Development of the US economy over the Past 3 Years Essay

The American government has been successful in running its economy for the years 2005, 2006 and 2007 as shown in continuing productivity growth, the low level of inflation as well low interest rate. This paper therefore attempts to discuss or dramatize the success of the American Government been in running its Economy over the last three years. Since any success will have to be explained on what actions the American government has, this paper will therefore describe and evaluate the main macro economic policies used by the American government, if there is any, over the last three years. How successful is the American government in running its Economy over the last three years? The American government performed well in terms of GDP and other growth measures for the last three years starting from 2005 up to the third quarter of 2007. GPD growth was recorded to have an average of 3 ? % from 2005 up to first quarter of 2006. This slowed down a little starting from second quarter of 2006 (2 ? %) to first and second quarter of 2007 , but the third quarter of 2007 appeared to started showing higher increases at 3. 9%. In describing the state of the US economy, Poole said â€Å"†¦The U. S. economy is highly productive, profit-making opportunities abound, interest rates and inflation are both relatively low and stable. † The economy is however not without any challenges to face. Said challenge is not the business cycle but how the US economy will adjust on many fronts to the baby boom generation retirement but Poole believes that the U. S. laws and institutions will enable the country to face these challenges with a better deal of buoyancy than in some other countries that is facing or will be facing the demographic challenge sooner. Poole expressed an assurance that the U. S. economy is fundamentally sound. He cited the fact that surveys of business economists over the past few years regularly pointed to key sources of strength of US economy and these include â€Å"a dynamic and flexible labour market and a financial system that rewards innovation and risk-taking by channelling capital to its highest rates of return. † He explained that the US market-based economy will allow companies â€Å"the ability and the incentive to innovate and to adapt quickly to changes in relative demands for goods and services. Thus he observes that present managements responding promptly to various shocks that shock the economy and according to him this is a growing dynamism of the U. S. economy which be believes is satisfactorily illustrated by the rise in the economy’s rate of productivity growth that has began as early as 1995 and there is still no sign of let up even at present. One way to check economic performance is the level of inflation. Poole said, that inflation as measured by the all-items CPI called â€Å"headline CPI inflation† slowed from 3. 4 percent in 2005 to 2. percent in 2006, while the inflation rate measured by the PCE (core inflation, which excludes food and energy prices) price index rose slowed from 2. 9 percent to 2. 3 percent over the same period. The decline of inflation in 2006 could only indicate remarkable effect of the monetary policy. Poole explained that the restraint of headline inflation is undeniably an indication of the sharp decline in energy prices over the second half of 2006. He added that most economists believe that core inflation is a better measure of inflation pressures. He also explained that that slight increase in the core PCE price index from 2. percent in 2005 to 2. 2 percent in 2006, and the core CPI index increase more, from 2. 2 to 2. 6 percent was negative indication. However, the core price pressures have been easing out lately which was an indication of a momentum that is headed to a favourable direction. What are the economic policies used by the American Government in managing the economy? The main macro economic policies used by the American government over the last three years include the use of its monetary policies. The use of monetary policy is evident in Federal Reserve Bank having raised its target for the federal funds rate from 1 percent in 2004 to 5? ercent in June of 2006 and is still maintained at present. It was the US monetary policy actions that have kept inflation largely, although not perfectly in check. Monetary policies involved the actions done by the Federal Reserve Bank to control money supply for purposing of managing inflation and necessarily GDP growth. Thus Poole believes that such monetary policy likely had something to do with the timing of slower GDP growth. He emphasized that the timing of slower GDP growth was the inevitable result of falling margin of underutilized resources. He admits however of other factors that is causing the slowdown starting in second quarter of 2006 which he felt as independent of monetary policy. One was the sharp increase energy prices, which showed improvement in the middle of 2006 while the other was considerable weakness in housing markets, which Poole believed may just now be giving off very tentative signal of the need to stop as has reached the bottom . In relation to the use of monetary policy to the US economy, Poole suggested three remarkable facts that deserve attention. He identified the first by saying that the real GDP growth, though sluggish in prior years has become robust starting in 2003, which may now have contributed a present low unemployment rate of 4. 6 percent. Another is that fact long-term inflation expectations were hardly shifted, while the third is the fact of quarterly average yield on 10-year nominal Treasury securities that was actually slightly lower than it was in mid 2002. Thus Poole is justifying that, â€Å"the economy has performed well despite a near tripling of crude oil prices since December 2001. He also pointed about the issue of present energy price increase. The first one is of course attributing, the increase in price â€Å"a consequence of a booming world economy, which raised energy demand rather than a supply shock; while the second one is attributing to monetary policies in the US and in most other countries have their jobs well of securing inflation expectations. † Despite a decline in growth in 2006 as compared to 2005, Poole found still further proof to the latest data on stable performance of the US economy. Poole, said, â€Å"†¦Particularly noteworthy was the larger-than-expected increase in real GDP during the fourth quarter of 2006. Following relatively anaemic rates of growth in the second and third quarters of 2006, growth of real GDP during the fourth quarter picked up nicely, rising to a 3. 5 percent annual rate. † Will the decline in the some of the measurable variable prove a failure of the monetary policy of the company? Poole cited two other aspects of the GDP report which were less favourable than the overall report. First, there was recorded slight decline in the business fixed investment during the fourth quarter of 2006. He interpreted that that the decline was nothing more than normal variation, as may be perhaps a consequence on the part of firms that were waiting for release of the new Vista operating system from Microsoft. To support his position, he explained that over the four quarters of 2006, a 6. 8 percent in non-residential fixed investment rose was recorded and one could readily appreciate that a healthy and expected increase given that the economy has continued to absorb excess capacity. This he even believe on the positive figures forecast for the economy that will â€Å"perhaps produce better than expected results. He however warned that â€Å"the extension of the fourth quarter weakness in business capital outlays going forward certainly would be a cause for concern. † The second noticeable aspect of the GDP report that was the nearly twenty percent rate of decline in residential fixed investment. He narrated that the decline began in the second quarter and was followed by a greater decline in each of the subsequent quarter. Thus he explained that as a normal result, the sharp decline in private housing starts and sales must have cause a significant pull on real GDP growth in 2006. Thus the second half of 2006, showed the contribution to real GDP growth from real residential fixed investment to have averaged about negative percentage points. This would prompt then the explanation for the slowing down in 2006 on why monetary policy was not applied to address the problem. Poole, explained that the Year 2006 was a hard situation for homebuilders as compared to 2005. He explained that following a record-setting rate of 1. 7 million units that have started in 2005, he noted that single-family started to fall to 1. 5 million units in 2006. He explained that the this average showed a comparatively large number of starts during the first half of the year which was followed by a much lower level of starts during the second half of 2006. This he noted December 2006- single-family starts which were approximately 16. 5 percent below annual average. In comparison, Poole cited the consensus of the Blue Chip forecasters made in December 2005 that real residential fixed investment would decrease by only about 1. 4 percent in 2006, using annual average data, but the actual the decline was about 4 ¼ percent. The rate fourth quarter as of 2006 is therefore obviously steeper, than the fourth quarter of 2005 to the fourth quarter of 2006. It may thus be observed that the slowing down of growth starting in the second quarter of 2006 may be attributed to the continued fall on sale of housing although presently there are already signs of recovery. But since the third quarter of 2007 has even exceeded even the average of growth rate prior to slight decline in second quarter of 2006, it may be argued that the problem of housing has eased out already. It may be concluded that the American government has been successful in running its Economy over the last three years in terms of GDP and controlled level of inflation and the lower interest rate. The main macro economic policies used by the American government over the last three years include mainly the use of its monetary policies through the Federal Reserve Bank of the US by raising interest rate a little in order to control inflation. Since it was able to do its part in controlling prices via inflationary measures the US Government through the Federal Reserve has done well it function of managing the economy.

Is ObamaCare Bad for Business? Essay

On March 23rd, 2010, President Barack Obama signed into legislation the â€Å"Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.† Since then, the new bill, nicknamed â€Å"ObamaCare,† has sparked heated controversy all across the country between Democrats and Republicans, each side fiercely tearing at each other with facts and statistics. I was curious as to what all the hoopla was about, so I decided to look into ObamaCare, and find out what I could about the 2,000-page mandate. I decided to discuss ObamaCare with my step mom, who owns a health clinic in Oregon. Getting a small business owner’s point of view on ObamaCare seemed a smart way to get a more objective understanding of how the public was reacting, aside from any political squabble that tends to drown out the issue at hand. While talking with her, she explained how she was forced to shut down her clinic because of ObamaCare. That moment narrowed the focus of my research into one crucial question: Is ObamaCare good or bad for small businesses in America? This is a question that is very complex, as the answer can be a yes, no, or in-between. Democrats support the mandate, while Republicans reject it. Hence the controversy surrounding the bill. To further my understanding, I went online and tried filtering through the immense plethora of information on ObamaCare. My next step would be to get a general understanding of what the bill is, and how it works. From what I could gather, ObamaCare is basically a mandate that requires all Americans to have health insurance by 2015, or else suffer a hefty penalty that will increase with each year. The main focus of the mandate is towards individuals and small businesses whom cannot afford health insurance. According to Karen Pollitz at abcnews.com, ObamaCare is â€Å"a law enacted to ensure that all Americans have access to affordable health insurance. It does this by offering consumers discounts (known as tax credits) on government-sponsored health insurance plans, and by expanding the Medicaid assistance program to include more people who don’t have it in their budgets to pay for health care.† To get back to the question at hand, is ObamaCare good for small businesses? Democrats really seem to believe so. As was said before, Democrats support the mandate, and claim that ObamaCare has helped improve the economy since the law was signed. Not only that, but the mandate has cut healthcare costs. According to obamacarefacts.com, when asked about ObamaCare hurting small businesses, the response was addressed as â€Å"The unbiased truth on ObamaCare and Small Business.† The response stated that ObamaCare helps most small businesses, not hurts them. The response goes on to address how small business owners have had a harder time providing insurance to their employees through history as a result of rising insurance costs. All the while larger businesses remain largely unaffected. The website also states that â€Å"today, almost half of America’s uninsured are small business owners, employees, or their dependents.† Small businesses can also apply for a tax credit to help with insurance costs by using ObamaCare, for up to 35% of costs for 2 years, depending on the circumstances. To restate what was said earlier about what ObamaCare basically is, the mandate includes a certain clause that says that businesses that refuse to offer insurance coverage to employees and individuals who do not have insurance by the end of 2014 will be forced to pay a heavy penalty, about $2-3,000 per uninsured employee. The rates increase each year as well, which should deter large businesses from dropping employees or cutting back everyone’s hours to part-time, to make sure employees get the benefits they deserve. Here comes the messy part: the political backlash of Republicans refuting the so-called â€Å"facts.† Republicans are dead set on their opinion that ObamaCare is bad for small businesses, not good. To begin refuting the Democrats’ claims, the tax credit that small businesses can apply for is not as sweet as the candy looks. Yes, you can apply for the tax credit, but what the Democrats failed to mention is that you have to go through four complicated tests to even qualify. Less than a fourth of small businesses make it past the first three tests trying to get the tax credit. Not to mention that the credit only lasts two years at the most, not very long at  all. This makes the credit practically useless, as it is not even assured you will get the full 35%, but rather you can receive up to 35% of the credit, depending on your circumstances. President Obama had a famous quote from when he was first advertising ObamaCare: â€Å"If you like your current health plan you can keep it. We don’t want you to have to change.† This quote haunts the President amidst reports that 3.5 million Americans who purchase health care plans on their own have now lost their coverage because of ObamaCare. Scott Gottlieb writes, â€Å"Very soon, small businesses will share a similar fate.† They will also see their health plans canceled as a result of ObamaCare. These small businesses will be faced with a bleak choice: find another, more costly policy that’s compliant with ObamaCare, or put their employees in the ObamaCare exchange. While a smaller percentage of business plans may get canceled (relative to the fraction of individual market plans that are now being terminated) the small group market is nonetheless much bigger than the individual market. Even if ObamaCare materially affects a smaller slice of the business plans, it will still encumber far more people than the 3.5 million individuals now losing coverage. Some small businesses used a loophole last year in 2013 so that they could delay the mandate requirements until January 1st, 2015. That means they should be getting their cancellation notices in the mail around November of 2014. News of these cancellations will go directly to the employees, much like the cancellations being sent out now. After researching diligently on ObamaCare, the question I started off with in the beginning is ready to be answered.Yes, there are many bad things about the mandate that affect businesses, such as loss of coverage to employees, penalties that cost businesses their revenue, and people losing their coverage entirely. There are also some good things about the mandate too, like some small businesses will be able to cover their employees with healthcare for the first time. Small businesses can also receeive tax credits and tax breaks to help them survive our economic hardships. But the debate goes on, and every person has their own opinions and bias on the issue, which in turn answers the question for them. For me, I do not like  ObamaCare one bit, as it implies that the needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many in terms of healthcare. But that is a question of personal ethics, not the effects of ObamaCare. Works Cited Gottlieb, Scott. â€Å"Thousands Of Small Businesses Will Also Start Losing Their Current Health Policies Under Obamacare. Here’s Why.† Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 6 Nov. 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. http://www.forbes.com/sites/scottgottlieb/2013/11/06/thousands-of-small-businesses-will-also-start-losing-their-current-health-policies-under-obamacare-heres-why/ â€Å"What Is Obamacare?.† About.com US Economy. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. http://useconomy.about.com/od/healthcarereform/f/What-Is-Obama-Care.htm â€Å"ObamaCare: 2.5 million more jobs lost, another trillion in deficit spending.† Human Events. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. http://www.humanevents.com/2014/02/04/obamacare-2-5-million-more-jobs-lost-another-trillion-in-deficit-spending/ â€Å"ObamaCare Small Business Facts.† ObamaCare Small Business Facts. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2014. http://obamacarefacts.com/obamacare-smallbusiness.php Neporent, Liz. â€Å"Obamacare Explained (Like You’r e An Idiot).† ABC News. ABC News Network, 23 Dec. 2013. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/obamacare-explained-idiot/story?id=21292932 â€Å"Is Obamacare Financially Burdensome for Businesses? – DEBATED.† Obamacare/ Health Care Laws. N.p., 11 Oct. 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. http://healthcarereform.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=001840

Business game

Reflection on Personal Performance in Business Strategy Game Business strategy games involving management process before confirming the decision to be made. Lesson learned taken from the business game, from the process and the content from the case (industry and situation condition of the business). Management Process Planning was the first process taken. Reading and understanding the relevant information was necessary and plays a significant role in planning process. Expectation was established in the planning, and followed stepping process until all aspects have been determined, including all distinctiveness in production (capacity, model, etc. ), transportation (shipping), labor, etc. Planning is critical, and it was indicated in the business strategy games, in which it required quite some time to achieve an agreement. Time was also a factor should be considered, and it drove the discussion on the planning to obtain the agreement. Organizing was also needed in the game to obtain optimal process. One opinion was listened and it organized the discussion and the direction of the process toward certain strategy. Other opinion was taking in to consideration, whether support or as devil advocacy to the strategy. The process also managed by organizing the flow of discussion to center on the strategy with already decided to be focused on. One person plays role as organizer at one time became a source person or follower in the other time. This approach of organizing made the progress of the discussion in the one focal point that describes the strategy taken which leads to the decision. When a member played the role as organizer, then the member did directing the process and content according to the chosen strategy, and also can happened that the strategy can be changed according to the expected result and considering assumption of strategy of the competitors. Some times in the process, one or more member can have their drive going down. In this situation other member did motivated the team to keep up the winning spirit. Controlling was also involved in the process, by focus on one thing and sacrifices in other thing, align with the strategy. These four processes of management were implemented in the process of gaining the final decision and in determining the content to be made (such as production/manufacturing, shipping, labor, price, etc. ), in which the final decision was made by consensus. The experience in the game gives the learning point in practicing of implementing management process, planning, organizing, directing, and controlling. Within a given time, group should be able to do planning (including crafting the strategy, and establish the goal), organizing the process (including agreed on the road map of the process, listening and expressing opinion, and adjusting to the characteristics of the group), directing (including do and accept direction, motivating others, make or initiate decision), and controlling (to be aligned with strategy). Management Functions Strategy plays a critical role in the process, and aim to make the company have differentiation that creates competitive edge compare with the competitors. Decisions are determined align with the chosen strategy. Strategy such as increasing market share and or increasing price to obtain more profit, and or have a low cost production by moving the manufacturing to the low cost location, and or lowering the labor cost, and or increasing the quality of the product, etc. , were became the issues discussed during the process. Any decision made in the process should be linked to the strategy and eventually to the expected result (goal). Marketing management initiatives plays important role in the process. Attention was put in the advertising or promotion program. The decision on the initiatives was made in relation with other initiatives, and initiative should be congruence to be able to reach expected impact. Operations management was also applied, in order to have efficient and low cost production, to be able to lower the price, or put emphasizing in better quality of product and therefore adjust the price to a higher number. Having different locations of manufacturing was also part of consideration in operation management, including the days needed for shipping, and inventory level. Financial management was critical. At the end of the day, the success of the strategy, whether the plan was achieved of not, was determined by facts and figures which was analyzed and interpreted in terms of financial. The situation or condition of the company was considering of profitable, safe or potentially bankrupt, and whether the strategy was effective or not was determined from numbers including financial ratios. Production plan and realization, exchange rate, labor cost, product sold or unsold, inventory level, price, etc. were contributed to the financial condition, and will be analyzed further for determining next strategy (for next run). Human Resource was also had major role in the decision process. Number of labor involved, salary and incentives, were several factors considered in human resource function. During the discussion it was also considered incentive factors as the factor that can boost the motivation of the employees, in which can increase the productivity and eventually proportionally can lower the cost. Experience in the business games told that the management functions will be more effective if it was take into consideration in integrated way. The strategy made was comprise of many functions of management, Working in Teams Team work was a factor that can smooth the progress of the practice toward a productive way. At one time one member took the role as leader, and expressed the idea or opinion which regarded as reference that was supported or argued by other members. The leader than guide or direct the process toward obtaining acceptable or best solution. Other member played role as follower, tried to understand point of view of the leader, and gave opinion to enrich the information for having the decision. In one process it can happened that the role of leader was switch from one member to another member, and lead the discussion toward the decision. Working in team in the business games demonstrated by listening to other opinions or ideas and, gave contribution to the group by doing analysis and expressing constructive argument and idea or opinion to the group. In the process of making group decision, group tried to obtain consensus, with all group members support the decision. Experience and Lesson Taken to Working Place In leading unit in the working place, it is important to have clear goals for the unit, which are determined in the process of performance planning that usually take place at the beginning of the year. The goals comprises of organization (unit) objective, and individual objective which should be clear and measurable (refer to SMART Goals principle) and cascaded from top to bottom, means that the goals are aligned from executive or manager position to staff position. Having a clear goals or expectations will make all employees within the unit know exactly what are expected to be achieved and will make the monitoring of performance become more effective, and eventually it will make the evaluation of the achievement more effective. Leader should be able to define the goals, which reflected what the unit wants to be, particularly for the respective year. For the unit, strategy than decided to define what is the best way to achieve the goals or answering how to get there. Leader should be able to determine the strategy, which should consider of having different way of doing rather than just following the same thing. Strategy should have put into consideration opportunities and obstacles that can potentially will be faced along the year. For the unit performance, flow of work, service level agreement, number of employee, training and development program that will have impact to the quality of work, compensation practice, etc. should be considered in order to have effective strategy. Every people in the organization have potential, and leader should put effort to unleash the potential of the individual and support them to perform in their work. Many initiatives of improvement or programs come from the people in the unit that can give positive impact to the unit. Motivation is needed to keep the work spirit not fall to the lower level. Leader should do coaching to ensure people in the unit understand and on track, make sure that people move to the same direction with same strategy. Every function of management can be implemented to achieve optimum result. Managing the operation implemented to ensure effectiveness and efficiency of work. Human resource management will help in ensuring what unit do are align with the business. Financial management can be implement whether in business or support function, for instance to measure Return on Investment of certain initiatives. As member of management team, we should contribute in a positive way by giving opinion and ideas, or doing what has been decided productively. Discussion should be conducted in conducive way, listen what other people say and express opinion to reach to the decision. When decision has been made, member should follow and committed to perform the decision in effectively. Success of the unit is also determined by the competency, performance, and contribution of the members. To have an optimum result, member should be able to look the purpose as unit purpose not individual purpose. This principle can create synergy between members in the team and can contribute more to the performance of the team. The business strategy games provide inspiration that can be applied in the working situation. Having competitors that can affect the result of one group convey the message that in establishing standard, one unit should not look into inside factors, but should also consider outside factors. The capability of the unit can be seen differently and will lead to different goals and strategy. Strategy can be different if the external condition is supportive and indicates opportunity and will be different if the external conditions are not accommodating. Macro and micro analysis can be conducted to have a more comprehensive analysis for obtaining effective and right decision. Read more: http://www. ukessays. com/essays/business/reflection-on-personal-performance-in-business-strategy-game-business-essay. php#ixzz2leirR8KT BUSINESS SIMULATION GAMES INDIVIDUAL REFLECTION PAPER On 10 November 2010 afternoon, Our Can group get a chance to get the materials business simulation games, the first time we were a little confused and not understand what the content and intent or purpose of this program. Until then we get the opportunity to play an active role play in the game by forming a company in our Group Can. Listen Read phonetically Dictionary View detailed dictionary I am a member of cans group discussion 3, in this business game, we manage the company named CHAMP. We chose the name CHAMP for our company becouse we hopes that companies will become a leader or a winner in this Business Simulation Game. Growth of our company in this game very interesting and gave many valuable lessons. Our company was ranked second on the game in first year, after making changes in the manufacturing and marketing strategy; we became the first winner in the game in the second year. In the third year we make changes in the shipping, manufacturing also marketing strategy again to maintain its position as champion, but in the fact that our ranking dropped to be number 3. In the fourth year we wanted to get back into champions. We did totally change the strategy in all sections and mainly to increase product awareness, we contracted with many famous artists paid a high price for promotion. But the results we slumped to the lowest ranking (sixth). This surprised us and made us confused to find out where our biggest mistakes in managing the company. Listen Read phonetically Dictionary View detailed dictionary noun camp compound Did not want to continue to decline, in the fifth year we try to flash back to learn the success stories in the first and second year, besides that we also study the companys strategy of competitors, then we create a new strategy and the results we were able to ride into fourth place. In the sixth year we try to make small changes to strategy in several sections and the results we rose again to number three. In the seventh year we do not make changes to our strategy and stay at rank 3. After doing business game above, there are many valuable lessons that I get. Those lessons were: About Management Process (Planning, Organizing, Directing, Controlling) In managing a company as a manager or owner of a business we must have: a. Planing ? Both long-term planning and short term, this really helps us to determine the strategy or action we should do in the near future or the preparation for long-term corporate strategy. b. Organization ? Complete, clear and transparent as one of the supporters because of the companys people are assets of a company†, the placement of people with appropriate knowledge and skills that will facilitate the acceleration of the process as well as the operations of a company. It also must be supported by a clear Job Description and detail-enter the respective functions of the organization. c. Directing ? In the governance of a company also must be supported by rules or standard operating systems or procedures are clear and understood by all line employees. we often call with company regulations, standard operating procedures etc. d. Controlling ? As a manager or owner in a company we still have to implement controls on employee performance, corporate governance, corporate operating costs and market conditions that support the smooth and that we manage the companys growth periodically. We can also be done with checking Monthly Report / Balance Sheet , hold on monthly meetings, etc. Listen Read phonetically Dictionary View detailed dictionary adjective inside deep indoor internal interior profound inland intrinsic cavernous thoughtful three-dimensional adverb deeply sound preposition in within on to inside under in the course of prefix endo- 2. About Management Function (Strategy, Marketing, Operations, Finance, Human Resources, etc. ) Strategy ? Corporate strategy should be set appropriately by considering several factors, including supporters of human capital, finance, market share and also that there are competitors in the same type of business with our company. In the governance of a business may take a few strategies such as for launching a new product needs some backup strategy, it is necessary whenever the initial strategy does not show results in maximum then we still have some alternative backup strategy, so it does not require a long time to take any action appropriate in market penetration. Marketing ? According to my opinion, the success rate of a company also backed with the full functionality of the marketing is true both in the company engaged in the services or products etc. Capable marketing, product master, around the existing market and marketing must knowing the strengths and weaknesses of competitors. Listen Operations ? Operational support from both system and service level aggrement factor in a process of corporate governance is very important. It also needs to be supported with the latest technology. Listen Read phonetically Dictionary View detailed dictionary verb hold conduct make organize provide establish arrange carry out throw take set up call launch institute stage put on bring about impose carry on incur exercise levy open put up effect float lay on negotiate afford touch off operate stage-manage generate phrase bring into being Finance ? A company can be said in good condition when to generate maximum profit. As a manager or the owners of a company we should be able to manage our capital versus operating costs required, the greater the profit earned by production costs that are not too large will show the healthy of a business. However, we also must consider the placement of funds and financial governance of our company, whether already in accordance with the budgeting or is not appropriate. In terms of business expansion or major factor that should we consider is the condition of our corporate finance, whether supportive or not, when lack of support but the potential or opportunities that we have a large, one financial source of our business is on loan from the Bank with a source of return and specific timeframe. Human Resources ? In addition to the above factors one important thing to note is that inadequate human resources that are reliable and have the skills to suit the needs of the company. A competent leader should be able to determine the amount of labor requirements and can put the right people-enter the respective divisions within an organization. 3. About Working In Teams To work as a reliable teamwork are some things we have to consider include: Get familiar with either all members of the team, it is useful to the division of tasks and towards solving problems that arise. We must be willing to hear opinions of all members of the team in making changes in strategy or action for operasinal company. Explore more information and opinion that reliable and resonable with the case or problem that we should solving as a good team work, eq. Browsing some data from internet or from any sourches. Putting the right people on the job or responsibilities in accordance with the characteristics of our team members are. Based on the experiences and lessons I got from the business game I have done, I plan to apply some advantages in my workplace. As the leader of my unit : A leader should have strong leadership and enough skills to manage the organization and the company. Planning, directing (also mentoring or choaching program) and controlling periodicly to all of my sub ordinate. Delegate some responsibilities to the deputy business with a fixed control function properly . Sharing knowledge to all sub-ordinate, sub-branch manager and exploring new knowledge, new technology and strategy for the success of Bank Mega Cluster Balikpapan Special Hire employee from another Bank (Manager or Marketing) to help me manage the company and make the vision 1000 of Bank Mega become reality (become the leader bank in Balikpapan – East Kalimantan Indonesia) As a member of my management team : Being more creative, proactive and always have new ideas to supporting the management team More details in targeting business opportunities and increase market share. Establishing a reliable team work with 2-way communication is effective and still value the opinions of other members of management team Read more: http://www. ukessays. com/essays/business/business-simulation-games-individual-reflection-paper-business-essay. php#ixzz2lej5YvdS REFLECTION PAPER – THE BUSINESS STRATEGY GAME About Management Processes From the Business Strategy Game, I learned that first important process for a company to determine its future business path was to set a strategic and realistic planning about what is the company goal, how long the goal will be achieved and how to achieve the goal among the competition. In setting the plan, company should define first what is their mission statement or strategic vision. This mission statement is a statement which indicates the purposes and activities of the company’s business/goals in brief, clear and focus words. Along with mission statement, company must clearly define its objectives quantitatively within certain period. From these quantitative objectives, company could set a realistic and attainable long term strategic planning to allocate budget and resources in the company. In strategic planning, company should define clearly its target market, financial objective and competitive position among the industry. This strategic planning will be the direction of the company in running its business. After setting the strategic planning, company should design an organization structure to manage the company effectively, by designating persons who will in charge in each roles and held responsibility in each area of the business in the company (marketing, finance, operation, sales and so on), especially the person who will be responsible as the leader of the company (as CEO). The role of CEO is very essential because he/she must lead company to the right direction in implementing company strategy to achieve company’s objectives. From the clear and effective organization structure, CEO and management will have clear legitimation and authority in directing all resources in the company to implement the company’s strategy. Finally, the company should closely and intensively controlling and monitoring the performance of the strategy during implementation to assess its progress against the pre-defined targets and ensure that all the company elements were doing their parts and responsibility in the right track. About Management Functions In a company, management should establish the right and important functions which will run the company operational activities, define what are the responsibilities of each functions and ensure that each functions performed in accordance with the company objectives. In order to give more value to the company in terms of profitability, management should work together to set a strategy in making company’s output (product or services) more competitive in the market by considering all aspects involved. As an example, to gain more profitability company could set pricing strategy to be higher or lower compare to market but before decided the price, company should consider other aspects such as costs, quality and resources needed in creation of the product or services. About Working in Teams In working as a team member in the company, it is very important to determine a clear designation about who will act as the leader and the follower. Because if there’s no clear designation, potentially will cause the resources in the company to move to the wrong direction and this will destruct company effort in achieving its objectives. As a leader, a person should show the ability to manage and to coach the entire team member to do their tasks properly, and he/she should has willingness to listen and appreciation to his/her followers insights at the same time. And as a follower, one should give respect to the leader and obey the leader decisions. But it is important too for the company to define what is the follower assignment and designation, because if it is not clearly defined, the follower couldn’t perform nor contributed optimally in attaining company’s objective process. What I plan to do in my work place from the experience and lessons I took from the BSG are : As the leader of my unit I will put more effort to be an effective and efficient leader of my unit and will put more awareness to all my team member that our jobs especially in designing the most efficient operational work flow in my company has essential impact in saving the company budget and optimizing company resources which will contributed in achieving the company’s objective especially in financial aspect and giving more value to the customer and shareholder. And furthermore I will spend more time and effort to evaluate designation and job description for each member of my team, to put the right person to the right job and responsibility. If the designation and job description were not fit or not clear to the team member, it will impact to the performance of the working unit itself because each team member do not know exactly what is their role in their working unit. As a member of my management team I will put more consideration and attention about financial impact of any decision that my management made. From the BSG, I see that all activities in each working unit must be contributed and affected to the company strategic planning especially in achieving financial goals. And I will put more respect to any member and any decision of my management team made, even though sometimes the decision seems to be hard to be implement, I will try to see it from wider perspective that the decision must be made deliberately and considered many important aspects which ending is to give more value for the company.

Pros and Cons of Charter Schools Research Paper

Pros and Cons of Charter Schools - Research Paper Example A good way to obtain a good idea of a charter school is to consider its characteristics compared to the public school based on school size, grade-level configuration, student-to-teacher ratio, and student-to-computer ratio (Beryl et al.). In 1997 to 1998, the average size of charter school was 137 students and more than 400 for the public school in the same year (Feinberg 156). Though there is a significant increase in number, the same trend today is followed, by which charter schools have substantially small number of students and public schools have even more. Regarding the grade-level configuration, charter schools are given by the State laws the freedom to choose the grade structure and the age range of the students they will serve (RPP International 22). A certain study reveals that the student-to-ratio in low-performing charter schools is approximately 17 to 1, compared to approximately 15 to 1 in acceptable-performing charter schools (Burds 104). Intuitively, these ratios are lower compared to the prevailing ratios in comparable schools. There may be or no significant difference when it comes to student-to-computer ratio between charters schools and public schools, it is evident that students at charter schools are using computers extensively (Hill 16; RPP International 26). These characteristics are also significant indicators of learning. With this in mind for consideration, charter schools may be advantageous when it comes to learning compared to public schools because of the associated innovation in education. Aside from that, learning must be significantly of more interactive value in charter schools than in public schools because of the engagement of parents and teachers with the students’ actual academic performance. This will provide a more... This report stresses that one inherent manifestation of charter schools is their ability to allow teachers, parents and students to have strong involvement and participation together in order to ensure high rate of academic achievement and excellent academic performance. With this given information, one might consider that there are many things to be taken into account as great with charter schools. However, this does not mean that charter schools may not have some other important drawbacks. In order to make a clear justification of point regarding these two conflicting issues, the work at hand presents the pros and cons of charter schools and investigates if the former may have surpass the latter. This paper makes a conclusion that prior to the main objective of this paper, the need to consider the other sheer characteristics of a charter school is a better way to understand its advantages and probable linked disadvantages. A good way to obtain a good idea of a charter school is to consider its characteristics compared to the public school based on school size, grade-level configuration, student-to-teacher ratio, and student-to-computer ratio. Regarding the grade-level configuration, charter schools are given by the State laws the freedom to choose the grade structure and the age range of the students they will serve. Students in charter schools will have more exposure to modern information technology, which is evident in the student-to-computer ratio.

The marketing and management policies of Burton Company Essay

The marketing and management policies of Burton Company - Essay Example Marketing policies of Burton Company is aimed to offer a high quality services to everyone who wants excellent sport equipment, from professional sportsmen to common citizens who want high quality goods. Taking into account the present day situation, the strategy followed by Burton Company is to ensure long-term success based on brand loyalty, non-price competition and high-income market segment. Recent years, Burton Company has shifted its global focus to core brands and price reduction measures. This strategy has helped Burton Company to maintained high-speed growth through continuous optimization of its product mix and constant technological innovation. International activity allows the company to address wider target audience and create core of loyal supporters around the world. For instance, "Both Burton Sportartikel and Burton Japan function as important links between Burton North America and its retailers and consumers in those regions. In addition, these offices service the operational and marketing needs of international distributors and dealers" (Burton Snowboards, 2006). International activity is crucial for a company to ensure its market position and long-term success. "With new direct link to the Asian market, Burton Snowboards was now truly a global company" (Burton Snowboards, 2006). Today, Burton Company follows a differentiation strategy and ensures that the higher price it charges for its higher quality is not priced too far above the competition or else customers will not see the extra quality as worth the extra cost. Focusers help Burton Company to achieve better differentiation or lower cost in separate market segments (Asia), but they also lose to broadly targeted competitors when the segment's uniqueness fades or demand disappears. The main distribution methods include local representative and offices in 36 countries worldwide, namely dealers and distributors. A unique policy applied by Burton Company helps the company to achieve its marketing strategies. Many people around the world wanted to became distributors of Burton products and "Jake decided to pick people who were dedicated to the sport of snowboarding, rather than using people already entrenched in the ski industry" (Burton Snowboards, 2006). Burton's maintain policy of product standardization i n order to sell them around the world under the same brand. Advertising and PR relations are aimed to popularize Burton brand creating an corporate image and unique selling proposition. One of the tools used by Burton is sponsorship. Sponsorship activities include: young riders at a Factory level, Burton's Global Team consisting of the best riders. Olympic Games 2002 was a turning point for Burton promoting snowboarding as a "new" sport available for millions of sport fans. Using movie industry as promotion activity (film "Apocalypse Snow") has helped Burton Company to attract attention of potential customers around the world. Advertising campaigns of Burton Company include media of different types. In Burton Company advertising involves local press and international press advertising and magazine display, billboard advertisements during sports events, internet promotion and internet sales, TV advertisements. (McDonald, Christopher, 2003). Company's management is aimed to develop and support its marketing activities in

European Union (EU) Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

European Union (EU) Law - Essay Example Through proceedings, ECJ judges became deeply interested to take actions against conflicts creating depression for the transnational actors and other individuals who could claim that their rights under the Treaty of Rome were being violated by existing national law or administrative practice against national legal regimes and those actors, public and private, advantaged by national rules and practices 1. The ECJ is considered to be the most accurate jurisprudent body throughout the European community. So, there is no doubt that ECJ delegation in interpreting the treaties thereby ensuring that EU law is applied correctly in the member states is wrong. Similarly the European Parliament (EP) enjoys delegated powers in the legislative process through which EU policy is created, in the budgetary process through which the EU budget is shaped and adopted, under the control and supervision of the Commission. The empirical analysis demonstrates that the ECJ being a supranational institution have played an independent role in the development of a European enforcement system that is more constraining than national governments ever intended. Dissatisfied with existing means of enforcement at the European level and with governments' reluctance to delegate more powerful instruments, the ECJ and the Commission independently created and perfected a system of decentralized supervision, whereby individuals and national courts are engaged to monitor and enforce state compliance. This system of decentralized supervision is now an integral part of European governance which has influenced the course of European integration, not only by introducing new issues to the policy agenda, as is often argued, but also by securing a higher degree of compliance with the policy decisions that indeed are taken. What can one expect from close observation of such a system in which market integration has become the principle of ECJ policy-making as a result of non-majoritarian decisions taking into account only the contribution of Member States, for example, judicial law-making and Commission decisions. The best example is the implementation of such policies, which have been inclusive without much political attention, through interventions of the European Commission against infringements of Treaty obligations, and through the decisions that goes only in favour of the Member States with initial cooperation of the ECJ2. The doctrines of 'direct effect' and 'supremacy' have brought about the 'constitutionalization' in the ECJ law in the form of unseen competition and that even between individual stakeholders and Member States 3. It is considered those stakeholders' contribution matters the same way in policies implementation as that of Member States, however this is not the case. The ECJ along with the help of Commission has collectively sought out to shift the gravity in EU enforcement toward greater reliance on decentralized supervision through national courts. Exploiting its judicial independence and the absence of intrusive government control, it is said that the ECJ has strengthened the remedies available to individuals. ECJ has created a legal order in which individuals uphold the same rights as the Member States. However, the critical

Securing the Nation from Terrorism Threat Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Securing the Nation from Terrorism Threat - Essay Example The local community initiatives that can address mitigation and preparedness against terrorist attack include: Volunteering in the police service, This is initiatives that train civilian volunteers who then can assist in the local police department, freeing up an officer to a critical function that affects community security (Docobo). Also through neighborhood watch initiatives that encourage civilian to report to authority any suspicious activity in their immediate neighborhood, according to Docobo in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, neighborhood watch has taken a greater priority as the mean of securing our community. Community emergency team’s initiatives, these programs provide emergency training to civilians with the aim of enhancing their capacity to respond and mitigate the effect of disasters (Docobo). Also through the initiative of medical reserve corp where skills of practicing and retired physician, health professionals and nurses who are willing to volunteer are brought together and play a mitigation role in the event of a large-scale emergency situation. Docobo points out that, since September 11, 2001, community initiatives toward disaster mitigation and preparedness partnership with a homeland security play vital role in addressing the security issue, this is because communities have dynamic skills necessary to identify, plan, mobilize and respond to the terrorist attack (Docobo). However, trust is an important component that builds community participation. Homeland security in collaboration with the private sector enhances preparedness through various means, which include: developing and implementing risk-based transportation, this approach focus on those who pose a threat to the transportation network where passenger and cargo screening is emphasized even in the private sector so that to ensure the security of all American people.  

Dementia and Caretaking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Dementia and Caretaking - Essay Example These fears include the repetitive questions of going home; seeking caretakers and this phenomenon is called "Shadowing" (Lindeman, Corby, Downing & Sanborn 1991) Alzheimer disease is one of the disorders known as dementia. Patient develops multiple cognitive deficits including memory loss. The diagnostic criterion along with memory loss must include one of the cognitive disturbances: aphasia, apraxia, anoxia or a disturbance in executive functioning (DSM- IV 1994). Dementia may be progressive, static or remitting (DSM-IV 1994). Keeping in view of this study the AD should not be taken as 'process of inevitable and immutable decline'. (Judkins,Wayne ) Caretaking for the patient of AD is a long process which involves many people. In the early stages the family members are the initial help. But the later stages require persistent care of the patient and he/she is shifted to adult day care centers. In adult day care centers safe and supportive environment is must for the patient of AD. It involves creating new roles to replace the roles lost because of the disease. (e.g. provider for spouse, worker) In this environment patient can interact in the same cognitive state and can form meaningful attachments. (William & Roberts 1995). The group spirits should also be fostered in the day care centers to make the patient feel that he/she is the desired member of the social group. Researchers in their recent studies have examined the role that the attachment style may play in dementia. It is observed that personality characteristics persist in dementia. For example, a person suffering from depression and aggressive behavior before the diagnosis of dementia 'have these tendencies aggregated by the course of disease. (Agbayewa, 1986) Bowlby defined attachment behavior as "any form of behavior that results in a person attaining or retaining proximity to some other differentiated and preferred individuals, who is usually conceived as stronger and /or wiser." (John Bowlby, 1979, pp 129) Misen (1992) was the first researcher to conclude that the patient of dementia could also be classified as having secure or ambivalent style of attachment. The further studies proposed that various component of attachments i.e. trust, comfort with dependency became more important with higher level of dependency caused by dementia. The studies have also found that the effect of dysfunctional behavior as taken by caretakers was correlated with caretakers' psychological distress. (Levesque. Cassette & LaChance, 1998) But it is observed that attachment therapy can also help the caretakers to overcome their psychological stress. The following quoted study is taken from the interview of Ann Hurley (Citation: Trudeau S. Bright Eyes, A Sensory Stimulation Intervention for Patients with Advanced Dementia: An interview with Scott Trudeau, by AL Romer, Innovations in

Problem Definition Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Problem Definition - Research Paper Example The problem that the paper centers around is gender bias in corporations and the associated problems. (Jennings, 2008; Wines, 2006; Bowie, 2002) Earning profits without maintaining ethics might benefit the organization but the growth is short lived. Investors, employees, customers and interest groups judge whether an action is ethical or non-ethical. (Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell, 2009;  Jones, Parker & Bos 2005) The aspect of gender bias has been taken up in this paper with some small case studies to bring out the exact work environment in the US. The company under study is an orchestra company, which was accused for gender discrimination in employee treatment and work culture in the US music industry.      Our study is based on the US music industry. The bias has been seen in the compositions of western music and in the very management itself. Women working here are hurt badly in the way they are treated or the acknowledgement of their works and achievements. There have been some cases when women have been denied membership or selection in an orchestra position based on their gender. (Takala, 2007) The work atmosphere is such that women are deprived of any equal treatment to that of  men in similar positions. This feeling of exclusion and deprivation affected their performance and their abilities misused. (Takala, 2007). United States in general has an impressive statistics with respect to workingwomen compared to Europe. While Europe has 41% of workingwomen with only 1% making it to the executive boards, US women make more than half of the working force with 10% in the executive boards. Women participation in orchestras has been compared for four countries according to gender. Allmendinger and Hackman report women participation of 36% for US against 30% for UK and 16% for East and West Germany. But the high rates in US did not give the real picture. The survey found that though the number of working women were high in US, most of

John Calvin's doctrine in eucharist Research Paper

John Calvin's doctrine in eucharist - Research Paper Example Thereafter, Calvin’s works, writings and doctrines would become quite useful and influential in establishing consensus among various Reformation groups not only in Switzerland, Scotland, Hungary and Germany but also across the expanse of Europe and other far off lands. Born on 10 July 1509, John Calvin, a French cleric and doctor of law, was a key figure in the second generation of reformers. He not only published the theological tome, the Institutes of the Christian Religion, in 1536 but also played an influential role in the development of the system of Christian theology, which would later be renamed Calvinism.2 Calvin became a leading figure in the Reformed church in Geneva, which was the presumed headquarters of Reformed Christianity in the latter parts of the 16th century. Together with other elders, Calvin worked with pastors and elders to ensure that religious discipline reigned among the Genevan populace. An area for which Calvin’s theology is widely read and known are his doctrines of (double) predestination and the Sacrament.3 Although predestination was not the overriding idea in Calvins works, it later became a key issue, more so for most of his Reformation students andsuccessors.After Zwingli’s death on 11 October 1531, Calvin took over the mantle of spiritual leadership among the reformers. The doctrine of theLord’s Supper was surrounded with divergent opinions, contentions, disputes and controversies from the medieval period up to modern times. The Eucharist is viewed differentlyby different cultures and people .4For instance, some people believe thatthe Eucharist is a grace through which sins are forgiven.In the Catholic tradition, the Council of Trent (1545-1563) asserts that, â€Å"by the consecration of the bread and wine there takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into the

English Language Article Comparison Essay Example for Free

English Language Article Comparison Essay In this piece of work I will be comparing two articles from newspapers. Both the articles are about the same story and were printed on the same day (Tuesday October 13th 1998), however they are from two different newspapers. One of them is from The Sun and the other from The Telegraph, the main difference between these two papers is that The Sun is a tabloid and The Telegraph is a broadsheet. Throughout this piece of work I will try to examine the difference in their attitudes towards writing news due to this variation in category of newspaper. The article concerns dogs that were at a police dog training unit, the instructor allegedly forced a handler to kick and hang the dogs, one of the dogs involved died. The first and most distinctive thing you realise about these two stories is the difference in headlines. Firstly in The Telegraph the height of the letters involved is only approximately 1cm where as in The Sun it is 2. 6cm. This clearly shows that The Sun wants to make a larger impact and draw your attention to that particular story. Other points about the headlines that back this up are the style of writing. In The Telegraph the headline has been written in serif, this means that the editor has decided to use a font which includes small decorative lines at the ends of letters, however The Suns headline is in sans serif and so doesnt have these lines. This makes the letters much more sharp, and right-angled this gives a hard feel to the words and helps attract readers. Another way the editor has used the headline to attract the reader in The Sun is by using block capitals, this instantly makes the letters bigger, stand out and coupled with the words being in bold black and sans serif gives a real shock effect. A similarity between these two headlines though is that they both use quotes, this makes it sound and feel more real to a reader because it says exactly what actual people said and after having read the subheadline, probably what they said in court. However, I personally feel that the main difference is the actual words that have been used. The Suns headline is much more emotive, it uses words such as cruel, kick and death. These words will instantly capture people and conjure up images that will stir their imagination and make them want to read on. Not only this but the headline also reads kick his own dog to death, this makes it seem even worse because it wasnt a dog belonging to the police but his own family pet. It makes the whole thing seem even more cruel and will once again make people more interested in the story, especially for people who have pet dogs. However, The Telegraph is much more informative and factual, it makes a statement about what happened without going into detail about the emotions of it. It says; Police told to kick and punch dogs, although it does uses words such as kick and punch it uses them in a way to inform what the police had been told to do and doesnt go into detail about what the trainer was like. I also feel an interesting thing to also look at is the use of made and told in these two headlines. When The Sun says made cop kick his own god to death it uses made to incriminate the trainers, it makes it sound like the policemen didnt have a choice and that the whole incident was the trainers fault. Whereas The Telegraph uses told, this is much more informative and is simply saying what happened, there is no emotional influence in the way The Telegraph have written this headline. The subheadlines are also quite interesting, firstly their placing, The Telegraph has decided to place the subheadline before the main headline and in The Sun it has been placed after the headline. This may have been done for a number of reasons. In The Telegraph the subheadline reads; German Shepard died after punishment, court told this subheadline has probably been used to give the reader a bit more information about the story before they read on like the type of dog involved and the fact that the dog died. In The Sun they have decided to put the information that the dog died in their headline and the fact it was a German Shepard isnt mentioned in The Sun at all. On to The Suns subheadline and it simply reads Jury told of punishment this has been put after the headline to inform the reader of where the quote of the headline came from. As well as this in The Sun not only does it have a subheadline after the headline, it also has other subheadlines throughout the story to introduce new parts of the article and to split it into three parts; the extra subheadlines are Warned and Shaking. These words are actually used in the section of the article they introduce so that the reader will want to continue. You notice these words and they stand out because they are very expressive and they give you information about what is going to happen in the article even if you dont read on. I also feel that The Sun has used these particular words to good use, if you didnt have time to read the whole article and only read the headline and these subheadlines you would leave with a very strong feeling of hatred towards the trainers. Not only with words like made which I have already explained, but when it is followed by a subheadline of warned it makes you feel as though the police were threatened by the trainers and were warned by them to do nothing wrong. I personally feel that The Telegraph has a more hard-hitting headline for a particular reason. The Sun has made its main headline strike out of the page and really make you read on, this means they have put a simple subheadline so as not to overshadow the headline. Whereas The Telegraph has done it the other way around, their headline is not so hard-hitting so the editor has decided to include an emotive subheadline to aid the reader in being interested in the story and to red on. After having seen the headlines and been attracted to the story you begin to read the main text. Straight away in the hook paragraph you can see differences in the papers attitudes. Firstly, and most obviously the fact that in The Sun the first paragraph has been written in bold, and simply written normally in The Telegraph. Once again it seems that The Sun has been much more emotive in its approach. Words such as forced and kicked it are used, not only this but the word DIED is written in block capitals, this is to emphasise the word and everything it means and the horror of what happened to the dogs. Words used in The Telegraph are very interesting. The first line explains that the dogs were chastised, it is interesting they should use this word because although it is hard hitting it probably doesnt have the same effect on you as kicking (which is in The Sun). However The Telegraph does say that dogs were hung helplessly from a wall by their leads this is then followed by a court was told yesterday it is as though The Telegraph wants to remain on the fence by simply stating what was said but at the same time drumming up emotion in the reader and making them read on, all in all The Sun is more opinionated and The Telegraph is trying as best it can to stay factual. A similarity between the two stories is the use of quotation. Both articles have many quotes from the police officers and trainers in question and almost all of the quotes were said in court. This could well be because on the day these two articles were published the case was still in court and they had little else to go on than this. Also the writer of the article in The Sun has done something slightly unusual in that he has decided to put some paragraphs into italics. This is almost certainly to draw the readers attention to that part of the story and make them read and think about it a different way. There are three paragraphs throughout the article that are in italics and out of these two of them focus on the cruelty to the animals, they go into detail about the way in which this happened and how the dogs reacted to it. The third paragraph describes how two of the handlers left in protest to what was going on before the dog died. Both these points are quite significant to the overall story and you can see why the writer may well have wanted the reader to be more aware of these facts that perhaps other points. Another point that I have found very interesting is sentence type used in both articles. It is normal for newspapers to use a lot of declarative sentences, these help the reporter to get across to the reader all the important information quickly and easily. An example from The Sun would be; PC James English told the court his dog Tazz had been hanged for growling and The Telegraph; Trainers at the police dog unit, based at Sandon, Chelmsford, Essex. However, differences occur between the newspapers when you look at the use of complex sentences, these are more rarely used in papers as they are longer and are not so dramatic. However, as you would except it is The Telegraph that has used a couple but The Sun has used a lot fewer. As I have already described, The Telegraph is a more up-market paper and is aimed towards a sector of society who appreciate this sort of writing whereas The Sun is not. In fact a complex sentence has been used in The Telegraph to say the same as my last quotation of a declarative sentence from The Sun; PC James English said his dog, Tazz was twice subjected to the hanging method after he had growled during training.

Studying Abroad Essay Example for Free

Studying Abroad Essay Having a strong education is the best way to ensure a good future and fulfillng dreams. Therefore, I feel it is important to pursure my higher studies and have decided to study abroad, in particular. I have applied for this scholarship and chosen my major for the following reasons: to gain education of high quality, to get better employment opportunities, and to learn more about other cultures. The first reason for choosing to study IS is to gain education of high quality. As we all know, Europe is famous for the education that is provided by its strong universities, best professors, successful educational systems and methods. Graduating from prestigious colleges or universities like that is often regarded as an achievement in itself. Furthermore, a degree from a good foreign university always adds up to ones resume. Secondly, due to the lack of specialists in this major in my country, it is considered an advantage for me to have chosen to study IS because it will result in getting better employment opportunities. With the knowledge that I get from studying in such a field and applying ehat I have learned, I will have an added advantage over others. Last but not least, it is an exciting advanture to study out in a completely new enviroment. It will enable me to mature quickly and develop independence. For instance, joining the university will be the first experience to adjust to living away from family and friendes. Though there will be many difficulties like culture or lack of proficiency in laguage, Ill learn how to live on my own and look after myself after overcoming them. In conclusion, my desire to study abroad is based on getting best level education in the world, being offered better job chances, and experiencing new things. However, it does not mean that one can get this knowledge and experience just by going abroad to study. He / She must choose carefully which college to study in, and struggle for what he/she is longing for to improve oneself and ones country.

Design a simple apnea detection system

Design a simple apnea detection system CHAPTER 1 1.1 INTRODUCTION AIM The aim of the project is to design a simple apnea detecting system with an alarm and to classify the type of apnea identified using LabVIEW. 1.1.1 Normal Respiratory Event: Respiration is the phenomenon of supplying oxygen to the tissues and removing the carbon dioxide from the tissues. External respiration is the process of exchange of gases between the lungs and atmosphere. Internal respiration is the process of gas exchange in the tissues. The balance between the absorption and excretion of these gases in blood are maintained as breathing activity. During inspiration the level of blood in oxygen increases and it decreases during exhalation. Chemoreceptors are the sensory receptors in the blood stream that senses the level of oxygen and carbon dioxide in blood ,and sends signals to the brain. Then the brain allows the opening of larynx and vocal cords, followed by the expansion of ribcage and diaphragm muscles. The chest cavity enlarges to allow the inflow of oxygen into the lungs thus resulting in inhalation process. Similarly the chest cavity occludes during the process of exhalation and expels the carbon dioxide from lungs. More of oxygen inflow re sults in maximum tidal volume and a normal respiratory flow. Fig 1.1 shows the normal respiratory signal with respiration rate of 12 breaths per minute. 1.1.2 Applications Sleep analysis Polygraphy Pulmonary function Stress test Sports Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) 1.1.3 Respiration Signal Specifications Amplitude 2-200mV Frequency waveform-0 150Hz Repetition frequency- 20 cycles per minute (adults) 100 cycles per minute (neonates) 1.1.4 Respiratory Measurements Respiration rate Tidal volume Apneas Obstructive apnea Central apnea Hypopnea Tachypnea Bradypnea Apnea index Also several correlations between EEG, REM sleep, apneas, quiet sleep, non-quiet sleep and de-saturations. 1.2 APNEA AND ITS TYPES Apnea is the cessation of breathing during sleep which may precede the arrest of the heart and circulation in several clinical situations such as head injury, drug overdose, anesthetic complications and obstructive respiratory diseases. Apnea may also occur in premature babies during the first weeks of life because of their immature nervous system. If apnea persists for a prolonged period, brain function can be severely damaged. Therefore, patients suffering from apnea require close and constant observation of their respiratory activity. Apnea monitors are particularly useful for monitoring the respiratory activity of premature infants. There are three types of sleep apnea. They are Obstructive apnea Central sleep apnea Mixed or complex sleep apnea 1.2.1 Obstructive Sleep Apnea Individuals with obesity due to low muscle tone and soft tissue around the airway give rise to a narrowed airway ,so they are at high risk of obstructive sleep apnea. The elderly people are more likely to suffer from OSA than young people because of their food habits, smoking and alcoholic life style. Men are more typical sleep apnea sufferers when compared to women and children.The risk of OSA rises with increasing body weight, age, high cholesterol, sinus problems, and in addition, patients with diabetes have up to three times the risk of having OSA compared to others. Loudsnoring, restless sleep, and sleepiness during the daytime are some of the common symptoms of OSA. Diagnostic tests include homeoximetryorpolysomnographyin a sleep clinic. Treatment includes CPAP apparatus that gives continuous positive airway pressure in order to expand their narrowed nasal pathway 1.2.2 Central Sleep Apnea When the brains respiratory control centers are imbalanced during sleep, it results in pure central sleep apnea ,also called as Cheyne-Stokes respiration. In this type of apnea the brain pauses to trigger the respiratory activity for about 30 seconds and triggers when it realizes that the patient suffocates for oxygen. The sleeper do not breathe for a certain period, during which there are no chest movements and no effort by the patient. Brain does not react immediately with a neurological feedback to make the respiratory rate even. There is a swing between apnea and hyperpnea in order to compensate the need for oxygen. After an apnea episode the hypoxia condition is reduced by breathing faster and absorbing more oxygen. Central sleep apnea may be due to hypertension, excess stress,and neuronal damage.In most of the cases CSA is treated with medications while some need surgery. Fig.1.3 shows Central Sleep Apnea. 1.2.3 Mixed Sleep Apnea Mixed sleep apnea is a combination of obstructive and central sleep apnea . It is also called as complex sleep apnea.When obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is severe and longstanding, some episodes of central apnea develop during the course of sleep. Though the exact mechanism of the loss of central respiratory drive during sleep in OSA is unknown it is most commonly related to acid-base and CO2feedback malfunctions originating fromheart failure. Complex sleep apnea has been described by researchers as a different dimension of sleep apnea. Patients with complex sleep apnea when treated with positive airway pressure for OSA was observed to exhibit persistent central sleep apnea. In sleep-disordered breathing there is a collection of diseases and symptoms relating to body mass, cardiovascular, respiratory, and occasionally, neurological dysfunction that have a synergistic effect. 1.2.4 Hypopnea Hypopnea refers to a transient reduction of airflow (often while asleep) that lasts for at least 10 seconds, shallow breathing, or an abnormally low respiratory rate. Breathing that is shallower or slower than normal. Hypopnea is distinct from apnea in which there is no breathing. Hypopnea comes from the Greek roots hypo- (meaning low, under, beneath, down, below normal) and pnoe (meaning breathing). Hypopnea is less severe than apnea (which is a more complete loss of airflow). It may likewise result in a decreased amount of air movement into the lungs and can cause oxygen levels in the blood to drop. It more commonly is due to partial obstruction of the upper airway 1.2.5 Tachypnea Tachypnea means elevated respiratory rate. In some situations, this might be usual, for example when climbing a flight of stairs. In disease it is indicative of problems with oxygenation. It occurs when the patient is breathing really hard to compensate for the higher than usual PCO2. When the patient is tachypneic it is important to sit him up in bed. In tachypnea the tidal volume is decreased, the minute volume may be the same because the respiratory rate is increased. Decreased tidal volume will have bad consequences for the patient because a lot of energy is being spent on moving dead air space which does not help oxygenate the interior of lungs where gas exchange takes place. 1.2.6 Bradypnea This is a slow respiratory rate which is seen in the post anesthetic or sedated patient. Bradypnea is also seen in patients who have taken overdoses of barbiturates and/or hypnotics. Bradypnea with a respiratory rate of more than ten breaths may correct itself as the patient recovers from the anaesthetic gases. Sometimes, in bradypnea, the patient compensates by increasing the tidal volume thereby the blood gases and oxygen saturation remain stable.Fig 1.6 shows bradypnea with respiratory rate 8b/min. 1.3 IMPEDANCE PNEUMOGRAPHY Impedance pneumography is another practical method to monitor the breathing of the patient. The technique also enables the simultaneous monitoring of the heart rate and respiration. This has certain inherent disadvantages. One is that the placement of the electrodes is very critical and other is cardiovascular artifact. This results from the detection of movement between the electrodes because of the cardiovascular system, rather than due to respiration. Apnea monitors need to be designed to reject this artifact. The principle of impedance pneumography is to pass a current through the chest between two electrodes, and from the resultant voltage to determine the changes in chest impedance which occur during respiration. It has been proposed that the impedance change occurring in respiration is directly proportional to the change in volume of air contained in the thorax, and therefore reflects tidal volume. The technique works by applying a current of approximately 10 microamperes to 1milliamperes with a frequency of 30-100 kHz to the thorax. This frequency is high enough to avoid stimulation of tissues, electrode polarization and excessively high skin impedance. The electrodes are always maintained with negligible potential difference which makes it possible to measure the impedance of a central core of thoracic tissue.Thus these impedance changes are obtained as thoracic changes that gives details about respiration.Fig 1.7 shows the block diagram Of impedance pneumography technique. 1.4 LABVIEW AND ITS APPLICATIONS LabVIEW Laboratory Virtual Instrumentation Engineering Workbench.LabVIEW is a graphical programming environment used by millions of engineers and scientists to develop sophisticated measurement, test, and control systems using intuitive graphical icons and wires that resemble a flowchart. Biomedical Application: Multisim Simulation with anECGAmplifier Noninvasive Blood Pressure (NIBP) Analyzer Analog ECGGenerator Heart Rate Variability (HRV) Analyzer ECG Feature Extractor Online Biosignal Noise Reduction Data Logger Biosignal Logger OBJECTIVES To collect the respiratory database To study the apnea characteristics To detect and classify apnea To achieve maximum accuracy To design a respiratory signal simulation system CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE SURVEY 2.1 RESPIRATION DATA ACQUISITION, CONVERSION AND DISPLAY SYSTEM 2.1.1 Methodology Respiration data is acquired and converted into a series of pulses, the frequency of which is related to the respiration rate of the data measured . The output pulses switch a timing device on and â€Å"off †, and the average time of a respiration cycle is then converted and displayed as respiration rate. The timing device includes a means for delaying a first output pulses before beginning the sampling period and registering a count of clock pulses for a specified number which represents the time period of a second specified number of the output pulses occurring subsequently to the first specified number of output pulses. 2.1.2 Conclusion This invention relates to an acquisition unit for acquiring data relating to one or more physiological variables from a patient. Displaying the data digitally and, upon operator approval, recording the data in an internal memory. Further, the invention relates to a data storage system responsive to data stored in an acquisition unit for a display presentation. 2.2 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING A RESPIRATIONPARAMETER IN A MEDICAL DEVICE Shrivastav, Maneesh, Cho, Yong K., Bennett, Tommy D., Erickson, Mark K., Greenhut, Saul E., Kleckner, Karen J., Sperling, Charles P., Corey, Robert A. 2.2.1 Methodology A pressure sensor senses pressure signals, and a signal processor, coupled to the pressure sensor, receives the sensed pressure signaland generates corresponding sample points. A microprocessor continuously adjusts a breath detection threshold in response to the generated sample points to generate a current adjusted breath detection threshold. Then it compares a current generated sample point to the current adjusted breath detection threshold, suspends the continuous adjusting of the breath detection threshold. Then the microcontroller sets the breath detection threshold equal to the most current adjusted breath detection threshold generated prior to the suspending, and determines the respirationparameter in response to a comparing of a next generated sample point to the set breath detection threshold. 2.2.2 Conclusion This invention relates to a method of acquisition of respiratory signal using pressure sensor and displays that respiration parameter using a microcontroller. 2.3 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MONITORING RESPIRATION Rymut, Russell, Slotty, Eric, Kini, Narendra 2.3.1 Methodology The apparatus includes a piezoelectric film which converts acoustical waves generated by the patients respiration activity into electrical signal output. The piezoelectric film sensor placed in the subject can be used to monitor the respiration of a patient by correlating the sound generated in the patients airway with respiratory activity. Further, the data generated by the sensor may be further analyzed by a patient monitor to diagnose respiratory conditions and display it. 2.3.2 Conclusion This invention relates to a method and apparatus for monitoring and quantitatively measuring the respiration of a patient , particularly, using a flexible piezoelectric film sensor. 2.4 APNEA MONITOR Guixian Lu 2.4.1 Methodology 1. A conductive rubber string is used to measure the chest volume changes. It is not suitable for OSA. In that case a differential gas flow sensor is used. The output of the sensors is amplified and then fed to a re-shaper. 3.The re-shaper re-shapes the signal and generates pulses to trigger the counter. 4.The counter triggers the alarm circuit if the count exceeds a predetermined threshold. 2.4.2 Conclusion For adults one rubber string is enough. But for infants, the frequency of the body movement is measured. So an additional rubber string with motion detector is needed. The gas flow sensor is reliable and sensitive. A buzzer is used to give alarm. 2.5 DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A PROGRAMMABLE APNEA MONITORING SYSTEM Mustafa ÇavuÅŸoÄŸlu, Osman EroÄŸul , Ziya Telatar 2.5.1 Methodology Respiratory signal is perceived by a thermal sensor. The signal is amplified and then fed to the microcontroller. The output of microcontroller is transferred to the computer and the relation between ECG and the signal is evaluated. An alarm system is also provided to indicate apnea 2.5.2 Conclusion The system is capable of detecting apnea, warns during the apnea and transfers the respiration signals to the computer. Finally,categorization of the apnea intervals is done to generate a real-time histogram of their frequency and duration which makes possible to investigate the relations between the EEG, ECG or other physiological signals and the respiratory patterns. 2.6 APNEA ALARM SYSTEMS 2.6.1 Methodology A crib or bed with piezo electric or strain gauge transducer attached to each leg is used to acquire the movement of infants. Whenever the infant is breathing there is a variation in the force distibution in the foam mat, so the vertical force applied on the frame of the crib also varies,which is captured by the sensors attached to the leg of the crib. These sensors convert the force into an electrical output signal and gives it to a summing amplifier to provide a summed output signal from all four legs. The summed output is given to a microcontroller where it is compared with the patients physical parameters to give an alarm if there is apnea detected using a buzzer or flashing light. 2.6.2 Conclusion This apparatus helps to detect apnea in infants who can be monitored even at home instead of hospitals.This alarm system is more comfortable to babies as it does not attach any sensor to infant s body.Mainly used to detect death due to apnea (‘crib death or ‘cot death ) very common in premature infants. 2.7 APNEA MONITOR DATA SYSTEM 2.7.1 Methodology An apnea monitoring system along with a portable data storage cartridge is presented. Respiration is monitored through the electrodes located on the thoracic cavity of the patient. Detected events are compared with respiration rates and when it is exceeded the signal is transmitted to audio and visual alarms indicating apnea. In addition to that a poratable data storage cartridge is provided which has enough memory to store all monitored events and waveforms that can be transferred to computer. 2.7.2 Conclusion This invention not only helps to monitor also contains a portable cartridge,that can be easily carried or mailed,which makes it time efficient and cost efficient method to store data.Another advantage is that the cartridge is replaceable,which provides an unlimited amount of memory space that helps in transfer of data. 2.8 A MODEL ANALYSIS OF ARTERIAL OXYGEN DESATURATION DURING APNEA IN PRETERM INFANTS Scott A. Sands, Bradley A. Edwards, Vanessa J. Kelly, Malcolm R. Davidson, Malcolm H. Wilkinson, Philip J. Berge 2.8.1 Methodology Independent influence of clinically relevant cardiorespiratory fators on the desaturation of arterial oxygen during apnea is determined using a two-compartmental lung-body mathematical model which incorporated realistic oxygen stores and gas exchange dynamic Analytic solutions were derived for arterial oxygen desaturation to quantify the importance of cardiorespiratory factors on arterial oxygen desaturation such as cardiac output, lung volume, metabolic oxygen consumption, pre-apneic ventilation, blood oxygen affinity, hemoglobin content and blood volume The model analysis reveals that lung volume, hemoglobin content, cardiac output, pre-apneic ventilation exerts a unique effect on arterial oxygen desaturation throughout the time-course of desaturation and metabolic oxygen consumption is uniformly influential throughout the process. Infants with elvated metabolic needs and low lung volume and those with anemia, cardiac dysfunction or hypovolemia which are common in prematurity are at heightened risk of rapid and profound arterial desaturation during apnea. 2.8.2 Conclusion A mathematical framework for quantifying the relative importance of key cardiorespiratory factors on the rate of arterial oxygen desaturation during apnea with particular relevance to preterm infants is provided. Each of the factors examined has a signature influence on the trajectory of desaturation, providing quantitativeinsight into the causes of rapidlydeveloping hypoxemia during apnea have been demonstrated. 2.9 OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA AS A RISK FACTOR FOR STROKE AND DEATH H. Klar Yaggi, M.D., M.P.H., John Concato, M.D., M.P.H., Walter N. Kernan, M.D., Judith H. Lichtman, Ph.D., M.P.H., Lawrence M. Brass, M.D., and Vahid Mohsenin, M.D. 2.9.1 Methodology 1.In this study patients underwent polysomnography and subsequent events like stroke and death are verified. 2.The diagnosis was based on apnea-hypopnea index of the patients.Patients with apnea-hypopnea index of less than 5 served as a comparison group. 3.Proportional hazards analysis was used to determine the independent effect of OSA syndrome on the outcome of stroke or death from any cause. 4.The mean apnea-hypopnea index for the patient with syndrome is 35 while the same for patients in the comparison group is 2. 5.After adjustment for age,sex, diabetes mellitus, smoking status, alcohol consumption status, body-mass index, hypertension, the OSA syndrome retained a statistically significant association with stroke or death. 2.9.2 Conclusion The obstructive sleep apnea syndrome significantly and severely increases the chance for stroke or death from any cause. The increase for the risk of stroke or death due to OSA syndrome is independent of the other risk factors,including hypertension. 2.10 AN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF CONTINUOUS POSITIVE AIRWAY PRESSURE FOR THE TREATMENT OF OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA-HYPOPNEA SYNDROME Helen L. A. Weatherly, Susan C. Griffin, Catriona Mc Daid, Kate H. Durà ©e, Robert J. O. Davies, John R. Stradling, Marie E. Westwood and Mark J. Sculpher. 2.10.1 Methodology This study reports on the cost-effectiveness of the continuous airway-pressure(CPAP) compared with the dental devices and lifestyle advice to the patient. The Markov model compared the interventions over the patients life expectancy. The primary measure for cost-effectiveness was the incremental cost per quality adjusted life-year(QALY) gained for every patient. On further analysis, CPAP was associated with higher costs and QALYs compared with dental devices and lifestyle advice. The result of analysis was that the probability that CPAP is more cost-effective than dental devices or lifestyle advice at a threshold value of  £20,000 per QALY was 0.78 for men and 0.80 for women. 2.10.2 Conclusion This model suggests that CPAP is cost-effective compared with dental devices and also the lifestyle advice for adults with moderate or severe symptomatic Obstructive Sleep Apnea -Hypopnea Syndrome are at the cost-effectiveness thresholds used by NICE. This finding is reflected in the NICE guidance. CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY 3.1 EXISTING METHODS Several contactless methods are available for monitoring the respiration of infants. The most successful apnea monitors to-date been mattress monitors. These instruments rely for their operation on the fact that the process of breathing redistributes an infants weight and this is detected by some form of a pressure sensitive pad or mattress on which infant is nursed. The mattress, in its simplest form, is a multi-compartment air bed, and in this case the weight redistribution forces air to flow from one compartment to another. The air flow is detected by the cooling effect it produces on a heated thermistor bead. Though the technique is simple, the main disadvantage with the air mattress is the short-term sensitivity variation and the double peaking effect when inspiration or expiration produces separate cooling of the thermistor. Alternatively, a capacitance type pressure sensor in the form of a thin square pad is usually placed under or slightly above the infants head. Respiratory movements produce regular pressure changes on the pad and these alter the capacitance between the electrode plates incorporated in the pad. The capacitance change is measured by applying a 200 kHz signal across the electrodes and by detecting the current flow with a phase-sensitive amplifier. The disadvantage of this method is that the system is much too sensitive to people moving nearby and thus an electrically screened incubator is essential for the infant. 3.1.1 METHOD ADOPTED This project is based on impedance pneumography method. Impedance pneumography is one of the practical methods to monitor the breathing of the patient. The technique also enables the simultaneous monitoring of the heart rate and respiration. This has certain inherent disadvantages. One is that the placement of the electrodes is very critical and other is cardiovascular artifact. This results from the detection of movement between the electrodes because of the cardiovascular system, rather than due to respiration. Apnea monitors need to be designed to reject this artifact. So in this project the respiratory signal is considered to be acquired by using respiratory sensor. As there is no availability of sensor, respiratory signal is simulated using our own designed impedance pneumography technique based circuit. Then this signal is given to microcontroller where apnea is detected and it then triggers an alarm. The classification of apnea is also done using LabVIEW. In future respiratory sensor will be designed and the respiratory signal will be acquired. Then this signal can be given to the microcontroller directly. 3.2 RESPIRATORY SIGNAL SIMULATION The respiratory signal simulation circuit consists of an excitation source and a constant current source circuit which gives a high frequency, low voltage and constant current signal. This constant current will be applied to the thorax of the subject. But due to the ethical issues the current is applied on the resistance circuit which acts as the thorax impedance. This circuit in turn gives a voltage signal. This voltage signal will be amplified by an instrumentation amplifier. The amplified signal will be fed to the LabVIEW for classification of normal and apnea signal and also types of apnea. Figure 3.2.1 shows the block diagram to simulate respiratory signal and the hardware design of the circuit 3.2.1 EXCITATION SOURCE The wien bridge oscillator which produces 50kHz and 8 V peak to peak signal is used as the excitation signal. The operational amplifier used in the circuit is LF351. The Voltage gain of the amplifier must be at least 3. The input resistance of the amplifier must be high compared toRso that theRCnetwork is not overloaded and alter the required conditions.The output resistance of the amplifier must be low so that the effect of external loading is minimized. Some method of stabilizing the amplitude of the oscillations must be provided because if the voltage gain of the amplifier is too small the desired oscillation will decay and if it is too large the waveform becomes distorted 3.2.2 CONSTANT CURRENT SOURCE The constant source circuit is used to generate a 4mA constant current to be applied on the resistance circuit. CL100 and CK100 transistors are used in this circuit and these are npn and pnp paired transistors. The base emitter on voltage of these transistors is 0.9V. The collector current can be found by using the formula, Ic= (Vcc-Vbe)/Rc Where Vcc-Supply voltage Rc-Collector Resistance Vbe-Base emitter on voltage 3.2.3 PHANTOM MODEL The model consists of four resistors of 500 ohms which mimics the thoracic resistance. 3.3 DATA COLLECTION To know about characteristics of normal respiration and apnea their corresponding signals were essential. So 40 respiration data sets with 100 sample values in each data set were collected from PHYSIONET -PHYSIOBANK ATM. Among these 20 were normal data sets obtained from SLEEP HEART HEALTH STUDY POLYSOMNOGRAPHY DATABASE (SHHPSGDB) while the other 20 were apnea data sets obtained from UCD SLEEP APNEA DATABASE (UCDDB). In Apnea data sets 10 belonged to Central Sleep Apnea and remaining 10 to Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Each Data set contained 100 samples whose units are volts(V).They were recorded for 100seconds.So on plotting each data we get time in X-axis and volts in Y axis. 3.4 CLASSIFICATION OF APNEA USING RESPIRATION RATE Input data which contains 60 samples each. Normalizing of the signal by squaring the signal. Extraction of maximum peak for every 5 samples.Display of respiratory cycles. If the peak value is greater than 6V it will be counted as normal respiratory cycle. If the count is between 10 and 20 the signal will be having normal respiratory rate. If the count is less than 10 the signal will be classified as bradypnea. If the count is greater than 20 the signal will be classified as tachypnea As the parameter of respiratory rate alone is not enough for classifying the types of apnea the statistical parameters are calculated and then signals are classified using LabVIEW. FLOWCHART 3.5 CLASSIFICATION OF APNEA USING STATISTICAL PARAMETERS The signal data was imported from a spread sheet into labview using READ FROM SPREADSHEET block in labview. Then signal was plotted as a graph using WAVEFORM CHART block. The data cannot be manipulated directly so the transpose of the data is taken to find the statistical parameters using TRANSPOSE ARRAY block. Now using the STATISTICS block the signals various parameters like arithmetic mean, median, mode, maximum peak, minimum peak, range, standard deviation variance, and rms value are found and recorded. Considering the range and mean of the signal it can be classified as its respective type. Give the upper and (or) lower limit for range and mean. Now using AND operator the signal is classified when its condition are satisfied. When the signal s range is greater than 7 and its mean is less than 0.1 it is normal. When the signal s range is lesser than 6 and its mean is greater than 0.21 it is abnormal. When the signal s range lies below 3.0 it is obstructive. When the signal s rang e lies between 3.1 and 6.99 it is central. FLOWCHART CHAPTER 4 4.1 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 4.1.1 Hardware Results Output from the excitation source (wein bridge oscillator) was checked in MULTISIM and then implemented using hardware. On applying the constant current to a resistance network that imitates human thoracic impedance , the current varied to a greater extent because of loading effect. The same problem will occur even when the patient is connected to the high frequency, low voltage, constant current module. Also, due to ethical issues the constant current generated cannot be given to the patient directly. So monitoring of real time data could not be done using the hardware design. Hence ,the idea of respiration signal simulation was dropped and offline data were collected from respiration databases for further classification. 4.1.2 Normal and Apnea Data To know about characteristics of normal respiration and apnea their corresponding signals were essential. So 40 respiration data sets with 100 sample values in each data set were collected from PHYSIONET -PHYSIOBANK ATM. Among these 20 were normal data sets obtained from SLEEP HEART HEALTH STUDY POLYSOMNOGRAPHY DATABASE (SHHPSGDB) while the other 20 were apnea data sets obtained from UCD SLEEP APNEA DATABASE(UCDDB).The Resulting plot for each type of respiration signal is plotted below. The following figure shows the normal respiration data plotted for 100 samples with time in x-axis and amplitude in y-axis with a maximum peak to peak voltage of 8V and 24 respiration cycles for 100seconds. The following figure 4.4 shows Ce