Chili’s Bar Essay

In the decision making process, it helps to look at all the information. This SWOT is comparing Chili’s restaurant to two of its competitors, Ruby Tuesday’s and Applebee’s. Company History Chili’s restaurants are part of the company, Brinker International Corporation. Chili’s Bar & Grill is a casual dining restaurant that was founded in 1975 and has expanded to include 1,200 restaurants located domestically and internationally. There menu consists of fresh and healthy American dishes and limited amount of southwestern style Mexican dishes. In the last 30 years, Chili’s has created an identifiable, recognizable brand name, just think of the commercials. Chili’s Strengths Chili’s is the one of the largest full service restaurant chains with over 1,200 stores, second only to Applebee’s which has about 1,900 stores. Their competitor Ruby Tuesday has less than 900 stores with many of those franchises. Chili’s is part of Brinker Intl. , which is world’s second largest casual dining restaurant operator, the first being Darden restaurants. This allows them to offer affordable prices, because they can negotiate product rates for all of their stores, unlike a smaller company. They have also expanded their company to include Chili’s Too, Small Town Chili’s, and offer catering services. They update their menu one to two times a year, unlike Ruby Tuesday’s which updates their menu every three to four months. Chili’s has a popular menu that keeps people coming back, so they tweak it a bit to keep up with trends, but keep their core items. At this time they serve the same menu in every store, which allows for consistency throughout the company. They have a very broad market with a recognizable brand name and they focus on customer satisfaction. The restaurant business can be very competitive, but they have unusually high management retention and that may be in part to extremely competitive starting salaries and excellent benefit packages. Their competitor, Ruby Tuesday, has franchised many of its stores, creating varied salaries, salary caps, and benefits, when going from a franchise to a corporate store, which can make it difficult to retain managers. When Chili’s is looking for hourly employees, it offers several opportunities to them. They can apply and interview online, receive benefits and have the opportunity to grow with the company. Their hourly employee turnover rate is also lower than the industry average. Chili’s Weaknesses Even though the Chili’s brand is recognizable, it doesn’t appeal to the upper class. The casual dining concept, no matter how different, is still the same. They receive much of their food frozen, unlike Ruby Tuesday which receives all of their meat and produce fresh, making some items not the best of quality. During the busy times, servers are pressured to decrease their table turn time, the time from when a guest sits at the table until they leave and the table is ready for another guest, which can make it difficult to build a rapport with their guests, but at the same time they want their PPA (per person average) to be higher. Many of their restaurants are focused around the bar, which segregates some consumers that do not want to be in that environment. It also makes their seating area than some of their competitors. Chili’s Opportunities There are several things Chili’s can do to remain competitive in the casual dining industry. They can continue to expand internationally, beyond the 20 countries they are already in. Their competitors have yet to exceed that with Ruby Tuesday’s being in about twelve countries and Applebee’s is in almost twenty. They have a very well known brand which will allow them to continue expansion at a rapid rate with the backing of their parent company, Brinker Intl. They are launching a program to try international cuisines at some of their foreign locations. If consumers react positively this could be a great growth opportunity, if it is not taken to, it could be a threat to their international stores if they continue it. They can enlarge their restaurants or configure different models, based on the demographics of the area, to include more seating for guests and not just the bar area. They can continue to expand their brand recognition apparel and glassware. Chili’s Threats The largest threat to the Chili’s brand is the competition of casual dining restaurants, which are easy to duplicate. Applebee’s and Ruby Tuesday’s both had higher 1-year sales growths, with 10% and 17. %, respectively, compared to Chili’s at 6. 1%. Chili’s saturated some U. S. markets and has no where else to expand in those areas. They need to keep up with current trends and eating habits, because they change often, to stay current with the market. Summary Chili’s has managed to saturate the US and foreign markets better than its competitors. Their sales are higher and they retain their employees longer. They need to look at a few things like following eating trends and standing out from the competition a bit more, but they are a highly competitive company that keeps people coming back.

Human Impacts on the Sustainability of Groundwater Essay

The purpose of this lab is to show the sustainability of groundwater, if human development continues, at the same rate it has been, over the last few decades. Over the last 50 years our water demand has tripled, which is causing water tables all over the world to fail, and when these aquifers are depleted, worldwide food production will fall. I have looked over the data provided, and have come to the conclusion, that if we do not control our population, we will likely experience worldwide famine, maybe even have it as the catalyst for the next world war. Data collected from the M.U.S.E. in the virtual classroom, located at cut online, also researched on the internet, from the Google search bar, Nairaland forum, and WOA. Documentation, from these resources, and research, written in the following paragraphs. Stated in a 2009 report, that if the world population reached 7.5 billion, by 2020, 1.8 billion people, would be living in regions with extreme water scarcity. In a current report  as of December 1, 2014, our global population, has already reached over 7 billion, and futuristically, Africa is the only nation that is capable of self-sustaining. The Americans, Chinese, and Europeans, aspire to live a certain life style that will ultimately end in a survival of the fittest.  Several studies show that earth is currently capable of sustaining about 2 billion, at half the recourses, we currently consume. Each American, consumes about 20 acres, of biologically productive land, so if the worlds 7 billion people, consumed that of the average American, we would need about 5 earth’s resources, to be sustained. Obviously Earths 29.6 billion acres of biologically productive land, and water, support about 1.5 billion people. So we need to reduce the population by 80 %, or reduce our consumption by over 50%, and realistically, neither one is going to happen anytime soon. Which leaves our grandchildren, and so on, in serious risk of a grave global catastrophe? Resources: Politics,Lagbaja, taken from web address http://www.nairaland.com/2022950/current-world-population-three-time, on 1/05/2015 WOA!! Taken from web address http://www.overpopulation.org/water.html on 01/06/2015

A Study on the Different Opinions about Human Categorization Based On Physical Traits and Sexual Orientation

A Study on the Different Opinions about Human Categorization Based On Physical Traits and Sexual Orientation Society’s Characterization of the Condemned Although we like to have a promising view on our own mortals, we and our society can be cruel and unforgiving even when we don’t expect it. We see our viewpoints of classes, races, and sexes all being similar coexisting in in a world of equality, but our decisions on who to put on death row and who gets to walk will always be apparent to our personal prejudices. The truth is, our brains are incapable of judging somebody solely for their actions, and not taking anything from their physical appearance to the sexual identity into that judgement. If we were to decide a person’s fate without seeing them or hearing anything about them besides the crime they’ve committed, our prison and death row inmates would be a completely different cast of people. But, since we’re exposed to the race and gender of everyone put on trial, our judgements reflect the qualities of these people in the harshest of ways. The race or sexual identity of an individual involved in any certain situation can completely compromised by the society around them, and that stands true with inmates on death row. In our country, a white female going on trial for murder will have a completely different outcome than a black male convicted of doing the same thing. For a lot of people, whether or not they know it, the race or sexually identity of the accused can greatly affect their punishment, regardless of the crime they commit. Separate human beings have separate subconscious desires to punish or defend one class of individuals differently than others, and this prejudice holds true in even the most extreme of situations. Nobody can completely ignore the details of person placed in front of them, everyone has their own dark opinions that greatly affect any situation. When those opinions spread across a community and take hold of entire societies, many may seem racist or sexisttrials as â€Å"normal†, and judg e them according to the expectations of their neighboring peers. Because of this, a single person can be put to death while being judged from one society, but freed if they were judged by another, different society. In some instances, the identity of the person who committed the crime affects the outcome more than the crime itself. Of course, this prejudice does not only fall into place in established countries. This is a phenomenon happening around the world, with some dilemnas being more extreme than others. A great example of this was in the article Uganda’s Death Penalty for Gays, in an entire culture is attacked, threatened, and harshly judged more than others. In Uganda, homosexuals are punished for any kind of gay behavior, no matter what the context or situation. Gays are outcasts here, and are treated as such. The entire community has a clear hatred for this specific type of person, and that opinion is heavily reflected on their laws and punishments. From these rules and terms, we have the right to assume the people of Uganda exercise these prejudices in their daily lives and behavior. Their characterization of who they’re killing and for what reasons don’t just apply to their culture, but are most likely influenced by it. Even though it’s not nearly as extreme, what’s happening in Uganda is similar to what’s happening to the African Americans in our country. There are no laws strictly tailored against the black community, yet America is commonly blamed for using excessive force and punishment against African Americans and people of foreign countries. Looking at the statistics from the Death Penalty Information Center, we can see that 75% of murder victims in cases leading to an execution were white, even though only roughly 50% of murder victims in total were white. Assisting this information, only 43% of inmates on death row are white, even though 72% of our country’s population is white. Although we promote equality for all races, our society seems to judge the ethnic community harsher than caucasians and females, and the punishments we choose to inflict on one race may not apply to another, regardless of the crime. That being said, we also tend to make the punishments for men much more cruel than those towards women. If a woman rapes or murders someone else, the chances of her being put on death row is much slimmer than if a man did the same. In contrast to this, some countries in the Middle East will murder a woman for talking back to a man. All these small details over who the person is generally overshadow what the person has done, and that’s something that can greatly change the outcome of somebody’s entire life. Every community has different values, and your punishment for any crime would probably change based on where in the world you were standing. In a perfect world, all races and genders would be treated equally, everywhere. Unfortunately, every society has prejudices they can’t escape from, and the subtle repercussions from those may be the difference between life and death.

Animal Testing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Animal Testing - Essay Example This paper stresses that the law has provided different safeguards that prohibit the mistreatment of animals whether at homes, in the laboratories or even while they are in their natural habitats. The essence of the establishment of such laws is to ensure that animals are safeguarded from being subjected to painful and other physical suffering by humans. Thus, if the law could go all the way to establish safeguards that alleviate different forms of animal suffering that might be caused by their interactions with humans, it is logical that animal life is considered equally important. However, there is no need for laws that safeguard animals from being subjected to different forms of mistreatment by humans, if the animals can also be subjected to even worse treatment in the laboratories and other medical experimentation facilities. This report makes a conclusion that animal testing has been applied productively throughout the human history, in order to develop different medication and treatment procedure for humans. While this is a noble outcome of animal testing, many animals have suffered and others lost their lives in the process, with over 2 million animals being subjected to animal testing every year in the USA alone. The time and financial costs involved in animal testing are also huge, yet there are cheap technological alternatives which may give similar results while utilizing less time and resources. Due to the fact that all life is precious, whether animal or human life, there is a need to abolish animal testing. In its place, different alternatives that are time and financially cheaper, yet not costly in terms of lives lost and suffering endured by the animals can be adapted.

Ariel Plumbing Service Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Ariel Plumbing Service - Assignment Example The sales force acts as a critical connection between the organization and its customers that is why APS should also employ sales force to promote their business (Kotler, Armstrong, 2008) in the new region. The company currently is only concentrating on B2B sales; therefore the sales force will play an important role in winning contracts with medium and small clients. The sales force will conduct market research, will provide customer service, build contacts and win contracts with organizations (Kotler, Armstrong, 2008). Through employing a sales force, the company will be able to know its customers better, develop market intelligence and gain an edge over its competitors. The right organizations and businesses will be targeted with the help of sales force and the relationships with these prospective clients and existing clients will be maintained by the sales force. The services of APS will be promoted through personal presentations to the corporate customers by the sales force. The purpose of these presentations is to make sales to the prospective customers and to build long-term relationships with the customers. The sales force represents the company when it is with the clients, informing the clients about the company and about the services and answering any clients' queries (McGraw-Hill Companies, 2003). When they are inside the company, they represent the customers, stating the clients' needs, interests and expectations to the company. The information that the sales force brings about the customers is very vital for the company, so that it can modify the services or introduce any new service that is in demand. The sales force can be organized into product sales force structure in which the sales force specializes in selling only a segment of the company's products or services (Spiro, Stanton and Rich, 2003). In this type of sales force organization, the sales people should be expert in the product that they are selling. APS provides a range of plumbing services like drain cleaning, leak detection and repair, toilet repair, etc. Therefore under the product sales force organization, the sales force of APC will need to be specialized to sell a single category of service. The second type of sales force organization is territorial sales force structure (Spiro, Stanton and Rich, 2003). Under this structure, each salesperson is given an exclusive geographic location to sell the full line of products or services of the company (Spiro, Stanton and Rich, 2003). The salesperson who is assigned a particular territory will be responsible for the sales to all the customers in that territory. APS will b e using sales force only in the eastern region where it is thinking to open up a new office. Therefore the eastern region will be divided into different territories and the assigned to a sales person. The third type of sales force structure is customer sales force organization (Spiro, Stanton and Rich, 2003). Under this organization, the salespeople will specialize in selling to only particular customers or industries. The company can either organize its sales force along the industry line or for serving particular customers. The most appropriate method of organizing the sales force for APS would be territorial sales force structure. This is because through this organization, each salesperson's role and responsibility will be defined and each

Registration System Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Registration System - Assignment Example And the costumer can avail this discount inform via his email account. Also, the main HQ and local admin can send to the costumer's email the latest offers if there is. The main HQ administrator has the access in controlling the system, the HQ can either add or remove motel. Both of the main HQ and the local Administration can update the room type, availability and pricing of their rooms. 1. The personal information of the customer includes his ID, name, address, contact information, age and other personal detail with his email address. The customer can access through web, he can check the availability, type and pricing of the room. Also he can check seasonal offers of the company. 2. With his personal email address he can send his messages and other inquires about his booking. He can receive special the other offer, be informed for special discount and other newsletter from the company. And also he can be informed if ever the payment and booking transactions is successful or not. 4. Costumer's history includes with the customer's booking number, the total of booking the customer made the other details of his booking from this the company will base their decision if they will give a special discount of not. The Main flow: Payment 1. Payment transactions must include the customer's ID, the date and amount he paid off. The payment of the customer may be in the form of cheque or card payments. 2. If the transaction was done by cheque then the transaction must include the payment number, cheque no., sort code, account number and other banking information. 3. IF the transaction was done by card payments the detailed information must include the card number, the date when it is issued and the expiration date. 4. All the payment transaction between the customer and the company. The company and the customer must be informed by the electronic banking system if the card or cheque is accepted or rejected. The Main flow: Motel 1. Both the main HQ motel administration and other local administrations can check their customer's history. 2. The HQ and other local administrations can update the rooms' availability, type, and pricing. Only the Main administrator can add or delete rooms. 3. The main HQ administrator can add and remove their local motel branches. Also they can remove, add or transfer their staffs.

Differences Between Football and Baseball Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Differences Between Football and Baseball - Essay Example Baseball was most popular in the 1950s and the period prior. The Yankees were always the best during baseball leagues (Rogers, 2012). They always won the first position. The Cleveland Indians took the second place and the Chicago White Sox mostly took the third place. Baseball, however, evolved in the ‘60s as pressure was mounted to incorporate people from other cultures (Lowenfish, 2008). There was also pressure to expand the baseball leagues from the usual eight that often played to ten teams. The teams were to increase later to twelve. Some major groups also relocate from the Northeast to the West Coast. The baseball league management also introduced a watering down of scores and points. It was successful as now teams could score more easily, but it destroyed the credentials that baseball had and lost more fans. Baseball was more like an American game watched and celebrated in America while football is a global game (Rogers, 2012). All countries have a team, and the team represents the country. The best teams are the ones that play in the final leagues. The positions are awarded on a merit basis. The best football teams globally can run their football clubs more like companies. Therefore, teams like Manchester United, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, among a few others are run like businesses and have their shares even listed on the stock exchange. The fact that investors can chip into these companies makes them be able to ‘buy’ the best players from other small teams. The small teams agree to it because they get cash in exchange that they use to try to improve their team or for costs. Football is popular because it is an international game, more of a competition and the best team wins. As teams try to fight for the championship, the game becomes more attractive, and people are lured into following it. There is also the aspect that there is always a big chunk of money to be paid to the team that

Module 2 Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Module 2 Case - Essay Example Several techniques of collecting data on the system requirements have been identified and applied. Among those techniques, the interview method has proven most effective. The advantage of the interview method over the other methods is that, it offers the system analyst a hence to get inclusive responses from the departmental heads. This ensures that all the aspects of the various departments in the firm are integrated into the system. This document outlines some of the steps to be followed in the interview process. The first step in an interview is to select the interviewees. To ensure that helpful information is obtained, different stakeholders should be involved in the interview. Some of the stakeholders would include managers, company employees and the general end user of the system. By selecting interviewees from different departments/ niches, reduces chances of biases in the information obtained. Once the interviewees are selected, the next step would be the development of the interview questions (YouTube, 2015). The questions should be developed such that they are free from ambiguity, and they use a language that can easily be understood by the interviewees. The questions can be either structured or unstructured. The structured type of questions attracts specific and straight to the point answers, whereas the unstructured questions remain open to the respondent to give any answer/ or view. For the purpose of efficiency in data analysis, the bigger percentage of the questions should be structured. The structured questions are appropriate when the expected data from the interview requires analysis to identify some patterns. On the other hand, the unstructured questions are relevant to a scenario where the opinion of the respondent is required. This offers the interviewee a chance to use any words to respond to the question asked. This makes the analysis of the unstructured qu estions difficult as compared to their

Philosophy of Religion of Ancient Israelites Essay

Philosophy of Religion of Ancient Israelites - Essay Example Genesis states that God created matter, order as well as life within the cosmos and the first chapter reveals the order of creation supernaturally. Therefore, as far as Christianity is concerned, the Bible already reveals the aspects that science is discovering and the first verses of the book of Genesis are against seven of humanity’s false philosophies. Further, the teachings of Islam state that the universe, including man and the physical environment if the earth, was created by God. According to Islam, the ultimate goal is visualizing the cosmos like a book of symbols for mediating and contemplating an uplifting of spirits or a binding from which the soul of human beings have to escape in order to achieve actual freedom in their spiritual journey towards God (Tymieniecka & Muhtaroglu, 2010). On the other hand the Hindu timeline and cosmology can be considered as the closest to the contemporary scientific timelines and might demonstrate that the Big Bang was not the beginning but a commencement of the current cycle that came before an infinite universe that may be followed by other vast universes (Rinehart, 2004). In the Hindu concept, the Rig Veda questions where the cosmos originated from and is perception of the cosmos also considers one actual divine ideology that is self-protecting such as Vaak, which is a divine word that means â€Å"birthing the cosmos†. The Hindu concept considers Brahma as the creator, whom God created and the universe is seen as constantly expanding from the moment it was created and disappearing into a haze in billions of years.   

The Significance Of Cross-Cultural Negotiation Skills For The Success Essay

The Significance Of Cross-Cultural Negotiation Skills For The Success Of International Mergers And Alliances - Essay Example If we analyzed then we come to know that by definition, the two or extra parties concerned in a negotiation have conflicting interests and may come into disagreement over key points, whether it be a fair cost in buyer-seller relations, a fair licensing agreement, or an evenhanded workplace understanding. Furthermore, the conflict and agreement that takes place throughout negotiations has an intrinsic emotional component, and touching or emotional reactions such as suffering or annoyance are frequently experienced throughout the negotiation procedure. Certainly, the procedure of attitudinal structuring (Walton & McKersie, 2005) has a significant emotional component. Anecdotal proof, case studies, and educational writings point to an attractive occurrence that can take place in cross-cultural negotiations the appearance of negative spirals that cause ever more negative emotional or touching reactions in negotiators which rise ill-will, hurt the negotiation procedure, and frequently bri ng it to an end.

The impact on Life Expectancy Essay Example for Free

The impact on Life Expectancy Essay AIDS has also caused the life expectancy rate to fall by 5 years since the start in 1900s. In Swaziland life expectancy has fallen to 33 which would have been 66 if there was no AIDS. Life expectancy also affects child mortality as there are many children who are born with the infection. Adults between the age group of 20 and 49 years are the worst affected. This group is about 60% of the sub-Saharan population which has increased from 20% between 1985 and 1900. This affects the prime working years of an adults life. This also removes the very people who could be responding to treatments and healthcare. The Economic Impact AIDS has affected the human development by impacting laborers, households and companies. It therefore damages the economy and the country finds it difficult to handle the epidemic. HIV and AIDS reduces the labour supply and increases mortality and illnesses. The government income also falls, tax revenues are cut and they are forced to spend more on dealing with the spread of the economy. The epidemic affects diversification of industries, exports and foreign investments which is very important for a country’s progress. Most of the countries struggle to meet their economic measures because they are still struggling with the epidemic as their GDP is affected which builds over a period of time. The ARV coverage of the drug needs to expand and reach more people than the economic growth rate will not reduce that fast. The Future impact of HIV/AIDS In future the aids epidemic will continue to expand because work in progress has not been able to sufficiently arrest the spread of the crisis. Domestic as well as international agencies are doing their best to extend healthcare and treatment to the millions affected with aids worldwide. Many people affected with AIDS are still not receiving the necessary treatments and campaigns have been unsuccessful in preventing new infections. The progress of the general development of infrastructure largely depends on problems such as poverty and poor public health. The main barrier to Africa’s progress and development is the impact of AIDS on all areas of functionality as discussed before. Africa can look forward to the future only if they can prevent and treat the HIV AIDS epidemic effectively and also care for the people affected by it. Science and Research According to UNAIDS Following are some of the steps in research that is being undertaken to prevent the spread of the HIV AIDS epidemic. The area of biomedical research makes use of humans to test drugs, vaccines and techniques that can be used to cure the epidemic. There are many ethical issues that is attached to it as complexities and advances in the research takes place. The 1964, Declaration of Helsinki sets out ethical guidelines and code of conduct for the research involved such as the use of animals for testing. The use of female condom, help prevent unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases including the spread of HIV. These cheaper brands available have the capacity to be accepted and utilized worldwide. Male circumcision also helps in reducing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases from men to women if it is implemented in the safe way where there is consent. Research also involves the development of microbicide which is a gel or cream which can be applied to the vagina giving women greater control when men don’t want to use condoms. These microbicides will help prevent unwanted pregnancies as well will prevent the spread of the HIV. The other area of research is the use of vaccines. However there are many laboratories and companies involved in its development and are working towards making a breakthrough in the field. Conclusion The impact of the HIV AIDS epidemic is not only restricted to sub-Saharan and African countries but it is an international crisis. The international community along with research companies needs to get more involved in preventing the spread of the epidemic as well as the rehabilitation of the patients that are affected. We need to work more aggressively to arrest the disaster that is waiting to spread across the globe. Works Cited AVERT. ORG. Impact of HIV AIDS on Africa. Viewed on 12 February 2008 and https://www.avert.org/global-hiv-and-aids-statistics

Audit of Syphilis Screening in Pregnancy

Audit of Syphilis Screening in Pregnancy Tables Table 1:Syphilis confirmatory test results for forty nine  pregnant woman 18 Table 2:Syphilis screening results of eleven new-borns of  positive syphilis mother 24 Table 3: Positive syphilis confirmatory test results for sixteen  pregnant woman 30 Figures Figure 1: The laboratory turnaround time of syphilis screening  for mothers 28 Figure 2: The laboratory turnaround time of syphilis screening  for new-borns 28 Tables Table 1: Syphilis confirmatory test results for forty nine pregnant woman 18 Table 2: Syphilis screening results of eleven new-borns of positive syphilis mothers 24 Table 3: Positive syphilis confirmatory test results for sixteen pregnant woman 30 Figures Figure 1: The laboratory turnaround time of syphilis screening for mothers Figure 2: The laboratory turnaround time of syphilis screening for new-borns ABSTRACT Objective: A re-audit of syphilis screening in pregnancy was carried out to ensure that the improvements in laboratory and clinical aspects of management for the antenatalof pregnant women with positive syphilis screening and their new-born babies fully met were in accordance with the UK National Guidelines on the Management of Syphilis (Kingston et al., 2008) and the Guidelines for the Management of Syphilis in Pregnancy and the Neonatal Period (Stringer et al., 2013). Methods: Patients’ data were collected via query of the three databases: Clinisys Labcentre, Telepath and EuroKing. The n the data were analysed using Microsoft Access 2013. Results: Samples from Forty nine49 pregnant woman with positive syphilis results serology were referred to a reference laboratory laboratory were sent to MRI for syphilis serological confirmatory testing. Sixteen pregnant woman with of these women were confirmed to have had had positive syphilis were identified. Ten pregnant woman were re-tested screened at least twice during their pregnancy and six pregnant woman were only screened tested once during pregnancy. Over-testing of for treponemal IgM were seen in nineteen patients[h1] with non-reactive RPR titre. Only eleven babies born to mothers with syphilis were followed-up with serial serological tests for syphilis. Only four new-borns were fully screened. Some of the new-borns were not tested with treponemal IgM due to sample insufficiency. Conclusion: There were some improvements seen since the first audit which includes the changes of the confirmatory testing schedule in MRI, lower screening false positive rate, and increased follow-up of the new-borns. There were also things to improve in the management of syphilis in pregnancy and the new-borns of positive syphilis mothers. Treponemal IgM test should be performed only when the RPR test were reactive to prevent over-testing of patients. The test algorithm for screening of syphilis in new-borns should give priority to RPR test and treponemal IgM to prevent under-testing[h2]. In-house confirmatory testing should be considered to allow reduction of test turnaround time’s thereby aiding patient management.Improvements[h3] should be made in the management of syphilis in pregnancy and the new-borns of positive syphilis mothers. Treponemal IgM test should be performed only when the RPR test were reactive to prevent over-testing of patients. The test algorithm for screening of sy philis in new-borns should give priority to RPR test and treponemal IgM to prevent under-testing[h4]. 1.0  INTRODUCTION 1.1  Syphilis Syphilis is an infectious disease caused by Treponema pallidum (T.pallidum) subspecies pallidum. The disease is transmitted from human to human, and humans are its only known natural host (Woods 2005). Epidemiologically, in the UK, cases of syphilis have increased in England since 1997 led by a series of outbreaks reported from Manchester, London and Brighton (Health Protection Agency 2009). Since 1999, diagnoses of infectious syphilis have been made in heterosexuals where the outbreaks are linked to sex work, students and young people. But, there was a changing pattern of infection between 1999 and 2008, when seventy three percent of new diagnoses of infectious syphilis were reported in men who have sex with men (Health Protection Agency 2009). The transmission is primarily by sexual activity (Zeltser Kurban 2004) (vaginal and anal intercourse) and by direct contact with active primary or secondary lesions (Lafond Lukehart 2006) for example through oral sex and kissing at or near an infectious lesion (Kent Romanelli 2008). T.pallidum may invade the host through normal mucosal membranes and also through minor abrasions in the skin (Zeltser Kurban 2004) such as from sexual trauma, causing an inflammation, ulcer and then spreading through the blood stream to other parts of the body (Goh 2005). 1.2  Syphilis in Pregnancy Mothers with untreated syphilis may seriously complicate their pregnancy. Vertical transmission of T.pallidum across the placenta (Singh Romanowski 1999) can occur at any time during pregnancy (Vaules et al., 2000; Oswal Lyons 2008), this leads to wide dissemination of the spirochete in the fetus (Woods 2005). Fetal infection resulting in spontaneous abortion, still-birth, premature delivery, non-immune hydrops fetalis and also congenital infection (Singh Romanowski 1999; Vaules et al., 2000; Ledger 2000). Vertical transmission may occur at any stage of syphilis infection. However, the transmission is more common in mothers with primary and secondary stage of syphilis (Singh Romanowski 1999; Vaules et al., 2000; Oswal Lyons 2008) as the risk of transmission depends on the levels of spirochaetemia which are higher in these stages compared to other stages (Vaules et al., 2000). Syphilis may also be transmitted during birth by contact of the new born with the mother’s genita l lesion (Ledger 2000; Berman 2004). 1.3  Congenital Syphilis Signs of infection for early congenital syphilis may appear within the first two years of the infant’s life with clinical manifestations include hepatosplenomegaly, rash, fever, and signs of neurosyphilis, especially bulging fontanel, seizures, and cranial nerve palsies (Mattei et al., 2012; De Santis et al., 2012). As for late congenital syphilis, the sign of infection may only be seen over the first two decades with clinical manifestations such as frontal bossing, nasal cartilage destruction, and dental abnormalities (Mattei et al., 2012; De Santis et al., 2012). Congenital syphilis leads to multiple organ infection because of the widespread haematogenous dissemination (De Santis et al., 2012) that will further cause death in the fetus or new born. However, the disease is almost preventable if mothers with syphilis are treated early in pregnancy (Walker Walker 2007). 1.4  Serologic Test Diagnosis of syphilis is made based on clinical signs and symptoms, microscopic examination and serologic tests (Little 2005). Two types of serologic testing were available; non-treponemal specific tests and treponemal specific tests (Clyne Jerrard 2000). Non-treponemal tests are widely used for testing and screening for syphilis as they are rapid, simple and inexpensive (Ratnam 2005). The example of  non-treponemal tests include the Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) test and the rapid plasma reagin (RPR) test (Kent Romanelli 2008). Due to the rate of false-positive results which present in about one to two percent for these tests, the positive results have to be confirmed by sets of treponemal-specific tests such as the T.pallidum particle agglutination (TPPA) test, T.pallidum haemagglutination (TPHA) test and treponemal enzyme immunoassay (EIA) test (Kent Romanelli 2008). 1.4.1  Antenatal Screening The detection and treatment of infectious syphilis are extremely important in preventing congenital syphilis (Chakraborty Luck 2007; Simms Broutet 2008). An effective antenatal screening programme can have a huge impact in the way of managing both mother and baby. All pregnant women should be screened for syphilis at their first antenatal appointment (French et al., 2009) and the test should be repeated early in the third trimester (Goh Thornton 2007). Also, all infants born to seropositive mothers should be examined at birth and at monthly intervals for three months until it is confirmed that serological tests are and remain negative (Oswal Lyons 2008). The primary screening tests recommended (Kingston et al., 2008) are either treponemal EIA or TPPA/TPHA. If the screening test is positive, it must be confirmed by either one of the opposite tests. VDRL or RPR will be performed when the confirmatory test gives positive results (Kingston et al., 2008). 1.5  Audit on Diagnostics of Syphilis in Pregnancy The diagnosis of infectious syphilis in women in the UK increased between 1999 and 2007. The increase of syphilis cases in women has also led to the re-emergence of congenital syphilis in the UK which may suggest sub-optimal management of patients with syphilis (Health Protection Agency 2009). In 2011, an audit on diagnosis of syphilis in pregnancy was performed at the Pennine Acute NHS Trust (PAHT) to ensure the syphilis screening in pregnant women and also the serological diagnostic of their new-born babies followed the UK standard for Microbiology Investigations in Serological Diagnosis of Syphilis which were introduced by Public Health England in 2007 (Public Health England 2014b). The purpose of introducing the standard was to assure equivalence in the investigation strategies in different laboratories across the UK (Public Health England 2014b). The audit reveals the concerns about the delays in syphilis confirmations and insufficient follow-up for new-borns of positive syphilis mothers. At least eighteen percent of positive syphilis cases took more than one month for confirmation and the turnaround time for eleven percent of the syphilis screening cases out of forty five cases took more than one week. It is also found that there was inconsistency in performing treponemal IgM test where fifty three percent of cases (twenty four cases out of forty five cases) were not tested for treponemal IgM. For the management of neonates, only four new-borns were followed-up and among four new-borns, only one have been followed up according to the guidelines. Recommendations made from the audit includes the improvement of time to confirmation of specimens, changes of confirmation test by using treponemal IgM to all pregnant woman, referral of all pregnant woman with inconclusive syphilis confirmation to Genitourinary Medicine (GUM) clinic and management of new-borns where follow-up should be completed according to the guidelines provided (Vladana et al., 2011). 1.6  Re-audit of Syphilis Screening in Pregnancy A re-audit of syphilis screening in pregnancy at the PAHT was performed to discover if changes made after the first audit recommendations have led to the improvement of services. The re-audit was carried out three years after the first audit done in 2011. The re-audit aimed to ensure that the improvements in laboratory and clinical aspects of management for the antenatal women with positive syphilis screening and their new-born babies were in accordance with the UK National Guidelines on the Management of Syphilis (Kingston et al., 2008) and the Guidelines for the Management of Syphilis in Pregnancy and the Neonatal Period (Stringer et al., 2013). 2.0  METHODOLOGY 2.1  Background The PAHT comprises four major district general hospitals; North Manchester General, Fairfield General Hospital, Rochdale Infirmary and The Royal Oldham. Some 12,000 women annually present for antenatal care. Women usually attend for antenatal care at one of three antenatal clinics or one of several General Practice Clinics within the community. In the UK antenatal infectious disease screening is usually performed at three months gestation (http://www.screening.nhs.uk/). Women are offered screening for rubella immunity, hepatitis B virus infection, human immunodeficiency virus infection and T.pallidum (syphilis) infection. Among 12,000 women screened within the PAHT in the period 1st January 2013 to 31st December 2013, a series of forty nine pregnant woman with positive syphilis serology were identified. To determine whether syphilis screening and follow up care of babies born to these mothers followed the UK Guidelines of the Management of Syphilis (Kingston et al., 2008) and the Gui delines for the Management of Syphilis in Pregnancy and the Neonatal Period (Stringer et al., 2013), a retrospective study was performed. 2.2  Diagnosis of Syphilis Pathway Patients’ blood sample was collected with informed consent at the antenatal clinic and laboratory test requests were made. The patients’ information was recorded in the maternity information system database; â€Å"EuroKing† (Euroking, Chertsey, Surrey, UK). Samples were transported to The Royal Oldham Hospital (TROH) microbiology laboratory via the hospital transport system to be tested. Patient demographic information was recorded in the laboratory data system Clinisys Labcentre (Clinisys, Chertsey, Surrey, UK). If the syphilis screening test was negative, a report was generated and then posted to the antenatal clinics where the sample came from. If the syphilis screening test was positive, the sample was sent to a reference laboratory, Manchester Medical Microbiology Partnership Laboratory at Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI) for confirmatory testing. Testing at the MRI comprises two treponemal enzyme immunoassay tests for total treponemal antibody; a T.pallidum specific assay (EIA); the T.pallidum particle agglutination assay (TPPA); the reagin precipitin assay (RPR) and where appropriate a T.pallidum specific IgM enzyme immunoassay (IgM) in accordance with national guidelines (Kingston et al., 2008). These results were recorded in the MRI laboratory database system, (Telepath; CSC Healthcare, Banbury, Oxfordshire, UK) and a printed copy of the patient test results was sent back to TROH microbiology laboratory. The reference laboratory report was transcribed onto the Clinisys Labcentre system and a printed report was generated to be to the antenatal clinics. Finally, the patients’ report received by the antenatal clinics was recorded in the patients’ notes and updated in the EuroKing system. 2.3  Data Collection Data collection for the study was accomplished via query of the three databases: the PAHT laboratory database system, Clinisys Labcentre, the MRI database system, Telepath and the maternity information system database, EuroKing. The data gathered including the patients’ hospital number, NHS number and specimen number, date of birth, the date of sample collection and report, and also the syphilis serology data which includes the patients’ treponemal EIA, TPPA, RPR and treponemal IgM results. The sample collection and sample reported data were obtained to investigate the turnaround time taken for the diagnosis within the laboratory. 2.4  Analysis of Data The laboratory system data was presented as Microsoft Excel spreadsheets (Microsoft Corporation, Seattle, USA). All the patients’ data were then imported and assembled in Microsoft Access 2013 (Microsoft Corporation, Seattle, USA). The data for the forty nine pregnant woman with positive syphilis serology were analysed using Microsoft Access 2013 (Microsoft Corporation, Seattle, USA). 2.5  Clinical Audit This was conducted under the Clinical Audit provision of the NHS National Research Ethics Committee (National Research Ethics Service 2008). The work was registered and approved as a Clinical Audit with the Clinical Audit Department of the PAHT. Data analysed was anonymised before release from the Trust to comply with Data Protection Guidelines (Caldicott Committee 1997). The clinical audit used the UK National Guidelines on the Management of Syphilis (Kingston et al., 2008) as a standard. 3.0  RESULTS Fifty positive syphilis serology results were identified from forty nine pregnant woman undergoing routine antenatal infectious disease screening at TROH microbiology laboratory. All specimens were screened with Chemiluminescent Microparticle Immunoassay test using the Abbott Architect Syphilis TP Assay (Abbott Diagnostics, Chicago, USA). The fifty specimens were also sent to the Manchester Medical Microbiology Partnership Laboratory, MRI which acts as a reference laboratory for syphilis serological confirmatory testing. 3.1  Confirmation Methods by MRI The reference laboratory confirms syphilis screening with two treponemal EIAs, a semi-quantitative TPPA, a semi-quantitative RPR, and where appropriate a T.pallidum specific EIA for IgM antibody in accordance with national guidelines (Kingston et al. 2008). The first treponemal EIA test was the same Abbott Architect Syphilis TP Assay (Abbott Diagnostics, Chicago, USA) used at TROH for syphilis serological testing; the second treponemal EIA test used the DiaSorin Liaison XL System (DiaSorin S.p.A, Saluggia, Italy), the semi-quantitative TPPA was the Serodia TPPA Assay (Fujirebio Diagnostics, Inc., Tokyo, Japan), the semi-quantitative RPR was the Abbott Syfacard – RR card test (Abbott Diagnostics, Chicago, USA), and the T.pallidum specific EIA for IgM were run using CAPTIA Syphilis-IgM Assay (Trinity Biotech, Ireland, UK). Where necessary, further testing using T.pallidum specific immunoblotting and/or T.pallidum specific polymerase chain reaction testing are also used in confir mation testing. All specimens were confirmed using treponemal EIA, TPPA and RPR but only about twenty nine specimen out of fifty specimen were tested using treponemal IgM. There were seventeen positive screening with syphilis and thirty three negative screening with syphilis. Negative screening was defined by having negative results for either one or both treponemal EIA, TPPA titres of less than 1:80 and RPR titre of less than 1:2; positive results were defined by having positive results for both treponemal EIAs, a TPPA titre of greater than or equal to 1:160, RPR titre greater than or equal to 1:2 and positive results of treponemal IgM (Table 1). Table 1: Syphilis confirmatory test results for forty nine pregnant woman. Patient numbers with symbol â€Å"*† are pregnant woman with positive syphilis results. Patient Test TEIA1 TEIA2 TPPA RPR IgM EIA InterpretationResult 1 1 Positive Negative Negative Negative Not Done Negative *2 1 Positive Positive 1:640 Negative Not Done Positive 2 Positive Positive 1:320 Negative Negative 3 1 Positive Negative Negative Negative Not Done Negative 4 1 Positive Negative Negative Negative Not Done Negative *5 1 Positive Positive 1:5120 1:64 Not Done Positive 2 Positive Positive 1:5120 1:64 Not Done 3 Positive Positive 1:2560 1:8 Not Done Patient Test TEIA1 TEIA2 TPPA RPR IgM EIA Result 6 1 Positive Negative Negative Negative Negative Negative *7 1 Positive Positive 1:640 Negative Not Done Positive *8 1 Positive Positive 1:1280 Negative Not Done Positive 2 Positive Positive 1:2560 1:1 Not Done 9 1 Negative Negative Negative Negative Not Done Negative 10 1 Positive Negative Negative Negative Negative Negative 11 1 Positive Negative Negative Negative Not Done Negative 2 Positive Negative Negative Negative Not Done *12 1 Positive Positive 1:5120 1:4 Negative Positive 2 Positive Positive 1:5120 1:4 Not Done Patient Test TEIA1 TEIA2 TPPA RPR IgM EIA Interpretation *13 1 Positive Positive 1:640 1:64 Not Done Positive 14 1 Positive Negative Negative Negative Negative Negative 15 1 Positive Negative Negative Negative Not Done Negative 16 1 Positive Negative Negative Negative Not Done Negative 17 1 Positive Negative Negative Negative Negative Negative 18 1 Positive Negative Negative Negative Not Done Negative 2 Positive Negative Negative Negative Not Done *19 1 Positive Positive 1:640 Negative Not Done Positive 2 Positive Positive 1:1280 Negative Not Done 20 1 Positive Negative Negative Negative Not Done Negative Patient Test TEIA1 TEIA2 TPPA RPR IgM EIA Result 21 1 Positive Negative Negative Negative Not Done Negative *22 1 Positive Positive 1:640 1:4 Not Done Positive 2 Positive Positive 1:1280 1:4 Not Done 23 1 Positive Negative Negative Negative Not Done Negative 24 1 Positive Negative Negative Negative Not Done

Research proposal

Research proposal Introduction The research proposal you are about to read is constructed in order to describe the research project I will execute. I will execute this research project in order to finalize the educational program ICT in Business at Leiden University. In this proposal I will give the objective and explain the methodology of this research. First, I will start with an introduction of the topic and the theoretical background. The research will be hosted and supervised by Getronics Consulting and will be executed at the Business Unit Innovative Technology (BUIT). The time span of this research will be 24 weeks. Industry This research will be focused on the Dutch ICT consultancy industry. This industry suits my interests and the knowledge I gained during the educational program ICT in Business. Getronics Consulting Getronics Consulting is an ICT Consultancy firm which operates in various markets like financial, industrial, educational, public and healthcare. Getronics Consulting advises companies on their ICT-strategy and executes ICT reorganizations based on knowledge about current ICT-architectures. They streamline and integrate people, process and technology in order to create a reliable ICT-architecture which is accessible anywhere at any time. Getronics Consulting has already 20 years experience in IT Service Management and has a working force of 1400 experienced professionals. The ambition Getronics Consulting wants to be known as the opinion leader in the area of leading standards and advanced information and communication technologies. Business and ICT-trends are translated into concrete and usable products and services. They state that every business process needs another ICT approach and call themselves architects of the invisible. The approach In their approach in improving ICT-services, they consider all aspects of the organization: people, products, partners and processes. From that perspective, Getronics Consulting offers support in setting up and optimizing ICT organizations. The philosophy is to enable employees to do their work more efficient. Business Unit Innovative Technology The Business Unit Innovative Technology (BUIT) is a competence center in the field of Web Content Management and (collaboration) portals. The customer base includes diverse organizations throughout the Netherlands varying from government, energy, media and logistical service providers. The tools used by BUIT are SDL Tridion and Microsoft SharePoint. The execution of successful ICT projects is based on the collaboration between People, Process and Technology. These technologies used by BUIT support the customer needs in various ways and are part of Enterprise Content Management (ECM). Enterprise Content Management The Association for Information and Image Management (AIIM), also known as the ECM association defines ECM as: The strategies, methods and tools used to capture, manage, store, preserve, and deliver content and documents related to organizational processes. ECM tools and strategies allow the management of an organizations unstructured information, wherever that information exists (AIIM, 2008, What is ECM?, para.1.). The solutions offered by BUIT are within the manage category. This category has five traditional application areas (Kampffmeyer, 2004): Document Management (DM) Collaboration Web Content Management (WCM) Record Management (RM) Workflow/business process management (BPM) BUIT has the focus on two application areas: collaboration and WCM. The customer needs are supported with different solutions (Tridion SharePoint) around the latter mentioned application areas. The approach Getronics Consulting brought structure into the approach of their projects. They based this approach on the experiences of projects executed in the past. These experiences are bundled into best practices which are based on the eBusiness Development Cycle. The eBusiness Development Cycle consists of six phases. I will elaborate on these phases to give an explanation of the most important activities. Strategy Knowing the mission, vision and goals of the customer is important in order to determine in what direction that organization wants to move. A clear business case is delivered which describes the added-value of the desired solution. Secondly, a conceptual blueprint is created. This blueprint will describe the building blocks of the system in a functional as well as a technical manner. A flexible and modular architecture is the fundamental idea which enables functionalities to be added in the future with minimal adaptations. This blueprint will also function as a starting point of the second phase. Preparation During this phase, several analyses will be done. First, together with the customer, the sources of information which need to be opened up are identified. In other words, what kind of business content does the customer have and for what purpose. Secondly, a prioritized list of the desired functionalities is created. This document will describe the need-to-haves and the nice-to-haves. Also, a scan of the infrastructure is performed in order to compare the current infrastructure with the desired infrastructure. This scan will identify possible technical bottlenecks. After these analyses, the organization itself will be analyzed in order to get a general picture and to see how the new solution would fit in. The main purpose is to define which processes, responsibilities and tasks are related to the helpdesk, technical management and functional- or application management. Finally, all he information gained from the analyses will be the input of the project plan. This plan will be created based on the project management methodology Price2. Design During the design phase, several designs will be expanded in detail. These designs are the basic foundation of what should be built during realization. The designs to be delivered are: infrastructural design, graphical design, functional design and technical design. Acceptation criteria will be written down by the customer. These criteria will be used at a later stage in order to test if the delivered product matches the customers criteria. Every implementation needs its acceptation. Acceptation within the organization is a crucial factor of the success of an implementation. Therefore, an integration plan is created which describes the tasks, responsibilities and processes in such a way the customer understands how they should deal with them. Realization The designs of the latter phase are approved and BUIT will start with the implementation of the infrastructure and the development of custom components. External functionalities and connections will also be realized. Finally, all the realized functionalities will be tested according to the acceptation criteria before the actual implementation takes place. Implementation During this phase, existing content will be migrated to the new system according to the migration plan. The users of these new functionalities will be trained properly. Also, the implemented system will be tested in order see how it performs and what kind of influence it has on the environment. The users are the last ones testing the system. Again, this is based on the acceptation criteria. During this test, the users will investigate the usability and user interfaces of the system. Bugs, found during the tests will be fixed and last but not least: the system will go live including the communication to the end-users. Maintenance The maintenance phase is the operational situation after implementation of the complete system. The emphasis of this phase lies on proper documentation in order to simplify and support future developments and decisions. If necessary, backup- and monitoring processes can be arranged. In the end, an evaluation of the project and its output will be executed. Customer needs The customer requests received by BUIT are especially about online collaboration and the publication of business information (Web Content Management). Today, these processes are supported by internet technologies. The following sections will elaborate on these customer needs. Web Content Management Customers have the need to maintain business information in an easy and intuitive way and make it accessible for those who are authorized to see the content. Information should not be scattered around the organization accessible via different platforms, but via one central platform. Organizational members should also be able to add content to this platform. Adding and maintaining information is one thing, finding the information is another important feature. Organizations have the need to find information via one central search engine which mines different business information sources. Some information is confidential and should only be accessible via the intranet. Organizations can also have the need to share information with the outside world. Think about jobs, news etc. Collaboration Collaboration, essential for improving productivity, becomes more and more important as global market opportunities and competition increase (Soriano, Lizcano, CaÃÆ'Â ±as, Reyes, Hierro, 2007). Today, there are all kinds of collaboration platforms available. BUIT is specialized in Microsoft SharePoint. Microsoft SharePoint is an enterprise platform which supports organizations with collaboration. SharePoint enables people to access diverse resources of information via one platform regardless the devices they have available (Microsoft, 2009). Interest in new technologies BUIT notices the emergence of new technologies and is interested in how these new tools are able to support their current and near-future customer needs. With these new technologies I refer to Web 2.0 technologies. BUITs assumptions about Web 2.0 are not rare. Some researchers come up with statements which add even more question marks. According to Tedennick (2006) Web 2.0 technologies have the advantage of adaptability to the business environment and responsiveness to changing business information needs. He argues that Web 2.0 technologies may offer real benefits in business environments where information plays a vital role. Bughin and Manyika (2007) say that Web 2.0 technologies rely on user collaboration. For BUIT, this raises a couple of questions. What should we do with Web 2.0? Should we embrace Web 2.0, if yes, why? And what are the benefits of Web 2.0 when supporting our customers needs? Web 2.0 Nowadays, new technologies emerged under the label Web 2.0. Web 2.0 is a label coined by OReilly (2005) to describe new patterns which emerged due to the changes occurred by the use of internet. These patterns do not describe the technology but describe the way people share information, contribute to collective knowledge, collaborate and interact with each other. Although this explanation is not about technologies, technologies play a significant role in Web 2.0. As Shah et al. (2005) state in their essay about Web 2.0: The technologies behind Web 2.0 provide a richer user experience and make use of information in unique ways (Introduction, para.1). Theoretical background Like many researchers and organization the Association for Information and Image Management (AIIM) has also his own opinions about Web 2.0. They state that: Many organizations see value in using Web 2.0 tools or social software within their organizations for improved collaboration and innovation, and this is then often referred to as Enterprise 2.0 (AIIM, 2008, What is Web 2.0?, para.2). The AIIM (2008) defines Enterprise 2.0 as: a system of web-based technologies that provide rapid and agile collaboration, information sharing, emergence and integration capabilities in the extended enterprise (What is Web 2.0?, para.1). An important link with this study is that Web 2.0 seems to improve collaboration (AIIM, 2008). Organizations, mainly located in the US are planning to maintain and increase investments in technologies which encourages collaboration (Bughin Manyika, 2007). Unfortunately, the literature gives no evidence about the Dutch interests and investments in Web 2.0. Tredinnick (2006) has the most interesting statements regarding the interests of BUIT. He claims that The key to Web 2.0 is harnessing the ways in which users use information to add value to information (either through direct or indirect user-participation) in creating the information sources that they use (p.232). This is in relation with the current customer needs. As you could read in chapter 2, in the most abstract form, customers have the need to publish information and enable the access to multiple sources of information. Another conclusion of Tredinnick (2006) suggests a benefit for the customer needs: Web 2.0 technologies also allow a far greater degree of collaboration in the creation of content. (p.233) Not only Tedinnick talks about Web 2.0 benefits regarding collaboration. Soriano et al. (2007) says that: Enterprise 2.0 provides enterprises with new models and tools for emergent collaboration and co-creation (Introduction, para.1). Clearly, Web 2.0 has a relation to customer needs regarding WCM and collaboration. Unfortunately, we do not know which elements of Web 2.0 offer what kind of benefits. It would be interesting to know which specific Web 2.0 patterns can offer benefits in supporting the customer needs described in chapter 2. Web 2.0 design patterns OReilly described his ideas about Web 2.0 through seven design patterns: 1) the web as a platform; 2) harnessing collective intelligence; 3) data is the next Intel inside; 4) end of the software release cycle; 5) lightweight programming models; 6) software above the level of a single device and, 7) rich user experience. The web as platform The internet can be seen as a platform through which the users are connected and collaborating with each other. The platform can be seen as the core which binds the elements of Web 2.0 together. Facebook implemented the pattern: the web as a platform. Facebook, an online social network enables people to connect with each other and share and access information. Their mission is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected (Facebook, 2010). Facebook (2010) also provides the programmatic interfaces that make it easy, quick, and efficient to share and access information. Harnessing Collective Intelligence Today, the web connects 1.7 billion users with each other (Internet World Stats, 2010). The web enables these users to add content to the web and collaborate with each other. This means users are collectively participating. They bring structure to information by tagging the information (OReilly, 2005). Arguing about topics in their blogs (short for Web Log) and sharing their knowledge trough online encyclopedia like Wikipedia (OReilly, 2005). Data is the next Intel inside The web is all about finding, sharing and enriching information. Amazon, the online store for books and electronics gets his information about books from ISBN registry provider R.R. Bowker. Amazon and its users enrich this information by adding covers, previews, comments and reviews about the books. The ISBN registry is also available to the competitors of Amazon, but the value added by amazon and their users is hard to copy by competitors. The enriched information is therefore Amazons Intel inside. End of the software release cycle Normally, software is released when totally finished and tested. When this is not the case, it gets labeled as Beta which indicates that the software is not totally finished and needs some testing. In the world of Web 2.0, users are the testers and provide the vendor with feedback, or even help improve the software by co-development. This beta version gets updated regularly but never becomes a final version. Vendors use real time monitoring to track user behavior in order to make changes in their software (OReilly, 2005). Lightweight programming models This pattern could also be explained by Web Services and RSS (Really Simple Syndication). Web Services are protocols which make it easier for different systems to communicate with one another automatically in order to pass information or conduct transactions. For example, a retailer and supplier use Web Services to communicate over the internet and update each others inventory systems (Bughin Manyika, How Business Are Using Web 2.0: A McKinsey Global Survey, 2007).These Web Services are lightweight and could be used to pull or push information between systems. RSS enables users to aggregate information from various sources. Users can subscribe to websites and blogs or other information sources. The content gets separated from its design and can be used anywhere. Software above the level of a single device In the Web 1.0 paradigm, the web was only accessible via a single device. Nowadays, the web is accessible via a wide range of devices e.g.: mobile phones, televisions, game consoles, MP3-playes, PDAs etc. These devices are connected to the platform which enables users to stay in touch virtually anywhere at any time. Rich user experience Last but not the least the rich user experience pattern is about the richness of an internet application. These applications are also called: Rich Internet Application (RIA). A RIA is an internet application, viewed via the web browser where the user experiences a richer environment which is comparable to a desktop application. Research objective The objective of this research is to investigate the benefits of Web 2.0 regarding WCM and Collaboration activities. In other words, what is the benefit for an organization to have Web 2.0 support their Web Content Management and collaboration activities? In order to see the benefits I will need to compare the old situation with the new Web 2.0 situation. With the old situation I refer to how the WCM and Collaboration activities are supported today. The new situation refers to a situation where an organization implemented one or more Web 2.0 design patterns in order to support their activities. Measuring the difference between the two situations requires a measurement instrument. Having the validation in mind, this should be the same instrument for both the situations in order to make a valid comparison. Therefore, I will use the conceptual framework described in chapter 5. The first step of this research is to find out which processes are demanding what kind of information properties and with what degree (e.g. high accuracy of information). The second step is to look at new technologies referred to as Web 2.0 and investigate how they support WCM and Collaboration. The focus is on the level of information properties. So, how do Web 2.0 design patterns perform regarding the demanded information properties. It could be that a design pattern causes information to be better accessible. Managerial relevance This research will be relevant because ICT Consultancy companies like Getronics Consulting gain insight in the benefits Web 2.0 might offer when supporting their customers processes related to Web Content Management and Collaboration. Due to the abstract approach of this research, near-future processes which require certain information properties could be matched with Web 2.0 design patterns. Academic relevance Nowadays, Web 2.0 is a hot research topic. Researchers are trying to find out how businesses are using Web 2.0 (Bughin Manyika, How Business Are Using Web 2.0: A McKinsey Global Survey, 2007); what impact Web 2.0 has on enterprise applications (Adobe, 2007) and Web 2.0 Business A pointer to the intranets of the future? (Tredinnick, 2006). The survey done by Bughin and Manyika tells us that the corporate world has a clear interest in Web 2.0 technologies. Respondents of their survey say they are using Web 2.0 technologies to: communicate with customers and business partners; help manage knowledge internally; share and gather ideas and for automation and collaboration. (Tredinnick, 2006) explored the application of Web 2.0 technologies to business intranets, and their potential use in managing and developing business information and knowledge assets. The latter mentioned authors lack to describe information properties required by the processes of the organizations and how Web 2.0 affected these properties. New knowledge could be created by finding out which and how Web 2.0 patterns affect the information properties. Another issue from the latter mentioned papers is that they mainly surveyed the US and only some European countries like: Germany, France and the U.K. Since this research will be executed inside the Netherlands based on organizational needs from Dutch companies, new knowledge could be created. Information requirements Organizations have all kind of processes which need to be supported. Today, many of those processes are supported with IT solutions. Davenport (1993) defines a business process as: A structured, measured set of activities designed to produce a specific output for a particular customer or market (p. 5). In short, the core of a process could be explained as: Figure 1: Core principle of a process. Depending on what kind of activity needs to be supported, emphasis is placed on different requirements of information (Davis, 1982). One business process could require high accuracy of information while another process would require less accurate but timelier information. When these requirements or properties of information are known, a suitable solution for supporting the business process could be selected. But how do we analyze which information requirements are demanded? Conceptual framework Wang and Strong (1996) conducted research in order to develop a hierarchical framework for organizing data quality dimensions. This framework contains several information requirements grouped into four categories. Wang and Strong (1996) conclude that the framework could be useful as a checklist during data requirement analysis (p. 23). This particular statement is interesting since one objective of this research is to analyze which requirements of information are demanded by WCM and Collaboration activities. As you may have noticed, the words data and information are used interchangeably. The word data is a Latin noun, datum, meaning something that is given (Bovee et al., 2002). For information the definition that information is, or contains, input or pieces of information (data) organized to some purpose will be used (Davenport Prusak, Stonie, as cited in Bovee et al., 2002 ,p4). Therefore, data and information will be treated synonymously throughout this proposal. The perspective from which the requirements of information will be measured is an organizational perspective. Other researchers (Bovee et al, 2002 and Katerattanakul Siau, 1999) used this model to measure the quality of information based on a user perspective. Within the context of this research, the organization can also be seen as the user who requires information to be: e.g. accurate or timely. Again, this framework proves to be a relevant tool required by this research. The framework contains 15 requirements grouped into 4 categories. Wang and Strong (1996) stated that this framework provides a basis for deciding which aspects of data quality to use in any research study (p. 22). Regarding this statement, I will have to determine the relevance of each information requirement. For the case studies (proposed in chapter 7) the data quality metrics: accuracy, relevancy, timeliness, interpretability and accessibility will be used. The latter metrics are the most commonly used metrics according to the reviewed literature (Bovee et al., 2002 and Kahn et al., 2002 and Lee et al., 2001 and Griffiths, 2005). Figure 2: A conceptual framework of data quality (Wang Strong, 1996) Research questions Main research question What is the benefit for an organization to have Web 2.0 support their WCM and Collaboration activities? Sub questions Some sub questions are posed in order to answer the main research question. These sub questions will gain more insight about the separate components of the main research question. Which properties of information are important regarding the processes which are currently supported by WCM and Collaboration? Which properties of information are offered by each Web 2.0 design pattern? How do the information properties offered by Web 2.0 patterns match with the information properties demanded by WCM and Collaboration activities? Research methodology Obviously, the main research question as well as the sub-questions cannot be answered without justified sources of evidence. You can imagine that a certain starting point is needed. Therefore, the methodology for this research will be an explanatory multiple-case study within Getronics Consulting and KPN. Herriott Firestone (as cited by Yin, 2003, p.46) say that the evidence from multiple cases is often considered more compelling, and the overall study is therefore regarded as being more robust. According to Yin (2003) a case study is best used when asking questions such as how and why. Since the sub-questions one and two are not how or why questions, these questions are operationalized. The data collection methods will be face-to-face interviews, documentation and archival records (system data). Case description As stated in the introduction, two case studies will be conducted within two different companies. First the Knowledge Sharing Expertise Building project within Getronics Consulting will be studied. Secondly, the social media platform KPN1 Connect within KPN will be studied. Knowledge Sharing Expertise Building (KSEB) Getronics Consulting recently initiated the KSEB project. Getronics Consulting has the need to capture and preserve knowledge gained by its employees. When an employee is working on a project and wants to know more about a particular subject, he should be able to find the right colleague(s) with the right expertise for addressing this particular subject. The KSEB platform will consist of different portals: Personal; Communities; and Knowledge Base. The personal portal will contain a public profile and a blog with posts. The communities portal will contain a community wiki and a community team site. News, a forum and shared documents will be present on the team site. The last portal, the knowledge base will contain a category site with documents. KPN1 Connect The project KPN1 Connect is initiated because of a specific need. KPN had the need to foster communication between all employees across the entire organization. They wanted communication to happen in an organic manner rather than a horizontal/vertical manner which is based on the employees hierarchical status. Therefore, a social media platform was launched earlier this year. This platform is an extension to their original intranet and enables employees to communicate with one another via weblogs (blogs) and short (micro blog) messages. Employees have their own profile which contains: name; function; professional expertise; professional interests; hobbies; and product expertise. In short, they can post blogs; short messages; photos; videos and reactions based on content posted by others. The platform also recommends other employees based on the content of the employees profile. And, last but not least, a sophisticated search function enables employee to find other employees and content posted by others. Case studies propositions The propositions of a case study are important in order to direct the attention into the right direction within the scope of the study (Yin, 2003). For both the case studies the same propositions are posed. The propositions are: Getronics Consulting is using Knowledge Sharing Expertise Building in order to support WCM and Collaboration activities. KPN is using KPN1 Connect in order to support Collaboration activities. Getronics Consulting implemented at least one Web 2.0 design pattern into Knowledge Sharing Expertise Building. KPN implemented at least one Web 2.0 design pattern into KPN1 Connect. Web 2.0 design patterns have an effect on the properties of information. Operational questions With the case studies I hope to answer the sub-questions stated in chapter 6. The following table presents how the sub-questions will be operationalized in a larger set of questions, and how they will be answered by each method. Question q1 will be answered with three operational questions. By answering the first, evidence should point out which processes the company wants to support and why with the use of this particular system. The second question is about the analysis of the content. The analysis should indicate what kind of information is stored and processed by the system, and how this information is tagged and related with each other. The purpose of the third question is to investigate what kinds of properties of information are demanded by the organization. This is regarding the processes and the kind of content stored and processed by the system. Question q2 will be answered with two operational questions. The first question will explore what kind of Web 2.0 design patterns are implemented and with what intentions. The second question will measure how the implemented Web 2.0 design patterns score according to the properties of information. Analyzing the results During the case studies, the data quality will be measured twice. First according to what the organization is demanding. For example: organization x has the activity of publishing content and ranks the accuracy of the information most important. Secondly the data quality is measured according to what the Web 2.0 design pattern can offer. For example: design pattern rich user experience causes information to be better interpretable. By analyzing both results the last sub-question will be answered: (q3) How do the information properties offered by Web 2.0 patterns match with the information properties demanded by WCM and Collaboration activities? References Adobe. (2007). The Impact of Web 2.0 on Enterprise Applications A strategy to improve business performance through software that works the way people work. CIO Custom Solution Group. AIIM. (2008). AIIM What is Web 2.0? Retrieved April 13, 2010, from AIIM: http://www.aiim.org/What-is-Web-2.0.aspx AIIM. (2008, Januari). What is ECM? Retrieved April 2010, from AIIM: http://www.aiim.org/What-is-ECM-Enterprise-Content-Management.aspx Baarde, B., Goede, M. d. (1995). Methoden en Technieken (2nd ed.). Houten: Educatieve Partners Nederland BV. Bouman, E. (2008). SmarTEST: slim testen van informatiesystemen. Den Haag: Sdu Uitgevers bv. Bovee, M., Srivasta

Effect of Organic Farming on Soil Nutrients and Structure Essay

Effect of Organic Farming on Soil Nutrients and Structure Works Cited Missing Since the 1970s, the agribusiness and agrochemical industries have been aware of a growing problem: as the global population soars, soils around the world are becoming less suitable for farming as a result of erosion, nutrient depletion, and structural degradation. In the United States, about 60,000 farmers have abandoned the "conventional" system which relies on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and adopted the organic farming systems that allowed areas of China and India to be successfully farmed for 4,000 years (Reganold et al., 1990, p. 112). Organic farmers use plant matter and animal and municipal wastes for fertilizer, and rely on natural predators and disease-resistant crop strains to keep insects and fungi under control. While these methods are appealing to many on philosophical grounds, they also bring tangible benefits to farmers who observe improved soil structure, nutrient levels, and erosion control. Many of the benefits that farmers claim to receive from organic farming are related to increased humus levels. Droeven et al. (1980) found that field which received additions of farm-yard manure (FYM) had organic matter levels that were significantly higher than those in fields using chemical fertilizers and plowing in the plant matter from previous crops -- the method used on conventional farms (p. 215). Reganold et al. (1993) compared 16 biodynamic (organic farms that also incorporate silica and plant preparations) and conventional farms and reported that the biodynamic soils consistently had a 1% greater carbon content (p<0.01) (p. 346). This increased organic matter content has a variety of positive consequences. Reganold ... ...ic farming measurably disrupts natural processes, but it must be noted that a great deal of plant material is not returned to the soil in Nigerian farming practices, and so has the opportunity to deplete the soil in nutrients that plants use to grow. While the findings of Aweto and Ayuba provide strong evidence that organic farming probably can not leave any soil ecosystem undisturbed. The simple act of removing some plant matter causes nutrient depletion over time. However, the addition of manure and plant material, rather than simply using inorganic fertilizers provides a way adapt natural processes in the soil to aid in the cultivation of crops. The benefits of a healthy soil ecosystem range from decreased erosion to easier plowing. And through recycling the wastes that are now being produced, agribusiness may yet be able to feed the global human population.

Free College Admissions Essays: I Can Make a Difference through Social Work :: College Admissions Essays

Social Work: I Can Make a Difference I am applying to (Name of School) for the Masters of Social Work program. My career goal is to work with underprivileged adolescents, especially those with a history of behavioral and emotional problems. I have significant background in this area; in addition to a full-time position with a recruitment firm, I am a relief counselor for this target group in a residential treatment setting. I want to complement this practical experience with specialized training in order to best serve these individuals. My desire for this profession springs from the troubles of my childhood. In my youth, I was a ward of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts--in essence, a foster child. Both of my birth parents abused me physically and emotionally, prompting the courts to permanently remove me from their power. I subsequently moved through a succession of foster homes and adolescent shelters. My high school years were therefore highly traumatic; I could not have survived them without the aid of the counselors and social workers that were so kind to me. Yet my problems did not end at the emotional level. I constantly battled financial difficulties in order to graduate high school and embark on a college career. I was essentially paying my way through college on minimum wage--a monumental task. My first two years of college proved quite difficult because of this. But I persevered, and achieved an overall G.P.A. of 3.5 during my final two years at school. I also dedicated much time to campus activities, in which I held a number of leadership positions. Today, I work with an international recruitment firm that allows me to travel through the United States and Europe. This has given me a sense of accomplishment and maturity, yet I feel a deep void in my life. I need to give back to the community that helped me so much. I know what it is like to be on the " receiving end" of social work--I was the one who stayed with foster families after the social workers had gone home. I am thus in a unique position to understand the conflicts within the hearts of troubled adolescents. I comprehend, for instance, the importance of such issues as trust.

Creative Story: In Short :: essays research papers

Creative Story: In Short   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It all started not so long ago. In fact, though I can't be completely sure about it, I think it was only five months ago. My name is Jeff Washburn and I am a surgeon. Not that long ago my life under went a huge change. Unfortunately a huge misfortune had to take place first. Not that long ago, I had a terrible thing happen to me. A misfortune led to my being expelled from the hospital and my medical license being revoked. Two patients died on me. I might have gotten away with only one but the board of directors are good at finding patterns. Don't get me wrong, I want these people to die. I just happened to be drunk at the time. Now I drink even more just to soften the constant hangover. The hearing were probably the worst part of whole ordeal. Three weeks of being put in the spotlight. Every inch of my life was put under a big magnifying glass. Every mistake I made in the last fourteen years was read bunch of know-nothings who sit and pretend to run a hospital. The mistakes weren't very frequent, at least, not until I started to drink.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I suppose you want to know the reason I started to drink. Well, I mess up big time during a triple bypass and killed a patient. That's when the drinking started and the drinking lead to the death of another patient. Now I drink even more and remember even less which means its working.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  About a month ago I left England, which is where I worked, and moved here to a small fishing island off the coast of France. There is no doctor on the island so they welcomed me, sort of. I scare them I suppose. They're afraid they might catch me when I'm to drunk to work properly.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  But now things are different. About three weeks ago I had a big wake-up call. I was sitting in my normal Sunday drunken stupor when a man was brought in to my office. This man had been seriously injured by gun shot wounds. Apparently he had be found in the ocean by a group of fishermen. I knew that I could not perform the necessary surgery in my present condition. I bandaged him up and stooped the major bleeding. Then I took two hours and did all I could to dry out. With my condition a little better I performed the most delicate surgery of my life. For another hour I scrubbed at the wound in his head.

Favorite Family Get-Together

Getting together with family is something that most of us look forward to. Throughout the years our family has grown with all sorts of personalities, Making every get-together fun, interesting, and memorable. Even though I see my family quite often, our get-togethers are always quite entertaining. While we celebrate birthdays, holidays, special occasion, and new or old traditions, By far my three favorite are my mom's birthday, pumpkin carving contest, and New Year's.My first favorite family get together is my mom's birthday. No matter what day the week her birthday is my siblings and I always managed to gather our families enjoying my mom for dinner. It's indescribable how happy that makes her. We bring her favorite dish and pastry. At the dinner table we take turns to express our gratitude and I love for my mom. Throughout the night we gathered up and see her open the gift and read the card her grandkids made for her. Every year is a blessing to be able to enjoy that moment.My seco nd favorite family get together is our pumpkin carving contest. We came up with this tradition couple of years ago. Teams are formed by family and their kids, we help them carve their pumpkin into any character or picture of their choice. To make it fun we give out prices for the winning pumpkin. The children get so involved and become competitive that the competition gets quite interesting. The losers end up cleaning the mess left over from the carving process it became more popular with the kids as they grow older.The competition became more serious. But at the end of the contest everyone goes home with a great carved pumpkins. My third favorite family get together with the New Year's day. Our family celebrates not only for the upcoming new year But also for the year that ends. The children play throughout the night and the adults just relax, Conversation; Making it seem like we rarely see each other throughout the year. My family only consists of my immediate family.Making it mor e meaningful, private, and warming. The countdown to the new year is by far the best. We get in spirit, putting on hats, glasses, beads of the upcoming new year numbers. As a family we end the year and we welcome the new year with popping streamers, and loud horns, The most importantly as a family. Throughout the years our family get-togethers have become memorable. Celebrating birthdays traditional events and holidays makes our little families become one.

Claudius McKay

Near the beginning of the twentieth century, a Jamaican, came to New York and changed the entire path of Black people’s lifestyle. Claudius McKay became one of the major encourager of the Harlem Renaissance in 1916. The 1920’s literary advancement of the arts and literature stayed for merely ten years, but it everlastingly affected the path of African American existence in the America. (Holcomb, 57) Claudius McKay passed away in a comparative insignificance subsequent to his recognition had gradually improved, in order that he is now regarded as one of the main authors of Black literature. Life and Works Claudius McKay was born in 1889 in Clarendon Parish, Jamaica and his father and mother both were greatly valued part of the district and also of the neighboring cathedral. McKay’s brother who was a teacher near Montego Bay, taught him in the early years. When he was eighteen years old, he was interned at a furniture making shop in Brown’s Town. Although this internship was not for along period of time but it was this place where McKay actually got a chance to do a better internship of a different type. A British member of the aristocracy named Walter Jekyll, who was also an apprentice of Jamaican society, acquainted with the youthful Claude and commenced his literary schooling. As McKay remembered after many years in his biography in, â€Å"A Long Way from Home†, that it was basically Jekyll who accustomed him to an entire new world. (Schwarz, 126) Walter Jekyll understood and polished McKay’s ability writing excellent poems and he supported him in using that ability by working for his very own Jamaican language. This resulted in the publication of â€Å"Songs of Jamaica† and â€Å"Constab Ballads†. â€Å"Songs of Jamaica† was about commemoration of farmer lifestyle, to some extent following the style of Robert Burns, whereas â€Å"Constab Ballads† followed the style of Rudyard Kipling, depicting McKay’s experience of being a constable while he was in Kingston in Jamaica. (James, 131) Kingston presented McKay his foremost experience of urban lifestyle, and his foremost actual experience of racial discrimination. The dislike of the urban white people and mulatto elite classes for countryside and working-class African American was an unlikable disclosure. The most obvious racial discrimination that McKay observed in Kingston, nevertheless, was in no way Jamaican in foundation—it was brought in the shape of travelers of America. McKay was bound to know this kind of racial discrimination much more thoroughly in the coming years, which is why just after a few months in the Kingston; he gave his resignation for his job and went to America. (Schwarz, 129) In 1912, firstly he registered at Tuskegee Institution and then at Kansas State University, to learn agronomy. He planned to come back to Jamaica to assist in modernizing the isle’s farming. This plan could have been successful however for a present of few thousand dollars from an anonymous supporter that compensated McKay’s ticket to New York, where he spent his money in a restaurant. The restaurant did not survive for a long time; however McKay got a definite comfort in the activities and liveliness of the New York. For next several years he employed at different places doing different things like: bartender, fire brigadier, and lastly as a waiter. This was nonetheless, one more internship; the job where he furthermore increased the compassion for the lower class that stayed with him his entire life. From the time when he was young he had inclined tactfully in the direction of communism, and his time spent with the working class strengthened his viewpoints. (LeSeur, 35) His awareness about racial discrimination increased close with his class awareness. For the period of his work and increasing racial consciousness, he put it all in writing in the form of literature. By 1918, he started a extensive connection with Max Eastman who was the editor of a renowned journal named â€Å"The Liberator†. After that McKay started to publish poetry and articles in this avant-garde magazine, and finally turned out to be an associate editor. Later on in reaction to that year’s blood-spattered after warfare racial unrest, McKay published his famous poem â€Å"If We Must Die† in the magazine â€Å"The Liberator†. The bold manner and the open indignation of the poem attracted the African American’s, and almost immediately McKay was at the front position of African American writers. (LeSeur, 51) After that McKay experienced one more unexpected twist which played an important role in his life and work. Prior to his recently successful repute had a prospect to boom, he went to United Kingdom where he lived for one year, wrote and edited for a socialist newspaper, named â€Å"Workers’ Dreadnought†, and later on in 1920, published his primary manuscript of poems ever since the Jamaican volumes, which included â€Å"Spring in New Hampshire† and Other Poems. Then he went back to New York in the beginning of 1921 and worked for another two years for â€Å"The Liberator†, and published an excellent piece of poetry and meanwhile worked on his most important book of poetry named â€Å"Harlem Shadows†. (Hathaway, 23) When it was published in 1922, Wayne Cooper observed that by that time McKay was straight away complimented as the finest African Black poet. Yet another time he did not remain in success for a long time. By this time he was exhausted and wanted something different, particularly subsequent to an unexpected encounter with his ex-wife brought back old wound. By the end of 1922, he toured to Moscow for the Fourth Congress of the Third International. He was instantly liked by the people of Moscow and was permitted to speak to the Congress regarding the dilemma of African Americans and about the issue of racial discrimination among the communalist Party. He was welcomed like a black icon in the flesh. It appeared that he was on the brink of a hopeful career as a supporting advocate; however regardless of his achievement in Russia, he could still see himself mainly as an author. When he left Russia, he was enthusiastic about restarting what he believed the contemporary author’s appropriate role; that is: to document as fine as he may well the reality of his personal knowledge. In 1934, using the assistance of a few American associates, McKay went to New York. He wished to be of help to the African American community, nevertheless when he returned; he saw a ruined economic situation, nearly widespread African American poverty, and less unanimity amongst those writers and scholars he had look forward to work with in coming years. As far his aspiration being a writer was concerned, the â€Å"Harlem Renaissance† had ended; American black authors were no longer in vogue. (Hathaway, 26) He was unable to find a publisher for his book and also he could not find any kind of work, and decided to set up a Camp Greycourt which was a government welfare camp in a remote area of New York. Luckily, Max Eastman came and rescued him from this camp and helped him to get hold of a job with the Federal Writers’ Project. By the end of 1937 he finished up his autobiography, â€Å"A Long Way from Home†. This book did not result in a significant literary or a monetary achievement. His final piece of work known as â€Å"Harlem: Negro Metropolis† was also unsuccessful. (James, 148) A few years before his death, McKay was baptized into the Roman Catholic church. This was he appeared to have established peace in himself, although his letters disclose a lasting resentment over his group. With his new faith, however, came a fulfilling participation in Chicago’s Catholic Youth Organization and the chance to continue to write. His health declined with time, and on May 22, 1948, he died due to heart attack. Conclusion Claudius McKay was the voice of the evicted, the demoralized and the discriminated. He was one of the most important poetic voices of the â€Å"Harlem Renaissance†. He was one of the top poets who had represented the discriminated people around the world. Last but not the least; he was one of the voices for worldwide self-worth and unity. Works Cited Hathaway, Heather. Caribbean Waves: Relocating Claude McKay and Paule Marshall. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1999. pg 23-27. Holcomb, Gary Edward. Claude McKay, Code Name Sasha: Queer Black Marxism and the Harlem Renaissance. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2007. pg 56-63. James, Winston. A Fierce Hatred of Injustice: Claude McKay’s Jamaica and His Poetry of Rebellion. New York: Verso, 2000. pg 131-149. LeSeur, Geta. â€Å"Claude McKay’s Marxism.† In The Harlem Renaissance: Revaluations, edited by Amritjit Singh, William S. Shiver, and Stanley Brodwin. New York: Garland, 1989. pg 34-54. Schwarz, A. B. Christa. Gay Voices of the Harlem Renaissance. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2003. pg 126-129..