Analysing Fedex’s Historical Performance

Analysing Fedex’s Historical Performance FedEx stands for Federal Express Corporation, was founded by 28-year-old Memphis, Tennessee, native Frederick W. Smith in 1971. Smith, who was a former Marine pilot, developed his idea for an overnight delivery service through a term paper that he wrote for Yale University in an economics class. Smith felt that air freight would provide another form of employment opportunity in the aviation sector of the economy instead of making it an added service to the passengers. In his views, a company should specialize in air freight rather than making it an add-on to passenger service which would make it a more lucrative business niche. Speed was more important than cost, in Smiths view, and access to smaller cities was essential. His strategies included shipping all packages through a single hub and building a private fleet of aircraft. Company-owned planes would free the service from commercial-airline schedules and shipping regulations, while a single hub would permit the tight control tha t got packages to their destinations overnight. In making his dream a reality, Smith selected Memphis as his hub: it was centrally located and despite inclement weather its modern airport rarely closed. FedEx began its operation in 1973 with a $4 million inheritance that Smith got from his father and with a $91 million in venture capital. Service was provided in 25 cities with a fleet of 14 small Dassault Falcon aircraft and 389 employees. At this time, FedExs operations basically involved collection of packages from airports every night and taking them to Memphis, where they were immediately sorted. They were then flown to airports close to their destination and delivered by FedEx trucks the following morning. Like every normal start-up ventures, FedEx had a lot to contend with ranking from the high cost of operation and the expensive advertisement that Smith proposed. This led to a financial loss of $29 million in its first 26 months of operation thereby prompting Smiths investors to consider removing him from the helm of the fledgling company, which was rejected by the companys president Arthur Bass. Bass helped the company to improve its delivery schedules thereby made FedExs de livery volume to climb up to a point where it was profitable. Companys profit hit $8 million on sales of $110 million by 1977. This was due to the fact that FedEx had 31,000 regular customers, including giants such as IBM and the U.S. Air Force, which used it to ship spare parts. It also shipped blood, organs for transplant, drugs, and other items requiring swift transport. Expanding FedExs operation to 75 airports and 130 small cities was the major strategy effected by Smith and Bass that sparked up the companys growth. While the major airlines gave the company stiff competition on heavily traveled passenger routes, there was virtually no competition on routes between smaller cities. Its principal competitor, Emery Air Freight, used commercial airlines to ship packages, giving FedEx an important time advantage. Airline deregulation gave FedEx the much needed growth in its operations which resulted from the Smiths led legislative fight to end regulation, and a bill doing so was passed in 1977. Deregulation meant the company could fly anywhere in the United States anytime, and use larger aircraft like 727s, and using its Falcons to expand into small- and medium-sized markets. Prior to the enactment of this bill, FedEx had to fly up to eight small Falcon jets side-by-side to bigger markets when as the use of one larger jet would have saved money. Because payloads for airline operators were less than 7,500 pounds which was a major set-back for FedEx at that time but with the deregulation FedExs operational cost would reduce. The enactment of the bill prompted FedEx to go Public through the New York Stock Exchange. This move raised needed capital and gave FedEx the chance to gain back a portion of their initial investment. The raised capital was used to acquire its fleet 32 Falcons, 15 727s, and five 737s and operations was expanded. Profits for 1979 were $21.4 million on sales of $258.5 million. By late 1980 FedEx was well established and growing at about 40 percent a year. It had 6,700 employees and flew 65,000 packages a night to 89 cities across the United States. During 1980, FedEx gain more market share based on the fact that there was a decline in the reliability of the U.S. Postal Service that caused even more companies to switch to FedEx for important packages. This prompted FedEx to announce a new product that would bring it into direct competition with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) which was the introduction of the overnight letter. This document-size cardboard envelope, which could contain up to two ounces, would be delivered overnight for $9.50 at that time. This further resulted to FedEx having the largest sales of any U.S. air freight company, unseating competitors like Emery, Airborne Freight, and Purolator Courier, which had gone into business about two decades earlier. Most companies shipped packages of all sizes using regularly scheduled airlines, and their services was not speed oriented which was the bargain power for FedEx. FedEx offered speed-oriented service and thereby won over many of the markets customers. This self led action forced other operations in the industry to copy FedEx operational strategy. Emery copied FedExs strategy, buying its own planes, opening a small-package sorting center, and pushing overnight delivery. Airborne also entered the small-package air express business. United Parcel Service of America (UPS), the leading package-shipper by truck, moved into the air-express business in 1981. The USPS began heavily marketing its own overnight-mail service after FedExs Courier-Pak began eating into its revenues. FedEx, the market leader in the America overnight package-delivery industry would be strict competitor of DHL Worldwide Courier Express Network with its entry into overseas services. To this effect FedEx made its first acquisition, Gelco Express, a Minneapolis-based package courier that served 84 countries in 1984. Hoping to recreate its U.S. market dominance overseas, the company made further acquisitions in Britain, the Netherlands, and the United Arab Emirates. Also UPS also began building a competing overseas system. Price control was the major strategic interplay in the 1990s between key industrial players.UPS are key player in the U.S. market introduce volume discount, a strategy that its previously resisted. In response to this, FedEx began company-wide cost-containment policies to reduce waste and overhead, as well as gain increased efficiency in meeting the needs of its customers.. Even with its cost-cutting measures, employee-related expenses rose when FedEx became mired in over two years of contract negotiations with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). The huge salaries and benefit packages were not enough to keep the threat of unionization at bay, which ultimately resulted in the 1996 unionization of FedExs 3,100 pilots. National Labor Mediation Board resolves this because leading analysts doubted ALPAs continued influence over FedEx budgetary policy. Aggressive international expansion was deployed by FedEx through acquisition of some companies in the same line of business operations. This aggressive expansion was witnessed throughout 1999 till date. 2.2 FEDEXS PROFILE 2.2.1 FEDEXS ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE The above diagram shows the top management position within the FedEx Corporation. Each of this above list management position functions as a separate entity based on the fact that FedEx corporation has three different basic line of businesses and in that regard the presidents of FedEx freight, FedEx ground and FedEx express have additional personals in charge various operations. A more detail descriptions of these lines of businesses shall be covered in the following sections. 2.2.2 MAJOR LINES OF BUSINESS. FedEx Corporation has undergone different stage of development which involves change of name, acquisitions of different companies before finally being name as FedEx. It was through these developmental stages with strategic acquisition that actually helped FedEx to develop it lines of businesses. FedEx Corporation includes the following business segments which functions as a separate entity of its own; FedEx Express, FedEx Ground, FedEx Freight, FedEx Office, FedEx Custom Critical, FedEx Trade Networks and FedEx Services But all these business segments function as a whole under the FedEx Corporation. FedEx Express was the first and solely lines of business operation that FedEx Corporation ventured into when it started operations. FedEx Express was then over seeing all the operation of the corporation as whole. In order to function as a market leader in the globe market, FedEx Express acquired various companies. Some of FedEx Express acquired companies from 1999 are as follows  [2]  , 1999 FedEx Marketplace launches on fedex.com, providing easy access to online merchants that offer fast, reliable FedEx express shipping. Federal Express launches its EuroOne Network, opening a hub at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport. FedEx Corp. acquires Caribbean Transportation Services. 2001 FedEx Express and the U.S. Postal Service forge a public-private alliance. FedEx Express provides air transportation of some U.S. mail and places FedEx Drop Boxes at post offices nationwide. 2007 FedEx Express builds its service capabilities in Europe by acquiring UK domestic express company ANC (later re-branded FedEx UK) and Flying-Cargo Hungary Kft, now a wholly-owned operation in one of Eastern Europes most dynamic markets. FedEx Express expands its presence in India with the acquisition of Prakash Air Freight Pvt. Ltd. (PAFEX). FedEx Ground began operation in 1985 which was then registered with the name Roadway Package System (RPS). This later became Caliber System Incorporation in 1996. The company was the first in the ground shipping business to use bar coding and automated sorting system and tracking system to help customers get relevant information about their packages. FedEx ground was formed as a subsidiary company to handle the ground delivery operation of FedEx Corporation which became effective through launching of FedEx Home delivery and a business-to-consumer service which was designed to help catalog and online retailers meet their markets  [3]  . FedEx Freight is the leading U.S. provider of next- and second-day regional, less-than-truckload (LTL) freight services. FedEx Freight is known for exceptional service, reliability and on-time performance. In 1966, Viking Freight opened its doors in 1966 as a courier service within selected areas of California and rapidly grew to be the states leading intrastate trucking carrier. By 1986, Vikings service area covered 10 western states, including Alaska and Hawaii.   In 1988, Viking became a subsidiary of Caliber System Inc. During the next ten years, Viking solidified its position as the market leader in the West and periodically expanded its reach beyond its western regional territory. In January 1998, Federal Express Corp. acquired Caliber System and created FedEx Corporation, a global provider of transportation, e-commerce and supply chain management services. Meanwhile, American Freightways (AF) was founded in 1982 by Sheridan Garrison. Despite regulatory and economic obstacles, AF quickly became the fastest-growing, independently-owned regional LTL carrier in the nation. In 1989, AF became a publicly-held corporation and by 2001 had developed a wide network of customer centers providing 100 percent direct coverage to 40 contiguous U.S. states.   American Freightways was acquired by FedEx Corporation in 2001. By combining Viking and AF, FedEx Corp. created FedEx Freight to offer one-stop shopping for LTL customers who require top-quality, highly reliable regional freight service. In June 2002, FedEx re-branded AF and Viking as FedEx Freight to accelerate growth of regional LTL freight business through a common branding system. Through a comprehensive network of service centers and with timely, accurate information systems, FedEx Freight is committed to delivering reliable, responsive LTL service throughout the U.S. and beyond.   In 2003, Caribbean Transportation Services-acquired by FedEx Corp. in 1999 and aligned to FedEx Trade Networks in 2001-was realigned as a freight-forwarding subsidiary of FedEx Freight. Caribbean Transportation Services is the leading provider of airfreight forwarding services between the United States and Puerto Rico. It provides door-to-door and airport-to-airport shipping with services ranging from next-day delivery to four-to-five-day delivery. Today, these companies make FedEx Freight the less-than-truckload shipping industry leader in the U.S. In 2006, FedEx Corp. acquired Watkins Motor Lines, a leading provider of long-haul LTL services.   Watkins was rebranded FedEx National LTL and now operates as a seperate network within the FedEx Freight segment.

Streak Plate And Viable Cell Count

Streak Plate And Viable Cell Count Aim and introduction should display insight into what the streak plate and viable cell count method are employed to achieve. They should also introduce MacConkey agar and how its selective and differential properties allow the characteristics of the test organism to be determined. Escherichia coli (E.coli) The aim of this experiment is to allow a certain bacterium to divide and multiply enabling us to view the bacteria in a single cell structure. E.coli is one bacterium that is good for such an experiment. E.coli can be said to be both bad and harmless, some E.coli bacteria have are highly toxic and can harm humans and animals. However, the majority of E.coli strains are relatively harmless with low toxicity. These harmless strains of E.coli are found naturally occurring in the human body, especially in areas such as the human intestines. Some E.coli can even benefit their hosts; they do this by producing specific vitamins. It is for reasons like the ones mentioned why E.coli is an appropriate bacteria to use for this experiment. Another reason is that E.coli bacterial cells have an average bacterial size of 2um; this can be seen under a light microscope. Other bacteria however may be even smaller and may require a larger microscope for viewing or even an electron microscope. Also the incubation period for E.coli to multiply and grow rapidly isnt very long and temperatures arent too high or too low. E.coli can be incubated overnight at 37oC and then stored at 4oC until its requirement. The technique use to manipulate and isolate the E. coli bacteria is known as the streak plate procedure. The technique was developed to allow bacteria to multiply and produce many colonies, during the incubation period, depending on the amount of bacteria present. Each colony will contain millions of bacteria cells derived from a single parent cell. (Talk in more detail about this procedure). We will be using this technique to allow the E. coli to multiply and divide splitting itself into colonies. The viable cell count, also known as viability count, is a method used to determine the number of living cells within a suspension, in this case E. coli. To obtain an understanding of how much E. coli cells are present in a sample this method must be put into action. (Expand) The MacConkey agar is specifically designed to allow gram negative bacteria to grow; its a recipe of many substances such as bile salts, sodium chloride proteose and many more. One of the properties of the MacConkey agar is its selective isolation and identification of bacteria; it is a medium that allows us to distinguish gram-negative bacteria. E. coli is a rod shaped gram negative bacteria, so using the MacConkey agar plate to multiply it would be appropriate, the agar will also cause the E. coli to change colour from pink to red, and this is an indication of gram negative bacteria present. A Nutrient agar is a growth medium used for the cultivation of bacteria, this specific agar remains solid even at high temperatures. The gram-stain technique was developed for viewing cells clearly under a microscope and to enable us to establish their structures. It is a very simple procedure of just adding 4 different substances accordingly, however one of these substances is toxic to humans therefore the procedure must be carried out in a fume hood. The gram stain method was introduced by It is important for scientists and medics to know the structure and function and identity of bacteria and viruses, it is for reasons like this why such experiments are carried out. Without such procedures so many bacteria and viruses wouldnt be known and could spread and become out of control. Methods: Explain why each procedure was done highlight key points state any deviation from protocol document any errors or difficulties you had with the technique Discuss the importance of aseptic technique and what steps could be taken to prevent contamination during manipulation of bacteria All methods were doing under aseptic conditions; the reason for this is to prevent contamination of the bacteria during its manipulation. Many errors could arise if aseptic conditions arent used, eventually resulting is wrote results. Streaking bacteria on MacConkey agar method: Prior to the experiment, an E. coli sample was made and given to during the practical. Risk assessment: Materials used: 10ml liquid culture of E. coli the bacteria sample to be use in this practical Sterile plastic loops used for transferring E.coli bacteria from one place to another uncontaminated. MacConkey agar plate used to allow E.coli bacteria to grow as it provides energy recourses and support Sharps bin for loops etc. these are used to keep the laboratory area as uncontaminated as possible and to make sure bacteria doesnt spread Marker pens and labels to label the plate Step 1: using a sterile plastic loop I touched a given sample of E. coli and streaked an inoculum onto a MacConkey agar plate in a specific pattern (see..). This plastic loop is then disposed of into the sharps bin. Step 2: using another sterile plastic loop, I created a run of parallel lines from the edge of the initial streaks Step 3: step 2 was repeated 2 more times with a new sterile loop used. Step 4: a final streak was made, creating a simple streak from the previous streaks into the centre of the plate. The picture below illustrates this. The MacConkey plate was then given to the technicians to incubate. It was important to dispose- on the plastic looks by placing them into the sharps bin because they are contaminated and if they touch any other surface it can lead to the spread of bacteria resulting in major contamination. Throughout this procedure plastic gloves and a lab-coat were worn, also to prevent contamination. Viable cell counts: Risk assessment Materials used: P1000 and P100 pipettes and tips used to transfer certain amounts of PBS etc. Three Nutrient agar plates 10ml sterile PBS buffer, used to maintain the pH Sterile plastic spreaders to spread the E.coli on the Nutrient agar plates Eight sterile bijoux bottles for dilutions To start the dilution, using a pipette I transferred 900 ul of diluents (PBS) in eight different sterile bijoux bottles. The PBS (phosphate buffered solution) solution is a commonly used buffer to maintain a pH; it is used in this practical because of its ability to aid biological research. After the PBS was placed into the labelled bottles, using a new sterile tip for the pipette I transferred 0.1ml of E.coli liquid culture sample (neat) into the first bottle (10-1). For the dilution to continue a new pipette tip was placed and 0.1ml of the 10-1 diluted E.coli was transferred to the 10-2 bottle, this process continued up till bottle 10-8. By doing so the E.coli will become more and more dilute within the different solutions, because less E.coli is being added each time. 10-5, 10-6 and 10-7 samples were then spread onto three different Nutrient agar plates using different sterile plastic spreaders so contamination wouldnt occur. This was done by placing 0.1ml of each dilution onto th e centre of the agar plate and then spreading it over with a sterile spreader. The agar plates were labelled and given to the technician for incubation. Gram Stain of bacteria from an isolated colony Risk assessment In order to stain the bacteria I selected an appropriate colony to stain, the colony must appear to be uncontaminated and its appearance must obviously look grown.. After this procedure is complete, the bacterial cells will be visible under a microscope. Materials needed: Bunsen burner used to heat-fix bacteria onto microscope slide Saline (PBS) emulsifier Light microscope to view bacterial cells Lens tissue to clean the lens Immersion oil for light microscope lens to allow better view at 100x magnification Stains for Gram stain method Before the bacteria can be modified to be viewed under the microscope clearly, the microscope glass slide must be cleaned to prevent contamination. After doing so a drop of sterile saline was placed onto the centre of the slide, the saline drop was placed because it can emulsify any bacterial colony that will be placed on top. To move some of the bacteria off the agar plate onto the slide, a sterile loop was used I touched the bacterial colony on the agar plate with the top of the loop and then spread the bacteria into the saline drop making it thin. Due to the moisture of the liquid I let the slide dry then used a Bunsen-burner to heat-fix the bacteria onto the slide by passing it through a few times then allowing it to cool. Heat-fixing was done so that during the staining the bacteria or wouldnt move or fall off. Once that was complete the slide was moved to a laboratory fume hood where the staining can take place, the follow 4 stage method was used: at first the bacteria sample on the slide was soaked in crystal violet for 30 seconds, after so it was rinsed with distilled water and drained. The second part is to soak the bacteria with gram iodine (mordant) for another 30 seconds then rinse with distilled water and drain it. Gram iodine is a toxic substance; it is for this particular reason why this part of the practical was carried out in a laboratory fume hood. Acetone decolouriser was then added for 10 second and the bacteria was again rinsed with distilled water and drained. The final part is to add Safranin, a counter stain, to the bacteria. It was placed on the bacteria for 30seconds and then the bacteria was further rinsed with distilled water, drained, blotted and allowed to dry. Substance Duration Further action Crystal violet (primary stain) 30 seconds Rinse with water drain Gram Iodine (Mordant) 30 seconds Rinse with water drain Acetone/alcohol (Decolouriser) 5-10 seconds Rinse with water drain Safranin (Counter stain) 30 seconds Rinse with water, drain, blot dry Stain was carried out in a laboratory fume hood due to the toxic gram iodine substance used. The transparent plastic shield of the fume hood was lowered so that only my hands were inside dealing with the chemical and biological substances. Gloves were worn during this procedure so that no stain would come into contact with the skin. When the slide was rinsed with water, it was rinsed gently with distilled water so that the bacteria are not shifted. After the staining was completed the sample can now be viewed under a light microscope and compared to other bacterial samples. The slide is placed on the stage with a drop of oil for immersion, the microscope is focused on 100x and the bacteria is viewed. Results: Should describe your findings in : prose/text, diagrams, tables and graphs which includes a description of growth characteristics and how successful your aseptic technique was MacConkey agar plate results: During the experiment there were no results to be noted as it was too early for anything to occur. After the agar plate containing the E.coli was incubated at 37oC and then stored at 4oC, its appearance was as expected. Colonies were separated, and as the streaks moved on less E.coli was present. The colonies were well distinctive and were round in their shape. The sample initially given was simply liquid, the result showed significant growth of this E.coli liquid into 3D structures. This indicates the growth of the bacteria in a fine way; the 3D structures appeared in a yellowing solid colour. Because the practical was conducted in aseptic techniques no contamination occurred. Aseptic techniques were successful in allowing me to produce accurate results. Viable cell counts My results: The colonies that appeared on the nutrient plate had a badge colour; visually they all appeared relatively same sized and volume. 10-5 10-6 10-7 10-8 TMTC 46 1 For the 10-7 the calculation for the number of bacteria in 1ml of the original culture is: (1107/0.1) x (X/1) [cross multiply] 0.1X = 1 x(1107) [divide by 0.1] Therefore X = 1.0108 For the 10-6 the calculation for the number of bacteria in 1ml of the original culture is: (46106/0.1) x (X/1) [cross multiply] 0.1X = 1 x(46106) [divide by 0.1] Therefore X = 4.6108 The number of bacteria present in 1ml of the 10-5 culture cannot be calculated as there was no value noted (TMTC). X= number of bacteria. The number of bacteria present in 1ml of 10-6 dilution is 4.6108 and in the 10-7 dilution culture is 1.0108. Class results: Pair number 10-5 10-6 10-7 10-8 1 TMTC 46 1 2 95 9 0 3 TMTC 52 9 4 TMTC 23 1 5 34 2 6 84 11 4 7 TMTC 24 18 8 2 2 26 9 102 6 0 10 19 3 3 11 TMTC 140 15 12 TMTC 57 9 13 61 12 0 14 8 6 1 15 195 51 4 16 55 27 3 17 TMTC 94 11 18 TMTC TMTC TMTC 19 TMTC TMTC TMTC 20 TMTC 113 18 Total 266 985 177 28 Average 66.5 57.9 9.8 7 Should describe your findings in : prose/text, diagrams, tables and graphs which includes a description of growth characteristics and how successful your aseptic technique was To determine the amount of bacteria within a culture a simple calculation must be done using my personal results for this experiment. There was no value for the 10-5 so this cannot be done. The result for 10-6 was 46, 46 x 10 = 460ml. To estimate the amount of E.coli present this is further multiplied by 106, therefore 460 x 106 = For the 10-7 result Æ’Â   7 x 10 = 10 Æ’Â   10 x 107 = However, I have selected some reasonable results from the table to calculate an average. Gram-stain of bacteria from an isolated colony: (view method number 3) Gram stains help us distinguish between microbial organisms, for example gram negative bacteria and gram positive bacteria. This method was developed to know the identity of bacteria present. (See procedure for The Gram Stain in the methods section). During step 5 of the Gram Strain Method above the following results were made when applying the four different substances: Substance Colour after stain Crystal violet (primary stain) Purple Gram Iodine (Mordant) Purple Acetone/alcohol (Decolouriser) Transparent (dye was washed off) Safranin (Counter stain) Reddish-pink The appearance of the E.coli bacteria under a microscope with 100x magnification was quite clear; it had a rod-like structure with a reddish-pink colour. The rods were all more or less the same size, however some were packed together and others were on their own. Discussion: Were the results the expected? Did the methods adopted achieve their aim? How the experiments could be improved. Include background information, critical evaluation of results Throughout all the experiments and procedures a lab-coat and gloves were worn to avoid skin contact with bacteria and harmful substances. Overall the aims were accomplished and the results were as predicted. MacConkey agar The colonies were expected to be in such a form, indicating that it was E.coli present and that it has rapidly multiplied into individual colonies. This further suggests that when E.coli is present under conditions where it could multiply, it multiplies by forming a round colony and expanding from there. However, some of the colonies were stuck together making it difficult to count the number of them present. What this means is that the growth of the bacteria was a success and the method adopted was accurate. The reason why some colonies were packed together may be the result of pressing too hard on the agar while streaking, with more streaking practice more accurate results can be obtained with colonies being on their own. The methods adopted for this practical achieved what was aimed for. After the incubation of the MacConkey agar plate the plate was stored for a week at a temperature of 4oC, this may have changed the appearance in colour and in shape of the formed colonies. Contam ination of the agar plate may have even occurred. An improvement to the experiment is to note down results straight after incubation is finished. Gram Stain results After analysing the microscope slide which contains the Gram Stained E.coli under the microscope its features were obvious. There were many average sized rods with a reddish-pink colour, some of these rods were packed together whist others were separated. Comparing this with another prepared sample of B.subtilis, the B.subtilis was a purple colour and has a longer and curved shape, like fine threads. However some again were packed together and others separated. The purple colour of the B.subtilis indicates that it is gram positive, and the pink colour of E.coli indicates its gram negative. When the Gram Stain method was applied to the B.subtilis it obviously stayed purple though out, with E.coli it will decolourise once the decolouriser is added. The gram stain method is highly effective and efficient when dealing with different bacteria; it helps identify them to a great extent. B.subtilis remains purple throughout the Gram Stain procedure, this itself can be an indication that it is a Gram positive bacteria. Bacterial cells have different types of cell walls, the gram negative and gram positive terms describe the nature of their structural differences. One of the important differences is that Gram positive bacteria have no outer membrane whereas Gram negative bacteria do, the purpose of this outer layer is to cover the peptidoglycan layer. When staining occurs the outer membrane of a gram positive bacterial cell wall becomes permanently stained as the strain can easily penetrate the thick peptidoglycan layer, so that if a decolouriser or distilled water is added the colour will remain purple. In the case of the gram negative bacterial cell wall the stain gets attached to the far outer membrane layer (lipopolysaccharide and protein), this layer decreases the penetration depth of the strain on the peptidoglycan, so the stain can be decolourised or removed. The diagrams below illustrate this. Gram positive: Æ’Â   Æ’Â   Æ’Â   Primary stain Mordant Decolourisation Counter-stain Note: colour remains the same throughout addition. Gram negative: Primary stain Mordant Decolourisation Counter-stain Note: colour changes Æ’Â   Æ’Â   Æ’Â   The aim of the Gram Stain method was confirm that the bacteria that was initially being dealt with was E.coli, after tests and results it confirmed that it was so the results were as expected and predicted. The methods used for this procedure were successful at achieving good results, however some can be altered. For example, the E.coli used for this experiment was used from experiment number one, not that that is a problem but when the E.coli was incubated over night and it had successfully multiplied it was stored at 4oC for quite a while (this experiment was carried out 1 week after the first one). This possible may have altered the activity of the E.coli and also its appearance. Many resources state that gram negative bacteria should have a pink colour after the counter-stain has been added and rinsed off. In this case the E.coli bacteria in this experiment had quite a dark pink colour which was really close to the colour red, this appearance of colour was visual both with the naked eye and under the microscope as individual bacterial cells. Viable cell counts As I predicted, the more dilute (10-8) solution will have less E.coli bacteria growing on its surface. As there were 20 different pairs doing the practical, and the dilutions were all done 20 times by different people, there is plenty room for error from contamination of inaccurate measurements. The 10-5 agar plates had many E.coli bacterial colonies growing on it, according to the results there was far too many bacteria that it was too many to count (TMTC). Gradually as the dilution increased the bacteria became less, 10-6 dilution had numbers ranging from 6-140. Obviously with such great difference within what is meant to be the same dilution there was some error/contamination present. The most obvious ones which had error are pair numbers 18 and 19 there was TMTC throughout (10-6, 10-7 and 10-8). What would be expected is that fewer bacteria should be present in the 10-8.

Societys Rejects and Barry Hines Kestrel for a Knave Essay -- Barry

Society's Rejects and Barry Hines' "Kestrel for a Knave" A kestrel for a knave is about a poor troubled Yorkshire lad by the name of Billy Casper. What he imagines to be out of reach and unbelievable are things we take for granted. He imagines love from his parents and just normal, every day things like fish and chips for supper and someone being nice to him. For Billy, that is a dream that will never become reality. Treated as a failure at school and unhappy at home, Billy discovers a new passion in life when he finds Kes, a kestrel hawk. Billy identifies with her silent strength and she inspires in him the trust and love that nothing else can. I don’t think that Kes gives Billy the power to revolutionize and turn around his social life, because she doesn’t. But Kes is extremely close to Billy’s heart. Kes gives Billy a sense of satisfaction and achievement. Kes gives Billy the will to live another day while other is Billy’s position would have given up on life long ago. Kes is effectively Billy’s best friend and whom he spends most of his spare time with and would have continues to do so after he left school if event wouldn’t have gone the way they had done. Billy is portrayed as someone who has given up on everything as he knows he wont get a second chance, and that he’s future is going down the same road as his older brother Jud. Billy has been made to look after himself for most of his life as he’s dad has left him and his mum is too busy worrying about herself. He’s had to learn to find ways to find food and that is stealing from anyone, anywhere. For example he takes a bottle of milk from the milkman, he steals sweets from the little store where he has a job to deliver newspapers. The shop ... ...assroom. This is also a good example for his punctuation as he uses short sentences, â€Å"the scuffle of a turning page† etc. the problem with using so much description is that it leaves the readers having no imagination on the scene or character. Most of the book is written as Billy’s thoughts on things and he doesn’t use speech that much to describe things. This book reflects on many issues that still carry on today but have got even more serious. It shows how lucky we are to have a family who care and love us and how important it is not to take it for granted, as there are many children who don’t know the feeling of being loved. I think Barry Hines used a very good story to bring the message across on how people can be made to feel. And that everyone deserves a second chance and should not be judged on wealth but on the persons morals and personality.

Ethics and Accounting :: Finance Business Accountant Accountancy

Ethics and Accounting What's ethics got to do with accounting? Everything! Believe me, everything. When the word ethics is mentioned, what readily comes to mind is the question of deciding between doing what is right and doing what is wrong. But doing what is right versus doing what is wrong within what context? The idealist will say that decisions of ethics should not be conditional. But it is not as simple as it sounds, for what constitutes "right" to one person, may be "wrong" to another person. What bridges the gap, guides, and clearly distinguishes the line between right and wrong in political, economic and social systems are traditions, culture, laws and regulations. Even then, what is unethical may not necessarily be illegal, even though there exists a close relationship between the two. These dynamics apply to almost every legal profession, accounting not exempted. This paper examines the issues of ethics in accounting. It also looks at the differences and similarities between financial accounting to managerial accounting. Introduction According to Marshall et al, (What the numbers mean, 2003) accounting involves "identifying, measuring, and communicating economic information about an organization for the purpose of making decisions and informed judgments." This definition clearly shows that there are stakeholders in the information generated by accountants. These include managers, shareholders, oversight and law enforcement agencies, and the general public. Since these entities rely on the reports generated by accountants for critical decision making, it is important that the information be reliable, objective, and presented in an easy to understand format. Ignoring or circumventing these values renders the information generated unreliable. It can lead to devastating consequences as evidenced by events which led to recent legislation such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act which seeks to make top management of organizations accountable for the financial statement produced by their organizations through the internal controls they develop and enhance, and to oversee auditors who hitherto could have business interests other than auditing in the organizations they were responsible for auditing. Financial versus Managerial accounting Managerial accounting refers to the management of company resources while applying management accounting principles in decision making. One important characteristic of management accounting is that, it is internal to the organization even though external information such as financial accounting reports will have some amount of influence. Financial accounting refers to the identification, recording, computation, and reporting of financial information to users who may have a stake in the information reported. An important characteristic of this information is that it is geared towards users external to the company. A financial accountant generates information for external consumption. These products include the income statement, the balance sheet, the statement

Pros and Cons of Nuclear Power in Usa

NUCLEAR POWER GEOGRAPHY HOMEWORK 10/27/2012 DAISY SOWAH FORM 5W PROS AND CONS OF NUCLEAR POWER IN THE USA Worldwide, there are 441 nuclear power plants that supply about 16 percent of the world's electricity. There are currently 104 operating U. S. nuclear power plants that produce over 20 percent of U. S. electricity. ADVANTAGES a) Nuclear power generation does emit relatively low amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2). The emissions of green house gases and therefore the contribution of nuclear power plants to global warming is therefore relatively little. USA is currently responsible for a quarter of all carbon dioxide emissions – an average of 40,000 pounds of carbon dioxide is released by each US citizen every year – the highest of any country in the world, and more than China, India and Japan combined, the increased used of nuclear power will do well to curb these emissions. b) High Load Factor – Nuclear Power Plants have very high load factors in excess of 80%.Th ey can generate power almost 24/7 and only require shutdown for periodic maintenance c) Huge   Potential –Nuclear Energy Potential is almost infinite compared to the limited and peak features of other forms of   energy like Wind,Geothermal,Oil,Gas and others. Only Solar Energy can be said to have more potential. d) Low Electricity Cost – The Electricity produced from Nuclear Power is quite low at around 3-5c/Kwh making it very attractive to construct hydro plants e) Low Fuel Cost – Large amounts of Nuclear Energy can be produced from the fission on radioactive elements like uranium.The costs of nuclear fuel is relatively   very low compared to other energy sources like coal and gas. Also uranium prices currently are quite low making the nuclear electricity price even lower. About $100 a poundof uranium but a barrel of Brent crude oil is $114 a barrel but lasts for a much shorter period of time CHALLENGES 1. Nuclear and Radiation Accidents – This is the biggest con for Nuclear Energy and has been repeated 3 times in the last 30 years in Japan, Russia and USA.The fear of a repeat is so great that despite all the safety arrangements touted by the nuclear equipment operators and suppliers, Nuclear Energy faces an uncertain future The worst nuclear accident in U. S. history took place on March 28, 1979 at the Three Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania. A cooling system failed, causing a partial meltdown, but a full meltdown was averted and there were no fatalities. However, despite the positive outcome and despite the passage of more than 30 years, the incident remains fresh in the minds of those who are old enough to remember it. 2.Nuclear Waste Disposal – Again a massive problem as the spent Nuclear Rods of Nuclear Reactors are prohibitively costly and difficult to dispose of. Spent nuclear fuel is initially very highly radioactive and so must be handled with great care and forethought. (10'000 years according to United State s Environmental Protection Agency standards). There is no foolproof way to dispose nuclear waste fuel after it is used in the Nuclear Reactors. The area around Nuclear Waste Sites can be dangerous to humans for hundreds of year as complex nuclear elements have half lives running into many years.The United States had accumulated more than 50,000 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel from nuclear reactors. Permanent storage underground in U. S. had been proposed at the Yucca but that project has now been effectively cancelled. There is presently no adequate safe long-term storage for radioactive and chemical waste produced from early reactors, such as those in Hanford, Washington, some of which will need to be safely sealed and stored for thousands of years. 3. Regulations – The Regulations for Nuclear Energy Power Plants are many and cumbersome due to the massive risks of a failure of a nuclear reactor.This greatly increases the costs of generating nuclear power. It also leads to a long time in the actual start to the completion of a Nuclear Plant . 4. Fuel Danger – Uranium which is the main fuel used in Nuclear Fission Power Plants is limited to a few countries and suppliers. Its use and transport is regulated by international treaties and groups. 5. Nuclear power is reliable, but a lot of money has to be spent on safety – if it does go wrong, a nuclear accident can be a major disaster. Despite a generally high security standard, accidents can still happen.It is technically impossible to build a plant with 100% security. A small probability of failure will always last. The consequences of an accident would be absolutely devastating both for human being as for the nature. The more nuclear power plants (and nuclear waste storage shelters) are built, the higher is the probability of a disastrous failure somewhere in the world. People are increasingly concerned about this – in the 1990's nuclear power was the fastest-growing source of power in much of the world. In 2005 it was the second slowest-growing. 6. The energy source for nuclear energy is Uranium.Uranium is a scarce resource, its supply is estimated to last only for the next 30 to 60 years depending on the actual demand. March 11, 2010 nightmare scenario: Terrorism at a nuke power plant. Nuclear meltdown. Level 7 core damage blows through the 6 foot thick reinforced containment structure releasing highly radioactive elements into the atmosphere and surrounding environment. 7. Nuclear power plants as well as nuclear waste could be preferred targets for terrorist attacks. No atomic energy plant in the world could withstand an attack similar to 9/11 in New York. Such a terrorist act would have catastrophic effects for the whole world.

My opinion about Four Generations By Joyce Maynard Essay

Joyce Maynard in The Four Generations has skillfully described her grandmother as a frail individual who used to be so dynamic once. Her style of writing makes her script colorful and does not let the reader get bored. She uses simple words yet implies deep meanings. In addition, not only does she bring examples to show the characters but she also uses the exact quotations to express the very same idea of them. Joyce Maynard’s strong ability to portray moments is another admirable skill of her in writing. Her use of words in simple sentences clearly shows the characteristics of her grandmother. We can realize that her grandmother was a naughty energetic woman who â€Å"cracks† nuts and was able to lift a car off the ground. She was also emotional, since she used to â€Å"weep† every time she had to say goodbye to her children, and nurse her relatives of her generation and even though she was old enough to forget everything, she wrote down notes to remind herself of her granddaughter and her child whom she had not seen yet. Instead of imposing an idea, Joyce Maynard brings examples to let the reader know her grandmother better. We can get from the text that she was determined. Though she never had much money she did not hesitate to let her daughter take piano lessons and elocution lessons; moreover, she sent her to college. We can see how caring she was, by paying attention to even a one-year-old child to see whether anybody takes care of her. And her physical power is stated when Joyce refers to a car accident where her grandmother lifted the car. The use of quotations is a good element to make her script more colorful. Many times Joyce brings exact words of her grandmother. To let the readers know her grandmother by her own tone of speaking. To show that she believed to be different -and in fact she was- Joyce repeats her own words at the illness bed when she was suffering from pancreatic cancer:† Now I am different. I’m yellow. † And to show her firm character she states † I’m not always like this. † Even though her grandmother had said she was ready to die, what she said in her last words to Joyce was † I wish I had your hair†Ã‚  and † I wish I was well. â€Å" When Joyce wants to depict her grandmother’s powerlessness in her last days, she mentions her body movements in a way that the reader can imagine it in all ways. Just like a puny baby, her grandmother waved to Joyce’s child in a kind of slow, finger-flexing movement and got the same reply from the little kid. Her way of speaking also shows that she wished to be better and enjoy the little child’s presence. Finally Joyce illustrates the loss of her grandmother in a way that her own mother has lost a source of kindness and love. Her use of language and simple words and vivid examples and quotations made her essay more effective and powerful. She leaves the readers concentrating on the idea that once a mother passes away her beloved child is not a daughter anymore but just a mother who unquestioningly loves her own daughter.

Pico Paper

Are kidney patients who received a radical nephrectomy at a higher risk of impaired renal function and cardiac related death compared to those who received a partial nephrectomy? Kiara Wilson Nursing 3163 Dr. Linda Upchurch November 12, 2012 Background Are kidney patients who received a partial nephrectomy at a lower risk of impaired renal function and cardiac related death compared to those who received a radical nephrectomy? When a patient is diagnosed with kidney damage, a surgical nephrectomy is often performed. Kidney damage may be caused by blocked blood vessels, kidney stones, masses, infection, and/or kidney cancer.With this procedure the kidney damage may be treated and also prevent further damage. A partial nephrectomy is a surgical procedure to remove a portion of the kidney. Partial nephrectomies are normally done laparoscopically with hand assistance or with robot assistance. A radical nephrectomy involves removing the kidney and the adrenal glands. A radical nephrectomy may be done laparoscopically or by open abdominal surgery. My patient was diagnosed with damage of the left kidney. Blood tests were performed and the patient was found to have a toxic WBC granulation. This toxic granulation led infection, inflammation and sepsis.An abdominal and pelvic CT scan found a 7. 8 x 5. 6 x 6. 2 cm, solid, enhancing left lower pole renal mass and parasitic vessels in the infected area. A hand assisted partial laparoscopic nephrectomy was performed. They removed the lower portion of her left kidney. The kidney was to be tested for malignancy. The concern with my patient is that she has a past medical history of hypertension, anemia, and deep vein thrombosis. She is at an increased risk of further cardiac and renal complications. I believe these factors influenced the doctors’ decision to perform a partial nephrectomy instead of taking the radical approach.To find research on this kidney condition, I accessed the Galileo database. I searched for infor mation on ways to treat renal masses and kidney cancer. I found multiple articles about laparoscopic and radical (open) nephrectomies. I found many articles that discussed the differences between the two and the affects they have on patients who receive them. I found an interesting study called â€Å"Partial Nephrectomy Is Associated with Improved Overall Survival Compared to Radical Nephrectomy in Patients with Unanticipated Benign Renal Tumours. I found it interesting because it was relevant to the health issues that were being addressed with my patient. There millions kidney patients who undergo these procedures each year. I wanted to discover which procedure provided the best outcome for my patient and others with similar kidney problems. Purpose According to this study, â€Å"a partial nephrectomy has been associated with improved overall survival in patients with localized renal masses compared to those who received a radical nephrectomy† (Weight, 2010).The purpose of this study is to test the overall survival rate of patients who had unanticipated renal masses. Another objective of this study is to also study the effect of these procedures on cardiac specific survival rates and other causes of death related to decreased kidney function. Hypothesis The hypothesis for this study are that the use of partial nephrectomies would be first line of treatment compared to radical nephrectomies in that partial nephrectomies provide better protection of renal function. Decreased renal function will lead to a low survival rate.Patients who undergo radical nephrectomies will have higher rate of cardiac related deaths Design A seven year, nonrandomized study was conducted using 499 participants. Of these 499 particiapants, 111 patients had received a radical nephrectomy while 388 patients received a partial nephrectomy. The choice of which surgery to do was left of the surgeon and the patient’s preferences. They took into consideration the mass size, th e appearance, the patient’s current health, life expectancy and the comfort of the surgeon in making their decisions.The patient’s comorbidities were assessed using the Charlson-Romano Comorbidity Index. Each patient’s vital signs were acquired using the Social Security Death Index. Anyone without a Social Security Number was excluded. The cause of death information from the patients’ medical records was reviewed. From there the participants were further categorized by the condition that caused the death. Cardiac deaths ranged from death related to ischemic heart disease, CHF, ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, and peripheral vascular disease.Renal deaths were broken down into death related to renal failure, renal insufficiency, or nephritic syndrome. All other possible causes of death were group together. Perioperative, postoperative data and renal function tests were collected before and after the procedures. Preoperative data was used to create the propensity model that was utilized in a multivariate model of survival. They measured the overall survival rate of the participants and cardiac specific survival rates. Findings Radical nephrectomies are greatly associated with an increased risk of death from any cause.Patients with unanticipated benign tumors that were treated with RN were more likely to die from any related health problem than those treated with PN. Participants who received a radical nephrectomy were more likely to be older, with high comorbidity scores, and larger tumors. Those with smaller masses and tumors were more likely to have a partial nephrectomy. Radical nephrectomies are associated with an increased risk of death by 2 folds from any cause. The risk of cardiovascular death was substantially higher in those with decreasing post-operative renal function.Decreased kidney function was related to an increase in cardiovascular death and death from any other cause in overall majority patient s. Sixteen participants died of cardiac related deaths. Renal preservation was increased in the group that had the partial nephrectomy with majority of the patients having an eGFR above 60 %. Radical nephrectomy participants only had an eGFR of 30 % or lower. The higher eGFR is associated with an increase chance of survival in PN patients. Discussion Previous studies indicate that postoperative impaired renal function plays a role in the overall survival of patients with renal masses.The data concluded that no matter which surgery was performed there would be a decrease in kidney function. However, those patients who received a PN had a remarkable lower decrease in renal function. It can be stated that patients have decreased function are at an increased risk of cardiac related death and death by other causes. For many of those who don’t die from cardiac related death it can be concluded that other conditions that cause death are worsened by renal insufficiency. This study wa s relevant to the PICO question I asked.This study answered my question and provided the information necessary to make it a valid question. I believe the limitations to this study are that the researchers did not randomize their study. They picked which participants they thought would influence their study. The strengths of this article are that is discusses the importance of preserving renal function when performing a nephrectomy. It also provides evidence that patients should be educated on the risks of death and further complications associated with their procedures. It could allow for better planning and managing of the care for these patients.Implications As a nurse it would be my responsibility to knowledgeable about procedures such as these and how they will affect my patient. It would be my job to educate the patients on what to expect from this surgery and what it means for their health. I could also use this information to better assess patients before and after these proc edures. This research provides material that could be used to better treat and prevent life threatening conditions that could arise after surgery. References Landman, D. (2006). Open Partial Nephrectomy.Retrieved November 9, 2012, from Kidney Cancer Institute: www. kidneycancerinstitute. com/open-partial-nephrec. html Landman, D. (2006). Open Radical Nephrectomy. Retrieved November 9, 2012, from Kidney Cancer Institute: www. kidneycancerinstitute. com/open-radical-nephrec. html Weight, C. J. , & Leiser, G. (2010, April 29). Partial Nephrectomy Is Associated with Improved Overall Survival. EUROPEAN UROLOGY, 58, 293-298. Evaluation (to be completed by instructor)| Possible Points| Actual Points| Introduction of clinical problemComments:| 20| | Purpose/Aim of the study/articleComments:| 10| |Theoretical framework of the study/articleComments:| n/a| | Hypotheses/QuestionsComments:| 5| | DesignComments:| 5| | FindingsComments:| 10| | DiscussionComments:| 25| | ImplicationsComments:| 20| | ReferencesComments:| 5| | Grade| 100/100| /100| PICO Paper Grading Rubric (submit, along with PICO OAT form, with your paper) Student Name: _Kiara Wilson______________Date: November 12, 2012_____________ Are kidney patients who received a radical nephrectomy at a higher risk of impaired renal function and cardiac related death compared to those who received a partial nephrectomy?