Personal Statement for Microbiology and Biotechnology Msc

Personal Statement for Microbiology and Biotechnology Msc Personal Statement for the MSc in Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology Microbiology and Biotechnology is one of the most rapidly growing fields within applied sciences, having applications from the diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions, through to the enhancement of food production. Due to the potential impact on human life, the importance of biotechnology is currently very high in both the public and scientific agendas. The main focus of the course will be on Bioprocess Design, Bioprocess Technology, Biotechnology Business and Industrial Microbiology which is designed to meet industrys growing demand for personnel with expertise in applied microbiology and biotechnology. Molecular biology, (molecular) genetics and bioinformatics form the backbone of Biotechnology, and different aspects of these feature in a number of modules in the course. A thorough understanding of the link between DNA, RNA and protein is pivotal. You will study gene expression and protein production and purification, and applications thereof in different biotechnological fields. In addition to developing subject-based expertise and skills, you will consider the many global issues associated with recent biotechnological advances. This course will give me the access to a field of study which will have a major impact in the future of science. The MSc Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology course in University of Westminster is specifically designed to expand our knowledge and insight in the science underpinning biotechnological principles. In addition, it will help me to apply those knowledge and skills in addressing specific biotechnological problems in the fields of animal, plant and microbial biotechnology. The course also will enhance my career opportunities in the biotechnological industries, enabling me to take full advantage of opportunities that will ensue from the expansion of this area and/or prepare me for further academic research. Why Microbiology Experts believe that one million people now suffer from food-borne illness in England and Wales alone. Worldwide, every minute six children die from the consumption of food and water contaminated with micro-organisms. Research into the bacteria and viruses that are responsible for food-borne illness is advancing rapidly, improving our understanding of the interaction of these bacteria with man, the environment, agriculture and food. As a consequence, there is now an urgent need for well-qualified graduates who can interpret these new advances and apply their knowledge in careers within the food industry, DEFRA and the Food Standards Agency, as well as in Local Government and hospital laboratories. A study of microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, viruses, algae and protozoa) provides important insights into many of the fundamental problems in biology. Because of their ease of manipulation and rapid growth, such organisms are frequently used as experimental systems for research in biochemistry and molecular biology. Recent public concerns about microbial contamination of food and industrys growing interest in biotechnology have increased the demand for graduate microbiologists. The course at University of Westminster aims to provide you with the opportunity to gain a sound training in both the theoretical and practical aspects of this rapidly developing subject. Features of the MSc in Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology programme include: a range of module choices to suit my subject interests different combinations of modules which qualify me for one of the named specialist awards placements in research labs and pharmaceutical companies both home and abroad research projects using state-of-the-art equipment a Graduate Development Programme which supports key skills and employability throughout the degree Why Biotechnology It is an exciting time to become involved in the biotechnology revolution. Humanity is faced with many challenges such as feeding expanding populations, global warming and providing for our energy needs while reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, protecting the environment by preventing and cleaning up pollution, using the knowledge gained from the human genome project and other cutting edge research to further our understanding of disease and applying that knowledge to develop novel treatments and pharmaceuticals, improve industrial processes by engineering biology to do the chemistry. Biotechnology provides a tool box for tackling these challenges and in the next decade, as the pace of advances in biotechnology accelerates, the impact of biotechnology will be even greater, providing an abundance of unique opportunities to make new discoveries and introduce innovations improving the quality of peoples lives Biotechnology is one of the fastest growing industries worldwide, with revenue from public biotechnology companies surpassing US$70 billion in 2006. (Ernst Young, Global Biotechnology Report 2007) Over the past ten years, it is estimated that the number of people employed within the biotechnology industry has grown by over 90%. It is a dynamic industry that presents excellent opportunities to advance your career in a wide range of roles including academic research, industrial research and development, business management and development, sales and marketing, manufacturing and quality control and assurance. And the combination of Microbiology and Biotechnology The University of Westminster also provide the great opportunity to achieving the degree of Microbiology and Biotechnology both in a combination. The objective of the Master of Science in this course is to provide future biotechnologists with the skills and competencies needed today to design biotechnological research, implement biotechnological projects, and planning decision, create and apply research modalities to larger schemes set in large research projects in order to improve the health status and quality of life in developing countries like Bangladesh.

Combined Pulmonary Fibrosis and Emphysema (CPFE)

Combined Pulmonary Fibrosis and Emphysema (CPFE) Ong Wei Jun Dan The Causes, Consequences and Differences Between Pulmonary Fibrosis or Emphysema Alone   Abstract Combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE) is a complicated disease and untreated disease which consists of two diseases. It is difficult for respiratory therapists or respiratory physicians to differentiate between CPFE versus idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)/emphysema alone. There is an increased recognition of the coexistence of emphysema and pulmonary fibrosis in individuals. The association of two diseases results in chronic dyspnea, upper-lobe emphysema and lower lobe fibrosis, and severely diminished diffusion of gas exchange with preserved lung volumes. CPFE is also frequently complicated by pulmonary hypertension, lung injury and even lung cancer. This causes CPFE patients to feel have a low quality of life and a low 10-year survival rate. Currently, there are no known treatments for CPFE patients with the exception of lung transplantation. Thus, clinical evaluations are needed to differentiate between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and pulmonary fibro sis, and to recognize that CPFE is a unique entity by looking at the difference in radiological, pathological and metabolism features in order to find better treatment for CPFE. Introduction About 11 million Americans have Chronic Pulmonary Obstructive Disease (COPD) and out of these, most are diagnosed with pulmonary emphysema. The etiology of emphysema found that 80% of cases are caused by cigarette smoking, which causes alveolar membranes to break down, creating huge alveoli (called blebs) that lesser surface area and weaker walls than normal alveoli. This causes the low perfusion of oxygen due to decrease in surface area. In addition, approximately 50,000 new cases of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) are diagnosed each year.   IPF is a restrictive respiratory disease, and it is the most common of the idiopathic lung diseases. IPF causes thickening of the alveolar capillary membrane, which results in minimal gas exchange between the alveolar and the blood capillaries. Both diseases lead to the decreased efficacy of oxygen delivery. CPFE is a combination of both IPF and emphysema. However, it is usually treated as IPF and ignored or excluded in the diagnosis of emphysema.   COPD and pulmonary fibrosis have different pathologies, metabolic pathways and radiological characteristics, and were therefore regarded as separate entities for a very long time. However, in recent years, there is some recognition of the coexistence of pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema in patients. As such, it is very important to know the differences between CPFE versus emphysema or pulmonary fibrosis alone in order to find a treatment or prevent the patients conditions from further deteriorating. In the following years, studies had shown that CPFE patients have a coincidental occurrence of early emphysema and at later age of IPF, especially for smokers with many pack years.1   However, in recent studies there is a correlation between the occurrence of the combination between lower lobe pulmonary fibrosis and upper lobe emphysema. These two diseases have been observed coexisting in greater frequencies which are therefore called combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE) and there is a need to distinguish them as distinct entities. There are some studies taking place to better understand the pathophysiology of the condition and find the possible causes of CPFE such as genetic factors or any biological metabolism pathways which may encourage its development. CPFE is normally caused by heavy smoking, exercise hypoxemia, upper lobe emphysema and lower lobe pulmonary fibrosis, unexpected lung volume and severe reduction of carbon monoxide transfer.2 Whether the combination of both emphysema and pulmonary fibrosis is a unique clinical entity still remains unknown. For some of the population in the medical community, it is a coincidental occurrence of two smoking-related diseases on one person, versus the coexistence of the similarities of COPD and lung cancer. However, many different studies have shown and suggested that interstitial lung abnormalities, which are normally caused by IPF, have are inversely related to emphysema in smokers. In fact, based on the chest X-Ray images, most patients who have many pack years with IPF do not have any signs of having emphysema. Similarly, most patients who have emphysema do not have any signs of IPF in their chest X-Ray. Hence, the combination of both pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema may be a direct result of heavy smoking or many pack years which reflects the uniqueness in individual susceptibilities. Even though medical professionals tend to use chest X-Rays for any respiratory distress, as it is inexpensive and considered a fast diagnostic tool, it is unable to properly diagnose the CPFE syndrome. Another alternative would be to use High-Resolution Chest Computed Tomography (HRCT), which is the only tool to diagnose the syndrome. The CPFE syndrome consists of heterogeneous syndromes, in which syndromes differ from one individual to another and resulting in no actual definition of the syndrome for CPFE. This makes it difficult to diagnose CPFE with the current pulmonary function test, as CPFE patient results look similar to those of patients diagnosed with pneumonia. From past research and observations, CPFE is frequently complicated with pulmonary hypertension, acute lung injury and the possibility of lung cancer, resulting in very poor prognoses. Treatments for CPFE patients with severe pulmonary hypertension have not been found and have largely proven ineffective in curing the disease apart from a wholesale lung transplant. The identification of patients with CPFE is needed due to the uniqueness and complication of the diseases history. Since CPFE has not yet attracted the attention of researchers and healthcare practitioners, there have not been many studies focused on finding the differences between pulmonary fibrosis, emphysema and CPFE. Currently, there is no consistent way to differentiate the factors, signs and syndromes when diagnosing CPFE patients from other obstructive respiratory diseases. This has resulted in many medical practitioners failing to immediately recognize CPFE in patients diagnoses. Population distribution of Emphysema, IPF and CPFE The prevalence of the disease emphysema was reported to be at about 24.5 per 1,000 in America, while the prevalence of IPF varied from 14 to 42.7 cases per 100,000. Therefore, emphysema is a more common disease as compared to IPF. However, there are no studies that account for the prevalence of CPFE. Some of the reported observations show that the proportion of patients with CPFE detected on HRCT scans range from 8% to 51% in IPF patients. On the other hand, the proportion of pulmonary fibrosis found in patients with emphysema is less than 10% using the HRCT. This variation of proportion of prevalence in CPFE may be due to the different types and complications arising from the diagnosis of emphysema when evaluated by chest X-Ray and HRCT. Patients with CPFE tend to be older men who tend to have many pack years of smoking. Previous studies have shown that there is no significant difference when varying the number of pack years against the occurrence of COPD such as emphysema and CPFE. However, patients with CPFE and those with COPD usually have a long history of smoking as compared to patients with IPF.   Many studies have reported that male have higher prevalence then female in having respiratory disease syndrome, and could be due to men tending to have more pack years as compared to females. It may also be due to the genes of men which predispose them to succumbing to COPD or CPFE. Even though both IPF and emphysema have proven to be more common in male smokers than female smokers, it does not necessarily mean that gender plays an important risk factor in the contraction of CPFE. More studies are needed to determine how gender differences affect this syndrome. Pathology pathway of CPFE Till now, there are no conclusive findings for pathogenies of CPFE. There are no clear conclusions on the development of CPFE, whether emphysema and or pulmonary fibrosis progress independently or whether there are synergistic qualities between the two. There may be some mechanisms involving cytokines, beta receptors or signaling pathways which have not been discovered. Thus, both pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema may tend to occur in genetic susceptibility individuals with from exposure to environmental factors such as smoking or occupational hazard and chemicals. Case Study of a CPFE patient (Occupational exposure) A case study journal report on a male patient aged 73 years old in 2015 gives one of the more detailed analysis of Microscopic Polyangiitis (MPA), a disease that precedes by CPFE. The patient worked as a metalworker and had 25 pack years. He was admitted to the hospital due to progressive dry coughing and he was later diagnosed with CPFE. He eventually died due to complications from CPFE, which resulted in severe pneumococcal pneumonia with acute lung injury. His arterial blood gas result was normal with a fairly abnormal range in his pulmonary function test (PFT). There were clear signs of emphysema and IPF from his CT scan and Chest X-Ray (Kyoko Gocho, 2015). MPA is a systemic necrotizing vasculitis of small vessels associated with numerous types of antibodies in particular myeloperoxidase- antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (MPO-ANCA). Oxidation induced by MPO-ANCA may trigger pulmonary fibrosis due to alveolar hemorrhage, resulting in pulmonary capillaritis (an inflammation of p ulmonary capillary). This causes pulmonary fibrosis as the alveolar capillary wall thickens (Kagiyama, 2015) Correlation of smoking with CPFE patients A common etiology factor for CPFE is smoking. Tobacco smoke contains 4000 chemical substances, including Kaolinite or aluminum silicate, an organic industrial material. Studies show that inhalation of this organic industrial substance will result in hyperactive macrophages, which in turn will lead to respiratory bronchiolitis and emphysema (King, 2005). Currently, there are no studies for the association of tobacco smoking resulting in IPF, other factors such as environmental factors in genetically-predisposition individuals may play a key role in resulting IPF. The association between CPFE and lung cancer may reflect the susceptibility linked to long term smoking which causes chronic smoking-induced inflammation. These were done on several other studies on the relationship between emphysemaand IPF.3,4 Pathological findings (Diagnostic Imaging) Patients who have acute respiratory distress syndrome such as COPD, pulmonary fibrosis or even CPFE, will tend to have more difficulty breathing due to the use of accessory muscles and the need to constantly supply supplemental oxygen to meet the oxygen level demanded by the body. For some of the patients, a high flow of oxygen is required (flow rate of more than 60L/min) to meet their inspiratory demand. Patients with CPFE have a confused and undetermined ventilation/ perfusion ratio due to emphysema causing low perfusion and IPF having low ventilation. This results in both ventilation of oxygen to the alveoli and perfusion of capillaries to be diminished, leading to dead space and shunt. Emphysema results in the reduction of alveoli-capillary surface membrane by forming a bleb that causes air-trapping, whereas pulmonary fibrosis scars the alveolis tissue, creating a shunt that causes ventilation of the oxygen to the alveoli to be inefficient, resulting in the patients body tissue b eing unable to get a sufficient amount of oxygen. Other remarkable syndromes found in COPD patients are chronic cough and sputum production in volume greater than one shot full glass due to inflammation of bronchi and impairment of the mucociliary clearance, presumably due to the effects of smoking. Patients with IPF may show progressive shortness of breath, loud expiratory wheezing sounds and if the condition is worse cyanosis may appear on the patient. CPFE from previous clinical studies shows that it is similar to IPF. On close physical examination, by doing chest auscultation, it was found that more than 80% of CPFE patients will emit inspiratory dry crackles sounds due to the underlying pulmonary fibrosis. About 40 to 50% will have digit clubbing and poor capillary refill. As of now, there is no consistent definition for CPFE. However, it is very important to diagnose it early. Diagnostic criteria for CPFE include radiological findings by using either chest X-Ray or HRCT these images will appear as upper-lobe emphysema with fibrosis like blebs, lower-lobe honeycombing with subpleural reticular opacities, thick wall cystic lesions, and sometimes ground glass opacities.2 Table 1: Comparison of clinical characteristics difference between CPFE, emphysema and IPF patients group (measures of Framingham variables) CPFE IPF Emphysema p-value Sample size 22 8 17 Age (in years) Median 73.5 74 78 0.7 Range 59-96 56-89 48-86 Number of pack years Median 64 43 75 0.64 Range 20-50 30-80 15-65 Table 2: Comparison of clinical characteristics difference between CPFE, emphysema and IPF patients group (Pulmonary Function Test) CPFE IPF Emphysema p-value Vital capacity 2.52 ±0.72 2.34 ±0.86 2.85 ±0.61 0.52 Vital capcity (%) 83.1 ±22.1 68.0 ±27.7 87.0 ±12.4 0.29 FEV1 2.01 ±0.19 1.60 ±0.24 1.57 ±0.22 0.28 FEV1/FVC(%) 76.8 ±3.31 81.8 ±4.45 55.6 ±4.06 70%, this results being emphysema to be ignored or overlooked. Physician, healthcare workers and respiratory therapists should be aware of its existence. More autopsies should be recognized such as thick-walled cystic lesion and idiopathic interstitial pneumonia should be recognized as both of these can be found in CPFE patients but are seldom found in emphysema/IPF alone patients. A deeper understanding of the pathophysiology is needed for CPFE and the factors that causes the syndrome of CPFE should be explored further with more clinical studies so as to develop effective treatments or therapeutic strategies for CPFE patients. References       Hiwatari H., S. S. (1993). Pulmonary emphysema followed by pulmonary fibrosis of undetermined cause. Respiration, 60(6). Cottin V., H. N. (2005). Combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema: a distinct underrecognised entity. European Respiratory Journal, 26(4). Kaplan R. M. (2015). Quality of Well-being Outcomes in the National Emphysema Treatment Trial. Chest Journal, 147(2). Kagiyama C., N. T. (2015). Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-positive conversion and microscopic polyangiitis development in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. BMJ Open Respiratory Research, 2(1). Inomata M., A. M. (2013). An autopsy study of combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema: correlations among clinical, radiological, and pathological features. BMC Pulmonary Medicine, 104(14). King, C. G. (2005). COPD: a dust-induced disease? Chest Journal, 128(4). Kyoko G. (2015). Microscopic polyangiitis preceded by combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema. Respiratory Medicine Case Reports, 10(2). Papaioannou A. I., E. A. (2016). Combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema: The many aspects of a cohabitation contract. Respiratory Medicine, 117(10). 9.  Ã‚   Portill K., J. M. (2011). Combined Pulmonary Fibrosis and Emphysema Syndrome: A New Phenotype within the Spectrum of Smoking-Related Interstitial Lung Disease. Pulmonary Medicine , 2012(1).

guilty as charged :: essays research papers

In William Goldings, The Lord of the Flies, an illegal killing took place. Unlawful homicides vary from First degree murder to Manslaughter. Second Degree, murder is a killing which is deliberate and planned in combination with felonies. When Piggy had gone to Castle Rock to retrieve his glasses, he ended fighting Jack. While the boys were disputing a rock was thrown at Piggy subsequently making him fall and die. Jack then proceeded to scream to Ralph that that’s what he deserved, approving Piggy’s murder. The Jury should find Jack Merridew guilty of Second Degree Murder in the death of Piggy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Granted, Jack Merridew himself did not kill Piggy; however, he did plan to kill anyone who was in his way when stealing Piggy’s glasses. â€Å"We’ll keep along the sands. Then if he comes, we’ll do our dance again† Jack had planned to kill Ralph, just like they killed Simon in their dance, if he meddled with his plans. Piggy just happened to be the one who interfered with Jack’s plans. Jack’s followers listened to what he said, and Roger rolled the rock at Piggy, killing him. Jack never really cared for Piggy from the start. He wanted him out of his way so he could become chief; he was the only thing that kept Ralph in charge. Jack would have done anything for that position, and Piggy interfered, which resulted in his murder. Jack did plan to kill someone, and Piggy happened to be first.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In addition, Jack treated Piggy with extreme cruelty. Jack's brutal behavior toward Piggy exposed his evil side. This could be why he wanted to kill him, as they began arguing since they had first met. Jack also felt a desire for power; Piggy would never grant him this supremacy, which led to violence either physically or verbally. After Jack let the fire go out, Piggy reprimanded him leading to frustration in Jack; â€Å"This from Piggy, and the wails of agreement from some of the hunters, drove Jack to violence. The bolting look came into his blue eyes. He took a step, and able at last to hit someone, stuck his fist into Piggy’s stomach † Jack could have hit anyone else but struck Piggy, showing his deep hatred for him. All Jack needed was the opportunity to kill Piggy, and he would have taken it just like when he punched him in the stomach.

Robert Brownings My Last Duchess Character Analysis :: Robert Browning, Poems, Poetry, Prose

MurderÂ…mysteryÂ…intrigueÂ…All describe Robert Browning's poem, "My Last Duchess." From the speakers indirect allusions to the death of his wife the reader might easily think that the speaker is a bit crazy and committed a vengeful crime out of jealousy. His flowery speech confuses and disguises any possible motives; however, the mystery is left unsolved. Based on the poem's style and structure, it becomes evident that even if the speaker did not directly kill his wife, he certainly had something to hide. This poem is about a powerful Duke, and his beautiful, flirtatious wife who has two different personalities, one that was reality and the other was the lady in the painting. The duke comes off as being very possessive. "Never to stoop. Oh sir, she smiled, no doubt,/ Whene'er I passed her; but who passed without/ much the same smile?" (43-45). I believe this being said, the duke is over examining things, the smile can simply come off as simply being a nice person, but to duke sees it in a different light. He views it as being flirtatious. The poem begins and ends with him mourning the loss of his deceased Duchess, but from the way that the mighty Duke speaks, he knows more about her death than he leads us to believe. The Duke chooses his word very carefully, when he talks to his friend about the painting of his wife. He only drops small hints, to his friend about the death of his Duchess. "I gave commands/ then all smiles stopped together" (45-46). These lines mean that the Duke, playing a very dominant part, tells his wife to stop smiling and flirting. Being told this, she still continues on, which I believe she does not notice or see herself as being flirtatious. As a result I believe that the Duke killed his wife, or had someone to put her to her death. As the Duke speaks of his Duchess, in the beginning, he sounds extremely compassionate and caring towards her. The Duke had an absolute love for his Duchess as most husbands and wives do. He sounded so proud of her and the beauty that she posed: almost like she was a trophy. Despite all of the pride and excitement that he showed towards her, there was an element of distrust that lingered inside of his mind.

Economics :: essays papers

Economics2 CLASSICAL THEORY -The classical theory of employment is grounded in Say’s Law, the classical interest rate mechanism, and downwardly flexible prices and wages. -The aggregate supply curve is vertical at the full-employment level of output; the aggregate demand curve is stable if the money supply is constant. -Government macroeconomic policies are unnecessary and counter-productive; automatic, built-in mechanisms provide for full-employment output. KEYNESIAN THEORY -Keynesian analysis unlinks saving and investment plans and discredits downward price-wageflexibility, implying that changes in aggregate spending, output, and employment, are likely. -The aggregate supply curve is horizontal; the aggregate demand curve is unstable largely because of the volatility of investment. -Active macroeconomic policies by government are necessary to mitigate recessions or deppressions. -Say’s Law is the disarming notion that the very act of producing goods generates an amount of income exactly equal to the value of the goods produced. -Supply creates its own demand. -Saving would constitute a leakage in the income-expenditure flows and would undermine the ffective operation of Say’s Law. -Saving is a withdrawal of funds from the income stream which will cause consumption expenditures to fall short of total output. -Investment spending by businesses is a supplement to the income-expenditure stream which may fill any consumption gaparising from saving. -Keynesian economics hold that there ar etwo other sources of funds which can be made available in the money market: 1)the accumulated money balances, 2)lending institutions. -The Keynesian position is that saving and investment plans can be at odds and thereby can result in fluctuations in total output, total income, employment, and the pricelevel. -The amount of goods and service produced and therefore the level of employment depend directly on the level of total or aggregate expenditures. -A consumption schedule indicates the various amounts households plan to consume at various possible levels of disposable income which might prevail at some specific point in time. -Because disposable income equals consumption plus saving (DI=C+S) you need only subtract consumption from disposable income to find the amount saved at each level of DI. -Break-even income is the level at which households consume their entire income. -APC= consumption/ income -APS= saving / income -APC + APS= 1 -MPC= change in consumption/ change in income -MPS= change in saving / change in income -MPC + MPS = 1 -Nonincome determinants of Consumption and Saving are wealth, price level, expectation, consumer indebtedness, taxation. -Consumption spending and saving both rise when disposable income increases; they fall when disposable income decrases. -The average propensity to consume is the fraction of any given level of disposable income which is consumed; the average propensity to save is the fraction of any given level of disposable income which is saved.

Report of Maf 680

MAF 680 REPORT The problem faces by the Delima Enterprise Sdn. Bhd can be solve if the company implement some sort of internal control system in all activities. A system of internal control consists of policies and procedures designed to provide management with reasonable assurance that the company achieves its objectives and goals. Typically, there have three broad objectives in designing an effective internal control system, reliability of financial reporting, efficiency and effectiveness of operations and compliance with laws and regulations.Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is one of the internal control systems that can be implemented by the company. A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is a set of written instructions that document a routine or repetitive activity followed by an organization. The development and use of SOPs are an integral part of a successful quality system as it provides individuals with the information to perform a job properly, and facilitates consistency in the quality and integrity of a product or end-result.The term â€Å"SOP† may not always be appropriate and terms such as protocols, instructions, worksheets, and laboratory operating procedures may also be used. SOPs will detail the regularly recurring work processes that are to be conducted or followed within an organization. They document the way the activities are to be performed in order to facilitate consistent conformance to technical and quality system requirements and to support data quality. They may describe, for example, fundamental programmatic actions and technical actions such as analytical processes, and processes for maintaining, calibrating, and using equipment.SOPs are intended to be specific to the organization or facility whose activities are described and assist that organization to maintain their quality control and quality assurance processes and ensure compliance with governmental regulations. SOPs should be written and documented properly for easy use and refer. If not, SOPs are of limited value. In addition, the best written SOPs also fail if they are not followed. Therefore, the use of SOPs needs to be reviewed and re- enforced by management, preferably the direct supervisor.Furthermore, the written SOPs should be put in place that is easy to see mostly for individuals who involve directly in the activities. In preparing the SOPs, the company should have a procedure in place for determining what procedures or processes need to be documented first. Those SOPs should then be written by individuals knowledgeable with the activity and the company’s internal structure. For example, in the case of Delima, Puan Balqis or Encik Salam should be the suitable person for this task. The other way is, they can also create a group or team for preparing SOPs.By using SOPs, the Delima should be able to prevent the mistake as well as errors in performing the operations. In terms of sales, for example, the employee will know what to do from the time of receiving orders until producing the invoice even if he or she do have any special skills in that area. Hence, SOPs should be prepared in a simple way, so that, individuals with basic understanding can understand. Another internal control that can be implementing by Delima Enterprise is Segregation of Duties. Segregation of duties is a concept of having more than one person to complete the task.It is basically to have one person handle only one type of task or power. Segregation of duties is critical to effective internal control because it reduces the risk of mistakes and inappropriate actions. It helps fight fraud by discouraging collusion. Example of segregation of duties such as the person who requisitions the purchase of goods or services should not be the person who approves the purchase. Regarding the Delima case, Puan Hashimah is responsible for approval of employee’s timesheet as well as payment of salaries.Supposedly, she only given the approval of the timesheet only, and the payment should be done by other person such as human resource personnel. So, when Delima implementing a proper internal control system as mention above, its can prevents and avoid any major mistake happens. Because, SOPs for example, it has given the instruction about the procedures to be done. Also, when implementing the segregation of duties or powers it can prevent a person from able to do frauds because the concept of one person with one task only AGMCORPORATE GOVERNANCE †¢Cik Amy do not have enoughknowledge and experience inher field of work. †¢ Company should provideguidance and training to newemployees. †¢ Management should hiresomeone that is capable indoing his work. NO STANDARD OPERATINGPROCEDURE (SOP) †¢ Withdrawal of company’smoney made without properdocumentation. †¢ Decision and authorizationmade by the directors on itsown without properdocumentation †¢ It will increase the risk of fraudand inconsistency in performingtask †¢ Give the auditor hard time tokeep track of the transactionand movement of asset. Delima should implement standardoperating procedure (SOP) : †¢Increase efficiency andconsistence in performing task †¢ Indicate compliance in theentity requirements and can beused to train others LACK OF COMPETENCY †¢ Head of department leaded byunqualified staff †¢ Does not spend on training of staff †¢ Decrease companyperformance as a whole †¢ Discredit the companyreputation †¢ Spend more on training toequip employee with properknowledge †¢ Should hire qualified staff thathave experience †¢ Employees manually preparedtheir timesheets. †¢ No staff in charge and monitoremployee attendance. †¢ Staff take advantage overthe slackness †¢ Decrease in companyperformance †¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Install automated timeattendance5 C’S CREDITWORTHINESSThe 5 key elements a borrowershould have in order to obtaincredit : 1. Character a Integrity / a borrower’s reputation 2. Capacity a company’sborrowing history 3. Capital a Net worth 4. Collateral a Assets to securethe debt 5. Conditions a Of the borrowerand the overall economyEg. interest rate and amount of principalRECORDING †¢ Several assets purchased bythe company were notrecorded †¢ Every asset purchased must berecorded manually andcomputerized. †¢ Assign person(s) to beresponsible for the companyassets. †¢ Create an Asset ManagementDivision. †¢Propose the Asset TaggingSystem. LEAN ORGANIZATION †¢ Lean organization with basicfunctional position †¢ Position & function should beclarified clearly. ACADEMIC QUALIFICATION †¢ Did not meet academicqualification or relevantexperience that required bythe company †¢ Hire people that have goodacademic qualifications &relevant experiences. STATUTORY AUDIT †¢ Company did not perform theStatutory Audit †¢ Only legal to Public ListedCompany. Not compulso ry forPrivate Company to performS. A †¢ Private Companies may needto do so when applying forloans and etc from FinancialInstitutions. AUDITOR’S DUTIES ANDRESPONSIBILITIES †¢Encik Zayed tried to negotiateauditor to make unqualifyreport †¢ Sec 174(2)Express opinion in report (dutyto report defects, irregularitiesin account) †¢ Sec 174(3)Report particulars of deficiency, failure andshortcomingPROBLEM IN FINANCE DIVISION †¢ Invoice not pre-numbered †¢ Appoint new finance managerto authorize and supervise †¢ Company did not sendStatement of Account(SOA) toclient †¢ Not prepare monthlyreconciliation †¢ Use company’s money forpersonal use †¢ No segregation of dutiesfinance department †¢ Separate duties according towork position †¢ Emphasize the separate legalentity conceptACCOUNTING SYSTEM MYOB Software not integrated †¢ Purchase new software †¢ Eg: UBS, SAP Software,Ramcon Engineering,Autocount,etcPROBLEM IN HUMAN RESOURCEDIVISION †¢ Pay wages weekly withoutemployees benefit †¢ Unqualified staff (lack of knowledge and experience) †¢ Lack of employees andunbalance staff allocation †¢ Pay wages in monthly basisincluding EPF and Socso †¢ Provide training and seminarfor staff †¢ Assign more staffs withqualification †¢ And re-organise chartWere there any abuses of power bymanagement and breach of fiduciaryon the part of the directors? YESWho should be held responsible andaccountable?NOT ONLY DIRECTOR, ALLMANAGEMENT LEVEL SHOULDBE RESPONSIBLE ANDACCOUNTABLECould the Audit be completed soonwithout any qualification? †¢ Yes, the audit report can beclassified as qualified opinionreport due to severalunresolved issues. If theauditor audited the rest of thefinancial statements and isreasonably sure that theyconfirm with GenerallyAccepted Accounting Priciples(GAAP), then the auditorsimply states that the financialstatements are fairlypresented, with the ex ceptionof the issues which could notbe audited. What should be done to improve theleadership and management of Delima Enterprise Sdn Bhd? SUME JAWAPAN DIATAS†¦ Report of Maf 680 MAF 680 REPORT The problem faces by the Delima Enterprise Sdn. Bhd can be solve if the company implement some sort of internal control system in all activities. A system of internal control consists of policies and procedures designed to provide management with reasonable assurance that the company achieves its objectives and goals. Typically, there have three broad objectives in designing an effective internal control system, reliability of financial reporting, efficiency and effectiveness of operations and compliance with laws and regulations.Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is one of the internal control systems that can be implemented by the company. A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is a set of written instructions that document a routine or repetitive activity followed by an organization. The development and use of SOPs are an integral part of a successful quality system as it provides individuals with the information to perform a job properly, and facilitates consistency in the quality and integrity of a product or end-result.The term â€Å"SOP† may not always be appropriate and terms such as protocols, instructions, worksheets, and laboratory operating procedures may also be used. SOPs will detail the regularly recurring work processes that are to be conducted or followed within an organization. They document the way the activities are to be performed in order to facilitate consistent conformance to technical and quality system requirements and to support data quality. They may describe, for example, fundamental programmatic actions and technical actions such as analytical processes, and processes for maintaining, calibrating, and using equipment.SOPs are intended to be specific to the organization or facility whose activities are described and assist that organization to maintain their quality control and quality assurance processes and ensure compliance with governmental regulations. SOPs should be written and documented properly for easy use and refer. If not, SOPs are of limited value. In addition, the best written SOPs also fail if they are not followed. Therefore, the use of SOPs needs to be reviewed and re- enforced by management, preferably the direct supervisor.Furthermore, the written SOPs should be put in place that is easy to see mostly for individuals who involve directly in the activities. In preparing the SOPs, the company should have a procedure in place for determining what procedures or processes need to be documented first. Those SOPs should then be written by individuals knowledgeable with the activity and the company’s internal structure. For example, in the case of Delima, Puan Balqis or Encik Salam should be the suitable person for this task. The other way is, they can also create a group or team for preparing SOPs.By using SOPs, the Delima should be able to prevent the mistake as well as errors in performing the operations. In terms of sales, for example, the employee will know what to do from the time of receiving orders until producing the invoice even if he or she do have any special skills in that area. Hence, SOPs should be prepared in a simple way, so that, individuals with basic understanding can understand. Another internal control that can be implementing by Delima Enterprise is Segregation of Duties. Segregation of duties is a concept of having more than one person to complete the task.It is basically to have one person handle only one type of task or power. Segregation of duties is critical to effective internal control because it reduces the risk of mistakes and inappropriate actions. It helps fight fraud by discouraging collusion. Example of segregation of duties such as the person who requisitions the purchase of goods or services should not be the person who approves the purchase. Regarding the Delima case, Puan Hashimah is responsible for approval of employee’s timesheet as well as payment of salaries.Supposedly, she only given the approval of the timesheet only, and the payment should be done by other person such as human resource personnel. So, when Delima implementing a proper internal control system as mention above, its can prevents and avoid any major mistake happens. Because, SOPs for example, it has given the instruction about the procedures to be done. Also, when implementing the segregation of duties or powers it can prevent a person from able to do frauds because the concept of one person with one task only AGMCORPORATE GOVERNANCE †¢Cik Amy do not have enoughknowledge and experience inher field of work. †¢ Company should provideguidance and training to newemployees. †¢ Management should hiresomeone that is capable indoing his work. NO STANDARD OPERATINGPROCEDURE (SOP) †¢ Withdrawal of company’smoney made without properdocumentation. †¢ Decision and authorizationmade by the directors on itsown without properdocumentation †¢ It will increase the risk of fraudand inconsistency in performingtask †¢ Give the auditor hard time tokeep track of the transactionand movement of asset. Delima should implement standardoperating procedure (SOP) : †¢Increase efficiency andconsistence in performing task †¢ Indicate compliance in theentity requirements and can beused to train others LACK OF COMPETENCY †¢ Head of department leaded byunqualified staff †¢ Does not spend on training of staff †¢ Decrease companyperformance as a whole †¢ Discredit the companyreputation †¢ Spend more on training toequip employee with properknowledge †¢ Should hire qualified staff thathave experience †¢ Employees manually preparedtheir timesheets. †¢ No staff in charge and monitoremployee attendance. †¢ Staff take advantage overthe slackness †¢ Decrease in companyperformance †¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Install automated timeattendance5 C’S CREDITWORTHINESSThe 5 key elements a borrowershould have in order to obtaincredit : 1. Character a Integrity / a borrower’s reputation 2. Capacity a company’sborrowing history 3. Capital a Net worth 4. Collateral a Assets to securethe debt 5. Conditions a Of the borrowerand the overall economyEg. interest rate and amount of principalRECORDING †¢ Several assets purchased bythe company were notrecorded †¢ Every asset purchased must berecorded manually andcomputerized. †¢ Assign person(s) to beresponsible for the companyassets. †¢ Create an Asset ManagementDivision. †¢Propose the Asset TaggingSystem. LEAN ORGANIZATION †¢ Lean organization with basicfunctional position †¢ Position & function should beclarified clearly. ACADEMIC QUALIFICATION †¢ Did not meet academicqualification or relevantexperience that required bythe company †¢ Hire people that have goodacademic qualifications &relevant experiences. STATUTORY AUDIT †¢ Company did not perform theStatutory Audit †¢ Only legal to Public ListedCompany. Not compulso ry forPrivate Company to performS. A †¢ Private Companies may needto do so when applying forloans and etc from FinancialInstitutions. AUDITOR’S DUTIES ANDRESPONSIBILITIES †¢Encik Zayed tried to negotiateauditor to make unqualifyreport †¢ Sec 174(2)Express opinion in report (dutyto report defects, irregularitiesin account) †¢ Sec 174(3)Report particulars of deficiency, failure andshortcomingPROBLEM IN FINANCE DIVISION †¢ Invoice not pre-numbered †¢ Appoint new finance managerto authorize and supervise †¢ Company did not sendStatement of Account(SOA) toclient †¢ Not prepare monthlyreconciliation †¢ Use company’s money forpersonal use †¢ No segregation of dutiesfinance department †¢ Separate duties according towork position †¢ Emphasize the separate legalentity conceptACCOUNTING SYSTEM MYOB Software not integrated †¢ Purchase new software †¢ Eg: UBS, SAP Software,Ramcon Engineering,Autocount,etcPROBLEM IN HUMAN RESOURCEDIVISION †¢ Pay wages weekly withoutemployees benefit †¢ Unqualified staff (lack of knowledge and experience) †¢ Lack of employees andunbalance staff allocation †¢ Pay wages in monthly basisincluding EPF and Socso †¢ Provide training and seminarfor staff †¢ Assign more staffs withqualification †¢ And re-organise chartWere there any abuses of power bymanagement and breach of fiduciaryon the part of the directors? YESWho should be held responsible andaccountable?NOT ONLY DIRECTOR, ALLMANAGEMENT LEVEL SHOULDBE RESPONSIBLE ANDACCOUNTABLECould the Audit be completed soonwithout any qualification? †¢ Yes, the audit report can beclassified as qualified opinionreport due to severalunresolved issues. If theauditor audited the rest of thefinancial statements and isreasonably sure that theyconfirm with GenerallyAccepted Accounting Priciples(GAAP), then the auditorsimply states that the financialstatements are fairlypresented, with the ex ceptionof the issues which could notbe audited. What should be done to improve theleadership and management of Delima Enterprise Sdn Bhd? SUME JAWAPAN DIATAS†¦

Government Intervention in Venezuela’s Economy

Economic Commentary_1 The article How base Venezuela be so easy in resources, but so poor in supplies? By Douglas French/April 24, 2012 http//www. csmonitor. com/Business/The-Circle-Bastiat/2012/0424/How-can-Venezuela-be-so-rich-in-resources-but-so- starting time-in-supplies To what get across do a res publicas natural resources explain whether consumer goods are on the nations shelves for people to buy. Venezuela is a prime example of this question.This is a country having abundant natural resources for it is one of the human races top oil makers and rich in gold and other(a) minerals, to a fault the rich soil and temperate mode allow the country for productive agriculture. However, on that point are shortages of staple products like milk, union and writing paper. This commentary focuses on the main reason causing this problem in Venezuela that is over hindrance of the governing towards the bare food merchandise place. In order to maintain the direct of consumer hurts, the president of Venezuela imposed value controls by setting the charge ceilings.Government officials claim companies author shortages on purpose, holding products off the market to push up costs. This month, the organisation infallible price drops on fruit juice, toothpaste, fluid diapers and more than a dozen other products. However, bad resultants of the price ceilings set by the government were inevitable in monetary value of shortages in put out, decreased market size, exclusion of allocative efficiency and black markets. In look1. 1, the pilot burner market equilibrium price under(a) the intervention of free market is at Pe where the quantity leaseed and the quantity supplied are represent.After intervention of the central government, a binding price ceiling is set and the new market price is relieve oneselfd at Pmax where the quantity supplied is a great deal disappoint than quantity geted. The artificially low price has caused more demand for t he product, olibanum creating a movement from Qe along the demand curve to Qd. At the same time, producers cut production in response to the lower price, moving down along the try curve from Qe to Qs. The distance amidst Qd and Qs shows a shortage of the good in fork over.Because of this, in a flash residents in Caracas are squeeze to rely on the once-a-week deliveries made to government-subsidized stores. Moreover, as figure1. 2 suggests, the gap between Qs and Qd creates a tension in the market. At Qs there are many consumers who would be involuntary to pay more than Pmax if Qs is on the market. These consumers may have a strong incentive to gain the goods and function they want on the black market. As a vector sum, the supply curve ordain shoot correct up at Qs and the price go away raise right up at that point high on the demand curve.This shows that some price ceilings may rattling drive the price higher than the master copy equilibrium and can be exactly app lied to the case of Venezuela. Also, setting a utmost price lower than the market equilibrium price testament result in a decreased market size as some of the companies will be driven out of the market. The government setting prices are too low for companies to make money so they e rattling curtail production or law of closure all together. As shown in figure 2. 1, initially the producer bare(a) of the cliquish companies, in terms of profit, derived by firms is shown as the area from the initial market price line to the supply curve.After price controls by the government, now the new producer surplus is shown as the area from the new price line to the supply curve which is littler than before and this reflects a lower producer surplus, therefore a welfare privation in the society. In addition, the price ceilings resist an allocative efficiency in the countrys economy in a competitive market as it can simply be achieved when the society produces enough of a good so that the marginal benefits is equal to the marginal, in other words, producer supply and consumer demand meet at a market equilibrium price.Due to intervention of the government, price controls disenable society to get goods and services it wants most. As Times mentions, some of the shortages are in industries, like dairy and coffee, where the government has seized private companies and is now running them, axiom it is in the national interest. But the consequence of this action is that the government will fleck the markets into monopolies as there would be alone state ownership in these industries, so there are no competitions between various firms and consumers will not be able to acquire substitutes in the markets.Whats more, while these industries are being altogether controlled by the central planner and create state ownership of the factors of production in addition to the guide of Venezuela socialist government, it will result in the lack of person property rights and incentive to achieve maximum efficiency in the use of resources which measure up private ownership. To conclude, Venezuela is a typically very rich in resources but very low in supplies, price controls in the markets as well as