Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Qualitative Research Critique Essay - 1177 Words

Qualitative Research Critique Grand Canyon University: NRS-433V October 19, 2014 Qualitative Research Critique â€Å"High rates of staff turnover in nursing homes is not a recent phenomenon. As far back as the mid-1970s studies have documented average turnover rates for registered nurses (RNs), licensed vocational nurses (LVNs) and certified nurse’s aides (CNAs) ranging between 55% and 75%† (Mor,V., Mukamel, D.B., amp; Spector,W. D. 2009, 1). Long term care facilities (LTC) have staffing issues related to the high turnover of licensed staff. The effect can have a heavy financial burden and also affect the care given to residents. Many ask the question why is it hard to attract and keep nurses at a long term facility. The International†¦show more content†¦Another question would be: what are the reasons or factors that would cause a nurse to terminate their employment? The purpose and questions related to the problem; the findings resulted in learning about what is important to nurses when they are making decisions to stay or terminate employment. The methods used in t his study were stated as qualitative –descriptive. The sample size was 17 RN’s and 24 LPN’s which, for a qualitative study is sufficient. The participants were mostly female with an average age of 48 years. They interviewed staff from seven different LTC homes across Ontario, Canada. Prior to the study, permission was obtained from the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute Research Ethics Board, and also from the administrators of each facility. The researchers also obtained consents from staff who were interested in participating in the study, prior to setting up focus groups... Each focus group was digitally recorded; confidentiality was assured and information was analyzed, coded, and reached a level of saturation. â€Å"The sample was sufficient to explore and develop analytic generalizations about working circumstances that influence the nurses’ intention to stay in LTC facilities† (Boscart, V. M., Bowers, B., Brown, M., amp; McGilton, K.S.2014). Literature Review The author used several qualitative resources that were cited throughout theirShow MoreRelatedQualitative Research Critique2630 Words   |  11 Pagesusually comes from research conducted by nurses and other healthcare professionals. Thus it is pertinent that research reports are critically analyzed. A research critique aims to measure the value and significance of a study. These are determined by analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the report (Brockopp Tolsma, 2003, p. 400). Recommendations for areas of improvements are also included in a research critique. This paper critically appraises a qualitative research article titled WomensRead MoreResearch Critique : Qualitative Review1681 Words   |  7 Pages Research Critique: Qualitative Review On reading this article and identifying the study, there was a clear insight on how death and dying, and even improved health, impacted those nurses (Conte, 2014). Nurses, who worked closely with their patients, through the perils and suffering, culminating of death and losses, had grief not readily explored to enable that comfort zone (Conte, 2014). The article depicted the human side of nurses; it tells how nurses formulateRead More Qualitative Research Critique Essay1829 Words   |  8 Pages243-250. Initial Reaction This research article is from the UK and the writer questions if the findings from this study will have heuristic relevance and applicability to nursing and healthcare in the United States (U.S.). Primary healthcare in the UK is provided through the National Health Service (NHS); this writer has little knowledge as to how it works and its impact on patient care and nursing. This limited knowledge may introduce bias in this critique. Descriptive Vividness The significanceRead MoreQualitative Research Critique II 2843 Words   |  4 PagesQUALITATIVE RESEARCH CRITIQUE II 1 Qualitative Research Critique II Vanda McCray Liberty University Qualitative Research Critique II 2 The authors of this article method of data collection was based on a five-focus group and three individual interviews on theRead MoreEssay about Qualitative Research Critique1443 Words   |  6 PagesRunning head: Qualitative Research Critique Qualitative Research Critique: Retrospective Perception of Difficult Communication Wene Mawalla Brock University The article â€Å"Patient Real time and 12 month retrospective perception of difficult communication in the cancer diagnostic period† is written by Throne, S., Armstrong, E., Harris, S.R., Hislop, G., Kim-Sing, C., Oglov, J.L., Oliffe, J.L., amp; Stajduhar, K.L. through a naturalist setting. This article will attempt to give a systematicRead MoreQualitative Research Critique : The Experience Of Living With Dementia2175 Words   |  9 PagesQualitative Research Critique Assignment The article that I have selected to be critique is â€Å"The Experience of Living with Dementia in Residential Care: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis† by Linda Clare, Julia Rowlands, Errollyn Bruce, Claire Surr, and Murna Downs. Statement of the Phenomenon of Interest Clare, Rowlands, Bruce, Surr Downs (2008) stated the phenomenon of interest very clear that the article is about the personal accounts of older adults living with dementia in a residentialRead MoreEssay about Critique of Quantitative and Qualitative Research Articles4724 Words   |  19 Pageschanges, and two sites enhancing the standard care program (Polit Beck, 2012). Problem Statement In the 21st century, T2D has become a health epidemic. The associated health risks that accompany T2D have the cost of healthcare escalating. Research is needed to help find ways to limit the progression of this disease process. Persons of ethnic descent are twice as likely to have an inconsistent risk for developing this disease (Polit Beck, 2012). Statement of Purpose The purposeRead MoreQualitative Research Critique: Asthma Self-Management in Puerto Rican Families935 Words   |  4 PagesQualitative Research Critique: Asthma Self-Management in Puerto Rican Families In the research study, A qualitative exploration of asthma self-management beliefs and practices in Puerto Rican families, Martin et. al. (2010) explored the nature and dynamics of asthma management within Puerto Rican families. The rationale for this specific focus on Puerto Rican families is cited within the study, wherein a 2002 survey determined that Puerto Rican children suffered the most from asthma comparedRead MoreA Critique Of A Qualitative Research Article By Jean Louis Barsoux And Mittia Gilmartin Essay1825 Words   |  8 Pages Introduction This paper is a critique of a qualitative research article written by Jean-Louis Barsoux and Mittia Gilmartin (2007). The paper clearly outlines and shows how due to government pressure, The King Edgar NHS trust comprising of three hospitals; Clover Hospital, Friar Hospital and Bronte Hospital was developed in 2002. Within a year of its birth the trust was already under the hawk-eyed media for problems regarding long waiting lists in the hospitals. As a solution the NurseRead MoreCritiquing Qualitative and Quantitative Research1465 Words   |  6 PagesUnit 6: Critiquing Qualitative and Quantitative Research Kaplan University July 16, 2013 Unit 6 Critiquing Qualitative and Quantitative Research The research conducted by Foster-Fitzpatrick, Ortiz, Sibilano, Marcantonio and Braun (1999) is a quantitative study of the significance of crossing the legs while blood pressure is being measured. The purpose of the research was to determine whether leg-crossing impacted the results of blood pressure measurements. The research conducted by Palese, Skrap

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Global Marketing Strategy And Its Effect On Firm Performance

Businesses that wish to operate on a global scale must consider national cultures because of the four Ps of marketing. If a company wants to be successful on a global scale they must know how much it will cost to operate, what product they will be selling, how they will promote it, and where they will be operating in different areas. They will need to know if they will adapt to the market or keep the same business strategy they already have depending on different cultures. In order to implement the four Ps you must understand different cultures or risk failing. There are many things that need to be considered but I believe the marketing aspect should be prioritized. â€Å"Many researchers argue that global marketing strategy plays a critical role in determining a firm’s performance in the global market† (Zou and Cavusgil 41). As the reading states, â€Å"The GMS: A Broad Conceptualization of Global Marketing Strategy and its Effect on Firm Performance,† businesses must form a global marketing strategy. Businesses need to be concerned with the relationship among the firm’s marketing procedures across countries instead of focusing on a single country. They must aim to improve overall performance on a global basis. A lot of hard work goes into this. In order to be successful in other places of the world you need to find what the customers want, where they shop, figure out how to produce the item at a price that represents value to them, and get it all to come together at the rightShow MoreRelatedEssay on Model questions for Global Marketing1523 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿Model questions for Global Marketing Outline and discuss the principal causal factors that encourage firms to undertake the international marketing of their products and services. Cultural and political forces influence international marketing activity. Discuss the impact of these forces and illustrate your answers with examples. â€Å"The global competitor will seek to standardise his offering everywhere† (Levitt). Critically evaluate this view with specific reference to a firm’s internationalRead MoreGeneral Motors: The Decline of an Automotive Giant1345 Words   |  6 Pagesframework, discuss the competitiveness of the global automobile market. Porters five forces framework is a model of competitive industry structure. These are the threat of entry of new competitors, the threat of substitutes, the bargaining power of buyers and of suppliers and the rivalry between the existing competitors. Where these forces are intense, below-average industry performance can be expected; where these forces are mild, superior performance is common. (Jobber, 2007). Before we discussRead MoreInternational Advertising : Theory And Approach925 Words   |  4 Pagesthe varieties in both the theoretical approach and application. is a complex concept that varies drastically in both theoretical approach and application. The emerging global consumer culture is affecting international marketing theories and in return, international promotional mix decisions. American culture is dominating the global markets due to the use and application of international advertising by American companies. In order to appreciate the differences in international advertising from theRead MoreAlibaba.Com Case Study1496 Words   |  6 Pagesdo it in line with the firms strategies †¢ Structural Stability: Provides the capacity the firm requires to consistently predictably manage it’s daily work routines. Group Members: Abdul Aziz Bin Abdul Samad Maniyarasan Al Munusamy Zahairinizal Bin Zakria Kanesan Al Velusamy Sheerad Bin Sahid †¢ Structural Flexibility: Provides the opportunity to explore competitive possibilities allocate resources to activities that will shape the competitive advantages of the firm that it will need toRead MoreBusiness Relationships Within A Business Network Context1231 Words   |  5 PagesContext. Journal of Marketing, 58(4), p.1. 4. Andersson, S. Ingemar W. (2003) Innovative Internationalisation in New firms: Born Globals - the Swedish Case. Journal of International Entrepreneurship, 1, pp. 249–276. 5. Andersson, S. (2000) The internationalization of the firm from an entrepreneurial perspective. International Studies of Management and Organization , 30 (1), pp. 63-92 6. Anderson, R. and Reeb, D. (2003). Founding†Family Ownership, Corporate Diversification, and Firm Leverage*. The JournalRead MoreDifferent Levels Of Market Involvement And Modes Of Entry Essay1251 Words   |  6 PagesDifferent levels of market involvement and modes of entry. In global marketing, the marketing across the national boundaries lies between the potential complexities of international marketing which precisely defines what is involved in it. On the other hand the orders received from other national boundaries are responded by the independent broker too. The company is also involved in the transaction of selling its products and services to the broker with some efforts put in along with the considerationsRead MoreForeign Exchange Rate Fluctuation on Pricing Decision1109 Words   |  5 Pagesfluctuations in foreign exchange rates have on the pricing decisions of export marketing managers? Globalization is no longer an abstraction but a stark reality that virtually all firms, large and a small, face. Firms that want to survive in the 21st century must confront all encompassing force that pervades every aspect of business. However, exchange rate fluctuation is an issue that affects the decisions marketing managers make about pricing. Management faces different decision situations,Read MoreThe Role Of Management During The 21st Century : Challenges And Opportunities1080 Words   |  5 Pageshand, the classic management practices became less effective in organisations. On the other hand, the effects of the global economy have introduced new management concepts that shape the world business activities. Historically, the industrial revolution generated most of the managerial principles. For instance, the financial department concern about the return on investment, while the marketing department focuses on the marginal profit and market shares. The strategic division pursues a competitiveRead MoreMcDonalds and Its Critics924 Words   |  4 Pagesaddition to enforcing an aggressive anti-union policy in the entire organization, McDonalds reputation was further damaged by charges from health officials, consumer advocates, and educators. The damage on the firms reputation also contributed to huge effects on its business operations and profits in 2008. McDonalds Franchising: Since the inception of the company by two brothers, McDonalds Corporation has continued to use franchising as its mode of entry into the market. Actually, the inception ofRead MoreIntro to Marketing Tesc Assignment 11428 Words   |  6 PagesTESC Introduction to Marketing Written Assignment 1 Choose a specific industry (e.g., grocery retailing, the airline industry, etc.), and apply Porter s Five Forces Model to discuss that industry s competitive forces and their relative influence. Michael E. Porter, a renowned business strategist, identified five competitive forces that influence planning strategies that businesses use. The model, called Porter’s Five Forces was later updated to include the impact that the internet

Monday, December 9, 2019

Contemporary Issues In Business Accounting-Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: What is the Contemporary Issues In Business Accounting? Answer: Introducation Accounting is the dialect of business. The daily functioning of a business are to be kept in check in the most efficient and methodical way so as to analyze the performance as well as financial standing of the company in the ending of the year (Harrison, Horngren and Thomas, n.d.). The importance of maintaining book of accounts for a company is hereunder:- It facilitates the evaluation of performance of an enterprise as it reflects true and fair image of the functions of a business and portrays its financial position. It is necessary to maintain proper accounts as it makes flexible to compare the financial statements of previous years data or with the other companys data or with its own budgeted data. Accounting of financial statements helps the firms to keep track of its cash flow and thereby, also its promotes the firm in making small as well as long term decisions to support the growth of the business. (Ittleson, 2009) Through accounting, statutory requirements of business like timely payment of liabilities or timely payment of certain taxes, etc Accounting information provides a number of quantitative and qualitative information which forms an integral part of day-to-day operations. Now comes into the picture conceptual framework for accounting. A conceptual framework is a structure of objectives, rules and ideas that leads to the formation of certain systematic and unvarying standards (Kimmel, weygandt and kieso, a.d.). The standards put forth the nature, extent and functions of financial statements and books. The grounds for forming a framework are as follows: Solving of accounting future discourses A framework for setting of standards Following of elementary principles which are to be kept consistent throughout the accounting. The International accounting standards boards (IASB) or IFRS is a non trading and private organization whose focus is to institute the accounting standards so as to form proper reports which in turn will serve as guidance to the stakeholders like issuers, auditors, investors and other information users (libby, libby and hodge, 2017). IASBs conceptual frameworks project started in 1973 in United States so as to serve as a theoretical sound basis for the evolution of accounting standards and norms. (Libby, Libby and short, n.d.) Ifrs Adoption The Australian accounting standards board (AASB) has Accoutred Australian equivalents to IFRS' (A-IFRS), that states IFRS standards as AASB 1-8 and IAS standards as AASB 101-141 (Loughran, 2011).This acquisition replaces the previous Australian generally accepted accounting principles or AGAAP. The AASB had made number of changes in making A-IFRS by introducing additional disclosure or asking for more requirements by not-for-profit entities but is fundamentally eliminates an option under IFRS and not completely departing from IFRS for business entities. Also, the business entities who earns profits are required to prepare financial statements in compliance with A-IFRS are being able to construct an entire statement of compliance with IFRS (spiceland, Thomas and Hermann, n.d.). The further following bullets are to be kept in consideration for better knowledge of IFRS: It will bring the accounting standards much closer to other international standards that firms are familiar with and therefore, will allow the companies to appeal to foreign investors go global. The new standards lay more emphasis on detailed disclosures which will increase the transparency governance standards. IFRS is based on the principles of (a) substance over form, and (b) fair valuation that will present clearer picture of company's affairs specific about the conservatism principle. It will reflect a more comparable picture of the books in which the previous accounting principles do not offer any specific guidance and therefore, enterprises followed different policies making their books incomparable. (Weygandt, Kieso and Kimmel, n.d.) The Prudency Concept of accounting that the expenses or liabilities are not underestimated and the income and assets are not overstated but recorded even in the case of uncertainty. However now the current conceptual framework has overruled the Prudency concept. The Pros and cons of Prudency concept of accounting in inclusionof accounting standards is not getting into details but jumping to current storyline. The main concern of the new framework is to meet the user expectations by providing them a reliable record of performance without being predisposed. To achieve this, Prudency concept should be discussed as uncertainty should be reflected in measurement of the desired output. However, a lot of specimen and examples shows that the prudency concept clearly exists in IFRS and also, these instances are widely accepted treatments. Thus the discussion of prudency concept should be re-assessed. Considering the annual reports of two companies financial year 2016, TPG Telecom Ltd and Woolworth Group The statements comply with the international financial reporting standards (IFRS) adopted by the international accounting standards board (IASB). The statement of compliance of both the companies states that the financial statements are the general purpose financial statements and have been prepared in accordance with Australian Accounting standards (AASBs) as well as Corporations Act 2001. The Woolworth Group has adopted the two following effective standards from the financial year 2016 as issued by AASB. However, no material affect on the amounts stated in the current period or prior periods has been casted upon by the adoption of these standards. Then, the adoption of AASB 2015-2 comes into picture that amends AASB 101- presentation of financial statements and requires clarification against the disclosure requirements in AASB 101. The Group has applied these amendments in the preparation of its financial statements. The group adopted AASB 9 that contains the introduction of hedge accounting and emphasizes on more effective and eligible requirements so as to connect with the entity's risk management framework. Though there were no material changes in the books, however, the additional disclosure requirements were stated in the Note 25 of the accounts. There is no new adoption in case of TPG Telecom Ltd. However there are certain standards that have not yet been adopted and issued and will materially affect the books of both the companies. That is why; both the companies are assessing the impact of those new standards on their financial positions results. The following standards are stated as below : AASB 9 - Financial Instruments : This revised standard provides guidance on how the financial assets are to be classified measured and includes a third measurement category for debt instruments. An expected credit loss model will be prepared to ascertain the impairment cost of the financial assets. AASB 16 - Lease: this standard will significantly affect the accounting process for lease. In case of Woolworths Ltd, material effect will be observed on the key significant ratios. As per this standard, the difference between operating and finance leases will disappear and all the leases will be recognized as assets with a corresponding liability equaling to the present value of unavoidable payments of lease. Also, lease payments on operating lease which are presently treated as operating costs will then be treated as depreciation charge and an interest will be incurred as an expense on the lease held as liability. AASB 15 - Revenue from contracts with customers: As per this standard, a single model will be applicable to contracts with customers. It will provide two approaches to recognize the revenue - at that point or over that time. The contract emphasizes on the five step analysis of transactions to ascertain how much and when revenue is too recognized. The two companies are on the way of analyzing the impact of the above stated standards on their financial statements and the impression they will have. However, the financial statements comply with the other required standard that clearly meets the demand of financial users. Impact Of Ifrs Adoption In Australia War and conversion are on the same platform. It is the most popular issue that is to be looked into. The Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB) is currently conducting in depth research so as to analyze the impact of IFRS adoption on publicly listed Australian companies and other market partners (Downers and Goodman, 2010). In consideration of this, following impact has been observed : On the other hand, IFRS adoption by Australian companies is of greater advantage to the investors and analysts as according to the research results the improved practices puts more emphasis on the accuracy and transparency. Surveys shows that the IFRS adoption opens up a huge opportunities to the possible benefits because of accounting convergence which comes into picture because of permissions allowed by the respective managers. Some studies reported that there is an improvement in the value relevance of accounting data while other comparable studies shows that the accounting quality have remained stable or consistent with AGAAP and infact, the previous treatments according to AGAAP for valuing intangible assets were more appropriate (Finance for managers, 2007). Some studies stated that there is a positive impact on the comparability of the Australian financial reporting practices with their other global competitors. However, not all the research work shows the same result (Knight and Satchell, 2002). Given that results are in parallel to the academic theory, Not at all the possible aspects of the positive impact of IIFRS adoption in Australia has been examined in depth. Thus the AASB committee believes that further research is to carried on so to analyze the impact in depth and details and thereby conduct further chores to gather opinions of the financial statements preparers as well as users. (Weaver, 2014) References Downes, J. and Goodman, J. (2010).Barron's finance investment handbook. Hauppauge, N.Y.: Barron's Educational Series. Finance for managers. (2007). Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business School Press Harrison, W., Horngren, C. and Thomas, C. (n.d.).Financial accounting. Ittelson, T. (2009).Financial statements. Franklin Lakes, NJ: Career Press. Kimmel, P., Weygandt, J. and Kieso, D. (n.d.). Financial accounting. Knight, J. and Satchell, S. (2002).Performance measurement in finance. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. Libby, R., Libby, P. and Hodge, F. (2017).Financial accounting. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education. Libby, R., Libby, P. and Short, D. (n.d.).Financial accounting. Loughran, M. (2011).Financial accounting for dummies. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley Sons. Spiceland, J., Thomas, W. and Herrmann, D. (n.d.).Financial accounting. Weaver, L. (2014).Managing the Transition to IFRS-Based Financial Reporting. New York, NY: John Wiley Sons. Weygandt, J., Kieso, D. and Kimmel, P. (n.d.).Financial accounting.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

The effect of growth medium on duckweed growth Essay Example Essay Example

The effect of growth medium on duckweed growth Essay Example Paper The effect of growth medium on duckweed growth Essay Introduction Duckweed (Lemna minor) is a common plant that floats in water and is common to stagnant water such as ponds. According to Texas AM University Duckweed is the smallest flowering plant on earth. It is thought duckweed helps to reduce pollution levels. Duckweed is quick growing new leaves. The plant undergoes asexual reproduction by splitting into two (or more) new plants.CharacteristicsDuckweed plants consist of between two or three leaves known as fronds; these fronds are commonly between 1/6th and 1/8th of an inch in length.HabitatDuckweeds grow in large colonies on the surface of calm water, and more than one species can grow in the same body of water.WarningDuckweed grows rapidly and can aggressively invade pods and bodies of water. It can disrupt marine ecosystems. If the Duckweed grows rapidly and covers the body of water it can prevent light from reaching plants that live on the bottom of the pond. This can then cause fish that feed on the plants to die. It can also reduce the l evels of oxygen in the pond water.BenefitsDuckweed plants do provide a habitat for micro invertebrates. Duckweed plants grow best in nitrogen rich environments. This is especially high in polluted ponds. This means the plant is especially good in cleaning polluted ponds.Factors that affect the growth of plantsThe major difference between distilled water and that obtained from the tap; is that distillation removes the minerals that are found in tap water. Distilled water does not have the fluoride, chloride or trace amounts of sodium found in tap water.Soil contains a complex mixture array of minerals; it is this in combination with water, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen that forms the soil solution. Plants are thought to use sixteen elements in order to grow successfully. Of the sixteen, twelve are found primarily in the soil.Plants are presently recognized to utilize sixteen elements in order to sustain growth. Of these sixteen elements twelve are minerals found primarily in the soil. This is the part of this particular chapter where we could easily go into a litany of items on the periodic table of elements, but we’ll stick to the basics.Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen are said to be non mineral. Carbon forms the organic skeleton of the plant. This is taken up from the atmosphere with the absorption of carbon dioxide. This is fixed to make sugars during photosynthesis.Oxygen is needed for respiration to take place in the plant. In this process energy is created by the breakdown of the sugars that are made during photosynthesis. Oxygen combines with hydrogen to form water. Water makes up a large proportion of the mass of any plant. Water is used to transport minerals and sugars produced during photosynthesis.Magnesium – is essential for many of the functions inside of the plant. It is an essential element of the chlorophyll molecule. It is an enzyme activator and constituent of many of the enzymes in a plant. Magnesium deficiency sy mptoms in tomato (Epstein and Bloom 2004). Leaves are often a pale green colour (due to the effect on chlorophyll). Some of the leaf margins will curl upwards or turn red-brown to a purple colour.Manganese -The leaves will show a light interveinal chlorosis developed under a limited supply of Mn. The early stages of the chlorosis induced by manganese deficiency are somewhat similar to iron deficiency. Manganese deficiency symptoms in tomato (Epstein and Bloom 2004)Nitrogen – deficiency will affect the rate at which the plant will grow. The older leaves at the bottom of the plant will first turn a yellow-greenish colour, then yellow, red or even purple. The newer leaves at the top of the plant will turn slightly yellowish-green. The colour change is due to the destruction of chloroplasts.Phosphorus deficient plants are often stunted and short in stature. The stalks that develop are weak and thin and appear spindly. Purple veins may appear on the leaves or the leaves may turn p urplish. Older leaves may appear bluish-green.Sulphur deficiency resembles that of Nitrogen, but it appears first in younger leaves with them pale-yellow or light green.Iron deficient leaves show strong chlorosis at the top of the plant and then moves down to the bottom. Leaves turn a yellow colour but keep there green veins.Potassium deficient leaves show marginal tip burn. As the deficiency progresses death occurs in the interveinal spaces between the main veins along with interveinal chlorosis.Biological AimThe aim of this experiment is to determine what effect the lack on minerals has on the growth of a plant.HypothesisAs fertiliser contains all of the necessary minerals that a plant will need to grow, the duckweed grown in fertiliser will produce the most leaflets. As tap water contains some minerals (chloride etc), duckweed will grow better in this than in distilled water that contains no minerals.Null HypothesisThe duckweed will not be affected by the absence of minerals and therefore there will be no difference between the number of leaflets in the three experiments.EquipmentThe equipment used was a described in the NEC handoutMethodThe method was conducted as described in the NEC handoutVariablesIndependent variable = the conditions in which the duckweed is grownConstant variablesNeed to make sure that the volume of liquid added to each of the containers is the same amount. This ensures that any effect of growth rate is not as a result of the amount of water added.The duckweed is taken from the same area of the pond this should ensure that the pond weed has gown in the same nutrients and environmental conditions.The duckweed taken from the pond is of a proportionate size. That the samples have the same amount of leaflets.Risk assessmentThere is a risk of infectious diseases such as weil’s disease from contaminated water supplies. It is therefore essential that precautions are taken when placing hands into the water. All open wounds on the hands should be covered and vinyl gloves warn when coming into contact. Also care must be taken when around ponds, ensure that no risks are taken to get hold of the duckweed.ResultsDayTreatmentDistilled WaterTap WaterWith fertiliserNumber of leafletsNumber of leafletsNumber of leaflets12Mean12Mean12mean133333333343334447887344576131213104447881815171345591110252123164551113123229311955512151444424322566131715585758Table 1 shows the number of leaflets on each duckweed plant grown under different conditionsDayTreatmentDistilled WaterNumber of leaflets121Leaves are normalLeaves are normal4Leaves are normalLeaves are normal7New leaflets a light interveinal chlorosisNew leaflets a light interveinal chlorosis10New leaflets a light interveinal chlorosisNew leaflets a light interveinal chlorosis13More â€Å"newer† of the leaf is turning yellowishMore â€Å"newer† of the leaf is turning yellowish16All of the leaves including older leaves turning yellowAll of the leaves including old er leaves turning yellow19All of the leaves including older leaves turning yellowAll of the leaves including older leaves turning yellow22Most leaves are now yellowMost leaves are now yellowTap WaterNumber of leaflets12Leaves are normalLeaves are normalLeaves are normalLeaves are normalLeaves are normalLeaves are normalLeaves are normalLeaves are normalLeaves are normalLeaves are normalLeaves are normalLeaves are normalNewer leaflets are much smaller and growing less rapidlyNewer leaflets are much smaller and growing less rapidlyNewer leaflets are much smaller and growing less rapidlyNewer leaflets are much smaller and growing less rapidlyWith fertiliserNumber of leaflets12Leaves are normalLeaves are normalLeaves are normalLeaves are normalLeaves are normalLeaves are normalLeaves are normalLeaves are normalLeaves are normalLeaves are normalLeaves are normalLeaves are normalLeaves are normalLeaves are normalLeaves are normalLeaves are normalGraph 1 shows the effect of minerals on the growth of leaflets on DuckweedThe plants grown in distilled water show very little difference in the amount of leaflets that grew on the duckweed plant. It also showed the smallest amount of growth in overall size. The growth of the duckweed is due to the minerals held in the plant, those minerals absorbed from the pond. As the duckweed ages the minerals are used up, there are no new minerals being replaced and the plant starts to show deficiencies in many of the minerals by the loss of chlorophyll and turn yellow.The duckweed grown in the tap water like the one grown in the distilled water retains minerals from the pond. There are some minerals in the tap water that aid grow this is shown by more leaflets growing in the later stages of the experiment. However if this experiment was elongated the amount of new leaflets would decrease that the plant would plateau as in the distilled water. This is due toany nutrients in the tap water being used up by the plant. The plant would also begin to exhibit phenotypic symptoms of nutrient deficieny such as yellow leaves.Plants grown in the fertiliser have the greatest rate of growth. The rate at which new leaves is not slowing and all leaves are a healthy green colour. This is because the nutrients that were in the plants from the pond are being replaced by excess minerals in the fertilisers. The longer the experiment proceeds the greater the rate of leaflet growth. This is shown by an increase in the gradient of the graph.ANOVA: Single FactorSUMMARYGroupsCountSumAverageVarianceColumn 18334.1250.839286Column 28718.87519.76786Column 38193.524.1875346.8527ANOVASource of VariationSSdfMSFP-valueF critBetween Groups1758.7712879.38547.1794410.0042083.4668Within Groups2572.21921122.4866Total4330.9923With a p value of 0.01 we can reject the null hypothesis and accept the hypothesis with a confidence of 99%. This means that there is a significant difference in the growth of leaflets in plants grown in different mediums. It sugg ests that minerals have a significant difference in the growth of plants.EvaluationAlthough this experiment shows the effect that minerals and the lack of minerals have on plant growth. This is all that it tells use. It makes no advancement to our knowledge of the effect of individual minerals to plants. This would have been overcome by the use of Sachs solutions which are specifically designed to have a single nutrient deficiency. This would then show how the effect of removing one nutrient would have on the phenotype of a plants growth.There was also a problem with water loss from the containers probably due to evaporation from the container and the leaves of the plant. No attempt was made to replace the loss fluid. This could then have had an effect on the growth of the plants. Before the experiment started I should have marked the meniscus of the water and then topped up the volume with distilled water.The health of the duckweed plants used was not investigated at the beginning of the experiment. Even though the duckweed was taken from the same area of the pond, some of the samples could have been diseased. If I would have had time I could of investigated this by growing all of the duckweed in nutrient rich water for a few weeks before replacing them in the new mediums. This would have meant all of the samples would have been healthy and disease free.I also noticed that to the end of the experiment algae was growing in the tap water and fertiliser samples. This could have some effect on the rate of plant growth. To prevent this, the water could have been boiled and cooled before adding in the plant. The effect of growth medium on duckweed growth Essay Thank you for reading this Sample!