportation and become more independent. So living abroad have many advantages and disadvantages.

Course of Action for Owens Corning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Course of Action for Owens Corning - Essay Example This meant the company had to develop new IS capabilities and also to plan for a strong IS human resources management. It was also found that when the staffs were getting trained in SAP their requirements outside was very attractive and people were moving out of the company. Â  At the planned implementation time, the first release was done - October 1995. Second and third releases identified training as a major lacuna during the implementation phase which cost them quite some time and efforts. Not just teaching the computers and PC operation but also processes that are being adopted by the company. Release 4 was the SAP R/3 roll out at the Roof and Asphalt plants a total of 140 units where this was to be switched on by Mar 1997. This was to be followed closely by the other units of insulation and composites of North America. But then there were lots of issues relating to bugs in SAP, attrition among people and a swift implementation of switching it all on at the same time. From our analysis, we find that the issue is one of staged implementation and now they need to take a measure of putting unit after unit in order and lessons learned in one place could go on to help the rest. A plan to put all these in a phased manner needs to be worked out and implem ented with the same vigor when it was started in 1994. Â  Owens Corning was swiftly growing with its new acquisitions and there was an ongoing incorporation of new technologies that improved their working situation and the profitability of the company. The Roof and Asphalt plants divisions of OC were just over 80 units strong and the implementation of SAP R/3 was to happen in these. But the rapidly changing scenario and the acquisitions of units caused a number of changes in the company resulting in the implementation of SAP R/3 for R&A divisions alone at more than 140 locations. All this meant that the exercise is going to get tougher than planned.

Noise Control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Noise Control - Essay Example In my opinion, the first restriction that community members will desire is that of a set boundary. People visiting the night club should not be allowed to loiter, and must stay within the actual boundaries of the night club, and not wander into the residential area. Second, the night club should be expected to shut its doors at a particular time period each night, and stay open no later than 1:30 AM in the morning. Next, the night club should not be too loud so as to disturb the people in the neighborhood; the night club should maintain a respectful volume so that the citizens of the area and the children of the area are well rested enough to wake up and go to school and work in the morning. If the volume is kept at a level where it does not interfere with the community, the community would be more likely to accept the nightclub in its area. The night club should also make sure to maintain a heavy security staff, since the night club is close to a residential area, and intoxicated in dividuals should not be allowed to wander or wreck havoc in the residential area. Furthermore, a heavy security staff will probably also help to make the community itself more comfortable with the idea of a night club in its area. Hearing protection should be worn by employees of the night club.

Advances in hydrogen cell technology for automobiles Essay

Advances in hydrogen cell technology for automobiles - Essay Example Since 2003, Honda has been operating a 'Home Energy Station' on an experimental basis in Torrance, California. This station is works on alternative fuel technology while carrying out all the activities necessary for the home. Here hydrogen is generated from natural gas and heat and electricity requirements for the home are fulfilled using fuel cell cogeneration. Even a car in the home is powered by hydrogen cell. Such efforts have indeed shown results as well. The Carbon Dioxide emissions from such a house are stated to be 30 percent less than those for an average household that uses a gasoline and commercial electricity1. If such efforts can be matched by other fuel efficient technologies, our environment would become much more pure and the looming threat of catastrophe in the form of global warming will surely subside.The amount of carbon dioxide that melts into the atmosphere as a result of our routine actions creates footprint of carbon. In fact at times, we unknowingly tend to p erform some actions which lead to an increase in our carbon footprints on the environment, which proves detrimental for our own survival. Inefficient use of energy, inefficient housing stock, using carbon emitting fuels in our cars, rampant industrial activities etc. are the key factors being blamed for an increase in carbon footprints. The society seems to have become wiser in many ways has now started widely discussing 'how carbon footprints can be effectively reduced by adopting an energy efficient lifestyle. Hydrogen cell technology, an upgrade on hybrid electric motor, is a promising technology which will provide pollution free travel for us in near future. Efforts are on for such technology for quite some time now. The then US President George Bush had announced in 2003, an ambitious $1.7bn investment plan to turn US into a world leader for hydrogen powered automobiles (Twist, 2004). In fact the ongoing recessionary trends around the globe have impacted the automobile sector q uite adversely and in UK there are demands from many quarters to provide stimulus for its sustenance. This seems to have provided a reason to the UK government to think about greener technologies. Therefore while announcing a 2.3 billion rescue package for Britain's carmakers on January 28th Lord Mandelson commented that this is being done to pave the way for greener motor industry (Webster and Buckley, 2009). After the increasing concerns of carbon footprint, the automobile industry has experimented with a number of alternatives fuel technologies like electric vehicle, Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) etc. and these technologies have certainly helped in reducing carbon from the vehicle emissions, but the hydrogen powered vehicle produces very low or zero tail-pipe emissions (May, 2004). With governments and international bodies calling upon all concerned for reducing the carbon content, the vehicle manufactures have certainly taken a note. EU for example has proposed a target of 5.75 percent of transport fuel consumption for bio-fuels by 2010 (May, 2004, pp305). The technique involves extracting hydrogen from water or any other source. In a running vehicle the solar cells provide electric current for separating hydrogen from the stored water which is then used for producing torque for running the motor. For a vehicle, the Tandem Cell technology uses two photo-catalytic cells in series which are coated with a nano-crystalline - extremely thin - metal oxide film. These cells capture full spectrum of UV radiation from sun. The novel coating then captures the electrons and passes on to conductors as electric current. Though, Hydrogen power can also be produced from hydrocarbons, like oil and gas, or coal but in that case the byproducts or the waste also becomes a source of pollution, so this method is not used

Nike and its Approach to Corporate Responsibility Essay - 1

Nike and its Approach to Corporate Responsibility - Essay Example The organization established new approaches to the corporate responsibility in order to influence environmental and social change. The organization is made up of several small business units, regions, functions, centers. It is true that global business scenario is changing constantly due to frequent change in external environmental factors and market demand. Corporate responsibility helps an organization to adopt health business and corporate model that ensures potential competitive advantages for the company. The essay will discuss a conceptual framework that will explain the approach of Nike, Inc. to corporate responsibility. Â  Nike is one of the popular apparel and footwear manufacturing and distributing organization around the globe. In the year 2004, the organization began a large scale and intensive review of its developed and implemented strategies. The management of the organization tries to take unique and new approaches to corporate responsibility in order to ensure future business growth. The organization understood that demand for sustainable business practices can help an organization to run a smooth business across the world (Rendtorff, 2009, p.50). They tried to understand future social and environmental trends before expanding their business in several emerging global areas. The social and environmental trend cannot be similar in all the countries. Therefore, they tried to implement an effective review process to achieve potential competitive business opportunity. Â  In the year 2004, Nike, Inc understood that no single corporation can attain systematic change alone. Collaboration, partnership, and open source approaches can lead to providing an organization sustainable market-based solutions to the challenges that can easily generate system change.

The Management of Patients With Dual Diagnosis Research Paper

The Management of Patients With Dual Diagnosis - Research Paper Example Ms M is a 26-year-old patient who is referred for nursing care by her advisor at work. This followed significant changes in her normal behaviour. The patient history demonstrates that Ms M stays late without any sleep and wakes up earlier than anybody within her neighbourhood. Her employee is also concerned by the fact that she started submitting her work late regardless of her usual behaviour in the past when she used to meet all work deadlines. In addition, the workmates have noticed that Ms M is more enthusiastic and energetic in the morning than before. Ms M’s sister whom they stay with reports that she suddenly becomes irritable and has been talking about becoming a model despite the fact that she never had an interest in modelling before. Ms M also admits that she has trouble concentrating at work and that sometimes she feels lonely. From the case study, it is evident that Ms M is exhibiting multiple symptoms which reflect the complexity of her problems and needs. Ms Mâ €™s symptoms are becoming a problem that is likely to cause her to be terminated from work. This is revealed by the loss of concentration at the workplace and failure to meet deadlines as she is required. In addition, Ms M is faced with a social problem at her workplace. This is disclosed by the fact that she reveals her loneliness when at work. In addition, she needs understanding from her colleagues at the workplace who are unable to comprehend the sudden changes in her behaviour. Moreover, Ms M has a problem with sleep which illustrates that she is not having adequate rest at night. The sudden episodes of energy and enthusiasm that Ms M demonstrates in the mornings reveal an underlying problem.

Trade Liberalisation Schemes Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6500 words

Trade Liberalisation Schemes - Dissertation Example Previous decades have been marked with an increase in the establishment of free trade areas, trade agreements and attempts to reach international treaties towards trade liberalization. Yet, trade was liberalized by fewer countries than had been expected, and more importantly, trade liberalization policies have been implemented partially or tentatively. All three main constituents of national income: factor prices, factor quantities and production technology, are influenced by the trade liberalization process. An open international trade regime may contribute through better allocation of world resources, through expansion of consumption opportunities and through a rise in production efficiency. In the view of the World Bank, trade liberalization is a major factor of economic growth, provided that additional conditions, such as macroeconomic stability and good governance are met. The current body of research that examines the relationship between trade liberalization and economic growth points to rather different conclusions, suggesting that little can be deemed as clear regarding the precise effects of trade liberalization on economic growth and poverty alleviation. Our research aims to determine how far trade liberalization schemes have been successful at promoting economic growth and what the implications have been for the relationship between developed and developing countries.... Yet, trade was liberalized by fewer countries than had been expected, and more importantly, trade liberalization policies have been implemented partially or tentatively. (Nugent, 2002) All three main constituents of national income: factor prices, factor quantities and production technology, are influenced by the trade liberalization process. (Parikh, 2007) An open international trade regime may contribute through better allocation of world resources, through expansion of consumption opportunities and through a rise in production efficiency. (Hoekman & Olarreaga, 2007) In the view of the World Bank, trade liberalization is a major factor of economic growth, provided that additional conditions, such as macroeconomic stability and good governance are met. (Spanu, 2003) The current body of research that examines the relationship between trade liberalization and economic growth points to rather different conclusions, suggesting that little can be deemed as clear regarding the precise eff ects of trade liberalization on economic growth and poverty alleviation. Our research aims to determine how far trade liberalization schemes have been successful at promoting economic growth and what the implications have been for the relationship between developed and developing countries. To answer the research question we must examine the role of organizations such as WTO, in particular the reasons for the breakdown of Doha round negotiations. Then we examine the concerns posed between the developed and developing countries, giving special care to the question of protectionist measures and trade barriers. We assess the way in which liberalization influenced intellectual property rights and the availability of pharmaceutical

Organizational strategy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Organizational strategy - Case Study Example This paper will discuss how the economic recession has affected the strategic management of the organization, and how it has survived the economic pressures that could otherwise downturn the business (Bateson 2005, p. 98). Coca-cola Company is one of the most successful companies that have laid down some fundamental strategies in order to promote its growth and sustainability. It is the leading manufacturer, marketer and distributor of non-alcoholic beverage in the world. The company believes that consumers are the life of their business. It operates in more than two hundred countries, including Britain with four hundred brands. These brands include water, juice drinks, coffees, teas, sports drinks, energy drinks, diet beverage and many others. They connect to future consumer by providing high quality products. Their employees are skilled and the materials they use are of high quality (www.cocacola.com). Economic recession has had impact on the human resource management strategy of the Company's organization. It has led to higher unemployment, inflation, as well as the cost of living expenses. On the consumer side, economic recession has led to lower disposable income and lower purchasing power. The weakened economy has negatively affected the bottling companies; hence threaten the stability of the company due to the dependent relationship. Moreover, it has led to increased activity at the lower ends of Coca Cola product price in Britain (Bateson 2005, p. 102). The rate of interests has raised the depressing business, hence causing lower spending levels and redundancies. The 2008 economic analysis for Coca Cola Company shows that the economy was strong and nearly every part of it was growing and doing well. The economic crisis which was suggested by several important indicators of economic downturn in Britain include high oil prices, which led to high food prices, as well as using ethanol and biodiesel as an alternative to petroleum (www.cocacola.com). The company has tried to fight the economic pressures; it has significant opportunities that develop and encourage more sustainable practices to benefit their customers, suppliers and consumers throughout the supply chain. The company's system is among the world's leading purchasers of sugar, coffee and citrus; for this reason, its organizational strategy is not affected by the economic recession because agriculture has a large environmental and social footprint in the world (Bateson 2005, p. 112). As the population increases, the sector of agriculture will need to produce more food, both stressing supply, hence increasing the footprint. Agriculture products are ingredients in many of their beverages, thus the sustainability of the company depends on the agriculture supply chain. For this reason, their bottling partners and the procurement teams are working together to incorporate sustainability criteria into the long term purchasing plans. Coca-Cola Company has worked hard to generate high pricing growth and acquire operating expenses and effectiveness in their strategic plans. This has enabled them stabilize their business for proper managing of their targets. The company has continued to plan for useful marketing strategies and approaches that would enable overcome consumer and market trends that impact the business,

Apple Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Apple - Essay Example This form of expansion would include setting up a manufacturing base for sourcing products to the Asia pacific region and USA. Porter’s Diamond Model Michel Porter’s diamond model is used to analyze the aspect of success of firms in a particular international market (refer annexure 2). The dimensions of this model include the following aspects (Klug, 2006, p.14). Factor Conditions Apple with its talented pool of resources and innovative approach can easily use the talented pool of resources available in China. China offers a ready supply of skilled labor force at cheap rates that can help the company to manufacture products at very low prices. Demand Conditions China is the largest populated nation of the world and is also witnessing high growth in its economy. According to the CIA the GDP of the nation in terms of purchasing power parity is about 10.09 trillion US dollars as of 2010. Along with this the growing Western influence has also affected the consumer behavior of the Chinese consumers making it a market with huge potential for Apple to exploit (CIA, 2011). Related and Supporting Industries The presence of suppliers and a close co-ordination helps generate competitive advantage for the organization. Apple has been known to have a cordial approach in its relationship with the suppliers and also shares an innovative approach in research and development that can be very well replicated in China to generate competitive advantage. Strategy, Rivalry and Structure The industry segment catered by Apple is highly competitive with a large number of firms competing against each other in the market. The Chinese market is also categorized by the presence of fake and pirated goods. Apple with its innovative and high quality product offering can easily fill this gap that arises between the consumer demands and the product offering and generate competitive advantage. CAGE Analysis CAGE analysis is often used by organizations to evaluate new markets and na tions by firm while expanding internationally. CAGE stands for cultural, administrative, geographic and economic distance (Sethna, 2008, p.25-28). CAGE analysis is often used by organizations to evaluate new markets and nations by firm while expanding internationally. CAGE stands for cultural, administrative, geographic and economic distance (Sethna, 2008, p.25-28). Cultural Cultural factors are very important in case of international expansion as it helps in generating a better connect with the customers. Hofstede’s proposed five dimensions that can be used to analyse the cultural aspects namely, power distance index, individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance and long term orientation. In these aspects China has been ranked 118 in the world and has the highest rank in Asia (refer annexure 3). This shows high values for culture and hence implies that Apple must follow a ‘glocalised’ approach in its expansion into China. Administrative China has autocratic governance and has strict laws governing the nation. The nation however has opened up its economy and is keen on getting foreign investors in the nation as a part of its liberalisation program. China however still maintains a cautious outlook towards foreign companies and tries to protect its domestic industries. Geographic

Travel planning Essay Example for Free

Travel planning Essay Two flights from Belfast to Paris (Charles De Gaulle) Flying with Easyjet Belfast Intl to Paris Charles de Gaulle flight 6723; Private taxi transfer from airport to hotel. This fabulous hotel is in the Saint Germain region which is close to the Latin Quarter. Whisky Bar, Small garden, Terrace. Â  A select and refined atmosphere in the great tradition of the Englishs clubs. The austere Haussmannian faiade gives way inside to a warm universe where the copper reflections of the bar mingle with the lustre of fine wood panelling and the rich leather of Chesterfield armchairs. An ideal ambiance for intimate conversations. Here as in each of the rooms, every detail contributes to provide a sense of relaxation and well-being. The colonial-inspired decor of the 59 rooms and suites, including exotic hangings and wood paneling, varies depending on the floor The rooms feature parquet floors and provide exceptional comfort and calm. An elegant footbridge connects a winter garden with a terrace perfect for beautiful days. On the top floor, you can admire the Pantheon under the glass roof. During the evening, the Bridge Bar offers you a wide selection of cocktails and cigars in a refined atmosphere. In the Latin Quarter, the Left Banks spirit of social protest still abounds. Here, students continue to redefine the world in the classrooms of the Sorbonne, in the streets, in the bistrots, and in the intellectual fare offered in the many bookshops. Up the hill, the Pantheon holds the remains of their prestigious ancestors (Dumas, Balzac, Hugo ). Ten minutes by foot, the Pantheon or Notre-Dame de Paris are readily accessible.

Dell: Competitive Advantage Case Study

Dell: Competitive Advantage Case Study Dell Computer is a leader in the e-commerce computer hardware market. It is an established brand that leads personal computer manufacturers both in U.S. sales and overall online sales. Its trademark method of selling products to customers, corporate and individual consumers, originates from the Dell Direct model, a Web-enabled infrastructure that allows customers to customize their PCs and order other products they need or desire. This virtual integration structure eliminates the need to manufacture everything, and instead uses the power of the Internet to share and exchange information with suppliers and vendors to build a truly superior supply chain that keeps inventory turnover low and costs to a minimum (Harrington, 2002). The primary method Dell uses in order to achieve and sustain their competitive advantage is a unique, direct to customer business model (Dell, 2007). The model is known as Dell Direct, referring to the relationship between the company and its customers as being direct. This model helps Dell focus on price for customization, service and support, performance, latest technology and superior shareholder value. Additionally, Dell is able to distinguish itself from its competitors with its customized on- demand manufacturing. Through customisation of the products manufactured by dell, the company has the ability to offer more value for the money of its customers due to the removal of the intermediaries in the manufacturing, procurement and distribution processes of Dell. Dells primary resources include the most advanced technology, which allows the company to successfully move along their superior supply chain and achieve the value they strive for. Dells value chain allows Dell and its suppliers to exchange information and interact with each other. The Internet, Dells important IT factor in its success, results in lower costs to customers than other retailers, the customers tell Dell exactly what they want and Dell creates products for the consumer without experiencing wasteful resources in production (Breen, 2004). Overall, it is evident that Dells competitive advantage lies in its Direct model success. Through Dells IT performance, which combines its resources, its relationship with suppliers and its consumer communication capabilities, Dell has attained a big advantage over its competitors. Analysis of Dells Competitive Advantage: Dell carries the tag of being, one of the best computer systems company in the world. Dell is able to sustain a competitive advantage over competitors in the computer industry because of an extremely efficient supply chain/distribution system. Dell is able to achieve superior profits in the industry because they are a knowledgeable user of information, communication, e-commerce, e-business, internet, and web technologies. Dell implements a Just-In-Time inventory system which operates on only 6 days of inventory. Dell is able to achieve greater profit margins and increased profits because of their inventory system. Inventory and labor are the highest liabilities of a firm. Operating only with 6 days of inventory, allows Dell to reduce its expenses on hiring people to track and maintain inventory, warehousing, and holding on to obsolete technology. This allows Dell to free up cash flow to invest in other value adding activities. The direct Model strategy compels the company to use a JIT inventory system, as the customers are only allowed to order directly from Dell. Dell uses their website www.Dell.com to take customers orders. The organization focuses on direct sales, cutting out other distribution channels entirely. This allows for a deeper relationship with the customers whereby Dell can offer their customers better service, savings, convenience, and efficiency. Dells use of the internet has revolutionized the company. Dells extremely consumer friendly website offers the customers to place their orders with ease. The separate Premier Pages on Dells website designed for Dells large accounts like corporation, educational institutions and Government, delivers easy navigation, dynamic price upgrades and wide range of available options. Customer relationship management software keeps close tabs on the types of computers that customers are buying. Not only does Dell use the internet to make the customer ordering process easier. They also use the internet to build better relationships with their suppliers. In order for Dell to work off of 6 days of inventory, their suppliers have to be very involved in the company to make sure superior service is met. The use of art production planning programs assist in predicting the quantities of components needed to build the computers. The forecast is passed to the supplier, who respond with cost estimates and plan their production as a result. Dells e-commerce is a huge part of their competitive advantage. Their e-commerce internet infrastructure is so advanced and knowledgeable that by using it to determine trends and demands of their products, they have gained superiority over their competitors. Dell has set up strategic alliances with other companies to have their products sold on Dells direct selling distribution channel. Back in 2000, Palm, Inc. made an agreement with Dell to offer an expanded line of handheld Palm products and accessories. This agreement allowed Dell to drive momentum for the Palm operating system market (Dell: 2000, April 17). Along with Palm, Xerox also partnered with Dell to take advantage of Dells e-commerce. Advantages to Xerox were increased profits by offering the printers with the Dell computers. Advantages to Dell include selling high quality printers along with their computers, but more importantly, it allowed Dell to be involved in the customer buying process for printers. Being involved in the decision making process is the key to Dells success because they see directly what the customers want and determine their production schedule from that information (Dell: 2000, May 22). Dell achieves its competitive advantage over other firms in the industry by having superior supply chain management. Dell utilizes technology to interpret information. By being involved in the customer buying process they are able to determine their customers needs. This allows Dell to streamline production and have close relationships with their suppliers which results in getting timely deliveries in order to mass customize customers computers. Analysis of Dells Business Model: The four markets within an industry are defined as Business to Business, Business to Consumer, Consumer to Business, and Consumer to Consumer. Dell focuses on Business to Business and Business to Consumer commerce to satisfy their business and individual customers. Dell differentiates between classes of customers because the needs of their business customers, who buy large quantities of computers, are different than the individuals who want to configure a single unit. Dells business model is no secret, of course, and its been emulated with considerably less success by many of its competitors (Henricks, 2003). Dells initial success was due to its early implementation of the internet as the means of sales and marketing. Dells direct-to-the-customer strategy presents a highly attractive cost advantage thats tough to ignore. Their direct interaction with their customers continues to be a key driver in sales for the quarter (2000). Dells early work with using the internet helped them get a jump on their competition while their competition was finding it difficult to conduct successful Business to Business operations online since exchanges are still in their infancy and many havent even gone live yet. Matching customer ease of ordering and direct interaction through the internet proved successful because Dell believes that it is the customer that drives the business model. Dell recognized the challenges in dealing with the customers and fragmented them into two distinctive groups with different needs, dealing with the business customers (like corporations) and dealing with individual customers. Dell has done a remarkable job managing these two different types of consumers thus far. In the last couple of years, Dell decided to split their operations into two different websites with separate B2B sites. With separate sites, Dell planned to simplify the Internet procurement process for businesses and institutions of all sizes, generating savings that can range to millions of dollars annually for large customers (1999). However, this idea failed, and Dell had to shut down its B2B site, four months after it launched. Dell said the site failed to attract more than three suppliers. Recommendations to build sustainable competitive advantage in future: After analyzing Dells IT and their competitive advantage as a result of their advanced and successful IT, it was challenging to come up with recommendations to help them achieve more success in an industry that they already prosper in. However, even with Dells current success, we realize that in an ever-changing technology industry, there is always room for improvement. 1) Dell should consider selectively adding other vendors to its supply chain management system. Due to the increase in Dells global sales, Dell may need to consider to selectively adding additional suppliers to their supply chain management system. The additional suppliers should not result in any significant cost to Dell and Dell might be able to negotiate better component costs from new suppliers. New suppliers would want to participate in this exchange because they would be seen doing business with a leading technology company 2) Use Customer Surveys to gain market share. Although Dell does well in its markets overseas, Dell has lost some domestic market share and has more potential overseas. It is important for Dell to advertise and get their products noticed in international markets. In order achieve this goal, in-depth customer satisfaction surveys should be used in markets where they trail their competition. . 3) Invest more in Research and Development. With the growth of quality competition, it is crucial for Dell to keep its competitive advantage by offering new technology products and services. Dell should consider expanding into peripheral product markets that would compliment their computer sales. 4) Dell could offer online data back-up capabilities. Another way to increase revenue is to offer existing customers (business and individual consumers) back-up capabilities on Dells own servers. This process will have advantages for both consumers and Dell. For consumers, especially businesses, if something happens to their plants and computer systems, they can always retrieve their data from Dell who has their information backed up offsite on their system. By keeping their data saved at another location that is maintained by Dell, Dell can make money by charging for this additional service. Dell also has a built-in customer list based on the sales that they make for computer systems. 5) Enhance customer support services. Since successful customer support and communications are crucial to Dells success, it is important that Dell keeps enough well-trained people on the phones and on the Internet for customer support. Based on the results of some surveys that say that Dell might be losing customers because of actual or perceived decrease in support, Dell should do a cost-benefit analysis to determine whether they should invest in more people who can answer technical questions support customers with their problems and needs. References: Dell.com, Supplier Principles: Supply Chain Management System, 2007, viewed 9th April 2011 Harrington, L, The Accelerated Value Chain: Supply chain management just got smarter, faster and more cost-effective, thanks to a groundbreaking alliance between Intel and i2 technologies, 2002 Breen, Bill, Living in Dell Time. Fast Company, 2004, viewed on 10th April 2011,

Identifying factors contributing to high readmission of diabetic patients

Identifying factors contributing to high readmission of diabetic patients INTRODUCTION. Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease. Where the blood circulation contain of high sugar level, it can occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces (WHO). Diabetes is a progressive disease that can lead to a significant number of health complications and profoundly reduce quality of life. While many diabetic patients manage the health complication with diet and exercise and require medications to improve uncontrolled blood glucose level. Diabetes has been treatable since insulin became available in 1921, and type 2 diabetes may be controlled with medications. Preeti (2008). Both type 1 and 2 are chronic conditions that usually cannot be cured. Acute complications include hypoglycemia, diabetic ketoacidosis, or nonketotic hyper osmolar coma. Serious long-term complications include cardiovascular disease, chronic renal failure and retinal damage. Adequate treatment of diabetes is important, to control blood pressure and healthy lifestyle such as smoking cessation and maintaining a body weight. Treatment of diabetes involves diet, exercise, education, and drugs. If people with diabetes strictly control blood sugar levels, complications are less likely to develop. The goal of diabetes treatment, therefore, is to keep blood sugar levels within the normal range as much as possible. Treatment of high blood pressure and cholesterol levels can prevent some of the complications of diabetes as well. A good health education from the medical staff in the ward can give a good condition to patient health and prevent patient from admit again to the ward. The health education in the ward should begin from day 1 patient admit to the ward until the patient discharge from the ward. This health education should not stop when the patient is discharge from the ward but it must be continued from the health community to make sure that the patient is healthy. PROBLEM STATEMENT. General Objective: To identify factors contributing to high readmission of diabetic patients post discharge. 1.2.3 Specific objective. To identify why the patient is not take their medication after discharge from the ward. To study relationship between knowledge and medication to the patient. In Malaysia, the Third National Health and Morbidity Survey showed that the prevalence of type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM) for adults aged 30Â  years and above was found to be 14.9% in 2006. Salwa et. al., ( 2010). Patients with diabetes should know that how importance their health after they has confirmed have diabetes. Health education to patients and families were given continuously by the nurses when these patients were admitted for stabilization of their DM, from day 1 of admission and continued until they discharged. With proper health education, the patient should be able to take care for them self until follow up in the clinic. The health education must include dietary intake and medication. The talk is given by the nutritionist and medication by clinical pharmacist. Nurses should take part in the dietary and medication talk when the patient attends the talk to ensure the compliance by the patient continuously after they discharge from the ward. In January 2011, there are 4 patient has been readmitted to the male and female medical ward within 2 weeks after discharged from the ward. To prevent from this admission, health education should be given continuously to the patients either in the ward or by the community health care provider when the patient is discharge from the hospital. CHAPTER 2 2.1 LITERATURE REVIEW. The literature review has been searched from internet. Diabetes mellitus is now a major global public health problem. The incidence and prevalence of diabetes are escalating especially developing and newly industrialized nations. In Malaysia, diabetes is a growing concern. Through the Ministry of Healths six year thematic Healthy Lifestyle Campaign which began in 1991, diabetes mellitus was the theme for the year 1995. Here, the promotion of adopting healthy lifestyle practices relating to the prevention of diabetes namely creating awareness and balance diet, maintain ideal body weight and physical activities were encouraged. The campaign emphasized on creating, awareness of the disease and its complications to the public. Rugayah ( 2007) According to Zook et.al (1980). Hospitalizations account for about half of all health care expenses, and it has been estimated that 20% of the inpatients in Malaysia and 13% in the USA use more than half of all hospital resources through repeated admissions. During past decades, hospital readmissions have been the subject of retrospective surveys and prospective trials with a view to their prevention. The objective is to review these studies and focus on the frequency of readmissions of diabetes mellitus patient, their causes and validity as a measure of quality of care, and the attempts for their prevention. The recent literature on hospital readmissions and found that most of them are believed to be caused by patient frailty and progression of chronic disease. However, from 11% to 52% of all readmissions have been judged to be preventable because they were associated with indicators of substandard care during the hospitalization, such as poor resolution of the main problem, unstable therapy at discharge, and inadequate post discharge care and advice. Furthermore, randomized prospective trials have shown that 15% to 85% of all readmissions can be prevented by patient education, pre discharge assessment, and domiciliary aftercare. However, high readmission rates of patients with diabetes mellitus may identify quality-of-care problems. A focus on the specific needs of such patients may lead to the creation of more responsive health care systems for the chronically ill. Most complications are the result of problems with blood vessels. High sugar levels over a long time cause narrowing of both the small and large blood vessels. The narrowing reduces blood flow to many parts of the body, leading to problems. There are several causes of blood vessel narrowing. Complex sugar-based substances build up in the walls of small blood vessels, causing them to thicken and leak. Poor control of blood sugar levels also tends to cause the levels of fatty substances in the blood to rise, resulting in atherosclerosis. Poor circulation to the skin can lead to ulcers and infections and causes wounds to heal slowly. People with diabetes are particularly likely to have ulcers and infections of the feet and legs. Too often, these wounds heal slowly or not at all, and amputation of the foot or part of the leg may be needed. Currently there are at least 4-5 patients will be readmission for stabilization then discharged. Upon admission of a patient, this would cause overpopulation of ward, increase expenses and uncontrolled condition of the patient in the ward. Nurse also must provide health education to the patients, their relative and refer patients to nutritionist and education unit for counseled. Browne (2000) conducted a scientific research on factor for diabetes patient on knowledge and the diabetic drugs for diabetic patients. The major purpose of the research are to identify the important factors for patient compliance in the usage of diabetic drugs, specific knowledge on the action drug, the correct dosage and adverse side effects. . From Browne (2000), noted that only 15% of the patient knows the action of the drug they are consuming, where as 62% of them consume at the right time and 23% of patients gained a proper knowledge on medication or drug that they are consuming. In summary it is concluded that the diabetes patient has the more knowledge and information on the adverse effect of the drug compared to the action of oral hypoglycaemic drugs. According to Ranjini et al,(2003) done a research on knowledge, attitude and practice from patient diabetic at Klinik Kesihatan Seri Manjung, Perak. The findings showed correlation between knowledge, attitude and practice. The finding showed that increases knowledge for patients who have education is better from the patient who does not have any education. Hospitalizations account for about half of all health care expenses, and it has been estimated that 20% of the inpatients in Malaysia and 13% in the USA use more than half of all hospital resources through repeated admissions. Zook et al (1980). For past decades, hospital readmissions have been the subject of retrospective surveys and prospective trials with a view to their prevention. The objective is to review these studies and focus on the frequency of readmissions of diabetes mellitus patient, their causes and validity as a measure of quality of care, and the attempts for their prevention. Soeken et al (1991), done a research on readmission rates according to demographic, social, and disease-related characteristics. Researcher Wray et al (1988), done a meta-analysis of 44 studies published before 1990 revealed that age, length of stay during the index hospitalization, and previous use of hospital resources were among the main independent predictors of readmissions. These findings indicate that patient-specific factors predict readmissions. A study of a national sample of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or dementia revealed that after adjusting for severity and clinical and demographic characteristics, patients discharged to nursing homes were less likely to be readmitted within 30 days after discharge than those discharged to personal homes. According to Comberg et al (1997) Finally, some studies have found an association between readmission rates and inappropriate care during the index hospitalization. A case-control study revealed that 5 criteria of inpatient care (resolution of main problem, adequacy of the post discharge destination, stability of doses of therapy, and appropriate timing of the first follow-up visit) predicted readmissions within 30 days. Ashton et al (1987) Another case-control study found that a set of disease-specific, explicit criteria of appropriateness of care predicted readmissions. It has been suggested that 1 of 7 readmissions in patients with diabetes, 1 of 5 readmissio ns in patients with heart failure, and 1 of 12 readmissions in patients with obstructive lung disease were attributable to substandard care. Absence of documentation of discharge planning, increased temperature, intravenous fluids on the day of discharge, or unaddressed abnormal test results at discharge were related to an increased subsequent mortality. Ashton et al (1997). A meta-analysis of 29 studies published from 1975 through 1993 confirmed that low-quality inpatient care during the index hospitalization increased the risk of subsequent readmissions. Wei et al (1995). At least some readmissions, therefore, are associated with modifiable factors. Readmission rates have been reported to decline after the implementation of pre-discharge reviews and improved follow-up after discharge. Bean et al (1995) However, non-experimental, before-after study designs are subject to confounding and to regression toward the mean. Confounding refers to changes beyond the planned intervention that occurred over time and that in and of themselves may have reduced readmission rates. Regression to the mean is the tendency of above-average rates to fall toward average over time. Since programs aiming to reduce readmission rates are likely to be implemented in institutions with high readmission rates, their favorable results may reflect a decline that would have occurred on subsequent determinations even without any specific interventions. The findings concerning the effect of interventions indicate that improved hospital and post discharge care are associated with fewer readmissions. Still, there is evidence that global readmission rates have a limited value as indicators of quality of care. For example, about half of the studies failed to uncover any relationship between quality of care and readmissions. Ashton et al (1997). In all clinical condition readmission rates of patients who received poor-quality care were similar to those of patients whose care was judged acceptable. Thomas (1996). Similarly, assessed risk-adjusted outcomes after renal failure, gastrointestinal tract hemorrhage, stroke, myocardial infarction, and heart failure and concluded that length of stay, death, and unplanned readmission were predicted mainly by age, severity, and co morbidity. Roe et al (1996). Hospital readmissions raise concern among health care providers, and therefore efforts for their reduction are likely to be endorsed by clinicians and administrators. CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY 3.1 Introduction. This is a prospective study. The data is collect from the patient who admitted to the ward. The project was conducted in the one of the district hospital at Negeri Sembilan. Data on diabetes was obtained from adult respondents through interviews by trained nurses using a questionnaires. A 2-hour-post glucose load test was conducted by the nurses to the respondents who self-professed that they were non-diabetics and have not been diagnosed by any, medical personnel. These non-diabetes were measured for their blood glucose level using glucophotometer in a dry non-wipe technique. Those who refused to be examined were classified as refused to be examined and those who could not tolerate glucose due to old age were classified as unable to be examined. For the purpose of analysis in this survey, the respondents were categorized into 3 categories. The known diabetes were the adult respondents who self-professed they were diabetics and diagnosed by medical personnel. Those non-diabetics who had undergone the 2 hour post glucose load test and whose blood glucose measurement level of 11.1 mol/1 or more were categorized as undiagnosed diabetes. Those with blood glucose measurement of 7.8 < 11.1 mmol/1 were classified as impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) The known diabetes were enquired about their treatment status, utilization pattern of health facilities and perceived complications associated with their diabetic condition. 3.2 Research design. This is prospective study. Data will be collected by reviewing medical records and completing a structured data collection sheet. Data including admission diagnosis, the type of medication that patient receive in the ward, sign and symptom of diabetic mellitus, the correct statement for people with diabetic, when the patient feel hypoglycemia, the hypoglycemia condition, and no identifiers such as medical record numbers, patients names and gender will be used on the data collection instrument. In this study it will have a graphs, charts, table and summary. 3.3 Sample size. There is 10 questionnaire was given to diabetic patient in the medical male and medical female ward at the district hospital at Negeri Sembilan. About 30 respondent involved in the interview. 3.3.1 Inclusion i. How many years the patient have diabetes. ii. The patient should understand and can read in Bahasa Melayu or Bahasa English. iii. The age of the patients above 40 years 65 years.. 3.3.2 Exclusion. i. The patient who do not understand and can read in Bahasa Melayu or Bahasa English. Ii For patient who senile or psychiatric patient which they cannot give a cooperation and understand the question during the interview. 3.4 Instrument. There is 10 questionnaire about diabetes are given to the patient in the ward. The patient should give a correct answer when answer the question. There is time frame of the project. It starts from 1st March to 31st March. 2011. There question are divided to part I and part II. There is 8 question on part I where the answer is to choose a, b, c or d. Part II has 3 question where the patient have to choose true or false in the statement. The question adopt from the: Diabetes and Hormone Center of the Pacific Ala Moana Pacific Center www.testprepreview.com/modules/diabetes.htm 3.5 Ethical Consideration. 2.5.1 Letter from Head of Department, Health Sciencs UiTM to the Hospital Director for the project. Appendic 1 Approval letter from the Hospital Director to the Health Sciences for the project. Appendic 2 2.5.3 Consent from patient, if respondent refused to be interview, the respondent should be droped from this project. Appendic 3. 3.6. Limitation. 2.6.1 Receive late approval letter from the acedemic. 2.6.2 Because this is the distric hospital the total number of admission into the ward is low. 2.6.3 If the patient refused for the interview, the respondent should be droped from the project. 2.6.4 The duration time to collect data from the patients should be finish in one month. CHAPTER 4 4.1 Result . A total number of 40 patients were admitted to the both male and female medical wards from 1st March to 31st March 2011. The gender distribution was 33.33% is female and 66.66% is male. There is 96.7% or 29 of the respondents said that they eat too much of sugar or sweat drink when they are young before they diagnose have diabetes mellitus. The patient was admitted to the ward for stabilization of sugar level. See table 1 Table 1 Frequency Percent Caused by eating too much sugar 29 96.66667 Condition which the body cannot use the food properly 1 3.333333 Total 30 100 About 80% (24) of the respondents have the common symptoms of diabetes such as frequent urination specially at bed time, where they will get up 2 to 3 times to toilet. Hunger and thirsty specially in the morning before lunch time and 20% (6) of the respondents craving for sweets. See table 2 Table 2 Frequency Percent Frequent urination, hunger, thirst 24 80 Craving for sweets 6 20 Total 30 100 70% (21) of the respondents said the following statement is correct for people with diabetes that they should have snacks between-meal. Because they feel hungry and thirsty before they had their lunch in the afternoon or in the evening. They like to had drink and eat some snacks to prevent hunger. See table 3 Table 3 Frequency Percent Everyone with diabetes should have between-meal snacks 21 70 Changes lifestyle (meal, planning, exercise, medication, stress) 4 13.33333 Travelling should avoid taking insulin 5 16.66667 Total 30 100 76.7% (21) patients who take insulin once a day said that they take the breakfast 30 minutes after the insulin injection. It show the patient understand why it is important to take breakfast after the medication to prevent from hypoglycemic attack. See table 4. Table 4 Frequency Percent About 30 minutes before breakfast 23 76.66667 I do not know 7 23.33333 Total 30 100 46.7%(14) of the patients have the symptoms of hypoglycemia attack, 20% (6) have sweating, sudden weakness, 16.7% (5) have trembling or shaking, sudden weakness, and 16.7% (5) have trembling or shaking and sweating. It showed that the symptom is different between each patient. See table 5 Table 5 Frequency Percent 1 and 2 5 16.7 2 and 3 6 20 1 and 3 5 16.7 all of the above 14 46.7 Total 30 100 What is the reaction of the patient if they get hypoglycemic attack, 73.3% (22) of the patients said that they will eat some food that has sugar or chew some sweet to prevent from severe hypoglycemia attack. They will bring along the sweets if they on exercise, working in the farm or they on vacation. See table 6 Table 6. Frequency Percent Ignore it and it will go away 5 16.66667 Eat some food that has sugar 22 73.33333 lie down and see whether it will pass 3 10 Total 30 100 50%(15) of the patients said that confusion is not an indicator of hypoglycemia. Because the patient know about the sign and symptom of the hypoglycemia and they will prevent from get this attack either in the house or out site of their house compound. They will bring some sweets along with them. See table 7. Table 7. Frequency Percent Fatigue 7 23.3 Poor Appetite 7 23.3 Tachycardia 1 3.3 Confusion 15 50 Total 30 100 73.3% (22) patients said that they are allowed to use as much sugar as they want because they use too and lack of knowledge of the diabetes symptom when they are young. All of the respondents (100%) said that they have greater change to get the complications such as hypoglycemic attack from a patient who does not have diabetes. 93.3% (28) patients said if they did not control the blood sugar level there is greater change of infection and illness. The infection will take time to heel. See table 8 Table 8 CHAPTER 5 5.1 Discussion. The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that in the year 2030, Malaysia would have a total of 2.48 million people with diabetes compared to 0.94 millions in 2000. In Malaysia, the First National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS I) conducted in 1986 reported a prevalence of diabetes of 6.3% and in the Second National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS II) in 1996, this had risen to 8.3%. The NHMS I and NHMS II involved subjects above 30 years. The third National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMSIII) conducted between April to July 2006 and included the diabetes module in the survey on subjects above 18 years. Zanariah et al (2008). Diabetic is a costly, disorder. Defining the distribution of specific characteristics among diabetics can assist in the planning, implementing and evaluating diabetic programmers for primary, secondary and tertiary prevention and control of diabetes. In planning of services for diabetes control, equity policies have to be considered. In this study it show that the patients know that they prone to get diabetes because of take a sweet drinks and rich of sugar in their food. When the patient in the ward, the nurse should teach the patient how to do the insulin injection, where are the side of injection and tell the patient that he should change the site of the injection to prevent from boil. The nurse should observe the patient how he syringe out the insulin and how to inject to his body. The nurse should remind the patient about sign and symptom of hypoglycemic attack and the precaution of the disease. The health education should continuously given to the patients from day 1 they admitted until the patient discharge from the ward and continued by the health community by do a home visit to the patient if the patient cannot go to the clinic for follow up. Regarding the diet, health education from the nutritionist and the medication from the clinical pharmacist should be continued since the patient stay in the ward. 5.2 Conclusion. Diabetes prevalence rate in Malaysia has risen much faster than expected, almost double over the last decade. Prevention and control of this chronic disease should be stepped up. Diabetes is certainly a diagnosis that nobody ever wants to receive. There is no cure, but it can be managed through diet, medication and exercise. Having high blood sugar level is out of control, the result in irreparable damage to the body, particularly with the kidneys, cardiovascular and blindness. Health education to patient on how to manage the disease and how to avoid or prolong adverse effects on the body.

Societys Reactions To Walden :: essays research papers

When Walden was published during the nineteenth century, the reactions of people were exceedingly different than they are of modern society. These reactions were towards every aspect of Thoreau and altered with every change in time. The foremost reactions toward Henry David Thoreau occurred when he went to live on his own at Walden Pond. As strange as it may seem, some critics think that Thoreau’s choice to live at Walden Pond was simply because he was a hermit. However, his sheltered life was the result of his brother’s death, which promoted Henry to go to Walden Pond (Life 1). Henry explains in Walden, â€Å"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived† (Life 1). As anyone may obviously see, Thoreau did not choose a life on the pond simply because he was a hermit. He left his nearby town of Conco rd for the life at the pond on July 4, 1845, which was Independence Day (Life 1). By leaving for Walden on July 4th Independence Day, Henry would have spent his first full day at Walden Pond on the anniversary of his brother’s birthday (Life 1). Although many believe Henry was a recluse, Henry was no stranger to society while he lived at the pond (Life 1). As he himself said, â€Å"I had more visitors while I lived in the woods than at any other period in my life; I mean that I had some† (Thoreau 119). These visitors Henry had at the pond included both his family and his friends, who he had, frequent dinners with (Life 1). The reactions of the people during Thoreau’s time were very diverse, some were positive while others were negative. John Burroughs was one of the few people who wrote frequently on Thoreau. He points out quite rightly that Thoreau was more interested in natural philosophy than natural science (Harding 87). In later years he forgot that and devoted most of his criticism to pointing out Thoreau’s many errors in scientific identification of species, and thus lost the broader concept of Thoreau’s work (Hendrick 87). Meanwhile, the reactions of Thoreau’s neighbors weren’t all that bad. In Thoreau’s Journal, Thoreau states, â€Å"How I love the simple reserved countrymen my neighbors who mind their own business and let me alone who never waylaid nor shot at me to my knowledge when I crossed their fields though each one has a gun in his house† (Harding 47).

Country vs. Culture Essay example -- Culture

America is a land based on freedom. This freedom is for every individual no matter their race or culture. Our society has surpassed many judgments and concerns that these demographic differences had created in the past. These differences had previously led to a great amount of cultural diversity through the act of discrimination among our nation. America, as a country, has now opened opportunities for individuals to work and interact in environments which were previously unsuited. USA Today surveyed a minority group in 2005 and found that over one third of corporate culture embraces diversity (El Nasser). They have opened doors to expand numbers that are now reaching around 41% of minorities working at all levels of companies and 37% of minorities at senior management (El Nasser). America has allowed cultural views of religion and other lifestyle beliefs and values to be an individual’s choice. They have also given a vast amount of freedom to different ethnic and religious groups throughout the past decades. A number of individuals along with various groups have taken advantage of these freedoms in unacceptable and illegal ways and given a lesser punishments for their actions. There have been cultural cases surrounding the acts of rapes and murders, for example, where a defendant was given 5 years of probation for murder and another individual was given 120 days in prison for murder (Phillips). These sentences can be compared to the 10 or more years charged for a ‘normal’ murder case or the average 11.8 years in prison for an individual convicted of rape ("Title 18 Crimes and Criminal Procedure"). The freedom this country is based on should not be shaken by the cultures coming in, but this country should stand beside ... ...the English Courts." Modern Law Review. 66.4 (2003): 510-531. Web. 28 Mar. 2012. . Reddy, Sita. "Temporarily Insane: Pathologising Cultural Difference in American Criminal Courts." Sociology of Health and Illness. 24.5 (2002): 667-687. Web. 1 Apr. 2012. . United States. Justia US Law. Title 18 Crimes and Criminal Procedure. Justia, 2010. Web. . Valladares, Rene. Culture Clash: Cultural Issues in Criminal Defense. District of Nevada: Juris Publishing Inc., 2007. 424-466. eBook. www.fd.org/pdf_lib/culture_clash.pdf. Willing, Richard. "Courts Asked To Consider Culture." USA Today 25 May 2004, n. pag. Web. 2 Apr. 2012. http://www.usatoday.com/educate/college/casestudies/Multicultural.pdf.

Against Capital Punishment Essay -- essays research papers

â€Å"At 8:00 p.m. it was nearing the end of John Evans’ last day on death row. He had spent most of the day with his minister and family, praying and talking of what was to come. At 8:20 he was walked from his cell down to the long hall to the execution room and strapped in the electric chair. At 8:30 p.m. the first jolt of 1900 volts passed through Mr. Evans’ body. It lasted 30 seconds. Sparks and flames erupted from the electrode tied to Mr. Evans’ leg. His body slammed against the straps holding him in the chair and his fist clenched permanently. The electrode then burst from the strap holding it in place. A large puff of gray smoke and sparks pored out from under the hood that covered his face. An overpowering stench of burnt flesh and clothing began pervading the witness room. Two doctors then examined Mr. Evans and declared that he was not dead. The electrode was then refastened and Mr. Evans was given another 30-second jolt. The stench was nauseating. Again the doctors examined him and found his heart still beating. At this time the prison commissioner, who was talking on the line with Governor George Wallace of Alabama, was asked to cancel the execution on the grounds that Mr. Evans was being subject to cruel and unusual punishment. The request was denied. At 8:40 p.m. the third charge of electricity was passed through Mr. Evans body. At 8:44 p.m. he was pronounced dead. The execution took 14 minutes. Afterward officials were embarrassed by what one observer called the â€Å"barbaric ritual.† The electric chair is supposed to be a very humane way of administering death, if there is one† (Zimring, & Hawkins, 1986, p.1). Every Western Industrial nation has stopped executing criminals, except the United States. Most Western nations have executed criminals in this century, and many were executed after World War II. Then executions suddenly decreased (Clay, 1990, p.9). This is partly because the people in many European countries might have been tired of killing from the war. In most cases the countries and states that stopped capital punishment followed with its formal abolition shortly after (Clay, 1990, p.10). One reason that the United States did not end capital punishment at this time is partly due to the fact that the war was never fought on our soil and US citizens had not all lived through the death and destruction of WWII personally. Some think that ... ...yclists from Los Angeles who were innocent. The jury’s verdict in this case was based on alleged eyewitnesses and a perjured testimony. If it hadn’t been for the investigation of newspaper journalists, and the confession of the real killer, they too would have died innocent men (Bedau, 1999, November 10). Though these two stories have reassuring endings, but the chances of good outcomes happening are small. People are too commonly wrongly accused of crimes. There will always be overzealous prosecution, perjured testimony, faulty police work, coerced confessions, the defendant’s previous criminal record, and inept defense councils. People will be wrongly put to death leaving their families behind wondering who was telling the truth. As long as society chooses to ignore its moral values, and as long as it brings down the value of a human life, capital punishment will remain in use. People must do the research and see for themselves the costs to society, both in dollars and in lives, are far too high. People will always make mistakes, and with the death penalty in use innocent people will die. For these reasons the United States should follow the lead and abolish capital punishment.

The contribution of infrastructure to Nigeria’s economic development and future prospects

Introduction There is general consensus that there is a positive relationship between development in the financial sector and economic growth providing the means to mobilize and to allocate funds in the economy (Masha et al., 2004; Shaw, 1973). However, financial development is also shown to be inadequate to cause economic development often being considered to be a passive handmaiden serving to enhance the output and contribution of the real sector (production) (Firzli and Bazi, 2011; Olaseni and Alade, 2012). There is therefore need for enhanced focus on the growth of the real sector, which in most cases is private sector driven and includes economic activities of a country’s citizenry. Herein lay the import of infrastructure development and the need for its aligned pursuit with financial sector development for enhanced national economic development. This research assesses the potential for utilizing infrastructure investment to enhance economic development in Nigeria, seeking to show nee d for enhanced focus on infrastructure investments to achieve the country’s desired economic growth and a positive future prospects. Aim of research This research proposes that there is significant potential for utilization of infrastructure investment to achieve enhance economic development of Nigeria. Through the assessment of this potential and analysis of government efforts towards managing infrastructure inadequacies, this research endeavours to answer the question: What is the potential for utilizing infrastructure investment to enhance economic development in NigeriaIt seeks to show that infrastructure investments are justifiable in the quest for economic growth and robust future economic development prospects for Nigeria. Research Objectives With regard to its overarching theme, this research aims to achieve the following objectives: To assess the correlation between infrastructure development and economic growth To assess infrastructure inadequacies in Nigeria impeding the country’s economic growth and what measures are being taken to address them. To evaluate impact of infrastructure development past and present on Nigeria’s future prospects and economic outlook. Structure of proposal Following is a review of literature which lays the foundation for the subject under study. It is followed by the research Methodology outlining techniques and approaches employed in the conduct of study. Literature review There is general consensus that there is a positive relationship between development in the financial sector and economic growth. While acknowledging that financial institutions provide the means to mobilize and allocate funds in the economy hence enhancing development, Schumpeter, in his 1934 work, did not perceive financial sector development as being the cause of economic development. Later in 1954, Robinson supports this view arguing that the financial sector is a handmaiden of economic development, which is passive and responds to needs in the real sector (which encompasses economic production including manufacturing) and therefore growth in the real economy (Masha et al, 2004). However, McKinnon (1973) and Shaw (1973) argue that the financial sector can be more than a passive handmaiden and a major driver of economic growth if it is relieved of its restraints. With repression, they argue that the financial sector responds passively to the needs in the real-sector and can only d rive economic development if liberalized. It is settled for most research work that there is a definite link, between growth in the financial sector and in the real sector (economic production). In an article in 2005, Asagowa identified close to ten indices of growth and deepening of the financial sector. These include rate of growth of all-encompassing money relative to GDP (diversification of the economy), interest rates spread, and ratio of financial assets to GDP, among others (Babatunde, et al, 2012). Infrastructure is a significant contributor to growth in sectors of the economy such as manufacturing and other forms of production easing and facilitating essential constituent processes. Financial sector reforms and economic development Up until the fourth quarter of 1986, Nigeria pursued a government-led economic development paradigm guided by National Development Plans. The government dominated all sectors of the economy including agriculture, commerce, services (especially transportation), and industry, among others, with the private sector playing a passive role. Since its independence in 1960 and subsequent discovery and exploitation of oil through the 1970s, the government had sufficient resources to finance these development plans to a reasonable proportion (World Bank, 2010). However, poor fiscal discipline consequent to the revenue windfalls deriving from oil saddled the nation with a significant external debt burden. The disregard of other sectors of the economy led to a fall in international trade, and as well resulted in high unemployment rates and slow growth of output. These led the government to rethink its underlying philosophy of development resulting in a shift in paradigm to a private sector-led p aradigm. With this shift came relief of stringent regulations governing every sector which were put up to enhance government control but which impeded the enhancement of performance and growth (Akinyosoye, 2010). In 1984, therefore, a programme was fashioned called the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) which attempted to move the country away from direct government control of economic activities to indirect control such as through market forces. This involved widespread deregulation of trade, exchange, finance, among others. However, in spite of the increase in the number of financial institutions and greater variety of financial instruments and freedoms, the real economy showed no marked improvement with all macroeconomic indicators declining three years into the new millennium (World Bank, 2013). The country suffered debilitating external debt, high inflation (highest at 72.8% in 1995) (FMW, 2012: NNBS, 2013), high level of fiscal debt, underemployment and low capacity utiliza tion in industry and agriculture. There was general distress also in the financial sector with high levels of insolvency and non-performing loans (Firzli and Bazi, 2011). Financial reforms have not been entirely successful translating into economic growth to desired levels. In this regard, there is need for aligned pursuit of growth in the financial sector with that in the real sector, which is facilitated by infrastructure development. Herein lay the import of infrastructure development. Infrastructure and economic development Infrastructure is herein defined to include the sectors of transport, water and sanitation, telecommunications, power, among others. In all countries across the globe, this aspect represents a large portfolio of expenditure, ranging from a third to a half of public investment (Akinyosoye, 2010). Given the intense capital requirement and the length of time it takes for benefits to manifest, there has been concern and debate among economic policy makers, politicians and the general public regarding the performance of infrastructure and its impact on economic development (Patunola-Ajayi, 2013). However, AEO (2013) and WEF (2010) among others present a widespread agreement that the inadequacy of physical infrastructure in a country is among major constraints impeding sustained and broad-based economic development. There are various correlations between infrastructure and economic activity. In the short term, the construction phase is associated with attendant decision in the public secto r that could have an influence on macroeconomic variables such as GDP, employment, public deficit, inflation, among others. The public investment thus expands aggregate demand, yielding a boost to employment, production and income (Patunola-Ajayi, 2013). In the medium and long term (the utilization phase), there are macroeconomic effects such as increases in productivity over the territory and in the private sector, as well as its effect on the degree of competitiveness of an economy (ADB, 2012; Foster and Briceno-Garmendia, 2010). Additionally, various benefits derive from infrastructure development. The availability of infrastructure influences the marginal productivity of private capital with investment of public capital in infrastructure in a particular location often attracting additional flow of resources (Akinyosoye, 2010; ADB, 2012). Infrastructure services such as transportation, electricity, and water are also intermediate inputs to production. Public capital invested in i nfrastructure therefore complements private capital and serves to enhance economic development (ADB, 2012; World Bank, 2010). Services thereby generated as a result of sufficiency of infrastructure translate into increased aggregate output. At the microeconomic level, the effect of infrastructure is specifically seen through the reduction in the cost of production derived from its impact on profitability, output levels, employment and incomes (Myers, 2007). This is particularly the case for small and medium scale enterprises. Extensive and efficient infrastructure is critical in ensuring effective functioning of the economy and is an important factor in the determination of the location of economic activity and the kind of sectors and/or economic activities that can develop in a particular economy (Patunola-Ajayi, 2013). There is also the intermediate input for economic development which encompasses higher productivity obtained from improved human capacity development. This can be a ttained through improvements in healthcare, nutrition, education, better roads and transportation, and access to electricity to households as well as telecommunication services which enable the creative engagement of citizens and access to core economic activities (Wilhelm, 2010; Akinyosoye, 2010). On a global scale, and regarding international trade (trade logistics), there is also an impact on the cost and quality of service which determine competitiveness in export and import markets. Infrastructure reduces the effect of distance between regions, enables the integration of national markets, and creates connections at lower cost to markets in other regions or countries (WEF, 2010; ADB, 2012; KPMG, 2012). A remarkable positive effect of infrastructure development has been adduced by models such as the Cobb-Douglas which yield a median value of 0.30. This means that public investment equivalent to 100% of the public capital stock would lead to a 300% growth of private production (Ba batunde, et al, 2012). Investment in infrastructure is therefore among the important mechanisms through which to increase income, employment, productivity, and consequently, the competitiveness of the economy. Infrastructure development in Nigeria Nigeria’s economic growth is largely driven by the capital-intensive oil sector which continues to drive the economy. The average growth of this sector was about 8% comparable to -0.35% for the non-oil sectors (NNBS, 2013). Given its limited job creation capacity, focus on this sector has not translated into sufficient jobs resulting in poverty and disenfranchisement of the greater population and, therefore, the country’s low rank in the Human Development Index (HDI) (NNBS, 2013; The Guardian, 2012). In this regard, King, 2003; FMW, 2012 and AEO, 2013; show that economic growth has not translated into sufficient job creation and/or poverty alleviation with unemployment increasing from 21% in 2010 to 24% in 2011 (King, 2003; NNBS, 2013). The country’s outlook for growth remains positive, though, with an annual economic growth rate of about 8% (KPMG, 2011; NNBS, 2013), and an anticipated GDP growth rate of about 12% in the next five years (NNBS, 2013; AEO, 2013). T his outlook pegs its vision 20:2020’s aspiration to achieve a GDP of $900 billion (FMW, 2012; NNBS, 2013) predicated on improved sectoral performance, the propulsion of a better business environment, and supportive government policies focused on stability in the macroeconomic environment and increased investment. This is however challenged by short and medium term downside risks which include security challenges due to religious conflict in some of its states, slowed global economic growth in major economies of the world and the crisis of the Eurozone (Olaseni and Alade, 2012). There is therefore a great need to diversify the Nigerian economy making it broad-based (both socially and geographically) and to expand the sources of growth. The development of agriculture, manufacturing and services could enable the broadening of growth, creation of employment and reduction of poverty (AEO, 2013). The country is therefore addressing the infrastructure deficit in the country to creat e linkages and to enable such diversification which would enable inclusive growth (FMW, 2012). Infrastructure made a one percentage point net contribution to the country’s improved per capita growth performance in recent years (NNBS, 2013), notably held back by unreliable power supply (Olaseni and Alade, 2012). In spite of the obvious importance of infrastructure to the nation, governments both at the national and local levels have continued to pay lip service to the provision of infrastructure (Financial News, 2014). As a consequence, the country’s growth prospect is undermined. The following section offers a glimpse at some of the country’s major infrastructure inadequacies. Inadequacies in infrastructure developmentUrban housingLack of proper planning and management of rapid urbanization has led to uncontrolled growth in major cities and towns to accommodate an informal economy which stands at 60-70%. This has had a negative impact on the landscapes of urban centres, leading to decay of inner cities, growth of shanty towns especially in peri-urban areas, consequently limiting their contribution to the national economy being inimical to security and good governance (UN Habitat, 2010).TransportThroughout the country, roads are neglected, particularly those connecting major cities, the sea port and commercial centres to the hinterland which are bad and deteriorating. Efforts at repair are often in vain due to the use of substandard materials. Though having the potential to provide a cheaper means of transport, the existing rail network is old and dilapidated, having served half a century after being built by the British colonial government (ADB, 2012). Att empts to procure new coaches or to create new routes have not succeeded. This has fostered the development of a disorganized and unregulated private sector freight and passenger road transport system, which has resulted in traffic congestion in cities, increase in motor accidents, and environmental pollution (UN Habitat, 2010). Given Nigeria’s endowment of waterways and long stretches of coast with potential for transportation, this option, which could ease congestion on roads and aid easier movements, is neglected and the water ways are left undeveloped. There are only a few canoe and ferry routes which are ill-equipped having no good jetties, harbours, safer boats or ferries. The recently refurbished mini-port at Ikorodu, Lagos State provides relief to commuters going through the Ikorodu-Lagos-Lekki road where they now only cross by ferry to Ajah (Akinyosoye, 2010). This is evidence of potential and should be replicated across the country. Transportation of heavy cargo thro ugh waterways can save pressure on roads. There have been recent attempts to improve/ renovate airports which have for a long time remained in deplorable condition, and to address the challenge of adequate capacity. Travelling by air is still expensive in Nigeria compared to international standards with charter options such as helicopter, cargo and passenger planes largely untapped. Air transport has the exceptional advantage in terms of speed, time of travel and distance considerations. It is also of high value in relation to weight and is preferred when accessibility is a challenge (Akinyosoye, 2010).Electricity supplyThough it forms a significant avenue for economic empowerment of the people and country as a whole, the power crisis in Nigeria persists. Irregular supply impedes production and manufacturing and consequently some entities have had to relocate leading to loss of employment opportunities (UN Habitat, 2010). The country currently generates 4000MW which is inadequate co mpared to South Africa’s 34000MW (Olaseni and Alade, 2012). There are however efforts and resources being planned in the medium term towards enhancement of power supply but quite a lot needs to be done given the importance of power in economic development and well-being of citizens who make use of generators for their power requirements (Olaseni and Alade, 2012).Water supply infrastructurePopulation pressure has strained water supply capacity with damaged supply pipes, deteriorating water treatment infrastructure and erratic power supply challenging the supply of safe water to the population. To many, the main sources of water are boreholes, wells, springs, flowing rivers, and brooks whose safety for human consumption is not guaranteed. Poor sanitation and consequent diseases impacts overall health and well-being of citizens and their productivity (UN Habitat, 2010).CommunicationThe emergence of cellular phones has revolutionized the public and private business environment, b ridging communication gaps that hitherto existed. There has subsequently been a reduction in unproductive business trips and an enhancement of transactions. High prices of service and poor reception, inadequate capacity and coverage however need to be addressed for this aspect to facilitate expected economic growth (Financial News, 2014). There is obviously greater need for the Nigerian government and constituent states to develop adequate and effective infrastructure. This requires a more strategic approach to tackle its dearth which has been deemed to constrain the required economic development. There needs to be robust strategic planning, strong political will, as well as the right procurement approach to achieve long term success (Akinyosoye, 2010; AEO, 2013). According to World Bank (2013) estimates, Nigeria’s vision and aspiration to attain middle income status by 2020 requires sustained investment in infrastructure of about $14.2 billion over the next decade which is a bout 12% of its GDP. The current investment is $5.9 billion (5% of GDP) (NNBS, 2013) falls short. Expenditure on food imports is a significant at $90 billion a year (NNBS, 2013; World Bank, 2013) and is unnecessary given Nigeria’s potential in agriculture, taking up resources that could finance infrastructure development (World Bank, 2013). Reducing this bill requires investment in enabling infrastructure such as rural energy, transport systems, telecommunication and irrigation systems. However, much of Nigeria’s impetus for rural development will derive from investments at the level of the State though such infrastructure run by the State and government is prone to low maintenance and support, hindering efficiency and effectiveness (Olaseni and Alade, 2012). Current development of public infrastructure is occurring in tandem with a huge expansion of private sector developments, particularly in the property market (ADB, 2012). Continued urbanization and an emerging mid dle class, as well as a shortfall in quality office space for investor companies are key drivers for this wave of real estate development (KPMG, 2011; FMW, 2012). The success of ambitious infrastructure developments is likely to increase investors’ appetite to expand their operations and capture the anticipated growth, portends significant potential for economic growth (AEO, 2013). MethodologyResearch PhilosophyThis study employs a pragmatic philosophy which embraces both positivism in its opening up and confirming valid causal relationships which can therefore be used for prediction; and subjectivism which appreciates the difference between humans as social actors, with varied views of reality, values and knowledge (Creswell, 2002). Focus in this regard is on observable phenomena and their subjective meanings driving applied research integrating different perspectives to help in the interpretation of data.Study Technique and StrategyGiven the contextual nature of the study and its focus being an attempt to gauge the impact of infrastructure development on Nigeria’s economy, a qualitative inductive approach is deemed to be a suitable approach enabling a detailed exploration of the subject (Quirke, B., 2008). The inductive approach is useful in condensing varied and extensive data into a brief and summarized format while establishing links between researc h objectives and findings obtained (Saunders et al., 2000). This technique involves the exploration of published literature on the subject including government reports, working papers, as well as journals and other relevant literature. This research also employs a quantitative technique in the conduct of interviews in a social survey to targeted experts in Nigeria’s development ministry as well as government leaders in sample states. This would enable the acquisition of information on actual infrastructure investment and development, cross-checked to the particular region by local officials towards the realization of study objectives. This would also enable the acquisition of opinions and information on the actual contribution of infrastructure to increased economic activity in the various regions, and/or the enhancement of life which is a precursor to increased productivity.Practical ImplementationThe targeted experts chosen for the survey include random sample of 20 officia ls in the national Federal Government in charge of oversight of infrastructure development in the country’s 36 Federal States and the administrative areas of the Federal Capital territory and urban councils. This will enable the attainment of a comprehensive view of projects and prospects given that they comprise the control centre for the entire nation, and arebetter placed to notice and to identify increases in economic activity reflected in increase in revenues to Local government areas and urban councils, and tax revenues to the nation state. This survey will take the form of a structured interview administered by the researcher, a method which ensures consistency of results obtained and answers that can reliably be aggregated. Its format is as appears in Appendix: A comprising both closed- and open-ended questions which afford the research the capability to compare and/or contrast interviewee responses in order to answer the research question (Creswell, 2002).Analysis ap proachData obtained from interviews will be analysed using SPSS which enables the production of graphs which would enable the study to show correlations between infrastructure development and increase in economic activity (growth in the real sector) which enables evaluation of its actual or potential impact. A wide and extensive exploration of literature, as well as congruence on the ground as assessed by target experts enhances reliability and validity of data obtained (Creswell, 2002). The choice of a representative sample from across the entire country enhances the study’s generalizability and thereofore its capacity to make comprehensive deductions on the subject (Creswell, 2002; Saunders et al., 2000). Findings showing an increase in economic activities in areas recently served by new or improved infrastructure; entry of medium and large scale investors to locations supported by actual or prospective infrastructure investments; as well as increases in local and federal g overnment revenues signify the contribution of infrastructure investments in increased economic activity engaging the population in the regions and overall expansion in the real sector. These are expected to translate to economic growth and positive future prospects for economic development.Limitations of studyAssessment of the impact and actual correlation of infrastructure development on economic growth might be a challenge given the length of time with which the utilization of infrastructure translates into tangible economic activity and causes observable effect on the country’s economy. Economic growth of a country depends on the interplay of several factors including financial deepening, investor confidence, the encouragement of various economic activities, among other socio-cultural and policy factors. The isolation of the contribution of infrastructure development is therefore a challenge and might affect the outcome of this research.Ethical ConsiderationsIt is imperat ive in research to ensure that the survey approach and activities do not portend psychological or social harm to interviewees. An initial important and significant step is in ensuring that the researcher seeks informed consent from the particular interviewees and as well from their superiors in departments or other actors whose areas of duty and responsibility may be touched by the inquiry. This would ensure that there are no breaches in confidentiality, and also ensures that interviewees are not put in tight spots and forced to discuss sensitive areas and information which may be of psychological harm. The researcher should also be keen to note potential language barriers and cultural practices such as cultural gender power disparities that may impede the smooth progress of the interview and which may also negatively impact the interviewees making them feel incompetent or hindered in their participation. In such cases, the researcher should seek support of interpreters and agreeabl e individuals to help out in the conduct of the interview enhancing comfort and therefore output. Alongside the above considerations, it is also worthwhile to ensure that time set aside for interviews and other activities such as prior meetings is properly consented to both by management or superiors in the relevant departments in which the interviewers are, as well as by the interviewees themselves. This would ensure that the interviews and related activities do not infringe on official or personal schedules, as well as personal, cultural or religious preferences or obligations. The interviewee should also be informed of their right to answer a particular question or to terminate the interview altogether. The researcher in this study therefore in the foregoing will endeavour to obtain proper consent for study survey; respect privacy and goodwill of participants by not asking hypersensitive or confidential information; respect cultural norms and individual preferences of interviewee s; ensure the confidentiality of data collected protecting it from access by third parties, and, to honestly and accurately report information obtained from the survey, avoiding the identification of interviewees if they wish that their identity be waived. Conclusion Reform in Nigeria’s financial sector is inadequate for economic development if the economy is not diversified and if citizens are not engaged in worthwhile economic activity. For the government to achieve this shift there needs to be a focus on infrastructure development, which would encourage private investments, enhance well-being of citizens, reduce existing constraints, and overall increase in economic activity which contribute to economic growth. Further research is required to clearly show correlations between investment in infrastructure and economic growth and future economic prospects. This would enable its effects to be isolated from among other factors such as financial deepening which are also essential for economic growth and development. References African Development Bank, 2012. An Infrastructure Action Plan for Nigeria: Closing the Infrastructure Gap and Accelerating Economic Transformation. ADB Group report Africa Economic Outlook, 2013. Nigeria Economic Outlook. AEO Report Akinyosoye, M., 2010. Infrastructure Development in Nigeria: Roadmap to Sustainable Development. Working Paper Babatunde, O., S., Afees, and O., Olasunkanmi, 2012. â€Å"Infrastructure and economic growth in Nigeria: A multivariate Approach.† In: Journal of Business Management and Accounting Vol. 1(3), pp. 030-039, October 2012 Business Newspaper, 2011. PPP as a tool for Infrastructure Development in Nigeria. 20th October; by Dominic Obuzuwa Creswell, J., 2002. Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. Federal Ministry of Works, 2012. Road infrastructure and related development in Nigeria: Compendium report. Viewed from: www.works.gov.ng Financial New s, 2014. Nigeria takes step to develop Infrastructure. Article by Sarah Krouse Firzli, M., and V., Bazi, 2011. â€Å"Infrastructure Investments in an Age of Austerity: The Pension and Sovereign Funds Perspective.† In: Revue Analyse Financiere, volume 41, pp. 34-37. Foster, V., and C., Briceno-Garmendia, 2010. Africa’s Infrastructure: A time for Transformation. Washington, D.C.: The World Bank. King, D., 2003. USAID/Nigeria Economic Growth Activities Assessment. Arlington VA: IBM Business Consulting Services KPMG, 2011. Trends in Global Real Estate: Global Issues and Insights. Viewed from: http://www.kpmg.com/Global/IssuesAndInsights/ArticlesAndPublications/Pages/Trends-global real estate.aspx Masha, et al, 2004. â€Å"Theoretical Issues in Financial Intermediating Financial Markets, Macro-economic Management and Monetary Policy.† In: Financial Markets in Nigeria, CBN, Abuja. McKinnon, R., 1973. Money and Capital in Economic Development. Washington, D.C.: The Bro okings Institution Myers, D., 2007. Construction Economics. Wiltshire, Great Britain: Cromwell Press Nigerian National Bureau of Statistics, 2013. Viewed from: http://www.nigerianstat.gov.ng/ Olaseni, M., and W., Alade, 2012. â€Å"Vision 20:2020 and the Challenges of Infrastructure Development in Nigeria.† In: Journal of Sustainable Development Vol.5, No 2(2012) Patunola-Ajayi, B., 2013. Infrastructure Development and Economic Empowerment in Nigeria. The Nigeria Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers. NIESV Quirke, B., 2008. Making the connections: Using qualitative research to make research work, 2nd ed., Hampshire: Gower Publishing Ltd. Saunders, M., P., Lewis, and A., Thornhill, 2000. Research Methods for Business Students, 2nd edition, London: Pitman Publishing Shaw, E., 1973. Financial Deepening In Economic Development. New York. Oxford University press The Guardian, 2012. Roads and Rail in Nigeria could be at the centre of Job creation. January 24 UN Habitat, 2010 . Nigeria: Country Programme Document (2008-2009). United Nations Human Settlements Programme Wilhelm, T., 2010. EDC Nigeria Economics [online]. Viewed from: http://www.edc.ca/english/docs/gnigeria_e.pdf World Bank, 2010. Infrastructure at the crossroads: lessons from 20 years of World Bank experience. Washington DC: The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / the World Bank World Bank, 2013. The World Bank Economic Report for Nigeria. WB World Economic Forum, 2010. The Global Competitiveness Report 2010–2011. Geneva: World Economic Forum