A Proposed Sales and Inventory System for Mike

Republic of the Philippines BATAAN PENINSULA STATE UNIVERSITY Balanga City, Philippines COLLEGE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY TITLE PROPOSAL Project Title: A Proposed Sales and Inventory System for Mike-Len Bakeshop Summary In business like merchandising, Sales and Inventory system plays an important role. It is used to track all the transactions made by the business and responsible for monitoring the items supplies. All the business transactions must be properly recorded and must be fully secured by password.A Computerized system is the best solution and most innovative answer for their needs. The researchers had been motivated to do a study on this topic according to the above observation. The result may help others to understand more about computer-generated data processing, especially on how to deal with computers in terms of speed, accuracy and data security. Monitoring the transactions and other significant information regarding the customer of Mike-Len Bakeshop i s the main concern of this study. Also covered in the study are saving of information and transaction records with the customers.The Sales and Inventory System is concern with the processing of the transactions of the customers and owner and saving the sales records at the same time. These saved records area filed and stored for future use. This computerized system is important to a company because through it, the owner can easily assist the customers and store data safely. And also the monitoring of stocks is the most important part of this system. Project Background Sales and Inventory system looks for a precise, user friendly, capable system that can help you in your inventory process. The business will manage the inventory in less time than using Microsoft excel.This inventory system will can be updated. Current State of Technology The business is using only Microsoft Excel. They enter manually in their inventory. Their inventory is not updating even if there is a deliver. The b usiness is allocating the breads in manual form. Even the expenses they compute it manually. Project Problem Statement The system run slowly it might be running like a turtle and it cannot respond for a while. And maybe the system is acting strangely oftentimes leave you wondering what has happened. The system been working just fine and later, seemingly without reason, it is doing strange.Project Assumption The proposed project will help in many benefits in your business. It is to lighter the inventory process of Mike-Len Bakeshop and finally integrate in modernization of technology in its process such as: Faster process of sales and inventory. Automatic update on products Minimizes paper works. Proponents Name: ADOPTANTE, Mark allain M. TANO Richelle P. YUMOL, Jacqueline B. Approved by: Mrs. Marissa Ramos Mr. Dennis Carlos Signature over Printed NameSignature over Printed Name Mrs. Maria Lolita Masangcap Signature over Printed Name

Book and National Bookstore Essay

Goodwill bookstore is a 100 percent Filipino firm and is one of the Philippines’ first, having started in 1938, and currently one of its largest bookstores. For several decades now, Goodwill Bookstores has been consistently in the Philippines’ top 1000 corporations currently servicing over 5,000 regular outlets all over the country. Goodwill Bookstores lead all other bookstores especially in the field of medicine offering such books as Harper’s Biochemistry, Ganong Medical Physiology and Robbin’s Pathological Basis of Disease. Goodwill is the exclusive Philippine distributor of big foreign publishers such as Appleton and Lange, McGraw-Hill Book Co. , Lippincott-Raven. Although, there are a lot of bookstores in the Philippines like Merriam-Webster Bookstore, Goodwill Bookstore, and some other minor bookstores and booksale stores, National Bookstore will stand out. National Bookstore is the largest chain of bookstore in the country and one of the oldest. It was established in the 1930’s in Manila. The bookstore did not start as big as it is now. It is only a small stall selling textbooks and school supplies in the street of Escolta, Manila. The bookstore was destroyed twice, first, when the whole of Escolta was burned down during the Japanese era, and the second was caused by a typhoon in 1948. The most famous bookstore in the Philippines and also the largest with 92 branches and still growing. It is located mostly on shopping malls. They also sell school and office supplies. They also sell books online and delivery services. The bookstore called Bestsellers is also owned by NBS while National Bookstore is the largest bookstore chain in the Philippines with 92 branches in the country. It was set to open its first overseas branch, in Hong Kong, in September 2007. Through the hard work and powerful leadership of Socorro Cancio-Ramos and the late Jose Ramos with their family, the company has evolved from its humble beginnings into the biggest and strongest bookstore chain in the Philippines. 1. Over sixty five years of focused energy has brought National Book Store to where it is now: the pinnacle of the bookstore industry in the Philippines. More than that, the National Book Store family takes pride in its role as an institution that supports education and enhances lives by providing the best and widest selection of educational, professional, and social communication products. The values that took Mr. and Mrs. Ramos through adversity—hard work, shrewd business skills and a strong sense of social responsibility—remain the driving force for the whole Ramos family, their 2,500 employees in over 120 branches, and will keep National Book Store ahead in the next century. While fully bookstore our A2 Economics revision workshop at Fulham Broadway on Tuesday 30 November 2010 is now fully booked. Too many businesses mindlessly and lazily copy the market leader and each other, creating a blur of homogeneous, me-too offerings. That is why most businesses fail, because they are not able to stand out from the overcrowded marketplace. In this book, the authors share highly successful and practical strategies that they and other thriving entrepreneurs have used to great success. The book is co-written by Thomas Fernandez, Chairman and CEO of one of Singapore’s largest and most successful pests Control Company, and Sant Qiu, a highly sought-after Profit Strategist who has helped his clients radically increase their profits within a matter of months. Most other business books are either filled with complex textbook theories or inspirational success stories without revealing the truly critical information of how they actually did it. That’s where Secrets to Dominate Your Niche is different. It provides specific powerful differentiation strategies that the reader can immediately apply in their business today. These are supplemented with highly entertaining real-life case studies drawn from both authors’ experiences, keen observations of the behavior of the marketplace and actual big name entrepreneurs who have achieved success in their respective niches. For instance, in page 235 of the book Thomas reveals how he clinched a coveted major contract with a well-known 5-star hotel in Singapore, his company’s first major client, in spite of being the â€Å"unproven† newcomer in the pest control industry. He did this by using one of the strategies detailed in the book — offering a gutsy guarantee. The book also tells the reader how they can use this strategy in several different ways. And if the reader has the guts to put all the strategies to good use in their business, then one of the not-to-be-missed chapters shows you how to pit yourself against the market leader in your industry and come out tops. In the chapter Differentiate By Polarity Positioning, the authors explains why picking a fierce fight against the biggest competitor can be a smart move to quickly gain market share and establish your brand. (Hint: this is what made Apple Inc extremely successful.) The book contains specific, sometimes contrarian and radical strategies of how a business can differentiate itself in many ways, such as being a leader, being a specialist and even by charging premium prices. The authors show that these strategies really work in the real business world by citing proven examples of how these have been used successfully by other entrepreneurs as well. What’s most refreshing is the fact that they unselfishly share these â€Å"niche domination secrets† in detail and break them down into easy-to-follow steps. Readers will also find nuggets of business wisdom in the form of Success Keys in the second chapter, which details ways to develop the right entrepreneurial mindset to succeed; as well as management and R&D tips to grow their company in the last two chapters. Any businessman or aspiring entrepreneur would certainly benefit from these insightful â€Å"secrets† to gain market share and increase their profits. It is no wonder that well-known local entrepreneurs like Elim Chew, Douglas Foo, Adam Khoo and Lawrence Leow enthusiastically endorse this book. Even educators from prominent institutions such as SMU, Cornell-Nanyang Institute of Hospitality Management and Singapore Polytechnic have given the book rave reviews. It has even garnered international praise from business gurus such as Brain Tracy and Michael Weissman. They have hailed it as â€Å"a must read not only for entrepreneurs but for leaders of organisations† that will become â€Å"a bookshelf reference in our libraries†. Powerbooks opened its pages to the public on August 16, 1996. Amidst the drab and routine of ordinary bookstores, Powerbooks merged the passion of a literary salon and the sensibilities of a good bookstore. It provided ardent book lovers with a perfect mix of a cozy reading ambience, a coffee shop and an accessible good book to fulfill whatever fancy they may have. With a selection of almost 200,000 titles (and growing! ) from different genres, PowerBooks gives its patrons the most relevant selection of books at a competitive price. Book sale is increasing their market share tripled in the last six months because of the sales of the hardback book, and it has now topped the list as one of their bestselling products. Merriam & Webster Bookstore the two firms declined comment on the possibility of a sale, but Merriam-Webster’s market value was estimated in the business press between $20 million to $40 million. Sales performance Goodwill bookstore and/or other intangible assets are present in every business and they should not be discriminated against given their direct relationship to profitability and financial and operational performance. It is a feature of our modern service and information economy that hard assets are less and less important as time progresses. In fact, even those businesses considered to be hard asset heavy will feature goodwill values of at least 45% and often much higher (more profitable, more goodwill – get the idea). Actual statistics related to real world business acquisitions are provided next in order to document this fact. Goodwill’s workers certainly have no complaints, judging by their loyalty to the company. â€Å"We’re like one big family. The employees chose not to [join a union] because I think they’re satisfied and happy,† says Suplico, adding that the company has a low employee turnover. Goodwill management offers benefit schemes to employees based on competence. Depending on company and individual performance, the management provides financial perks and training while National Bookstore rapid growth and expansion can lay some tough demands on even the most successful enterprises. Such difficulties weren’t lost on National Bookstore, the Philippines’ biggest retailer of books and office supplies. As well-stocked branches of the store mushroomed around the country in the early 1990s, the resulting higher purchasing costs had to be addressed by integrating its entire supply chain. As an emerging retail giant, National had been aggressively launching new branches, and even new store concepts, such as PowerBooks and Office One Superstore. Such expansion begged for robust information systems that could provide critical decision support—from tracking company sales at a moment’s notice to monitoring inventory to the last item—delivered in time, of course. National thus undertook a strategic I. T. initiative in 1996 to streamline its retail operations and also improve the quality of in-store service. By aligning its I. T.  and business objectives, National was ultimately hoping to get a good return on its I. T. investment. The company initially hired international consultants who evaluated the stores’ needs and long-term goals, developed a technology roadmap and recommended appropriate applications software. Hardware selection was just as judicious in view of universal worries over runaway operating costs, including expenses for managing upgrades and maintenance. NBS chose to address the total-cost-of-ownership issue by standardizing its store automation platform on a single solution from a single vendor. Fully booked In business terminology, a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) is a quantifiable measurement for gauging business success. In Analysis Services, a KPI is a collection of calculations that are associated with a measure group in a cube that are used to evaluate business success. Typically, these calculations are a combination of Multidimensional Expressions (MDX) expressions or calculated members. KPIs also have additional metadata that provides information about how client applications should display the results of the KPI’s calculations. A KPI handles information about a goal set, the actual formula of the performance recorded in the cube, and measurement to show the trend and the status of the performance. AMO is used to define the formulas and other definitions about the values of a KPI. A query interface, such as ADOMD. NET, is used by the client application to retrieve and expose the KPI values to the end user. PowerBooks The sale performance is profitable if the sales funnel worked. The sales funnel describes the actual conversion of prospects into sales. It is called as such because it includes the conversion ratio at each stage of the sales cycle, which has a funneling effect. Also, it is profitable if the impact with high-level executives is strong. Getting valuable time with high-level executives, knowing what to do and say when you’re in the meeting to ensure the most impact at the executive level, and winning the approval of key executives at the end of the meeting. With telemarketing on the rise and an increasing number of people screening their incoming calls, phoning a prospect and hoping to get an appointment with him or her requires new techniques. It can cost four times as much to sell to a new customer compared to an existing one. By taking advantage of existing relationships and ongoing contact with customers, companies can sell more products and services, reduce the cost of sales, enhance customer loyalty, and drive revenue. PowerBooks transports beyond paragraphs and chapters. Reading is not merely a common action in PowerBooks; it has its reputation as we said awhile ago; it has an experience of enabling the limitless journey of the mind, which every book lover takes in the process of reading. As PowerBooks continues to expand, with volumes upon volumes of stores like its books, customers can be assured that PowerBooks will always be spearheading innovation as a part of its growth, catering to the constantly changing needs and interests of bibliophiles in every PowerBooks store. This only satisfies that their sale performance is profitable. A book sale sale performance of Book Sale is not too good because based on the graph their sales was become lower than the previous sales so, their profit was becoming lower. Merriam & Webster Bookstore It boasted a wealth of new words from the fields of education, social science, and sports, and in particular from the tremendous scientific and technological revolution the country was going through, from which inventions and concepts, such as the telephone, the automobile, the phonograph, and the light bulb, emerged almost daily. Collegiate sales would grow steadily through the 20th century until by 2004 Merriam-Webster had sold more than 55 million copies, making it one of the best-selling hardcover books in American publishing history, second only to the Bible. Service The excellent services of Goodwill bookstore can accommodate needs quickly, effectively with experienced workers, always come through with the best. Specifically, we allocate the fair value of the wireless reporting unit to all of the assets and liabilities of that unit, including any unrecognized intangible assets, in a hypothetical calculation that would yield the implied fair value of goodwill. If the implied fair value of goodwill is less than the goodwill recorded on our consolidated balance sheet, we record an impairment charge for the difference. The Goodwill Bookstore is well-organized bookstore with neat shelves of old books. Goodwill book store generally stock all the books and other materials required in all the courses offered at the institution. Goodwill book store has kind and gentle customer service. Goodwill bookstore offers a low price of books. Goodwill bookstore provides added convenience to everyone’s book shopping experience. Goodwill bookstore has fair discounts together with various participating companies in the book & publishing industry. Goodwill book store people can visit your web site to buy and download your book almost instantly while the service of National Bookstore has served countless generations with high-quality reading materials at the most competitive prices. It has been instrumental in shaping young minds by nurturing children with books rich in core values and providing a wide array of academic titles and reprints for their education. National Book Store also offers every imaginable product for school and office use. From ordinary supplies to creative novelties, students and professionals in search of a particular item seldom leave the stores disappointed. Fully booked providing excellent service, both to external and internal customers, is one of the toughest challenges faced by every organization. Investment in products, technology, and systems can be undermined with ineffective behavior by front-line staff. Disallow negative talk about customers within the workplace. Forbid employees from talking about your customers in a negative light; this will improve their overall perception about the importance of the customer to the company’s success. This positive attitude will subconsciously transfer to a positive interaction with the customers themselves. . Record customer service calls. Listen to customer service calls to help determine several quantitative measures by which to measure customer service. There are time measures such as time to solve a problem or the number of issues handled within a certain time frame. There is also the ability to determine how many situations an employee has resolved with respect to other employees in a certain time period. Though, time is not everything in customer service if they are not being treated cordially. Use recorded customer service calls to determine which employees need further training on dealing with customers based on their tone of voice and direct language. Fully booked are extremely easy to work with. Their staff is friendly and efficient. In terms of service and the caliber of their staff, Fully Booked is the best agency. PowerBooks Big discounts on bulk orders Depending on your total purchase get as much as 20% discount. Free delivery for a minimum purchase of PhP 5,000, we will deliver your books to your company, school, or organization. Read Now, Pay Later Get to read and review books for free. Pull out books from our stores for a maximum of two weeks to assess at your leisure. Book fairsencourage the love of reading through exclusive book fairs. We’ll bring the latest selections and bestsellers to your students and employees. Powerbooks book fairs- the perfect addition to your events/activities. Easy Payment Terms Special payment terms for your employees can be arranged if they purchase books during our scheduled book fairs. The books that they have chosen can be deducted from their salaries. Convenient Purchasing of Books Now, you can easily purchase titles from Powerbooks. You don’t have to go to our branches. Simply order via email, fax, or over the phone. Book sale Book Sales provides sales & marketing for publishers wishing to command a presence in the important book markets, they also work closely with agents and distributors worldwide in order to be able to offer global distribution for English language titles if required. They offer a range of bespoke services to suit individual requirements, ranging from sales representation & distribution to the book trade through to a comprehensive marketing & promotion strategy. They develop long term relationships with their clients, working as true partners to develop and realize the full potential of their lists. Merriam & Webster Bookstore This store offers all items needed for school, offering top quality brands and affordable alternatives, giving customers’ freedom of choice. M&W may not be the most popular school supplies store but with the same array of items, lower price and shorter check-out lines, school shopping is stress-free. What’s more, they deliver for free within the vicinity for purchases of P1, 000. Good news for those who can’t carry home huge boards for projects or heavy loads of items for school opening. Most valuable products For the last 30 years, Goodwill Bookstore has always been one of the major booksellers during this most awaited event. Traditionally each year, Goodwill showcases its widest array of textbooks, references, pocket books, trade & children`s books and other quality reading materials both from foreign and local publishers. These are sold with huge book fair discounts together with various participating companies in the book & publishing industry. Aside from the usual book trade, Goodwill Bookstore and its affiliate, KATHA Publishing Co. , Inc. will be featuring special events & book launches. Providing added convenience to everyone’s book shopping experience, Goodwill Bookstore and Bridges Bookstore announce the official launch of their respective websites, www. goodwillbookstore. com and www. bridgesbookstore. com on September 16, 2009, the first day of the 30th Manila International Book Fair at 5:00PM, Meeting Room 4 of the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City. The Great Recession has hurt many businesses in the past two years, but one benefactor appears to be Goodwill Books, the used bookstore operated by Goodwill Industries. The store at 6063 Park in Park Place Centre was launched in February 2008 and has experienced such strong success that it was expanded earlier this year. The bookstore recorded $78,000 in sales by the end of September. By comparison, the area’s only other Goodwill book store, on Goodman Road in Southaven and open since 2006, had sales of $101,000 in the same time frame. â€Å"The economy has helped the bookstore business where people who may not have shopped here before have tried it out and those who had shopped here may shop here more,† said Goodwill vice president of operations Dave Leutwyler. â€Å"It’s all about being in the right place with the right product. â€Å"Leutwyler expects the Park Avenue location to match the Goodman Road numbers as awareness of the store grows. â€Å"We think it’s a first-class operation and we’re pretty proud of it,† Leutwyler said. â€Å"It’s doing really well. â€Å"The location was first conceived as a much-needed donation center, although it became apparent that it was more room than was needed. â€Å"We wanted to generate revenue to offset the cost of the rent, and the bookstore was a good alternative to fill the space,† Leutwyler said. Customers are drawn from nearby restaurants, St. Francis Hospital and the Courtyard by Marriott next door. Many buyers grab and go, but there is also an area where browsers can sit and read. â€Å"We have a good product, terrific service and great customers,† Leutwyler said. â€Å"We get customers looking to get away from the hospital for a bit and travelers at the hotel. Sometimes, at the end of the week, a traveler will bring a book back that’s been bought to donate back to the store. â€Å"Eleanor Troutman has worked at the store since it opened, and said it now has 10,000 books on its shelves, including those in hardback fiction, trade paperback, history, biography, self help and, of course, Oprah’s book club. â€Å"The expansion gave us the chance to offer more of the categories our customers are interested in,† Troutman said. Each donation center is linked to a particular Goodwill retail store. For the Goodwill Books store, certain centers’ books — the cream of the crop — have been designated for sale at the bookstore. All of our stores still have a nice selection of books,† Leutwyler said. â€Å"Any rare or valuable books will go to the bookstore† while MANILA, Philippines – Dell Philippines broke out from the mold by being the first PC company to tap National Bookstore as a reseller. Traditionally, IT companies appoint seasoned computer distributors and dealers that operate computer shops in major malls to carry their products. Dell, however, believes computers are now undoubtedly considered office and school supplies that it is just right to be in the shelves of National Bookstore, the country’s oldest and biggest chain of bookstore Best Buy Pals was created specifically for the choosy and trend-seeking teens. This new product line ensures that teens have new and exciting designs of school supplies and accessories to choose from. The annual product calendar features books and school and office supplies available at the stores. Every year, new and exciting features are added to make the calendar a more useful and effective communication and marketing tool. Fully booked is one of the hippest and most visited bookstore chains in the Philippines. They not only sell the widest selection of books at reasonable prices, they care for the environment too. Fully Booked Gift Certificates allow your loved ones to choose the item that is perfect for them in any of our Fully Booked stores. Fully Booked Corporate Accounts aim to help your company meet its needs for books. Whether you’re looking for training and reference materials to stay ahead in a fast changing industry, building your company’s library or rewarding important employees or clients, we have the solutions for you. 10% discount on cash purchases and 5% discount on credit card purchases for all your company employees (once initial purchase has been made). Facility to order books not currently in stock. PowerBooks valuable products, Educational books, Children Books, Fiction Books, Dictionaries, Bibles, Magazines , Newspapers. PowerBooks Corporate accounts are comprised of valued schools, companies, and organizations that enjoy numerous benefits from PowerBooks. Depending on your total purchase, get as much as 20% discount. For a minimum purchase of PhP 5,000, we will deliver your books to your company, school, or organization. Special payment terms for your employees can be arranged if they purchase books during our scheduled book fairs. The books that they have chosen can be deducted from their salaries. Book sales through retailers fell in 2009, and overall bookstore sales have been treading water since 2003 according to the government (table below). The combined total for media sales (mainly books) of the Barnes&Noble and Borders chains plus Amazon North America and BN. com was $13. 5 billion, with all the gain comng from online sales. These sums include a couple billion dollars worth of DVD’s, CD’s, coffee and brownies that aren’t publicly broken out of the numbers. Barnes and Noble pointed out years ago in a conference call that â€Å"most† of their business is in stable backlist sales, and their most valuable asset is their real estate. They are trying to create new book selling realestate with their Nook eBook reader, and claim their share of the eBook market is now greater than their share of the printed book market. The decline in Borders North American sales accelerated in 2009, they opened no new superstores and closed many Waldens bookstores in malls. Amazon media sales grew at a healthy pace, thanks to Kindle and Prime. Merriam & Webster Bookstore They offer educational books, children books, fiction books, dictionaries, bibles, magazines, newspapers, periodicals, CD Center, Office Essentials, quality plastic covers of thick grades and branded pencils with sturdy lead that lasts the whole school year can be found here. M&W also carries textbooks from their own publication and selected publishers, art supplies and cutie character knick-knacks all covered in one stop. You can purchase Merriam-Webster’s high quality references through your favorite bookstore, office supply retailer, or software dealer. Choose from a wide selection of dictionaries, writers’ guides, readers’ references, and CD-ROMs. Moreover, the company was convinced that while dictionaries in various electronic formats, especially Web-based, might never fully replace print dictionaries, they would be an important means of dictionary use in the future. Finally, Merriam-Webster realized that to keep hold of its leadership in dictionary publishing, its dictionaries had to be accepted as the standard by which dictionaries were measured. M&W is saleable because this is not only impressive in terms of completeness, it’s definitely budget friendly. The best marketing strategy The month of July has been a dismal month for the bulls in the market. The downtrend occurred most of the time in the oversold condition. This makes it difficult to put on extensive short positions when the market is in that status. That is why having some short positions as well as longs is a prudent strategy. There will always be excellent short charts in an up-trending market and there will always be good bullish signals in a down-trending market. When the market conditions are such that the trend is not clearly definable, the use of candlestick signals can make a portfolio strategy easy to implement. Having the portfolio positioned with both long and shorts during indecisive periods in the market provides a format that will profit from being in some positions that benefit from the market direction with the possibility that the opposite positions may not move against the portfolio. At worst, the positions opposite the market direction should not move against the portfolio in the same magnitude as the positions profiting from the market direction. The signals indicate circumstances that move the prices in the direction indicated even though it is opposite the market direction, such as a short signal pushing a price down when the rest of the market is moving up. Is your business strategy targeting your best market segment? Let’s analyze how much the Top Market Strategy will multiply your sales and profit. You see, we are all created equal, but some prospects are more â€Å"equal† than others. If your business is typical, prospects in the top 20% will produce 16 times more sales and profit than other market segments. Do you want to predict who is in your top market segment? Learn how a universal principle governs your sales and profit. Salespeople readily see that many of their sales come from a few customers, but the most successful salespeople analyze how the 80:20 rule of thumb works with their customers. When sales people segment their market by sales, they discover that 80% of their sales come from customers in the top 20%, whereas 20% of sales come from customers in the bottom 80%. Does this seem true for customers of your business? If your business is typical, this result must be true since the 80:20 rule is an application of Pareto’s universal principle. Figure 1 analyzes the sales of two market segments of a typical business. Goodwill bookstore temporary Site First of its Kind in Nation; Partnership with the Transgender Economic Empowerment Initiative (TEEI) to Help Create Job Training and Employment Opportunities for Transgender Individuals. SAN FRANCISCO, CA, September 27, 2010 — Goodwill Industries of San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin Counties (â€Å"Goodwill†) is pleased to announce the Grand Opening of its new â€Å"pop up† store in San Francisco’s Castro District. A new concept for Goodwill, which currently operates 17 stores and 26 donation sites across three counties, the store is the first of its kind nationally to provide job training and employment opportunities for members of the transgender community. Part of this historic opening is Goodwill’s partnership with the Transgender Economic Empowerment Initiative (TEEI), which will work with Goodwill to encourage employment sustainability among transgender individuals. Goodwill offers job training and placement programs that help foster career development and employment sustainability for people who face challenges to finding employment. With an estimated 70% of transgender Californian’s facing workforce discrimination, with fewer than half employed full time, there is a growing need for job training and employment opportunities among the transgender population. * â€Å"Work with dignity is a basic human right. Anyone with the desire to work should be able to,† said Deborah Alvarez-Rodriguez, President and CEO, Goodwill Industries of San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin Counties. â€Å"We’re proud to work with TEEI on leveraging the Castro pop up store as a place where transgender individuals can seek employment and receive on the job training in effort to fight workforce disparity among California’s transgender population. † TEEI, a unique collaborative program of the San Francisco Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Community Center (The Center), Jewish Vocational Service, and the Transgender Law Center, was designed to help transgender individuals find stable jobs that provide a living wage, benefits, and opportunities for advancement. Its partnership with Goodwill is an example of the continued collaboration it hopes to have among local government, neighborhoods, businesses, and philanthropies, to improve the lives of transgender individuals in the workforce. â€Å"Based on a recent California survey transgender respondents are twice as likely as the general population to hold a Bachelors degree, yet are also twice as likely to live below the poverty line,†* said Clair Farley, TEEI Economic Development. Coordinator. â€Å"It is our hope the Castro pop up store will serve as a model for future programs to help transgender individuals overcome the barriers they face to finding sustainable employment. † San Francisco District 8 Supervisor Bevan Dufty, who was instrumental in helping bring Goodwill and TEEI together on the pop up store, agrees: â€Å"This promises to be a Goodwill store that is unique as the Castro, bringing new shoppers to the neighborhood, and jobs to those in need. † National Bookstore offers a wide range of products from the retail sale and distribution of books to the sale of various school supplies. National Bookstore’s products, specifically the school supplies, are mostly aimed for the students’ and office workers’ consumption and needs. However, the customers of National Bookstore are not limited to just students and office workers.

Passage Analysis Essay †The Lord Of The Flies by William Golding Essay

â€Å"†¦. he was thin and bony, and his hair was red beneath the black cap. His face was crumpled and freckled, and ugly without silliness. Out of this face stared two light blue eyes, frustrated now, and turning, or ready to turn, to anger.† This is a description of Jack’s physical self. Apart from the fact that his eyes were to turn red because of frustration, Jack sounds like an adorably cute twelve year old. Just like we are always told to never judge a book by its cover, we should never judge a person based on their physical appearance. Jack Merridew is far from an adorable kid. Behind those pretty light blue eyes lies not a human being but a snake, a dog, an ape. An evil prehistoric man, as described on pages 48 and 49. This passage is important because it plays as an introduction of Jack’s true personality, element that is essential in the rest of the novel. In this passage, it is said that Jack is seduced by the sound of pig footsteps on the ground, showing how obsessed he will become later in the book about death. The fact that in this passage he does not succeed at achieving his goal, and becomes frustrated, contributes to the brutality in his future hunts and the creation of a celebration dance. It also contributes to Jack’s realization that he cannot do this alone, bringing the rest of the hunters in to his world of mad savagery. The passage is significant to the whole plot of the book, since it explains the involvement of the other boys in the killing scenes and Jack’s blood driven personality. The scenery described in the passage is also important. It achieves its goal in demonstrating the difficulties presented when being inside the jungle. The dense air that is trapped in between the trees, under their branches makes it a hard place to breathe in. The tangled creepers, branches and bushes in general, make the jungle a hard place to walk through. Another important aspect of the jungle description in the passage, are the pig runs. These will be important in the future of the book since they are the only â€Å"clearing† in the thick jungle and witnesses of the deaths that will occur on them. As said before, the true personality of Jack comes afloat, for the first time in the book in this passage. The way he is described as a snake, is symbolic to the strong evil force in him. Symbolic of how, later on, in the book, he betrayes Ralph and stops at nothing to achieve what he wants. Complete power over the island and its inhabitants. The description of him as a dog is symbolic of his actions. How he just goes ahead with what his instincts tell him, and not really thinking about the consequences of his actions. He is just driven by the fun and freedom these momentarily provide. And last, but not least, his description of being like an ape symbolizes the decrease of civilization in each and every one of the boys. It is a visual comparison of Jack to a prehistoric animal. How he is going back into the basics of mankind. In conclusion to all the reasons presented, on why this passage is significant in the story of Lord of the Flies, it is to be summarized into just one phrase. This passage is simply an excellent introduction to one of the most influencial characters in the novel; Jack Merridew.

Post natal depression - a challenging Phase for the new mothers Essay

Post natal depression - a challenging Phase for the new mothers - Essay Example If one has a close watch on these mothers, they will exhibit roller coaster of emotions leading to extreme mood swings. In a way, the symptoms of post natal depression could be similar to other mental other depression. Early Signs In most of the cases, the mothers are usually unsure of what is happening and they may not know what needs to be done to solve the problem. Literally they will be cornered. They are often filled with mixed emotions with the joy of the new born and at the same time dissatisfaction with their body conditions and other mental pressures. A common thing that will be visible most of the affected new mothers is the lack of sleep. Some of the other symptoms include low self esteem, negative thoughts, irritability, poor concentration and difficulty in making crucial decisions, loss of appetite, etc. Failure in identifying the post natal depression can cause devastating effects on both the mother and the child. Like any other depression, the post natal depression can also be cured and the patients need not panic because of their condition, as the only step they have to take is identify the symptoms early and get treated immediately. What are the factors that could lead to Post natal depression? Physical changes â€Å"New mothers are experiencing biological, physical, emotional and social changes. It is likely that postnatal depression is caused by a combination of these things.† (â€Å"The Causes for Postnatal Depression†). From the above sentence one can clearly understand that the main causes of the Post natal depression is based on the Physical changes, emotional changes and social changes a mother will undergo after the delivery of her child. Many friends of mine, who were recent mothers, revealed that they felt worn out and was tired all the time, after the delivery. This is one of the major physical changes and it can be described in the form of the exhaustions and the post operative pain, if the expectant mother had a caesa rian delivery. Also the mother’s appetite may be affected due to improper intake of food and as a result they may become physically worn-out. They feel less confident and also less attractive because of the changes in the body conditions and become less inclined to look after themselves. As new mothers will be naturally fat due to pregnancy, they will think that their beauty has all gone, and their husbands will not like them. Emotional Changes The next aspect that could cause this Post-natal depression is the strong emotional changes, which may occur in the mothers’ minds. They may not experience the same positive feelings, which they might have had or expected during the pregnancy, after they had delivered their babies. â€Å"Adapting to parenthood is daunting.† (â€Å"Better health Channel†). As per the statement the new mothers need to fulfill the constant demands of the child which is a highly tiresome process. On the other hand, the tiredness caused due to the delivery pain can also bring about depression and therefore they will not be overwhelmed with their babies. Social Changes The other vital contributing factor for the post natal depression is the social changes, when will be undergone by the mother. It seems that even the whole society could act as a ‘villain’ against the mother. That is, the arrival of the new baby might cause an upheaval in

Confederate General Robert Lee Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Confederate General Robert Lee - Research Paper Example That was the case with Robert Lee. From the ancestors from the mother’s side he got a handsome appearance; from the father’s - physical strength and sense of duty and responsibility, which during the years of revolution General George Washington himself noted in Henry Lee. Even the financial problems of father positively affected his son: for his entire life, Robert Lee was extremely meticulous and careful in all the matters concerning money and business. Ann Carter Lee also instilled in the son the perception of the importance of the family values. Robert tenderly loved his mother. By the time he turned 12, his father died and his brothers had left home so he was the only son living with his mother. He had to become a head of a big house and took a great care of his mother and sisters, who were weak health wise. Robert Lee chose a military career because of the financial concerns. His older brother Charles Carter was studying in Harvard and the family did not have money for Robert to do likewise. So he took the only option available, which is of entering West Point Military Academy. During his cadet years, Lee did not receive a single penalty and served as the cadet corps’ adjutant. He was loved and respected by his schoolmates and graduated second in his class. Years later, in 1852, Lee returned to the West Point Academy as the superintendent. The best graduates were assigned to Engineer Corp; the same applied to Robert Lee. Among his first assignments in the practical military field was dam construction in Saint Louis and strengthening coast forts in Brunswick and Savannah. He carried out engineer projects in Georgia, Virginia and New York. On June 30, 1831, he married Mary Ann Randolph Custis, a distant relative. Mary was the only daughter of George Washington Park Custis, adopted grandson of George Washington. Robert Lee always honored the memory of George Washington and really admired his great services to his country.

CASE STUDY THree stories by Edgar Allen Poe Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

THree stories by Edgar Allen Poe - Case Study Example In the story, the relationship existing between the old man and the narrator is unclear whether the old man is a father or the narrator is a servant to the old man. The story is, therefore, a short time documented life experience story, which the author uses to portray the personifying characters. In as much as the story, tell tale heart does not make use of pronouns and other necessary English devices; it sparks symbolical ideologies and themes in people. The story starts with a conversation where an alleged man is confessing to an unknown person. It is not clear whether it is a prison guard, doctor, news reporter or a psychiatrist. In the process of giving a confession, memory of terror prevail in the story where the man admits the state of guilt. This grabs the attention of readers as the narrator take responsibility for murder, but does not accept insanity (Poe 23). The narrator attempts to prove his guiltiness while at the same time denying insanity in confessing. It is, therefo re, a story, which involves a tag of war between two forces, one confessing a murder while the other defends sanity, hence the name tell tale.The narrator, while lamenting, tries to defend himself from any idea, which might portray him as insane. At the same time he says, â€Å"I heard many things in hell. ... From a reader’s perspective, this might be one of the causes of misunderstanding in the story, which makes the narrator plan for the old man’s murder. In addition, the story penetrates a veil of secrecy in the final night regardless of the incidental relationship existing. (Poe, 45). To ascertain the death of the old man, he cuts his body parts and hides the remains under the floor. The dissimilation to protect his conscience gets centered in the old man’s vulture eyes. Subsequently, the quest to know more remains in readers having the anxiety to understand the motives behind the killings. The heart is symbolic of emotions of the individual. It shows the guilt of the narrator when the investigation proceeds. It seems the narrator is speaking to the heart. The old man’s bedroom is symbolic in the story. The manner of narrator’s intrusion into the room is symbolic of the violation of the violation of honor that the man had. In the story, the watch is symbolic of time. Notable aspect imagery in the story is that of the lantern displayed as beautiful and decent. In conclusion, the story, tell tale heart is more of similar to Roderick Usher’s book, the fall of the house of usher. Both reveal uncontrolled imagination among characters, which gets linked to psychological and emotional instabilities. The story is a representation in the struggle between imagination and science. The old man in the story represents scientific, rational mind in allegorical sequence portraying high degree of intelligence. The black Cat The short story of Poe was published in 1843. It closely relates other works by Poe since it portrays the notion psychological guilt. In this case, the

Applied Strategic Management Speech or Presentation

Applied Strategic Management - Speech or Presentation Example It is alleged that the main problem was complacency in the area of management and absurd demands from the UAW, for instance, the Jobs Bank paid workers around 95% of their previous wages until the organization found them a job and the management was reluctant to solve the problems (Ingrassia 87). It is alleged that one thing that the General Motors did right was to lead Detroit in establishing a joint venture with the Japanese companies that helped Ford and Chrysler to equally engage into partnerships. Consequently, they were able to see first hand how the Japanese worked to ensure a competitive advantage. During this period, they learned that the Japanese registered higher profits because they kept their inventories lean, did not keep the store weeks’ worth of parts at great costs unlike the Detroit, and practiced just in time delivery to ensure timely supply of the materials. Moreover, unlike Detroit, the Japanese motivated their workers by rewarding them. Consequently, this gave them a competitive edge (Ingrassia 78-79). Despite what the three big companies learnt from the Japanese, they failed miserably during the recession period that saw competition heighten. Between 1979 and 1982, Chrysler and Ford lost around $ 5billion, while the General Motors lost $763 million. Consequently, other people were affected, like in the case of the employees whereby, around 250,000 of them got fired (Ingrassia 80) It is argued that people panic when gas prices go up to an extent of vowing to drive less and to purchase vehicles with better mileage. However, when the gas prices go down, the people go back to their old behavior as well as the actions that had initially created a market for big trucks and SUV’S. For instance in the 1980s, when the gas prices started to drop, Americans started buying the big cars just like before (Ingrassia 85). It is claimed that organizations end up selling their jets during unstable economic times and even buy better models onc e the risks are over. Additionally, the unions end up giving wage benefits and hikes only to realize that the management has heightened their bonuses and the retirement figures (Ingrassia 88-92). Consequently, this creates conflicts and long term hatred; hence, destroying all efforts to have a collaborative partnership that is required to have an effective and a successful organization. Various reasons have been linked to the challenges that faced the ‘big three’. For instance, after the US engaged in the Persian Gulf War, the economic recession heightened as the sale of cars dropped. During this period, General Motors lost around $2 billion. Instead of correcting the situation, the company ended up coming up with rigorous management strategies such as layoffs followed by plant closings. Subsequently, the company went into bankruptcy following the poor management by the CEO, Stempel. As a result of poor management and lack of rational changes, GM, Chrysler, and Ford con tinued to record more losses. The companies tried to reorganize, diversify and form joint ventures with no success. The Japanese companies such as Toyota, Nissan, and Honda, on the other hand, continued to expand and register higher profits than that of Detroit as they launched new brands such as Acura and Lexus

Chinese stock bouble 2007 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Chinese stock bouble 2007 - Research Paper Example This led to the skyrocketing of trading volume, as retail investors sought to reap the benefits of the record-making rise. According to a 2008 report by Yao and Luo, the SSE had hit 6124.04 by October 2007 (10).   That this was a stock bubble, was not lost on analysts - vice chairman of the National People’s Congress in China, Cheng Siwei, was among one of the many analysts to point out that, following a year of volatility, the Chinese stock market was overheating (qtd. in Tucker & Dyer). Even though the government took steps to tackle the dramatic situation, it could not succeed in heading the bubble off. By the end of 2007, the stock bubble had ‘burst’ - the SSE Composite Index began to see a fall right after October 2007 and, by the middle of 2008, had plunged to a shocking 2651.6 1 - less than half of what the index had been at its peak (Yao and Luo 7). This paper looks at this stock market crash - also known as the Chinese Stock Bubble 2007 - in detail, out lining what it was, the reasons because of which it occurred, and its effects on economic conditions within and outside of China. In addition to this, this paper also uses its review of the Chinese Stock Bubble to provide recommendations for avoiding such market crashes, in the future. THE CHINESE STOCK BUBBLE It has been seen that the Chinese stock market was, preceding the crash, characterized by volatility. This is demonstrated in How We Explain the Chinese Stock Market Bubble?, a report that graphs the rise and fall of the SSE Composite Index, from 2005 to 2008 as follows (1). As apparent from the graph, the Chinese stock market saw a boom at the beginning of 2007. This picked up momentum, until the market crashed at the end of the year. According to Yao and Luo (2), prices of stocks shot up after the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China became listed on several Chinese stock exchanges. The authors point out that, by the time the market had begun to heat, the combined market value of the 1500 odd companies listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges exceeded a massive 32 trillion RMB (2). Following the American economic recession of 2007 and a realization in investors that large Chinese companies had been moving to milk cash from â€Å"ignorant, prudent savers,† the bubble began to fizzle off - and fast (Yao and Luo 2). Within months, the market value of listed companies had begun to plummet; by June 2008, the combined market value of listed companies had fallen to less than half of what it had been during the bubble (Yao and Luo 2). Individually, the Shanghai Composite Index fell down by over 60%, while the Shehzen Composite Index saw a 60% plunge (Xinhui). Reasons for the Chinese Stock Market Crash American Sub-Prime Lending. While the official explanation for the Chinese stock market crash centred on the influence of American sub-prime lending on the Chinese economy, analysts have argued that this is a superficial justification that do es not delve into the actual reasons underlying the crash (Xinhui). Xinhui points out one valid argument for such criticism - the sub-prime loan crisis resulted in an 11% drop in the S&P Index, whereas the Chinese stock market crash was much more massive. Critically analyzing this chain of thought gives one food for thought - it is hard to believe

The Arrest Of Vessels Has Long Proven To Be A Controversial Exercise Essay

The Arrest Of Vessels Has Long Proven To Be A Controversial Exercise In The Law Of England And Wales - Essay Example Conclusion 6. Reflective review 7. Bibliography 1. Introduction a) Synopsis Pre-judgement security of claims and post-judgement execution of a suit are of importance in maritime law of any country. In both cases, it is the maritime creditor who is at the receiving end with concerns about the fulfilment of the credit extended to the debtor, as normally, most ships are credited and it is the concern of the creditor to realize the debt amount from the debtor. The concerns of the creditor become manifold when the debtor and the property under debt from the creditor are under litigation in the purview of the concerned admiralty law of the state. This calls for a study of the relevant processes and procedures involving the application of the international maritime laws to identify and evaluate the available methods and impact of the laws on the interests of the creditor and also the other related stakeholders of the ship1. Admiralty law derived from English law and the international mariti me law have relevant sections that state the process and procedures for the arrest of vessels, the ship owner and the ship which will be studied and which will be useful to understand the process of arrests, the ways in which the pre-judgement is carried to ensure that post-judgment is enabled after the suit is accepted and the litigations of the ship owners, creditors, sister ships, and also the issue of payment to the plaintiff and any other claimant of the property of the ship owner is carried with this knowledge. The Arrest Convention of 19522 and the ratified Arrest Convention of 19993,4,5,6 along with the Supreme Court Act 1981, at sect. 20(2)7 and sect. 218(1) will be studied to understand the probable scope and litigations arising out of the arrest of vessels as per the Admiralty law while considering its jurisdiction. This knowledge is used to suggest useful recommendations that can be practically implemented within the ambit of the English jurisdiction. The following secti ons discuss the aims and objectives of the paper, followed by a literature review of the laws of Admiralty, International Maritime Law, and the procedures for arrest, conflicts arising out of the etc. The research is commissioned by The British Shipowners' Federation and the report is targeted at outlining the effectiveness of arrest procedures in the UK and the possibilities for future reforms within the scope of international maritime law. b) Aims and objectives Aims- The aims of the research are to prepare a report for the British Shipowners’ Federation by: Exploring the literature available Admiralty Law and International Maritime Law based on English Law to develop critical competence of the information available and to reflect upon it Identify and evaluate the procedures for arrest of vessels in the British Admiralty Law and any conflicts with maritime laws of other countries Provide evidence for action research and need for critical reflection to recommend improvements to the Admiralty Law Objectives- To explore the different laws existing in relation to the arrest of vessels in the UK To identify any deviations in the British Admiralty Law from those of other countries that distinguishes between the procedures for vessel arrest To understand how the deviations in the laws concerning arrest of vessel impact the creditor or the ship owner To reflect upon the impact of the applicability of laws of the different countries on vessel arrest To plan and design a reflective learning report to improve

Marketing Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Marketing - Article Example Change in consumers’ behavior can be seen. In the present century where consumers are faced with a turbo-charged variety of options, it is necessary to understand their needs and provide them with honesty, truth and advice about the product. Present day marketing is engaging people in a way so that they not only get entertainment, but also get the information that they want. It is no surprise that numerous companies and professionals are adopting new approaches to marketing for the better definition of their brands. But it is also important to understand where, how and what to market. It is also important to make best use of new technology while not obsolescing the old media. The trend which can be seen in new models of marketing is that all the consumers are moving online, predominantly the young ones. But we can’t say that print media is dying since it has its own significance. We have print and electronic media; marketing just needs to be done at the right place and at the right time. It could be through Internet, video games, print media, social networks or anything at all. There are brands and consumers. It is necessary to understand how to create relevant and meaningful conversations with them that engage and enlighten and make the consumers want to find us. Marketers should understand the consumers’ new and primarily used communication media such as mobile devices (and the apps on them), YouTube, blogs, emails and a must mention, social networking sites such as â€Å"Facebook†. Marketers can place their ads on Facebook, based on the demographics of the people they want to target. For example, Nokia may display its new smartphone ad on a teen’s profile page in a particular country and during different times. However, marketing may not only be limited to these media. In fact, each and every connection point with the consumer can

Economic Impacts of the National Transportation Safety Board on the Term Paper

Economic Impacts of the National Transportation Safety Board on the Airline Industry - Term Paper Example There were 21 recommendations in between 2006 and 2008 to this center to addresses the management to conduct more accident investigations and studies related to the safety of air-travels (Dillingham, 1). The NTSB training center follows cutting-edge management practices, conducts investigations after accidents and studies for safety measures. NTSB also studies the usages of the Information Technology can help the aircrafts avoid these fatalities and losses. The organization (NTSB) has staff strength of over 400. The budget of the organization is approximately $100 million (at present). It is in charge of each and every civil aircrafts accident in the United States. It has a training center, which was opened in 2003. The training center provides training for the investigators of the organization, as well as other professionals attached to safety of transportation (Dillingham, 1). This study will reflect upon the impact of NTSB on the Airplane Industry Findings of NTSB on an Airplane C rash: US Air flight 427 operated by USAir crashed near Aliquippa (Pennsylvania) on the 8th of September 1994. It was an aircraft of the type Boeing 737-300. NTSB collected data for the air-crash. The total team of NTSB examined the spot and took a couple of years to arrive at the conclusion. It was found that no evidence of any explosion or collision with bird occurred (Walters and Robert, 5-9). Moreover, no trace of in-flight fire was found. Due to bad weather a lot of information went missing. However, the parts of the aircraft and the engine were working with efficiency till before the hazard (as per the research conducted by the NTSB investigators). The investigators conducted computer generated simulations due to lack of apt evidences. NTSB and NASA aerodynamics experts created a wake turbulence model and concluded that under atmospheric conditions that evening caused the havoc. The wake vortices probably had descended to approximately 300 and 500 feet every minute Additionally , NTSB also found that this turbulence had led to the crash of three other air carriers over the years ranging from 1964 to 1972 (Walters and Robert, 5-9). Role of NTSB in Shaping Aviation Industry and Economy (last 20 years): NTSB has already introduced a bill which will reauthorize the Aviation Administration in the United States. It has implemented fully the three management recommendations given in the earlier meetings by the congress (as of April 2008) (Dillingham, 5). The recommendations in the bill are listed below: (1) To facilitate proper channel of communication between staff and management, (2) To align the structure of the organization and to implement the strategic plans, and (3) To rectify the Anti-deficiency Act Violation pertaining to the purchase of accidental death and the dismemberment insurance towards the employees who meet with such accidents while on official duties. In addition, NTSB has progressed on the seven proposed recommendations (management) since the year 2008. NTSB has initiated sending report to the Congress the status of the recommendations and the actions taken thereafter. Moreover, NTSB has started taking steps to implement all three IT-related recommendations of the Congress (Dillingham, 5). NTSB has learned by researching over many years that the various organizations input unique perspective as well as knowledge during the investigative process. The pilots who fly the airplanes know the

Electrotherapy and Osteoarthritis Essay Example for Free

Electrotherapy and Osteoarthritis Essay Osteoarthritis has been described and defined as a condition involving the human bones that is caused by the breakdown of the joints, leading to the loss of cartilage, or what is known as the ‘cushion’ between the bone and the joint, in the affected joint or joints. Osteoarthritis is known to affect more than twenty million people every year in the United States of America alone. This degenerative disease affects persons aged above forty five, and it is found in both sexes, and it does not distinguish between races and colors and ethnicities. The hands, the feet, the spine and the large joints of the body fall prey to this debilitating disease, and until today, research has not been able to reveal the specific cause of osteoarthritis, although it is true that it can be directly attributed to the impact of ageing. Injuries in a joint, ageing and being overweight can also lead to the onset of osteoarthritis. The pain in osteoarthritis is caused due to the rubbing of the bones together after the cartilage that cushions them has been worn out. Some of the prescribed therapies to deal with the disease are exercise, stringent weight control, resting of the painful joints, pain relief medication, electrotherapy, and alternative therapies, and if the pain is excruciating, surgery. Electrotherapy is today one of the most accepted and used skills of physiotherapists, although it is by no means new. The use of heat, cold and electrical stimulation have been in use for a long time now, but the inherent problem is that the benefits and the advantages or disadvantages if any have not been analyzed or accounted for, and this means that the method is not as widely used as it can be. However, it remains a fact that electricity has been used by medical practitioners for hundreds of years now, and it is now one of the most common treatment approaches, giving new hope to millions of sufferers across the globe. (Kitchen, Sheila 2002) Take for example this table demonstrating the improvement in the management of pain in osteoarthritis using electrotherapy. Recent research has been able to prove that electricity would be able to bring immediate relief for both acute as well as chronic pain, and it must be remembered that in the case of osteoarthritis, the pain can be both acute and chronic. Nevertheless, the exact mechanism of electrotherapy is not known yet, although it is true that the method can block the transmission of pain signals across the nerves, and can also cause the release of endorphins, or the natural painkillers that are created by the body to combat pain. There can be several different types of electrotherapy methods, and some of them are: TENS, or ‘transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation’, inferential current, and galvanic stimulation. One must note that all the three methods use electrotherapy to stimulate nerves and muscles, through the adhesive pads that are applied on the skin. Electrotherapy must never be used over malignancies, open infections, over pacemaker leads, and over the throat, because it may cause lowered blood pressure, and over a pregnant uterus, as it may affect the fetus. In the year 2004, a randomized double blind pilot study on the impact of electrotherapy on about sixty four osteoarthritis patients suffering from moderate to severe pain in their various joints was conducted. The aim was to study whether the therapy would be useful in alleviating the pain for these patients, and it was found that it would definitely be able to provide temporary relief from severe and intolerable pain. At the present time, stated the researchers who were involved in the experiment, pain relief for osteoarthritis is predominantly medication, and this approach could bring better relief. In the study, the approach was to apply micro to milliamp current to certain specific areas of the patient’s head. This would result in the release of endogenous opioids from the various pain management areas located within the human brain. For a period of two weeks prior to and tow weeks after the study, the subject pain was self assessed using the ‘value scale’, and none of the physicians, patients and the device operators were let in on which device was real and which, false, and the data thus collected revealed the interesting fact that electrotherapy was indeed beneficial in bringing down the pain of the patients of osteoarthritis. According to the Australian Physiotherapy Association, there is sufficient evidence available to prove that physiotherapy management of the knee joints is a very good idea, and that there is a lack of evidence to prove that electrotherapy, specifically shortwave diathermy, including ultrasound, microwave and shortwave may be useful in managing the pain. It may however be true that a recent Cochrane review was able to prove conclusively that TENS or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation may be quite effective in controlling pain in these patients. However, better designed studies have to be made before it can be stated that TENS can be used to treat pain for osteoarthritis sufferers. (Bennell K, Hinman R, Crossley K 2001) It is important that the treatment plan must be made with the complete cooperation and consultation with the patient. The treatment goals would depend on the timescale of the treatment that he or she is undergoing for his osteoarthritis, the patient profile, and the affected joints. This would ensure that the patient achieves the maximum benefits of the treatment, so that he may be able to continue living a healthy and active life. Although research has shown that electrotherapy methods like laser therapy and ultrasound do not bring in any significant levels of improvement in the long term for the pain, they do bring in immediate relief from the pain. (EMHM Vogels, HJM Hendrick et al 2003) This cannot be taken to mean that electrotherapy does not bring relief for patients of osteoarthritis; it has been found that low power laser therapy has brought great relief for the pain of sufferers of osteoarthritis in Russia and in Eastern Europe. A study showed that electrotherapy brought relief for pain, mobility, tenderness and functioning in these patients, with relatively little adverse effects. In all probability, the mechanisms treated successfully using laser electrotherapy included peripheral nerve stimulation, resolution of inflammation, enhanced chondrocyte proliferation and increased matrix synthesis. (Ghassemi, M, Marks R 1999) There can be no doubt that the studies conducted so far are by no means conclusive, and the issue of handling the joint pains of those suffering from osteoarthritis with electrotherapy must be analyzed and studies further to bring in real statistics and real results. Perhaps, very soon, there may be available some sort of revolutionary treatment for the management of pain, which these patients would be able to use without fear of side effects or other complications, so that they may be able to continue to live an active and healthy lifestyle.

Supply Chains and Store Operations of Oil Companies

Supply Chains and Store Operations of Oil Companies Introduction Recently, the Iraq War and the War on Terror have caused some surges for the energy industry; oil prices have been heavily fluctuated. Ironically, the solid performance in overall oil industry suggests that oil companies are heading with decent momentum. ‘The surge in oil prices, from $10 a barrel in 1998 to above $50 in early 2005, has prompted talk of a new era of sustained higher prices. Even so, an unusually loud chorus is now joining Messrs OReilly and Chavez, pointing to intriguing evidence of a new price floor of $30 or perhaps even $40. To see which camp is right, two questions need answering: why did the oil price soar? And what could keep it high?’[1] The energy industry has experienced the tumultuous era domestically and internationally. This paper will apply STEEP and Porter’s five forces to determine competitive strategies in order to respond to two questions: why did the oil price soar, and what could keep it high? Porter’s Five Forces 1. Bargaining power of suppliers The oil companies have exposed to price fluctuation risk. Additionally, currency exchange risks have increased the cost of capital and worsen the debt ratio in the oil industry. As a result, oil companies might enter into long-term sales contracts for the oil and gas suppliers and establish long-term hedging agreements to protect against currency volatility.[2] However, the question is whether the industry has succeeded in finding its way to organize alliances between oil suppliers and oil producers. Although bringing down the costs of developments through common practices has already been established, the achievement breaks down some barriers which have existed between oil companies and their contractors for such a long time. Additionally, the profits from oil reservoirs have caused political turmoil in Venezuela and the Middle East region. OPEC (the Organization of Petroleum of Exporting Countries) is confident to defend its stated high price policy at any costs. Furthermore, high-sky oil prices have been helped by the strong demand from China. Coupling with these events is the sharp downturn of the U.S. dollars. Thus, the global downstream market has undergone pressure; the oil industry has high power of suppliers. 2. Threat of Substitute Products High gasoline prices drive efforts to increase ethanol consumption and ethanol related products. Additionally, propane, methanol, natural gas and especially ethanol are most widely uses gasoline-alternatives. Besides, electricity, hydrogen and palm oil become among substitute fuels which car producers and chemical companies are developing. Europeans cut their dependence on oil suppliers by switching to substitutes, such as coal, nuclear power, and natural gas. Nevertheless, the Euro currency now appreciates against U.S. Dollars. Since Europeans usually purchase oil in U.S. currency, their profit margins become narrowed. The fuel prices are so high that it would take a quick drop to make ethanol unprofitable and stunt the growth of its use. On the other hand, gasoline prices at high record can help biotech companies achieve a breakthrough in reducing cost of ethanol. It might take a few years before reasonable prices for ethanol could be commercially available, and cheaper ethanol might not take much of a dent in gas price. Thus at this time the threat of substitutes is low for the industry. 3. Bargaining power of buyers As mentioned, gasoline at this time does not have many alternatives although many nations have tried to reduce dependences on oil suppliers. However, these substitutes also require suitably designed devices, which might cause higher cost of finished goods. As a result, in the mean time, the cost incentives will discourage the purchasing power. The oil industry is defined as a basic commodity. The outlook for the energy industry is given high commodity prices, high growing demand, and lack of alternatives to oil as the primary transportation fuels. The oil industry has efficiently squeezed from operating assets, such as untapped resources and refineries. The growth of oil price will lead to increase transportation and energy in price, driven by market forces inflamed by infrastructure shortage. Despites of many impacts, oil industry has low bargaining power of buyers due to a few substitutes. 4. Threat of New Entrants The oil industry requires more financial investment for reservoir allocation. Many major oil companies have fended off the advances of these unbranded foes. However, the â€Å"upstarts† have inroads with marketing strategies. One of the criteria is to focus on brining down drilling costs to keep the pace of activity. A combination of high oil price and uncertainty of oil price might bring about several government reviews of energy sector. Thus, this will have a marked impact on exploration operation in oil industry. They have applied different strategies from those of the past, enjoyed superior returns and captured value from the integrated giants. Thirty years ago oil companies were primary operators of service stations, enjoying exclusivity in the gasoline market. Now, many factors have combined to put pressure on margins. The consumers’ ties to the stations, operated by major oil companies, have been weakened. The convenience stores have begun selling gasoline and provided new services. But, major oil companies have not yet considered these retailers as a major threat. They still view these unbranded offering as inferior in terms of quality and consumer appeal. However, since the petroleum industry merged, consumer attitudes and the impacts on the brand choice have been changed. Unfortunately, those factors now stay largely inside the stores, not with the major oil companies. The drivers of brand choice have evolved, especially when the new consumers define brand value; these â€Å"upstart† marketers have already developed the systems and processed to stay abreast of these major oil companies. The upward trend in convenience store sales will lead to higher profit margins. In short, the threats of new entrants are increasing in oil industry. 5. Intensity of competitive rivalry Oil crisis during the end of the 1990’s help oil investors and executives understand what conditions are driving this wave of mergers. Foremost is the chronic glut of oil that has driven crude prices to near-historic lows. Some of the oversupply are derived from flattening demand in mature markets and economic difficulties in many emerging markets. ‘In recent deals such as British Petroleum (BP) and Amoco, Total and Petrofina, Exxon and Mobil, and currently BP/Amoco and ARCO, the stated goal has had a familiar refrain: to increase profits by dramatically cutting costs, reducing inefficiencies, and expanding geographically.’[3] During early the 1990’s, major companies have to fight back and watch their market shares for gasoline reduce at the hands of the upstarts. â€Å"In addition to the majors, in 1997 alone, an increasing number of c-store acquisitions by Amerada Hess, MAPCO Express, and FINA, to name a few, were announced. In Atlanta, Amoco, BP, and Texaco have begun to battle aggressively to maintain market share and repulse QuikTrip and RaceTrac.†[4] As a result, these competitors are aggressively selecting choice properties and investing in facilities. They are also pursuing and pushing programs to increase profit margins for their branded dealers. If a backdrop of growing global economy becomes uncertainty, investors in oil industry get jittery. As of July 26, 2005, ‘in a report published last week, Merrill Lynch Co. said the aggregate net income of the 70 largest companies in the sector is expected to rise 26% this year to $230 billion, on sales of $2.57 trillion, up nearly 10%. The reasons: high oil prices and fat refining margins, plus a pickup in oil-field services, particularly in rates for drilling rigs.’[5] The increased competitiveness of major oil companies can be observed in their willingness to see joint ventures or any other alliances to reduce their operating, refining and marketing costs. Furthermore, under aggressive competition, major oil companies continue to decoupling their value chains, breaking explorations and production. Merge and acquisition as well as marketing into separating different business units help reinforce efficiency and compete as standalone entities. The intensity of competitive rivalry is high in oil industry. STEEP (Societal, Technological, Economic, Ecological, and Political) 1. Societal It seems that the Iraq war has resulted extra expenses for multinational corporations, especially oil companies. ‘Yesterday, high-profile companies, such as BP, Shell, HSBC, Barclays and British Airways, either raised or maintained their security levels, and all remained on high alert.’[6] Together with calling for strengthening co-operation on combating terrorism, the oil giant is on the alarm mode to fight against terrorism, enhancing regional and international co-operation. There has been a board-level group devoted to health, safety and the environment at oil companies since the early 1990’s. Potential environmental hazards could do long-term damage to oil companies’ image. This includes tracking issues ranging from headline grabbing ones, such as oil spills, to local but insidious problems, such as leakage from tanks on the forecourts of petrol stations. 2. Technological Efficient operations depend on the integration of technology throughout the operating activities. For years, technology has become a required tool for effectively managing the customer interface. ‘According to National Petroleum News Market Facts, in 1992 the first wave of pay-at-the-pump technology was a key driver in increasing gallons of gasoline sales by 20%.’[7] Companies invest in technology to improve change in concession terms, reduce costs and increase efficiency. ‘Before-We estimate average reservoir thickness of 90 ft. Because we do not have an explicit measurement of the uncertainty in this estimate, we tend to ignore its uncertainty and implicitly assume that 90 ft is simply right†. After-We estimate average reservoir thickness of 100 ft. In addition, the technology tells us that we are 80% certain that thickness is 80-110 ft.’[8] Furthermore, technology helps improve supply chain and integrate screen applications for in-store and island reading equipments. The automated replenishment system can ensure its own invoices from which its can pay vendors, and also ensure fewer out of stocks situations and accounting defaults. Additionally, the chain uses remote monitoring to make more informed decisions about fuel replenishment. Technology can provide valuable sale information that can be implemented to understand consumers and improve services. 3. Economic The free market will adjust in accordance with the demand and supply law. Oil demand not only is fragile, but also is surprisingly strong in spite of weak world economy. The transition to a global economy has been taken place during the international economic trend and arising nationalism. The slower economic growth will depress the demand for oil and oil related products worldwide. Large oil consuming nations, such as China, the United States, should cultivate a common understanding in society on the changing aspects of global economy. Politics, wars, and economic setbacks for several years have impacted on the oil industry with the inescapable conclusion that one has to deal with the ramifications of issues before initiating the development of a new oil sector. 4. Ecological Oil companies have tried to create more environmentally sensitive sources of energy. Their basic tasks are still to stick holes in the ground in search of hydrocarbons. BP recently spent nearly $4 billion building a huge pipeline stretching from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean. In addition, it also asked a leading environmental group, the World Wildlife Federation, to act as an environmental consultant on the project. [9] Oil companies have established steps in their strategies to enhance competitiveness and develop a strong trademark in anticipation of the world environmental images. Business has treated the reduction of carbon emissions and the development of energy policies as a technical issue, such as greenhouse gas emissions. When the prices are down, oil producers cannot afford to expand facilities and thus hardly meet the demand when oil prices are up. â€Å"Some people blame oil companies for not having any new refineries built in the past three decades as their current facilities operate at 88 percent capacity.†[10] Additionally, environmentalists block the tapping domestic resources. However, there is still a ton of oil in the world, a huge amount in Siberia and Alaska due to the tundra, but for a foreseeable future, the way oil can be extracted from earth are far different from the early 20th century images, depicting rows of jacks and derricks around towns, and destroying surrounding environment. Oil industry is proactively and socially responsible for operations in an ethical and environmental friendly manner. Thus, overall business strategies for oil companies are considered as an integral part of new cultures and territories. Oil companies are aware of the relationship between socially responsible investment and their â€Å"green† reputation, linked to their positive impacts on societies where they operate. 5. Political In order to combat government to increase offshore activities, the oil industry has considered a new light and proved to be less flattering than the common view of any industry. The pace of new field development in the UK will be sharply reduced if the government applies policies to save jobs in the coal mines by restricting the construction of new gas-fired power stations. Politics has ceded to economics and confronted to cooperation at the new realism of oil producers and consumers. However, oil and politics are still a potentially combustible mixture. The fact that the British and U.S. governments have been involved with the Iraq War has proved how oil industry can be intertwined with political concerns. OPEC might no longer be the bogey man with the West once so feared. Oil always, as essential, becomes the most politicized community in the world. There will undoubtedly be some future oil shocks, although it is difficult to known the time and directions which these oil shocks will come.[11] Conclusion Oil companies should strategize that they no longer operate as manufacturing companies, but focus on improving their supply chains and store operations. Additionally, they should be willing to implement process of upstarts. They also need to refine their brand positioning and marketing strategies to be better target consumers. Although some major oil companies have been merged and acquired, the war has not yet been over. The big integrated players start with several advantages, if they could commit to reinvent themselves. One can envision the purchase of a non-gasoline retail chain in order to capture new skills and new profits. With high entry barriers and low substitutes, oil industry has posted as an affluent, luxurious and profitable industry. As a result, the oil price keeps fluctuated under the pressure of the supply and demand law as well as the political influences. Bibliography Bhushan, B. 2005, ‘Oil Profits May Be Peaking; High Energy Prices Drive Earnings, but Some See Turn in 2006’, Wall Street Journal.(Eastern edition). New York, N.Y.p.A.2. Reviewed December 12, 2006 http://www.citizensgas.com/eb/2005/08-05/oilprofits.html Brown, M. 1991, ‘Oil in Troubled Waters’, Management Today.London, p.38 Cindric, N Dolby, P. 1998 ‘Store wars’, Oil Gas Investor.Denver: Second Quarter.p.21. Escher, A. 2000, ‘EP strategy prepares producers for 21st century’, Oil Gas Journal.Tulsa, vol. 98, no. 39, Sep 25, p.30 Moules, J. 2005, ‘Companies on alert as assaults feared on key economic targets; [LONDON 1ST EDITION]’, Financial Times.London (UK).p.6. Reviewed December 12, 2006 http://news.ft.com/cms/s/6120fcbe-f015-11d9-bd3b-00000e2511c8.html Nelson, E. Lentz, N. 1999, ‘Is bigger oil better oil? [5 Edition]’, Journal of Commerce.New York,p.5.A. Reviewed December 08 2006 from http://www.teamboston.com/599sun1.htm Neveling, N 2006. ‘BPs record profits suffer effects of IFRS volatility’, Accountancy Age.London.p.7. Viewed December 12, 2006 www.vnunet.com/accountancyage/news/2150644/bp-record-profits-suffer Nixon, M. 2004, ‘Commentary: Gasoline increases signal improving economic movement’ St. Charles County Business Record.Wentzville: May 28,p.1 Nocera, J. 2006, ‘Green Logo, But BP Is Old Oil’, New York Times.(Late Edition (East Coast)). New York, N.Y.pg.C.1. Reviewed December 12, 2006 http://www.globalpolicy.org/socecon/tncs/2006/0812bp.htm ‘Survey: Oil in troubled waters’, 2005, The Economist.London, vol. 375,no. 8424;Apr 30, p.4. Reviewed December 12, 2006 http://www.economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?story_id=3884623 Page 1 [1] ‘Survey: Oil in troubled waters’, 2005, The Economist.London, vol. 375,no. 8424;Apr 30, p.4, viewed December 12, 2006 http://www.economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?story_id=3884623 [2] Neveling, N 2006. ‘BPs record profits suffer effects of IFRS volatility’, Accountancy Age.London.p.7. Viewed December 12, 2006 www.vnunet.com/accountancyage/news/2150644/bp-record-profits-suffer [3] Nelson, E. Lentz, N. 1999, ‘Is bigger oil better oil? [5 Edition]’, Journal of Commerce.New York,p.5.A. Reviewed December 08 2006 from http://www.teamboston.com/599sun1.htm [4] Cindric, N Dolby, P. 1998 ‘Store wars’, Oil Gas Investor.Denver: Second Quarter.p.21. [5] Bhushan, B. 2005, ‘Oil Profits May Be Peaking; High Energy Prices Drive Earnings, but Some See Turn in 2006’, Wall Street Journal.(Eastern edition). New York, N.Y.p.A.2. Reviewed December 12, 2006 http://www.citizensgas.com/eb/2005/08-05/oilprofits.html [6] Moules, J. 2005, ‘Companies on alert as assaults feared on key economic targets; [LONDON 1ST EDITION]’, Financial Times.London (UK).p.6. Reviewed December 12, 2006 http://news.ft.com/cms/s/6120fcbe-f015-11d9-bd3b-00000e2511c8.html [7] Cindric Dolby 1998, p.21 [8] Escher, A. 2000, ‘EP strategy prepares producers for 21st century’, Oil Gas Journal.Tulsa, vol. 98, no. 39, Sep 25, p.30 [9] Nocera, J. 2006, ‘Green Logo, But BP Is Old Oil’, New York Times.(Late Edition (East Coast)). New York, N.Y.pg.C.1. Reviewed December 12, 2006 http://www.globalpolicy.org/socecon/tncs/2006/0812bp.htm [10] Nixon, M. 2004, ‘Commentary: Gasoline increases signal improving economic movement’ St. Charles County Business Record.Wentzville: May 28,p.1 [11] Brown, M. 1991, ‘Oil in Troubled Waters’, Management Today.London, p.38

The History And Uses Of Bioremediation

The History And Uses Of Bioremediation The past decade has shown, in greater or lesser degree, our carelessness and negligence in using our natural resources. The problems associated with contamination of natural resources are prominently increasing in many countries. Contaminated environment generally result from production, use, and disposal of hazardous substances from industrial activities. The problem is worldwide, and the estimated number of contaminated sites is significant. It is now widely recognized that contaminated environment is a potential threat to human health, and its continual discovery over recent years has led to international efforts to remedy many of these sites, to enable the site to be redeveloped for use. To bioremediate, means to use living things to eliminate environmental contamination such as contaminated soil or groundwater. Some microorganisms that live in soil and groundwater naturally eat certain chemicals that are harmful to people and the environment. The microorganisms are able to change these chemicals into water and harmless gases, such as carbon dioxide. Plants can also be used to clean up soil, water or air; this is called phytoremediation Bioremediation is an option that offers the possibility to destroy or render harmless various con ­taminants using natural biological activity. As such, it uses relatively low-cost, low-technology tech ­niques, which generally have a high public acceptance and can often be carried out on site. It will not always be suitable, however, as the range of contaminants on which it is effective is limited, the time scales involved are relatively long, and the residual contaminant levels achievable may not always be appropriate. Although the methodologies employed are not technically complex, considerable experi ­ence and expertise may be required to design and implement a successful bioremediation program, due to the need to thoroughly assess a site for suitability and to optimize conditions to achieve a satisfacto ­ry result. Bioremediation has been used at a number of sites worldwide Here, we intended to assist by providing a straightforward, pragmatic view of the processes involved in bioremediation, the pros and cons of the technique, and the issues to be considered when dealing with a proposal for bioremediation. HISTORY Bioremediation has been described as a treatability technology that uses biological activity to reduce the concentration or toxicity of a pollutant. It commonly uses processes by which microorganisms transform or degrade chemicals in the environment (King 1). This use of microorganisms (mainly bacteria) to destroy or transform hazardous contaminants is not a new idea. Microorganisms have been used since 600 B.C. by the Romans and others to treat their wastewater. Although this same technology is still usedtoday to treat wastewater it has been expanded to treat an array of other contaminants. In fact, bioremediation has been used commercially for almost 30 years. The first commercial use of a bioremediation system was in 1972 to clean up a Sun Oil pipeline spill in Ambler, Pennsylvania CONVENTIONAL STRATEGIES OF REMEDIATION The conventional techniques used for remediation have been to dig up contaminated soil and remove it to a landfill, or to cap and contain the contaminated areas of a site. The methods have some drawbacks. The first method simply moves the contamination elsewhere and may create significant risks in the excavation, handling, and transport of hazardous material. Additionally, it is very difficult and increasingly expensive to find new landfill sites for the final disposal of the material. The cap and contain method is only an temporary solution since the contamination remains on site, requiring monitor ­ing and maintenance of the isolation barriers long into the future, with all the associated costs and potential liability. A better approach than these traditional methods is to completely destroy the pollutants if possi ­ble, or at least to transform them to innocuous substances. Some technologies that have been used are high-temperature incineration and various types of chemical decomposition (e.g., base-catalyzed dechlorination, UV oxidation). They can be very effective at reducing levels of a range of contaminants, but have several drawbacks, principally their technological complexity, the cost for small-scale appli ­cation, and the lack of public acceptance, especially for incineration that may increase the exposure to contaminants for both the workers at the site and nearby residents. Conventional ways of Bioremediation Dig up and remove it to a landfill Risk of excavation, handling and transport of hazardous material Very expensive to find another land to finally dispose these materials Cap and contain the contaminated area. Maintain it in the same land but isolate it Only an temporary solution Requires monitoring and maintenance of isolation barriers for a long time Better approaches: Destroy them completely, if possible Transform them in to harmless substances Drawbacks Technological complexity The cost for small scale application expensive Lack of public acceptance especially in incineration Incineration generates more toxic compounds Materials released from imperfect incineration cause undesirable imbalance in the atmosphere. Ex. Ozone depletion Fall back on earth and pollute some other environment Dioxin production due to burning of plastics leads to cancer May increase the exposure to contaminants, for both workers and nearby residents PRINCIPLES OF BIOREMEDIATION Figure 1: Bioremediation Triangle There are three essential components needed for bioremediation. These three components are microorganisms, food, and nutrients. These three main components shown in Figure 1 are known as the bioremediation triangle. Microorganisms are found almost everywhere on earth with the exception of active volcanoes. So a lack of food and nutrients are usually the missing ingredients that prevent successful bioremediation. Microorganisms find the food they eat in the soil or water where they live. However, if a contaminant is present it can become an additional food source for the microorganisms. The contaminant serves two useful purposes for the microbes. First, the contaminant provides a source of carbon needed for growth. Second,the microbes obtain energy by breaking chemical bonds and transferring electrons away from the contaminant. This is known as an oxidation-reduction reaction. The contaminant that loses electrons is oxidized and the chemical that gains the electrons(electron acceptor) is reduced. The energy gained from the electron transfer is used along with the carbon and some electrons to produce more cells. Microbes generally use oxygenas an electron acceptor but nitrate, sulfate, iron, and CO2 are also commonly used. The use of oxygen as an electron acceptor is called aerobic respiration. The major byproducts of aerobic respiration are carbon dioxide, water, and an increase in the microbe population. Anaerobic respiration uses nitrate, sulfate, iron, or CO2 as the electron acceptor instead of oxygen. Anaerobic respiration can occur after the oxygen has been depleted by aerobic respiration or where there is not sufficient oxygen in the first place. The process of anaerobic degradation has been ignored for many years. However, recently it has been gaining more attention; There are also several nutrients that must be accessible to the microorganisms for bioremediation to be successful. These include moisture, nitrogen, phosphorus, and other trace elements. Microorganisms like other organisms need moisture to survive and grow.In addition, microbes depend on the moisture to transport food to them since they do not have mouths. The optimal moisture content for microbes in the vadose zone has been determined to be between 10 and 25% (King 16). Besides moisture, nitrogen (ammonia)and phosphorus (orthophosphate) are two major nutrients needed for the microorganisms. The microorganisms also require minor elements such as sulfur, potassium, magnesium,calcium, manganese, iron, cobalt, copper, nickel, and zinc (King 19). However, these minor elements are usually available in the environment in sufficient amounts where nitrogen and phosphorus may be lacking and need to be added. There are many contaminants susceptible to bioremediation. Petroleum hydrocarbons, i n particular, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX), the major components of gasoline, have been biodegraded using this technology. In addition, alcohols, ketones, and esters are well established as being biodegradable by microorganisms. Many other contaminants are emerging as treatable using bioremediation such as halogenated aliphatics, halogenated aromatics, polychlorinated biphenyls, and nitroaromatics. FACTORS AFFECTING BIOREMEDIATION The factors affecting bioremediation can be divided into following categories. Microbial factors Environmental factors Microbial Factors Microorganisms can be isolated from almost any environmental conditions. Microbes will adapt and grow at subzero temperatures, as well as extreme heat, desert conditions, in water, with an excess of oxygen, and in anaerobic conditions, with the presence of hazardous compounds or on any waste stream. The main requirements are an energy source and a carbon source. Because of the adaptability of microbes and other biological systems, these can be used to degrade or remediate environmental hazards. We can subdivide these microorganisms into the following groups Aerobic Anaerobic Ligninolytic Fungi Methylotrophs Aerobic These microbes have often been reported to degrade pesticides and hydrocarbons, both alkanes and polyaromatic compounds. Many of these bacteria use the contaminant as the sole source of carbon and energy. Examples of aerobic bacteria recognized for their degradative abilities are Pseudomonas, Alcaligenes, Sphingomonas, Rhodococcus, and Mycobacterium. Anaerobic Anaerobic bacteria are not as frequently used as aerobic bacteria. There is an increasing interest in anaerobic bacteria used for bioremediation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in river sediments, dechlorination of the solvent trichloroethylene (TCE), and chloroform. Ligninolytic fungi Fungi such as the white rot fungus Phanaerochaete chrysosporium have the ability to degrade an extremely diverse range of persistent or toxic environmental pollutants. Common substrates used include straw, saw dust, or corn cobs. Methylotrophs Aerobic bacteria that grow utilizing methane for carbon and energy. The initial enzyme in the pathway for aerobic degradation, methane monooxygenase, has a broad substrate range and is active against a wide range of compounds, including the chlorinated aliphatics trichloroethylene and 1,2-dichloroethane. For degradation it is necessary that bacteria and the contaminants be in contact. This is not easily achieved, as neither the microbes nor contaminants are uniformly spread in the soil. Some bacteria are mobile and exhibit a chemotactic response, sensing the contaminant and moving toward it. Other microbes such as fungi grow in a filamentous form toward the contaminant. It is possible to enhance the mobilization of the contaminant utilizing some surfactants such as sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) Microbes are used to degrade gasoline, the most common contaminant of groundwater in the United States. Adding powdered seaweed to DDT-contaminated soil boosts the cleaning activity of DDT-eating microbes. In one test site, 80% of the DDT was removed after six weeks. Microbes and fungi are used in air filters to control odours from sewage treatment plants and in the paint industry. A gene for a protein found in rat livers that binds with toxic metals has been inserted in both tobacco plants and algae. With this gene, the tobacco plant and the algae are able to extract several hundred times more toxic metal compounds from soil or water compared to plants without the gene. One particular microbe degrades polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are cancer-causing petroleum by-products. The microbes, called simply sulfate-reducers, are able to attack PAHs in the sediment of Boston Harbor where scientists thought the contaminant could not be treated due to lack of oxygen. Examples of microbes used for bioremediation include: Deinococcus radiodurans bacteria have been genetically modified to digest solvents and heavy metals, as well as toluene and ionic mercury from highly radioactive nuclear waste. Geobacter sufurreducens bacteria can turn uranium dissolved in groundwater into a non-soluble, collectable form. Dehalococcoides ethenogenes bacteria are being used in ten states to clean up chlorinated solvents that have been linked to cancer. The bacteria are naturally found in both soil and water and are able to digest the solvents much faster than using traditional clean-up methods. Thermus brockianus, found in Yellowstone National Park, produces an enzyme that breaks down hydrogen peroxide 80,000 times faster than current chemicals in use. Alcaligenes eutrophus, naturally degrades 2,4-D, the third most widely used herbicide in the U.S. Some contaminants potentially suitable for bioremediation. Class of contaminants Specific examples Aerobic Anaerobic Potential sources Chlorinated solvents Trichloroethylene + Drycleaners Perchloroethylene Chemical manufacture Polychlorinated biphenyls 4-Chlorobiphenyl + Electrical manufacturing 4,4 Dichlorobiphenyl Power station Railway yards Chlorinated phenol Pentachlorophenol + Timber treatment Landfills BTEX Benzene + + Oil production and storage Toluene Gas work sites Ethylbenzene Airports Xylene Paint manufacture Port facilities Railway yards Chemical manufacture Polyaromatic hydrocarbons Naphthalene + Oil production and storage (PAHs) Antracene Gas work sites Fluorene Coke plants Pyrene Engine works Benzo(a)pyrene Landfills Tar production and storage Boiler ash dump sites Power stations Pesticides Atrazine + + Agriculture Carbaryl Timber treatment Carbofuran Pesticide manufacture Coumphos Recreational areas ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS 1. Nutrients Although the microorganisms are present in contaminated soil, they cannot necessarily be there in the numbers required for bioremediation of the site. Their growth and activity must be stimulated. Biostimulation usually involves the addition of nutrients and oxygen to help indigenous microorgan ­isms. These nutrients are the basic building blocks of life and allow microbes to create the necessary enzymes to break down the contaminants. All of them will need nitrogen, phosphorous, and carbon (e.g., see Table below). Carbon is the most basic element of living forms and is needed in greater quantities than other elements. In addition to hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen it constitutes about 95% of the weight of cells.Phosphorous and sulphur contribute with 70% of the remainders. The nutritional requirement of carbon to nitrogen ratio is 10:1, and carbon to phosphorous is 30:1. 3. Environmental requirements Optimum environmental conditions for the degradation of contaminants are reported in Table below: Parameters Condition required for microbial activity Optimum value for an oil degradation Soil moisture 25-28% of water holding capacity 30-90% Soil pH 5.5-8.8 6.5-8.0 Oxygen content Aerobic, minimum air-filled pore space of 10% 10-40% Nutrient content N and p for microbial growth C:N:P = 100:10:1 Temperature ( °C) 15-45 20-30 Contaminants Not too toxic Hydrocarbon 5-10% of dry weight of soil Heavy metals Total content 2000 ppm 700 ppm Type of soil Low clay or silt content 4. Environmental conditions affecting degradation Microbial growth and activity are readily affected by pH, temperature, and moisture. Although microorganisms have been also isolated in extreme conditions, most of them grow optimally over a nar ­row range, so that it is important to achieve optimal conditions. If the soil has too much acid it is possible to rinse the pH by adding lime. Temperature affects bio ­chemical reactions rates, and the rates of many of them double for each 10  °C rise in temperature. Above a certain temperature, however, the cells die. Plastic covering can be used to enhance solar warming in late spring, summer, and autumn. Available water is essential for all the living organisms, and irrigation is needed to achieve the optimal moisture level. The amount of available oxygen will determine whether the system is aerobic or anaerobic. Hydrocarbons are readily degraded under aerobic conditions, whereas chlorurate compounds are degraded only in anaerobic ones. To increase the oxygen amount in the soil it is possible to till or sparge air. In some cases, hydrogen peroxide or magnesium peroxide can be introduced in the environment. Soil structure controls the effective delivery of air, water, and nutrients. To improve soil structure, materials such as gypsum or organ ic matter can be applied. Low soil permeability can impede move ­ment of water, nutrients, and oxygen; hence, soils with low permeability may not be appropriate for in situ clean-up techniques. STRATEGIES AND TECHNIQUES INVOLVED IN BIOREMEDIATION Basically two types of techniques are involved in Bioremediation In situ Bioremediation (at the site) Ex situ Bioremediation (away from the site) In situ Bioremediation In situ techniques are defined as those that are applied to soil and groundwater at the site with minimal disturbance. These techniques are generally the most desirable options due to lower cost and fewer disturbances since they provide the treatment in place avoiding excavation and transport of contaminants. In situ treatment is limited by the depth of the soil that can be effectively treated. In many soils effective oxygen diffusion for desirable rates of bioremediation extend to a range of only a few centimetres to about 30 cm into the soil, although depths of 60 cm and greater have been effectively treated in some cases. In situ Bioremediation types: Bioventing is the most common in situ treatment and involves supplying air and nutrients through wells to contaminated soil to stimulate the indigenous bacteria. Bioventing employs low air flow rates and provides only the amount of oxygen necessary for the biodegradation while minimizing volatiliza ­tion and release of contaminants to the atmosphere. It works for simple hydrocarbons and can be used where the contamination is deep under the surface. In situ biodegradation involves supplying oxygen and nutrients by circulating aqueous solutions through contaminated soils to stimulate naturally occurring bacteria to degrade organic contaminants. It can be used for soil and groundwater. Generally, this technique includes conditions such as the infil ­tration of water-containing nutrients and oxygen or other electron acceptors for groundwater treatment. Biosparging involves the injection of air under pressure below the water table to increase groundwater oxygen concentrations and enhance the rate of biological degradation of contam ­inants by naturally occurring bacteria. Biosparging increases the mixing in the saturated zone and there ­by increases the contact between soil and groundwater. The ease and low cost of installing small-diam ­eter air injection points allows considerable flexibility in the design and construction of the system Bioaugmentation. Bioremediation frequently involves the addition of microorganisms indigenous or exogenous to the contaminated sites. Two factors limit the use of added microbial cultures in a land treatment unit: 1) nonindigenous cultures rarely compete well enough with an indigenous population to develop and sustain useful population levels and 2) most soils with long-term exposure to biodegrad ­able waste have indigenous microorganisms that are effective degrades if the land treatment unit is well managed. Ex situ bioremediation Ex situ techniques are those that are applied to soil and groundwater at the site which has been removed from the site via excavation (soil) or pumping (water). These techniques involve the excavation or removal of contaminated soil from ground. Ex situ Bioremediation types: These techniques involve the excavation or removal of contaminated soil from ground. Landfarming is a simple technique in which contaminated soil is excavated and spread over a pre ­pared bed and periodically tilled until pollutants are degraded. The goal is to stimulate indigenous biodegradative microorganisms and facilitate their aerobic degradation of contaminants. In general, the practice is limited to the treatment of superficial 10-35 cm of soil. Since landfarming has the potential to reduce monitoring and maintenance costs, as well as clean-up liabilities, it has received much atten ­tion as a disposal alternative. Composting is a technique that involves combining contaminated soil with nonhazardous organ ­ic amendants such as manure or agricultural wastes. The presence of these organic materials supports the development of a rich microbial population and elevated temperature characteristic of composting. Biopiles are a hybrid of landfarming and composting. Essentially, engineered cells are con ­structed as aerated composted piles. Typically used for treatment of surface contamination with petro ­leum hydrocarbons they are a refined version of landfarming that tend to control physical losses of the contaminants by leaching and volatilization. Biopiles provide a favorable environment for indigenous aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms. Bioreactors Slurry reactors or aqueous reactors are used for ex situ treatment of contaminated soil and water pumped up from a contaminated plume. Bioremediation in reactors involves the pro ­cessing of contaminated solid material (soil, sediment, sludge) or water through an engineered con ­tainment system. A slurry bioreactor may be defined as a containment vessel and apparatus used to cre ­ate a three-phase (solid, liquid, and gas) mixing condition to increase the bioremediation rate of soil-bound and water-soluble pollutants as a water slurry of the contaminated soil and biomass (usually indigenous microorganisms) capable of degrading target contaminants. In general, the rate and extent of biodegradation are greater in a bioreactor system than in situ or in solid-phase systems because the contained environment is more manageable and hence more controllable and predictable. Despite the advantages of reactor systems, there are some disadvantages. The contaminated soil requires pre-treatment (e.g., excavation) or alternatively the contaminant can be stripped from the soil via soil washing or physical extraction (e.g., vacuum extraction) before being placed in a bioreactor. Monitoring bioremediation The process of bioremediation can be monitored indirectly by measuring the Oxidation Reduction Potential or redox in soil and groundwater, together with pH, temperature, oxygen content, electron acceptor/donor concentrations, and concentration of breakdown products (e.g. carbon dioxide). This table shows the (decreasing) biological breakdown rate as function of the redox potential. Process Reaction Redox potential (Eh in mV) Aerobic: O2 + 4eà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ + 4H+ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 2H2O 600 ~ 400 Anaerobic: Denitrification 2NO3à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ + 10eà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ + 12H+ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ N2 + 6H2O 500 ~ 200 Manganese IV reduction MnO2 + 2eà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ + 4H+ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Mn2+ + 2H2O 400 ~ 200 Iron III reduction Fe(OH)3 + eà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ + 3H+ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Fe2+ + 3H2O 300 ~ 100 Sulfate reduction SO42à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ + 8eà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ +10 H+ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ H2S + 4H2O 0 ~ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢150 Fermentation 2CH2O à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ CO2 + CH4 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢150 ~ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢220 Types of Bioremediation Bioremediation techniques can be subdivided into various based on following factors Based on type of atmosphere in which Bioremediation takes place it can be divided into two types Engineered Bioremediation Intrinsic Bioremediation Based on Type of organism being used for Bioremediation Mycoremediation Phytoremediation ENGINEERED BIOREMEDIATION Factors effecting engineered bioremediation Contact between the microbes and the substrate Proper physical environment Nutrients Oxygen Absence of toxic compounds Sources of microorganisms From contaminated field sites(with varying environmental conditions subzero temperatures or extreme heat, desert conditions or in water, with excess of oxygen or in anaerobic conditions, with presence of hazardous compounds or on any waste stream) From culture collections Genetically Engineered Microorganisms (GEMs) Electro kinetically enhanced bioremediation (EEB) is a method of engineered bioremediation of soil contaminated by such organic compounds as solvents and petroleum products. As depicted schematically in the figure, EEB involves the utilization of controlled flows of liquids and gases into and out of the ground via wells, in conjunction with electrokinetic transport of matter through pores in the soil, to provide reagents and nutrients that enhance the natural degradation of contaminants by indigenous and/or introduced microorganisms. The operational parameters of an EEB setup can be tailored to obtain the desired flows of reagents and nutrients in variably textured and layered soils of variable hydraulic permeability and of moisture content that can range from saturation down to as little as about 7 percent. A major attractive feature of EEB is the ability to control the movements of charged anionic and cationic as well as noncharged chemical species. The basic components of electrokinetic enhancement of bioremediation are the following: * Ions are transported by electromigration; that is, with minimum transport of liquid through the soil. The ions of interest include nutrient agents, electron donors (e.g., lactate) or electron acceptors (e.g., nitrate or sulfate) added to the soil. Electromigration is utilized as an efficient mode of electrokinetic transport in vadosezone soils. * Water in soil is pumped (horizontally or vertically, depending on the positions of electrode wells) by induced electro-osmotic flow. Whereas the hydraulic flow used in older methods decreases with decreasing pore size and is thus not effective for treating tightly packed soil, electro-osmotic flow is less restricted by tight packing. Electro-osmosis is utilized to enhance the transport of both ions and such noncharged particles as micro-organisms, by moving water from anodes (positive electrodes) toward cathodes (negative electrodes). * Electrophoresis induced in soil under an applied electric field is used to control the transport and/or distribution of micro-organisms throughout the treated soil volume. The beneficial effect of electrophoresis can be augmented or otherwise modified by use of electro-osmotic flushing of the soil. * The applied electric current can be utilized to heat the soil to the optimum temperature for bioremediation. * The gaseous and liquid products of electrolysis of water in the soil are removed from electrode wells and mixed and reinjected into the ground as needed to maintain the pH of the soil within a range favorable for bioremediation. Disadvantages Mostly GEMs do not work the way we expect: Lab strains become food source for soil protozoa Inability of GEMs to contact the compounds to be degraded Failure of GEMs to survive/compete indigenous microorganisms. Mostly due to lack / decreased activity of House Keeping Genes. INTRINSIC BIOREMEDIATION It is a natural attenuation process that leads to the decrease in contaminant levels in a particular environment due to unmanaged physical, chemical and biological processes. Conversion of environmental pollutants into the harmless forms through the innate capabilities of naturally occurring microbial population is called intrinsic bioremediation. However, there is increasing interest on intrinsic bioremediation for control of all or some of the contamination at waste sites. The intrinsic i.e. inherent capacity of microorganism, to metabolize the contaminants should be tested at laboratory and field levels before use for intrinsic bioremediation. Through site monitoring programmes progress of intrinsic bioremediation should be recorded time to time. The conditions of site that favours intrinsic bioremediation are ground water flow throughout the year, carbonate minerals to buffer acidity produced during biodegradation supply of electron acceptors and nutrients for microbial growth and absence of toxic compounds. The other environmental factors such as pH concentration, temperature and nutrient availability determine whether or not biotransformation takes place. Bioremediation of waste mixtures containing metals such as Hg, Pb, As and cyanide at toxic concentration can create problem (Madsen, l99l). The ability of surface bacteria to degrade a given mixture of pollutants in ground water is dependent on the type and concentration of compounds, electron acceptor and duration of bacteria exposed to contaminants. Therefore, ability of indigenous bacteria degrading contaminants can be determined in laboratory by plate count and macrocosm studies Example: Microbes in Hudson River mud developed an ability to partially degrade PCB (Poly Chlorinated Biphenyls) Process occurs in two steps Partial dehalogenation of PCBs occurs naturally under anaerobic conditions Less chlorinated residues Then mud is aerated to promote the complete degradation of these less chlorinated residues MYCOREMEDIATION Mycoremediation is a form of bioremediation, the process of using fungi to return an environment (usually soil) contaminated by pollutants to a less contaminated state. The term Mycoremediation was coined by Paul Stam