The Big Mall Information Kiosks

Project Background The Big Mall is one of the biggest shopping malls in Canberra and its operations have been very successful in the recent past. The management has always endeavored to offer maximum satisfaction at all the times. However, there is a massive competition in this industry within this region and The Big Mall must find a way of retaining its top position in this market.Advertising We will write a custom proposal sample on The Big Mall Information Kiosks specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This means that the management has to find a way of offering continuous satisfaction to the customers through improved service delivery. To achieve this, the management must make an effort to ensure that the firm adopts emerging technologies, which can help improve its service delivery and customer experience. One of the ways of ensuring that customers remain constantly satisfied is by ensuring that they are constantly informed over iss ues they consider relevant in their purchasing process and post purchase activities. Installing Information Kiosks around the mall can help in ensuring that this firm offers its customers relevant information at any time when they need it. The focus of this project is to provide new Information Kiosks for the Big Mall in Canberra to help it meet the needs of its customers. To do this successfully, there is need to have the required technical resources, including human resource, which will help in ensuring that this project is a success. The Big Mall is the client in this project and the chief financier in this project. This firm will also be responsible for provision of information on how they desire the system to look like, and the kind of information that should be available to the customers at the Kiosks on demand. Info Systems Limited, a local IT support company in Canberra, will undertake the projec t. Employees of Info Systems Limited who will be assigned the task of undertaki ng various duties in this project will work directly under the chief executive officer and the manager of The Big Mall as a way of ensuring that the finally developed firm will be able to meet all the requirements of the firm. The project deliverables and all the project-planning activities are clearly articulated in this report in order to enhance understanding of what is to be achieved upon completion of this project (Wysocki 2012, p. 78).Advertising Looking for proposal on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Justification of the project According to Muriwani (2012, P. 74), the world of business has become so competitive that it forces relevant stakeholders to find ways of remaining competitive in their respective industries. This scholar further says that this competition has made it necessary for firms to come up with ways through which they can attract customers in order to remain sustainable in the marke t. The Big Mall is currently one of the biggest shopping malls in Canberra. However, this may not remain so if the management fails to take measures that would help in propelling the firm to higher heights. The management of this firm must find ways through which it can continue offering maximum satisfaction to its customers. The research and marketing team have come to realize that customers need to access information about the products they purchase or those that they intend to purchase at any time of the day. The current structure of this firm does not allow it to provide this information at the rate at which customers would have desired. This may make it lose its customers to firms that will be able to respond to this new customer needs. For this reason, the management has considered this project justifiable as a way of retaining its customers. It is true that this firm will have to spend in this project. However, the expenditure is worth making because the project will help ens ure that there is a constant flow of customers into this firm. Undertaking this project will help improve profitability of The Big Mall. Scope of the project As Marchewka (2009, p. 57) advises, it is always important to define project scope before the onset of the actual project. When conducting a project, various stakeholders will have varying expectations of the project. There are those who will be optimistic of the project, while others may not understand what to expect from the particular project. The aim of every project team members of to meet the expectations of the relevant stakeholders upon completion of the project. It may not be easy to satisfy every stakeholder because of the varying expectations. For this reason, it is important to define the scope of a project before it is officiated.Advertising We will write a custom proposal sample on The Big Mall Information Kiosks specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This will help in ensuring that all the stakeholders will understand what to expect of the project, and what is beyond the scope of the project. In this project, the focus is to develop Information Kiosks for The Big Mall at eight different locations within Canberra. The Information Kiosks will be exclusively for provision of information to the customers from the database of this firm as desired by the management. The management of The Big Mall will determine the kind of information that will reach customers. This project is limited to this, and any other task that stakeholders may have besides offering relevant information to customers is beyond the scope of this project. Objectives of the project The project members, having understood the needs of the management of The Big Mall, came up with a number of objectives that this firm wishes to achieve when this project is completed. It is important to understand that these objectives are user-specific, meaning that they be meant to suit the client, w hich in this case is The Big Mall. The following are some of these objectives To complete this project for The Big Mall successfully and within the preset constrains of costs, scope, quality and time To work hand in hand with the client in managing this project in a skillful and professional manner To fulfill all the expectations of the stakeholders relevant in this project To provide a system which is accurate and efficient To demonstrate high levels of skills and capacity in this area of project management To maintain client’s high levels of satisfaction in the entire process of the project To be able to plan for mitigation measures for any unforeseen risks which may affect success of the project To demonstrate high level of various project management skills Project Schedule Schedule of the project In every project, it is important to have a clear schedule that should be followed to ensure that it achieves its objectives. This project should be completed within two months . The system should be up and running within the four months from the day it is officially set operational. The Gantt chart below specifies the activities that will be carried out in this project Gantt chart The above Gantt chart demonstrates all the activities that should be accomplished within a specified duration. The activities should be accomplished within a time span of two months. The activities will start from October 1 2013, to November 31 2014.Advertising Looking for proposal on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Project resources As Levine (2002, p. 29) says, every project can only succeed if the needed resources are availed at the right time for the project members. In this project, the resources that are needed for successful development of eight information kiosks for The Big Mall are identified in the table below. Resources necessary for the project People Staff from Info System Limited The Big Mall staff Database administrator Desktop Engineer (Hardware engineer) Network Engineer (Software engineer) Technology Computers Directory’s (Kiosk) Facilities On site office Mall facilities Finance Any financial support the team may need to complete the project successfully Other resources to be provided Internet Connection Internal Software used by employees The above table is a summary of all the resources that this project will need. It is important to note that both the staff of The Big Mall and the contracted specialists from Info System Company will carry out this proj ect. It is in the knowledge of the planners of this project that employees of The Big Mall do not have the technical capacity to undertake this project. Inclusion of a number of their employees in this project will help in confirming the costs of the project. They will also understand the system so that they can be involved in its maintenance once it is up and running. Info System Company will provide the software and the hardware resources including internal software that will be used by employees. The Big Mall will only provide its employees, onsite office, and physical location of the eight Information Kiosks. Basic assumptions of the project Kerzner (2009, p. 69) says that it may be important to develop some assumption when developing a project proposal. The main assumption that was used in this project is that by completion of this project, the current need for Information Kiosks will still be relevant. It is also assumed that this project offers this firm the best strategy thr ough which it can meet the needs of the market in providing it with all the relevant information it needs. The project also assumed that the induction that will be done by employees of Info System on the employees of The Big Mall would be enough to offer them proper guidance on how to run this system when it is finally put into use. These assumptions explain why various activities have been planned as given in this project proposal. Project members and their roles It is important to ensure that all the stakeholders within the project know their roles clearly. According to As Levine (2002, p. 78), defining project stakeholders is important to ensure that all members understand their role. This scholar further states that defining the stakeholders avoids cases of wrangling during project implementation stage. Every member of the organization will know what he or she is expected of during the implementation stage. The following chart shows the proposed stakeholders that should be invol ved in this project, and how they should relate. Project Stakeholders Role Name Contact Manager (PM) (Kindly insert your name) (include contacts) Sponsor The Big Mall (include contacts) Client (Owner) The Big Mall (include contacts) Other Info Service LTD (The contracted firm) (include contacts) Ownership It is necessary to clarify ownership of various items within this project. According to Kerzner (2009, p. 74), defining ownership in a project where one firm contracts another firm always helps in avoiding possible litigation cases in future. In this project, the planners were keen on identifying the ownership of various items used in this project. Info Service limited is the owner of the intellectual knowledge that has been employed to develop this project. The Big Mall has not bought this intellectual knowledge from Info Service. It has only bought the service. This means that the intellectual property rights will remain with Info Service even after the project is c ompleted. The individual employees of Info Service may not claim ownership of this intellectual property unless they registered it under their name. On the other hand, the system that will be completed by the employees of Info Service will remain an exclusive property of The Big Mall once the project is completed. This company has duly paid for this service and its outcome remains under its ownership. The management of the Big Mall has express authority to point out a number of issues in the project in cases they are not completed as per the original plan. This final product must meet the expectations of the Big Mall. It is important to understand how stakeholders are related in this project. It is important to note that the project is under the management of the project manager who is an employee of Info Service. Most of the members who will participate in this project are also employees of Info Service limited. Employees of The Big Mall will be present during project implementatio n process just to understand the system so that they may know how it is operated once its installation is complete. The chief executive of The Big Mall will act as the chief advisor in this project. The chart above demonstrates that in this project, the project manager will be responsible for every activity that will be taking place within the firm. He or she will be responsible for managing all the project members and ensuring that they undertake activities that are expected of them. Under project manager will be various managers in charge of various sections of the project. They are technocrats who will be involved in coming up with the appropriate system prototype that will be appropriate for this Information Kiosk. These officers will be working hand in hand with project manager to ensure that the project runs according to the plan. Then the finance representative, who will be an employee of The Big Mall, will be there to represent the interests of the project in the finance de partment. Within the project, this officer will ensure that the finances of the project are spent wisely. Within the finance department of the firm, the officer will ensure that sufficient funds are allocated to the firm. Although a group of software and hardware engineers will do the project, commerce specialists will do its management (Phillips 2004, p. 47). The project manager will be at the helm of all the activities talking place in this project. The system developers will have a special niche in this project where they will be allowed to give their views on this project, while directly taking part in the activities of the project. All the project members selected for this project should have basic knowledge about issues regarding the Information system development. This way, they will be in a position to act as members of monitoring and evaluation team. This will also allow them easier time when they get to various other tasks within the project. They will be in a position to explain to other stakeholders the importance of the new system in meeting their objectives. This will help ensure that the outcome of the project is easily understood and appreciated by all the relevant stakeholders in this project. Communications Plan Communication is one of the most important ingredients towards successful completion of a project. It is important to spell out the communication channel within the project in order to allow all the responsible stakeholders understand the project’s progress. In this project, there are senior officers from Info Service and The Big Mall who will need to have clear knowledge of the activities of the project, but may not participate in the project directly. According to Marchewka (2009, p. 97), involving all stakeholders in the process of rolling out a project is important because it helps in avoiding cases where a project is rejected upon its completion for failure to comply with the needs of the client. It is important to maintai n a constant information flow so that other stakeholders who are not taking part in the project directly can put in their inputs and enhance quality of the project. The top management of Info Service will receive regular updates of the progress of the project. The project manager will do this on a weekly basis. When necessary, the management of Info Service can receive the updates on a daily basis. The project manager will always update the chief executive of The Big Mall on the project’s progress after every two days. The quality assurance team from the Big Mall will also issue updates to the stakeholders of the Big Mall on a weekly basis on the project’s progress. The project’s information officer will be releasing weekly reviews of the progress of the project to all other stakeholders who may not have express authority to access information of this project. This officer will also receive any comments from the stakeholders and communicate it to the project man ager who will then act upon it. Project Challenges According to Fioravanti (2006, p. 71), it is always important to identify any possible challenges that a project may face during its implementation process. Identifying the anticipated problems helps in creating measures that can be used to mitigate them. In this project, the main problem that is anticipated is the ability of the employees of The Big Mall to manage this new system once it is installed. This system can only be useful if the employees of Big Mall can run it as expected. The project management will try to train these employees on how to manage this system in order to eliminate this challenge. The project management team will also help these employees understand how to maintain the system as would be appropriate when the system is officially handed over to the Big Mall. Project Costs This very ambitious project will help The Big Mall to not only satisfy customers’ need for knowledge, but also improve efficiency o f its workforce by eliminating the need for the employees to explain various issues to customers when they visit. However, this project must be undertaken at a given cost that must be met by relevant authorities within this firm. This project lays down some of the expected costs that would be needed in order to make this project a reality within the specified time. The tables below specify these costs in their relevant categories. The Big Mall Information Kiosk Project Costs One-off costs 8 Kiosks (UAD) Circle Soft (UAD) ESSN Co. (UAD) Software $6,000 $5,000 $5,500 Hardware $9,000 $7,500 $10,500 Network components $600 $750 Cables $25 $25 $25 Training $350 $300 $300 Testing $70/hr $1,200 $60/hr $1,000 $65/hr $1,100 Other $1,500 $1,800 $1,000 Totals $18,675 $16,375 $18,425 The above table shows some of the one-off costs that will be incurred in this project. The recurring costs, especially the cost of maintenance are specified in the table below. Repeating C osts 8 Kiosks (UAD) Circle Soft (UAD) ESSN Co. (UAD) Maintenance contracts for software Year 1 $400 $650 $0 Year 2 $550 $650 $600 Year 3 $700 $650 $600 Maintenance contract for hardware Year 1 $0 $0 $0 Year 2 $550 $450 $0 Year 3 $600 $580 $700 Repairs Year 1 $250 $0 $0 Year 2 $500 $600 $550 Year 3 $800 $810 $950 Consumables (Paper, ink, etc) $800 $750 $800 Totals per month Year 1 $75 $54.20 $0 Year 2 $46.20 $145.90 $81.70 Year 3 $158.40 $165.80 $171.80 Total $ 5429.6 $ 5505.6 $ 4453.5 Grand Total $24,104.6 $ 21,880.6 $ 22878.5 Total one-off maintenance costs $ 68863.7 Miscellaneous costs (the unexpected occurrences) $ 31136.3 Total amount available for the project $ 100,000 Above tables shows a detailed costing of this project from the time of implementation to the time of maintenance follow-ups to the third year. Info System Limited offers The Big Mall three-year maintenance upon the completion of this project. The tec hnicians of Info System Limited will do this. The budget has also set aside an amount that would cover Info System during project implementation process. The two firms may not control such occurrences as inflation. To avoid cases where Info System is forced to ask for more funding from The Big Mall due to such eventualities, this amount is set aside to carter for such additional costs. This will ensure that the project remains viable in the entire process of its implementation. Quality management plan Principles guiding the project The project manager and all the stakeholders involved in undertaking this project are concerned with quality of the outcome of this project. For this reason, care was taken by these stakeholders to develop principles that would guide the entire research process to ensure that quality is delivered when the project is finally delivered. One of the principles that would be used in this project is based on Total Quality Management principles. This means that quality of this project will be a priority to all the involved stakeholders at every stage of their involvement in this project (Schwalbe 2010, p. 86). The project manager will be directly responsible for value chain management in the entire process of project implementation. Quality will be assessed from the planning stage. This means that before the project can be initiated, the entire plan will be assessed to determine its viability and desirability. The process of analyzing the plan before its implementation will take place in the office of the chief executive of The Big Mall. The chief executive and the Manager will be expected to give their input into the plan by either proposing any possible amendments into the project or just giving a nod when the presented plan is within their quality demands. Another important principle that will guide this project is that of separation of powers. In order to achieve the desired results at the expected rates and within the given deadlines, it will be necessary to define the role of every stakeholder in this project. This will avoid cases of duplication of assignments or other assignments missing participants. These principles will help guide every step taken to make the entire process a reality. Quality metrics When developing a project, one of the main important factors that a client would always be interested in is its quality. According to Fioravanti (2006, p. 38), the client would want the outcome of a project to be something of high value. This is because such projects are always very costly, and the only way of ensuring that clients find it worth spending in such projects is to offer them quality. In this project, project manager and other project members were very concerned of how to ensure that final products that will be delivered in this project is of very high quality. The following quality metrics was developing to help define the expected quality in this project. Quality Metrics ITEM QUALITY REQUIREME NT QUALITY METRICS DESCRIPTION PROCESS It will be necessary for the client to provide all the deliverables based on the agreed criteria to make the project a success. 1. All the activities and the deliverables must match with dates provided 2. It is important to ensure that the deliverables are complete. 3. Check-list should be used to track the progress of activities. 4. All the deliverables must meet the acceptance criteria. 1. The deliverables and activities must be aligned to stated dates in the Gantt chart. 2. The client and the contractor must provide all the needed variables. 3. It is necessary to follow project process using checklist. 4. Proposed criteria must be met. PRODUCT It should improve efficiency, accurate data retrieval and offer maximum customer satisfaction. 1. The production should be done with high efficiency 2. The product should be at least 98% efficient. 3. The product should wastage and improve saving. 4. The product should be customer-friendly 1. Incre ase productivity while reducing labor 1. Improve data accuracy and speed of data retrieval. 3. Help in cost cutting such as reduction of staff. 4. customer should find the product efficient and able to meet their demands PROJECT Control of the progress of the project 1. Identification and elimination of high risks 2. Any issue identified should be resolved as soon as possible 3. Project must be accomplished as per the budget 4. Project progress must be submitted on a weekly basis 1. All risks that may have massive impact on the project be mitigated 2. Any issues raised must not take 2 days before they are resolved 3. All the costs of the project must be within the assigned budget 4. A report of the project’s status must be delivered regularly Verification and validation activities According to Porter-Roth (2002, p. 89), it is always important to ensure that there is a follow-up of a project to determine the extent to which it is within the original expectations as stated in the plan. This does not mean that some failures are obvious and are expected making it necessary to have follow-ups. Verification and validation activities are always carried out to help in the accountability of the project (Thomsett 2002, p. 71). The analysis will help determine if the project was conducted within the initial costs as specified during the planning stage. The verification also helps in determining if the project has succeeded in achieving the set objectives. In this project, the internal auditors of The Big Mall, which is the client in this project, and auditors from Info Service limited will conduct the verification and validation activities. The two groups of auditors will then share their findings in order to determine if the project has achieved the intended objectives at the pre-set cost. This should be done in a clear manner. The two firms must clearly state the names of the auditors who will be responsible for the task of auditing. The date, time of audit and the time the audit results will be given should also be stated. Risk control plan The process of installing this new system is generally safe and the project management team does not expect any serious risks associated with safety of the individuals who will be taking part in this project. However, measures have been put in place to ensure that any possible eventuality that may pose any risk to the participants is well taken care of in the entire project implementation process. Minor injuries that may be caused by the instruments used in this project will be treated the first aiders. First aid kit will be part of the items needed in this project because some of the instruments to be used are sharp and can cause harm. The quality assurance team will address the risks associated with the quality of the system under construction. This has been defined in the sections above. The project manager will play a pivotal role in identifying and these risks and addressing them with the rel evant departments. Quality metrics defined above will be helpful in identifying and addressing possible risks within the project itself. The risk of possible inflation during project implementation has been addressed in the budget. The budgeting team has set aside some funds for miscellaneous expenses that may arise during the process of implementing the project. According to Marchewka (2009, p. 98), some projects have failed during the process of their implementation because the planned budget did not consider possible risk of inflation. They realize that the project is not viable under new economic environment and therefore, abandon the project a lot the way. This project took measures that would mitigate such eventualities. Project Summary The purpose of this project is to come up with an Information Kiosk that will enable customers of The Big Mall access information they need with a lot of ease. The Big Mall is one of the largest shopping malls in Canberra. However, this prestig ious position cannot be retained forever if measures are not taken to ensure that their customers are fully satisfied with their work. This firm has come to realize that its employees are in need of information on various issues about the products they purchase and about the firm. However, these customers are unable to get this information as needed because of the limited number of employees who can respond to their question. The only way they can satisfy this information need without having to higher more employees is to set up the Information Kiosks. This project will develop eight Information Kiosks within Canberra where customers can walk in any time and access any information they need. To make this possible, the client must fund this project appropriately. The project members must also have the competence needed to undertake various activities that will be assigned to them. The process of monitoring this project will be done by officers from The Big Mall, which is the client, and Info Service, which is the contracted firm. List of References Fioravanti, F 2006, Skills for managing rapidly changing IT projects, IRM, Hershey. Kerzner, H 2009, Project management – A systems approach to planning,  scheduling and controlling, Wiley, Hoboken. Levine, H 2002, Practical project management: Tips tactics and tools. Cengage, New York. Marchewka, J 2009, Information technology project management, Wiley and Sons, Hoboken. Muriwani, J 2012, IT project management: Providing measurable organizational value, John Wiley Sons, Hoboken. Phillips, J 2004, IT project management: On track from start to finish, McGraw Hill, Sydney. Porter-Roth, B 2002, Request for proposal: A guide to effective RFP development, Addison-Wesley, Boston. Schwalbe, K 2010, Information technology Project Management, Cengage Learning, Boston. Thomsett, R 2002, Radical project management, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River. Wysocki, R 2012, Effective project management: Traditional, agile, ex tremeis, Wiley, Indianapolis. This proposal on The Big Mall Information Kiosks was written and submitted by user Matthias Hansen to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

boo.com

boo.com TEACHING NOTES: Boo.Com (Theme 4, Part 2) A. SUMMARY OF THE CASE This two-part case discusses the rise and fall of Boo.com, a European venture founded by two e-business pioneers from Sweden that targeted customers of the high fashion industry by using thelatest in multimedia technology to create a cyber-sensory shopping experience. It also capturesthe excitement of the early days of business-to-consumer e-business by detailing the ease withwhich the founders of the venture were able to raise millions of investment dollars from a diverserange of capital sources. It then goes on to describe the manner in which the money was spent onimplementing a business plan using technology that was in a sense premature for the massmarkets. The case also highlights the critical need for adequate systems validation and userinterface testing before the launch of a high-profile e-business concept.B. TEACHING OBJECTIVES AND TARGET AUDIENCEThe ability to raise financing for a new e-business venture has o ften been highlighted as being themost critical factor in e-business implementation. This case is most suitable for helping studentsunderstand both the investment process as well as the variables that impact the success of raisinginvestment funding. The case will benefit students interested in the venture financing aspects ofe-business as it provides information about the process used by the founders to secure funding fortheir venture. This case can also be used for advanced undergraduate courses, graduate courses,and executive seminars in systems development for e-business to emphasize the need forstringent quality control in programming, interface testing, and systems configuration inimplementation. It also highlights to this target audience the need for close coordination betweenthe technical, marketing, and financial functions in a start-up e-business venture during the1implementation stage. Being a...

Data Collection and Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Data Collection and Analysis - Assignment Example To this end, the use of survey questionnaire is proposed as the data collection method for the quantitative research. With this data collection method, the researcher shall be in a position to quantify responses that will be gathered from respondents especially those that are related to close-ended questions. The use of a survey question and the quantification of responses would also make it easier to use statistical based data analysis programs and software such as the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS). Because of the intent to use only one dependent variable in the proposed study, the Multi Analysis of Variances data analysis program shall be used. The Multi Analysis of Variances is particularly useful in this case as the researcher intends to use a mixed research approach that may demand the use of quantitative interpretation and presentation of findings without the need for the researcher to undertake personalized decoding of findings. For the qualitative research, the intended data collection method is the use of a structured interview to collect data from the focused group that will be set. A structured interview is selected over unstructured interview as it would allow the researcher to methodologically outline the kind of questions to as so as to make the analysis of these questions by further use of coding methods and the selected data analysis program easier.  

Media kit Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Media kit - Assignment Example CCMSRC therefore needs to exploit these channels to deliver its objectives to younger Maltese population that is increasingly losing their traditions and culture. The media kit for engaging young Maltese population would feature extensive use of social media. The media kit is a vital ingredient of communication that uses myriad ways of releasing important information regarding community activities. The kit for CCMSRC would include media release, information sheet about the events and the client. Most importantly, the invitation letters would be posted on all the social media and website so that it gets wider audience cutting across the culture, race, age and nationality. This is one of the key objectives of the media kit as it would help to revitalize and mobilize constructive energy not only from the young Maltese population in Central Coast but also from different parts of Australia and the world. Chanan and Miller (2013) believe that fundamental building block of community life relies on the effective communication and social networking. Thus, media kit that is designed to target wider segment of population, especially young Maltese population in Australia would help inject young blood in the flagging CCMSRC. CCMSRC is important organization in Australia that helps to keep alive the Maltese traditions and culture. It organizes various events and festive celebrations for members in Central Coast, Australia. The media release is intended to enable the members to become proactive participants in the events and inject new ideas. Community development involves understanding the social changes and adapting them within their own culture in order to maintain their unique identity within the diverse populace of the globalized world (Homan, 2011). Media releases therefore have emerged as critical paradigms of the cultural activities of the communities. All social media like

How are schools agencies of empowerment and disempowerment Essay

How are schools agencies of empowerment and disempowerment - Essay Example A disempowered state arises when there is subjugation, discrimination and domination based on race, sex, social class, poverty etc. As vehicles of empowerment, schools play a vital role in the "development of a properly trained and socialized citizenry" (Dornbusch, Kristan & Lin, 1996). Schools have two most important purposes in the society. Firstly they teach "cognitive skills" which is an integral part of technical education. Secondly, they help in sorting individuals in different job categories depending on their skills (Dornbusch et al., 1996). Various reforms have been made by the American government for improving the quality of education and increasing the student's achievement level. "In March 1994 the U. S. Congress passed the eight National Education Goals for the year 2000", under which some important rules were passed: Schools should be attended by all children, all the children should be literate and "every school would promote partnerships that would increase parental involvement and participation in promoting the social, emotional, and academic growth of children" (Hanushek & Jorgenson, 1996, p. 3). The legislation, No Child Left Behind (NCLB), passed in 2001 re-authorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 (Hess & Finn, 2004, p. 3). NCLB's major tenets were to think over the problems faced by schools, to research on the current means of improving schools, "suggest new ways of thinking ", and "help prioritize the challenges and make recommendations when possible (Juvonen, Le, Kaganoff, Augu stine, & Constant, 2004, p. xv). Research shows that parents become less involved with children's school homework and other activities as they become older (p. xix) "Several studies show that, when parents do not monitor and stay involved, their young teens are at elevated risk for compromised school achievement and conduct problems "(p. 86).The school reforms objectives was to "offer interventions for the lowest -performing children" (p. xix). These reforms are important for empowerment which in turn helps the students to acquire knowledge "outside their immediate experience in order to broaden their understanding of themselves, the world, and the possibilities for transforming the taken-for-granted assumptions about the way we live" (Irwin, 1996, p. 5). It helps them to get critical thinking skills that make them question the prevalent social setup and not accept it on face value (p. 5). Empowered teachers would be the ones who "understand systems of domination and work to transform oppressive practices in society" while respecting the "dignity of others" (Irwin, 1996, p. 13). Schools as disempowering agencies perpetuate social discrimination .They sustain a "system of structured inequality" (Dornbusch, et al., 1996). Student's class, race, ethnicity can generate a different set of treatment by schools. "The students with the greatest needs are often given the worst education" (Irwin, 1996, p. 64). Even though there is much hype about "all persons being equal in our democratic documents, we have not yet internalized this concept as a society" (p. 65). Even though, meritorious students get advantages in "status attainment" and students with lower social order can ride over their shortcomings through education, research shows that students with higher "social origins" get the benefit of status attainment (Dornbusch, et al

Research Into Paracetamol

Research Into Paracetamol The pharmaceutical industry was estimated to turnover 773 billion in 2008, however not all of this revenue was taken as profit; a significant cost goes into research and industry guideline compliance for products. With regards to new generic medications, proving bioequivalence is crucial to success, however necessary in vivo testing can be costly ((EMAMI). Drugs which meet a certain Biopharmaceutics Classification System criteria may be exempt from these expensive tests and may be permitted a biowaiver (2). This allows in vitro dissolution testing in place of in vivo plasma analysis. Paracetamol is one such drug that has qualities which place it at the borderline of biowaiver suitability (2). It is the worlds most commonly used analgesic (3), although the question arises as to whether all preparations as effective as each other? More specifically we ask, is there is any significant difference between the dissolution profile of paracetamol generics? This literature review is in prepar ation of experimental tests designed to ascertain if there is any difference in dissolution profile of eight PBS listed bioequivalent prepararations, and whether this difference may correlate to a clinical significance in such a common place drug, used by so many. Search Strategy All data was sourced through internet databases, i.e. Medline, Pubmed, and Cochrane Library. The search engines Google Scholar and UWA library were also utilized. Keywords included. KEY WORDS Paracetamol, acetaminophen, bioequivalent (therapeutic equivalency), Delayed-action Preparations, Pharmaceutical Preparations, Tablets, Drug Compounding, Chemistry, Pharmaceutical, Observer Variation, Dissolution, Metabolism, In vitro, Drug Content, IVIVC, In vivo, Bioavailability and Correlation. Once appropriate articles were sourced, citing and cited articles were also evaluated. Paracetamol History Paracetamol (acetaminophen) is one of the worlds most popular drugs for the treatment of pain and fever (3). It was first synthesized in 1878 by Morse, and was used clinically for the first time in 1887 by von Merring (3, 4). Paracetamol fell into obscurity shortly thereafter in favour of other chemically related drugs such as phenacetin (4). However, phenacetin was later found to be nephrotoxic, and the search for a substitute arose (4). In 1950, a study from Brodie and Axelrod rediscovered paracetamols suitable analgesic properties (3). Although, this drug did not experience widespread acceptance until the 1970s due to unfounded concerns about safety; but from then on, it became the most commonly used medication for pain (3). In many countries, such as the United Kingdom, paracetamol sales have exceeded those of aspirin since 1980 (3). Physicochemical properties Paracetamol or N-(4-hydroxyphenyl) acetamide, is a white crystalline powder with a melting point of 168-172C (Martindale). It is sparingly soluble in water, ie. one part of paracetamol is soluble in 70 parts of water at room temperature (2). It is also freely soluble in alcohol (Martindale) Paracetamol shows maximal UV absorption at a wavelength of 249nm and is reported to have a pKa of 9.5 at 25C (2). Pharmacology Pharmacokinetics (inc. therapeutic index toxicity) Pharmacodynamics Mechanism of Action The exact mechanism of action of paracetamol has remained largely unknown for some time (5-8). For years it has been thought to inhibit the enzyme cyclooxygenase (COX) in a similar manner to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, however definitive proof of analgesia and antipyresis being dependent on COX inhibition is still lacking (3). Recently, two independent groups have produced experimental data that has demonstrated that analgesia involves the potentiation of the cannabinoid vanilloid tone in the brain and in the dorsal root ganglia (3). Blockade of cannabinoid (CB1) receptors in rats has eliminated any analgesic properties of paracetamol and suggests that paracetamol is in fact a cannabinomimetic (3). Pharmacokinetics Absorption Bioavailability Paracetamol has been reported to have a bioavailability of 62%-89% in those of a fasted state (2, 7). This divergence from absolute bioavailability is attributed to first pass hepatic metabolism. Peak plasma concentrations are reached between 0.17-2.0 hours post-dosing (9). As expected, food has been shown to reduce absorption by increasing tmax and decreasing Cmax values. Food has not been shown to affect the amount of acetaminophen reaching the blood (2). Distribution Paracetamol has a reported volume of distribution of 0.69-1.36L/Kg (10). Around 20%-25% of the drug is bound to plasma proteins at therapeutic dosages, however this value has been shown to increase to 20%-50% in over dosage. Paracetamol has also been shown to cross the placenta, and has a 1.24 milk/plasma ratio in breast milk (2). Paracetamol is an ADEC category A drug, i.e. it is safe to use in pregnancy, as well as breastfeeding (8). Metabolism Excretion Around 85%-90% of paracetamol is metabolized within the liver via the process of glucuronidation and sulfation (2). These inactive metabolites are then eliminated by the kidney in the urine. Approximately 5% of paracetamol is passed out unchanged in the urine, the remaining drug is conjugated with cysteine and mercapturic acid (2, 7). The half-life of paracetamol has been reported as 1.9 4.3 hours (2, 7, 9) but longer in those with renal impairment. Indication Paracetamol is indicated in the symptomatic treatment of mild-to-moderate pain as well as fever (2, 8) and has also been described to have mild anti-inflammatory properties (2). Dose Dosage Forms For adults, the optimal single dose of paracetamol is 1g (2, 8), with a maximum dose of 4g daily (8). Hepatocellular necrosis can occur from doses of 10-15g, and death may result in doses in excess of 20-25g (2). Paracetamol is available in many dosage forms, as a single active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), or in combination with other analgesics such as codeine (Panadeine), dextropropoxyphene (Di-Gesic), metoclopramide (Metomax), as well as in combination with decongestants such as pseudoephedrine in cold-and-flu preparations (8). This drug is available as immediate release (IR) tablets, sustained release (SR) tablets, chewable, elixirs, IV injections and suppositories (8). Biopharmaceutics Classification system (subtitles ) Drug dissolution is an essential component in the absorption of any pharmaceutical tablet The Biopharmaceutics Classification System (BCS) is a method of grouping active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) based on their solubility and intestinal permeability (reference? WHO, amidon, FDA, lobenberg, dahan). It allows for easy identification of those drugs whose in vivo absorption can be easily anticipated based on their in vitro dissolution. (many amidon) The system relies on the premise that drug dissolution, and therefore solubility, as well as drug permeability are the rate limiting steps in drug absorption. (amidon, rang + dale, goodman and gilman, dahan, WHO, FDA, lobenberg) This implies that two different products containing the same drug will have the same rate and extent of absorption if, over time, they both have the same concentration profile at the intestinal membrane. (amidon) Since it is the dissolution profile of a drug which determines its concentration profile in the intestinal lumen, comparability of this parameter in vitro should produce comparable absorpt ion results in vivo. (amidon) In reality however, only those drugs with high permeability which are formulated into immediate release (IR) preparations can be easily and reliably applied to this logic (amidon, BW, FDA). There are four classes within the BCS to which a drug can be assigned (as outlined in figure ?). Class I is comprised of those drugs with high permeability and solubility, these drugs are expected to be well absorbed and, providing dissolution is slower than gastric emptying, show a good correlation between in vitro dissolution rate and the rate and extent of in vivo absorption (IVIVC) (amidon, FDA, BW). Class II drugs also have high permeability but their solubility is low which ensures in vivo dissolution is the rate limiting step in drug absorption and thus IVIVC is expected (amidon). Class III drugs have a low permeability with high solubility, traditionally these drugs were believed to have little or no IVIVC (amidon), however recent studies have shown that if a class III drug is very rapidly dissolving then a correlation may exist (Cheng, Jantratid 1). Finally Class IV drugs have both low permeability and solubility these drugs are not expected to show any IVIVC (amidon). Figure ?: (http//www.tselinc) For each of the four BCS classes a drug substance is considered highly soluble when the highest [IR] dose strength is soluble in 250mL or less of aqueous media over the pH range of 1-7.5. (FDA) The permeability of a drug is considered high if greater than 90% of a dose is absorbed across the intestinal membrane (FDA, Yu). The genius of the BCS is that it allows easy identification of drug candidates for which relatively cheap and fast in vitro dissolution testing can replace the more expensive, time consuming and invasive in vivo absorption testing (emami). The system does away with complex modeling that must account for fasted and fed states as well as cyclical changes in motility and gastric emptying. (amidon, dahan) The impact of the BCS on the pharmaceutical industry was so great that in 2006, creator Dr. Gordon Amidon was awarded the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) Distinguished Scientist Award. (internet reference) Correlation between in vitro dissolution and bioavailability Following the introduction of the BCS a great deal of research was conducted exploring the power of IVIVC. It became a main focus not just of the pharmaceutical industry but also of academia and regulatory authorities (emami). IVIVC became popular because it can be used as a substitute for resource intensive bioavailability testing; the concept has essentially improved the speed and cost of drug development as well as quality control in pharmaceutical manufacturing (emami). Bioavailability and Bioequivalence Bioavailability is an important concept because it determines the efficacy, safety and reproducibility of the therapeutic effect of drugs and the many formulations in which they come (TGA). For the purpose of drugs that produce a systemic therapeutic effect, the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) (TGA) defines bioavailability as the extent and the rate at which a substance or its active moiety is delivered from a pharmaceutical form and becomes available in the general circulation. Bioavailability is therefore inherently linked to drug absorption and may also be predicted using IVIVC as defined by the BCS. If two pharmaceutically equivalent (same active ingredient and content in the same formulation) products have the same bioavailability they are considered bioequivalent and will essentially have the same efficacy and safety. Bioequivalence is important because it is the basis for which innovator medicines can be substituted with generics. Strength of in vitro in vivo correlations The BCS is a predictive tool for determining which drugs will have an IVIVC. Table ? demonstrates that under the BCS only class II along with some class I drugs are expected to have IVIVCs (amidon). Research subsequent to Dr. Amidons first BCS publication has generally upheld his initial findings however exceptions to the rule have been found. Table ?: IVIVC Expectations for Immediate Release Products Based on Biopharmaceutics Class (amidon) Class Solubility Permeability IVIVC Expectation* I High High IVIVC if dissolution rate is slower than gastric emptying rate, otherwise limited or no correlation II Low High IVIVC expected if in vitro dissolution rate is similar to in vivo dissolution rate, unless dose is very high III High Low Absorption (permeability) is rate determining and limited or no IVIVC with dissolution rate IV Low Low Limited or no IVIVC expected *A limited correlation means that the dissolution rate while not controlling may be similar to the absorption rate and the extent of correlation will depend on the relative rates. Drugs with IVIVC The BCS suggests that if the bioavailability of a drug is dissolution rate limited then a good IVIVC should be possible. This notion has been demonstrated for flutamide a very poorly soluble high dose compound which is not expected to have IVIVC but has dissolution rate limited absorption (posti). A paper published by Posti, Katila Kostiainen(posti) concluded that there is a strong IVIVC for flutamide and this was identified on four separate occasions where bioavailability was studied. All four studies were of single dose, cross over design and each subsequent study increased the number of subjects tested (study I: n = 6, Study IV: n = 24). The strength of the papers methodology provides good support for its conclusions however this was undermined by a lack of documented statistical analysis. Much more compelling evidence comes from a study by Sakuma et. al. (Sakuma) which was able to show an IVIVC for two BCS class I drugs after they received an enteric coating, thus eliminating the possibility that gastric emptying was the rate limiting step. The results were statistically significant however the tablets were tested in rat models rather than human subjects and the dissolution test may not have adequately reflected the in vivo environment that enteric coated tablets are subject to (Sakuma). Further study in human subjects demonstrating the difference in IVIVC between enteric and non-enteric coated tablets could not be identified in the literature. There are hundreds of other drugs which have an IVIVC and these are neither limited to BCS class II drugs or drugs with dissolution rate limited absorption. Theophylline is a BCS class IV drug and yet in a complete cross over study of four different theophylline tablets the in vitro dissolution was able to significantly predict several in vivo pharmacokinetic parameters (AUC Cmax) which dictate bioavailability (varshosaz). The study was small (n = 6) and not all pharmacokinetic parameters could be correlated. Other common drug examples with IVIVC include digoxin (shaw), rifampicin (pahkla), diclofenac (Jantratid 2) and lamotrigine (hiten) and these are by no means exhaustive. Drugs without IVIVC Not all drugs have an IVIVC and this can also include some BCS class II drugs. A research paper by Frick, Moller Wirbitzki 1998(frick) demonstrated that the in vitro dissolution of glimepiride (BCS class II) is not comparable to dissolution in vivo. The study employed a single dose cross-over design with 12 subjects, latin-square statistical analysis was employed and the results are assumed to be significant however not all the data was accompanied by supporting confidence values. No correlation was possible because the solubility of glimepiride is low and strongly pH dependent (frick). Unlike glimepiride ciprofloxacin, a quinolone antibiotic, is classified as a BCS class III drug and as a consequence would not be predicted to have an IVIVC. Correspondingly, when tested for this possibility none could be found between dissolution and any of the parameters for bioavalabilty (Tmax, Cmax, AUC Ka) (khan). Strength of BCS in predicting IVIVC There is a wide variance between IVIVCs that are anticipated according to the BCS and those that are actually demonstrated after experimental testing. Examples have been provided where both expected and unexpected correlation occurs and this suggests that the BCS system while helpful should only be taken as a guide. Laboratory testing is still the only reliable method for determining if a correlation is occurs. Paracetamol is a BCS class III medication and as such is not expected to demonstrate strong IVIVC. Given the fact that paracetamol has a wide therapeutic index and the BCS can only be used as a guide, a safe and useable IVIVC may still exist. IVIVC of paracetamol The prodigious use of paracetamol, vast quantities of the drug manufactured and the presence of many generic products in the marketplace makes it a prime candidate for IVIVC testing. In 1996 Retaco et. al.(retaco) conducted a small crossover study using five subjects to assess whether an IVIVC for paracetamol may exist. The study stated that the absorption data from saliva partially correlated with those found in vitro(retaco), however this is not a valid conclusion. One of the subjects studied produced in vivo data that opposed a correlation and this anomaly was further compounded by the fact that statistical analysis was not performed on the IVIVC but rather covered the in vitro and in vivo data separately. This pilot study was later verified retaco (word document) invivo bioequivalence but not invitro dissolution equivalent Babalola (word document) Cautious use of IVIVC Dominguez IVIVC but not bioequivalent Dont use IVIVC Biowaiver for bioequivalence testing In vivo bioequivalence studies are required to ascertain the risk of therapeutic inequivalence from potential differences in bioavailability. The BCS has outlined properties of solid preparations which require evaluation, i.e. solubility, permeability, and dissolution rate (11). In addition to this, the non-critical therapeutic range of a drug should also be considered (11). It should be noted that products produced by the same manufacturer at the same site are exempt from bioequivalence studies (12). Paracetamol BCS classification relevant properties. Several characteristics must be considered when a drug presents as a candidate for a biowaiver through dissolution testing. Paracetamol is classified as a BCS Class III drug, although it possesses properties which deem it to be borderline Class I (2). Characteristics relevant to the active ingredient Risk of therapeutic failure or adverse drug reactions i.e. the need for critical plasma concentrations. When considering a biowaiver for a drug substance, its therapeutic use and therapeutic index also needs to be taken into account (13). In the case of paracetamol, the therapeutic indications are not critical, and there is a wide difference between the usual therapeutic dose and toxic doses. Given that an optimal therapeutic dose for an adult is 1g, and that hepatocellular necrosis can result from ingestion of 10-15g, it can be assumed that acetaminophen is not a narrow therapeutic index drug (2). Risk of bioinequivalence: Previous evidence of bioavailability problems for an active substance can complicate the justification of in vitro dissolution bioequivalence correlation (11). For paracetamol, the absolute bioavailability has not been shown to vary between therapeutic dose ranges of 5-20mg/kg (2). Other studies have also demonstrated that bioequivalence in different IR paracetamol preparations is achievable (10, 14, 15). Solubility: If a drug is highly water soluble it generally lends to exemption of bioequivalence testing, however polymorphism and particle size are major determinants of dissolution and must be considered (11). A drug is considered highly soluble if the amount contained in a preparation of maximal strength dissolves in 250mL of three buffered solutions ranging between a pH of 1-8 at 37C (11). Paracetamol has a pKa of 9.5 and is therefore not substantially ionized at a pH less than 9. As a result, it can be said that its solubility does not vary with pH (2). The highest strength IR preparation of paracetamol is 500mg. Experimentally, his has been shown to dissolve in 21mL (2), which is significantly less than the 250mL that is required by the BCS guidances to prove solubility (11, 13). Pharmacokinetic properties: High permeability which is typically indicated by a linear absorption pattern, reduces the potential influence of an IR preparation on bioavailability (11). For paracetamol, the permeability is slightly below the cut-off value of 90%, i.e. one study by Stewart et al. (16) found permeability to be 80% once absorbed. This formally excludes paracetamol from being considered for a biowaiver, although extensions to BCS Class III drugs has recently been given more attention (17, 18). Characteristics relevant to the medicinal product Rapid dissolution: Dissolution profiles can be regarded as equal when more than 85% of the active ingredient is dissolved within 15 minutes (11). This comparison must occur between test and reference product in three buffers which with a pH range between 1-8, at 37C (11). Paracetamol tablets have been shown to dissolve within 30 minutes (14), however this rate does not satisfy BCS exemption standards. Excipients: Those included are to be well established and not in atypically large quantities. Kalantzi et al. (2) details a table of acceptable excipients which can be used within paracetamol IR tablet formulations which are considered for in vitro dissolution biowaiver. Manufacture: Critical parameters such as particle size and polymorphism should be addressed and documentation should be provided in the dossier that is submitted to TGA (11). Paracetamol has three metastable forms, the only commercially available from is the monoclinic acetaminophen as it is the most thermodynamically stable polymorph (2). From review of the literature, it can be concluded that in vivo bioequivalence testing of solid, oral IR paracetamol dosage forms may not be necessary. This can be justified given that a formulation can be shown to (2): Rapidly dissolve under USP guidelines Contain only the acceptable excipients, in usual quantities Demonstrates dissolution profile similar to reference product under conditions stated in USP guidelines Other drugs with biowaiver Other drugs have been considered for biowaivers, such as: acetazolamide, acyclovir, amitryptiline, atenolol, chloroquine, cimetidine, diclofenac, doxycycline hyclate, ethambutol, ibuprofen, isoniazid, metoclopramide, prednisolone, prednisone, pyrazinamide, propranolol, quinidine, ranitidine, rifampicin and verapamil (19). A biowaiver was deemed to be appropriate for all these drugs except for acetazolamide (20) and frusemide (21). Interestingly, both these reviews were performed by the same author. Statement of Purpose Aim hypothesis The purpose of the proposed study is to compare the dissolution profiles of allegedly bioequivalent IR paracetamol preparations listed on the PBS. In particular, comparisons between every preparation will be made, rather than a single comparison against a referent. We hypothesize that there will be no significant difference between the dissolution profile of IR paracetamol tablets when dissolved according to USP specifications. Methodology We propose to analyse the dissolution profiles of eight PBS listed bioequivalent paracetamol preparations, namely; APO-paracetamol, Chemmart Paracetamol, Dymadon P, Febridol, Panamax, Paracetamol Sandoz, Paralgin, and Terry White Chemists Paracetamol. Sixteen tablets of each preparation will be dissolved in compliance with USP dissolution test for tablets and capsules, using apparatus II. As mandated, tablets are to be dissolved in 900mL phosphate buffer at a pH of 5.8 with a paddle set to 50rpm. Samples will be taken at intervals of 2,5,10,15,30,45,60 minutes in concordance with practice by Dominguez et al. (22). These aliquots will be examined for paracetamol by UV spectrophotometry at 289nm. These data will be statistically analysed by ANOVA.

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The life Process of a cell In my report you will learn about the life process of a cell based on the two main functions, metabolism and mitosis. You will learn about the four stages of metabolism: ingestion, digestion, respiration, and excretion, and how the cell completes them. You also will acquire information about the four stages of mitosis: prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telephase, and how the cell completes them. Mitosis is the process in which cells reproduce. These two processes are interdependent on each other. The steps of metabolism are the same for any species. First the cell must ingest glucose through active transport. The glucose is ingested through the cell membrane. There are only 2 ATP’s yielded in each glucose. An ATP is an energy enriched molecule. That is not enough energy to completely digest it. It is just enough energy to get it to the mitochondria. The enzymes in the mitochondria respire. Also now it has 34 ATP’s. Then the lysosomes fully digest it. Then the all the waste is excreted by the golgi bodies and vacuoles. The cell has fully metabolized. Now the process starts over. Mitosis is the process in which a cell divides into two new cells. The four steps of mitosis are prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telephase. The step where the cell prepares for mitosis is called interphase. During interphase all of the chromosomes duplicate, and then are joined at the centrimere. Now mitosis begins, first in prophase all of the chromosomes then g...