Wednesday, August 26, 2020
Flight to Delhi
Trip to Delhi Trip to Delhi Delhi is the capital city of India with a populace of more than 13 million and has risen as one of the quickest developing urban areas on the planet. With more than 700 flights landing and taking off from Delhi consistently, Delhi air terminal is the busiest air terminal in India. It is simpler to take trips to Delhi instead of utilizing different methods for transport. With a few aircrafts and flight administrators working between significant Indian urban communities Delhi, getting limited tickets and uncommon proposals for Delhi flights is consistently on the cards. Deals22.com endeavors to keep up its initiative situation in make a trip classification and to present to you the best rates for Delhi flights. Our extraordinary motor permits you to look over the main travel entrances to guarantee that you get the best charge rates. Stream Airways, Kingfisher, Indian Airlines, Air India, Spicejet, Air Deccan, Indigo, Paramount and GO Air work day by day trips on the Delhi Bangalore, Mumbai Delhi, Kolkata Delhi and Hyderabad Delhi courses. Delhi air terminal is situated close to the Delhi Gurgaon outskirt is very much associated with the city. The drive from Connaught Place, the core of Delhi to the Delhi air terminal takes around 45 minutes if the traffic is clear. In any case, it is exhorted that you generally consider the ubiquitous congested driving conditions which can stretch out the drive time to the Delhi air terminal by a factor of three. About Delhi Delhi is the second biggest Indian city after Mumbai (Bombay) and is the seat of Indian government. Delhi envelops the close by urban communities of Gurgaon, Noida, Ghaziabad Faridabad to frame the NCR locale. Delhi/NCR is the mixture for different Indian people group ethnicities. Attractions Spots of Interest : Lodi Garden, Doll exhibition hall, Rail historical center, Red Fort, India Gate, Museum of Natural History, Parliament, Qutab Minar, Jama Masjid Amusement Shopping :, South-Extension, GK-I M Block, Connaught place, Chandni Chowk, Karol Bagh, Sarojini Nagar, Dilli Haat, State Emporiums, Lajpat Nagar, Ansal Plaza, Hauz Khas Theater: Kamani Auditorium, LTG Auditorium, National school of Drama, India Habitat Center (IHC), India International Center (IIC), Lalit Kala Academy, Sri Ram Center for Performing Arts Sanctuaries : Hanuman Mandir, Lotus (ISKON) sanctuary, Bangla Sahib Gurudwara, Kalka mandir, Birla Mandir, Chattarpur Mandir When to go Delhi faces the extraordinary climatic swings with the temperature moving to 47 C (116 F) in summers dropping to 0 C (32 F). The best an ideal opportunity to visit the city is between October to March when the climate is generally tolerable. Customary trips to from Delhi are promptly accessible. With aircrafts like Jet Airways, Kingfisher, Indian Airlines, Spicejet, Air Deccan, Indigo and GO Air offering continuous flier projects, limited tickets and standard uncommon offers, modest air travel to Delhi has become a reality.
Saturday, August 22, 2020
Effective Lesson Objectives
Successful Lesson Objectives Exercise destinations are the key component in making compelling exercise plans. The explanation behind this is without expressed goals, there is no proportion of whether a specific exercise plan creates the ideal learning results. Along these lines, time should be spent before making an exercise plan by composing powerful destinations. The Focus of Lesson Objectives So as to be finished and powerful, destinations must incorporate two components: They should characterize what will be learned.They must give a sign of how that learning will be surveyed. Initial, a target mentions to understudies what they will be realizing in an exercise. Nonetheless, the target doesn't end there. In the event that it did, they would peruse like a list of chapters. All together for a goal to be finished, it must give the understudies some thought of how their learning will be estimated. Except if your destinations are quantifiable in some way, it is highly unlikely that you can create the proof important to show that the goals were in actuality met. Life systems of a Lesson Objective Destinations ought to be composed as a solitary sentence. Numerous educators like to begin their targets with a standard starting, for example, Upon fulfillment of this exercise, the understudy will be capable to.... Destinations must incorporate an activity action word that enables the understudies to comprehend what they will realize and how they will be evaluated. In Blooms Taxonomy, Bloom took a gander at action words and how they identified with getting the hang of, separating them into six degrees of reasoning. These action words are a magnificent beginning stage for composing compelling goals. A basic learning target that meets the models recorded above is: Upon fruition of this exercise, the understudy will have the option to change over fahrenheit to celsius. By expressing this goal from the earliest starting point, understudies will see precisely what is anticipated from them. Notwithstanding everything else that may be instructed in the exercise, they will have the option to gauge their own learning in the event that they can effectively change over fahrenheit to celsius. What's more, the target gives the teacher a sign of how to demonstrate that learning has occurred. The educator ought to make an evaluation that has the understudy perform temperature transformations. The outcomes from this evaluation show the instructor whether the understudies have aced the goal. Entanglements When Writing Objectives The principle issue that educators experience when composing targets is in the picking of the action words that they use. As recently expressed, Blooms Taxonomy is an incredible spot to discover many activity action words that can be utilized when composing learning targets. In any case, it tends to be enticing to utilize different action words that are not part of the scientific categorization, for example, appreciate, comprehend, acknowledge, and like. A case of a target composed utilizing one of these words is: Upon fruition of this exercise, the understudy will comprehend why tobacco was such a significant harvest to the pilgrims in Jamestown. This target doesn't work for a few reasons. The word comprehend leaves a ton not entirely clear. There were various reasons why tobacco was critical to the pilgrims at Jamestown. Which one would it be advisable for them to get it? Imagine a scenario where antiquarians differ about the significance of tobacco. Clearly, in light of the fact that there is a ton of space for understanding, understudies don't have an away from of what they are relied upon to have learned before the finish of the exercise. Second, the technique for estimating learning isn't clear in any way. While you may have a paper or other type of evaluation at the top of the priority list, the understudy isn't given knowledge into how their understanding will be estimated. Rather, this target would be much more clear on the off chance that it was composed as follows: Upon finishing of this exercise, the understudy will have the option to clarify the effect that tobacco had on the pilgrims at Jamestown. After perusing this target, understudies realize that they will be finding out about not just the effect that tobacco had on the settlement, yet they are additionally must clarify that sway in some way. Composing goals isn't intended to be a type of torment for educators, however rather, it is an outline for progress for the two instructors and understudies. Make your destinations first, and numerous inquiries that should be replied about your exercise will become alright.
Saturday, August 15, 2020
Detachment From a Family Member With Alcoholism
Detachment From a Family Member With Alcoholism Addiction Coping and Recovery Methods and Support Print Detachment Is Letting Go of Someone Elses Addiction Detaching can be difficult but is important for your own well-being By Buddy T facebook twitter Buddy T is an anonymous writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. Learn about our editorial policy Buddy T Updated on September 19, 2019 FatCamera / Getty Images More in Addiction Coping and Recovery Methods and Support Overcoming Addiction Personal Stories Alcohol Use Addictive Behaviors Drug Use Nicotine Use For friends and family of a person dealing with alcohol or drug addiction, detachment can be a difficult concept to grasp. In the context of the Al-Anon program, detach with love is the idea that the family has to let go of their loved ones problem. It gives you permission to let them experience any consequences associated with their drinking or drug use and focus on your own health and well-being. The Importance of Detachment If youve dealt with someones progressive alcoholism or drug use, it might be hard to imagine finding happiness while the substance abuse continues. This is especially true when you have tried everything possible to keep the situation from growing worse. The stress and exhaustion associated with caring for someone with an addiction can be overwhelming. It may lead to anxiety, depression, and unhealthy behaviors or unsafe living conditions for your family. The reality of living with alcoholism or any other addiction usually means dealing with one crisis after another. While you may feel like youre constantly in rescue mode, learning to detach relieves you of the responsibility to protect them. Those who take part in Al-Anon long enough come to realize that detachment is important for the familys emotional well-being. It also helps you understand that there is no way for you to control the addiction. What is Al-Anon? Detachment is Neither Kind Nor Unkind As the Al-Anon literature says, Detachment is neither kind nor unkind. It does not imply judgment or condemnation of the person or situation from which we are detaching. It is simply a means that allows us to separate ourselves from the adverse effects that another persons alcoholism can have upon our lives. Detachment does not mean you stop loving the person and it does not mean physically leaving (unless you feel the need). Instead, it demonstrates that you dont like or approve of their behavior. It is stepping back from all the problems associated with addiction and stopping any attempts to solve them. You still care, but it is best for everyone involved if you take care of yourself first. Many times family members find that they have become too involved with the addictive behavior. The Al-Anon program teaches to put the focus on ourselves and not on the person with alcoholism or on anyone else. This is done through a number of key points that members pick up in meetings: Avoid the suffering caused by someone elses actions.Dont allow yourself to be abused or misused during recovery.Avoid doing things for them that they can do.Dont use manipulation to change their behaviors.Dont cover up their mistakes.Avoid creating or preventing a crisis, especially if its inevitable and may be the wake-up call they need. For example, if your family member shows up for work late or missing it entirely becomes a habit, detachment teaches you that its not your responsibility to cover for him. It also applies to making excuses and trying to fix situations, as well as avoiding arguments. By putting the focus back on yourself, you protect yourself from the abusive behavior and stop enabling it. Its a way of taking some of the power away from them so theyre not able to manipulate you. How to Stop Enabling an Addict Ideally, detaching from this person will help them see how their negative behavior affects everyone around them. Thats not always the outcome. Yet, as Al-Anon and Alcoholics Anonymous teach, its important to have the wisdom to know the difference between the things you can and cant change. Does Detachment Really Help? When youre considering detachment, you might be concerned about what happens to your loved one after you detach yourself from them. Maybe you think all of the things you did over these years to help that will be wasted. Or, you might have fears about what crisisâ"jail, hospitalization, death, etc.â"may be next. Your concerns are valid and show your love and dedication to a person dealing with addiction. However, you have to put yourself and your familyâ"especially if that family includes childrenâ"first. As Al-Anon teaches, Detachment helps families look at their situations realistically and objectively, thereby making intelligent decisions possible. Al-Anon members also learn that no individual is responsible for another persons disease or recovery from it. This is very difficult and, on the clearheaded side of addiction, you probably know what should or should not happen, but this logic is lost to the person with the disease. They need to want to change themselves and find the help needed to do that. Your goal is to be there when they do need you and to be mentally, emotionally, and spiritually strong when theyre ready for recovery. When you learn to detach, you can find relief from much of the pain, stress, and anxiety, and realize that you deserve to treat yourself right. This will not happen overnight. It requires time, a lot of patience and love, and support to help you along the way. As they say in the program, Its simple, but it aint easy. You dont have to do it alone. A Word From Verywell There is probably an Al-Anon Family Group meeting nearby where you will find people who understand what youre going through. Its by no means an easy process to detach from a loved one with an addiction, so dont try to go it alone. By sharing your experience with others who have been there, you can find strength and hope to help you better deal with the situation. Can Tough Love Help or Hurt Someone With Addiction?
Sunday, May 24, 2020
Management Report CIPD - Free Essay Example
Sample details Pages: 30 Words: 8903 Downloads: 2 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Statistics Essay Did you like this example? Management Report Cover Sheet CIPD Management Report Donââ¬â¢t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Management Report CIPD" essay for you Create order Utilising E Recruitment Executive Summary This Management report will look at the Recruitment Processes with an NHS Acute Trust and identify if E recruitment can help with the difficulties experienced in the Trust. Alongside a literature review of Recruitment difficulties, Employer Branding, Traditional recruitment and E recruitment, the author has conducted a benchmarking exercise in order to establish best practice in recruitment in local NHS organisations, A Process Mapping exercise to identify current practice and identify any difficulties or hold ups in the current process and a Managers questionnaire to allow the author to identify current perceptions of the recruitment service in the organisation alongside what expectations are. 1.0 Introduction The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust was established in April 2002 and manages hospitals in Bury, North Manchester, Oldham and Rochdale. Serving a population of approximately 800,000, the Trust is one of the largest in the country and had an operating expenditure of over 425 million in 2006/07. It runs services across five hospital sites: Fairfield General Hospital, Bury; North Manchester General Hospital; The Royal Oldham Hospital; Rochdale Infirmary and Birch Hill Hospital, Rochdale and employs a staff of approximately 10,000. The Trust has four divisions identified as Surgery, Medicine, Women and Childrens, and Diagnostics and Clinical Support. It also has directorates providing support to clinical services including Human Resources, Facilities, Planning, Finance, Information and Management Technology, Modernisation and Performance, Governance and Research and Development. There is a central HR function, with designated HR Managers for each division. Restructuring of this model has taken place in recent years. Recruitment is managed from the North Manchester General Hospital site and provides a central function. The local economy in which the Trust is situated is strong, with a great deal of competition from local organisations for staff. There is little competition within the NHS for staff, as Pennine is the only Trust in town, in each of the 4 areas. Transport links to the Trust are generally good, although access to some peripheral sites is difficult, and car parking can be a problem, especially at the Royal Oldham site. The Trust is concerned, as many Trusts in the Greater Manchester area are, that many of its nurses will retire within the next five years and it is trying to develop a programme to get people to stay on after the normal retirement age. It also attempts to recruit as many student nurses as possible, but positions for newly qualified staff have been reduced in the last few years due to reconfiguration of services and redeployment to avoid redundancy. The Trust has a lower proportion of nursing staff from ethnic backgrounds than the local population, when comparing the 2001 Census with its workforce data; but the percentage of staff as a whole from ethnic backgrounds is higher, due to the numbers of medical staff from ethnic minorities within the Trust. The Trust works hard to recruit staff from ethnic minorities/deprived backgrounds. It has an Equality and Diversity Team who work to promote diversity within the Trust, supporting proactive recruitment where there is a concentration of individuals from ethnic or disadvantaged backgrounds. With a workforce of over 10,000 people, the average monthly cost of recruitment at Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is xxxxxx. In addition the average length of time it takes to place a new employee in post is 55 days from the closing date of an advertised position to offering that position to a new recruit. Recruitment is currently a major issue in the Trust with days lost in the recruitment process costing money and reducing morale and effectiveness. At present the department is receiving a lot of pressure from the rest of the Trust and the reputation of the department is poor. This management report is being undertaken to identify recommendations that will allow the recruitment process to become more efficient and identify whether utilisation of e recruitment is a viable proposal in the Trust and whether its implementation will increase efficiency and save resources. All employers face the challenge of employing the right staff for their organisation and this often falls under a human resource arena. The recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals has been identified as a key challenge facing the NHS (NHS Plan 2002). High on the agenda at local, regional and national levels is the development of strategies and initiatives to attract suitable people to work in the professions, in order to ensure that services are responsive to patient needs. 2.0 Literature Review Recruitment is an extensive subject with many aspects making up the area. A study by Ullman (1966) cited in Breaugh Starke (2000) was one of the first to examine recruitment sources. He found that new employees who were recruited by means of informal sources (i.e., employee referrals, direct applications) had a lower turnover rate than individuals recruited via formal sources (i.e., newspaper advertisements and employment agencies). Barber (1998) has since concluded that past research has not made a strong case for the importance of source differences. The author is interested in research into the prevalence of the sources used in traditional recruitment, which appears to be research that has not been undertaken significantly Torrington, Hall and Taylor (2005) identified that employers in the UK recruit over 3 million people each year, in a costly and time consuming exercise to add suitable staff to their organisation. They identify a need to sell jobs to potential employees in order to ensure they can generate an adequate pool of applicants. Organisations are now facing a greater challenge recruiting rather than selecting. (Ployhart 2005) Other researchers having also identified the difficulties organisations have in attracting candidates, identifying selection will only be effective and financially defensible if a sufficient amount of applicants apply to the organisation. (Taylor and Collins, 2000) However according to Barber (1998), It is important that employers do not consider the recruitment process to be completed at this point, It continues during the short listing and interviewing stages and is only deemed as complete when an offer is made. For the purposes of this literature review the author will review thoughts and research on the initial stages of recruitment, that being the attraction of employees and advertisement of vacancies in order to recruit to the organisation, this will allow the author to include the areas of employer branding and e-recruitment in the review. 2.1 Recruitment Difficulties The Audit Commission identified that the UK labour market is currently highly competitive with unemployment at a historically low level. Employers are openly competing harder to attract and retain staff. There are also widespread reports of recruitment and retention problems across local public services, the NHS being no exception. Major concerns about shortfalls in the number of staff, and fewer younger people being attracted to work for the public sector, means there is a potential demographic time bomb. It has been identified that 27 per cent of the public sector workforce are now aged 50 or over. (Gulland (2001), Audit Commission (2002)) Recruitment is also expensive, in a recent survey, CIPD (2007) identified the average direct cost of recruiting a member of staff is 4,333; this increases to 7750 when organisations are also calculating the associated labour turnover. They also identified that eighty four percent of organisations have reported difficulties in filling vacancies, a rise of 2 percent on the previous year. The key challenges faced by organisations in regard to recruitment have been identified from the survey as xxxxxxxxx CIPD believes that effective recruitment is central and crucial to the successful day-to-day functioning of any organisation. They state that successful recruitment depends upon finding people with the necessary skills, expertise and qualifications to deliver organisational objectives and the ability to make a positive contribution to the values and aims of the organisation. The Audit Commissions report (2002) also highlighted concerns about skill shortages, both in terms of basic skill levels in the workforce, and in the key leadership, management and specialist skills that are needed. Previous research from the Audit Commission which showed that, on average, a new recruit performs at only 60 per cent of their productive potential when they are first appointed, reaching 100 per cent only after they have been in a post for a year, makes recruitment in these areas and adequate delivery of services harder to manage. In their extensive report on public service recruitment, they identify the way the employers can maximise their recruitment practices. They advised Informed, quick and professional responses to job advertisement enquiries are essential for maximising applications; routine monitoring of recruitment will ensure that recruitment initiatives are driven by the bigger picture rather than just the latest concern; success in addressing diversity issues are to be achieved through efficient, effective targeted recruitment campaigns based on knowledge of the target community; and any initiative to attract a specific group of staff will benefit from being profession-led and in partnership with HR. Audit Commission (2002) Effective recruitment practices and policies are recognised as making a significant contribution to an organisations success, according to Plumbley (1990). He states it is not simply about placing suitable candidates into jobs, but also about building an adept and flexible workforce in order to meet the organisations changing and demanding needs. The first stage of recruitment and selection is to be able to attract an adequate number of appropriate candidates. Prospective employees do not select the organisation they wish to work for on the foundation of job and organisational characteristics such as location, and organisational structure alone. 2.2 Employee Brand The increased competitiveness in the recruitment market has led to organisations spending more time, effort and resources on developing their recruitment brand and expanding the range of advertising methods used, to try and attract quality applicants from as broad and diverse a pool possible. Studies show that the organisations image, reputation and identity plays a vital part in attracting suitable talented applicants (Cable Turban, 2001; Slaughter, Zickar, Highhouse, Mohr, 2004; Lievens Highhouse, 2003). Identifying that in order for the corporate brand to be more successful at attracting suitable candidates there is an importance in promoting and monitoring that brand. Fombrun, (1996) agrees with this stating the reputation of an organisation has been acknowledged as one of the key factors that can affect the probability of potential applicants choosing to apply to work for it. In the same way, organisation reputation has been found to be an important influence on applicants decisions of whether they fit with an organisation and want to join it (Rynes et al., 1991). This researcher has also showed that applicants utilised information on how informative and the recruiter friendliness as an indicator of how an organisation treated its employees. Fombrun (1996) expands this argument to identify that reputation is of particular concern to applicants seeking employment in knowledge-based institutions, such as universities and hospitals, because of the intangibility of the services these organisations provide. Whilst Turban et al. (1998) also found that applicants perceptions of the specific attributes of a post were influenced by their evaluation of the organisation, even if they had been interviewed and were successful. The importance in private/commercial organisations reputation in relation to the recruitment and retention of staff has been well documented in literature, for example: (Turban, 2001) and Cable and Graham (2000), Gray and Ballmer 1998)), there has however been comparatively little consideration on the impact of reputation for public sector organisations. Most people in the course of their life have a need to use the services the NHS provide, some more than others and health is an important issue, not only on a personal level, also in the political arena. The NHS is the UKs largest employer, so many of the UK population are at present working in it, with a great number more many having done so at some point in their lives. In brief, the NHS has a wide range of different stakeholders, who may feel they have a vested interest in the quality; provision of services and ultimately, the reputation. People have varied, and very personal experiences of the NHS and this could mean image and reputation are therefore difficult to manage. The Audit Commission study (2002) study showed that public sector staff think that their image in the eyes of the public would discourage potential recruits from entering the NHS. The study analysed a broad sample of the national press to see if the evidence supported this perception. Analysis showed that plenty of stories are told and while coverage is extensive, the picture of public sector work presented to the reading public is bleak. Of the former public sector workers surveyed, 68 per cent thought that the image of their former profession would discourage people from entering that job. Only 9 per cent thought the opposite that the image would encourage people to enter. The NHS is such a well-known organisation that carries out specific roles in society, that when considering a career in the NHS people often have an idea regarding an occupation they would like to pursue. The GTI (2006) conducted a survey to establish the major determinants that influence applicants in their choice of employer. The results show that for 22% of student nurses and doctors, the reputation of a prospective employer (often influenced by media coverage) is a key factor in determining their aspirations. They identify that word of mouth can be damaging to an employers reputation. If employers get things wrong, it can really affect the way they are viewed by potential employees as over half of the survey respondents have shared their bad experiences with their peers. So for some people the images and reputation of the NHS may be crucial to their decision of whether to work for it. 2.3 Traditional Recruitment Methods Traditional recruitment methods are the way that an organisation announced a job opportunity to the marketplace through a classified advertisement, a job fair, an external recruiter, or other media. Any candidate who happened to see the announcement would submit his or her CV, ring the company for an application form or submit a letter of interest. Lievens and Harris. (2003) stated in the past, job searching was a more time-consuming activity. A candidate who wished to apply for a job would need to first locate a suitable job opportunity, which often involved searching through a newspaper or contacting acquaintances. After locating potentially suitable openings, the candidate would typically have to prepare a cover letter, produce a copy of his or her resume, and mail the package with the appropriate postage. Arboledas, Ferrero and Vidal (2001), presented some examples of recruitment methods that organisations have traditionally used. These were identified as newspaper advertisement, faxed/mailed resumes, recruitment agencies or the use of headhunters. Galanaki (2002) also identified all these methods and defines them as traditional recruitment methods. This idea of traditional methods can also be found quoted in numerous HR texts, which have sections dedicated to recruitment and try to identify best recruitment practices. The authors of such texts include Cole (2004), Rayner and Adam Smith, Armstrong (2007) and Mullins (2005). This was supported by a further IDS study in 2006 that reported that to maximise their chances of appointing the best candidate, many organisations have utilised a combination of online and traditional approaches In 2004 Softworld HR and Payroll identified in a study, that 24% of respondents envisaged e-recruitment entirely replacing all traditional methods of advertising in the future, however 76% of the practitioners surveyed, see it as an additional tool to allow the widest possible range of applicants to be accessed. Traditional methods also identify the use of recruitment agencies in the way of recruiting staff, Recruitment 2020 difficulties in recruitment agency etcc According to an IES study (2005), recruitment agencies remain confident that the growth in e-recruitment technology will not eliminate their role in the process, as many organisations lack the time and expertise to carry out these tasks. Many organisations, especially smaller ones may also lack the technology to carry out their own recruitment online. With the low unemployment that currently exists the task of finding quality candidates will remain challenging and this may prompt organisations to continue to use agencies, in particular, for specialised, senior or difficult to fill positions In the 2007 CIPD recruitment and retention survey, it was identified for the first time in the UK; corporate websites have broken even with local newspapers advertisements as the most common method of recruiting candidates. 2.4 E-recruitment E-Recruitment is identified as the use of Internet technology to make the job of recruiting staff more efficient and effective, when used together with traditional recruitment methods; the benefits derived from e-recruitment can be considerable. (E-recruitment Best Practice Guide 2007) Internet usage in recent years has seen the recruitment process transformed. Online recruitment, internet recruitment, web-based recruiting and e-recruitment are terms used to describe the use of the internet to recruit potential employees, and mediums to conduct other elements of the recruitment process. We will use the terms interchangeably in this report. E-Recruitment is becoming a significant part of the recruitment strategy of a wide range of organisations worldwide, in addition to becoming an increasingly popular method for job seekers in searching and applying for jobs. According to Schreyer McCarter (1998) e-recruitment refers to The recruitment process, including placing job advertisements, receiving resumes, and building human resource database with candidates and incumbents The traditional method of recruitment has been revolutionised by the emergence of the Internet. In the past few years, the Internet has dramatically changed the face of HR recruitment and the ways organisations think about the recruiting function. There is predicted to be a continued dramatic growth in recruiting and hiring via this medium in future years. The utilisation of e recruitment by organisations has seen a general upward trend according to Berry (2205). 93% of organisations were using their corporate website to advertise job vacancies in 2005, compared with 72% in 2002. It would seem that e-recruitment has already been implemented in many organisations from small companies to large organisations. These organisations are already using e recruitment to advertise jobs and accept CVs on the Internet, and also communicating with the applicants by e-mail. In the CIPD Recruitment, retention and turnover 2006 survey it was identified that eighty-four percent of respondents have made greater use of e-mail applications in the last three years. Over seven in ten organisations also said they are actively advertising jobs on their corporate websites and using online applications. A survey by the public appointment service in Ireland in 2006, relating to e recruitment in Irish organisations, has also identified a high level of current or intended future use of e recruitment, this being identified as an area forming an important part of the Irish recruitment strategy. Lievens and Harris (2003) have identified the following methods of using the Internet to attract candidates, acknowledging that approaches are continually changing. Company websites Advertising posts and providing information to candidates through the company website. The facility to apply online is often also provided. Job Boards Commercial general purpose recruitment portals, (e.g. Yahoo!, Monster.com) and specific industry job boards. Online Searching Recruiters searching online sources such as company websites/professional chat sites. to identify candidates who may not be actively looking for a position. Relationship recruiting Using the internet to build and maintain long term relationships with passive candidates, through using internet tools to learn more about web visitors interests and experience and to e-mail regular updates about careers and their fields of interest. Kerrin and Keetley (2005) have suggested that the reasons for many organisations to introduce e recruitment have been recruitment cost reduction, speedier processes, access to a wider pool of applicants and better employer branding. In the CIPD Recruitment, retention and turnover survey 2006,it was also identified that the key drivers for e-recruitment were; reducing recruitment costs (cited by 71%), broadening the selection pool (60%) and increasing the speed of time to hire (47%). It was also noted that over a third of respondents believed it brought greater flexibility and ease for candidates, and over a quarter believed it strengthened the employer brand. This has been firther supported by the IRS Employment review 2007. Reduction in costs E-Recruitment enables employers to reduce advertising costs and remove their dependency on recruitment agencies. Technology in online recruitment is not expensive and the hours saved in the pre-selection process gives hr staff more time. Administration can be significantly reduced in most organisations. This can prove to be particularly important when recruiting high volumes of staff or when receiving high volumes of applications. (DTI 2006, Guertal et al 2007) Cappeli (2001) calculated that it costs only about one-twentieth as much to hire someone online as to hire that same person through other traditional methods. This can be achieved through significantly reducing advertising costs and by reducing recruitment related administration according to Elkington (2005) An IDS HR Study in April 2006 identified how the Internet now plays a significant role in recruitment activities of employers. The report examined the use of corporate and third party recruitment websites and identified they are being used to reduce advertising costs and tap into a more diverse candidate base. They also identified that technology is streamlining the application process with the encouragement of online applications, linking into sophisticated application tracking systems and allowing organisations to measure the success of attraction methods. IDS state that over 70% of adults utilise the Internet, and employers are using this medium to attract and recruit much more frequently. They identify significant cost savings for employers and reduced time taken to fill vacancies, but are keen to point out the wariness of employees in missing out on potential candidates and feel that traditional recruitment media is set to retain and important role, particularly when recruiting locally or hard to fill jobs. Grout and Parrin, authors of the book, recruiting excellence agree with this assessment by IDS. In an article for HR Director (2006), they identify that online recruitment can improve efficiency by the reduction in man hours involved in the process, and help employers reach a wider and larger audience of jobseekers. They also recognise that it can be a valuable part of a recruitment process, in addition to traditional press advertising and the use of agencies (dti, 2005) Kerrin and Keetley (2005) however, have stated, that the full cost savings are often only realised if the whole recruitment process is carried out online. Reducing time-to-hire With e-recruitment you can cut the time taken to recruit by as much as 75% and recruit the right employees more quickly into the organisation. Time is also saved by spending less time tracking, communicating with and screening applicants. Online recruitment allows the sharing of best practice and improving the consistency of recruitment processes across the organisation. The Public Appointments Service survey showed that a reduction in administrative workload (cited by 49% of respondents), and reduced timescales for hiring (cited by 40% of respondents), were key drivers in the decision to implementing e recruitment. Hogg (2000) stresses a shorter recruitment cycle can be gained by the speed at which several steps of the recruitment process are carried out online. Elkington (2005) supports this and has identified that the immediate posting of jobs online and the effortlessness of completing online application forms and e-mailing CVs to an organisation has made these steps much faster. Moving further into the recruitment process the short-listing process can be accelerated by routinely aligning applications dependent on prearranged criteria (CIPD 2005). Applications can be progressed within minutes rather than weeks, saving both recruiters and job applicants time. Widening Talent Pool Internet tools that enable employers/recruiters to reach a wider pool of potential applicants and to fill positions faster with less cost to the organisation are obviously advantageous in such a competitive environment. Online advertising opens up a wider candidate pool, by providing 24/7 access to job seekers, at local, national and international locations, thus providing a better chance of finding the right candidate (CIPD 2005 1). As job seekers become increasingly more web literate and the growth of broadband makes web surfing easier and cheaper (IRS 2005), the potential for e-recruitment to attract wider candidate pools is increasing. Enhancing Employer brand More and more candidates expect to apply directly online and routinely make judgements about employers based on their recruitment process. To combat this employers are adopting increasingly dynamic e-recruitment solutions to allow them to differentiate themselves and to professionally manage the recruitment process. (Willock, 2005; Paton 2006). E-Recruitment enables an organisation to raise its profile as an innovative, forward looking recruiter and allows the opportunity to provide visitors to the website with a positive experience. E-Recruitment can help to build the image of a brand. Barrow (2005) recommends that organisations build their brand identity very carefully however, warning of a need to ensure substance is beneath the clever name, logo or design, as employees once appointed will see through the facade. This is further supported by Gray and Balmers (1998) term, the routine interactions that outsiders have in shaping image and reputation. Corporate communications are likely to be received with scepticism when they do not match personal experience. Kerrin and Kettley (2003) in their report e-recruitment is it delivering identified a key factor for organisations in their adoption of e-recruitment is the desire to increase their profile as an employer of choice amongst potential candidates and to promote their image as a progressive organisation. CIPD (2005) also demonstrated that more detailed information can be provided on the organisations website than in a newspaper advertisements and in recruitment agency literature, reinforcing the employer brand, improving the corporate image and profile whilst also giving an indication of the organisations culture The use of the Internet allows organisations to pass far more information in a much more dynamic and consistent fashion to candidates than was the case in the past (Lievens and Harris 2003). Applicants therefore have much more information at their disposal before they even decide to apply for a job than in the past. In addition, candidates can easily and quickly search for independent information about organisations from various sources, such as chatrooms, libraries. Therefore, unlike in the past, a candidate may have applied for a job based on practically no information; todays candidate may have reviewed a substantial amount of information about the organisation before choosing to apply. Disadvantages of e-recruitment The CIPD Recruitment, retention and turnover 2006 survey revealed some concerns that e-recruitment could increase the number of unsuitable applicants and that it could act as a barrier to recruiting older workers Another factor which seems to be deterring some employers from making greater use of online recruitment systems is a concern over the level of internet access and levels of comfort with internet technology of their target audiences. While usage of the Internet does vary by social group there is evidence to suggest that recruiting online results in at least as diverse an applicant group as those recruited through traditional methods McManus M.A., Ferguson M.W. (2003 A further concern in relation to access is the suitability of online recruitment methods for candidates with disabilities. Research from www.jobsgopublic, 2004, shows that many employers exclude candidates with disabilities by having poorly designed websites and e-recruitment processes, and there is increasing pressure to address this in order to ensure compliance with equal opportunities legislation. (IRS 2007) Developers of e-recruitment technology are increasingly aware of these requirements and are producing products/systems with higher levels of accessibility and that are in line with EU policies and legislation on e-inclusion. Another possible limitation for organisations may include a lack of knowledge of the available options and difficulties in sourcing/ choosing the appropriate technology that will be compatible with their existing HR systems and will serve their needs now and into the future. This report and others e.g. [3] aim to help raise awareness and highlight the issues for practitioners and decision makers. Still limited in its application, typically online recruitment is used to solely advertise and administer the application process Underexploited online recruitment site can gather rich data pn usage most employers do not interrogate the usage to improve effectiveness Considered unsuitable for certain kinds of vacancies Applicants afe not of a better quality 7 in 10 say admin easier to perform 7 out of 10 more likely to improve reputation. 8 out 10 cheaper 2.5 NHS Jobs There was a time when we could assume that the brightest and best of each generation would want to join the public sector. But that is an assumption that we can no longer make, particularly when the financial rewards at the top of the private sector are so great, and too often public sector workers are weighed down by bureaucracy and silly rules. Tony Blair, 1999 (Ref. 1) It has been suggested in surveys by CIPD (20052) and Kerrin and Keetley (2003) that the posting of job vacancies on the Internet is standard practice when organisations have corporate websites. This would support the theory of research conducted by CIPD 20051, suggesting that the public sector exceeds the private in terms of the use of e recruitment. The public sector has utilised their own websites and all organisations have these sites, unlike other private organisations An IRS employment review in 2005 found that many employers believe that industry-specific sites/job boards are a better resource than general job boards, as they enable employers to identify more suitable candidates because specialist boards tap into a self-defining market. This would support the views of the NHS who have developed a sector specific online recruitment site. NHS Employers has been instrumental in changing the emphasis of the project in terms of service delivery. This change demonstrates the commitment of NHS Employers to support NHS organisations to deliver the best outcomes from employers, and promotes the NHS as a leading employer while delivering cost-effective workforce strategies for the NHS. NHS Jobs is the main NHS Internet option for online recruitment. The recruitment website was launched in 2003 with claims that savings for the health service could be 24 million in advertising costs every year according to then Health Minister John Hutton (BMJ 2003). An initial pilot was carried on 46 NHS organisations. The site is now available to all NHS organisations and more than 80% use it as their primary source for candidates. Its popularity increases daily as trusts gain to profit from the benefits derived through using it A report E-recruitment Projects in the Public Sector (2007) identified that 1/3 of NHS Jobs users showed half-yearly savings of 6.8 million, an estimated 5.7 million save in recruitment advertising spend, savings on recruitment administration accounted for more than 0.5 million showing that online recruitment reduces paper handling and administrative costs, a reduction in temporary staffing spend of just over 0.5 million indicating that NHS Jobs reduces the time and cost of filling vacancies The report identified that 80% of the 575 registered organisations use NHS Jobs, 92% of users reported to be highly satisfied with the service, 50,000 visitors attracted to NHS Jobs daily, less than 5% applications arrive on paper, trusts are using NHS Jobs as their preferred supply route for recruitment, improved efficiency of the recruitment processes and savings on advertising expenditure to direct money to patient care, attract a wider audience for the vacancies, quality candidate pipeline, no more recruitment lines with answer phones and mail application packs, a more local approach to recruitment with enquiries directed straight to the trusts promoting individual employer brands more effectively locally with potential to attract candidates at a national and international level for more specialised posts, all recruitment data is recorded from a single source, real-time activity generated to monitor application rates against vacancies instantly allowing trusts to close vacancies early, extend a closing date or alter copy in an advertisement The significant savings in recruitment advertising, administration and temporary staffing returned directly back into patient care for NHS trusts and is key in delivering savings identified through the Gershon review for the NHS. Using traditional methods, the national average cost per hire is in the region of 5,000 whereas; a liberal view of the cost per hire using NHS Jobs is 2,000 The NHS application form is embedded into the NHS Jobs service and is easy to find, read and print. An enhanced form of the application form is also available for medical vacancies, and is aimed at specific staffing communities, capturing information that is unique to the recruitment of this staff group. There is a series of pre-application and filtering questions for each vacancy to improve candidate quality. Pre-application questions enable trusts to set essential criteria questions, which allow candidates who meet requirements to apply for a vacancy, blocking applications from those who are unsuitable. These questions also allow for applicants to be sorted according to the vacancy, subsequently allowing HR and recruitment teams to supply recruiting managers with high-quality lists saving time and adding value to the recruitment cycle NHS Jobs provides a facility for trusts to advertise a vacancy only on the intranet to internal candidates promoting development opportunities and succession planning. NHS Jobs enables NHS organisations to present themselves as modern employers through embracing new technologies, delivering savings on transactional recruitment processes and enabling paperless and seamless recruitment processes. Furthermore NHS Jobs allows individual NHS organisations to link vacancies to their own websites and vacancy pages promoting their own employee branding and promote themselves as employers at local level NHS Jobs has made its application forms anonymous, removing all personal details and equal opportunities data for short-listing purposes. NHS organisations are able to use the sophisticated reporting tools to provide data for all their equal opportunities monitoring and inform workforce planning. Recent changes have included improvements to disability questions for DDA and removal of date of birth from the personal detail sections into equal opportunities monitoring in line with Age Discrimination legislation The NHS Jobs website has been highlighted as an answer to issues for NHS trusts across the country to deal with all their recruitment problems, however a research report entitled Scoping Study on NHS Trusts Coping Strategies for Local Recruitment Retention Problems undertook studies of NHS organisations across the country and identified one Trust that said that its move to e-recruitment via the NHS Jobs website may have also caused some problems in recruiting to some posts because people looking for non-medical jobs such as administrative jobs, would not normally look at this website because they tended to browse for jobs of a particular type rather than look for jobs in the NHS. 3.0 Methodology 3.1 Literature Review The literature review aimed to provide an initial overview of recruitment, including an assessment of the complexity of traditional recruitment methods and e recruitment. It explores the initiatives made to overcome these problems. The method of undertaking the literature review was a desk-based analysis of research and evaluation literature. Academic articles were sought through online searches using relevant databases (Cinahl, Cochrane, ERIC, CIPD). Keyword searches were carried out using a combination of terms including recruitment, employee branding, e-recruitment, NHS recruitment and online recruitment. Journals yielding the highest relevant search results, such as Personnel Today and People Management were further searched by hand. Searches were limited to papers written in English published after 1998, when Barber had undertaken a substantial review of the literature, and ended our search at the end of 2007. These restrictions were identified to provide access to the studies most directly relevant to the report. The literature review included all studies that were found that met specific criteria, and selections were made on the basis of the criteria, these being relevance and quality. Relevance was identified if the study provided insight into issues surrounding recruitment or not, and whether these studies were about attracting candidates rather than the fuller recruitment processes. Quality was assessed by identification of the source of the article, whether it had been peer reviewed and its inclusion in other studies. The review was not restricted to those research activities of an academic nature, but the majority of searches looked to peer-reviewed journals as sources of the publications. In choosing to study non-peer-reviewed publications the author ensured they were of high enough quality and relevance to justify inclusion. The range of sources included; systematic and non-systematic reviews, other published research, grey literature, white papers and policy documents, reports, evaluations, cost-effectiveness studies, literature reviews and bibliographies. Newspaper and magazine articles were also included, especially in looking at e recruitment, as the development of this new technology has not seen a great many empirical studies undertaken on the subject to date. The Internet also offered a plethora of downloadable publications, some of which contained valuable research findings, but limited resources did not permit a full search for these types of items, so there is minimal inclusion within the review. The data base searches and other sources returned more than 2,500 items. Approximately 1000 were on subjects not relevant to this report; 1,400 were relating to the wider recruitment processes, only available as abstracts, or from dubious sources. This left xx items in our final review. The author feels the methodology carries with it some limitations. Due to the broad nature of the topic being searched; locating all the relevant articles through systematic database searching was difficult. With the large number of studies contained in multiple literature databases and the inaccurate functioning of keywords as search tools, it may be that useful studies that contained information pertaining to the subject, but not explicitly described, were overlooked. The findings listed in the review, as in most literature reviews, may also be subject to publication bias and only studies that were providing positive effects were offered for publication. 3.2 Benchmarking Benchmarking can provide facts to answer questions. It can provide data to show what can be achieved. Perhaps more important, benchmarking can tell how to achieve the same type of results! Benchmarking gives the external references and the best practices on which to base evaluations and to design work processes. There are essentially three types of benchmarking: strategic, data based, and process-based benchmarking. They differ depending on the type of information you are trying to gather. Strategic Benchmarking looks at the strategies companies use to compete. Benchmarking to make improvements in business process performance generally focus on uncovering how well other companies perform in comparison with you and others, and how they achieve this performance. This is the focus of Data based and Process-based Benchmarking. When it is known how others are doing, data is utilised in order to understand how the organisation can improve. The most straightforward way is assessing where there are gaps between the organisations performance and that of the benchmarking partners. These assessments can be used to identify the best practices for the organisation to adopt. A benchmarking exercise was undertaken to look at the way other NHS organisation locally manage their recruitment process and to gain some benchmark data to identify how long the process takes and their utilisation of E recruitment via the NHS jobs website. 15 local organisations were contacted by telephone and questions that were asked included their time to recruit, frequency of advertisement on NHS Jobs and when references were sought. The benchmarking was undertaken utilising telephone surveys. Telephone surveys provide a means of gathering a snapshot of the views of a large number of people. The results can be summarised in the form of statistics allowing the measurement of such things as current performance, possible future performance/expectation, attitudes and opinions. A mix of qualitative and quantitative data can be collected depending on the questions asked, for this exercise quantitative data was gathered. The advantages of this method is that, it is a cheap option, has a higher response rate than some methods, is easy to manage and can be carried out in the short time frame I had available. Disadvantages were difficulty in contacting people, and people as seeing the phone calls as intrusive. It was also identified when developing the questions they need to be short and concise. 3.3 Managers Questionnaire A set of questions was employed to ascertain peoples opinions on particular topics. The usefulness depends on asking the right questions and having the right response choices. Responses are normally chosen from a suggested range. Questionnaires are either self-completed, e.g. postal surveys posted directly to chosen participants or administered interactively with someone asking the questions and recording the answers. They provide a means of gathering a snapshot on the views of a large number of people. The results can be coded, analysed and summarised in the form of numbers, percentages and sample statistics, which allow responses to be expressed as quantified measures. Predominantly quantitative where respondent is choosing from a range of responses although some open-ended questions will also generate qualitative data This method was utilised as I was looking for broad measures of current performance i.e. current satisfaction, eliciting peoples perceptions of issues, identifying priorities for future service delivery. The advantages of using this method was results are easy to assimilate and communicate, results can be presented in different formats, can incorporate several issues in one survey. Disadvantages poor response rates particularly postal surveys (may need incentive, or reminder), sample bias if too small and/or unrepresentative, is it a true snapshot of current opinion, structured approach to survey, poor design can produce misleading results The questionnaire was piloted before distribution around the offices by utilising a small group of staff available, in order to identify any issues with the questions. Some investigative work had also been conducted through a focus group in the development of the questionnaire, and a mixture of closed questions, where people choose an answer, and open questions, where people can provide reasons were developed. To ensure a good response rate was achieved the questionnaires were kept relatively short and simple and it was made easier to reply by the questionnaires being collected once completed. Assuring people of confidentiality and data protection was important at this point. The sample group was drawn up to include representatives of the four Divisions of the Trust and of the 4 sites, to ensure recruitment services were examined across the Trust. A group of 30 representatives were identified to represent the senior managers in the organisation. (8a and above) Whilst the spread of respondents was carefully chosen to avoid sampling errors, it could be argued that some degree of bias was deemed inevitable due to the non-probability sampling method used. However, the research attempted to minimize response bias through seeking the trust of the respondents in ensuring confidentiality was assured. It is also possible for experimenters to deliberately or inadvertently write survey questions that bias people to respond the way they want them to. (Salant and Dillman (1994), Frankfort-Nachmias and Nachmias (1996)) Face to face interviewing would have ensured that questionnaires were correctly completed and affords the flexibility required when carrying out research on concepts or when using various stimuli. However, the time restraints of the author and managers in the organisation did not allow this method to be utilised. 3.5 Process Mapping Exercise Process is a series of connected steps or actions to achieve an outcome. Process Maps and flow Charts are the most commonly used methods for designing and analysing processes and are the most widely used of the entire problem solving tools. By graphically representing the logical steps of a process, promotes a greater and shared understanding of how the work is done and this presents opportunities for identification of problems and non value adding steps, which can lead to process improvements The process mapping exercise with the recruitment department was undertaken in a half-day session with the whole of the recruitment team from the Trust. It has been identified that the whole team should be present to allow the process to be mapped effectively and changes made to be owned ( xxxx ) The Process mapping exercise was undertaken as a continuation from the lean game and assessment (xxxxx) that had been carried out to allow the team to be made more aware of processes and team working. The author facilitated the session, directing the team to identify the steps involved in the recruitment process. Once the mapping stage was completed the team were supported to identify the areas that were hold ups to the process, areas of good practice and identify solutions to identified problems in the process. The team were hesitant initially as to what the process mapping would reveal, but the outcomes were identified as positive and enabled the team to get an insight of others responsibilities and the overall processes the recruitment department followed. The process is facilitated to allow the participants to feel safe and able to contribute. 4.0 Findings 4.1 literature Review The report clearly shows that online recruitment has established itself as a significant part of the recruitment strategy and practice of a wide range of organisations. The Internet is currently being used to greatest effect for advertising and facilitating the application process. Use of internet-based systems to track and manage candidate applications are becoming increasingly popular, particularly amongst larger organisations and are providing significant benefits in terms of efficiency, cost and capability to monitor and report on recruitment activities. Recruitment is a costly business and it seems that the review has identified that e recruitment is a way of saving money by reducing the time to recruit and cut the administration processes involved in recruitment. Researchers have identified the need to enhance and develop employer branding to allow more applicants to be attracted to the organisation and actively apply for vacancies, whether that be by traditional or by e recruitment methods. 4.2 Process Mapping Process Mapping was successful in identifying areas where there were potential problems. Once the process map was in place it was identified which areas of the process presented the problems. Hold ups were identified at the short listing and pre interview stages. References and CRB check stages and in posting the jobs for advertisement. Advertisement of positions was undertaken on a two weekly basis with a bulletin being published on the Trust website and local job centres being sent a hard copy. Hard to recruit jobs were also listed in local press and relevant journals. The NHS Jobs website was used, but jobs are posted on the site every 2 weeks when the bulletin is published or often with only a few days before the closing date is reached. From the results of the process mapping, a bench Marking exercise was planned to get further information on the areas of hold ups and difficulties within the process. 4.3 Benchmarking A benchmarking exercise was conducted with local Trusts in the area to identify best practice and identify targets for the Trust to aim for. A telephone survey was undertaken with questions being asked of Recruitment Mangers to assess the practice across the area. 15 trusts were chosen (Appendix A), the demographics of these Trusts do not match Pennine Acute Trust, and only one CMMC came close to the numbers of staff and multiple site complexities, but the other Trusts gave an n indication of practice and the expectations that could be achieved. Of the 15 trust surveyed, the average time to appoint to a post from advertising the post to a start date being arranged was xxxxxx. The least time being xxxx the greatest being xxxxxx. This cut of point was chosen as with the introduction of agenda for change notice periods vary dependent on grade from 1 month to 3 months and this would not give an accurate indication of recruitment processes. It was identified that all of the Trusts surveyed utilised NHS Jobs to advertise there vacancies, but only our own Trust did not put on the post as soon as it was cleared for advertising. 7 put of the 15 Trusts identified an interview date on the advert and the same 7 identified using the short-listing tool with the NHS Jobs to short list candidates. These 7 Trusts also proved to be the Trust with the shortest recruitment times. 4.4 Managers Questionnaire To get some feedback from the users of the recruitment service internally a questionnaire was developed and circulated to a sample of senior managers with a responsibility for recruiting staff in the Trust. Questions were asked about the service and the difficulties experienced and feedback requested to identify what would make the process more effective for managers. The questionnaire identified the following results How often do you utilise the recruitment Department in the Trust? One hundred percent of the respondents utilised the department at least yearly, with 50 percent utilising at least 6 monthly. Are you happy with the service you receive? Eighty percent of respondents identified they were not happy with the service they received. What are your main complaints about the service? Slow process, time it takes to get the documents, timing of advertising, Would you prefer to receive electronic applications or paper? 80 per cent of the respondents identified they would prefer electronic applications, stating they were easier to access, cut down the waiting time for them to be sent to another site, the 25 percent who preferred paper copies felt the y were easier to look at and looking at applications on the computer could be difficult. Some were not happy with their computer skills to allow this to occur If available, would you be happy to short list candidates online? 80 percent of respondents were happy to shortlist candidates on line, the 20 percent that were not corresponded with the previous question and it can be assumed similar reasons may be behind the Would you be able to identify an interview date when advertising a post. Do you check all candidates references after the interview? Could you wait until the successful candidate was identified and then request references? How long do you feel the recruitment process should take, advertisement to confirmation of a start date? Xxxx thought the process should take 4-6 weeks, xxxx 6-8, xxxxx 8-10, xxxx 10-12 weeks How long does it usually take? The average time that the respondents felt it took was 10-12 weeks If you were looking for another job where would you look first? 80 percent said they would look on NHS Employers website or Trust website, xxxx would look in the Health Service and Nursing journals and at the Trust Weekly bulletin Would the reputation of an organisation have an influence on your decision to apply? 100 percent agreed that reputation of an organisation would have an influence on their decision to apply for a position with that organisation. How would you rate the NHS brand? Of respondents thought the NHS brand was good, XX thought it was average and xxx thought the NHS brand was poor. How would you rate Pennine Acute Hospitals brand? Of respondents thought the NHS brand was good, XX thought it was average and xxx thought the NHS brand was poor. 5.0 Conclusions This report set out to provide a comprehensive overview of how recruitment including e-recruitment is being used, and provide an insight of the benefits and challenges of using e-recruitment technologies. From results of the benchmarking exercise it would appear that recruitment times are slower within Pennine Acute than within other Trusts, and process mapping identified hold ups to the recruitment process in areas of short listing and interviewing due to the time taken to transport the documents across sites that are 7-10 miles apart. Pennine acute Trust are currently not utilising the NHS e recruitment website effectively and the opportunity to shortlist online would not only save the time as identified in the literature search evidence, but has been identified in the efficient Trusts through benchmarking exercise and would be welcomed by the Senior Managers utilising the Service. Process Mapping identified that references are being requested for all candidates, wether they are successful or not. This was time consuming for recruitment staff and was costly in terms of postage. The facility on NHS jobs to utilise references from candidates who had applied for jobs within the previous 3 months was not been utilised. The e-recruitment initiative aims to reduce both those figures; saving time and money, which can then be spent on patient care. 6.0 Recommendations Recommendations for the organisation from the results of the literature review, process mapping, benchmarking exercise and Senior Managers questionnaire are E-recruitment to be fully introduced alongside existing recruitment methods for all posts, with an aim to reduce recruitment costs by 5% per year, which in an average year will mean savings of more than 100,000 Utilise the short listing functions of NHS jobs Request references for successful candidates only, and check availability on NHS Jobs site to avoid duplication. Managers to Identify an interview date on the advertisement These interventions if applied to the recruitment process and implemented in the department should allow The reduction from 12 weeks to 6 weeks for the length of time it takes to make an appointment. With 450 positions advertised every year (2006) this would mean an extra 2700 weeks during which new employees in the Trust are working for our patients instead of waiting for the red tape before they can start work. Requesting references after interviews for successful candidates only All applicants have a positive experience of the recruitment process and, wherever possible, are considered for the full range of opportunities available with Pennine Acute, reputation of the organisation is positive on first contact, word of mouth from staff within the NHS improving employee brand. Resourcing is conducted both internally and externally in an open, fair and transparent manner and reviewed regularly so that supply is sustainable and inclusive of all available talent. More traffic is driven through our local website, which is linked to the national NHS job website, and improvement in the quality of information available to potential candidates. We will also be able to assess the impact of e-recruitment in hiring a workforce that is reflective of our local community.
Wednesday, May 13, 2020
The 7 Base Units of the Metric System
The metric system is a framework of units of measurement that has grown from its 1874 birth in a diplomatic treaty to the more modern General Conference on Weights and Measures, or CGPM (Conferà ©rence Gà ©nà ©rale des Poids et Measures). The modern system is properly called the International System of Units, or SI, an abbreviation from the French Le Systà ¨me International dUnità ©s. Today, most people use the names metric and SI interchangeably. The 7 Base Metric Units The metric system is the main system of measurement units used in science. Each unit is considered to be dimensionally independent of the others. These dimensions are measurements of length, mass, time, electric current, temperature, amount of a substance, and luminous intensity. Here are definitions of the seven base units: Length: Meter (m) The meter is the metric unit of length. Its defined as the length of the path light travels in a vacuum during 1/299,792,458 of a second.Mass: Kilogram (kg) The kilogram is the metric unit of mass. Its the mass of the international prototype of the kilogram: a standard platinum/iridium 1 kg mass housed near Paris at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM).Time: Second (s) The basic unit of time is the second. The second is defined as the duration of 9,192,631,770 oscillations of radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of cesium-133.Electric current: Ampere (A) The basic unit of electric current is the ampere. The ampere is defined as the constant current that, if maintained in two infinitely long straight parallel conductors with a negligible circular cross-section and placed 1 m apart in a vacuum, would produce a force between the conductors equal to 2 x 10-7 newtons per meter of length.Temperature: Kelvin (K) The Kelvin is the unit of thermodynamic temperature. It is the fraction 1/273.16 of the thermodynamic temperature of the triple point of water. The Kelvin scale is an absolute scale, so there is no degree.ââ¬â¹Amount of a Substance: Mole (mol) The mole is defined as the amount of a substance that contains as many entities as there are atoms in 0.012 kilograms of carbon-12. When the mole unit is used, the entities must be specified. For example, the entities may be atoms, molecules, ions, electrons, cows, houses, or anything else.Luminous Intensity: candela (cd) The unit of luminous intensity, or light, is the candela. The candela is the luminous intensity, in a given direction, of a source emitting monochromatic radiation of frequency 540 x 1012 hertz with radiant intensity in that direction of 1/683 watt per steradian. These definitions are actually methods to realize the unit. Each realization was created with a unique, sound theoretical base to generate reproducible and accurate results. Other Important Metric Units In addition to the seven base units, other metric units are commonly used: Liter (L) While the metric unit of volume is the cubic meter, m3, the most commonly used unit is the liter. A liter is equal in volume to one cubic decimeter, dm 3, which is a cube that is 0.1 m on each side.Angstrom (Ãâ¦) One angstrom equals 10-8 cm or 10-10 m. Named for Anders Jonas Ãâ¦ngstrom, the unit is used to measure the chemical bond length and electromagnetic radiation wavelength.Cubic centimeter (cm3) A cubic centimeter is a common unità used to measure solid volume. The corresponding unit for liquid volume is the milliliter (mL), which is equal to one cubic centimeter.
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
The Perfect Customer Service Model Free Essays
After looking over the customer service model I would use what I thought I would want to receive as a customer calling in for help. You have a preconceived notion as to what your customer service call would be like. For instance if I had a customer call I would like to greet them warmly and get right to the point as to what the problem is and what I am prepared to do in order to help them. We will write a custom essay sample on The Perfect Customer Service Model or any similar topic only for you Order Now A customer expects professionalism but they also expect understanding and dedication to their issue, so being very attentive is key. This would be a part of my strategy. As far as the systems I would make sure that the use of the state of the art facility was used as well as up to date equipment and software, being on top of the newest technological trends and software will ensure fast and accurate repairs. Another important aspect of customer service is the representatives taking the calls. It is my duty to the customer to make sure that every individual they speak to has been trained and is qualified to help them. I have had experiences where the responses are from a text and often times you get shifted to different people that are qualified in different areas. I think that making sure the persons receiving calls are qualified leads to a better customer service experiment the less run around and hold time the better. The management of the facility as well as other personnel must have a background in the customer service area as well as technology because they support the frontline. How to cite The Perfect Customer Service Model, Papers
Monday, May 4, 2020
Tourism of Egypt Gaza Strip- MyAssignmenthelp.com
Question: Discuss about theTourism of Egyptfor Gaza Strip and Red Sea. Answer: Introduction Egypt is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, attracting people from all over the world. The pyramids of Giza along with the Great Sphinx and the Blue Nile have become a place of huge tourist gatherings. This assignment provides complete tourism information about Egypt, highlighting the types of tourists who are mostly attracted towards this destination. The location and area, along with the places of tourist attraction has been mentioned in details. The approximate costs of the packages are also highlighted. Location and Area Egypt is located in the north of Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea. It has Libya on its west and the Gaza strip and Red Sea in its east. The capital city of Egypt is Cairo. The coverage are of Egypt is over 1 million square kilometres (AlSayyad 2013). The climate of Egypt is usually hot and sunny. It is hot and humid all round the year, until the month of November, when mild winter is experienced. The winter months from November to February witnesses high footfall of the tourists. Types of Tourists Attracted Egypt is successful in catering to the needs of a wide variety of tourists. The kinds of tourists include the following: The Educational Tourists These tourists come to Egypt for the purpose of education. Since Egypt has an enriched culture and heritage, hence many students studying history as well as archaeology visit Egypt, all round the year. Egypt enriches these tourists by imparting knowledge from its culture and heritage. The Religious Tourists Egypt has a huge number of tourists visiting every year for the purpose of religious travels. The Leisure Tourists For the tourists travelling for leisure, Egypt is one of the ideal places. It has a lot to offer to the admirers and the travellers. The places of tourist attractions are mentioned in the following paragraphs. Places of tourist attraction Karnak Temple in Luxor This place is one of the most attractive places in Egypt. The ancient Thebes and the largest open air museum attract thousands of tourists and historian every year. This is one of the most sacred places in Egypt. The temple of Karnak is famously known as Ipet-isu which means the most selected of the places. The Hypostyle hall features 134 columns, and is the largest religious buildings in the world. The Pyramids of Giza One of the seven wonders of the ancient world lies in Egypt and attracts thousands of tourists from all over the world. These are the pyramids of Giza. These huge pyramids keep amazing the tourists and attracting them towards the destination. Islamic Cairo This is the capital of Egypt and a very congested place with a lot of schools, madrassas and mosques. The labyrinth shopping souk of the Khan el-Khalili attracts a number of customers. The coppersmiths and the shopkeepers have their shops laden with textile goods, ceramic articles, perfumes and spices (Snape 2014). One of the most famous places here is the Al-Azhar Mosque and the Sultan Hassan Mosque. Aswan One of the most tranquil towns is Aswan, which lies at the banks of river Nile. Backed by the huge sand dunes, is a heaven for the tourists of Egypt (Attallah 2015). A ferry could be taken to explore the Nubian villages at the banks of Nile River. Abu Simbel This place is the adobe of Ramses IIs temples and colossal statues that guard the temple from the enemies. This place is a UNESCO heritage site and attracts a huge number of tourists (Elnasr Sobaih and Jones 2015). The people coming for educational tours are also attracted to this place, as it has a lot of history to offer. Egyptian Museum A treasure of Egypt is the Egyptian museum is one of the most famous places that attract tourists. This museum has a great collection of old relicts and a must visit for the tourists of educational tours. The huge collection of the museum makes it a very famous tourist spot (El-Kassas et al. 2014). White Desert The Egyptian while desert is well known as the Al-Farafra. The white desert is formed of massive chalk rocks and has become one of the most attractive tourist places in Egypt. This desert is a very good camping site as well (Avraham 2016). Siwa Oasis This is an Oasis that lies between Qattara Depression and the sand sea of Egypt. This is one of the most isolated places in Egypt, and the people living there have developed their own unique culture. The ruins of an oracle of Ammon attract thousands of tourists all round the year (Christie et al. 2014). Alexandria One of the most picturesque places in Egypt is Alexandria, that witnesss footfall of thousands of tourists all round the year. The home of Cleopatra, Alexandria has a lot to offer to its tourists (Jacobs 2016). The tourist spots of Alexandria includes the Mediterranean sea side, bibliotheca Alexandrina, national museum, fort Qaitbey, Corniche, Kom el-Dikka, Pompeys pillar, Montazah gardens. Cost of the Packages The cost of the packages ranges from 1500 USD to 2200 USD per adult. The best time to visit Egypt is from November to March. Customised packages along with group tours are available. Conclusion Egypt has a lot to offer to its tourists. The picturesque Aswan and Alexandria, along with the historical pyramids make Egypt a tourists paradise. References AlSayyad, N., 2013.Consuming tradition, manufacturing heritage: global norms and urban forms in the age of tourism. Routledge. Attallah, N.F., 2015. Evaluation of perceived service quality provided by tourism establishments in Egypt.Tourism and Hospitality Research,15(3), pp.149-160. Avraham, E., 2016. Destination marketing and image repair during tourism crises: The case of Egypt.Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management,28, pp.41-48. Christie, I., Christie, I.T., Fernandes, E., Messerli, H. and Twining-Ward, L., 2014.Tourism in Africa: Harnessing tourism for growth and improved livelihoods. World Bank Publications El-Kassas, W., Solyman, A. and Farouk, M., 2014, mTourism multilingual integrated solution: A case study EgyptTravel. IneChallenges e-2014, 2014 Conference(pp. 1-9). IEEE Elnasr Sobaih, A. and Jones, E., 2015. Bridging the hospitality and tourism universityindustry research gap in developing countries: The case of Egypt.Tourism and Hospitality Research,15(3), pp.161-177. Jacobs, J., 2016.Sex, tourism and the postcolonial encounter: Landscapes of longing in Egypt. Routledge. Snape, S., 2014.The Complete Cities of Ancient Egypt. Thames Hudson.
Saturday, March 28, 2020
Saturday, March 7, 2020
The Critical Reader - Erica Meltzer Full Review
The Critical Reader - Erica Meltzer Full Review SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Erica Meltzer's books have come onto the scene in the past few years with great reviews. Her books are fantastic for the subjects they cover - Reading and Writing. She's published two books for the SAT - The Complete Guide to SAT Critical Reading, and The Ultimate Guide to SAT Grammar. While these are high quality books, they're not perfect, for reasons we'll explain in this article. Keep reading to figure out whether these books are appropriate for you, and whether you should integrate these as part of your personal prep program. Why trust this review? When you get advice on the internet, it's important to understand why you should believe the advice you're receiving. Because your SAT score is important, follow the wrong advice, and it might be too late to improve your score. To be transparent, hereââ¬â¢s why you might be able to trust this review more than others: I like to think that I know what Iââ¬â¢m talking about.I scoredtwo perfect scores on the SATand have worked personally with thousands of students prepping for the SAT. Iââ¬â¢ve worked with students at all levels, from people at a 1200 level to people aiming for a 2300+. Other writers often don't have the expertise to differentiate between books, and they recommend books as an afterthought (and you can probably tell). I donââ¬â¢t get paid for these recommendations, and I donââ¬â¢t get paid if you buy these books.Iââ¬â¢ve studied dozens of books for SAT prep, and I review the books that I come across. Other sites, especially about.com and reviews.com, get paid for featuring books and get a kickback when you buy a book they recommend. One disclaimer: Iââ¬â¢m co-founder ofPrepScholar, an online SAT/ACT prep program. I believe weââ¬â¢ve built the best prep program available right now. Itdiagnoses your strengths and weaknessesand gives you a structured all-in-one program, combining the best aspects of the books below, so you know exactly what you need to study at every point. But I want to stress that you donââ¬â¢t need a program to excel at the SAT. In fact, writing this guide may lose us some customers, since you might decide that you donââ¬â¢t need a program at all. But if you decide that you donââ¬â¢t want to manage 10 books and want an integrated complete program that customizes to your learning,check PrepScholar SAT out. The Critical Reader Book Review When I consider the quality of a book, I think about a few important questions: Who's the author, and what is his or her experience with the subject matter? How effective is the book, and why? What are the book's main pros and cons? Erica's books are clearly high quality - they made my list of Best SAT Prep Books 2015. But they do have their shortcomings, which we'll discuss below. About the Author: Erica Meltzer Erica Meltzerstarted as a tutor and eventually published her SAT and ACT prep books in the past few years.Erica also graduated from Wellesley College,which is a prestigious college ranked #4 of all liberal arts colleges in the country. While she seems not to tutor much currently, her books show that she has a great deal of expertise on the SAT and ACT. How Effective is the Book? In my experience with thousands of students, SAT Reading is the most difficult section to improve. It uses logical reasoning skills that arenââ¬â¢t as easily mastered as math concepts or grammar rules. Itââ¬â¢s very important to drill down on what types of questions are asked, and how to approach these questions in a systematic way. Erica's book dissects the SAT Reading section by question type and skill. She does a great job of teaching the core of what the question is asking, and how to work with the passage to arrive at the correct answer. Of all writers, Erica Meltzer aligns most closely with my personal philosophy of drilling questions skill-by-skill to recognize patterns to questions. The book is very thorough - in fact, it's too thorough for the average student. It goes into every nook and cranny, and if you're scoring below a 650, this is NOT the best book to use.If you're a student gunning for a perfect SAT score, though, this is a good book to drill comprehensively and to perfection. Furthermore, this book requires a lot of work to get through. At 350 large pages, it'll take most students 15 hours or more to get through this book. If you don't have a lot of time to prep, you won't be able to get the most out of this book. Pros and Cons of the Critical Reader Pros: Great breakdown of the Reading section on a skill-by-skill level. Helpful strategies for every type of question, from main point questions to inference questions. Lots of high-quality, realistic passages and questions. She uses passages similar to those youââ¬â¢ll see on the SAT and has spent a lot of time licensing high-quality passages. Has a helpful guide listing the questions on the SAT by skill, so you can get even more focused practice using the Official SAT Study Guide. Cons: Expensive for a book that covers just one section ($30-40) The writing style is dry and clinical, like an academic textbook. I personally prefer this ââ¬â cut out the fluff ââ¬â but it can be quite dense for the average student. The thoroughness doesn't point you in the right direction depending on your strengths and weaknesses. If you're scoring at a lower level, you need to concentrate on some skills more than others, and this book can lead you astray. Lack of creative page layouts and a lot of text on large pages can get tiresome. Overall Rating This is currently my favorite book for the SAT Reading section. If you're planning on scoring a 700 or above on the Reading section and prefer to study by books, this is a great option. It's more expensive than average and it's too thorough for many students, but it's a great choice that will teach you a lot. Overall Rating: 88/100 What's next? Read our detailed guide to theBest SAT Prep Booksto put together your own study program based on the best SAT books available now. What's a good SAT score for you?Figure it out with our step by step guide based on the colleges you're applying to. Aiming for a high score? Read ourguide to scoring a perfect SAT score, written by me, a perfect SAT scorer. Check out our industry-leading online SAT program. We've designed it to cover all the advantages of books and tutors at an affordable price. Featuring in-depth strategy lessons and thousands of practice questions, we have the content from the leading books. Beyond that, the programacts like your personal tutor. It guides you step-by-step through what you should be working on at every moment to best improve your score. Itcustomizes to your strengths and weaknesses, then gives you focused practice so you learn the patterns on the SAT. Furthermore, it motivates you to study so that you put in enough time. There's a 240 point guarantee - if you don'timprove your score by 240 points, you get all your money back.
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
Chick-fil-A - a swift service restaurant chain in the United States Research Paper
Chick-fil-A - a swift service restaurant chain in the United States - Research Paper Example The company is associated with the Southern United States region, where it has been identified as a cultural icon (Cathy, 1989). This article will analyze the culture and its impact on the companyââ¬â¢s achievement by bringing out the strength of this culture. This paper will also explain how culture is conveyed to employees, and also include a brief outline on the companyââ¬â¢s ethics. By April 2012, the company had 1,614 restaurants in roughly 38 states, including the Columbian District (Cathy, 1989). The company is also focusing its prospect growth in Southern California and American Midwest. Historically, Chick-fil-A was renowned with shopping malls, since most of its original food courts were located in trendy shopping malls. The first food court belonging to the restaurant was opened in Atlantaââ¬â¢s Green-briar Mall in 1967 (Cathy, 2002). Moreover, this company opened their first freestanding store in 1986. Nowadays, the chain has over 1000 such units of which some can be found in various places like universities, airports and hospitals through licensing agreements with the authorities (Cathy, 2002). The Chick-fil-A chain has grown tremendously from the Dwarf Grill (now recognized as Dwarf house); a restaurant opened in the Georgian suburb of Hapeville, Atlanta in 1946 by Cathy, who is the companyââ¬â¢s chairman to date (Cathy, 2002). ... In the 2006 season, the company became Peach Bowlââ¬â¢s main sponsor. The company is also a considerable sponsor of ACC, SEC, and Big 12 conferences of college athletics. The chain came up with a popular advert created in 1995 by The Richards Group that reads ââ¬Å"Eat mor chikinâ⬠(Cathy, 2002). This slogan features cows wearing signs painted with the slogan in uppercase. In connection to the companyââ¬â¢s advertising strategies, these cows have united in an effort to reform the American food industry by reducing the amount of beef being eaten. This suggests that chicken burgers are preferably better off compared to the beef burgers. This advert aims at restricting the American community from eating beef burgers, which is common in menus of Chick-fil-Aââ¬â¢s competitors such as Burger King, Wendyââ¬â¢s, and McDonaldââ¬â¢s (Michelle & Darren 2011). However, the ad campaign was halted in the interim during a mad cow disease scare in January 1, 2004. Two months lat er, the cow advert was put up again. This time, the cows replaced the chainââ¬â¢s old mascot, an anthropomorphized chicken which appears as the C in the logo and doodles (Cathy, 1989). The company has a well structured culture which enables the company to run successfully. Additionally, the company has happy employees and services. The employees are always cheerful, and some of the customers claim that their happiness has something to do with their monthly wages. This is a delightful model to any business success in America. A visit to the joint is usually welcomed by young, inevitably welcoming, smiling, helpful, quick and polite young faces. The joint runs clean restaurants based on many peopleââ¬â¢s
Tuesday, February 4, 2020
Similarities and Differences in Mitosis and Meiosis Essay
Similarities and Differences in Mitosis and Meiosis - Essay Example Mitosis comprises of standard steps of Interphase, Prophase, Prometaphase, Anaphase and Telophase. Interphase is the process where cell prepares material for cell division. In this phase chromosomes are unseen, but chromatin granules are seen clearly.(Lehninger, 2008) In the Prophase in mitosis, four chromatids combine to form a pair of chromosomes which are joined by a centromere. Comparatively in Meiosis Prophase I, four chromosomes instead of chromatids combine to form two tetrads. The chromosomes in the tetrad cross over each other, allowing them to exchange genetic material. In the Metaphase in Mitosis, the two chromosomes line up in the center and split up into four chromatids which move to both of the poles. In Parallel, in meiosis, the two tetrads line up in the center and split up into four chromosomes which go to both poles. In the Telophase, all the material that has migrated to the poles gets enclosed by the nuclear envelope in Mitosis as well as meiosis. Mitosis is compl eted at this stage. Meiosis then proceeds to Meiosis II which is identical to mitosis. DNA replication is skipped in interphase and the cells proceed to divide exactly by the mechanism of mitosis. Thus mitosis involves a single nuclear division which gives rise to two identical daughter nuclei. Meiosis on the other hand involves two successive nuclear divisions and hence one diploid cell gives rise to four haploid cells. Consequently for mitosis to occur, the mother cell can be either haploid or diploid. However for meiosis to occur the mother cell has to be necessary diploid so that the chromosome number can be halved. Mitosis generally occurs in all somatic cells of the body whereas meiosis occurs only in the sex cells in the body. The number of chromosomes per nucleus remains the same after division i.e n remains n and same applies for 2n. The meiotic products contain a haploid (n) number of chromosomes, in contrast to the 2n mother cell. Mitosis is preceded by an S-phase in which the amount of DNA is duplicated. Only meiosis I is preceded by an S-phase. (Radboud University, 2003) Meiosis II proceeds without a pre S phase. Homologous chromosomes remain independent in mitosi s. On the other hand complete
Monday, January 27, 2020
Induced Electromotive Force in Potatoes | Experiment
Induced Electromotive Force in Potatoes | Experiment I was first introduced to vegetative electric energy during my freshman year in high school, when our chemistry teacher showed a lemon battery at work as we were studying Electrochemistry. I got very intrigued with the idea of generating electricity with lemons, and I later learnt that many organic substances exist which can also produce electricity. The next year of my high school, I heard about the global consumption of power, and how the earths natural resources were getting depleted, and got an idea that if natural organic batteries were developed, the resources of the earth would remain stable. Thus I took up this study to help me explore the possibility of organic fuel cells and its capability of generating electromotive force. For this study I will take potatoes into consideration because of their high acid content and the relative accessibility of it. The acid responsible for the generation of EMF within the potato is Phosphoric acid, but my experiment will deal with what causes the change in the EMF when the potatoes are boiled. Initially I thought the cause lied in the varying concentration of the electrolyte, but upon further study and research found the reason to lie within the cell membranes of the potatoes that get ruptured during the boiling process of the potatoes, thereby varying the EMF generated. After maize, wheat, and rice, potato is the worlds fourth most important food crop with an annual production of more than 323 x 106 tons with more than one-third coming from developing countries. Thus if potatoes do prove to be beneficial asset, it can able easily adopted by those who are lacking electrical infrastructure as part of the daily routine since it is cheap and requires no special skills for assembly. RESEARCH QUESTION: How does the induced electromotive force generated from the potatoes depend on the state of the potato (i.e. Fresh potato vs. Boiled Potato)? INTRODUCTION: The first batteries were researched and invented by Volta when he made a device capable of producing electricity by the mere contact of conducting substances of different species. The invention of Voltaic battery had marked the birth of a new era in the development of modern physics and made a significant change in our lifestyle. Battery technology has without a doubt seen progress, starting from it being dependent on organic/biological matters to it becoming more efficient using inorganic-reaction-based technology. However from the end of the 20th century, biological batteries were just a mere science experiment performed in highs school, however with the growing concern of depleting the earths resources, there has been a new found interest in the development of organic fuel cells. In order to highlight this growing interest, I have performed a study regarding the basic school experiment of a potato battery. For the first part of my study, I will perform the normal experiment by making a potato cell, using Zinc and Copper electrodes and recording the electromotive force (EMF) generated. Now, for the second part, I will boil the potatoes and record the readings of the EMF generated. I will compare the two results, and comment about my observations, and make possible conclusions about why there is a change in EMF generated or why there is no change in EMF generated. BACKGROUND INFORMATION ELECTROCHEMISTRY Electrochemistry deals with the inter-conversion of electrical energy and chemical energy. This study will deal with the conversion of chemical energy into electrical energy (Electrochemical Cells). An electrochemical cell mainly consists of two major components: left hand electrode (LHE) and the right hand electrode (RHE). In LHE, oxidation (loss of electron) takes place and is called the anode. In RHE, reduction (gain of electron) takes place and is called cathode. Anode is generally of that metal (or substance) which readily loses electrons (i.e. Oxidized easily). Cathode is a metal which readily accepts electrons (i.e. Reduced easily). There are two specific ways in order to create an electrochemical, voltaic or galvanic cell. Method 1: Put the LHE (anode) into the solution of the electrolyte of the Cathode (containing the ions of the cathode). This allows the anode to loose electrons per atom and the ions present in the electrolyte accept the electrons. Thus, the cathode ions from the solution in this manner get deposited in order to form the metals of the respective cathode and the metal anode goes into the solution as ions. The reaction can be understood with two half-cell reactions: Oxidation M Anode (S) Mn+(aq) Anode+ ne- Reduction: Mn+(aq) Cathode + ne- M Cathode(S) _ ___________________________________________________ Overall Reaction: M Anode(S) + Mn+(aq) Cathode M Cathode (S) + Mn+(aq)Anode Where, M Anode(S) is the element that gets oxidized at the anode, M Cathode(S) is the element that gets reduced at the cathode, ne- is the number of electrons lost/gained during the reaction A rod of that metal is prepared and placed into one of its own solution in LHE to get anode. In RHE, a rod of metal that loses electrons less easily as compared to the metal of LHE is prepared and put into one of the solution to get the cathode. LHE and RHE are also known as two-half cells. Now the electrons move from anode (LHE) to cathode (RHE) and hence a current flow is maintained in the external circuit. This current flow is due to the fact that a potential difference is created this and this is called the E.M.F, electromotive force of a cell. The two separate containers are connected by a inverted tube U shaped tube called as salt bridge. The salt bridge contains solution of strong ionic salts like NaCl, NaNO3 and KCl etc. (salts of most reactive alkali metals) soaked in colloidal solution of agar-gel which only allows movements of ions, not water. The role of the slat bridge is very important as it allows the continuous discharge of the cell. The salt bridge keeps the two solutions electrically neutral to one another. In the Fe-CuSO4 cell, in the left cell as Fe loses electrons, excess of positive charge in the form of Fe2+ is collected near the LHE and as Cu2+ ions gets discharged accepting electrons form Fe in the right hand cell, excess of negative charge in the form of SO42- is accumulated near the RHE. Now the salt bridge provides positive charge to RHE (in form of K+ ions) and negative charge to the LHE (in the form Cl-) and thus bringing about the neutrality of two solutions. If this does not take place, a reverse potential difference is created in the two compartments and thus breaking the continuous supple of voltage (current), which is the purpose of the cell. The efficiency of a cell is determined by the tendency of LHE to loose electrons and the tendency of RHE to accept electrons. A measure of cell efficiency is called as electromotive force (EMF) or the voltage or the difference in potentials of two electrodes. EMF is defined as the difference in the potential across LHE and RHE to which electrons from anode travel to cathode. My experiment consists of the above explanation with regard to a Secondary Battery or also called Galvanic Cell, which uses the main principles of the method mentioned above, but lacks a salt bridge but the cell membranes within the potato act as a salt bridge. The electrolyte in the potatoes is the phosphoric acid which does not actively participate in the reaction, since its main purpose is to make Zn loose electrons by oxidizing it, the potato provides the protons and the Cu plate remains unaffected by the acid bath. My storage battery is the potato, with the anode plate is made up of Zinc (Zn), while the cathode plate is Copper (Cu). The electrolyte which initiates the reaction or makes the reaction possible in potatoes is phosphoric acid (H3PO4). My experiment will involve the use of iron nails (Zn+2/Zn) acting as anode, and copper plates (Cu+2/Cu) as cathode. These are placed in an electrically conductive solution that allowsÃâà ionsÃâà to travel freely between the two metals in this case potato. The acid steadily eats away at the Zinc, a chemical reaction that releases spare zincÃâà electrons. These electrons then join with spareÃâà hydrogen ionsÃâà in the acid to create hydrogen gas. Meanwhile, the copper remains unaffected even when submerged in acid but as soon as a conducting wire is connected between it and iron electrons flow from copper to Iron. The spare iron electrons are still intent on forming hydrogen gas, but they have an easier time doing it with the hydrogen surrounding the iron anode. So the electrons from the copper cathode travel through the wire to get to the iron. Batteries exploit this flow of electrons, therefore producing induced EMF. In most of the batteries, there is internal resistance which makes it impossible for the battery to produce 100% of its maximum potential difference. The same is applicable for the potato battery in the form of GAII (Galvanic apparent internal impedance, a trait related to both the salt bridge function of a given tissue delineated between electrodes and to the battery internal resistance properties). This electrical impedance can be a classified into further categories which is out of scope of this study. But the concept of GAII is useful as it can explain the relation between the EMF generated from a boiled potato as compared to a fresh potato. Thus the EMF generated from one potato is because of the potential difference created by the electrodes as in the above mentioned cases. But since the number of potatoes remains constant, the reacting species also is constant, i.e. when two potatoes are used, each potato will have an zinc and copper plate, and thus when the zinc gets oxidized by the potatoes, same electrons will enter the iron electrode from the copper, thus EMF generated should be same. But this is where my experiment differs. MY ORIGINALITY: Experiments have already been conducted on fresh potatoes and the induced EMF but, I planned to boil my potatoes and observe the readings of the EMF generated and compare the results obtained from performing the experiment with raw potatoes. The potatoes by default will be similar and will be microwaved in KCl solution for scientific vigor, and then after certain attainment of room temperature, the EMF generated will be recorded. The readings and the graph will make clear weather the boiling of potatoes changes the EMF and what makes the EMF generated to change. MY HYPOTHESIS The induced EMF generated from the experiment being performed with boiled potatoes compared to raw potatoes will decrease since the concentration of phosphoric acid will decrease, since the potatoes are boiled in aqueous solution, thus diluting the already present phosphoric acid, and thus since the concentration of the electrolyte decreases so will the rate of oxidization and reduction, eventually leading to the decrease in the EMF generated. The GAII may also play a part since when the potatoes are boiled the inner temperature of the potato increases causing denaturation and this might affect the flow of electrons thereby affecting the EMF generated. METHOD Battery Design Commercially available potatoes were used throughout, due to ease of accessibility and for economic factors. The mineral composition of the potatoes has been given in Table 1 of the appendix. I compared the EMF generated from cells made of potatoes treats as follows Raw/Fresh/untreated Boiled/treated For the preparation of the Galvanic cell, the potatoes in both cases were cut into 5x2x2cm and were sandwiched between the Iron and Copper plates. Potato Denaturation by Boiling I compared the electrical energy generated from untreated potatoes compared to that of treated potatoes. For scientific vigour, I immersed the sliced potatoes in 1 mol dm-3 KCl solution and microwaved at 800W for 5 minutes. Measurement of EMF The amount of EMF (V) generated was evaluated using a Vernier Lab Quest connected to the cell. The measurement was also taken for Current (I) and Power (P). These measurements were taken over a period of 2 hours over a constant load of equal resistance. In order to prevent the potato coming in contact with air it was covered with Parafilm in order to reduce drying and oxidation. VARIABLES INDEPENDANT VARIABLES: The independent variable in this experiment is the potatoes, or the state of the potatoes i.e. boiled or fresh. Thus the experiment will be carried out with fresh potatoes, and then further into boiled potatoes., For similar concentration, and volume of acid in potatoes, similar sized potatoes were taken so that the result will not deviate. The potatoes act as independent batteries, providing induced EMF as they are connected in series. The reason they act as a battery is because the copper and zinc electrode undergo redox reactions in the presence of the acid which acts as an electrolyte, which creates a potential difference and this is calculated to be EMF DEPENDANT VARIABLES: The dependant variable is the EMF generated by the potatoes when arranged in series. It will be measured with a Vernier Lab Quest which is connected to the computer The potential difference will be calculated, between the two extremes of the electrodes (anode and cathode => Zinc and copper plate). This given criteria is same for both the set up. The unit of measure is the Volt. The readings will be taken for two hours for each. CONTROLLED VARIABLES: The apparatus used was same throughout the experiment, since this will reduce mean deviation and the calculations will be done with respect to the other readings therefore, error is less The temperature in the room was controlled and was kept at 300K and this is with respect to the room temperature and not the temperature of the potato. The arrangement of the potatoes and the beakers was done in series since that would accurately judge between the EMF discrepancies between boiled and unoiled potatoes. Similar sized potatoes were taken in the hopes that the concentration of phosphoric acid would be similar; therefore the readings will not have much discrepancy relative to each other. When the potatoes were boiled, all were boiled to the same temperature, for the same amount of time, and were removed from the water bath at approximately the same time The apparatus was cleaned thoroughly before performing each experiment so as to reduce discrepancies in the readings, with respect to other readings. The amount of insertion of the Iron and copper into the potato was same throughout all the experiments at 3Ãâà ±0.1cm. The potatoes were all sliced up into the following dimension 5 x 2 x 2 cm and were sandwiched between the electrodes. The part of the potato exposed to the air was covered with Parafilm in order to prevent the potato from drying and reduction. CONSTANT VARIABLE: The copper plate and the iron nails used were the same throughout the experiment, so was the location where the experiment took place so as to keep all errors due to pressure and temperature constant. The same water bath was used to boil the potatoes, in order to keep the potatoes at constant temperature with regard to each other. The time taken for recording the EMF generated from the potatoes in both cases was taken as 2 hours. DATA AND GRAPHS ACTUAL REACTIONS TAKING PLACE Oxidation: Zn: Zn Zn++ + 2e- , E0 = 0.76V, Reduction: Cu: 2H+ + 2e- H2 , E0 = 0.00V Overall: Zn + 2H+ Zn++ + H2, à ¢Ãâ â⬠E0 = 0.76V REASON FOR THE REACTIONS AND ANALYSIS OF DATA My results conclude that Zn electrode and the reduction of hydrogen at the Cu electrode are the dominating reactions which give rise to EMF, Current Density and the potential difference. Maximum power delivered by boiled potato cells with ruptured membranes may reach values an order of magnitude higher than that generated by untreated potato. When the data was compared, a direct relationship between the ability of the potato battery to deliver power and GAII (Galvanic apparent internal impedance, a trait related to both the salt bridge function of a given tissue delineated between electrodes and to the battery internal resistance properties) becomes evident. The significant increase in electric energy generation with membrane destruction shows that the ionic diffusivity through the tissue bridge between electrodes is the reason behind this phenomenon, as effective diffusivity of protons increases with membrane rupture. In contrast, the rate of proton flux is reduced when cell membranes are intact probably due to the tortuosity of the extracellular space as well as the equivalent reduction in the concentration of the electrolytes per unit volume when the intracellular fluids do not actively participate in the ionic transport. CONCLUSION: From the data and the graphs it is clearly visible that my hypothesis was inaccurate, since the EMF generated did not decrease with the boiling of potatoes, but increased and also lasted longer under the same external load compared to the fresh potato. The potato serves only as a medium for the movements of electrons from the zinc electrode. The potato supplies the protons thus generating electricity. Fresh potatoes do it, but the strong internal resistance makes it very inefficient. Boiling the potato destroys membranes and possibly some part of the cell walls, thus reducing significantly the internal resistance and increase 10 folds the generation of power. The bio electrolytic low power electrical energy source introduced in this study brings an dimension to the utilization of the globally fourth most abundant crop accessible essentially all over the world, made of solid components and requires low financial investment compared with solar or conventional batteries. EVALUATION: The experiment was conducted in a non-ideal conditions which could lead to errors:~ Systematic Error: The Parafilm had foreign bodies or had an unwanted flaw which could have not given me an accurate reading The reading of the electronic balance may also have a manufacturing defect, thereby leading to a difference in the times taken. The lab quest may be defective or may have been inaccurate which may have given inaccurate results. The microwave may not have operated throughout the five minutes at 800W, thus leading to a variation in the temperature achieved by the potato in order to break the cell membrane. Random Errors: There might have been a gap or hole in the Parafilm leading to increased drying of the potato thereby affecting the EMF generated. Human parallax error when adjusting the volume of the solutions by taking only the lower meniscus. The apparatus used may contain remnants of other chemicals leading to an impure solution. The temperature of the room was taken to be constant, but there might have been fluctuation in the actual temperature thus leading to heat loss, and null results. The electronic balance might not have been zeroed out to take the new reading or might have had impurities which could have given inaccurate readings The microwave may not have run for exactly 5 minutes, thus leading to different boiling degrees EMF of the potato was taken every 3 seconds from the start of the reaction and thus the increase/decrease would not be exactly accurate, leading to a discrepancy in data.
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