Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Finance - Stocks, Yields and Portfolios Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Finance - Stocks, Yields and Portfolios - Essay Example It majors in computer software development. Mattson Technology Inc. is in the field of designing, developing, and manufacturing equipment for the manufacture of semiconductors and other products. It is also a significant player in the NASDAQ daily operations, and has a big presence across America. Advanced Management Strategies Group majors in logistics, program management, business consulting, engineering support, product lifecycle management (PLM), PLM IT tools, and IT services management. That therefore implies that the stock analysis carried out comprises one software, one hardware, and one consultancy firm. Discretely compounded return rate measures the rate of changes in the value of asset over a period assuming countable compounding periods while continuously compounded rate of return measures the rate of change in the asset value associated with a holding period under the assumption of continuous compounding. (Analyst Notes par 1). They are calculated as follows: The arithmetic mean return is a computation of the average returns for a specified period of time. It involves summing up all the returns for the specific period, then dividing the total by the individual number of sub-periods. The geometric mean return calculates the average rate per period on an investment that is compounded over multiple periods (Finance Formulas par1). c) Positively correlated stocks point to a high likelihood of similar trend in movement over the determined length of time. The stocks may be having a common factor that makes them tend to behave this way, for example for companies producing closely related goods, or those producing complementary goods such as cars and petroleum companies. It is advisable that potential clients shun positively correlated stocks, because if they suffer a slump, it will result in a double loss to the investor. Among the stocks featured in this report, MSFT and MTSN have the highest positive correlation, at 0.41730442. They

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Discussing The Practice Of Manually Measuring Blood Pressure Nursing Essay

Discussing The Practice Of Manually Measuring Blood Pressure Nursing Essay In this assignment I have chosen to discuss a manual blood pressure a clinical skill in which I have become competent in practising. Developing the ability to perform a practical skill safely is necessary for all nursing students (Nursing and Midwifery Council NMC 2008). I will reflect on this skill using a reflective model I will be using the Gibbs model (1998) which consists of five elements description, feelings, evaluation, analysis conclusion and a action plan. I have chosen this skill as in all the clinical placements I have been placed in blood pressure monitoring has always been used but the electronic method preferred. While observing other healthcare professionals performing this skill I have encountered different standards and conflicting evidence. Having both the skills and the knowledge of how to take a manual blood pressure is essential for patient safety (NMC 2008). Achieving competence in this area has become more difficult since the introduction of the electronic BP monitors. I have researched the topic of blood pressure monitoring to give myself a greater knowledge. The patient was an 86 year old gentleman with hypertension (see Profile). High blood pressure is a very common condition in modern society if left undetected can lead to life threatening conditions (British Hypertension Society BHS 2009). It is estimated that 6.5% of patients have been wrongly diagnosed as hypersensitive having their blood pressure taken using an electronic method (Coe and Houghton 2002). Having the skill of taking a manual blood pressure is important for patientà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s safety and health. Description I was asked by my mentor while in clinical placement to perform a manual blood pressure. The electronic method that was usually used was faulty and an accurate reading could not be obtained. As a student nurse I had been taught the skill in university and practiced on fellow students but not had much opportunity to perform the skill on placement. Following a discussion with my mentor I collected the equipment to make sure it was all available and in working order. I returned to the patient and asked if I could carry out the procedure and washed my hands before starting. I then assessed the position of the patient to make sure I had access and that he had no restricting clothing on and that he was in a comfortable position. Placing a pillow under his elbow I placed a medium sized blood pressure cuff on the upper arm of the patient. The cuff was centred using the arrow on the cuff over the brachial artery. I then located the brachial pulse and placed my fingers over the pulse. Making sure the valve of the bladder was closed I inflated the blood pressure cuff until I could no longer feel the pulse, this is the estimated systolic pressure I then deflated the cuff. Leaving for a few seconds before continuing I located the brachial pulse again and placed the diaphragm of the stethoscope over this point. I inflated the cuff again to the estimated systolic I have previously gained adding 30mmhg. When reaching this point I began to deflate the cuff slowly and listen for the first beat or korotoff sounds. This would give me the systolic pressure and then continued to listen for the last beat which is the diastolic pressure. The last beat was very hard to listen for as the patient in the next bed began to cough so had to inflate the cuff again and listen until I could confirm the reading. After finishing the procedure I left the patient comfortable and went to clean the equipment, to document and report the result to my mentor. After performing the skill on the patient my mentor asked me to perform the skill on her to give me more practice after explaining to her I had not had much experience. While doing this she advised me on tips that would help me improve practice. She suggested that if the area was noisy that I could watch for a slight flicker on the needle of the sphygmomanometer to identify the first and last beat. Another tip was that I could use the radial artery instead of the brachial artery. My mentor also mentioned to make sure that the patient did not have their legs crossed. Feelings After this procedure I felt that I had performed the skill well even though I had not had a lot of practice performing the skill. Being asked to do the manual blood pressure I initially had reservation at whether I was competent at the procedure but think this was just lack of confidence. On reflection I would have had more confidence in myself if I had more opportunity to practice the skill in clinical practice. Evaluation A positive outcome is that I now feel more confident to perform the skill of taking a manual blood pressure accurately. Having performed the skill on my mentor after performing on the patient and being given tips that would improve my practice has given me the confidence to perform the skill. I also now have a better knowledge of the evidence based practice of taking a manual blood pressure after reading about the subject and the importance of accurately measuring the blood pressure. This includes different factor that can affect blood pressure and prevent from obtaining an accurate reading. However the negative of the situation is the manual blood pressure monitoring is not widely used in some clinical areas and they are heavily reliant on the electronic method. Analysis My mentor asked me to perform the manual blood pressure because the electronic method was not obtaining a reading. Discussing the procedure before with her gave me confidence to perform the skill, and the importance of being able to perform the skill accurately. Having a holistic approach this is one of the skills of looking at the whole patients and not just certain aspects. Being a holistic nurse is having the knowledge and theories behind the skill. Having the evidence based practice knowing what can affect the blood pressure and taking these factors into consideration. Collecting the equipment before starting the procedure making sure that it is all in working order before hand helps make sure that you are going to obtain a correct reading. Assessing the environment before starting the procedure doing a risk assessment making sure you have adequate access to the patient will help to improve practice. Gaining consent from the patient before beginning the procedure is following the nursing and midwifery code (2008). Gaining consent from a patient must be done before any clinical procedure is commenced and patients have the right to refuse treatment or care and a nurse must respect the wishes of the patient. Gaining consent helps to ensure the patient understands the procedure that is being performed. Washing hands before a procedure using the ayliffe technique encourages good practice (World Health Organisation 2002). Using evidence based research it has been discovered that cross infection between patients has reduced with the introduction of the wash your hands campaign (NSPA 2008). Making sure that the patient does not have any restrictive clothing on the arms and that the arm is supported at heart level. Evidence has show that blood pressure can be 10 à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 12 mmhg higher when the blood pressure is taken with the arm dangling giving a false high reading (Mallett Dougherty 2008). Using the correct size cuff is very important as using the incorrect cuff can give a false reading (Perry Potter 2007). Making sure the cuff fits snugly on the upper arm covering about 80% of the arm (BHS 2009). Using the arrow on the cuff help to centre the cuff in the correct place and help to locate the brachial artery which is situated in the crook of the arm. Covering only 80% of the arm also gives enough access to use the stethoscope not doing this may result in the sounds not being able to be heard adequately. Locating the brachial pulse and feeling for until it disappears this is the estimated systolic and adding 30mmhg to the pressure when inflated (Baillie 2005) this is so unnecessary pressure is not added to the arm while the skill is being performed. Using the radial artery instead of the brachial artery does give better access and I have found that it is easier to find on most patients. Using the tips given to me by my mentor I know feel that I have the knowledge to accurately perform a manual blood pressure. Gain supporting evidence from The Royal Marsden Manual (Mallett Dougherty 2008) and other sources has helped me to improve my practice which has given me more confidence to perform this skill with accuracy and competence. Conclusion I am pleased that I was given the opportunity by my mentor to improve my practice in performing the skill of taking a manual blood pressure. I am now more confident in performing the skill and can understand the importance of providing an accurate reading. The measuring of a manual blood pressure is an important skill and the evidence based practice is also a vital part of the procedure. When checking a blood pressure the most accurate method to use is a manual blood pressure (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence NICE 2004) Action Plan I am going to take every opportunity where possible to perform manual blood pressure monitoring as I feel that I am confident and competent enough to do so. Having this skill means that if electronic medical devices fail that I have the ability to carry on with my duties and will not affect patient care. The knowledge that I have gained from my mentor about the tips on performing a manual blood pressure I can pass on to my fellow students and other health care professionals and they can also improve their knowledge and performance on taking a manual blood pressure. In doing this I can hopefully improve patient care and make the care more individual to the patent. Words 1,634

Friday, October 25, 2019

sport marketing :: essays research papers

Sport Marketing The notion of "marketing myopia" has haunted marketers since Theodore Levitt published his famous article "Marketing Myopia" in Harvard Business Review in 1960. Levitt argues that companies which narrowly focus on the product to the detriment of customer requirements (i.e., dispensing with the marketing concept) suffer from marketing myopia. Myopia or shortsightedness is often apparent within organizations. Several types of marketing myopia can be identified including classic myopia, competitive myopia and efficiency myopia. Companies displaying one of these three elements are clearly distinguishable from innovative firms which embrace the marketing concept in practice and which have a much broader scope than is required for a single business sector. In order to overcome myopia and become innovative, the following is recommended:  Companies should hold a generic view of themselves and of the industry in which they operate  Companies should also take the crucial step to monitor other industries  Benchmarking should be conducted  Marketing staff should be recruited but not necessarily from the same sector  Companies should be flexible and seek unique solutions. The biggest reason for market myopia is the lack of research or the inefficiency of that research. Almost all of the myopia could be avoided if research and the researchers were trained and the thought process was developed in a good fashion. All of marketing whether it is in sports or out of sports all revolves around the same basic principles the four P’s. In all of marketing the P’s are: Product, Price, Place and Promotion, however in sport there is an added principle and that is Public relations. Even the best marketers can come up short according to these principles because it does not matter how much you know but rather in a service business such as sport it most important to be able to interact with the consumers. A great example of a lack of interaction is here at Merrimack College. Our sport programs do not get enough marketing coverage both on and off campus. Our Sports Information Director does not place flyers in the student union and also he does not advertise on the college television channel. Here at Merrimack, they lack the Promotion aspect of their sports, which includes our division one hockey program. A great example of this lack of communication was the fact that when the hockey team was playing against then #1 Maine, the campus was not informed of this huge game.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Self Interest Motivates

Humans have always wondered what drives them to make the choices the make. One of the theories people have come up with is that self-interest primarily motivates mankind. This theory is defended in the actions of Luba and her suitor in Angels of Bergen-Belsen, the decisions made by Ilsa Hermann and Hans Hubermann in The Book Thief, and the struggles with death in Night. In Angel of Bergen-Belsen, Luba, a Polish Jewish woman, loses her son as she is taken prisoner into a concentration camp in Bergen-Belsen where she saves the lives of forty-eight abandoned children in the camps in hope that someone is caring for her son as she cares for them. She takes care of the children because she misses her son, Isaac, who was taken away from her at the time of the selection process during the entrance to the camp. To make up for the loss, she fulfills her motherly instincts by feeding and comforting the children who were abandoned. The children also motivate her to live because they are dependent on her and make her feel obligated to keep living for them. If Luba dies, they will be less likely to survive in the hardships of the camps. They make her feel wanted and needed. With this her she is able to answer her urge to live and can face the harsh situations presented to her. Her desire to live lets her adapt to harsh circumstances presented to her so with the misfortune of losing her son, she lets the new children she finds replace her son. Her suitor, a German officer in charge of her barrack, however, was not able to gain her affection like the children. He does his best to try and capture her heart by bringing her gifts like wood, which Jews were not allowed to have. It seems as if he is trying to help the woman he loves get what she needs, but the real motive for it is that he is trying to win her heart. Even though he does actually want to help Luba, he wants to satisfy his own desire and self-interest for her love more. In The Book Thief, Ilsa Hermann does not report Liesel to the authorities for taking a book from a bonfire during Hitler’s birthday in Molching because she is intrigued by her. She does that not because she cares about Liesel’s future, but because she has taken an interest to Liesel and wants to get to know her. To get closer to Liesel, she invites her into her library and shares her book with her. She tries to keep Liesel close because Liesel’s provocative behavior distracts her from her depression from her son’s death. She basically wants Liesel around because Liesel is able to draw away the depressing thoughts Ilsa has. On the other hand, Hans Hubermann helps hide Max Vandenburg from being captured by the Nazis because â€Å"he had Erik Vandenburg to thank† (Zusak 176) for saving his life during the First World War. He offers Erik’s wife to call him whenever she needs help as compensation. He feels obligated to do this because he would feel guilty if he did not do anything in return for the man that saved his life. When Max’s call for help comes, Hans wants to fulfill his promise to the Vandenburg family so that he won’t feel any guilt for being the sole survivor of the battle. In order to fulfill his sense of justice, he agrees to hide Max in his house. He does not want to shoulder the burden of knowing that he allowed his savior’s son to die when he had an opportunity of saving him or at least increasing his chances of survival. He also wants to be true to himself and do what he believes is the right thing to do because â€Å"A Jew once saved his life and he could not forget that† (Zusak 180). Furthermore, in Night, Elie and his father struggle to keep each alive because they give each other a reason to continue living in the world. Elie does his best to persuade his father to keep living, and he tells himself that he â€Å"[has] no right to let [himself] die† because he â€Å"is his [father’s] sole support† (Wiesel 87). They both do not want to be left to fend for themselves in the work camps and to have to face the harshness of the world themselves. Their dependency for each other is shown when the â€Å"father and son often walk together holding hands in the camps, afraid that they will be separated. They ask for the same work assignments, sleep in the same building, share food, and sing Hasidic songs together† (Wiesel 29). Elie looks towards his father for guidance, and his father looks towards Elie for strength. They keep each other alive for their own self benefit so that they will have someone to lean on for help. Despite Elie’s close relationship with his father, that wasn’t the case for all fathers and sons. As the Jews were being transported to a different camp, German workers would take â€Å"a piece of bread out of [their] bag and [throw] it into a wagon† (Wiesel 100). The men inside the wagon fight like animals for a few crumbs. One old man manages to get a piece. His son sees and attacks his own father for the bread. He is motivated to kill his own father for it for his desire to survive and live on. He is not interested in the well-being, but only of his own. He will do whatever is necessary for survival. Angel of Bergen-Belsen, The Lunch Date, The Book Thief, and Night all show the same trait of self-interest being the main cause for motivating people to make the decisions they make. Even though their actions will have a good effect, their intentions behind them are actually for their own self-interests and benefits.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Boeing/Airbus Evaluation

MBA 654 Case 10. 1 Boeing & Airbus Robin Grouette 1. The overall strategy for Boeing seems to be focused more on customization and efficiency rather than size. With the focus of the 787 Dreamliner being that of long range with smaller passenger capacity, Boeing is anticipating that more direct routes to international cities will be developed rather than the typical hub and spoke routes which currently dominate the airline industry.Airbus’ overall strategy is focused more on the hub and spoke routes as well as improving efficiency. The A380 has utilized new materials in both airframe and wing compositions which have not been seen in Boeing’s products. The A380 also relies heavily on travel between concentrated hubs of passengers to ensure capacity is not underutilized. Airbus does seem to be playing a bit of catch-up in announcing the A350 for a 2012 release as it is positioned to compete directly with the 787 from Boeing.The ways in which both strategies are different w ould be the focus of Airbus on centralized hub and spoke routes for airlines (major city to major city) and creating larger aircraft to support their strategy, as compared to the decentralized connectivity to international destinations (smaller cities connected to smaller cities) which Boeing believes to be the coming evolution of air travel. The similarities in both strategies focus around efficiency and range.Almost the entirety of both new product developments for both companies have seen significant increases in flying distance in comparison to previous models. Also, with the rising cost of fuel, the efficiency of design and materials has been become more important. Airbus has developed its product line in response to the strengths and weaknesses shown by Boeing. An example would be the A320 family which was introduced 20 years following the 727/737 models from Boeing.All models involve smaller capacities and ranges which would suit regional and national travel. Airbus also deve loped a medium range/capacity A300/310 model to compete with the 757 and 787 from Boeing. In both the small range/capacity and medium range/capacity, Boeing had a long established dominance in model acceptance as well as an ability to provide upgrades in technology and efficiency at a smaller cost to replacing the entire plane, which left Airbus at a disadvantage.Where Airbus’ real advantage came in the long range/large capacity segment which had only been serviced by the 747 from Boeing. With the introduction of the A330/340 in the late ‘80’s as well as the A380 in 2008, Airbus is anticipating the need for long distance, major hub connections throughout the world rather than having smaller cities having the ability to have direct flights to international destinations . 2. The product lines for both companies fall into three categories: short range/small capacity, medium range/medium capacity, long range/large capacity.Both companies have four models in the short range/capacity segment, Airbus has 2 models in the medium range/capacity segment to Boeing’s 3, and Airbus has 2 models in the long range/large capacity to Boeing’s 1. The sales for each segment is dominated largely by Boeing with 9632 units sold between 1970 and 2005 in comparison to the 5797 that Airbus sold in the same time. While being dominated in the small and medium segments, Airbus has been exceeding Boeing in the long range segment since the 90’s.In terms of technology, both firms are making advances towards efficiency as well as fly-by-wire controls. While Boeing models have been established for quite some time, Airbus has utilized their late entry into the industry by incorporating the latest technology into their products. Aircraft were originally designed with direct mechanical systems, meaning that when the pilot depressed a pedal in the cockpit, the corresponding surface on the airplane would react by how hard/fast the pedal was depressed.In mode rn aircraft, this mechanical system has been replaced by a fly-by-wire system which an electrical signal is sent to the surface from the cockpit, rather than a mechanical one. Airbus has been utilizing this technology exclusively in their products, whereas Boeing has had to create upgrade packages for their existing products to switch to the new technology. Airbus has made a leap in material component technology which Boeing has not, in the Lithium/Aluminum body composition as well as carbon fiber wing construction for the new A380.Overall I believe that the Boeing approach to a more decentralized, medium capacity aircraft with long range and high efficiency will prove to be the better product line. Airlines are creating more direct flights to international destinations and having the ability to have a larger percentage of capacity utilized on the medium capacity planes will make the 787 more desirable to airlines as they continue to evolve. 4.The overall economics of the industry i s one of stiff competition supporting an industry which has been struggling to make a profit for the last decade. Both companies are competing for the limited capital available to their customers to provide new products while at the same time, staying current with evolving regulations around noise and efficiency. Also, both companies are competing on a wide variety of factors for all three sales segments so creation of new products to meet customer needs are both costly as well as risky.The importance of government subsidies for both companies is paramount. This helps transfer the financial risk of new product development across more participants. While Airbus gets directly subsidized from a number of European governments, Boeing is indirectly subsidized through their military contract business. Boeing’s issue with the direct subsidies are that they can be directly traced to the commercial aircraft industry while their indirect military subsidies are harder to uncover.In the end, both companies are being subsidized by government funds. While the level of subsidization may not be exactly the same for both companies, making an issue about the only other competitor in the industry receiving a subsidy while you are as well comes across as a double standard. 5. New products are developed by creating very long range forecasts and anticipating the evolving needs of their customers before they may even realize them; all at a tremendous R&D cost to the developing company.While most of Boeing’s products were developed in the 60’s and 70’s, they really hadn’t come out with anything new until 2006 and then again in 2010; whereas Airbus has had a more consistent release of new products since the 80’s. The major trade-off between fuel efficiency and cost are based on the ability to upgrade existing models over the improved technology and materials in the newer models. Since Boeing has had an established product line for a longer tim e than Airbus, they are able to compete by selling upgrade packages to improve technology and fuel efficiency rather than having to replace the entire plane.While this has worked for Boeing in the past, this approach may have stagnated the creative drive of designers in coming up with new models, which Airbus has been doing. The A380 may not be a serious threat to Boeing, depending on how the global airline industry adapts to more people flying. If the hub and spoke method which is currently employed persists well into the future, then Boeing could be at a disadvantage to Airbus as their large capacity 747 is almost 50 years old and there are no current plans to replace it.On the other hand, if airlines start offering more direct flights from a wider variety of cities, the 787 Dreamliner is excellently positioned to take advantage of both longer ranges as well as smaller passenger requirements for profitability. 6. There will be new competitors entering this industry either directly or indirectly. Direct competition could be developed in Asia as more and more people use air travel as well as an increase in skilled labour. Indirect competition could also evolve from privatized space travel.While currently only found in science fiction, the ability for aircraft to travel semi ballistic is not far off. Having the ability to travel tremendous distances at greatly reduced times would be a major draw to people who use airlines for international business. Boeing needs to be aware of the progress of the privatized space flight industry as well as any potential competition from Asia. This means more investment into technology around fuel efficiency as well as materials and systems. When Boeing offered upgrades on their 747, they reduced the total crew required from 3 to 2, saving $400,000 per year in operating costs.If they could further reduce crew requirements to a single pilot, it would provide significant operational savings to their customers. The future of the co mmercial aircraft industry is bright. Air travel is the safest and fastest way for people to travel long distances. With evolutions in engine and plane design, the models will only get faster and more efficient. The key for each company is to not wait to see what the other is doing, but to invest in both market research and technology to stay ahead of the other.