Health Administarion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Health Administarion - Essay Example ze and remember the mission, goals and objectives of this organization and ensure that whatever changes will be suggested about the quality improvement are in line with this mission and aim to achieve it. A mentioned earlier, the quality improvement goal of this health care organization is to focus solely on terminally ill patients by offering them several services that are not offered in a regular hospital and at the same time ensure that this health facility will be more like a second home to them than a hospital hence the relaxation atmosphere and freedom will be guaranteed as well as taking care of their health conditions in a comfortable manner. Some of the services in the quality improvement plan include counseling services, follow up on their drug administration and finally the most important of all is recreational facilities and services. This research will focus more on recreational services since it is not only unique from the other services mentioned above that are offered in a hospice but it takes the minds of these patients from their conditions and they focus their energy and time on more happy things that will be in the facility. Implementation of the above mentioned facilities will make this organization unique and hence famous. Fame will ensure that the quality of the health care organization will not in any way be compromised, more patients will be booked in the facilities , the facility will have more profits, hire more staff and hence create jobs and finally and most important is the fact that it will have fulfilled and achieved its goals, objectives and mission. This organization is solely a health care organization focusing on terminally ill patients and whose mission is to ensure that the terminally ill patients booked in this facility get to lead their sick days in comfort and peace. In order to fulfill the above stated mission, the organization will provide several services that will ensure that not only are the patients happy but so

Miscommunications in the Workplace Essay Example for Free

Miscommunications in the Workplace Essay Recently we have had two of our retailers contact us with problems regarding shipments they have received or have failed to receive. I know this is not the first time this has happened but I would like to minimize the possibilities of it happening again. It seems the root of our problem is miscommunication in the workplace. As a shipping manager that has seen this kind of issue before in past work experiences and I believe I know what we can do to solve our breakdown in communication between the various departments, retailers, and co-workers. As CFO I know you will see this proposal can benefit the company both financially and operationally. First, I propose that the company implement a required form of communication. I believe hand written notes are a thing of the past and that we should upgrade our communication requirements to electronic mail. If we had an e-mail only policy we could have record of all communication on file without the risk of losing a post-it note. E-mail also includes the option of a read receipt, which allows the user to know when the receiver has opened and read the message or if they have not seen the message yet and another form of  communication, such as a phone call, might be required to meet a deadline. The policy might also include that all e-mails must receive a reply no matter how simple the message. I can head a short meeting at the end of the day to cover the implementation of this plan. The idea here is to eliminate hand written notes as well as informal communication such as instant messengers and social network communications. We will need to upgrade a few of the employees company cell phones and instruct them on how to use e-mail on these devices. Even though e-mails are good for keeping a history of communications, public relations expert Lisa Elias states, When delivering delicate information, pick up the phone. A gentle tone of voice can soften bad news or express warmth and caring, whereas an email or text can easily be misconstrued, (Kouremetis 2013). Although e-mail can help eliminate the outside forms of communication, another possible resolution would be to implement task management software into the office. This alone may solve the issue. There are many different task management programs available but one that has caught my eye is AtTask, which is used by corporations such as HBO, Samsung, and Adobe. AtTask will allow us to run a free trial of the software prior to purchasing and claims the product will allow us to see what is going on with our projects, if we are on time, and when it will be done (Services, 2012). You will even have access to the task manager to see what is going on in our shipping bay. AtTask even has an integrated communications technology that allows for instant messaging between co-workers and a notes system for the client list. That way, if one person speaks with a client of ours and they request a change to their order he can enter the message in the clients message folder and we can all receive the notification straight to our smart phones and computers. Even though, task management software will ultimately benefit company wide communication, another area that lacks focus is education on the subject matter of the workplace. A few of these men have worked here for over ten years and they know every part number by memory, but communication technology is outgrowing these few at a rapid pace. On the other end of the  spectrum, these younger men have keen senses of current technological advancements, but they could use some more time in learning the step-by-step processes we face on a daily basis. I propose that we run a workshop meeting once every two weeks for a total of eight weeks to teach the young ones about the process of shipping from us, the supplier, to the consumer/retailer. This workshop could possibly be run during hours if the time comes available, but will most likely need to take place on Saturday from 12:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. The instructors will be chosen from 3 of our most experienced workers who will earn overtime from these extra hours. A separate workshop on communication technology for the employees that have been here should happen once a week for an hour, probably on Wednesday evenings after work. The employees will be eligible for overtime with this extra hour on the job. I believe that being educated on the subject matter of the workplace is vital to our success. In addition to knowledge of the workplace being significant, another part of the communication process that has lacked in certain areas is feedback. Feedback is one of the four major communication functions (Belch 2012). It is the key to knowing your communication was successful. We need to emphasize in the training process that it is okay to ask questions. I have seen it happen before where someone is afraid to ask a question for fear of disapproval only to have to go back re-work what has been done. Asking the right questions can help us to do it right the first time (D.I.R.T.Fi.T.). I feel the previously mentioned workshops would be a great time to re-emphasize the importance of asking questions. Also, as mentioned in the first proposal, all e-mails must receive a reply or they will be followed up with a phone call. We must remember that sometimes in order to receive feedback it must be asked for. After explaining a work order or process it is vital to ask, Do you understand? or Do you have any questions for me? Another way of obtaining feedback would be through face-to-face technology. With our smartphones and office computers we can send a more personal message with FTF video conferencing. Google Hangouts are part of the Google suite of applications that support multi-party video chat as well as other Google applications including Sketch-UP, Docs, Spreadsheets, Presentations, and screen sharing and these types of technologies are being recommended as  teaching formats to doctors and professors around the globe (Roseth, 2013). In conclusion, I do believe there is work to be done in regards to the communication process in the workplace. I have proposed four strategies to minimize the possibility of future communication breakdowns. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions you may have. You may decide to choose one or to integrate all four, the choice is yours, but I do ask that you please take your time in considering the possibilities and I do trust you will choose what is best for the company. References Belch, G. E., Belch, M. A. (2012). Advertising and Promotion: An Integrated Marketing Communications Perspective, 9th Edition. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Kouremetis, D. (2013). Choosing Communication Methods Wisely for Your Small Business. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/denakouremetis/2013/01/28/choosing-communication-methods-wisely-for-your-small-business/ Roseth, C. (2013). Blending Synchronous Face-to-face and Computer-Supported Cooperative Learning in a Hybrid Doctoral Seminar. Techtrends: Linking Research Practice To Improve Learning, 57(3), 54-59. Services. (2012). AtTask software services retrieved from http://www.attask.com/services

Task Scheduling Based On Multilevel Queue Scheduling Computer Science Essay

Task Scheduling Based On Multilevel Queue Scheduling Computer Science Essay Abstract This paper gives the survey on task scheduling. The different scheduling used to schedule task based on priority, time and deadline. To achieve that techniques such as First In First Out, Shortest Job first, Round Robin Scheduling, Multilevel Queue Scheduling are discussed. Among these techniques, the technique named Multilevel Feedback Queue scheduling is proposed as a good scheduling technique along with the future work. Keywords FCFS, Context Switching, Starvation, inflexible, SJF, Multilevel queue. INTRODUCTION Scheduling is a basic concept in computer multiprocessor and multitasking operating systems. Scheduling refers to the way processes are ordered to run on the CPUs, since there are typically many more processes running than there are available CPUs. It also states that when an activity should start or end depending on its duration, predecessor activity, predecessor relationships, resource availability and especially the target completion which is consider as deadline. The  scheduler  is concerned mainly with Throughput, Latency, Turn around, Response Time and Fairness. Throughput describes  that number of processes that complete their execution per time unit. Latency, specifically illustrates about turn around and response time. In Turnaround, total time between submission of a process and its completion is described and the response time  deals with the amount of time it takes from when a request was submitted until the first response is produced. Finally, fairness tells about the equal CPU time to each process (or more generally appropriate times according to each process priority).In practice, these goals often conflict (e.g. throughput versus latency), thus a scheduler will implement a suitable compromise. In  real-time  environments, such as  mobile devices  for  automatic control  in industry (for example  robotics), the scheduler also must ensure that processes can meet  deadlines; this is crucial for keeping the system stable. Scheduled tasks are sent to mobile devices and  managed  through an administrative back end. Types of Operating System Schedulers: Long Term Scheduler: The long term scheduler is otherwise called admission scheduler. This scheduler decides which process or job has to be admitted first to the ready queue. Because while executing a program, which process to be run is authorized or delayed by long term scheduler. The degree of concurrency is maintained and it checks whether high or low amount of processes are to be executed concurrently. It also dictates how the split between CPU intensive and IO intensive is to be handled. It is useful for the real time process to get enough CPU time to finish their tasks in the modern OSs. The GUI interfaces becomes slow if the real time scheduling is not proper. Long-term scheduling is also important in large-scale systems such as batch processing systems, computer clusters, supercomputers and render farms.In these cases, special purpose  job scheduler software is typically used to assist these functions, in addition to any underlying admission scheduling support in the operating system. Long term scheduling obviously controls the degree of multiprogramming in multitasking systems, following certain policies to decide whether the system can honor a new job submission or, if more than one job is submitted, which of them should be selected. The need for some form of compromise between degree of multiprogramming and throughput seems evident, especially when one considers interactive systems. The higher the number of processes, in fact, the smaller the time each of them may control CPU for, if a fair share of responsiveness is to be given to all processes. Moreover we have already seen that a too high number of processes causes waste of CPU time for system housekeeping chores (trashing in virtual memory systems is a particularly nasty example of this). However, the number of active processes should be high enough to keep the CPU busy servicing the payload (i.e. the user processes) as much as possible, by ensuring that on average there always be a sufficient number of p rocesses not waiting for I/O. Short-term Scheduler: The short-term scheduler (also known as the CPU scheduler) decides which of the ready, in-memory processes are to be executed (allocated a CPU) next following a clock  interrupt, an IO interrupt, an operating  system call  or another form of  signal. Thus the short-term scheduler makes scheduling decisions much more frequently than the long-term or mid-term schedulers a scheduling decision will at a minimum have to be made after every time slice, and these are very short. This scheduler can be  preemptive, implying that it is capable of forcibly removing processes from a CPU when it decides to allocate that CPU to another process, or non-preemptive in which case the scheduler is unable to force processes off the CPU. In most cases short-term scheduler is written in assembler because it is critical part of operating system. II.ANALYSIS In this part, we will discuss about different types of scheduler and their usage. Each Technique is compared with different performance metrics such as Throughput, CPU utilization, Turnaround time, waiting time and response time. First Come First Severed (FCFS) This technique is a basic one, and commonly used scheduler. Based on the order the job arrives, the task be scheduled. To maintain this queue will be handled. The entire ready task is put inside the queue, according to the arrival of jobs. To describe this sample source code along with the Gantt Chart. Sample Code: queue_Fifo q; //The processes inside the queue task_Include(procs) // method to include a process into the queue { q.include_Tail(procs); //Inserting the new coming process at the tail end  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  q.size++; //Reporting } Rescheduling(){ // To remove the process from the queue   P=q.head_Exclude();   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Reporting;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  return P; }   Example: Consider four tasks P,Q,R and S. Each task requires some amount of time to complete the task. It is shown below. Table 1 Task Schedule Task Time Unit P 9 Q 5 R 10 S 6 Gantt Chart: P Q R S 0 9 14 24 30 Fig 1. FCFS Example In the above example, the incoming task is included in the queue one by one. It executes based on the time units. The drawback of this the task which has to finish first has to wait until its time reach. Another problem is overhead occurs between the processes which leads to Context Switching. Performance Evaluation: Table 2 Performance Metric 1 performance metrics First In First Out Throughout 4/(30+3cs) CPU utilization 30/(30+3cs) Turnaround time (9+14+24+29+6cs)/4=19 Omitting cs Waiting time (0+9+14+24+6cs)/4=11.75 Omitting cs Response Time (0+9+cs+14+2cs+24+3cs)/4=11.75 Omitting cs Shortest Job First (SJF) To overcome the problem of first one we are going for shortest job first technique. In this scheduler, a sorted list is maintained. In the list all the task which has least time unit will be scheduled first. This technique is useful because the task which has earliest time unit got the opportunity to execute. To describe this sample source code along with the Gantt Chart. Sample Code: sort_List SL; //Data Structure for sorted list task_Include (procs, expected_runtime) { // method to include a process into the sorted list. SL.insert(procs, procs.runtime); } //Inserting the newcoming process into the sorted list Rescheduling(){ // To remove the shortest job from the list.   return SL.remove_head();   }   Example: Consider four tasks P,Q,R and S. Each task requires some amount of time to complete the task which is given in table 1. Gantt Chart: Q S P R 0 5 11 20 30 Fig 2. SJF Example In this scheduler, the new incoming shortest job will be included in the list which leads to the problem named Starvation. In Starvation, the job which has longest time to finish the execution will be waiting because all the newly arrived jobs will enter into the list. Therefore, the longest job will starve to get the resource. Performance Evaluation: Table 3 Performance Metric 3 performance metrics First In First Out Throughout 4/(30+3cs) CPU utilization 30/(30+3cs) Turnaround time (5+11+cs+20+2cs+30+3cs)/4=16.5 Omitting cs Waiting time (0+5+cs+11+2cs+24+3cs)/4=10 Omitting cs Response Time (0+5+cs+11+2cs+24+3cs)/4=10 Omitting cs Round Robin Scheduling In time-sharing systems, the Round robin technique is very much successful. The jobs will be preempted. For each task, particular time slot will be given. The job should be finished within that time, otherwise the other jobs will be preempted and the old task should wait until it gets the new slot.This will be achieved using queue Sample Code: queue_Fifo fq; //First in first out queue task_Include(procs) // method to include a task into the queue { q.include_Tail(procs); //Inserting the new coming process at the tail end  Ã‚   }   Rescheduling(y){ // To remove the next process and run it If(y==timer) task_Include(current); set_Timer(time_quanta);   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   return fq.remove_head(); } Example Here also the same four task will be taken and based on time quanta 3 and 6 the task be scheduled. If Time quanta=3, P Q R S P Q R S P R 0 3 6 9 12 15 16 19 21 23 26 Fig 3. RR Example TQ=3 If time quanta=6, P Q R S P R 0 6 10 16 21 23 26 Fig 4. RR Example TQ=6 Performance Evaluation: Table 3 Performance Metric 3 performance metrics First In First Out Throughout 4/(26+9cs) CPU utilization 26/(26+9cs) Turnaround time (23+16+26+21)/4=21.5 Omitting cs Waiting time (15+12+17+16)/4=15 Omitting cs Response Time (0+3+6+9)/4=4.5 Omitting cs Priority(PRI) In this method a priority is fixed to each and every process. To implement this Shortest job first(SJF) algorithm is used. If two jobs are having the same priority the scheduled will be done based on FCFS queue. In some cases, the jobs be preempted eventhough it has the higher priority. To describe this sample source code along with the Gantt Chart. Sample Code: PRI (L,M,H(RR)) queue_Fifo fq[3]; //The processes inside the queue task_Include(procs, pri) // method to include a process into the queue { fq[pri].include_Tail(procs); //Inserting the new coming process at the tail end  Ã‚   } Rescheduling(y) { // To remove the next process and run it If(y==timer) task_Include(current, current.pri); set_Timer(time_quanta); for pri=H to L if(fq[pri].empty())   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   return fq[pri].remove_head(); }   Example: Consider four tasks P,Q,R and S. Each task requires some amount of time to complete the task. It is shown below. Gantt Chart: For Time quanta=6 P P R Q R S 0 6 8 14 18 21 26 Fig 4. PRI Example TQ=6 In the above example, the incoming task is included in the queue one by one. It executes based on the priority assigned to each task. The drawback of this the task is once the higher priority job finish its execution the lower priority jobs gets the chance of doing its execution. Performance Evaluation: Table 4 Performance Metric 4 performance metrics First In First Out CPU utilization 26/(26+4cs) Response Time (0+8+14+21+4cs)/4=10.75 Omitting cs Multilevel Queue Scheduling In Multilevel queue scheduling each process is divided into different groups. It is divided into the following processes: SYSTEM PROCESSES INTERACTIVE PROCESSES INTERACTIVE EDITING PROCESSES BATCH PROCESSES STUDENT PROCESSES Fig 5. Multilevel Queue scheduling Process groups. In the above diagram, the foreground queue is called interactive and background queue is called batch. These two plays a major role in scheduling. The jobs are assigned to separate queues. The assigning be done based on memory size, process type and process priority. The vital one is each queue uses its own scheduling policy based on the need of the task. It can either do preemptively or non-preemptively. Possibilities: There are two possibilities to choose the scheduling algorithm: Each queue has absolute priority; once the higher priority job queue becomes empty it wont go for lower priority jobs. Eg. In the Fig.5. The batch processes wont get the chance of execution until the system, interactive and interactive editing processes finish its execution. Each queue gets some CPU time when there is a time slice between queues after that it can be scheduled the processes in the queue. Eg. If 70% of CPU time is given to foreground queue, it uses round robin scheduling. Rest 30% be allotted to background queue which uses FIFO scheduling. The main drawback of this scheduling is, it is not flexible. To overcome this we are going for multilevel feedback scheduling. III.PROPOSED ALGORITHM Comparing with different task scheduling, the proposed algorithm which can be used in task scheduling is multilevel feedback queue scheduling. To overcome the inflexibility of multilevel queue scheduling, the multilevel feedback queue scheduling came into pass. In this, the process can move between various queues. Here separate queues will be used for handling the process, it automatically adjust the priority of the jobs. The process is either I/O bound or CPU bound. Based on the process type, the scheduling algorithm such as round- robin, FCFS be used which maintains the flexibility. It gives preference on short jobs, I/O bound processes and schedule the process according to the nature of the process. It is described based on number of queues, the scheduling policy, a method used to upgrade, degrade or introduce a process and the inter scheduling between the queues. Steps in Multilevel Feedback queue: The new incoming process is added to the queue tail. At one stage, the process comes to the top of the queue and that will be assigned to the CPU. The process leaves the system once it completes its execution. When the process relinquishes control, it leaves the queuing network and once it becomes ready it enters into the queue level. When the process is having quantum time it will be preempted, and enter into the lower level of queue. This will be repeated until the process completes or it reaches the base level queue. Example Consider three queues, Q0- Round robin TQ: 8 milliseconds Q1- Round robin TQ: 16 milliseconds Q2- FCFS TQ=8 TQ=16 FCFS If the new job comes it enters into the queue Q0 and served as FCFS. When it gains CPU, it gets the tine quanta as 8 milliseconds. If the job is not completed within 8 milliseconds, the job moves to the queue Q1. At Q1 job is again served as FCFS and received the time quanta of 16 milliseconds. If it is not complete it will preempt to queue Q2. IV.CONCLUSION AND FUTURE WORK From the different view of task scheduling, multilevel feedback scheduling is considered as the good one in assignment of task. This will be implemented in real time systems for the assignment of task.

Alcohol Essay -- essays research papers

Giovanni Vaccarello, a retired machinist form Brooklyn, New York, never took the safety of his family for granted. He often drove Maria, 18, and Concetta, 17, to their part time jobs. John, his fourteen year old son, was to wear a beeper at all times so that he would never be out of reach. Giovanni routinely walked Cathy, his wife of twenty five years, one block to her job at the beauty salon. But with all the precautions Giovanni took, nothing could stop him from Abraham Meyers, a 25-year-old janitor from Brooklyn. At about 11:30 on May 1, 1994, Giovanni left the Russo’s catering hall in Queens with Cathy, Maria, and Concetta. John lingered behind as the others crossed the street and headed for the car. It was then that Meyers, allegedly going at speeds over 70 mph without headlights on, smashed into them, sending the Vaccarello’s flying. Maria and Concetta died instantly, while Cathy held on for a few hours on life support before dying. Giovanni escaped with his leg broken in three places, but suffered a heart attack that kept him in the hospital for a month. Meyers’ blood alcohol was tested at .2, double the legal limit for driving while intoxicated. This was not the first time he would face charges for driving under the influence of alcohol, he has had his license suspended 26 times and has drunk driving convictions dating back to 1967. Although Meyers kept driving without a license, he never spent one day in jail. He now faces up to life in prison, but this is of no con... Alcohol Essay -- essays research papers Giovanni Vaccarello, a retired machinist form Brooklyn, New York, never took the safety of his family for granted. He often drove Maria, 18, and Concetta, 17, to their part time jobs. John, his fourteen year old son, was to wear a beeper at all times so that he would never be out of reach. Giovanni routinely walked Cathy, his wife of twenty five years, one block to her job at the beauty salon. But with all the precautions Giovanni took, nothing could stop him from Abraham Meyers, a 25-year-old janitor from Brooklyn. At about 11:30 on May 1, 1994, Giovanni left the Russo’s catering hall in Queens with Cathy, Maria, and Concetta. John lingered behind as the others crossed the street and headed for the car. It was then that Meyers, allegedly going at speeds over 70 mph without headlights on, smashed into them, sending the Vaccarello’s flying. Maria and Concetta died instantly, while Cathy held on for a few hours on life support before dying. Giovanni escaped with his leg broken in three places, but suffered a heart attack that kept him in the hospital for a month. Meyers’ blood alcohol was tested at .2, double the legal limit for driving while intoxicated. This was not the first time he would face charges for driving under the influence of alcohol, he has had his license suspended 26 times and has drunk driving convictions dating back to 1967. Although Meyers kept driving without a license, he never spent one day in jail. He now faces up to life in prison, but this is of no con...

Factors affecting women working in the pharmaceutical sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Introduction Thanks to its considerable oil resources, Saudi Arabia has evolved from a relatively poor country to become the world’s dominant oil producer and one of the wealthiest regions in the Middle East. There is international pressure on the rulers to embrace political and social reforms, including enhancing the participation of women within the national workforce. Research Background Interesting findings about working women in adjacent Jordan have been generated by the country’s National Centre for Human Resource Development, which has carried out research into the experience of women workers in the private sector, namely in the Communications, Internet and Pharmaceuticals industries. This research was prompted because of recognition that â€Å"women’s participation in the Jordanian labour market is growing and the fact that women’s participation is often hindered by social perceptions, practices and sometimes legislation† (Peebles, Darwazeh, Ghosheh and Sabbah, 2007). Given the size and scale of Jordan (population approximately 6.5 million) compared with Saudi Arabia (population approximately 27.1 million), it seems likely that some of these hindrances will also apply to Saudi Arabia. The pharmaceuticals industry in Saudi Arabia is the richest in the Gulf region[1] and among the largest of all those in the Middle East: â€Å"Saudi Arabia represents 65%, or $1.7 billion of the pharmaceutical market in the member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)[2], which is currently valued at $2.7 billion per year[3]† (Issa, Al-Ammar and Mostafa, 2009). Proposal The research proposal is to examine the factors affecting women working in the pharmaceuticals industry, with particular reference to perceived advantages and barriers. It is anticipated that the issues arising will include those touching on human rights, equal opportunities and discrimination; religion and education; legislation, including family law; cultural norms; and also resistance to radical change within the community of Saudi Arabian females. Academic Literature Academic treatises on women in Muslim cultures include a synopsis of literature reviews produced by the Library of Congress (Offenhauer, 2005), which includes chapters on women’s roles in the productive economy as well as in the domestic setting. Maryland University’s Professor in the Department of Business and Executive Programs, Dr. Dorothy Minkus-McKenna, researched entrepreneurship among Saudi Arabian women albeit on an exploratory basis and without the benefit of statistical data, and noted the different ways in which ‘success’ is measured and valued. This provides useful background information about women’s perceptions of their role in the workplace. In a further look at entrepreneurship, another study (Sadi and Al-Ghazali, 2009) sought to establish what motivated women entrepreneurs and pinpointed barriers as being a lack of co-ordination and governmental support; limited competition due to market domination; a dearth of market studies; poor support from the internal community and the general restrictions imposed by society. Whilst limited, the available literature serves to confirm that women in Saudi Arabia struggle to establish themselves in the workplace on an equal footing with men. Overall Aim and Objectives The aim of the research is to identify the key factors that act as obstacles to women working in the pharmaceuticals sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). To achieve this, the focus of the research will be on the pharmaceuticals company, Saudi Pharmaceutical Industries[4], one of the largest research-driven companies producing veterinary, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals products in KSA. The objectives of the research will be to establish: Whether societal and cultural norms in KSA act against women making progress in the workplace. Whether the impact of legislation relating to the workplace has an adverse affect on women. Whether childcare responsibilities interfere with women’s progress in their working lives. Whether financial pressures, and related issues, have a bearing on working women. In relation to the pharmaceuticals sector: Whether there are perceptions that some jobs are more appropriate for women than others. Whether gender bias, marital status, personal appearance and religious discrimination have a bearing on recruitment techniques and practices. Whether there are perceived or real barriers to women achieving management positions. Research Methodology and Methods A number of methods will be used in order to achieve the objectives. Secondary research will establish the required information on cultural and societal norms, and legislation. Primary research will provide the quantitative and qualitative information pertaining to women in the workplace. Participants will be invited to complete a questionnaire without disclosing their name. In this way their anonymity will be protected and it should ensure that they are able to be open and honest about their workplace experiences without any fear of reprisal. Online questionnaires will enable participants with access to a computer to respond relatively quickly and easily, however paper questionnaires can also be issued if this is deemed more suitable for certain members of the sample population. Primary Research A questionnaire designed to elicit the required information will be prepared for workers at the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA). The Authority was established on 10th March 2033 and is charged with ensuring that drugs and foodstuffs manufactured for consumption by humans and animals are safe; this includes chemical and biological substances and also medical equipment. SFDA has been chosen because it has a relationship at some level with all the pharmaceuticals companies in Saudi Arabia, and it also sets the standards and regulations as to how they operate. Questionnaire 1: The survey will include a sample of both male and female workers at SFDA, based on the demographic of people of working age in Saudi Arabia. Current estimates indicate that the ratio of males to females aged 15–64 years is approximately 5:4, however it is not known exactly how many female workers are currently employed at SFDA. Ideally, a sample of 180 employees would include 100 men and 80 women. The questionnaire will ask workers about their educational background prior to employment, to provide information on their current position at SFDA. Data will be gathered on their responsibilities in the workplace, and also those outside work relating to childcare and care of any other dependants. Questions about the impact the job makes on their financial situation will be included. Finally, the questionnaire will seek to establish the career plans of participants and their experiences of training and promotion. Questionnaire 2: Directed at Human Resources (HR) personnel, this questionnaire will ask about participants’ interview techniques when recruiting staff, including the extent to which personal questions about an applicant’s marital status, social status, place of residency and childbearing plans are discussed. Peebles, Darwazeh, Ghosheh and Sabbah (2007) found it was common practice among HR professionals in Jordan to ask personal questions at job interviews, which the staff justified on the basis that this was a way of obtaining information about the character of an applicant, and of determining their suitability for work-related travel or overtime. The questionnaire will ask about the types of jobs, and the opportunities for training and promotion, that are available to men and women, with the intention of determining whether these are on an equal footing. Qualitative information on the perceived commitment levels of female and male employees will also be sought. Other Methods Data collection could also be achieved via a longitudinal study, that is where the researcher spends a considerable period of time embedded in the organisation in order to observe interrelationships and company operations on a day-to-day basis. Structured or semi-structured interviews could be conducted with workers and HR personnel as an alternative to a survey. One or more focus groups could be convened to discuss the findings of the survey, in order to provide enhanced qualitative information. These methods have been considered and rejected as they are either too time-consuming and impracticable. Secondary Research Reports and articles by other researchers concerned with female workers in the Middle East and their work experiences in pharmaceuticals companies will be studied to obtain an overview of the sector and the key issues relating to women workers. Very basic statistical information about SFDA is also available on LinkedIn[5] where a few members of staff are also listed. Data Analysis Information from the questionnaires will be analysed to elicit clear information on the position of women working in pharmaceuticals in KSA – their educational background, experience of recruitment, training and promotion and any barriers they have encountered in terms of their advancement in the workplace. Qualitative information will provide the context for the statistics. Planning and Critical Analysis Permission will be needed from the SFDA Executive Management to conduct the survey among a sample of staff members, and the researcher’s contact person within the company could facilitate this. If permission is not granted, it may still be possible for some members of staff to participate in a private capacity (for example, via LinkedIn) although participants may be hesitant and it may be difficult to attract 180 people by this method. SFDA may wish to alter the wording or the questions in the survey to suit company needs, however any proposed changes will have to be carefully scrutinised by the researcher before any changes are agreed. Alternatively, another pharmaceuticals company could be used, such as Merck Serono, which has a base in Saudi Arabia but company headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland and a UK office. Limitations The surveys are limited to a selection of the working population in one specific organisation and although a degree of extrapolation is possible the findings will not represent a comprehensive and in-depth view of the country’s entire pharmaceuticals sector. Timescale Obtaining permissions and approvals and distributing questionnaires will take up to five weeks, with data analysis in week six and writing up of the findings in weeks seven – ten. References: BBC (2012). Saudi Arabia profile. Online. 16th January. [available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14702705] Issa, N.A., Al-Ammar, A.I. and Mostafa, S. (2009) Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Industries in Saudi Arabia. American Health Lawyers Association. Minkus-McKenna, D. (2009). Women Entrepreneurs in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Working paper. http://bit.ly/yCoxTY Offenhauer, P. (2005). Women in Islamic societies: a selected review of social scientific literature. Report. Library of Congress. Online. [available at: http://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/pdf-files/Women_Islamic_Societies.pdf] Peebles, D., Darwazeh, N., Ghosheh H. and Sabbah, A. (2007) Factors Affecting Women’s Participation in the Private Sector in Jordan. Research Report. National Center for Human Resources Development. Sadi, M. A. and Al-Ghazali, B. M. (2010). ‘Doing business with impudence: A focus on women entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia. Research paper.’ African Journal of Business Management Vol. 4(1), pp.1-11, January. Online. [available at: http://www.academicjournals.org/AJBM]. Saudi Food and Drug Authority. [available at: http://www.sfda.gov.sa/En/Home/Topics/about/]

Comparing the Mauryn and Han Dynasties essays

Comparing the Mauryn and Han Dynasties essays When comparing The Han Dynasty(China) with The Mauryan Empire(India), you can see similarities very clearly, but under those, distinct differences can be found. Politics in each culture resemble each other in many ways. The two empires have a sort of checks and balance system. No one ruler controls solely over the empire, but the two kingdoms are divided into provinces ruled by governors. This is a very clear point in comparing the two, but in another way, it can be a point of contrast. Even though the two political systems resemble, the Hans made notable advancements with their selecting public officials on merit and not by birth. The Mauryan offices were hereditary. Even when the Hans and the Mauryans have a sign of resemblance, each culture has their spin on the subject. In both empires, there are definite classes formed in the social systems. The Mauryans had a strict social scale, in which you were born on, while the Han dynasty seemed to be a little more relaxed in their social scale. In India, the Caste System set the status of the people. This system kept people in their place, and movement up and down the scale was extremely uncommon. In China, the top of their social scale ruled the bottom, much like in India. The top bullied the bottom around, although, in India, people wanted nothing to do with the "untouchables"(bottom of the caste system). Both empires drew lines between social statuses, but they differed in how strong the lines were. Farming and taxes on land seemed to serve as the base for both the Han Dynasty's and the Mauryan Empire's economy. The peasantry who did not own land was forced to become landless farmers. They paid rent for a living, and they worked someone else's land. In the Han dynasty, powerful clans raised armies and bullied small farmers into becoming tenant farmers (landless farmers). Trade affected both empires, but the Han government moved more cautiously into the trading system, while India ...