Impact of the Alliance of Maersk and Msc on Freight Rates

Impact of the Alliance of Maersk and Msc on Freight Rates Analysis of the impact of the alliance of Maersk and MSC on freight rates on the Asia-Europe route Yixiang Zhang Content Abstract  (Jump to) 1. Introduction 2. Market share and structure of container shipping market 3. Alliance of Maersk and MSC 4. Impact of freight rate by 2M 5. Conclusions References Abstract The economic crisis took place in 2008 resulting in a great depression in shipping market. The demand in container shipping market declined rapidly and the overcapacity made the freight rate much lower which may not compensate the operation cost of the shipping companies. The three biggest shipping alliances(CKYH Alliance, Grand Alliance and CKYH Alliance) took series of solutions such as decrease of the capacity and in number of services routes to reduce the loss in their best effort. In this recession circumstances, ML(Maersk Line) and MSC(Mediterranean Shipping Company) which were known as 2M formed co-operation agreement on VSA(Vessel Sharing Agreements) on Asia-Europe route and this agreement last for 10 years. ML will devote 1200,000 TEU which counts for 55 percents of its overall capacity in the alliance and MSC is going to devote 900,000 TEU which counts for 45 percents of its overall capacity. Through the co-operation, 2M intended to promote the efficiency of operation and p rovided reliable shipping services to consumers on a lower price by sharing shipping network, infrastructural equipment and provide more straight service lines and the number of ports of call. In this way, other medium or small shipping companies who cannot achieve the economics of scale or better quality services as 2M managed to do will become uncompetitive and then have to exit the market when there is overcapacity in the shipping market. In this strategy, 2M will gain much more market share and consumer loyalty to make more profit although there is monopoly restriction. 1. Introduction With the rapid development of the international economy, the amount of export and import grew fast in the past few years. Shipping companies play essential role in the worldwide trade by providing satisfactory services to consumers. Shipping companies attempt to be more competitive than the others and reduce the risk which is considered high in maritime transportation by co-operate with each other or form an alliance. The ocean shipping industry is among the first to apply alliance to make their profit. Before the demotion of the conference system in 1998 (Shashi Kumar, 1999), maritime transportation market can be regarded as monopoly because the operation of a shipping company is at high risk and governments want to induce more firms involve in maritime transportation. However, with technology improvement and fast growing of shipping industry, the exemption from anti-trust rules was issued by the EU in 2008. Shipping companies have to set up new kinds of alliances to gain advantage and share risk in this dynamic market (Fusillo,2006). It is obvious that in present shipping alliances vessel sharing agreements and slot sharing agreements are widely used. The vessel sharing agreements or â€Å"VSA† can make container companies co-operate with each other to share their space on their container ships to acquire higher capacity to fight their lower capacities in certain trade lanes. The agreements allow for the shipping lines to keep freight costs lower since they do not need to account for empty spaces on their ships (source: http://www.containerquote.com/vessel-sharing-agreement). Slot sharing agreement require a fixed percentage of vessel capacity to be exchanged between the carriers over a given time period. This type of arrangement may be beneficial when two patner companies have vessels deployed on the same route with different departure time schedules (Panayides Wiedmer, 2011). Shipping alliances become a trend especially during the recession when the advantages that alliances can bring to us are clear. Even the top two large liner companies ML and MSC who used to act as â€Å"soloists† also choose to co-operate with each other, which can be regarded as a great move in shipping industry because together they count for nearly 30 percents of the whole market share. The paper aims at analyzing the impact of the alliance of Maersk and MSC on freight rates on the Asia-Europe route step by step as below, Section 2 will give a description of the whole shipping market. Section 3 focuses on ML and MSC alliances about the strategies they use. Section 4 will discuss about how the strategies 2M use will influence the freight rate. 2. Market share and structure of container shipping market This section shows who are the main players in the game and what are the connections between them. Table 1 illustrates the characteristics of top 20 shipping companies including total capacity, vessels operated in the market and actual market share. Table 1 Container fleet characteristics of Top 20 liner shipping companies Operator TEU Ships MS Operator TEU Ships MS 1 ML 2078507 556 15% 11 MOL 383042 99 2.5% 2 MSC 1683723 421 13.3% 12 NYK 365304 95 3% 3 CMA CGM 1096622 384 7.6% 13 OOCL 347988 77 2.4% 4 APL 591306 148 4% 14 Hambrg.sud 336811 108 2.3% 5 Hapag-Lloyd 582520 133 3.4% 15 K Line 324441 80 2.5% 6 Evergreen 567636 156 4.1% 16 Zim 322989 97 2.2% 7 COSCO 512060 134 3.3% 17 Yang Ming 315798 77 2.3% 8 CSAV 502619 135 2.4% 18 Hyundai M.M. 279446 54 2% 9 Hanjin 461087 100 3.2% 19 PIL 231941 127 1.4% 10 CSCL 455328 127 3.3% 20 UASC 206940 52 1.4% Source: Alphaliner.com, as of 28/06/2010 It is clear that ML together with MSC count up for 28.3% market share which is less than the monopoly restriction 30%. New World Alliance whose main partners are APL, MOL and HMM counts for 8.5% market share. Grand Alliance whose main members are NYK, Hapag-Lloyd and OOCL counts for 8.8% market share. CKYH whose main partners are Hanjin, Yang Ming, K Line and COSCO counts for 11.3% market share. In this way, there are four cartels whose market share counts up to 75.6%, which indicates the fact that the container shipping market on the Asia-Europe route is oligopoly. As a result, a decision made by any of these four alliances could bring an enormous influence to the others. That is also the reason why I would like to discuss about the impact on freight rate by 2M, because they have the market power to influence others. 3. Alliance of Maersk and MSC From the above analysis of container shipping market, it is clear to tell that ML and MSC have the top 2 capacity on Asia-Europe route. However, when focusing on the efficiency that both of them perform, the situation changed somehow. Table 2 presents the market share based on the vessels operated in the market. Table 2 Market share in different regions based on number of vessels operated Geo AF ANZ AS CA FE ME MiE ML 26.5% 20.1% 3.5% 19.5% 12.9% 22.3% 18.2% MSC 12.7% 15.4% 5.8% 17.1% 8% 20.7% 23.1% GEO NA NE SA TOTAL MS Delta ML 16.1% 15.4% 13.1% 15.6% 15% 0.57% MSC 11.9% 20.6% 14.1% 13.3% 10.9% 2.39% Abbreviations: AF Africa; ANZ Australia, New Zealand, South Pacific; AS Asia; CA Central America; FE Far East; ME Mediterranean; MiE Middle East; NA North America; NE North Europe; SA South America; MS Market Share; DELTA difference between company’s share of world-fleet minus actual market share. Source: Alphaliner.com, as of 28/06/2010 Depending on Tabke2, it is clear that Delta of both ML and MSC is positive which indicates that their shares of vessels operated in the market are both higher than their actual market share. This phenomenon can be explained in this way. Suppose all the other shipping companies except for ML have their vessels loaded up to 80% on average and ML only can load their ships around 60%, ML need to devote more vessels into the market to keep the same market share with other companies. In this way, it can be inferred that both ML and MSC have not fully taken advantages of their ships in the market. They have to find a way to promote their efficiency of their carriers. From the analysis above, it should be clearly explained that the motivation of ML and MSC the Top 2 giants in the shipping market to become alliance. Shipping alliance indeed brings series of advantages to both of them. The most important agreement between ML and MSC is vessel sharing agreements known as â€Å"VSA† which means that the collaborating companies work together to fulfill demand and also try to fully load their ships. Actually once â€Å"VSA† performing well, ML and MSC could devote some of their ships on another route because fewer ships can fulfill the demand due to the high utilization of container ships. In this way, the operation cost of vessels in the market can be reduced. 4. Impact of freight rate by 2M As discussed above, vessel sharing agreements enable ML and MSC largely promote their ships utilization to reduce the operation cost. It can be imagined that the total cost to provide satisfactory services as before becomes a little bit lower after 2M established. From author’s aspect, 2M can take advantages in two different ways as below: First strategy is to remain the same price as before but provide better services to their consumers. In this way, 2M could gain more consumer loyalty and attract more consumers to accept their services. However, in author’s opinion, other alliances such as New World, Grand Alliance and CKYH will not stay at where they are and do nothing. They may choose to reduce freight rate to attract consumers in order to not lose market share. Somehow to what extent they decide to cut freight rate depends on how well 2M performs and also the loss they are able to bear. Second strategy is to lower the freight rate but remain the same services quality as before. In this way, 2M can attract more consumers with their low price of freight rate. It is illustrated about how it works as below Figure 1. Figure 1 It can be easily inferred that when 2M choose to low their price, their initial supply curve S1 will shift right to S2 and D1 stays the same if no strong fluctuation occurs. So the quantity which can be seen as the number of consumers who choose 2M service increases from Q1 to Q2. In this way, 2M will get more market share to make much more profit when the global economy recovers from the crisis. Furthermore, the second strategy also has large influence on other shipping companies on Asia- Europe route. It will result in the shutting down of some shipping companies on Asia-Europe route whose average variable cost is lower than the freight rate 2M set. In the short run, the shipping companies’ supply curve is their marginal cost curve. If the freight rate is below P1, they have to shut down because the revenue they make cannot compensate their cost which means they are losing money all the time. In this way, 2M will gain this share of market by lower the freight rate. The way it works is illustrated in Figure 2. Figure 2 The second strategy can also force some companies not only shut down but also exit the market in the long run aspect. The way it works is illustrated in Figure 3. Figure 3 From the figure above, if 2M reduce the price below P1, shipping companies whose average total cost is higher than P1 will exit market because they will never take back their initial investment if freight rate continues to stay low. 5. Conclusions As the alliance between ML and MSC has been taken into practice, vessel sharing agreement is vital to improve their service quality and the efficiency of ships operation. So with vessels utilization optimized, together with the economies of scale, 2M is able to reduce their operation cost in a large extent because there is indeed a big gap to be improved which is explained in the analysis of difference of actual market share and total capacity. It has to be clear that high efficiency operation of ships as well as the strategies 2M may use can be regarded as a way of increasing supply in the market, which in turn will make the fright rate on Asia-Europe route drops. References Photis, M.P. Robert, W. (2011). Strategic alliances in container liner shipping. Research in Transportation Economics 32 (2011) 25-38. Shashi Kumar, N. (1999). The US OSRA of 1998: an analysis of its economic impact on carriers, shippers and third parties. In proceedings of the IAME 1999 Halifax conference (pp. 7-29). Halifax, Canada: Centre for International Business Studies, Dalhousie University. Fusillo, M. (2006). Some notes on structure and stability in liner shipping. Maritime Policy Management, 33(5), 463-475.

Immorality in The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells :: H.G. Wells, The Invisible Man

     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In The Invisible Man, H.G. Wells both demonstrates and criticizes man's tendency to become moral or immoral with the acquirement of power. Like many books of the same era, he uses science as the instrument of retribution for the social crimes that have been committed.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Through invisibility, the Invisible Man gains triumph over science and from this, great power; he can steal, kill, and abuse anybody without fear of being caught, as he describes, "It's useful in getting away, it's useful in approaching. It's particularly useful, therefore, in killing." He also acknowledges the shortcomings of his invisibility, such as making sound and being easily imprisoned once caught, vulnerable qualities which eventually lead to his downfall.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Invisible Man breaks into many people's homes, stealing money, and leading eventually to physical abuse and killing. When faced with power, such as invisibility, man becomes immoral and is willing to do anything for personal gain and enjoyment. The Invisible Man's nemesis, Kemp, brings up the immorality by saying, "But-! I say! The common conventions of humanity." The Invisible Man just reinforces his arrogance by rebutting with, "Are all very well for common people." He believes there is nothing wrong with doing anything for his own survival since he is superior. He also brings the situation one step further with his reign of terror, which he describes as, "Not wanton killing, but a judicious slaying." He now wants to have complete control over everybody through terror and wants to start "the Epoch of the Invisible Man." This shows his complete thirst for power.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The use of science to give man superpower can likewise be found in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.   Man should not create the invisible man or the invincible man since they are too powerful and this gives them the role of creator which, according to the society of the day, should only be a god's role.   He shows how science can accomplish great things and also how it can cause great harm.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The harm that the Invisible Man's exploitation of power causes does not go unpunished. Wells demonstrates the social need for a sense of justice, as the Invisible Man is eventually captured and beaten to death for the terror he both created and wanted to create.

A comparison between cardiac CT scanning and cardiac digital subtraction angiography (DSA)

Abstract Coronary artery disease affects nearly one tenth of the UK population and remains the leading cause of death in the western world. To investigate and provide interventions for coronary artery disease, imaging of the coronary arteries to enable visualisation of atheromatous plaque is required. This review looked at the techniques of cardiac computed tomography scanning and cardiac digital subtraction angiography, and their contribution to the investigation of coronary artery disease. Comparison of the procedures considered technique, radiation exposure, contrast agent, clinical indications and efficacy in diagnosis of coronary artery stenosis. On comparison of the effectiveness of the techniques, both were shown to have been effective non-invasive procedures that may be used to rule out diagnoses and avoid inappropriate use of invasive angiography. The research shows mixed evidence for cardiac computed tomography angiography as a test of high specificity, however sensitivity and speci ficity of cardiac digital subtraction angiography is high, and therefore suggest that the techniques may be useful in low risk patients. Introduction Coronary artery disease remains the main cause of death in the UK and western world (Hacker, 2013; Liu et al., 2002) and contributes a substantial disease burden, affecting 7% of men and 5% of women in the UK in 1999 (Liu et al., 2002). Coronary artery disease results from the build up of atherosclerotic plaque within the arteries supplying the myocardium. This plaque limits the flow of blood through the arteries, and can cause ischaemia of the heart muscle. If the plaque becomes unstable and ruptures, this may lead to thrombus formation and the complete occlusion of an artery, resulting in a myocardial infarction (McClure et al., 2009). Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a sub-classification of coronary artery disease and encompasses unstable angina, non-ST elevation myocardial infarction and ST elevation myocardial infarction. ACS represents a range of conditions that result from thrombus formation in coronary arteries, and if untreated has poor prognosis and high mortality (NICE, 2010). To investigate and provide information for interventions for coronary artery disease and ACS, visualization of the coronary arteries and any lesions caused by atherosclerotic plaque is required. Advances in technology have given rise to several sophisticated perfusion analysis techniques, which provide greater prognostic value than morphological imaging (Hacker, 2013). Perfusion analysis allows the blood flow through the coronary vessels to be observed and any abnormalities in the perfusion can be interpreted as a functional consequence of atherosclerotic changes within the vessels (Hacker, 2013). Currently, UK guidelines (NICE, 2010a) recommend coronary angiogram as first line management for patients presenting with ACS. This enables imaging of the coronary arteries to assess perfusion. It is important to assess the circulation as arteries can be affected from the earliest stages of endothelial dysfunction to high-grade coronary artery stenoses (Hacker et al., 2010; Bugiardini et al. 2004; Kaufmann et al., 2000), and this provides the information necessary for prognosis and intervention. With the advances in technology, there are now various diagnostic tests available to assess coronary artery disease, including coronary angiography and computed tomography (CT) scanning (Gorenoi, Schonermark & Hagen, 2012). This review aims to review the literature on coronary CT scanning and digital subtraction angiography, their clinical applications, techniques and comparative value in coronary artery assessment and diagnosis. Cardiac Digital subtraction angiography Coronary angiography is the conventional diagnostic procedure used in coronary artery disease. It is a minimally invasive technique, whereby a catheter is placed into the radial or femoral artery and is advanced through the arterial system to the coronary arteries. A contrast agent is then injected at the aortic root and allows visualization of the arteries using x-ray in real time at up to 30 frames per second. This allows a view of the extent, location and severity of coronary obstructive lesions such as atherosclerosis and enables prognostic indication (Miller et al., 2008). Coronary angiography also enables catheter placement either side of the lesion to assess pressure changes and determines the degree of flow obstruction (Miller et al., 2008). . Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) again works by introducing a contrast agent into the coronary arteries and taking x-rays in real time, however a pre image is taken by x-ray. This allows for the post images to be subtracted from the original mask image, eliminating bone and soft tissue images, which would otherwise overlie the artery under study (Hasegawa, 1987). Unlike conventional angiography, it is possible to conduct DSA via the venous system, through accessing the superior vena cava via the basillic vein (Myerowitz, 1982). This removes the risks associated with arterial cannulation (Mancini & Higgins, 1985). The procedure can also be performed with a lower dose of contrast agent and be done more quickly therefore eliminating constraints of using too much contrast during a procedure (Myerowitz, 1982). Whilst DSA is the gold standard in arterial imaging of carotid artery stenosis (Herzig et al., 2004), the application of DSA to the coronary arteries is limited due to motion artefacts associated with each heartbeat and respiration (Yamamoto et al., 2009). There are numerous cardiac clinical applications of DSA, it can be used to assess coronary blood flow (Molloi et al., 1996), valvular regurgitation (Booth, Nissen & DeMaria, 1985), cardiac phase (Katritsis et al., 1988), congenital heart shunts (Myerowitz, Swanson, & Turnipseed, 1985), coronary bypass grafts and percutaneous coronary intervention outcomes (Katritsis et al, 1988; Guthaner, Wexler & Bradley, 1985). However, others have suggested that the coronary arteries are not visualized well due to their small size, movement, their position overlying the opacified aorta and left ventricle, and confusion with other structures such as the pulmonary veins (Myerowitz, 1982). Cardiac CT Scanning Development of CT scanning in the 1990s enabled an increase in temporal resolution that was sufficient to view the beating heart, and they now provide a non-invasive technique for diagnostic and prognostic purposes. Cardiac CT scans have clinical applications that go beyond perfusion investigation, and can be used to assess structure and function of the heart (for example in electrophysiology disorders or congenital heart disease) due to its ability to provide anatomical detail (Achenbach & Raggi, 2010). CT scans can be used to assess coronary artery disease with and without injection of contrast agent (Achenbach & Raggi, 2010) by calcium scan or CT angiography. Coronary calcium CT scanning uses the evidence base that coronary artery calcium is a correlate of atherosclerosis (Burke et al., 2003) and is a strong prognostic predictor of the future development of coronary artery disease and cardiac events (Arad et al., 2000; Budoff et al., 2009; Achenbach & Raggi, 2010). Calcium is easily depicted on CT scan due to its high CT attenuation, and is classified according to the Agatson score, which considers the density and area of the calcification (Hoffman, Brady & Muller, 2003). Coronary CT angiography (CTA) allows visualization of the coronary artery lumen to identify any atherosclerosis or stenosis within the vessels. Patients are injected intravenously with a contrast agent and then undergo a CT scan. There are limitations regarding the suitability of patients for coronary CTA due to prerequisites of sinus rhythm, low heart rate and ability to follow breath-holding commands. Additionally, obesity presents a problem for patients that cannot fit into the scanner and affects the accuracy of the procedure. (Achenbach & Raggi, 2010). Comparison of cardiac DSA and cardiac CT scanning The technical differences between cardiac DSA and cardiac CT scanning give rise to differences in the clinical indications for the procedures, their diagnostic efficacy and also different risks or relative benefits to the patients. Due to the nature of the images produced by coronary CTA and DSA, each lends itself to different indications for use. Whilst coronary DSA provides imaging of all aspects of perfusion, CTA used with contrast agent also provides this however has the additional advantage of being able to assess structure and function of the heart. Coronary CTA has been shown to have a high accuracy at detection and exclusion of coronary artery stenoses (Achenbach & Raggi, 2010). In a multicentre trial conducted by Miller et al. (2008), patients underwent coronary calcium scoring and CT angiography prior to conventional invasive coronary angiography. The diagnostic accuracy of coronary CTA at ruling out or detecting coronary stenoses of 50% was shown to have a sensitivity of 85% and a specificity of 90%. This showed that coronary CTA was particularly effective at ruling out non-significant stenoses. Additionally, coronary CTA was shown to be of equal efficacy as conventional coronary angiography at identifying the patients that subsequently went on to have revascularisation via percutaneous intervention. This was shown by an area under the curve (AUC), a measure of accuracy of 0.84 for coronary CTA and 0.82 for coronary angiography. Miller et al.’s (2008) study included a large number of patients at different study sites , and additionally represented a large variety of clinical patient characteristics. The author’s claim that these factors contribute to the strength and validity of the study findings, and suggest that in addition to using patients with clinical indications for anatomical coronary imaging, should be used as evidence that coronary CTA is accurate at identifying disease severity in coronary artery disease. Miller et al. (2008) did however,, find that positive predictive and negative predictive values of coronary CTA were 91% and 83% respectively and therefore suggested that coronary CTA should not be used in place of the more accurate conventional coronary angiography. A low positive predictive value (in relation to the prevalence of disease) was proposed to be due to a tendency to overestimate stenosis degree as well as the presence of artefacts leading to false positive interpretation (Achenbach & Raggi, 2010). Other research providing comparison between coronary CTA and conventional coronary angiogram has highlighted variability in results. A meta-analysis conducted by Gorenoi, Schonermark and Hagen (2012) investigated the diagnostic capabilities of coronary CTA and invasive coronary angiography using intracoronary pressure measurement as the reference standard. The authors found that CT coronary angiography had a greater sensitivity than invasive coronary angiography (80% vs 67%), meaning that coronary CTA was more likely to identify functionally relevant coronary artery stenoses in patients. Despite this,, specificity of coronary CTA was 67%, compared to 75% in invasive coronary angiography, meaning that the technique was less effective at correctly excluding non-diagnoses than invasive coronary angiogram. This research appears to contradict the power of cardiac CTA at excluding diagnoses of coronary artery stenosis as suggested by Miller et al. (2008), he study did combine evidence from over 44 studies to provide their results and therefore had a large statistical power. The authors interpret the results in light of the clinical relevance of cardiac imaging, suggesting that patients with a higher pretest possibility of coronary heart disease will likely require invasive coronary angiography for revascularisation indicating that coronary CTA may be a helpful technique in those patients with an intermediate pre-test probability of coronary heart disease that will therefore not require invasive angiography. Goldberg et al. (1986) investigated the efficacy of DSA in comparison to conventional coronary angiography in 77 patients. They found that the two angiograms agreed within one grade of severity in 84% of single cases and 90% of multiple cases, identifying both patent and lesioned arteries. The results led the authors to conclude that there was no significant difference between the two methods and that DSA could be used in selective coronary angiography to find results comparable to that of conventional angiography. In addition to being a small study into the efficacy of DSA, the study also had several sources of inherent variability that should be considered when interpreting the results. These included differing sizes of digital imaging screen and non-use of calipers, meaning that the interpretation of the images could vary throughout the study. The authors also suggest that whilst showing strong support for the use of DSA in coronary artery disease, the technique may not actually p ermit better prognostic determinations or clinical judgements that are better than conventional angiography, and therefore the further implementation of the techniques may not be founded or necessitated. More recently, there has been further research looking at the effectiveness of DSA as a way of measuring coronary blood flow. Whilst motion artefacts have proven a problem in lots of past research (Marinus, Buis & Benthem, 1990; Hangiandreou, 1990), recent research has developed methods to minimise these. Moilloi and colleaues (1996) showed that using a motion-immune dual-energy digital subtraction angiography, absolute volumetric coronary blood flow could be measured accurately and thus provide an indication of the severity of any arterial stenosis.This may provide further suggestion for clinical implementation of DSA. Although these studies provide evidence for the efficacy of cardiac DSA and CTA, they often make comparisons to conventional angiography. This is useful as a baseline comparison, however it is difficult to make comparisons between the two procedures directly due to less available evidence making direct comparisons. Lupon-Roses et al. (1985) conducted a study investigating both coronary CTA and venous DSA. The study looked at the efficacy of both techniques at diagnosing patency of coronary artery grafts compared to the control conventional angiography. CT was shown to diagnose 93% of the patent grafts and 67% of the occluded grafts whereas DSA correctly diagnosed 98% and 100% of patent and occluded grafts respectively. Interestingly, the DSA picked up the 11 grafts that were misdiagnosed by CTA and the CTA picked up the 2 grafts misdiagnosed by the DSA. This data may suggest that individually, DSA has a better profile for diagnosis of coronary artery occlusion, however if the two procedures are used in combination exclusion of patent arteries and diagnosis of occluded arteries would be effective (Lupon-Roses et al., 1985). Coronary DSA and CTA are both non-invasive procedures (unlike the conventional coronary angiography where a wire is placed in the coronary vasculature). With the only invasive part of the procedure being the injection of the contrast material into a vein. This presents a significant advantage to both procedures over that of conventional angiography, and may even permit investigation on an outpatient basis (Meaney et al., 1980). Similarly, both DSA and coronary CTA are favoured because of their intravenous approach, eliminating the risks of bleeding or arterial injury from an intra-arterial catheterization and being able to be used in those with limited arterial access. However, although the intravenous approach used in cardiac DSA makes it favourable, it does lead to difficulty with visualisation of the coronary arteries due to the overlying iodinated pulmonary and cardiac structures (Mancini & Higgins, 1985). Therefore,, intra-arterial DSA is also sometimes used (Yamamoto et al., 20 09). As with all CT scanning, coronary CTA carries with it a dose of ionizing radiation (Brenner & Hall, 2007). Studies have estimated that for diagnostic CT scanning, patients are on average exposed to 12mSv of radiation during the procedure, the equivalent of 600 x-rays (Hausleiter et al., 2009). Estimates of radiation doses associated with conventional coronary angiography are lower than that of coronary CTA at 7mSv (Einstein et al., 2007). Additionally, DSA technique reduces the radiation dose from that of conventional coronary angiography as the vessels are visualised more clearly (Yamamoto et al., 2008). The dangers of radiation exposure are increased risk of developing cancer, skin injuries and cateracts (Einstein et al., 2007). It is therefore important that the benefits of conducting the procedure greatly outweigh the risk of radiation exposure. CT calcium scanning provides a low radiation dose at around 1mSv (Hunold et al., 2003). Cardiac CT calcium scanning does not require administration of a contrast agent, unlike in coronary CTA and DSA that use iodine based contrast agents. The risks associated with contrast agent include nephrotoxicity and risks of hives, allergic reactions and anaphylaxis (Maddox, 2002). The amount of contrast agent used is partly dependent on the length of the procedure and how clearly the arteries can be visualised. For this reason, both cardiac CTA and DSA use less contrast agent that conventional coronary angiography (Brant-Zawadzki, et al., 1983). CT calcium scanning of the coronary arteries is therefore recommended in those with less likelihood of coronary artery disease (NICE, 2010). Both coronary CTA and DSA require interpretation by trained physicians, and the importance of training and achieving intra-rater reliability should not be underestimated (Pugliese et al., 2009). Conclusion Overall, both coronary CT and DSA have been demonstrated as effective procedures for the imaging of the coronary arteries in CAD (Achenbach & Raggi, 2010; Miller et al., 2008; Moilloi et al., 1996; Goldberg et al., 1986). Whilst cardiac CT scanning does provide a wider range of clinical applications, allowing assessment of perfusion as well as cardiac structure and function (Achenbach & Raggi, 2010), coronary DSA has many applications that allow assessment of coronary blood flow (Molloi et al., 1996; Katritsis et al, 1988; Booth, Nissen & DeMaria, 1985; Guthaner, Wexler & Bradley, 1985; Myerowitz, Swanson, & Turnipseed, 198). Both cardiac DSA and CTA procedures have their advantages. As non-invasive procedures, these techniques pose less risk to patients, and enable the possibility of outpatient investigation, to be used to rule out diagnoses and to avoid inappropriate invasive coronary angiogram (Gorenori et al., 2012). Additionally, intravenous access is preferential to arterial cannulation for the contrast infusion, removing the risks associated with bleeding or intra-arterial injury. Cardiac DSA exposes the patient to a lower dose of radiation that coronary CTA (Hausleiter et al., 2009; Yamamoto et al., 2008; Einstein et al., 2007), which is beneficial at reducing the risk of genetic mutations and cancer. Cardiac CTA and DSA also have their common disadvantages. The use of contrast agent may present side effects for the patient including kidney damage and risk of allergic reactions and anaphylaxis (Maddox, 2002). For this reason, calcium CT scanning can be useful in patients that are not at high likelihood of coronary artery disease (NICE, 2010b). Additionally, both cardiac DSA and CTA are subject to motion artefacts from respiration and heart beats, which can cause difficulties with interpretation (Achenbach & Raggi, 2010; Yamamoto et al., 2009). In the case of cardiac CTA, this excludes a subset of patients that are unable to follow commands and those who have high heart rates. Overall, cardiac CTA and cardiac DSA are effective, non-invasive imaging techniques for assessment of coronary artery disease. Whilst they are not the gold standards in cardiac monitoring, they can provide important diagnostic information without exposing patients to the risks of invasive angiography. Due to this, their use should be weighted against clinical need, the risks of the procedures, and the suitability of the patient. Interpretation of cardiac CTA and DSA imaging should be by trained individuals. References Achenbach, S., & Raggi, P. (2010) Imaging of coronary atherosclerosis by computed tomography. European Heart Journal. 31:1442 Arad, Y., Spadaro, L. A., Goodman, K., Newstein, D., & Guerci, A. D. (2000). Prediction of coronary events with electron beam computed tomography.Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 36(4), 1253-1260. Booth, D. C., Nissen, S., & DeMaria, A. N. (1985). Assessment of the severity of valvular regurgitation by digital subtraction angiography compared to cineangiography. American heart journal, 110(2), 409-416. Brenner D. J., & Hall EJ. Computed tomography: an increasing source of radiation exposure. N Engl J Med. 2007;357(22):2277-2284 Budoff, M. J., McClelland, R. L., Nasir, K., Greenland, P., Kronmal, R. A., Kondos, G. T., †¦ & Blumenthal, R. S. (2009). Cardiovascular events with absent or minimal coronary calcification: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). American heart journal, 158(4), 554-561. 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CT coronary angiography vs. invasive coronary angiography in CHD. GMS health technology assessment, 8, Doc02-Doc02.. Guthaner, D. F., Wexler, L., & Bradley, B. (1985). Digital subtraction angiography of coronary grafts: optimization of technique. American journal of roentgenology, 145(6), 1185-1190. Hacker, M., Jakobs, T., Hack, N., Nikolaou, K., Becker, C., von Ziegler, F., †¦ & Tiling, R. (2007). Sixty-four slice spiral CT angiography does not predict the functional relevance of coronary artery stenoses in patients with stable angina. European journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging,34(1), 4-10. Hangiandreou N. J. (1990) Coronary Blood Flow Measurement Using Digital Subtraction Angiography and First Pass Distribution Analysis. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin-Madison; Thesis. Hasegawa, B. (1987). Physics of Medical X-Ray Imaging 2nd Edition. Medical Physics Publishing Corporation. Hausleiter, J., Meyer, T., Hermann, F., Hadamitzky, M., Krebs, M., Gerber, T. C., †¦ & Achenbach, S. (2009). Estimated radiation dose associated with cardiac CT angiography. Jama, 301(5), 500-507. Herzig, R., Burval, S., Krupka, B., Vlachova, I., Urbanek, K., & Mares, J. (2004). Comparison of ultrasonography, CT angiography, and digital subtraction angiography in severe carotid stenoses. European Journal of Neurology, 11(11), 774-781. Brant-Zawadzki, M., Gould, R., Norman, D., Newton, T. H., & Lane, B. (1983). Digital subtraction cerebral angiography by intraarterial injection: comparison with conventional angiography. American Journal of Roentgenology, 140(2), 347-353. Hoffmann, U., Brady, T.J., & Muller, J. (2003). Cardiology patient page. Use of new imaging techniques to screen for coronary artery disease. Circulation 108 (8): e50–3. Hunold, P., Vogt, F. M., Schmermund, A., Debatin, J. F., Kerkhoff, G., Budde, T., †¦ & Barkhausen, J. (2003). Radiation Exposure during Cardiac CT: Effective Doses at Multi–Detector Row CT and Electron-Beam CT 1.Radiology, 226(1), 145-152. Katritsis, D., Lythall, D.A., Cooper, I.C., Crowther, A., & Webb-Peploe, M.M. (1988) Assessment, of coronary angioplasty: Comparison of visual assessment, hand?held caliper measurement and automated digital quantitation. Catheterization and cardiovascular diagnosis, 15(4), 237-242. Kaufmann, P. A., Gnecchi-Ruscone, T., Schafers, K. P., Luscher, T. F., & Camici, P. G. (2000). Low density lipoprotein cholesterol and coronary microvascular dysfunction in hypercholesterolemia. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 36(1), 103-109. Liu, J. L. Y., Maniadakis, N., Gray, A., & Rayner, M. (2002). The economic burden of coronary heart disease in the UK. Heart, 88(6), 597-603. Lupon-Roses, J., Domingo, E., Marinez-Vazquez, J. M., Lopez-Moreno, J. L., Montana, J., Permanyer-Miralda, G., †¦ & Soler-Soler, J. (1985). Direct non-invasive techniques for assessing coronary bypass graft patency. The International Journal of Cardiac Imaging, 1(3), 181-188. Maddox, T. G. (2002). Adverse reactions to contrast material: recognition, prevention, and treatment. American family physician, 66(7), 1229. Mancini, J. G. B., & Higgins, C. B. (1985). Digital subtraction angiography: a review of cardiac applications. Progress in cardiovascular diseases, 28(2), 111-141. Marinus, H., Buis, B., & Van Benthem, A. (1990) Pulsatile coronary flow determination by digital angiography. International Journal of Cardiac Imaging, 5, 173-182 McClure, K. H., McGivern, J. P., Stultz, M. R., & Whitehurst, T. K. (2009). U.S. Patent No. 7,481,759. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Meaney, T. F., Weinstein, M. A., Buonocore, E., Pavlicek, W., Borkowski, G. P., Gallagher, J. H., †¦ & Maclntyre, W. J. (1980, August). Digital subtraction angiography of the human cardiovascular system. In Application of Optical Instrumentation in Medicine VIII (pp. 272-278). International Society for Optics and Photonics. Miller, J. M., Rochitte, C. E., Dewey, M., Arbab-Zadeh, A., Niinuma, H., Gottlieb, I., †¦ & Lima, J. A. (2008). Diagnostic performance of coronary angiography by 64-row CT. New England Journal of Medicine, 359(22), 2324-2336. Molloi, S., Ersahin, A., Tang, J., Hicks, J., & Leung, C. Y. (1996). Quantification of volumetric coronary blood flow with dual-energy digital subtraction angiography. Circulation, 93(10), 1919-1927. Myerowitz, P. D. (1982). Digital subtraction angiography: present and future uses in cardiovascular diagnosis. Clinical cardiology, 5(12), 623-629. Myerowitz, P. D., Swanson, D. K., & Turnipseed, W. D. (1985). Applications of digital subtraction angiography in cardiovascular diagnosis. The Surgical clinics of North America, 65(3), 423-437. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. (2010a). Unstable angina and NSTEMI: The early management of unstable angina and non-ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction. CG94. London: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. (2010b). Unstable angina and NSTEMI: Chest pain of recent onset: assessment and diagnosis of recent onset chest pain or discomfort of suspected cardiac origin. CG95. London: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Pugliese, F., Hunink, M. M., Gruszczynska, K., Alberghina, F., Malago, R., van Pelt, N., †¦ & Krestin, G. P. (2009). Learning curve for coronary CT angiography: what constitutes sufficient training?. Radiology, 251(2), 359. Yamamoto, M., Okura, Y., Ishihara, M., Kagemoto, M., Harada, K., & Ishida, T. (2009). Development of digital subtraction angiography for coronary artery. Journal of digital imaging, 22(3), 319-325.

Charity fundraising. Common solutions

Charity fundraising. Common solutions Charity fundraising. Common solutions To reach out to the community and make people talk about you, one can launch an advertising campaign. However, this attitude is not always true with charity, where you have to encourage large corporations to invest for the future. We understand the value of such gatherings and want you to know what you can do to gather fundraisers for an event. Businesses that operate on a local level often reach out to clients to cover the costs for the social event, and if it happens to be charity, it will only increase their chances to support their name and maintain reputation. If you haven’t found the right sponsor yet, we are going to provide you with a few tips on how to do this:   Ã‚  Ã‚   Use your connections. Talk to people you know and communicate with the members of the board. They may personally know business owners, who are interested in funding the charity event and receiving additional bonuses for hosting it on a high-end level. If you are lucky, you will be introduced to some very influential individuals, who can be of great help whenever it comes to a charity event.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Plan the event ahead. Every time we talk about raising funds, we should remember that it is an opportunity for the sponsor to make an association with their names. In other words, when larger businesses facilitate your budget, they hope to receive their fair share of advertising in return, even if it is charity. These are the rules of the game, and by creating a scenario of the future venue in your head, you make it easier for sponsors to follow your thought.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Think of the assets. Before the event takes place, make a small excursion around the area to identify the best places for the brand name of the company. Like any other venue, charity organization demands time and effort. You should search for all potential spots where the commercial banners can be placed so that they catch the guests’ eye immediately. However, you should not make your advertising tacky, as the objective of the venue does not represent commerce alone.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Provide the goody bags. We all need encouragement, so do not forget to present your guests with a memorable gift. It does not necessarily have to be a luxury item or a golden piece (after all, we are talking about raising money for a good cause – they don’t call them goody bags for nothing). However, you can opt for a notebook with the company’s initials and basic information about the aim of venue. Frequently, guests are presented with the bags at the entrance, but you can do this throughout the party to produce an impression.   Establishing the relationships If you think that your venue details are in order, it is time to manage relationships between the sponsors. You should be as diplomatic as possible, and remember to stick to the original plan. In case you are on a limited budget and the local businesses cover all the costs, you should still be ready to provide an outlay of the future event. Once you know your sponsors are going to be with you, you should delegate someone on your team to ensure friendly relations throughout the entire campaign. This is done in order to secure future meetings: in case you plan to organize similar events in a couple of months, you want your sponsors to keep coming back to you no matter what.   Venue recap Delegate people who are good at communication and are excellent conversationalists. Assisting a charity event is no easy job, and you will need as many helping hands as you are able to find. Discuss the event prior to its start in order to clear up the details and make sure you found a mutual agreement in terms of finance and logos. In case you have contrasting opinions or your views differ on the objective of the event, share them with your colleagues and members of the board, so that you can come to similar conclusions together. After the event is over, do not forget to send a letter of gratitude to all your sponsors, indicating the number of the guests that attended the party, the money raised and the general impressions of the public. It would be a wise gesture to thank your fundraisers for the opportunities provided. We always think of a charity event as a duty, but there is a side to this issue you probably never knew, especially if you are the head of the group, responsible for the venue and everything, related to it. Do not underestimate the importance of recapping an event and highlighting the details, as you inform your sponsors of the press coverage. Their name should be associated with the event, and the goody bags we mentioned in the beginning will help the guests remember the organizers. Local businesses are no exception to the rule when they want to give feedback to their customers and deliver the best performance, whether it is an advertising campaign or a charity issue.

buy custom The American Public University System essay

buy custom The American Public University System essay The American public university system is an online institution that offers a number of degrees to the greater American population. Based in Charles town, West Virginia, it is composed of the American military university and the American public university. It encompasses both the academic and the corporate affairs in its efforts to provide quality education. It is owned by the American public education incorporated and is publicly traded on the New York stock exchange. It was founded in 1991 and began it operations in January 1993 as the military university with the main purpose of meeting the necessary educational requirements for military persons needing specified courses and training. As the American military university with an enrolment of 18 graduate students when doors opened, learning was conducted by correspondence but this was changed and it began to offer online learning to its students in 1998. The university developed over time and in the year 2002, grew to become the Amer ican public university and established the American public university a move that was aimed at providing education to civilians in various courses especially to those who could not afford to leave their jobs and put themselves through school (Bonk, 2001). Currently the school plays host close to eighty thousand students undertaking various courses within it. However, as far as prestige goes the university is not considered as being in the top of the academic league. Although this is the case, the university enjoys regional accreditation which is basically the highest form of accreditation as does the likes of Harvard, Yale, and so forth. Any degree from this university is guaranteed to get you a job or a promotion in your given field of choice. However, should you choose to take a teaching position in any of the countrys colleges or universities, this may pose a challenge. The school offers very exciting courses that may prove fitting for various career paths. Such include arts, business, education, management, counter terrorism, military intelligence, and so on.Like many other online universities, there are challenges and positive feedback all in one package. Studying using the America public university system gives you a flexible schedule that works to your advantage. Enrolling for an online degree works around your schedule in a way that allows you to keep working at your job and even spend time with your family for those who cannot take the time off. It is also relatively cheaper than a regular course. This is because you do not have to pay for such amenities such as commuter fees, texts books since most can be accessed online. Since you study from the comfort of your home you are able to do a myriad of things. This type of learning works around your schedule and you may change it to your satisfaction. You may slow it down or have it at a much faster pace as per your understanding. This is not something that can be done in a normal class setting were the teacher decides the pace at which the lessons move. Normally online courses are accelerated and therefore this means that you spent less time completing your studies than you would at a regular university setting. It is also possible to revisit previous lessons and take notes on points you may have not understood. Enrolling at the online university means that you can take your class with you if you happen to be out of town and not in your house since all you need is a good computer and internet connection. This means that it is almost impossible for you to miss classes since their flexibility allows for you to have your lessons practically anywhere in the world. Due to the diverse nature of students at the American public university and the American military university through the American public university system are able to interact among themselves and forge relationships that enrich their education experience as they are able to learn from one another different cultures. The introduction of online learning system as opposed to the more conventional correspondence means that now it is easier for students to be in constant communication with their teachers and lecturers. Communication is primarily through the use of email. In a normal face to face kind of class, the teacher may not have time to speak to all the students, but with the online learning, you have the undivided attention of the lecturer for the duration of the class. As opposed to the correspondence, the email provides for real time communication which therefore means faster response and communication. Perhaps another attractive feature of the American public university system is the fact that financial aid is given to students. This factor is made possible by the fact that the university is accredited by the commission of higher learning for the North Central association of colleges and schools. This is one of the six regional accreditors. Financial aid offered goes a long way in ensuring that the common citizen has access to education and a chance at bettering themselves and their futures. Another great aspect about the university is that you are not constrained by geographical barriers (Shakar and Neumann, 2003). Online education means that you can take the lesson form a different state and not necessarily where the university is situated. For example you can take a course form the academic location of the American public university which is based in Charles town awhile you reside in California. The type of learning offered also means that you can continue to work as you pursue your education. In this regard, you are able to put your course work into practical use. This gives you a better opportunity at obtaining a promotion at work since you are now able to incorporate new thinking into your job area. It also means that you can interact with fellow students about what pointers work and which needed more work. This puts you ahead of students at a regular university setting who have to wait until the completion of a school semester to find a job opportunity to put their course work in to use. This learning is also adequate for those people who are not comfortable around crowds of people. Online learning at the university is done at your own comfort and privacy to your satisfaction. There are those who express themselves easier through writing rather than vocally, this is ideal for them. It also discourages more outgoing students from dominating the class. It gives equal opportunity to all. Unlike regular class setting where lessons are essentially led by the lecturer, here it is based on the participation of the students. Therefore this gives an opportunity for students to make their contributions and not feel intimidated by either the lecturer. Another underlying factor is that your scores are based on merits alone. It is less likely to be discriminated upon for your color or ethnic affiliation. Everyone is as equal as the next person. The constant use of the internet and other computer based software allows you to be more accustomed to new technology and gives you the chance to acquaint yourself with the changing times. It also improves your work and gives you more confidence around your work place. Constant use of the internet for research and so forth means that you have a better opportunity at being informed to those that are not as exposed. It gives you the opportunity to learn how to maneuver various operating systems that you may also find at your work place. This will go a long way in earning you an edge over the rest of your colleagues. The university offers an opportunity for those who live in rural setting a vast array of information which they may not have been able to experience on their own due to a number of challenges. The university system is also very adequate for those wishing to supplement their current courses. You are able to gain more exposure in a shorter period of time. With so many positive attributes there also has to be challenges that accompany such a learning system. There have been a number of challenges surrounding the American public university system. As a for profit institution, many have been quick to discredit the merits with which students are made to pass their examinations. For most people they say that the students papers for assignments and examinations are not properly read or assessed. A report by the Government Accountability Office (de Vise, 2010) had it that seven out of 12 for profit universities violated various policies such as cheating, standards set for grading, and offering counselling for financial aid for the students. Many employers have said that these for profit universities are proving inept at preparing their students for the job market. A survey conducted at the American military university showed service men that were enrolled and were using the American public university system had many challenges to overcome before they could complete their given courses. The military is an outfit that revolves around rules and regulations that are followed to the letter. About 50% had difficulties working around and within their military obligations. With so much to be done within a very short period of time, it was difficult for many to give their undivided attention to their studies. For about 35% they had constant interruptions of internet access and due to financial constraints some could not afford the more costly services and so had to seek alternative methods to access and keep up with their lessons. The other almost 32% did not have any access to internet services. Some due the constant relocations at times to remote places, finances, and many other factors that contributed to lack of internet access. For others, they complained that due to various securities on the internet, at times information was not easily accessible and so this greatly ffected their learning process. Such needs need be addressed in order to ensure that they realize their various goals as they strive to protect our country (Torres, 2011). Among many challenges that affect students who undertake online learning at the American public system are the sameinterruptions of internet connection and in return your lessons. At times you may find that your service provider is having maintenance problems and so you cannot access your lessons. This becomes a problem to you and a taxing job of finding alternative means to secure a reliable provider or getting it fixed and you end up losing on the days lessons. Such occurrences are common and the students suffer as a result. For one to be able to smoothly complete an online course, you need an above average knowledge of the computer and many of its workings. Your skills need be up to date since it involves a lot of software and internet usage. For a person who is not skilled enough to keep up with the workings of a computer, an online course can be a hectic struggle. They may be better of enrolling at a regular institution. Since online learning revolves around an individuals sched ule, procrastination is a factor that many students face. Students are required to be highly motivated since this is the only way they will be able to swiftly complete their lessons. Other challenges include the loads of work that is given to the student. For many they have to juggle between jobs and school and even at times family. Sometimes they may not have adequate time to go through many of the assigned work load and may result in alternative measures just to complete the work. Some are also barely able to keep up with the work loads. In other circumstances, the students may not be able to understand the documentation and the time allocated for the lessons may not be enough to communicate in length for them to understand exactly what is required of them in their lessons. Another challenge that faces students I the fact that lectures use the cottage industry approach. This is where they apply the same modes of teaching for regular learning and use this for online learning. They need to understand that this cannot be the case since this is a different class of students that they are engaging. In as much as internet connection poses a threat to students, there is also the threat of technical failure. While your machine may be workin g, the server that enables for the lessons can crush and this leads to loss of lessons. There may be an overload on the number of users at a particular time and this will make service slow down and inhibit the smooth flow of lessons. While the university may offer exciting courses, some of them require field work and practical sessions that some of the students may not be able to tend. Thus knowing the theoretical part of a concept may not help you a lot since you cannot be of any help out on the field. For such reasons it becomes imperative for the student to be aware of the course work and arrange on how to find a suitable lab and so on should there be any allocation for a practical session. There comes into play the challenge of time. You need to be aware the time zones that your classes are in so that you can effectively adjust your schedule and ensure you are in line with the program. While financial aid can be a plus and an attractive incentive, it may in itself cause some problems as has been the case for some students. They end up paying than they thought was th e case. Many bloggers have termed the university as a scam that provides quantity education and is after profits without a thought about the kind of harm they are causing unsuspecting enrolees (Parry, 2010). A number of solutions can be offered to the challenges that face the students who are undertaking online courses. It has been certified that online learning needs so level of self-motivation. Students need to be aware that will not be like ordinary learning and that it will require some sacrificing on their part in order for them to ensure they get the kind of education that is helpful in their quest for better jobs and pay. It needs to be put forward that online learning needs an independent student. This is the type of student that does not require constant pushing and reminder to get work done. These kinds of students are a bit sharper and so a little guidance is usually what they need. For dependent students this may not be ideal since they may require face to face time with the lecturer in order to understand. There are those that need to physically see the teacher for them to be fully engaged in the class. The teacher must create an environment where the students feel comfortab le especially since there is the lack of physical space. The instructor must ensure that there is an atmosphere in which lessons can be learnt without any hitches. Failure to this, there will be tension during the lessons and this is of course not a conducive environment for learning. The instructor needs to ensure that the students interact freely with each other and have equal participation from all the students. This gives the students a sense of belong and allows for easy flow during discussions. The lecturers need to understand that the lack of a physical presence will always be limiting factor to all online programs and so need to do everything in their power to ensure that they make the most out of the situation. The challenge that is faced by lack of internet access in parts of rural and semi urban parts of urban America is an issue that the Apus need to look into. For many people in these parts they are forced to spend a lot of money to enrol in regular schools when they could do so at the comfort of their homes. The university ad ministration should make efforts to have Research carried out in this parts where education can be accessed and go a long way in eliminating poverty and ignorance. Parts of the country that do not have adequate internet connection need to be addressed since the more people that do not access means loss of consumers for them, this being from an administrative point of view.. The university needs to expand its accessibility to educate Americans. At such a time where jobs are not in plenty, the university needs to have affordable programs that allow for interested parties to enroll and learn a thing or two to aid in their job search. This may also aid parents who may not be able to afford high costs that are associated with regular schools and have their children who are attending college take up online learning and thereby minimizing costs on both ends.As affordable as online learning is, it may prove expensive for those that do not have the necessary skills to effectively maneuver around an online class (Salmon, 2000). For this reason, the university as part of implementing its equity stand should have an entrance exam to certify how well versed the potential student isto take part in an online lesson. Such a case will ensure that before the student takes the mode of learning they are qualified both in academic and computer skills. The university needs advocate for user friendly programs and maybe even suggest to its users to use similar programs. This will make the instructors job easier to be able to guide a student where they are stuck. A case where a student uses a different program that maybe the instructor is not familiar may end up with confusion within the class and loss of lesson time. The University also need be certain that the servers they use to facilitate lessons are in top shape. Where repairs are to be undertaken, they need to ensure that they give adequate notice to the students. This is so that students do not feel wasted where there was an opportunity for them to make alternative arrangements. The university also need ensure that the facilitators they bring in are well versed in the technicalities of a virtual classroom. The success of this university has largely been due to the fact that they are catering to a vast market in which the demand exceeds the supply. But this can be compromised if the profits take center stage as opposed to fulfilling the need for education to those not able to access it through conventional means. The facilitators need to be skilled to handle an online class. They need to understand that this is not a regular class and need to employ the intricacies that aid in making the experience as accomplishing as possible. As the university has moved from the correspondence days to the email era, they also must ensure that they keep up with the dynamic world of virtual gadgets. They may want to incorporate the use of video conferencing or Skype where this makes up for the lack of physical space (Salmon, 2002). An instance where the students are able to see the facilitator may improve the participation and success. However there are a number of factors that come of such a move both positive and negative, this should be addressed at length and weighed before approval. The university needs also to be able to have an administration that is pro change and not reluctant to make necessary changes to the system of education. Educators who do not seem to be in tune with the dynamic changes in the world of computersdo not have a place in the computer world. There is the challenge of dropouts from the online degree courses. As a facilitator, you need to be able to know which of you students has not been attending classes. The most common causes of these are the lack of socialization among the class members. In such a case, you need to encourage group participation and you may slowly draw the said student out of their shell. Since online learning lacks the brick and mortar theory of learning the facil itator need to ensure that the students interact amongst each other as they strive to create a conducive learning environment. Another way to overcome challenges posed by online learnning is through the use of technology. In this case you can have presentation in the form of graphs, pie charts and so forth. This engages your students to provide their feedback on an individual level (American Federation of Teachers, 2001). The point is to make the discussions as lively as possible so that the tension between the students is broken down. Interaction for humans is veryimportant. We cannot live by ourselves. He facilitator should strive to ensure that the students do engage each other on an intellectual level and learn from each other since online learning brings together diverse culture of people we can learn from each others experiences. This goes a long way in breaking social barriers that may have come up due to one reason or another. As an instructor you need to be quick about how you handle your work, in this regard, ensure you give feedback in good time and where not possible give reasons as to why this is so. Online learning is all about student participation, when this fails then the class will not proceed forward as it should. As a facilitator create an environment where your students are at ease withone another and at the same time the respect the other persons thinking and point of view, help out where possible. The lack of access to material becomes a drawbackto many students. Due to various forms of security around information found on the internet, it becomes difficult for students to access information. This is a major setback to them especially since they are not in a position to but books. Such a situation calls for the facilitator to look for alternative means of information sites which does delay times pent for lessons. There have been suggestions being floated around for online facilitators to author their own books for use by the students. Though any outcome is yet to come of it, the university could see to it that it goes into partnership with those who are in charge of distribution of books and have a deal where students can access the books for given amount or for whatever deal is agreed upon. Since many of the lessons offered are in the English language, to some this may not be their first language. And hence they may fail to understand the course work due to this. It can be suggested that the university either offers an English class for thos e who are not fluent with the language. At times, the students cannot understand the documentation of the course and so does not know what to expect as faras other lessons go. It is recommended that the facilitator takes the time to carefully explain the contents of the lessons ahead including the examinations and all other relevant to the course. This will enable the student to have to have time to pose questions and prepared for the lessons ahead through planning around their schedule. The most difficult task of all is the implementation stage. It is said that actions are louder than words. As an online university, it must walk the talk. Since they claim to advocate for quality education this should be reflected in their studentsscore cards although traditional learning will always be preferred to online learning, there has not been a significant gap when the scores are tallied. The university is regionally accredited and so should strive to gain special accreditation for its various programs especially business. The university should also put into consideration the military personnel enrolled with the online system of learning, these are people who work to protect our borders and guard our nation. For this reason, they should revise the methods of learning that allow for maximum period of learning when they are able to. They should have the obligations revised so as to suit the needs of the students in a way that they are able to complete their educationaland be of help to their fellow soldiers. Due to the dropout situation the university has a tsk of ensuring thatthey can retain the focus of the students. This can be done in a number of ways. They have inplace some counseling sessions in the same way they learn, and here they may be able to share their problems. It may not be comfortable doing it at first but through a facilitator can ease the situation along. When a student sees that a person in the group is concerned about them, they may feel appreciated and be nudged enough o for a social bond with the rest to the group. Such a situation builds bonds with members of the class rather than remain strangers. Still in the same line of thought, this is why smaller classes are r ecommended since the facilitator is able to focus maximum attention on the students as opposed to regular classes where they hardly know but a handful of students (Vise, 2010). To ascertain the continuous success of the university, there has to be involvement of the staff. They are major service providers and dedicate much of their time to the educative welfare of the students. By involving them in the matters of the university, they feel appreciated rather than as mere means for the growth of the institution. They are best placed to give advice on the direction the students should head since they are the ones who interact with them on a daily basis. As the university strives to maintain quality, it is also a business venture so it should look into making both the taxpayer and the student satisfied with the services. You need to carefully assess each course and see which has the most gains versus those that seem not to be as popular among the students. Again here you may need the assistance of the facilitators who can provide insight on how to go about this. As the university strives to attain its goal of offering quality education, it should also remember that these students belong to a real world with people with emotions, wants ad, needs. They will need life skills and interpersonal communication techniques. The university admin is mandated to do so in order to produce a well-rounded student who is able to efficiently able to conduct themselves in a given setting. The facilitator as part of their lesson can give incidences that we face on a day to day basis and ask members of the class to give their views. Such sort of interaction will bring up the various personalities of the students and engage them on a personal level. As a way of implementing transparency within the university, they recently put up a website that is intended to answer any queries that potential students and other concerned parties may have. It contains such information as how credits are given and distributed to students for them to end up with the marks they are awarded and so forth. This is meant to quell any rumors that surrounds the university and the fact that it is a for profit organization. A major boost to the implementation process in institutions of higher learning was brought about by the creation of the seven principles of good practice (Chickering, 1996). It provided that in the changing world, if we are to embrace the ultimate force that is new technology we must do it in ways that complement these seven principles. The first advocates for good practice which in turn encourages contact between staff and students. Technology has enabled for the staff members to be within the reach of the students. Association with a member of the staff gives the student a sense of fulfillment and have and avenue for joint problem solving and intellectual talk. It is usually sometimes better and easier to have words written down rather than spoken. This is appropriate for shy students to have an opportunity to give their contribution. Good practice develops in better concentration and cooperation among students. In this regard learning is made more engaging when it is a team effort than when it is done by one person. The use of the email in the online classes allows for constant communication without the use of physical space. Good practice uses active techniques of learning.Students have diverse needs. It needs to encompass a variety of other techniques of learning otherthan sitting in a regular or virtual class setting. We need to engage in other things as we learn from different experiences. The university for example could encourage the students to apply whatever knowledge they take for their lessons to their places of work and see how compatible they are. They are able to develop insight into what works and what does not. Good practice results in efficient feedback. When coming into the virtual class we already have a sense of prior knowledge, each on their given levels (Allen and Seaman, 2005). However, when in the class setting we are faced with tasks of putting our knowledge into use. In the regard, we want to receive feedback concerning the level of understandingwe show. By being interactive, the facilitator is able to gauge our level of understanding. Good practice lays emphasis on time. We are able to accurately plan our time properly and effectively. As such we can get the most out of our days due to the effective time management skills we learn and complete our tasks in good time. Good practices communicate high expectations. This does not happen to those who are ill prepared. You need the motivation to be able to attend you lessons. The more motivated you are. The satisfaction you get after doing a good job becomes yourself drive to achieve even higher performances. Good practice will respect diverse talents and modes of studying. Students will come from all walks of life and have variouscapacities going on for them. We learn how to accommodate each other for a common goal. We form learning communities where the main focus is academic excellence. With such a foundation, the university can be a model of excellence to other universities striving to breach the gap and engage in the system that is online learning.As online learning itself becomes increasingly accepted as a legitimate learning format, the question of its advantages and disadvantages, pros or cons may also become moot. Buy custom The American Public University System essay

Why We Cant Wait By Martin Luther King Jr. Essays - Free Essays

Why We Can't Wait By Martin Luther King Jr. Essays - Free Essays Why We Can't Wait By Martin Luther King Jr. While reading Dr. King's novel, I was able to get an uncensored idea of what African Americans went through in their struggle for civil rights. I cannot comprehend the extent to which they suffered while protesting, and it would be ignorant of me to think that I could understand. The many people who fought with Martin Luther King, Jr. for civil rights understand something about this country that I am only beginning to discover. I can only hope this shameful part of our history is never repeated. I felt a sense of disgust and shame while reading about the events of the Civil Rights struggle in Birmingham, Alabama. I have always heard that they would used dogs and water hoses to push back crowds, but I always got the sense that it was some kind of chaotic protesting on the part of the African Americans. I cannot believe that people who live in a country based on freedom of speech and the other rights in the Constitution would try to stop peaceful protests and demonstrations in such a manner. How could people think that this kind of oppression was tolerable and that the blacks did not have a right and freedom to protest? Part of me wanted to be there to help make a difference and join in the struggle, but part of me was also really afraid just by reading about the events in Birmingham. The people who protested with Dr. King showed a tremendous amount of courage and passion that could not be put out by fire hoses or dogs. I do not think that anyone, who has not been the victim of the extreme oppression that the blacks were victims of for hundreds of years, could understand why the civil rights movement was necessary at that time. Dr. King realized that you cannot wait for people to change their attitudes or beliefs, you have to help them see the error of their beliefs. It is easy for someone who is not being oppressed to tell you to wait. When you and your families are the victims of oppression and violence, you reach a breaking point when you realize that things need to change now. Dr. King had the courage to say that publicly, and people followed him in the struggle because of that courage. When you believe in something that much nothing, not even death can stop the struggle. Even after Dr. King was assassinated, his legacy lived on. His legacy was something that was stronger than the racists' attitudes in this country and there was nothing they could do to stop his legacy. Our country has come a long way the events in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963. Each day we come closer to being the country that Martin Luther King, Jr. envisioned, and I hope we get there soon. I look forward to the day that we can say as a country that oppression and racism were the biggest mistakes of our country and they are a thing of the past that shall never be relived by anyone. Bibliography King, Martin Luther. Why We Can't Wait

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

Unemployed - Essay Example Moreover, the individuals must be â€Å"seeking work† using different strategies to secure paid employment or become self-employed. In addition the individuals have to be â€Å"Currently available for work† in that if work was available they would take it or are willing to become self-employed. The â€Å"without work† criterion distinguished between the employed and the unemployed and it literally means being is situation where a person is lacking work or not being employed is a specific period. Therefore, persons without work are those who have not been working during the time of reference. For example, if a person was engaged in any sort of work even if casual, during the reference period, they are considered employed. Therefore, they do not suit the definition of unemployment even if they were seeking other forms of employment. The other criteria â€Å"current available for work† and â€Å"seeking work† are used to distinguish the unemployed persons from the economically inactive. For example, an old person who have retired cannot be considered unemployed since they are not currently available for work and are not seeking employment. Therefore, the unemployed are those within the economically active age and lack work, are available to do work, and are seeking for work (Hussmanns, Mehran and Varma 95-100). Mankiw and Taylor (564) argue that the â€Å"unemployed person is someone who is without a job and who is willing to start work within the next two weeks and either has been looking for work within the last four weeks or was waiting to start a job.† Therefore, a person who has not been making any efforts to get a job cannot be considered unemployed. Moreover, if a person has other commitments at the period of survey, for example pursuing academic goals, he or she cannot be considered unemployed. Those people with work and are seeking for some other form of work cannot also be considered as unemployed (Mankiw and Taylor 562-565). Conclusively, the