Sunday, April 19, 2020

Pressure Ulcers an Example of the Topic Health Essays by

Pressure Ulcers by Expert Tracy (PHD) | 22 Dec 2016 Pressure ulcers (also known as bed sores, pressure sores or Decubitus Ulcers) is a condition in which areas of skin and associated tissues degenerate and ulcerate, due to application of prolonged pressure on the bony prominences present in the body (Merck, 2005). The skin overlying the bony prominence begins to get necrosed when the portion is compressed (or weight is applied without constant shifting) for long periods of time. Friction and shearing forces could also lead to pressure ulcers (Merck, 2005). The sustained pressure would disrupt the blood supply to the skin and associated tissues leading to tissue hypoxia and formation of pressure ulcers (Mayo, 2006). Need essay sample on "Pressure Ulcers" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed If proper nursing care is provided, there are good chances that pressure ulcers could be prevented (Bergquist, 2007). In nursing care setting, the higher incidences of pressure ulcer may be considered to be a sign of provision of poor quality nursing care (Bergquist, 2007). Pressure ulcers can also develop when an elderly person has been hospitalized for prolonged periods for a general medical problem (Bergquist, 2007). The chances of elders developing pressure ulcers when hospitalized are about 2 to 29 % (Bergquist, 2007). In homes for the aged, the chances of developing pressure ulcers is about 3 to 38 %, and is about 6 to 29 % in those who receive care in their home (Bergquist, 2007). Undergraduates Frequently Tell EssayLab writers: Who wants to write assignment for me? Writers advise: Professionals Are Creating Successful Essays For You! Buy An Essay For College Professional Writer For Hire Cheap Writing Services Cheap Writing Service Reviews Pressure ulcers usually occur in those inpiduals who have developed injury of the spinal cord and also those with paralysis (Mayo, 2006). Inpiduals who follow a sedentary life-style and who a wheelchair bound are at the greatest risk of developing pressure ulcers (Mayo, 2006). The risk of developing pressure ulcers in inpiduals with nerve injury is the highest because they may not be aware of the compression to certain parts of the body. When a spinal cord injury occurs, the inpidual is unable to sense pain or uncomfortable sensations in a particular portion of the body. Hence, the cancers of further damage are very high (Mayo, 2006). The other factors that could be held responsible for pressure ulcers include excessive moisture, emotional stress and presence of comorbid conditions (Bergquist, 2007). In all cases, the nurses should be able to assess the risk for developing pressure ulcers. The Bradens scale is frequently utilized to determine the risk of developing pressure ulcers depending on the presence of certain risk factors (Bergquist, 2007). Pressrue ulcers are more common in inpiduals above the age of 70 years. In such inpiduals, the skin may be slightly atrophic and thin, and has greater chances of getting degenerated when pressure is applied for prolonged periods (Mayo, 2006). In the US, about 1.3 to 3 million people suffers from pressure ulcers (Merck, 2005). Pressure ulcers develop in about 33 % of all inpiduals above the age of 70. Inpiduals who are bedridden, follow a sedentary lifestyle, do not exercise enough, are wheelchair bound, suffer from injuries to the spinal cord or paralysis, etc, are also at a higher rate of developing Decubitus ulcers (Hunter, 1996, pp. 958). Inpiduals who suffer from fractures of the neck of the femur are also bound to develop this disorder. When the ulcers are deep, the chances of complications and fatalities are very high. Some of the common complications that may develop include infection, osteomyelitis and septicemia (Bergquist, 2007). Besides, the chances of the lesion not healing properly or in normal periods of time are quite high. About 50 % of the lesions heal after 4 weeks and about 40 % heal after 6 months (Bergquist, 2007). The other factors that can be held responsible for the development of the ulcers include several disorders which makes movement difficult (such as arthritis, paraplegia and apathy), disorders in which the nerve sensations are reduced, certain disorders affecting the blood vessels (such as arthrosclerosis which may be seen in diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol levels and smoking), malnutrition, dementia, stroke, corticosteroid use, chronic alcoholism, malignant diseases, etc (Hunter, 1996, pp. 958). The pressure ulcers develop in the region where the bone compresses the overlying skin and the subcutaneous tissues for prolonged periods of time. The lesions begin as a small area of redness, and slowly get converted into a blister. The blister cannot tolerate the pressure and hence ruptures to form erosion (Hunter, 1996, pp. 958). The ulcer should be treated immediately, as it may progress further to involve the deeper layers of the skin. The lesion may get sloughed to form a black eschar. This further gets infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria. Foul odor may be emitted from the affected region (Merck, 2005). In case of septicemia, several constitutional symptoms such as fever, headache, malaise, lymphadenopathy, etc, may be present. Several portions of the body having bony prominences are at a high risk of developing pressure sores such as the sacrum, greater trochanter, calcaneous tuberosity, knees, condyles, toes, coccyx, iliac crest, shoulders, lateral malleolus, ischial tuberosity, etc (Hunter, 1996, pp. 958). The chances of developing pain and tenderness following pressure ulcer varies from 33 to 87 %. The diagnosis of pressure sores is made based on the history, symptoms, signs, physical examination, and diagnostic tests. These include blood tests, X-rays, cultures and skin biopsy. A thorough physical examination is performed to determine the extent and depth of the lesion (Hunter, 1996, pp. 958). Wound culture tests and antimicrobial sensitivity tests are required to determine the causative organism. The bacterial count usually exceeds 100, 000 bacterial cells per gram of tissues. X-rays, bone scans and MRI scans may be required to determine involvement of the underlying bone (Merck, 2006). Urine and Stool tests are also required to determine the presence of incontinence (Mayo, 2006). Biopsy may be required to confirm the diagnosis and rule out the presence of cancer (Mayo, 2006). Firstly, the lesion should be taken care of immediately, as if treating a wound. The dead and the degenerating tissues, along with the slough should be removed and the lesion should be thoroughly debrided using saline along with 0.5 % silver nitrate solution (Hunter, 1996, pp. 958). An antibacterial ointment should be applied over the lesion and a bandage should be placed. If the lesion causes a huge loss of tissues, a skin graft should be transplanted and/or sutures should be placed (Hunter, 1996, pp. 958). Antimicrobial agents may be required either orally or in the form of injections to treat the infection. The cause of pressure ulcers should be treated appropriately (Hunter, 1996, pp. 958). Any potential risk factors should be removed. A soft mattress or cushion should be utilized for sleeping and sitting. The inpidual should consume a balanced diet and should ensure that enough exercises are performed in a day. Whilst sleeping or resting, the inpidual should be turned every few hours to ensure that pressure over certain portions of the skin is not excessive. Nurses should ensure that the skin is kept clean and dry. Moisturizers should be applied to maintain the integrity of the skin. The inpidual should avoid applying pressure on the affected portion of the skin (Cull, 1996, pp. 1101). Any shearing or friction force application should be avoided as these forces tend to slide over the tissues and cause injuries to the skin. The nurses should educate the patients to examine the skin especially where bony prominences are present in order to identify the presence of pressure ulcers. Incontinence should be taken care of adequately. Sedation should be avoided in elders as it may worsen the risk of developing pressure ulcers. Cleanliness of the skin should also be maintained (Bergquist, 2007). References: Bergquist, S. and Rosemary, L. (2007). Prevention of Pressure Ulcers, Retrieved May 21, 2007 Cull, R. E. and Will, R. G. (1996). Diseases of the Nervous System, In. Edwards, C. R. A., Bouchier, I. A. D., s Principles and Practice of Medicine, (17th Ed), Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone. Hunter, J. A. A. (1996). Diseases of the Skin, In. Edwards, C. R. A., Bouchier, I. A. D., s Principles and Practice of Medicine, (17th Ed), Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone. Lehrer, M. S. (2005). Pressure Ulcers. Retrieved May 21, 2007 The Mayo Clinic (2006). Pressure Ulcers. Retrieved May 21, 2007, from Mayo Website: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bedsores/DS00570/DSECTION=4 The Merck Manual of Geriatric (2005). Pressure Ulcers. Retrieved May 21, 2007 The Merck Manual (2005). Pressure Ulcers. Retrieved May 21, 2007, from Merck Website: http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec10/ch126/ch126a.html

Sunday, March 15, 2020

For Some Reason

For Some Reason For Some Reason For Some Reason By Maeve Maddox The idiom â€Å"for some reason† means, â€Å"for a reason unknown to me.† For example: For some reason, they hid behind a lot of legal issues. [The] game keeps scrolling up  for some reason.   For some reason,  the drivers were very discourteous that night. I first noticed the non-idiomatic phrase â€Å"in some reason† used in place of â€Å"for some reason† in an email: In some reason I have not received my order. A Web search revealed that this error is widespread: I work as taxi driver, and in some reason unknown to me, access to the local radio system is blocked. We need just 6 bitcoin confirmations. Our system completes an exchange automatically in 99% cases. The 1% is when our system fails in some reason. I was happy for my decision even though in some reason the doctor wrote on the procedure paper â€Å"a scar revision† and not â€Å"a facelift.† In some reason the dynamic css style is empty. I need to edit pictures [but] in some reason it doesn’t go in when I first post. I have a file that has clone layers. And in some reason the layers will eat the memory. Here are the examples corrected: I work as taxi driver, and for some reason unknown to me, access to the local radio system is blocked. We need just 6 bitcoin confirmations. Our system completes an exchange automatically in 99% cases. The 1% is when our system fails for some reason. I was happy for my decision even though for some reason the doctor wrote on the procedure paper â€Å"a scar revision† and not â€Å"a facelift.† For some reason the dynamic css style is empty. I need to edit pictures [but] for some reason it doesn’t go in when I first post. I have a file that has clone layers. And for some reason the layers will eat the memory. If the intended meaning is â€Å"for an unknown reason or cause,† the idiom is, â€Å"for some reason.† The phrase â€Å"in some reason† is nonstandard usage. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How Many Tenses in English?Top 11 Writing Apps for iOS (iPhone and iPad)Few vs. Several

Thursday, February 27, 2020

Resistance during the Transatlantic Slave Trade Essay

Resistance during the Transatlantic Slave Trade - Essay Example The resistances in Africa were defensive, offensive and protective in nature3. These were meant not only to discourage the Europeans from getting more slaves from Africa but to somehow send a message to the Western world that slavery is really unnatural and that no one has the right to declare that a person can be someone’s property.  Some resistances in African in the 18th century were in the form of relocation, particularly by the West Africans. As the market for slaves increased, many West Africans tried to look for areas that were less accessible to the slave traders. These Africans moved to lake areas where it was difficult for the invaders to cross4. Nevertheless, although some were spared through this way, there was no stopping the European invaders from getting more slaves from Africa.  Another strategy of Africans is by architectural means like building homes and villages with labyrinths, as well as high walls and several points of ingress or entry points, and egr ess or exit points5. This further confused the slave traders as most of them did not know how labyrinths worked. There were no reports, however, regarding the true effectiveness of these architectural works in preventing European invaders from capturing slaves.  Aside from these, there were also protective strategies like captive redemption, or the system of helping each other avoid slavery by using cash protection. Mostly, these were secret societies like those of the Efik and Ekpe, although they were able to help protect the African slave traders6. Still, just like the other previously mentioned strategies, there was no way to account for the effectiveness of captive redemption. After all, it obviously could not accommodate everyone. There were protective strategies but there were also offensive ones. The offensive forms of resistance included several rebellions in Africa itself. Among these were the Mandingo Rebellion in Mali and Niger from 1785-1796, the Hubbu Rebellion in Guinea in the 1850s, and the Bilali Rebellion in Sierra Leone from 1838-1872. These were all armed resistances that helped resist slavery and assert the freedom of the Africans from slavery7. Other offensive strategies included forming alliances among communities in order to protect people from the slave traders; Africans deliberately dropping poisoned food, wine and water along the paths of the European slave traders for an obvious purpose; and young men undergoing military training in order to be able to protect their communities8. The problem is that in many parts of Africa, all cultural and religious movements instituted to counter transatlantic slavery were brutally quelled by the government. One example of this was the Congolese

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

Economic Outcome Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Economic Outcome Analysis - Research Paper Example The same concepts and models are going to be applied to Andy's Parties business to determine whether it would be viable for it to be franchised. The first fundamental step is to evaluate the business. This step would be help in determining the sale and the profitability of a business. If the sales of a business are decimal, it would be difficult to franchise such a business since the sales reflect the standing of the business in the market. Less profitable businesses are businesses that are likely to have fewer customers and their products and services are not well known to the targeted customers. Andy's Parties’ annual financial record shows that it does not do well in terms of selling its services to its customers. For the whole year it organized an average 650 parties for the whole year (Spinelli, Rosenberg, and Birley, 2004). This translates to nearly one to a maximum of two parties a day at an average cost of $385 per event. These are low sales for the Andy's Parties to c onsider franchising its services. In other words, Andy's Parties services and may be products are not known vastly among its targeted customers; therefore, it would be difficult or quite a challenge for the franchisees to do well in selling Andy's Parties services. ... In this case, the franchisors are usually expecting 15% ROI where if the initial investment for the franchising business is $200,000, the franchisee is expected to look for a minimum of $30,000 as the annual profits of the business. Moreover, the business needs to pay for royalties. The Andy’s Parties annual operation cost is $470,000, thirty percent of this amount is $141,000. This means that when it franchises the business, the franchisee will be expected to have a return of $141,000 at the end of the third year (Spinelli, Rosenberg, and Birley, 2004). From the Andy's Parties annual report, it can only manage $80,000 before tax. This means that its expectation of its franchisees will be more that what it makes by itself. Notably, the franchisees must also pay loyalties above the amount they are required to return into the Andy's Parties investments (Mhlaba, 2004). With this large figures reality, franchising Andy's Parties services will be a burden to Andy's Parties and fran chisee since the reality of profit making will never come by within the expected period. Additionally, the Andy's Parties has not provided its business structure that would help the franchisee to determine their relationship with the franchisor. It is usually vital to couple ROI which is a single unit with other successful base model to warrant franchising. In most cases, it is usually difficult to replicate the success and effectiveness of a single unit especially where the owner of the business is passionate and quite hand on with the business (Hayes, 2005). In this case, it is vital for the business intending to franchise its services to try its business concepts in at least three locations. Therefore, since Andy's Parties has not tried

Friday, January 31, 2020

The Effect Of Overfishing On Bluefin Tuna In Marine Life Essay Example for Free

The Effect Of Overfishing On Bluefin Tuna In Marine Life Essay This essay will show the important of fish in our life and explain the effect of overfishing in the marine life and discuss about solutions that will help to reduce the overfishing. Fish is generally a healthy protein choice, lower in saturated fat, total fat and calories than a comparable portion of meat or poultry. Some fish, particularly fatty, cold water fish such as salmon, mackerel and herring are high in omega-3 fatty acids, a type of fat that helps make your blood less likely to form clots that may cause heart attacks. Anchovies, sardines and lake trout are other good sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Especially for those at risk of heart disease, the benefit of eating fish thats rich in omega-3 fatty acids outweighs  potential risks. Some 80 percent of the worlds fish stocks have been fished to their limits, and that’s because of the overfishing. Literally overfishing is when so many fish are caught that the population cant reproduce enough to replace them. Overfishing can lead to depletion of or extinction of many fish populations. Overfishing is considered one of the biggest threats to bluefin tuna. Red tunas, sharks, rays and cods may soon disappear from our tables. Negotiations are ongoing at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to reduce the subsidies that contribute to this issue. These talks foresee exceptions for developing countries, but small fishers may have to turn to other sources of livelihood. Worldwide scientists are worried about the number of Bluefin tuna for being fished into extinction. The say a ban on fishing is necessary to stop and help numbers recover. Some countries supported the idea but some other countries rejected it. A country like Japan refused to join in any kind of agreement to ban international trade of Bluefin tuna. Knowing that Japan consumes about 80% of the worlds bluefin tuna catch from the Mediterranean. And according to there country’s top fisheries negotiator Masanori Miyhara We dont believe the bluefin tuna is endangered to that extent,† With Japans impact on the bluefin fishing industry, its intensely disappointing and worrying to see the country take this stance. Another country disagree the ban was France, which has the largest Mediterranean Bluefin fleet. The country said it was prepared to back an international trade ban. But let us not to forget the efforts that being taken and incited from small-scale fishermen, Greenpeace campaigners and the marine scientists for substantial reduction in catches to allow stocks to recover. A plan approved from the European MPs on the fisheries committee that aims to tackle the issues. It has set an objective to bring fish stocks back to sustainable levels by 2020, with an intermediate goal to reduce exploitation by 2015. In my opinion dietary choices has indirect impact on saving the marine life and the reducing the catch of Bluefin tuna. Theres a consumer angle in this, a way for the individual to take action, even if many of the solutions to overfishing have to take place at the collective level. Then there is simple demand reduction. Eat less fish. It may be a healthy source of protein as well as other nutrients, but the fact of the matter is that there isnt much  in fish that cant also be ob tained from plant sources. Without action both nationally and internationally, individual action will be insufficient to prevent overfishing. However, cutting back on the amount of fish eaten, and ensuring what is eaten is from sustainable source is about the biggest impact a single person can have. Finally we shall accept and agree that the issue of overfishing of the Bluefin tuna exists in our world sooner or later we shall come across seas without fish and marine life. Coming across the fact that two thirds of fish stocks in the continent’s waters are currently overfished. Serious action and cooperation should be taken from major big countries in order to tackle the issue. We need to come closer together countries individual and give extra care to out marine life. My references: 1. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/19417.php 2. http://www.globalissues.org/news/2009/07/02/2051. 3. http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/media/press-releases/greenpeace-welcomes-bold-plan-end-discards-and-overfishing-20121218. 4. http://www.treehugger.com/green-food/how-bad-is-overfishing-what-can-we-do-to-stop-it.html.

Thursday, January 23, 2020

Student Protest movement Essay -- essays research papers

A Battle of Rights The Student Protest Movement of the 1960's was initiated by the newly empowered minds of Americas youth. The students who initiated the movement had just returned from the â€Å"Freedom Summer† as supporters of the Civil Rights Movement, registering Black voters, and they turned the principles and methods they had learned on the Freedom Rides to their own issues on campus. These students (mostly white, middle class) believed they were being held down by overbearing University rules. Student life was governed by the policy of in loco parentis, which allowed colleges to act "in place of the parents." Off campus,these young people were considered adults, but at school they were subjected to curfews, dorm visitation restrictions, close supervision, and rules against having a car or even renting an apartment. Not only were these students being treated as children in this respect, but there were also heavy restrictions put on what they could and could not discuss. Any issues, especially political, not directly related to the university were strictly prohibited. Only sandbox issues, those related to university issues were allowed on campus. This created an extremely controlled environment and severely impinged on the students rights to free speech. In reaction to such limitations, college students across the country decided to do something about it. The Student Protest Movement (SPM) began at the University of California at Berkeley in the Fall of 1964. In September of that year Berkley campus authorities declared the area directly outside of the main entrance to the school off limits for advocates of civil rights and other causes. For years the strip had been accepted as a place where students could hand out pamphlets, solicit names for petitions, and sign people up. This ban set the stage for the beginning of the SPM. On September 29, demonstrators defiantly set up tables on the Bancroft strip and refused to leave when told to do so. The next day university officials took the names of five protesters and ordered them to appear for disciplinary hearings that afternoon. Instead of five students, five hundred, led by Mario Savio, marched to Sproul Hall, the administrati... ... the spot light. Many had negative feelings towards the protests and sit-ins, arguing that they did nothing but impinge on classroom time and interfere with the students ability to carry out there education. Though the SPM may have created chaos around campus, it was well manored and non-violent. The protestors took hold of the methods used in the Civil Rights movement, knowing that violence only made situations less credible and more dificult to keep under control. They were trained to simply go limp when arrested, not to resist the officers, therefore avoiding any danger to themselves or others. The sit-ins were just that; a group of students calmly sitting around conversing and playing music, all the while getting the attention and recognition they strived for. Whether the effectiveness came for the bottom up, with student organizations gathering to approach the administration, or top down, with the administration addressing the students, the issues were recognized and discussed. Both parties had their gains and losses, and the Student Protest Movement came out on top with a memorable place in

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Pestel Analysis

Literature review * Political factors – Essentials of Marketing (2002) says that many of the legal, economic and social developments in society is nothing more than political decisions put into action. The political climate is of great significance to the marketing firm and has a direct effect on many aspects of the economy and society. Factors in the political environment both national and international should be carefully monitored.Modern Management (2006) describes how nationally the government can affect business through its policies in relation to industrial service development, tax incentives, capital grants and expansion schemes that are available. Internationally it describes the influences the business has through policies in relation to international trade and deregulation. The main ways in which the government influence international trade in through their input into the general agreement on trade and tariffs. Individual governments can impose embargoes or sanctions on trade with any particular country they wish.Developments in the European Union in recent years have seen the deregulation of financial markets, public utilities and the airline industry. The aim is to remove protective restrictions on operations and to allow greater competition between countries. * Economic factors – In Modern Management (2006) they describe the economic factors as being shaped by the state of the economy in a particular country and the economic policies that is implemented within that country. In Essentials of Marketing (2002) they describe economic factors as being vital to marketing firms because they influence cost, price and demand.They can be viewed as opportunities or threats. Tieran et al, (2006) describes government’s implementation of different economic policies which affect key areas such as taxation, inflation, exchange rates and economic growth. Interest rates determine the extent of an organisations loans and investments. An increase in the inflation rate results in a demand for an increase in worker’s wages. As inflation increases the purchasing power of consumer’s declines as they can no longer afford products or services that they have been previously buying.Exchange rates have a huge impact on company’s who export large amounts of their products. If the currency rises in the country that the business is exporting to, their goods become expensive and in turn reduce their competitiveness. A business needs a firm exchange rate and low inflation rate to ensure that their business grows. As Ireland is a small open economy an important development has been the emergence of global interdependencies between different economies. * Social factors – Modern Management (2006) tells us that social factors are concerned with the demographics, attitudes and behaviour of members in society.Lancaster et al, (2002) say people’s basic beliefs, attitudes and values are shaped by the society the y grow up in. Modern Management (2006) describes demographics as identifying characteristics of people living within society, these include work groups, organisations and countries. These characteristics can be measured in terms of age, gender, family size, education and occupation. Buying behaviour is influenced by social conditioning. The social culture has an impact on the business environment. The company needs to be aware of the demographics when planning recruitment, selection and training of employees.Demographics have an impact on human resource policies and on what kind of products and services are available within society. Developments in the social environment can have implications for a business in terms of the behaviour and attitudes of their workforce and consumers being more environmentally aware. * Technology factors – Affect the way goods are distributed and promoted. It increases efficiency on how products can be distributed. Tieran et al, (2006) states that no organisation is immune to the effects of technology.It can affect the company in the following ways; technology innovation, production techniques, how the company is managed and how communication takes place within the company. Essentials of Marketing state that technology has a major impact on how market research is gathered and conducted. Sales forecasting is important and has become easier to do with the technology that companies have. The laser checkout can record consumer purchases automatically and is used to analyse sales, control and re-order stock. Sales reps can use audio visual to entice people to buy their good or services.Technology has influenced developments in products such as genetic engineering and cameras. * Environmental factors – Includes the weather and climate change. No organisation can ignore environmental issue according to Mastering Marketing Management (2002). Their actions have serious consequences on land, sea and air. In Principles of Market ing (2010) companies are expected to take measures to conserve and allocate scarce resources properly. They must be seen to show active interest in the welfare of the community and the people living within it.Consumers want to buy products and services from a company that is seen to be environmentally friendly. * Legal factors – Is related to the legal environment in which the firm operates. Legal changes can affect a firms cost and demand. In Principles of Marketing (2010) organisations are affected by government monetary and fiscal policies such as import/export policies and custom duties. Anti-pollution laws impact on marketing plans and policies. Marketing policy-making is influenced by government policies and controls throughout the world.There are many laws that a company must follow some of these are health and safety, employment laws and consumer law to name a few. Introduction of company chosen The company chosen to carry out an analysis of their macro-environment is Mc Ardle Transport Ltd Callenberg, Inniskeen, Dundalk, Co. Monaghan. According to Mc Ardle transport Ltd website (www. mcardletransport. com). Mc Ardle Transport Ltd was established in 1968. It operates one of the largest fleets of road transport equipment in Ireland. It employs 80 people on their site.Mc Ardle transport Ltd has become one of the leading specialists in transport, logistics, warehousing and supply chain management. They currently operate a fleet of 45 vehicles and in excess of 125 trailers ranging from mega trailers, euro liners, box vans, box fridges and skelly trailers. They are committed to providing a well-organized, flexible service, operating integrated satellite tracking and communications solutions in order to ensure peace of mind for their customers. They try to deliver a reliable, efficient, cost effective and personal service. Services offered by the company According to Mc Ardle Transport Ltd website (www. cardletransport. com), they offer transport and distribution services which include national and international transport. This covers collection and delivery service, full load and part load service, container loads, hazardous cargoes and refrigerated cargoes. Their export and import service include food, pharmaceutical, engineered machinery, palletised cargo, hazardous cargoes and chilled cargoes. They also offer a warehousing service, they have 5 separate warehouse units on site and 16 dock levelling loading ramps. It is a customs approved premises and department of agriculture food and fisheries approved.Warehousing services include materials intake, good manufacturing practices (GMP), inspection of export containers, container loading and safe operation fork truck and pallet truck. . Finally they offer satellite tracking on their fleets, this ensures that goods are delivered to the correct location, at the correct time, in the correct condition, thus customers are satisfied. PESTEL analysis of Mc Ardle Transport Ltd For the f ollowing PESTEL analysis the author spoke to Micheal Mc Ardle of Mc Ardle Transport Ltd to ask how the macro environment affected his company. Political factors: Government policies that have a major impact on Mc Ardle Transport Ltd are taxes such as duty taxes and regulatory policies relating to employment. In the current climate these government policies push costs up within the company. Mc Ardle Transport Ltd would like the current government to abolish green diesel completely and offer a rebate to essential users of diesel. For instance farmers that use green diesel have them as essential users, and rebate them to lower the price of white diesel. This would eliminate the problems relating to the laundering of diesel. companies within Ireland import all fuel to Ireland, one of these import 80% of all fuel to Ireland. Revenue would benefit if this area was properly controlled and it would also boost their income on tax. The current government could change taxes that are charged on trucks regarding toll roads in Ireland. Trucks pay a disproportionate amount of taxes compared to other road users. The government need to change policies with regards to how trucks are taxed. Currently trucks are taxed based on weight instead of being taxed by emission, if this was changed it would entice companies to cut down emissions and to re-invest in their company. Economic factors: In regards to exchange rates this area has little effect on this company. The Euro has eliminated this problem the majority of business is done in Euro, some in Sterling and very little in Dollars. Some of the costs are in dollars for example deep sea shipments outside Europe are usually quoted in dollars. Inflation rates over the last couple of years have tended to be reasonably stable which is positive for this company. Inflation was a problem in 2006-2008 in regards to wage inflation as it was difficult to get the right quality people for the job as they were drawn to higher paid jobs in other areas.Interest rates have been very stable over the last couple of years, which has assisted this company in re-investing. Mc Ardle Transport has invested in their company this year with a new fleet of trucks and expansion of their warehousing. * Social factors: Mc Ardle Transport Ltd encourages staff to up skill. They have some of their employees in DKIT courses ranging from management, logistics, health and safety and business admin. This is positive for the company as it’s a win/win for both sides. It helps the company and the employees to adapt to the current climate. Technology factors: Mc Ardle Transport is very dependent on broadband and uses an array of technology within the company. Satellite tracking is used to track the position of all trucks on the road and is used to send messages to and from the trucks. Engine management gives every detail of the truck, number of times the brakes is pressed, speed of the truck, working time and fuel consumption. It is used to m ake sure that working time directives are followed, management of fuel consumption, maintenance of trucks is kept up to standard and also tracking temperatures of cargoes carried.The driver sets the temperature of the cargo if the temperature goes up or down the company is notified by an alarm 24/7 through e-mail or text messaging. The company can give a full download of the temperature history of the cargo to the customer on arrival. Barcode scanning is used in the warehouses. All products received are scanned on arrival, this shows what the product is, how much of it there is and the batch number. This also is used to locate a position within the warehouse and it shows the location of each pallet. The company uses e-mail, telephone and internet on a daily basis. Environmental factors: Mc Ardle Transport Ltd has all of their warehousing insulated as well as temperature controlled and monitored. There are very aware of fuel emissions and when upgrading their fleet, they look for fue l efficient vehicles. They use technology such as engine management to monitor fuel consumption of all vehicles. They have an environmental officer on site to report on energy usage on site and to assist drivers in any way possible. They work with their customers to select the best route to help them reduce their carbon footprint. They offer to track their customer’s carbon footprint from collection to delivery.One of the major problems during last winter was access from their site to the main road, it also impacted on the efficiency of the schedule they could keep. Mc Ardle Transport tries to reduce their carbon footprint by assessing their fleet and the life cycle of their vehicles every year. * Legal factors: As Ireland is part of the EU, Mc Ardle Transport Ltd must follow EU regulations such as employment law, drive time directives and authorised economic operators, this is recognised companies who are compliant with revenue. They received their department of agriculture certificate and medicine board certificate from the EU.All vehicles must be DOE approved they must be passed and issued with a certificate of road worthiness. In terms of health and safety an independent consultant comes on to the site every week. Mc Ardle Transport Ltd provide training for health and safety, drivers who are working alone, first aid, fire safety, robbery response training and drivers who are carrying hazard material training. Conclusion As you can see from the above Mc Ardle Transport Ltd is affected by all of the macro-environmental factors particularly legal and technology factors.Being a part of the European Union has many advantages. It gives common standards to similar companies like Mc Ardle Transport Ltd throughout the EU, customers can recognise these standards and can see who is compliant. In terms of technology the lack of broadband options in Ireland is putting Mc Ardle Transport Ltd at a disadvantage. They are very dependent on a good broadband system fo r the daily running of their business in terms of satellite tracking their trucks, taking orders, sending quotes etc.All of these macro-environmental factors need to be monitored in order for the company to move forward and be successful in the future. Bibliography Lancaster, G. , Massingham, L. & Ashford, R. (2002) Essentials of Marketing, 4th Edition, McGraw-Hill Education Tieran, S. , Morley, M. & Foley, E. (2006) Modern Management and practice for Irish students, 3rd Edition, Gill & Macmillan Cartwright, R. (2002) Mastering marketing management, 1st Edition, New York, Palgave Dundalk Institute of Technology E- library (2011) Principles of Marketing [online], available from: http://site. brary. com/lib/dkitlib/Doc? id=10415387&ppg=47 [accessed 7 October 2011] Appendices McArdles Transport LTD 1) What government policies affect your company? 2) How has the current government affected your business? (i. e. any decisions they have made) 3) In terms of exporting your goods how has th e following affected that; a) Exchange rates? b) Inflation rates? c) Taxation changes? d) Interest rates? 4) In the current economic climate have you found that staff are up skilling in your company? (i. e. going back to college, evening courses) ) What technology does your company use? 6) How does this technology benefit your company? 7) Does the technology used benefit your customer in any way? (if yes then how) 8) During last winter how did your company cope with the extreme weather? 9) Was it a difficulty to keep on schedule during this time? 10) How have you prepared for this years winter? 11) Have you any pressure coming from environmental groups in terms of your company’s fuel emissions? 12) What measures have you taken to try and reduce your carbon footprint? 3) How has the price of fuel impacted on your company? 14) Do you find there is a pressure coming from your clients to be more eco-friendly? 15) Do you find that being a part of the EU gives your company an advan tage when doing business? 16) What are the main EU regulations that your company must abide by? 17) How did you obtain government approval for your warehouses? 18) What regulations must all your vehicles go through in order to obtain a certificate of road worthiness? 19) Brief overview of the main safety regulations that must be abided by?