Quality assurance on outsourced operation : a case of cleaning service company

The aim of this research is to develop knowledge on the outsourced operation between B2B business. Research focuses on the service provider’s side and it aims to find out how quality on provided service is assured among outsourcing parties. This research further checks on available measures on the part of the service provider for maintaining the quality service. Outsourcing operations is very common practice for the business to overcome the time and resource constraints. Maintaining the standard on service quality is thus totally handed to the service providers while the services are outsourced. It is a tough job for the service provider to meet the customers expectation and further exceed the expectation with an aim to attain customer satisfaction. This research highlights the need of proper agreement on the service level to ensure successful outsourced operation. In this research paper company X is presented as the service provider and Company Y is the one outsourcing its services, the study does not include the end customers of the business as research is focused on B2B business and in case of outsourced services, outsourcing company is the customer for the service provider. Company X, case company is providing cleaning services in different sectors but research will only cover one area of business. Detail information about Company X is not presented due to company confidentiality. This research focuses on the service level agreement regarding the service standards in the outsourced operation and the measures required for the company X to ensure quality on service provided. Qualitative research method was used for data collection. Interviews and researcher’s own experience at operational level in Company X helped to collect the required information. Various theories, books, articles, journals act as a framework to construct this paper. The result shows that Company X is performing well in the outsourced operation in general but there are some issues to be checked and fixed at operational level regarding the service standards which is the internal factor to be considered. Agreement on the service level and standards among the contracting parties are also in need for a revision and it is essential for both parties to integrate it with the internal communication within companies. This research is based only on opinions of top level management and further research on this particular topic is suggested also including opinion of the operational level employees

Care giver burden among spouse of psychiatric patients attending psychiatry outpatient department of a teaching hospital

Introductions: Caregiver burden in mental illness is a global issue. Burden is more significant and high among spouse than other caregivers. Spouse face illness-specific burdens of feeling powerlessness, fear, marital stress and partnership and family roles. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in outpatient department of psychiatry in Patan hospital, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Nepal, from 26th August to 23rd September, 2018. Non-probability purposive sampling technique was used. Data was collected from spouses of psychiatric patients by face-to-face interview using Burden Assessment Schedule (BAS) to assess the caregiver burden of spouses of psychiatric patients. Results: Out of 160 spouses interviewed, 94 (59%) had severe burden, 13 (9%) very severe, and 53 (34%) moderate. Burden was significantly associated with respondents’ relation to patient, educational status, income and diagnosis. The respondent’s age, occupation, duration of caring, and place of residence had no significant association with burden. Conclusions: More than half of the spouses of psychiatric patients had severe care giver burden. Keywords: burden, psychiatric patient, spous

The Indian monsoon: 2. How do we get rain?

The most important facet of weather and climate in a tropical region such as ours, is rainfall. I have considered the observed space-time variation of the rainfall over the Indian region, in the first article1 in this series. The ultimate aim of monsoon meteorology is to gain sufficient insight into the physics of this variation for predicting the important facets, with the help of atmospheric models based on the laws of dynamics and thermodynamics. Here I consider what we know about the rain-giving systems

The Indian monsoon: 4. Links to cloud systems over the tropical oceans

In this article, I discuss the links between the variation of the monsoon and the variation of convection over the Indian and Pacific Oceans, on subseasonal scales of a few days and on an interannual scale. The relationship of the variation of the convection over the oceans to the sea surface temperature is elucidated and the implications for the Pacific and Indian Oceans considered. The role played by the El Nino and Southern Oscillation over the Pacific and the Equatorial Indian Ocean Oscillation in determining the year-to-year variation of the monsoon is discussed

The Indian monsoon: 3. Physics of the monsoon

We, in the monsoonal regions of the world are concerned about the variation of rainfall in space and time and a major aim of monsoon meteorology is to predict these variations. Understanding the basic system responsible for the monsoon and the factors that lead to its variation is a prerequisite for developing models to generate these predictions. In this article, I discuss the basic system responsible for the monsoon - the wind and the rains

Thirumoolar's Theosophical Principles in Tirumantiram

We should worship The Lord, the great object of knowledge that removes the darkness of the world, in our hearts to remove the darkness of our ignorance. The purpose of this article is to take the principles of the gods in thirumoolar that the salvation of human life is to be rewarded with the realization of the truth in the hearts of each of us by understanding the truth of the truth

Role of Resources for Care in Improving Care Behaviors, Children’s Nutritional Status and Early Childhood Development in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Poor child growth and suboptimal early childhood development are global health problems. Provision of appropriate care may help to achieve optimum child growth and development. Maternal resources for care such as education, knowledge, health, autonomy, reasonable workload, and social support may be needed to provide appropriate care behaviors, and improve children’s nutritional status, and early childhood development. The overall goal of this research was to understand the role of resources for care in improving care behaviors, child nutritional status, and early childhood development. The baseline Alive & Thrive household surveys from Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Ethiopia were used. We examined the structures and equivalence of resources for care measures. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the association between maternal resources for care and care behaviors. Path analysis was used to determine the paths through which maternal resources for care are associated with height-for-age z scores and motor and language development. The factor analysis demonstrated that a three-factor solution best explained the structure of resources for care in Bangladesh and a two-factor solution best explained the structure in Vietnam and Ethiopia. The structure of resources for care was similar in some instances but differences also existed across settings. For the measures that were scales, the order of the percentage of the affirmative responses was similar across settings, but a few differences were also found. Resources for care were associated with the care behaviors of exclusive breastfeeding, minimum meal frequency, dietary diversity, improved drinking water source, improved sanitation, cleanliness, child immunization, psychosocial stimulation, and adequate care. The associations differed by the types of resources for care, care behaviors, and study settings. Resources for care were associated with children’s height-for-age z scores, motor development, and language development through direct and indirect paths. Care behaviors mediated the associations of resources for care with child outcomes. Children’s physical growth also partially explained the associations between resources for care and child development. Findings suggest that strengthening resources for care among mothers will be beneficial in improving care behaviors, children’s nutritional status, and early childhood development

Effect of Regional Dialects in Learning Tamil Language

Having two forms of practice, the spoken and written, is a peculiarity that the Tamil language has. In written form the language is used with no grammatical errors. Spoken form is the one that people use in their daily language as they speak. This colloquial usage is most importantly used to express human emotions. It can be observed that, spoken form of language and the pronunciation of words differ according to region, race and caste. The word is subject to change depending upon these factors while the meaning remains constant. When a word differs from the common usage based on the region, race or caste it is called as a regional dialect. Tamil language is considered to be the oldest language, the one that man spoke first. It has a rich sense of nativity and intellectual depth. Language is not just a medium, it is also an identity for the race that used it. It becomes our responsibility to document it. Regional dialects are assets to a language. While teaching such language, along with teaching the meaning of lessons, vocabulary and its usage should also be taught in order to have a deeper understanding about the taught meaning. Only then Tamil’s richness could be internalised.  A teacher should elaborate the influence that regional dialects have on a language, in order to make the process of language learning fruitful. A child’s primary learning begins at home before it steps into a school. This research article reflects the impacts that understanding the changes in people and their language while exposed to the external environment from home environment has on the process of learning

Poor Affordability and Low Access to Primary Education with Special Reference to Eastern Uttar Pradesh: Reflections from DISE Data

‘Access to basic education’ continues to be a matter of serious concern in India. While the quantitative expansion of the system appears to be very impressive, the achievement of the goal of universalisation of primary education has still remained elusive. This is because the government continues its celebration through reflecting on increased access to the basic facilities, based on apparent increase in enrolment-ratios, literacy rate and other infrastructural facilities; a deeper look reveals the progress to be grossly un-satisfactory. Availability of education facilities and attainment reflected in the form of increase in literacy rate, enrolment ratio, availability of educational infrastructure etc. cannot ensure access, as these facilities are beyond reach of the vulnerable section still fighting a grim battle to make their both ends meet. Although the government has provided free education to the children making the direct cost of education minimal, yet there are high indirect cost i.e., cost on books, stationery, examination fee, transportation, uniform, bags, etc. as well as opportunity cost i.e., the loss of wages to parents when the child is sent for schooling, which have not been taken into consideration by the government while subsidizing education. Therefore, instead of relying on availability alone, the issue of affordability needs to be equally stressed upon. The present paper highlights the issue as to whether mere creating the facilities and providing free education ensures access in real sense. It attempts to measure affordability in access to primary education in Uttar Pradesh with the help of DISE data for the year 2013-14. Keywords: Access, Achievement, Universalisation, Opportunity Cost, Affordability

Seed borne Alternaria species: A review

Species of Alternaria cause range of diseases with great economic importance on large variety of commercially cultivated tropical crop plants which include cereals, legumes, oil seeds and large number of post harvest crops. Alternaria species causing early blight disease to the plants are known to cause wild spread damage in tropical crops