Network Methodology Essay

We surveyed much more about t Ncell through the use of various sources. Through these surveys we came to know about different aspects about Ncell. But we tried to get more insight of the consumers or the users of Ncell . With this prime motives we all decided to conduct a small Consumer Feedback Survey among the users of Ncell. We asked them the close ended questionnaire as a part of our primary survey . These questionnaire were distributed among the 20 Ncell users To know the diversified customers response we have selected the respondents from many sector llike professionals, Students , housewife and so on. The nature of our questionare were solely based on the satisfaction level,attitude towards product ,features of products. The sample of the questionnaire is presented below: Customer Feedback Survey-Questionnaire Name: Address: Contact: Email: Profession: Please tick the appropriate options Q. 1. What is your view on network quality of Ncell ? a) Excellent b)Good c)Average d)Below Average Q. 2. Which service of Ncell do you use most? a)Call b) GPRS/3G c)Data card d)others Q. How expensive do you think is the price of Ncell service? a)Cheap b)Satisfactory c)Expensive d)Comparatively expensive Q. 4 How much money ( in average )do you spend in Ncell ? a)less then 100 b)R. S 100-250 C)R. S 250- 500 d)R. S 500 and above Q. 5 How does the feedback and customer care service respond to your problems ? a)Very Fast b)Average C)Satisfactory d)Slow response Q. 6 How is Advertising of Ncell? a) Persuasive b) Reinforcing c) Reminding d) Informative Q. How often do you get bonus scheme or offer fro m Ncell ? a) Frequently b) Very often c) Sometimes d) Rarely Q. 8 If you are using Ncell Internet service, how is it? a) Very fast b) comparatively fast c) Moderate d) slow Q. 9 What factor influenced you to purchase Ncell service? a) Media advertisement b) Hoarding board c) word of mouth d) References e) Non Q. 10 Do you have any suggestions that would help us to improve our Ncell service? Signature of the customer: Thank you for your kind cooperation Major Findings From the customer survey that we conducted with 20 different Ncell customers we have found some crucial results. According to them the network quality of Ncell service is good however some of them said it is excelled. Likewise talking about the services provided by Ncell many of them are using call and GPRS service, the majority of GPRS users are youth among them. Another important result we have found about the price that Most of the respondent said it is comparatively expensive (which mean the Ncell Price is expensive than its major rival NTC). However the service within the Ncell subscriber is not that expensive. The major factors affecting to purchase of Ncel Service are Media advertisement, hoarding board, word of mouth and references respectively. Moreover the advertising of the Ncell is more reinforcing according to the respondents however some of them said it is informative e also. Considering the aforementioned survey discussion now we would like to show here some figures and chart to understand the findings in more specific way.

The Conservation Of Tropical Rainforests Environmental Sciences Essay

A practical grasp of some tropical rain forest preservation issues was gained through the scrutiny of the Mossman Gorge recreational site, the next Aboriginal community, and the Cow Bay part. These sites were examined utilizing the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ‘s ( OECD ) Pressure-State-Response describing theoretical account in which observations were recorded in proformas and visually captured utilizing picture taking. There are a figure of force per unit areas on tropical rain forest systems, which are both natural and human induced and impact the province of the environment. Responses to these force per unit areas can be in the signifier of long and short term steps, nevertheless, there are many factors which need to be considered before implementing such steps, for illustration force per unit areas that may ensue from the response action. Management and preservation of tropical rain forests is disputing, with legion stakeholders involved. However, to go on to protect these extremely diverse countries, they need to be managed efficaciously, monitored on a regular basis, and the response mechanisms re-evaluated often.Mossman GorgeRecreational Activity in Tropical Rainforest and Indigenous ConcernsIntroductionGeneral OverviewNature-based touristry is a quickly turning touristry section within the planetary touristry industry, and is of peculiar significance within Tropical North Queensland ( Hill & A ; Gale, 2009 ) . The bulk of this touristry occurs within fragile, sensitive and protected environments, which raises concerns about the impacts that touristry has on these environments ( Hill & A ; Gale, 2009 ) . Negative impacts from these activities occur and need to be addressed ( Kimmel, 1999 ) . There is a demand to be after and modulate recreational activities within rain forests to forestall such possible negative impacts ( Kimmel, 1999 ) . The direct and indirect negative impacts of diversion and touristry can include: gla de of flora for substructure, harm from treading, the spread of alien weeds along walking paths and roads, the spread of diseases, such as Phytopthora cinnamomi and many other impacts ( Pickering & A ; Hill, 2007 ) . However, recreational activities associated with touristry can besides let people to larn and be educated about environmental rules which can rise their consciousness of and committedness to environmental protection ( Kimmel, 1999 ) . There are a figure of Autochthonal cultural and direction concerns related to recreational activity in tropical rain forests. Autochthonal people are traditional keepers of the land, and therefore have a right to be included in the direction of recreational sites within their country ( Hill, Baird, & A ; Buchanan, 1999 ) . Their countries are of great cultural and heritage significance and merit regard that is non normally introduced or present with development and touristry ( Bentrupperbaumer, & A ; Reser, 2000 ) . Autochthonal communities located near tourer sites can endure from a deficiency of privateness and regard, cultural commodification, trespass, supplanting and a whole host of other issues ( Bentrupperbaumer, & A ; Reser, 2000 ) . Concerns besides encompass: negative environmental impacts as a consequence of touristry and tourers on the land, devastation or change of narrative topographic points and sacred sites, and issues sing stealing/touching and defacing of nature and artifacts ( Hill, Baird, & A ; Buchanan, 1999 ) .Site Location and DescriptionThe Mossman Gorge recreational site and next Aboriginal community were the site locations for this survey country. The Aboriginal Community of the Kuku Yalanji people, Bamanga Bubu Ngadimunku, is located next to the Mossman Gorge recreational site, West of Mossman ( Bentrupperbaumer, & A ; Reser, 2000 ) . Access to the recreational site is by agencies of a route through the Aboriginal community ( Bentrupperbaumer, & A ; Reser, 2000 ) . The community, which started in the 1960 ‘s when the Daintree Mission closed, has about 170 occupants. Tourism is utilized as a beginning of income for the community. The Mossman Gorge recreational site is located in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area ( WTWHA ) within the Daintree National Park ( Murphy, & A ; Harding, 2008 ) . It has been designed for twenty-four hours usage. There is a auto park and picnic country, along with a lavatory block and bike rack. Fires, bivouacing and fishing are prohibited activities. No rubbish bins or barbecues are provided. There are a sum of 25 designated parking infinites, with parking happening elsewhere every bit good, and 7 picnic tabular arraies are provided. Mossman River flows beside the site, and the site itself is surrounded by lowland tropical rain forest ( Murphy, & A ; Harding, 2008 ) . Figure 1 shows a map of this country. This country has about 500,000 visitants on an one-year footing ( Bentrupperbaumer, & A ; Reser, 2000 ) .Data PresentationMethodsThe OECD Pressure State Response theoretical account and its accompanying model are tools used to pass on information sing the province of the environme nt, force per unit areas moving upon it and response steps that can be taken ( Figure 2 ) ( OECD, 2000 ) . This theoretical account was used to develop proformas in which informations could so be collected consistently. Behavioral observations of wildlife and worlds were undertaken every bit good as systematic experimental recordings of the built and natural environments to measure the site ; these were recorded in the proformas. Cardinal indexs were developed and used for entering the province of the natural, built and human environments. Pressures that degraded the province of these environments were so identified and recorded in the proformas. Response steps already in topographic point were so identified and extra responses considered and recorded in the proformas. Additional cardinal note pickings was besides used to roll up informations, along with picture taking to enter site conditions. Data was collected at the Mossman Gorge recreational site and at the Indigenous Community on the 27th of April 2010. The conditions was overcast with rain. Mossman Gorge recreational site was visited from 9:30-10:00am and from 11:30-1:00pm. The Indigenous Community was visited from 10:00-11:30am.ConsequencesThe consequences are summarised in the undermentioned figures, exposures and tabular arraies.DiscussionState/ConditionIn general, the natural environment was in good status. Bing within the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area and Daintree National Park, the site has been handled by environmental direction bureaus. There was non a big diverseness of wildlife witnessed at the site. This absence of wildlife was most likely due to the conditions conditions and clip restraints of when the survey was conducted. The wildlife that did look was chiefly in the signifier of insects and bush Meleagris gallopavos. The bush Meleagris gallopavos were habituated to worlds, were aggressive towards eac h other when scavenging, and one had an injured leg. The flora seemed to hold been chiefly in the signifier of healthy primary low land rain forest. There was some invasion of alien weed species at the border of the route, borders of the recreational country, and within the garden. The yellowing of foliages on a little figure of trees indicated their possible unhealthy province. The dirt appeared to be slightly degraded in the chief country of the recreational site and peculiarly around the border boundaries. Erosion and compression of dirt were happening. The H2O seemed to be in good status, with first-class flow, and the H2O was clear, nevertheless there did look to be some signifier of algae/moss/fungi on the partially and to the full submerged stones. The air was non in peculiarly good status as there was odourand noise pollution nowadays. Areas within this site most at hazard to degradation include the border boundaries between the natural environment and the built, that is: on the border of the route, the country environing the picnic/grass country and environing the lavatory block. The built environment could be separated into three distinguishable ‘state ‘ countries. The route and auto park country were non in good status. The picnic tabular arraies, marks and waies were in reasonably good status. The staying reinforced environment was in satisfactory status, such as the coffin nail bins which needed cleansing and voidance, and the garden, which suffered from dirt and mulch loss, every bit good as some weeds, and wood rot/mould. By and large, the human environment was non in good status. Historical and traditional utilizations of the country were non looking to be undertaken, there was herding of people, big Numberss of vehicles and perceptible noise and odour pollution. The Traditional Owners besides felt displaced, a loss of sense and belonging, and uncomfortable in the recreational country.PressuresThere are legion direction and preservation force per unit areas at the Mossman Gorge diversion site. The chief environmental force per unit areas include pollution, human activities and glade and atomization. Pollution from vehicles and people caused the debasement of the natural environment and lowered visitant satisfaction. Human activities such as chasing and eating animate beings, compression of dirt and the touching or mutilation of flora topographic point force per unit area on the natural environment. Clearing can do loss of primary rain forest, secondary regrowth, affects dirt and cause atomization. At omization consequences in additive barriers and border effects, impacting flora and wildlife. Climate alteration is a long term force per unit area to the natural environment which may besides bring forth societal and cultural issues. The chief built force per unit areas include hapless design and layout of the country, non plenty of some installations, every bit good as inordinate usage of some installations. Poor design and layout of the country includes the lavatories isolated from the walking paths but near to Mossman River and the picnic tabular arraies really near to primary rain forest. This could do force per unit area through increased contact of visitants with the natural environment ( eroding, compression, chasing of wildlife and handling of flora ) , possible pollution from the lavatory block into the river, and decreased visitant satisfaction. There are deficient installations such as auto Parkss, marks, tabular arraies and seats, every bit good as lavatories which can do force per unit area on the substructure and lessening visitant satisfaction. Excessive usage of installations includes the route and auto Parkss which cause harm to the substructure and environment, peculiarly through eroding. The chief human force per unit areas include inordinate visitant Numberss, distribution and hapless usage forms and behaviors. Excessive visitant Numberss and clumped distribution of visitants, such as on walking paths, causes harm to the natural environment through compression of dirt, more human handling of flora, decrease in visitant satisfaction and an addition in the likeliness of substructure harm. Poor usage forms of visitants besides can do harm to the environment, substructure and a lessening in visitant satisfaction. Visitor behavior force per unit areas can do cultural issues sing discourtesy, opprobrious linguistic communication and racism towards the Autochthonal people. All of these force per unit areas affect the natural environment, the subs tructure, and produce societal and cultural issues.ResponsesShort Term Management Strategies Education through the installing of more effectual marks with pictural diagrams and warnings of forbidden activities in different linguistic communications could be utilized. Cusps in different linguistic communications or perchance even presenting a Ranger on site during peak visitant times/seasons may besides win in educating the visitants about negative impacts on the environment and may besides cut down discourtesy and bad behavior towards the Autochthonal people. Decreasing the force per unit areas from uncluttering and atomization could be accomplished through presenting buffer zones and wildlife corridors, well linking tree canopies across the route and walking paths and perchance even constructing elevated board walks. Engagement of Traditional Indigenous Owners in the direction of the recreational site and the instruction of visitants could cut down cultural and societal force per unit areas as the tourers may derive cultural penetration and regard for the Autochthonal peopl e. The execution of drainage may cut down dirt eroding which, in bend, may alleviate some force per unit area on flora. Redesigning the country by traveling the picnic tabular arraies off from the immediate rain forest and into the chief subdivision of the grassed country every bit good as switching the lavatory block back off from the river could besides be effectual responses to pollution and human impacts. More effectual enforcement of regulations and ordinances through better monitoring and increased mulcts in relation to, ‘no trailing or upseting wildlife ‘ , ‘no littering ‘ , ‘no manus feeding ‘ , and ‘no speeding/dangerous driving ‘ could besides significantly cut down force per unit areas from human activities. Long Term Management Strategies Possibly presenting a little entry fee and steadily increasing it over clip could cut down vehicle traffic and the figure of visitants, and may diminish force per unit areas on the natural, built and human environments. The Mossman Gorge Gateway Project is a response to force per unit areas on the natural, built and human environments. It will affect the Indigenous community which may cut down societal and cultural force per unit areas. The undertaking should besides efficaciously cut down vehicle traffic into the site, be able to curtail, or expeditiously clip the entry of visitants so as to cut down crowding, and do the local Autochthonal people more comfy when sing the site.DecisionRecreational activity at the Mossman Gorge site affects the province of the World Heritage tropical rain forest in the country. The debut of big Numberss of visitants and traffic, every bit good as edifice substructure to back up these visitants had placed force per unit areas on the natural environment . To conserve this sensitive country response steps are required to cut down force per unit areas non merely on the natural environ, but besides the built and human environments. The associated concerns of the Indigenous community, that is next to this recreational site, besides need to be addressed. The Autochthonal people are frequently faced with discourtesy and bad behavior from visitants which has displaced these Traditional Owners, lowered their ego regard, made them uncomfortable, and created a loss of sense of topographic point and belonging. Through response mechanisms, there may be a lessening in societal and cultural force per unit areas and the concerns of the Indigenous could be addressed by affecting them more in the direction of the site.MentionsBentrupperbaumer, JM, & A ; Reser, JP 2000, Impacts of Visitation and Use: Psychosocial and Biophysical Windows on Visitation and Use in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, Cooperative Research Centre for Tropical Rainforest Ecology and Management, Cairns. Hill, J. , & A ; Gale, T. ( explosive detection systems ) 2009, Ecotourism and Environmental Sustainability: Principles and Practices, Ashgate Publishing Limited, Surrey. Hill R, Baird, A, & A ; Buchanan, D 1999, Aborigines and Fire in the Wet Tropics of Queensland, Australia: Ecosystem Management Across Cultures, Society & A ; Natural Resources, 12, pp. 205 – 223. Kimmel, JR 1999, Ecotourism as Environmental Learning, The Journal of Environmental Education, 30, 2, pp. 40 – 44. Murphy, A, & A ; Harding, P 2008, Queensland & A ; the Great Barrier Reef, 5th edn, Alone Planet Publishing Pty Ltd, Victoria. OECD, 2000, OECD Proceedings Frameworks to Measure Sustainable Development: An OECD Expert Workshop, OECD, Paris. Pickering, CM, & A ; Hill, W 2007, Impacts of diversion and touristry on works biodiversity and flora in protected countries in Australia, The Journal of Environmental Management, 85, pp. 791 – 800.Cow Bay RegionUrban Development within Tropical Rain forestsIntroductionGeneral OverviewHuman activity in a tropical rain forest can take to woods devastation or debasement ( Maloney, 1998 ) . Urban development in this scene can hold a figure of negative drawbacks, peculiarly the clearance of land for development ( Maloney, 1998 ) . This development that occurs in these pristine and by and large delicate environments can interrupt the dirt system, do extended irreversible harm and ease more urban development ( Maloney, 1998 ) . Linear barriers and border effects can ensue from urban development and do the change or devastation of home grounds, alter wildlife and flora populations, cause perturbations of visible radiation, dust, fumes exhausts, enable the invasion of alien species, f ragment home grounds and populations and consequence in increased mortality of animate beings from vehicle traffic ( Laurance, & A ; Bierregaard, 1997 ; Rico, Kindlmann, & A ; Sedlacek, 2007 ) . Over the past 150 old ages at that place have been dramatic alterations to the rain forest in the Wet Tropics part ( Bermingham, Dick, Moritz, 2005 ) . The Daintree country is one of the most biologically diverse and important parts within the WHWTA ( Bermingham, Dick, Moritz, 2005 ) . Urban growing and substructure in this country have impacted the natural environment and will go on to make so, such as by break uping home grounds ( Bermingham, Dick, Moritz, 2005 ; Rico, Kindlmann, & A ; Sedlacek, 2007 ) . There is a struggle between development and preservation in this country ( Bermingham, Dick, Moritz, 2005 ) . Rain forests provide cardinal ecosystem services and therefore keep important value, therefore developing sustainable direction patterns in these countries is indispensable ( Bermi ngham, Dick, Moritz, 2005 ) .Site Location and DescriptionThe Cow Bay part is a combination of a complex mosaic of flora types, including low land tropical rain forest, and urban development ( Figure 5 & A ; 6 ) . The part is one of high biodiversity, located within the WTWHA ( Rainforest CRC, 2000 ) . Approximately, there are 287 belongingss in the country numbering 514 hectares ; 80 belongingss of which are settled, 12 of which have been given to conservation intent and the staying are unsettled ( Rainforest CRC, 2000 ) . Within the settled belongingss, development scopes from full glade of private lands to merely minimal uncluttering with rainforest residential homes ( Rainforest CRC, 2000 ) . The development of urban substructure has allowed entree to what would hold been a distant country.Data PresentationMethodsThe OECD Pressure State Response theoretical account was used to develop proformas in which informations could so be collected consistently ( OECD, 2000 ) . Systematic experimental recordings of the natural environ were used to measure the part and the information was recorded in the proformas. Cardinal indexs were developed and used to find force per unit areas that degraded the province of the natural environment due to urban development. Response steps already in topographic point were so identified and extra responses were considered and recorded in the proformas. Additional cardinal note pickings was besides used to roll up informations, along with picture taking to record force per unit areas or responses. Data was collected in the Cow Bay Region on the 27th of April 2010 from 3:00-4:30/5:00pm. The conditions was overcast with minimum rain.ConsequencesThe consequences are summarised in the undermentioned figures, exposures and tabular arraies.DiscussionPressuresThere are legion preservation issues associated with the urbanization of the Cow Bay Region within a lowland tropical rain forest scene. The chief environmental force per unit areas include pollution, human activities, glade, atomization, border effects and additive barriers. Pollution from vehicles and from people, in the signifier of rubbish and sewerage, can do the debasement of the natural environment. Human activities, such as glade and developing private belongings, presenting alien fruit, weed species and domestic animate beings, changing the flow and quality of H2O, touristry, utilizing generators and farming topographic point force per unit area on the natural environment. Clearing can do loss of primary rain forest, se condary regrowth, dirt debasement, H2O quality issues and can do atomization. Atomization consequences in additive barriers and border effects, impacting flora and wildlife every bit good as the biophysical environment. Climate alteration is besides a long term force per unit area to the natural environment which may bring forth societal and cultural issues.ResponseShort Term Management Strategies Education of the regional population, every bit good as visitants to the part, could be accomplished through the installing of more effectual marks and warnings of forbidden activities so as to convey the negative impacts of urban development within tropical rain forests. Decreasing the force per unit areas from uncluttering and atomization could be accomplished through presenting buffer zones, wildlife corridors, well linking tree canopies across roads and other additive barriers and perchance even constructing elevated roads to let the transition of wildlife and cut down wildlife deceases. More effectual ordinances, such as censoring the building of fencings and the glade of flora, curtailing H2O usage, curtailing the figure of domestic animate beings per family and compulsory fixing of these animate beings, censoring of sewerage systems and execution of bio-recycling, and the mandatory installing of solar power could be implemented to cut down force per unit areas on the rain fore st. The replanting of native flora along river and creeks Bankss every bit good as along waysides could besides cut down force per unit areas, peculiarly eroding. Long Term Management Strategies To cut down the impacts of generators, such as noise and leaking fuel pollution, the debut of environmentally appropriate electricity, such as carefully constructed powerlines, and low-impact hydro-power or air current power, over clip may be a feasible solution. To cut down the sum of waste produced that may potentially do injury to the environment, a new trash disposal system could be implemented. This system should supply inducements for recycling and the minimisation of waste, for illustration, through taking the waste charge from local authorities rates and implementing a system in which occupants pay 10 cents per kg of general waste, while reimbursing occupants 5 cents per kg of separated recycled waste. Residents should be provided with four little bins in which waste could easy be separated into paper, plastic, glass and general waste. Increasing local authorities rates on belongingss within this WTWHA could function to deter any farther urban development or promote more belo ngings proprietors to come in into authorities buy-back strategies. Implementing the decrease or limitation of visitants over clip to the country in the moisture season may besides alleviate some force per unit areas on the natural environment and occupants who do non trust on touristry may be happy to hold a respite.Problems That May Arise From Response ActionsPromoting roads to let the transition of wildlife may do devastation or increased impact during the building stage and may non be cost effectual. Residents may non accept the stricter execution of ordinances or the rise in rates which may take to drawn-out legal statements appealing the ordinances across different degrees of authorities. Political recoil may besides originate from the debut of such steps, and some of the ordinances may necessitate to be examined under province or federal statute law. Implementing electricity within this sensitive country may do more injury than the pollution from the generators, such as makin g additive barriers and increased wildlife deceases if powerlines were used. The debut of new recycling steps may non do a positive reaction ; alternatively occupants may take to illicitly dump their waste, which will do more environmental injury. Additionally, cut downing touristry for periods of clip in the part may take to a big economic loss for the part.DecisionUrban development in the Cow Bay Region affects the province of the World Heritage tropical rain forest in the country. The debut of substructure, a lasting population and big Numberss of visitants and traffic have placed force per unit area on this sensitive natural environment. To conserve this country, response steps to these force per unit areas are required so as to diminish the jobs of additive barriers and border effects that result from glade and atomization.

Managing and leading change (CORUS) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Managing and leading change (CORUS) - Essay Example During severe changes, employees are supposed to have efficient and reasonable planning, confident and efficient decision-making, and timely communication. In order to survive and flourish in today’s environment, organization should become quicker and open to external demands. They should encourage experimentation and take initiative in innovating and managing change; rather respond to what has already occurred. Investment must be done in training and performance coaching. A new information system must only be implemented by examining human association with such changes, exploring whether the change is successful, supported or not (Alvesson, Bridgman & Willmott, 2009). Otherwise the changes are incomplete and create tension and drags down the momentum suppress results. 2. The organization is greatly decentralized; furthermore autonomy is permitted to member companies to large extent in terms of tactics and functions. The company’s approach to managing new acquisitions h as been entirely hardheaded. The Tata corporate brand is the main tool for bringing together the group, which represents the standards which are common by almost all the conglomerates of the group. Creating partnerships with the providers and the consumers is the new stratagem of the company that modifies the market as well as alters the interference and communication with the consumers. They show care, respect, consideration and kindness for partners, customers and providers around the world. Their mission is to increase rate for the shareholders, preserve position as one of the world’s lowest-cost steel manufacturer and strengthen position as a global competitor (Judge, 2011). 3. The organization has been itself changed a lot with the passage of time. These changes help to make sure that all the people pull in the same direction. The organization has provided a safe workplace and demonstrates high ethical standards. It also respects the environment and cares for its entire people. This strengthens the peoples’ trusts, hence increases the potential and they work more willingly. The business is conducted fairly, with sincerity and transparency (Pritchett & Pound, 1995). It also offers programs to encourage quality education. These strategies help in the development of organization along with its people. 4. Equal opportunity, enduring individual growth, equality, common belief and joint effort and collaboration are the core principles of their policy. Truthfulness, indulgent, brilliance, union and responsibility are the values that support these principles (Knill & Balint, 2008). Talented employees is vitally essential in any organization hence they are able to get the employee loyalty by providing them chances of improvement and enhancement, giving them fine and challenging jobs and by competitive reparation and profit schemes (Debrah & Smith, 2002). Diversity within the staff significantly boosts overall potentials, based on this fact they ensur e the equal opportunity for all the employees without any discrimination on the basis of race, social status, religion, color, parentage, gender, age, nationality, ethnicity or disability. They encourage and enable all in their organization to develop and grow with the development of the business by improving managerial and technical competences of employees through internal improvement and training programs. 5.

Betrayal of Public Trust Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Betrayal of Public Trust - Essay Example Due process was observed. Blagojevich's removal from office was therefore legal. The impeachment proceeding was the only way to oust Blagojevich from office based on the United States constitution. Also, the evidences presented were more than substantial to declare his removal and prohibit him to serve any public position in Illinois. Responsibilities of Public Administrators In public service, there is delineation between personal and public interest. This goes to say that if one is a public servant, he or she should make sure that his or her public dealings are not tainted with his or her personal interest. When he or she serves the public, he or she should always uphold values that would best promote the interest of his or her constituents. This is actually the foundation of individual ethics and office ethics. There are certain matters that are to be limited to as to avoid conflict of interest while in public office. As a person, one has practiced certain values. Some of these va lues are relevant in public office and some are not. Sometimes, these ethical frameworks overlap. This means that the public servant has considered one value more than the other. An instance of corruption is a good example. It may happen that the person thinks more of his personal interest than the welfare of the public. Nevertheless, there are also times when individual and office ethics diverge. This happens when the public servant considers his or her personal interest in relation to all his or her constituents. Such situation implies that the public administrator never forgets his or her bounden duty to the public. It also means that he or she recognizes the fact that he or she can be made accountable to his or her acts as a public official. Relevance of the Case Blagojevich's... In public service, there is the delineation between personal and public interest. This goes to say that if one is a public servant, he or she should make sure that his or her public dealings are not tainted with his or her personal interest. When he or she serves the public, he or she should always uphold values that would best promote the interest of his or her constituents. This is actually the foundation of individual ethics and office ethics. There are certain matters that are to be limited to as to avoid conflict of interest while in public office. As a person, one has practiced certain values. Some of these values are relevant in public office and some are not. Sometimes, these ethical frameworks overlap. An instance of corruption is a good example. It may happen that the person thinks more of his personal interest than the welfare of the public. Nevertheless, there are also times when individual and office ethics diverge. This happens when the public servant considers his or her personal interest in relation to all his or her constituents. Such situation implies that the public administrator never forgets his or her bounden duty to the public. It also means that he or she recognizes the fact that he or she can be made accountable for his or her acts as a public official. Blagojevich's case should be a lesson to all American public administrators. They should always be mindful that they are to be made accountable by their constituents as to their performance of public duty.

The Economy, Monetary Policy, and Monopolies Essay - 3

The Economy, Monetary Policy, and Monopolies - Essay Example ming more expensive, the dampening of consumer demand for loan products such as mortgages as well as affecting the prices of residential real estate negatively. The rise in interest rates in the last five years can be attributed to the fall or rise of the money in circulation which has been common in the United States in the recent years. Increases rates have, in turn, led to inflation in the economy (O’Sullivan, Sheffrin and Prerez, 82). Looking at the United States economic situation in the last five years in terms of inflation, interest rate and employment, questions have to be raised on what has been referred as the ‘greatest economy’. In the last five years, the interest rates in the USA have gone so low and this can be seen in the spike of the houses on sale. This condition has led to federal budget balance weakening to an extent that has never been witnessed for decades. This implies that the economy of the nation is completely off track. The rate of unemployment has rises from 4.5 % in 2007 and is now at 8.1 % (O’Sullivan, Sheffrin and Prerez, 78). High employment rates is one of the major indicators of how any economy is fairing and with the number of people actively looking for jobs increasing in the United States, the economy can be viewed as attenuating. This means that even businesses have lost the confidence of hiring employees again. In an effort to create more employment opportunities, the federal government permitted rapid credit expansion. This led to the central bank to adjust its monitory policy following increased inflation at that time. This effort slowed the money supply growth thus checking on the unemployment levels. The other step by the federal government to check on unemployment rates was through the introduction of a fiscal policy that was intended to stabilize the economy (Beardon, 18). The policy achieved this through cutting down on taxes as well as increasing spending. The policy also impacted the interest rates and the

The Professional Health Educator in the 21st Century Essay

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Euroland food Essay Example for Free

Euroland food Essay In early January 2001, the senior-management committee of Euroland Foods was to meet to draw up the firm’s capital budget for the new year. Up for consideration were 11 major projects that totaled more than â‚ ¬316 million. Unfortunately, the board of directors had imposed a spending limit on capital projects of only â‚ ¬120 million; even so, investment at that rate would represent a major increase in the firm’s current asset base of â‚ ¬965 million. Thus, the challenge for the senior managers of Euroland Foods was to allocate funds among a range of compelling projects: new-product introduction, acquisition, market expansion, efficiency improvements, preventive maintenance, safety, and pollution control. The Company Euroland Foods, headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, was a multinational producer of high-quality ice cream, yogurt, bottled water, and fruit juices. Its products were sold throughout Scandinavia, Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, western Germany, and northern France. (See Exhibit 1 for a map of the company’s marketing region.) The company was founded in 1924 by Theo Verdin, a Belgian farmer, as an offshoot of his dairy business. Through keen attention to product development and shrewd marketing, the business grew steadily over the years. The company went public in 1979, and, by 1993, was listed for trading on the London, Frankfurt, and Brussels exchanges. In 2000, Euroland Foods had sales of almost â‚ ¬1.6 billion. Ice cream accounted for 60 percent of the company’s revenue; yogurt, which was introduced in 1982, contributed about 20 percent. The remaining 20 percent of sales was divided equally between bottled water and fruit juices. Euroland Foods’ flagship brand name was â€Å"Rolly,† which was represented by a fat dancing bear in farmer’s clothing. Ice cream, the company’s leading product, had a loyal base of customers who sought out its high-butterfat content, large chunks of chocolate, fruit, and nuts, and wide range of original flavors. This case was prepared by Casey Opitz and Robert F. Bruner and draws certain elements from an antecedent case by them. All names are fictitious. The financial support of the Batten Institute is gratefully acknowledged. The case was written as a basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate effective or ineffective handling of an administrative situation. Copyright ï £ © 2001 by the University of Virginia Darden School Foundation, Charlottesville, VA. All rights reserved. To order copies, send an e-mail to [emailprotected] No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the permission of the Darden School Foundation. Euroland Foods’ sales had been static since 1998 (see Exhibit 2), which management attributed to low population growth in northern Europe and market saturation in some areas. Outside observers, however, faulted recent failures in new-product introductions. Most members of management wanted to expand the company’s market presence and introduce more new products to boost sales. These managers hoped that increased market presence and sales would improve the company’s market value. Euroland Foods’ stock was currently at 14 times earnings, just below book value. This price/earnings ratio was below the trading multiples of comparable companies, and it gave little value to the company’s brands. Resource Allocation The capital budget at Euroland Foods was prepared annually by a committee of senior managers, who then presented it for approval to the board of directors. The committee consisted of five managing directors, the prà ©sident directeur-gà ©nà ©ral (PDG), and the finance director. Typically, the PDG solicited investment proposals from the managing directors. The proposals included a brief project description, a financial analysis, and a discussion of strategic or other qualitative considerations. As a matter of policy, investment proposals at Euroland Foods were subject to two financial tests, payback and internal rate of return (IRR). The tests, or hurdles, had been established in 1999 by the management committee and varied according to the type of project: Minimum In January 2001, the estimated weighted-average cost of capital (WACC) for Euroland Foods was 10.6 percent. In describing the capital-budgeting process, the finance director, Trudi Lauf, said, We use the sliding scale of IRR tests as a way of recognizing differences in risk among the various types of projects. Where the company takes more risk, we should earn more return. The payback test signals that we are not prepared to wait for long to achieve that return. Ownership and the Sentiment of Creditors and Investors Euroland Foods’ 12-member board of directors included three members of the Verdin family, four members of management, and five outside directors who were prominent managers or public figures in northern Europe. Members of the Verdin family combined owned 20 percent of Euroland Foods’ shares outstanding, and company executives combined owned 10 percent of the shares. Venus Asset Management, a mutual-fund management company in London, held 12 percent. Banque du Bruges et des Pays Bas held 9 percent and had one representative on the board of directors. The remaining 49 percent of the firm’s shares were widely held. The firm’s shares traded in Brussels and Frankfurt. At a debt-to-equity ratio of 125 percent, Euroland Foods was leveraged much more highly than its peers in the European consumer-foods industry. Management had relied on debt financing significantly in the past few years to sustain the firm’s capital spending and dividends during a period of price wars initiated by Euroland. Now, with the price wars finished, Euroland’s bankers (led by Banque du Bruges) strongly urged an aggressive program of debt reduction. In any event, they were not prepared to finance increases in leverage beyond the current level. The president of Banque du Bruges had remarked at a recent board meeting, Restoring some strength to the right-hand side of the balance sheet should now be a first priority. Any expansion of assets should be financed from the cash flow after debt amortization until the debt ratio returns to a more prudent level. If there are crucial investments that cannot be funded this way, then we should cut the dividend! At a price-to-earnings ratio of 14 times, shares of Euroland Foods common stock were priced below the average multiples of peer companies and the average multiples of all companies on the exchanges where Euroland Foods was traded. This was attributable to the recent price wars, which had suppressed the company’s profitability, and to the well-known recent failure of the company to seize significant market share with a new product line of flavored mineral water. Since January 2000, all the major securities houses had been issuing â€Å"sell† recommendations to investors in Euroland Foods’ shares. Venus Asset Management had quietly accumulated shares during this period, however, in the expectation of a turnaround in the firm’s performance. At the most recent board meeting, the senior managing director of Venus gave a presentation in which he said, Cutting the dividend is unthinkable, as it would signal a lack of faith in your own future. Selling new shares of stock at this depressed price level is also unthinkable, as it would impose unacceptable dilution on your current shareholders. Your equity investors expect an improvement in performance. If that improvement is not forthcoming, or worse, if investors’ hopes are dashed, your shares might fall into the hands of raiders like Carlo de Benedetti or the Flick brothers.1 At the conclusion of the most recent meeting of the directors, the board voted unanimously to limit capital spending in 2001 to â‚ ¬120 million. Members of the Senior-Management Committee Seven senior managers of Euroland Foods would prepare the capital budget. For consideration, each project had to be sponsored by one of the managers present. Usually the decision process included a period of discussion followed by a vote on two to four alternative capital budgets. The various executives were well known to each other: Wilhelmina Verdin (Belgian), PDG, age 57. Granddaughter of the founder and spokesperson on the board of directors for the Verdin family’s interests. Worked for the company her entire career, with significant experience in brand management. Elected â€Å"European Marketer of the Year† in 1982 for successfully introducing low-fat yogurt and ice cream, the first major roll-out of this type of product. Eager to position the company for long-term growth but cautious in the wake of recent difficulties. Trudi Lauf (Swiss), finance director, age 51. Hired from Nestlà © in 1995 to modernize financial controls and systems. Had been a vocal proponent of reducing leverage on the balance sheet. Also had voiced the concerns and frustrations of stockholders. Heinz Klink (German), managing director for Distribution, age 49. Oversaw the transportation, warehousing, and order-fulfillment activities in the company. Spoilage, transport costs, stock-outs, and control systems were perennial challenges. Maarten Leyden (Dutch), managing director for Production and Purchasing, age 59. Managed production operations at the company’s 14 plants. Engineer by training. Tough negotiator, especially with unions and suppliers. A fanatic about production-cost control. Had voiced doubts about the sincerity of creditors’ and investors’ commitment to the firm. Marco Ponti (Italian), managing director for Sales, age 45. Oversaw the field sales force of 250 representatives and planned changes in geographical sales coverage. The most vocal proponent of rapid expansion on the senior-management committee. Saw several opportunities for ways to improve geographical positioning. Hired from Unilever in 1993 to revitalize the sales organization, which he successfully accomplished. De Benedetti of Milan and the Flick brothers of Munich were leaders of prominent hostile-takeover attempts in recent years. Fabienne Morin (French), managing director for Marketing, age 41. Responsible for marketing research, new-product development, advertising, and, in general, brand management. The primary advocate of the recent price war, which, although financially difficult, realized solid gains in market share. Perceived a â€Å"window of opportunity† for product and market expansion and tended to support growth-oriented projects. Nigel Humbolt (British), managing director for Strategic Planning, age 47. Hired two years previously from a well-known consulting firm to set up a strategic-planning staff for Euroland Foods. Known for asking difficult and challenging questions about Euroland’s core business, its maturity, and profitability. Supported initiatives aimed at growth and market share. Had presented the most aggressive proposals in 2000, none of which were accepted. Becoming frustrated with what he perceived to be his lack of influence in the organization. Humbolt, Strategic Planning 1. Replacement and expansion of the truck fleet. Heinz Klink proposed to purchase 100 new refrigerated tractor-trailer trucks, 50 each in 2001 and 2002. By doing so, the company could sell 60 old, fully depreciated trucks over the two years for a total of â‚ ¬4.05 million. The purchase would expand the fleet by 40 trucks within two years. Each of the new trailers would be larger than the old trailers and afford a 15 percent increase in cubic meters of goods hauled on each trip. The new tractors would also be more fuel and maintenance efficient. The increase in number of trucks would permit more flexible scheduling and more efficient routing and servicing of the fleet than at present and would cut delivery times and, therefore, possibly inventories. It would also allow more frequent deliveries to the company’s major markets, which would reduce the loss of sales caused by stock-outs. Finally, expanding the fleet would support geographical expansion over the long term. As shown in Exhibit 3, the total net investment in trucks of â‚ ¬30 million and the increase in working capital to support added maintenance, fuel, payroll, and inventories of â‚ ¬3 million was expected to yield total cost savings and added sales potential of â‚ ¬11.6 million over the next seven years. The resulting IRR was estimated to be 7.8 percent, marginally below the minimum 8 percent required return on efficiency projects. Some of the managers wondered if this project would be more properly classified as â€Å"efficiency† than â€Å"expansion.† 2. A new plant. Maarten Leyden noted that Euroland Foods’ yogurt and ice-cream sales in the southeastern region of the company’s market were about to exceed the capacity of its Melun, France, manufacturing and packaging plant. At present, some of the demand was being met by shipments from the company’s newest, most efficient facility, located in Strasbourg, France. Shipping costs over that distance were high, however, and some sales were undoubtedly being lost when the marketing effort could not be supported by delivery. Leyden proposed that a new manufacturing and packaging plant be built in Dijon, France, just at the current southern edge of Euroland Foods’ marketing region, to take the burden off the Melun and Strasbourg plants. The cost of this plant would be â‚ ¬37.5 million and would entail â‚ ¬7.5 million for working capital. The â‚ ¬21 million worth of equipment would be amortized over 7 years, and the plant over 10 years. Through an increase in sales and depreciation, and the decrease in delivery costs, the plant was expected to yield after-tax cash flows totaling â‚ ¬35.6 million and an IRR of 11.3 percent over the next 10 years. This project would be classified as a market extension. 3. Expansion of a plant. In addition to the need for greater production capacity in Euroland Foods’ southeastern region, its Nuremberg, Germany, plant had reached full capacity. This situation made the scheduling of routine equipment maintenance difficult, which, in turn, created production scheduling and deadline problems. This plant was one of two highly automated facilities that produced Euroland Foods’ entire line of bottled water, mineral water, and fruit juices. The Nuremberg plant supplied central and western Europe. (The other plant, near Copenhagen, Denmark, supplied Euroland Foods’ northern European markets.) The Nuremberg plant’s capacity could be expanded by 20 percent for â‚ ¬15 million. The equipment (â‚ ¬10.5 million) would be depreciated over 7 years, and the plant over 10 years. The increased capacity was expected to result in additional production of up to â‚ ¬2.25 million a year, yielding an IRR of 11.2 percent. This project would be classified as a market extension. 4. Development and roll-out of snack foods. Fabienne Morin suggested that the company use the excess capacity at its Antwerp spice- and nut-processing facility to produce a line of dried fruits to be test-marketed in Belgium, Britain, and the Netherlands. She noted the strength of the Rolly brand in those countries and the success of other food and beverage companies that had expanded into snack-food production. She argued that Euroland Foods’ reputation for wholesome, quality products would be enhanced by a line of dried fruits and that name association with the new product would probably even lead to increased sales of the company’s other products among health-conscious consumers. Equipment and working-capital investments were expected to total â‚ ¬22.5 million and â‚ ¬4.5 million, respectively, for this project. The equipment would be depreciated over seven years. Assuming the test market was successful, cash flows from the project would be able to support further plant expansions in other strategic locations. The IRR was expected to be 13.4 percent, slightly above the required return of 12 percent for new-product projects. 5. Plant automation and conveyer systems. Maarten Leyden also requested â‚ ¬21 million to increase automation of the production lines at six of the company’s older plants. The result would be improved throughput speed and reduced accidents, spillage, and production tie-ups. The last two plants the company had built included conveyer systems that eliminated the need for any heavy lifting by employees. The systems reduced the chance of injury by employees; at the six older plants, the company had sustained an average of 223 missed-worker-days per year per plant in the last two years because of muscle injuries sustained in heavy lifting. At an average hourly total compensation rate of â‚ ¬14.00 an hour, more than â‚ ¬150,000 a year were thus lost, and the possibility always existed of more-serious injuries and lawsuits. Overall, cost savings and depreciation totaling â‚ ¬4.13 million a year for the project were expected to yield an IRR of 8.7 percent. This project would be classed in the efficiency category. 6. Effluent-water treatment at four plants. Euroland Foods preprocessed a variety of fresh fruits at its Melun and Strasbourg plants. One of the first stages of processing involved cleaning the fruit to remove dirt and pesticides. The dirty water was simply sent down the drain and into the Seine or Rhine Rivers. Recent European Community directives called for any wastewater containing even slight traces of poisonous chemicals to be treated at the sources, and gave companies four years to comply. As an environmentally oriented project, this proposal fell outside the normal financial tests of project attractiveness. Leyden noted, however, that the water-treatment equipment could be purchased today for â‚ ¬6 million; he speculated that the same equipment would cost â‚ ¬15 million in four years when immediate conversion became mandatory. In the intervening time, the company would run the risks that European Community regulators would shorten the compliance time or that the company’s pollution record would become public and impair the image of the company in the eyes of the consumer. This project would be classed in the environmental category. 7 and 8. Market expansions southward and eastward. Marco Ponti recommended that the company expand its market southward to include southern France, Switzerland, Italy, and Spain, and/or eastward to include eastern Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Austria. He believed the time was right to expand sales of ice cream, and perhaps yogurt, geographically. In theory, the company could sustain expansions in both directions simultaneously, but practically, Ponti doubted that the sales and distribution organizations could sustain both expansions at once. Each alternative geographical expansion had its benefits and risks. If the company expanded eastward, it could reach a large population with a great appetite for frozen dairy products, but it would also face more competition from local and regional ice-cream manufacturers. Moreover, consumers in eastern Germany, Poland, and Czechoslovakia did not have the purchasing power that consumers did to the south. The eastward expansion would have to be supplied from plants in Nuremberg, Strasbourg, and Hamburg. Looking southward, the tables were turned: more purchasing power and less competition but also a smaller consumer appetite for ice cream and yogurt. A southward expansion would require building consumer demand for premium-quality yogurt and ice cream. If neither of the plant proposals (i.e., proposals 2 and 3) was accepted, then the southward expansion would need to be supplied from plants in Melun, Strasbourg, and Rouen. The initial cost of either proposal was â‚ ¬30 million of working capital. The bulk of this project’s costs was expected to involve the financing of distributorships, but over the 10-year forecast period, the distributors would gradually take over the burden of carrying receivables and inventory. Both expansion proposals assumed the rental of suitable warehouse and distribution facilities. The after-tax cash flows were expected to total â‚ ¬56.3 million for southward expansion and â‚ ¬48.8 million for eastward expansion. Marco Ponti pointed out that southward expansion meant a higher possible IRR but that moving eastward was a less risky proposition. The projected IRRs were 21.4 percent and 18.8 percent for southern and eastern expansion, respectively. These projects would be classed in the market-extension category. 9. Development and introduction of new artificially sweetened yogurt and ice cream. Fabienne Morin noted that recent developments in the synthesis of artificial sweeteners were showing promise of significant cost savings to food and beverage producers as well as stimulating growing demand for low-calorie products. The challenge was to create the right flavor to complement or enhance the other ingredients. For ice-cream manufacturers, the difficulty lay in creating a balance that would result in the same flavor as was obtained when using natural sweeteners; artificial sweeteners might, of course, create a superior taste. In addition, â‚ ¬27 million would be needed to commercialize a yogurt line that had received promising results in laboratory tests. This cost included acquiring specialized production facilities, working capital, and the cost of the initial product introduction. The overall IRR was estimated to be 20.5 percent. Morin stressed that the proposal, although highly uncertain in terms of actual results, could be viewed as a means of protecting present market share, because other high-quality-icecream producers carrying out the same research might introduce these products; if the Rolly brand did not carry an artificially sweetened line and its competitors did, the Rolly brand might suffer. Morin also noted the parallels between innovating with artificial sweeteners and the company’s past success in introducing low-fat products. This project would be classed in the new-product category of investments. 10. Networked, computer-based inventory-control system for warehouses and field representatives. Heinz Klink had pressed unsuccessfully for three years for a state-of-the-art computer-based inventory-control system that would link field sales representatives, distributors, drivers, warehouses, and possibly even retailers. The benefits of such a system would be shorter delays in ordering and order processing, better control of inventory, reduction of spoilage, and faster recognition of changes in demand at the customer level. Klink was reluctant to quantify these benefits, because they could range between modest and quite large amounts. This year, for the first time, he presented a cash-flow forecast, however, that reflected an initial outlay of â‚ ¬18 million for the system, followed by â‚ ¬4.5 million in the next year for ancillary equipment. The inflows reflected depreciation tax shields, tax credits, cost reductions in warehousing, and reduced inventory. He forecast these benefits to last for only three years. Even so, the project’s IRR was estimated to be 16.2 percent. This project would be classed in the efficiency category of proposals. 11. Acquisition of a leading schnapps2 brand and associated facilities. Nigel Humbolt had advocated making diversifying acquisitions in an effort to move beyond the company’s mature core business but doing so in a way that exploited the company’s skills in brand management. He had explored six possible related industries in the general field of consumer packaged goods, and determined that cordials and liqueurs offered unusual opportunities for real growth and, at the same time, market protection through branding. He had identified four small producers of well-established brands of liqueurs as acquisition candidates. Following exploratory talks with each, he had determined that only one company could be purchased in the near future, namely, the leading private European manufacturer of schnapps, located in Munich. The proposal was expensive: â‚ ¬25 million to buy the company and â‚ ¬30 million to renovate the company’s facilities completely while simultaneously expanding distribution to new geographical markets. The expected returns were high: after-tax cash flows were projected to be â‚ ¬198.5 million, yielding an IRR of 27.5 percent. This project would be classed in the newproduct category of proposals. Conclusion Each member of the management committee was expected to come to the meeting prepared to present and defend a proposal for the allocation of Euroland Foods’ caital budget of â‚ ¬120 million. Exhibit 3 summarizes the various projects in terms of their free cash flows and the investment-performance criteria. Any of various strong dry liquors, such as a strong Dutch gin. Definition borrowed from American Heritage ® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed. UVA-F-1356 Exhibit 1 EUROLAND FOODS S.A. Nations Where Euroland Competed Note: The shaded area in this map reveals the principal distribution region of Euroland’s products. Important facilities are indicated by the following figures: 1 The effluent treatment program is not included in this exhibit. The equivalent annuity of a project is that level annual payment that yields a net present value equal to the NPV at the minimum required rate of return for that project. Annuity corrects for differences in duration among various projects. In ranking projects on the basis of equivalent annuity, bigger annuities create more investor wealth than smaller annuities. This reflects â‚ ¬16.5 million spent both initially and at the end of year 1. 4 Free cash flow = incremental profit or cost savings after taxes + depreciation investment in fixed assets and working capital. Franchisees would gradually take over the burden of carrying receivables and inventory. 6 â‚ ¬25 million would be spent in the first year, â‚ ¬30 million in the second, and â‚ ¬5 million in the third. 2 View as multi-pages

Importance Of Java To The Internet Computer Science Essay

Importance Of Java To The Internet Computer Science Essay At the beginning Java was known as oak but it was renamed as Java in 1995. The main aim of this language was to provide platform independent language that could be used to create software to be embedded in various consumer electronic devices. Features of Java Java is a programmers language. Java is cohesive and consistent. Except for those constraints imposed by the Internet environment Java gives the programmer full control. Java is to Internet programming where C was to system programming. Importance of Java to the Internet Java has had a profound effect on the Internet because it allows objects to move freely in Cyberspace. In a network there are two categories of objects that are transmitted between the Server and the Personal computer. Passive information Dynamic active programs The Dynamic Self-executing programs cause serious problems in the areas of Security and probability. But Java addresses those concerns and by doing so has opened the door to an exciting new form of program called the Applet. Java can be used to create two types of programs Applications: An application is a program that runs on our Computer under the operating system of that computer. It is more or less like one creating using C or C++. Javas ability to create Applets makes it important. Applet: An Applet is an application designed to be transmitted over the Internet and executed by a Java compatible web browser. An applet is actually a tiny Java program, dynamically downloaded across the network, just like an image. But the difference is it is an intelligent program, not just a media file. It can react to the user input and dynamically change. Features of Java Security Every time you that you download a program you are risking a viral infection. Prior to Java, most users did not download executable programs frequently and most users were worried about the possibility of infecting their systems with a virus. Java answers both these concerns by providing a firewall between a network application and your computer. When you use a Java-compatible Web browser, you can safely download Java applets without fear of virus infection. Portability For programs to be dynamically downloaded to all the various types of platforms connected to the Internet, some means of generating portable executable code is needed .As you will see, the same mechanism that helps ensure security also helps create portability. Indeed Javas solution to these two problems is both elegant and efficient. Java Virtual Machine (JVM) Beyond the language there is the Java virtual machine. The Java virtual machine is an important element of the Java technology. The virtual machine can be embedded within a web browser or an operating system. Once a piece of Java code is loaded onto a machine, it is verified. As part of the loading process, a class loader is invoked and does byte code verification makes sure that the code thats has been generated by the compiler will not corrupt the machine that its loaded on. Byte code verification takes place at the end of the compilation process to make sure that is all accurate and correct Java Architecture Java architecture provides a portable, robust, high performing environment for development. Java provides portability by compiling the byte codes for the Java Virtual Machine, which is then interpreted on each platform by the run-time environment Compilation of code When you compile the code, the Java compiler creates machine code (called byte code) for a hypothetical machine called Java Virtual Machine (JVM). The JVM is supposed to execute the byte code. The JVM is created for overcoming the issue of portability. The code is written and compiled for one machine and interpreted on all machines. This machine is called Java Virtual Machine. Simple Java was designed to be easy for the Professional programmer to learn and to use effectively. If you are an experienced C++ programmer, learning Java will be even easier. Because Java inherits the C/C++ syntax and many of the objects oriented features of C++. Most of the confusing concepts from C++ are either left out of Java or implemented in a cleaner, more approachable manner Object-Oriented Java was not designed to be source-code compatible with any other language. This allowed the Java team the freedom to design with a blank slate. One outcome of this was a clean usable, pragmatic approach to objects. The object model in Java is simple and easy to extend while simple types such as integers are kept as high-performance non-objects. Robust The multi-platform environment of the Web places extraordinary demands on a program, because the program must execute reliably in a variety of systems. The ability to create robust programs was given a high priority in the design of Java. Java is strictly typed language; it checks your code at compile time and run time. Java virtually eliminates the problems of memory management and de-allocation, which is completely automatic. In a well-written Java program, all run time errors can -and should -be managed by your program. SERVLETS Introduction The Java web server is JavaSofts own web Server. The Java web server is just a part of a larger framework, intended to provide you not just with a web server, but also with tools. To build customized network servers for any Internet or Intranet client/server system. Servlets are to a web server, how applets are to the browser. About Servlets Servlets provide a Java-based solution used to address the problems currently associated with doing server-side programming, including inextensible scripting solutions, platform-specific APIs, and incomplete interfaces. Servlets are objects that conform to a specific interface that can be plugged into a Java-based server. Servlets are to the server-side what applets are to the client-side object byte codes that can be dynamically loaded off the net. They differ from applets in that they are faceless objects (without graphics or a GUI component). They serve as platform independent, dynamically loadable, pluggable helper byte code objects on the server side that can be used to dynamically extend server-side functionality. For example, an HTTP Servlets can be used to generate dynamic HTML content. When you use Servlets to do dynamic content you get the following advantages: Theyre faster and cleaner than CGI scripts They use a standard API (the Servlets API) They provide all the advantages of Java (run on a variety of servers without needing to be rewritten) There are many features of Servlets that make them easy and attractive to use. Easily configured using the GUI-based Admin tool Can be loaded and invoked from a local disk or remotely across the network. Can be linked together, or chained, so that one Servlets can call another Servlets, or several Servlets in sequence. Can be called dynamically from within HTML pages, using server-side include tags. Are secure even when downloading across the network, the Servlets security model and Servlets sandbox protect your system from unfriendly behavior. Advantages of the Servlet API One of the great advantages of the Servlet API is protocol independence. It assumes nothing about: The protocol being used to transmit on the net How it is loaded The server environment it will be running in Features of Servlets: Servlets are persistent. Servlet are loaded only by the web server and can maintain services between requests. Servlets are fast. Since Servlets only need to be loaded once, they offer much better performance over their CGI counterparts. Servlets are platform independent. Servlets are extensible. Java is a robust, object-oriented programming language, which easily can be extended to suit your needs Invoking Servlets A Servlet invoker is a Servlet that invokes the service method on a named Servlet. If the Servlet is not loaded in the server, then the invoker first loads the Servlet (either from local disk or from the network) and the then invokes the service method. Also like applets, local Servlets in the server can be identified by just the class name. In other words, if a Servlet name is not absolute, it is treated as local. A client can invoke Servlets in the following ways: The client can ask for a document that is served by the Servlet. The client (browser) can invoke the Servlet directly using a URL, once it has been mapped using the Servlet Aliases section of the admin GUI. The Servlet can be invoked through server side include tags. The Servlet can be invoked by placing it in the Servlets/ directory. The Servlet can be invoked by using it in a filter chain. Java Database Connectivity What Is JDBC? JDBC is a Java API for executing SQL statements. (As a point of interest, JDBC is a trademarked name and is not an acronym; nevertheless, JDBC is often thought of as standing for Java Database Connectivity. It consists of a set of classes and interfaces written in the Java programming language. JDBC provides a standard API for tool/database developers and makes it possible to write database applications using a pure Java API. Using JDBC, it is easy to send SQL statements to virtually any relational database. One can write a single program using the JDBC API, and the program will be able to send SQL statements to the appropriate database. The combinations of Java and JDBC lets a programmer write it once and run it anywhere. What Does JDBC Do? Simply put, JDBC makes it possible to do three things: Establish a connection with a database Send SQL statements Process the results. JDBC versus ODBC and other APIs At this point, Microsofts ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) API is that probably the most widely used programming interface for accessing relational databases. It offers the ability to connect to almost all databases on almost all platforms. So why not just use ODBC from Java? The answer is that you can use ODBC from Java, but this is best done with the help of JDBC in the form of the JDBC-ODBC Bridge, which we will cover shortly. The question now becomes Why do you need JDBC? There are several answers to this question: ODBC is not appropriate for direct use from Java because it uses a C interface. Calls from Java to native C code have a number of drawbacks in the security, implementation, robustness, and automatic portability of applications. A literal translation of the ODBC C API into a Java API would not be desirable. For example, Java has no pointers, and ODBC makes copious use of them, including the notoriously error-prone generic pointer void *. You can think of JDBC as ODBC translated into an object-oriented interface that is natural for Java programmers. ODBC is hard to learn. It mixes simple and advanced features together, and it has complex options even for simple queries. JDBC, on the other hand, was designed to keep simple things simple while allowing more advanced capabilities where required. A Java API like JDBC is needed in order to enable a pure Java solution. When ODBC is used, the ODBC driver manager and drivers must be manually installed on every client machine. When the JDBC driver is written completely in Java, however, JDBC code is automatically installable, portable, and secure on all Java platforms from network computers to mainframes. Two-tier and three-tier Models The JDBC API supports both two-tier and three-tier models for database access. In the two-tier model, a Java applet or application talks directly to the database. This requires a JDBC driver that can communicate with the particular database management system being accessed. A users SQL statements are delivered to the database, and the results of those statements are sent back to the user. The database may be located on another machine to which the user is connected via a network. This is referred to as a client/server configuration, with the users machine as the client, and the machine housing the database as the server. The network can be an Intranet, which, for example, connects employees within a corporation, or it can be the Internet. JAVA Application JDBC DBMS Client machine DBMS-proprietary protocol Database server Java applet or Html browser Application Server (Java) JDBC DBMS Client machine (GUI) HTTP, RMI, or CORBA calls Server machine (business Logic) DBMS-proprietary protocol Database server In the three-tier model, commands are sent to a middle tier of services, which then send SQL statements to the database. The database processes the SQL statements and sends the results back to the middle tier, which then sends them to the user. MIS directors find the three-tier model very attractive because the middle tier makes it possible to maintain control over access and the kinds of updates that can be made to corporate data. Another advantage is that when there is a middle tier, the user can employ an easy-to-use higher-level API which is translated by the middle tier into the appropriate low-level calls. Finally, in many cases the three-tier architecture can provide performance advantages. Until now the middle tier has typically been written in languages such as C or C++, which offer fast performance. However, with the introduction of optimizing compilers that translate Java byte code into efficient machine-specific code, it is becoming practical to implement the middle tier in Java. This is a big plus, making it possible to take advantage of Javas robustness, multithreading, and security features. JDBC is important to allow database access from a Java middle tier. JDBC Driver Types The JDBC drivers that we are aware of at this time fit into one of four categories: JDBC-ODBC bridge plus ODBC driver Native-API partly-Java driver JDBC-Net pure Java driver Native-protocol pure Java driver

Chronic Disease In St Lucia Health And Social Care Essay

Chronic Disease In St Lucia Health And Social Care Essay Chronic disease is a disease of a long duration and generally slow progression (WHO, 2010). The U.S. National Center for Health Statistics states that a chronic disease is one lasting 3 months or more. These chronic diseases normally cannot be prevented by vaccines or cured by medication, nor do they just vanish. Chronic diseases are mainly caused by three major risk factors tobacco use, poor eating habits and physical inactivity. Majority of these risk factors are themselves worsened by poor socioeconomic determinants, such as lack of education and poverty. Most often these determinants are a indication of the main forces driving social, economic and cultural transition, including globalisation, urbanisation and an aging populations. Chronic diseases are affecting population health as the epidemiological transition progresses and are the lead cause of mortality worldwide and pose increasing problems for the burden of disease and quality of life in developed and developing countries (WHO, 2003). Non communicable diseases include a broad range of conditions, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancers, chronic respiratory disease, mental-health problems and musculo- skeletal disorders. The first four mentioned above account for approximately 50% of mortality globally, and share behavioural risk factors, such as excess calorie consumption, diets high in saturated and transfatty acids, excessive intake of alcohol, physical inactivity, and tobacco smoking. Approximately 35 million people have died from heart disease, stroke, cancer and other chronic diseases in the year 2005. The burdens of these diseases are equally shared among men and women, and are more prevalent in people under the age 70 (WHO, 2004). 80% of chronic disease deaths occur in low and middle income countries. Figure 1: Global distribution of total deaths (58 million) by cause in 2005. The age-specific death rates between the years 2005 2015 are projected to fluctuate slightly, Nevertheless, the ageing populations will result in an overall increase in chronic disease death rates for all ages combined. In 2005, all chronic diseases account for 72% of the total global burden of disease in the population aged 30 years and older. The total lost years of healthy life due to chronic diseases, as measured by DALYs, are greater in adults aged 30-59 years than for ages 60 years and older. More than 80% of the burden of chronic diseases occurs in people under the age of 70 years. Table 1: Projected global deaths and burden of disease due to chronic disease by age 2005- 2015 Deaths (Million) DALYs (millions) Deaths per 10000 DALYs per 100000 2005 2015 2005 2015 2005 2015 2005 2015 0-29 years 17 15 220 219 48 40 6320 5994 30-59 years 7 8 305 349 311 297 13304 13375 60-69 7 8 101 125 1911 1695 27965 26396 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥70 20 24 99 116 6467 6469 32457 31614 All ages 35 41 725 808 549 577 11262 11380 World Health Organization projects that, globally, NCD deaths will increase by 17% over the next ten years. The greatest increase of 27 %and 25 % respectively will be seen in the African region and the Eastern Mediterranean region (WHO,) 1.2 Types of chronic diseases 1.2.1Cardiovascular disease Cardiovascular disease CVD is the term used by the scientific community to embrace not just conditions of the heart [ischemic heart disease (IHD), valvular, muscular, and congenital heart disease but also hypertension and conditions involving the cerebral, carotid, and peripheral circulation. The risk of CVD is related to diet, physical activity, and body ( ). The patterns of food supplies and of food and nutrition that modify the risk of CVD are also well known. Whereas CVD was once largely confined to high-income countries, it is now the number one cause of death worldwide as well as in low- and middle-income countries, where 80 percent of the worlds 13 million annual CVD deaths occur. And at least 21 million years of disability-adjusted life years (or DALYs, a measure of future productive life) are lost globally because of CVD each year. The vast majority of CVD can be attributed to conventional risk factors such as tobacco use, high blood pressure, high blood glucose, lipid abnormalities, obesity, and physical inactivity. Cardiovascular diseases are major cause of chronic disease death and were accounted for of 17 million deaths in 2002. It is estimated that by the year 2030, 24 million will die of CVD, of which 80% will occur in low and middle income countries (5). 1.2.2 Cancer Cancer is a major and growing disease burden worldwide. The number of new cancer cases is projected to increase from 10 million in 2000 to 15 million in 2020, 9 million of which would be in developing countries. The epidemiology of cancer in developing countries clearly differs from that in developed countries in important respects. While developed countries often have relatively high rates of lung, colorectal, breast, and prostate cancer (some of which is tied to tobacco use, occupational carcinogens, and diet and lifestyle), up to 25% of cancers in developing countries is associated with chronic infections. Seven types of cancers account for approximately 60 percent of all newly diagnosed cancer cases and cancer deaths in developing countries: cervical, liver, stomach, esophageal, lung, colorectal, and breast. 1.2.3 Respiratory Diseases Chronic adult respiratory diseases-such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma-are a major and growing burden in terms of morbidity and mortality in the developing world. COPD (which includes emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and obstructive airways disease) is largely linked with cigarette smoking as well as exposure to unvented coal-fired cooking stoves; it accounts for 2 percent of lost DALYs on a worldwide basis. 1.2.4 Diabetes Mellitus Diabetes affects people worldwide and is one of the oldest diseases known. There are two common types of this disease: type 1and type 2 diabetes. Type-1 diabetes accounts for 5-10% of all diagnosed diabetes. Type-2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. It accounts for 90-95% of diagnosed diabetes. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated the worldwide prevalence of diabetes in adults to be around 173 million in 2002 and predicted that there will be at least 350 million people with Type 2 diabetes by 2030. At present about two-thirds of persons with diabetes live in developing countries and the majority of new cases will originate from these areas. The global increase in the incidence of diabetes is related to high levels of obesity associated with a change from traditional diets, diminishing levels of physical activity, population ageing and increasing urbanization. Diabetes Mellitus is the most prevalent form of diabetes on the global scale (6). For the past few decades, Diabetes Mellitus has reached epidemic proportions in many parts of the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) has predicted the global prevalence of all Diabetes will increase from 194 million in 2003 to 330 million in the year 2030 (7). 1.2.5 Hypertension Another commonly occurring chronic disease is hypertension. High blood pressure increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. Hypertension is sustained high blood pressure (à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥140/90mmHg). Blood pressure itself is the pressure exerted by the blood on the walls of the blood vessels. Each time the heart beats (about 60-70 times a minute at rest), it pumps blood into the arteries. Blood pressure is at its highest when the heart beats, pumping the blood. This is called systolic blood pressure. When the heart is at rest, between beats, blood pressure falls. This is diastolic pressure. Blood pressure itself is not harmful it is essential as it is the force that drives blood through the blood vessels to supply oxygen and nutrients to the bodys organs and tissues and carry away waste materials. However, when blood pressure becomes too high it has damaging effects on almost every part of the body and can lead to serious illness and death. Hypertension is an important public health challenge worldwide because of its prevalence and its role as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Some of the risk factors of hypertension include obesity, alcohol, family history, and smoking. There are two types of hypertension, namely primary hypertension and secondary hypertension. Primary hypertension is more common, occurring in 90-95% of the hypertension population. There is no identifiable cause and it develops gradually over many years. Secondary hypertension occurs in 5-10% of the hypertension population. () In the year 2000 it was estimated that the total number of adults with hypertension was 972 million. Of these, 333 million were estimated to be in developed countries and 639 million in developing countries (0). Kearney PM et al., predicted that by the year 2025, the number of people with hypertension will increase by approximately 60% to a total of 1.56 billion. (Kearney PM et al., 2005) the reasons are the continuing population increase and changes in lifestyle, which includes a diet high in sugar and high-fat processed foods and sedentarism. 1.3 Impact of chronic disease in the Caribbean Caribbean countries are in epidemiological transition, where not only nutritional deficiencies have considerably declined but infectious diseases have also been disappearing. However, over the last thirty years, nutrition-related chronic non-communicable diseases have slowly emerged as the major public health problems. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have gradually displaced communicable diseases in the Caribbean. Rates of chronic non-communicable disease such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and cancer have been increasing in the Caribbean and are the leading cause of mortality and mobility in the region (Ragoobirsinghet al., 1995, 2002; Wilkset al., 1998, 1999; Figueroaet al., 1999; Rotimi et al., 1999; Cruickshanket al., 2001, Figueroa, 2001; Sargeantet al., 2001; Henniset al., 2002a,b; Corbinet al., 2004; Wolfeet al., 2006). Of concern is the fact that while the prevalence and mortality rates of these diseases are highest in the elderly, they are not restricted to any one age group. An estimated 10% to 20% of the Caribbean population over 20 years of age suffers from diabetes and hypertension, respectively, with prevalence more than doubling at older ages (Hennis et al., 2002a, b). Hypertension and diabetes rank as the two leading chronic disorders among Caribbean populations and are also major risk factors for other diseases such as cerebrovascular disease (stroke) and coronary heart disease. Prevalence of chronic diseases in the Caribbean region over the pass 3 decades Another striking epidemic among the Caribbean population is the high prevalence of overweight [body mass index (BMI) >25 kg mà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢2] and obesity (BMI >30 kg mà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢2). Approximately half of the adult Caribbean population is overweight and 25% of adult Caribbean women are obese (Henry, 2004). The escalating trend in obesity is considered to be a major causative factor in chronic disease prevalence in the region. The increasing obesity levels, mainly among women, maybe associated with the changes in traditional diets and the adoption of sedentary lifestyles. In some the islands more than half of adult women are reported to be obese. Data from Barbados highlights the importance of obesity as a risk factor in chronic diseases. Based on available evidence, obese persons, (BMI>30) of 40-79 years had a 2.6 times greater risk of hypertension than persons with BMI 1.4 Impact of chronic disease in St. Lucia St. Lucia has undergone a significant demographic transition in the last 3 decades (Wilks, et al., 1998). Some features of this transition include the rise in the median age of the population from 20 years to 15 years between 1970 and 2010, the doubling of the proportion of persons older than 60 years old from 5000 to over 17,000 and the increase in life expectancy at birth from less than 50 years in 1950 to greater than 73 years in 2010 (World population prospectus, 2008). As a result, the main causes of illness and death in St. Lucia and many other Caribbean islands and regions at a similar state of development are the chronic non-communicable diseases (Sargeant et al., 2001). There is an increased prevalence of diet-related chronic non-communicable diseases, such as cardio-vascular diseases, diabetes and obesity. (Wilks et al., 1998). Between 1992-1999 in St. Lucia, preventable chronic diseases such as cardiovascular and circulatory systems accounted for 20.8% of deaths, with the major causes being cerebrovascular disease, ischemic heart disease, and hypertensive disease. Other major causes of death were cancers (14.5%), disease of the digestive system (8.7%), and diabetes (7.2%) (8). Approximately 1,304 deaths were due to diseases of the circulatory system and was accounted for 33% of all reported deaths, death due to cerebrovascular was (35.9%), hypertensive disease (14.8%), and ischemic heart disease (13.6%) (Health in America, 1998). There were 731 deaths due to cardiovascular disease from 1996 to 1999, accounting for 19% of all deaths and 53 % of deaths ratio of 5.8:1. Most (21 or 62%) occurred in the 15-44 years age group, and had a male-female ratio of 9.5:1. Cardiac arrest caused 268 cardiovascular deaths (37%), ischemic heart disease 174 (24%), pulmonary circulation and other forms of heart disease 134 (18%), and heart failure 153 (21%). Females accounted for 359 (49%) of deaths due to cardiovascular disease, and persons 60 years of age or older accounted for 588 deaths (80%). (WHO statistics). Based on PAHO statistic St. Lucia is the tenth leading island in the Caribbean with high rates of non- communicable chronic disease, accounting for approximately 63%. Over the years prevalence of non communicable diseases have been increasing, in a survey done by the Kairi consultants limited in association with the national assessment team of St. Lucia concluded the following findings for the year 2005 to 2006 for the distribution of chronic disease in St. Lucia. Irrespective of per capita consumption quintile, high blood pressure was the most prevalent lifestyle disease affecting persons with diseases in St. Lucia. In every quintile group, it also shows that the prevalence of diabetes ranks second to high blood pressure as a life time disease affecting persons with diseases in St. Lucia. In each of the quintile groups, more than three fifths of the persons with diseases reported suffering from high blood pressure while more than one quarter reported suffering from diabetes. In the year 2007 diabetes and Hypertension were the two the most pervasive and worsening health problems facing the island of St Lucia. The diseases afflict a broad swath of people, young and old. St. Lucia has a population of approximately 160,000 thousand people, and of this 28.1%of the population have abnormal blood glucose or high blood sugar and 8.1% have diabetes (Graven et al., 2007). 20% of people over 40 years of age suffer with the disease (the ministry of health 2007). At least 35% of those with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus do not know that they have the condition (The Ministry of Health, 2008). In rural area of St. Lucia the proportion with undiagnosed diabetes is considerably higher (St. Lucia Diabetic Society, 2008). At the time of diagnosis, every tenth person with diabetes has already developed one or more micro- or macro-vascular complications (Ministry of Health, 2008). Diabetes is among the leading cause of death. If inadequately treated, diabetes can cause blindness, kidney disease, nerve disease, amputations, heart disease, and stroke. Even conscientious and well-treated diabetics frequently suffer from these complications and have above-average medical costs. If observed, the Native St. Lucian has many barriers to health education, which basically involves their culture, lifestyle, accessibility and socio-economic status. For instance, St. Lucian is currently experiencing a crisis of poverty. People from lower socioeconomic status have poorer health than those in higher socioeconomic positions. Various studies have reported the relationship between low socioeconomic status and the development of chronic disease ((Lynch et al, 2000; Stelmach et al, 2009; Supriya et al, 2009). Recent poverty assessments in St. Lucia estimate that 18.7% of households and 25% of the population live in poverty. Income inequality is high, with 26% of the population characterized as chronically poor (MPDEH, 2003). That same report estimated that a decade later in 2005/06 the poverty rate had increased to 28.8% of the population( Government of St. Lucia( GOVST), The assessment of Poverty volume1, 2006) .The highest poverty rates in2005/06 were in the districts of Anse La Raye/Canaries (44.9%), Micoud (43.6%),Soufriere (42.5%) and Laborie (42.1%). The poverty gap and poverty severity also occurred in these same districts (GOVST, 2006) Furthermore, because of poverty and living in rural areas, most people consume less expensive and often high fat foods, and less fruits and vegetables (Henchy et al, 2000). Brown et al, (2005) described how socioeconomic position influences health among persons with diabetes. Diabetes is twice more prevalent in low income populations compared to wealthy populations (Stelmach W et al; 2009). Some explanations for this increased risk among people of low-income or resource-poor areas include increased stress, low access to medical and preventive care, and poor environment. 1.5 Diet, nutrition and chronic diseases There are clear associations between the various biomedical and behavioural chronic disease risk factors, and it is well established that diet quality and healthy eating practices play an important role in both preventing and managing chronic diseases and the factors that increase their risk (Kant A.K, 2004). The links with food and nutritional status are especially strong in the case of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and their risk factors (metabolic syndrome, obesity, hypertension and hyperlipidaemia). The food we eat, in all cultural selection, defines ones health, growth and development. Risk behaviours, particularly smoking and sedentarism, alter the result (). All this takes place in a social, cultural, political and economic environment that can exacerbate the health of populations. Diet is a key component in predisposing to chronic disease, mainly where diet is energy dense causing positive energy balance and obesity. Adoption of western diet which are high in fats , aminal protein, refined carbohydrates and low in fibre, fruits and vegetable can further increase one risk of developing no of more chronic disease(). Several studies have demonstrated a prudent diet rich in fruits, vegetables, fish and wholegrain to be associated with a decline in chronic disease risk such as diabetes (Van Dam et al., 2002; Anne-Helen Harding et al., 2004) Carbohydrates Carbohydrates food source are the most important source of calories for the worlds population mainly because of their low cost and wide availability (). Although Carbohydrates is easily accessible and widely eaten carbohydrate is a key dietary component affecting insulin secretion and postprandial glycemia and is implicated in the etiology of many chronic diseases (Brand-Miller JC et al., 2004). Both the quantity and type of carbohydrate eaten have consequences on insulin secretion and postprandial glycemia. Foods with a rich glycemic index (or glycemic load) produce high rates in blood glucose.  Diets including large quantities of high GL foods increase the risk of diabetes, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, endometrial cancer, and overall chronic disease (Barclay AW et al., 2008). Dietary fibres Epidemiological evidence has shown that foods rich in fibre help glycaemic control in diseases such as type 2 diabetic patients(). A diet high in fibre helps in control blood sugar levels in those with type 2 diabetes. It also helps with colon health as the high fibre diet with smoothing the stool and facilitates to weight loss (). Fats Dietary fat is one of the most influential nutrients in health. Fats has many functions in the human body, As well as to providing more than twice the energy supplied by carbohydrates and proteins and supplying essential fatty acids, fats slows digestion of carbohydrates in order to fuel the brain he fats serve as carriers for fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) and as parts of cell membranes(). The overconsumption of fat, mainly saturated fat, has been linked to six of the 10 leading causes of death worldwide ().Coronary heart disease and cancer ().There is a strong link between dietary fat consumption and risk of chronic diseases such as cancer, such as colon, breast, prostate, and ovary cancer (). Several studies over the past 30 years have verified the relationship of high dietary fat intake with higher mortality due to various cancers (). Some saturated fatty acids raise blood cholesterol levels and, thus, increase the risk of atherosclerosis (). High fat, intake is a main cause of obesity, hypertension, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and gallbladder disease (). Studies have show that countries with higher per capita intakes of fat, especially animal fat, have higher incidence rates of certain cancers, including breast, colon, prostate, and pancreas.[41] Migrational studies show that when individuals move from a country of low fat intake to one of high fat intake, the risk of some cancers increases [42] . Vitamins Vitamins are essential nutrients hey are required in small amounts, but have important and specific functions such as promoting growth, reproduction and the maintenance of health. Nutritionally, they form a cohesive group of organic compounds that are required in the diet in small amounts (micrograms or milligrams per day) for the maintenance of normal health and metabolic integrity. They are thus differentiated from the essential minerals and trace elements (which are inorganic) and from essential amino and fatty acids, which are required in larger amounts. Vitamin deficiency however, may increase the risk of chronic diseases (). Suboptimal folic acid levels, along with suboptimal levels of vitamins B(6) and B(12), are a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, neural tube defects, and colon and breast cancer() and low levels of the antioxidant vitamins (vitamins A, E, and C) may increase risk for several chronic diseases. . Nutritional Transition There are now approximately 350 million obese and more than 1 billion overweight people in the world, living in both developed and developing nations. Previously, underdeveloped nations grappled with undernutrition. Now many of these countries like St. Lucia are in a transitional state and are dealing with the twin evils of under- and over nutrition. In the Caribbean nations between the 1970s and 1990s, the prevalence of overweight/obesity increased from 7% in men and 20% in women in the 1970s to 22% in men and 58% in women (Ragoobirsingh D et al., 2004). The global prevalence of overweight amongst preschool children is estimated at 3.3%. Within the Caribbean region and St. Lucia has one of the highest incidences for this age group with St. Lucia having 2.5% of the 0-5 yr. population ( De Onis M et al.,October 2000) .Obesity in children and adolescents is known to have significant impact on both physical and psychosocial health, these soaring rates of obesity leads to an increase in hyperlipidaemia, hypertension, insulin resistance and abnormal glucose tolerance later in life (Reilly et al., 2003; Weiss et al., 2004). Urbanization, industrialization and transformation processes have been the main cause of this public health accomplishment. In modern cultures, demographic factors interact with social and economic factors and lead to changes in the patterns of health and diseases as hypothesized by Omrans epidemiological transition theory in the early 1970s (Orman et al., 1971). Omrans theory describes the changing pattern of mortality from the predominant communicable diseases to the emerging non-communicable diseases. In his study, Omran defined three stages of epidemiological transition, i.e. the age of pestilence and famine, the age of receding pandemics, and the age of degenerative and man-made diseases (Orman et al., 1971). 1.6 Dietary habits of St. Lucians Food habits reflect the plantation past: the typical diet contains a lot of starches, animal protein content that varies by location, and until recently, little in the way of green vegetables. Starches include various kinds of yams, dasheen, eddos, bananas and plantains, sweet potatoes, cassava and breadfruit. Most of these are boiled, served with some kind of stewed fish or meat, and accompanied by a sauce. Pepper (capsicum) sauce is always present at the table, as most dishes are not prepared spicy hot. Animal protein sources reflect the historical scarcity of this element: pork hocks, pig tail (fresh and salted), chicken back, and saltfish, (cod) salted beef, fish (tuna, flying fishing, red snapper, barracuda, sharke, sardines, jack fish). Most of the dishes are prepared with fats such as; coconut oil, lards, yellow butter. As much as St. Lucia has a wide variety of fruit they are only eaten Fruits such as; mangoes, golden apple, papaya, grapefruit, oranges, cherries, cashew, suga r apple(love apple).Main dishes are accompanied by vegetables such as, avocado, calaloo, spinach, tomatoes, okras, carrots, pigeon peas and lentils, Imported processed foods have been available for decades, but more recently account for larger parts of many meals. Foods such as pasta, rice, 1.7 Cause for chronic non-communicable diseases in St. Lucia Chronic diseases have numerous risk factors, which function at different levels, from the most proximal (i.e. biological), to the most distal (i.e. structural). These risk factors can be classified as modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors. Modifiable determinants include factors that can be altered, such as individual and community influences, living and working conditions and socio-cultural factors, non-modifiable determinants include those factors that are beyond the control of the individual, such as age, sex and hereditary factors. 1.7.1 Biological factors Some populations are susceptible to chronic disease because of inherited genes. In a south Africa a tribal group Afrikaners have been found to have familial hypercholesterolemia, a rare genetic disorder, characterised by very high low-density lipoprotein, cholesterol and early cardiovascular disease.( Steyn K et al.,1996). Genetic and lifestyle factors are considered to be the main contributors in causing type 2 diabetes (ORahilly et al; 2005). The genetic makeup of a person is as essential to the development of the disease but a person lifestyle and environmental factors can contribute significantly. Some of the major contributing factors include overweight, abdominal obesity and physical inactivity and to lesser extent intrauterine and early childhood factors (Alberti et al, 2007) 1.7.2 Early life origin The time between intrauterine growth and the development is the most vulnerable period in the life cycle and places major physiological, metabolic and psychological demand on the mother to support the growth and the development of the fetus (Allen, 2001). Good growth and development is dependent on a sufficient supply of energy and nutrients. Under nourishment during pregnancy is linked with poor pregnancy and neonatal outcomes which can have negative long term implications for the infant such as a reduction in intelligence, growth disorder, low immunity, increased morbidity, mortality and the development of a range of diseases during adulthood (Rasmussen, 2001) It is proposed that type 2 diabetes results from relative intrauterine malnutrition and the latter leads to lifelong programming (Baker et al; 1986). Children with low birth weight are most likely to experience growth restraint, whether due to intrauterine nutritional restriction or genetic predisposition to low birth weight; similar associations of low birth weight have been made for the development of diabetes (Lindsay et al; 2001). Babies who are born low birth weight tend to grow fast after birth catch-up growth, often become overweight as young children. They are most likely to develop high blood pressure and abnormal blood glucose level early in life, which future increase their risk of developing chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes (Barkeret al., 1997). The prevalence of Low Birth Weight (LBW) is approximately 6 and 9% in the Caribbean. The association between low birth weight and adult disease makes urgent the concern of these high LBW prevalence rates in the Caribbean (Henry; 2000). An under-nourishes child is normally a smaller and shorter child (0) Stunting is an indication of long standing mal and under-nutrition and is often accompanied by fat deposition, particularly around the abdominal section when faced with food in abundance. Predisposing individuals to obesity in adulthood. () Likewise children who are born to large mother and are large for their gestational age are most likely to induce insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes later in life (Bennett et al; 2002). In Jamaica children shortness at birth and increased current weight are independent predictors of insulin resistance (Bennett et al; 2002). There is significant amount of evidence, mainly from developed countries, that states intrauterine growth retardation is connected with an increased risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes and elevated blood pressure (WHO, 2002; Godfrey et al., 2000; Forsà © et al., 2000). It may be the pattern of growth, i.e. restricted fetal growth followed by very fast postnatal catch-up growth that is vital in the underlying disease pathways. Likewise, large size at birth is also associated with an increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease (McCance DR et al., 1996; Leon DA et al., 1998). Behavioural risk factors (lifestyle factors) Lifestyles play an important role in determining chronic diseases and lifestyle changes are likely to be responsible for a significant proportion of their increase over time. 1.7.3 Poor diet Nutrition is a major modifiable determinant of chronic diseases, with scientific evidence supporting the view that modifications in diet have effects on health outcome of a person. Non-communicable diseases are linked to high consumption of energy dense foods, made of animal origin and of foods processed or prepared with added fat, sugar and salt.() St. Lucia is undergoing rapid nutritional transition (Boyne, 2008). There has been an increase of fast-food restaurants, and an increased in the consumption of meals high in fat, sugar, and salt and a reduction in the consumption of cereals, grains, fruits, vegetables, tubers, and legumes (Jacoby et al.,2008). The increased consumption of imported foods high in fat and sodium has led to a decline of the health status of people throughout the region, with an increase in health problems such as obesity and diabetes (Report from WHO, 2003). 1.7.4 Physical inactivity Physical inactivity and sedentary lifestyle is linked with increased levels of obesity, breast cancer, colon cancer