Principles of Organisation Behaviour Concept

Question: Explain the principles of Organisation Behaviour. Answer: Introduction Employee satisfaction is a concept that determines the degree of satisfaction that employees get in an organization and this shows the level of engagement and interest. The contended employees work well and there are fulfilling needs that help to fulfil the desires of an employee towards its organization (Eslami Gharakhani, 2012). The responsibility is highly considered by satisfied employees and they work for growth and development of an organization through which an organizations commitment is observed with the increase in job performance. Organizations can immensely garner and perform well when the employees are committed towards their work and this is a pride for organization and its members when employee retention rate is lower and the goals with its moral values are respected with an increase in the productivity. Management is involved for employee engagement plans and employee involvement for the development of Walmart which is considered in this study. Job satisfaction and organizational commitment are interlinked as such job satisfaction is the base to fulfill the organizational objectives and organizational commitments. When employees are satisfied because of the job security and human resource perspective policies in an organization, the level of acceptance and employee retention is considered. The manager determines the key success factors that help to increase the level of job satisfaction which in turn helps for organization commitment and strategic management plans. The competitive environment has increased the globalization and its perspectives that are beneficial consequences and is an increased effectiveness. It is observed as such in an organization from a survey that employees who are satisfied perform their responsibilities and duties in their job and are subsequently performing well as per organizational commitment. Body The retail industry has been well established with the supply and distribution channel that has a diverse effect for the retail companies all over the world. The open market and the innovation in the business have made strong efforts to move according to the business operations effectively and with utmost reliable information. Job satisfaction in the retail industry has made improvements towards the employment opportunity all over the world. At this end, the increase in the employment opportunity may determine the job satisfaction and organizational commitment concepts. Walmart is actually the largest retail sector that has several stores as their chain all over the world with the multinational brands and discounts that are provided by the company. The study indicates the job satisfaction and the organizational commitment by making an importance in the retail industry. Employee turnover has been a main issue that is concerned in each organization and in almost in each industry. In developed countries, there is a valid ground that has an impact over the employee turnover ratio. It is observed that employee retention is possible when employees have responsibilities that are fulfilled as in organizational commitment and individual responsibilities towards an organization (elik, 2008). If this is fulfilled by an employee, the growth and development of an organization have a positive impact. Considering the case study of Wallmart,which is one of the largest retail industry in the world, it has rules, regulations and authority towards employees and this has maintained employee retention and turnover ratio in past years. Determining the level of employee satisfaction and organizational commitment, there are findings that reveal the re al position of the company (Lambert, 2004). As far as job satisfaction and organizational commitment is emphasized in the essay, the essay reveals about Walmarts employees who are actually satisfied with their job and the others who are not committed towards an organization are unsatisfied with the reason of quitting the job opportunity and the job security they get from the company (Swailes, 2002). There are employees that are more than satisfied with the work culture and the responsibilities. The workplace conditions are mainly described in accordance with the other profiles and the pay structure. There are different pay structures which include according to the merit or may be according to the experience. Employment evaluation has made job opportunities and the job satisfaction at a higher level of interest for employees (Chen Silverthorne, 2008). Performance evaluation has taken place moderately in the company which means there are training and development program with benefits and the perk systems that are accepted in an organization. As an HR manager of the company, it is examined that Walmart has policy systems in the company still increasing the measures taken for employee turnover may be a benefit for the company. There are around 2 million people all over the globe who are employed at Walmart in one or the other store. The retail industry has developed globally and this in turn has made the biggest employment opportunity in the retail sector (Greenberg, 2005). As the retail company has large turnover, it has a competitive advantage that performs better when the human resources department have some rules and regulations towards the bottom line and the optimal use of resources in the company. A company makes all its efforts for its objectives and even for the employee satisfaction because it is the time when employees are paid according to the job profile and their skills. Employee satisfaction factor is achieved when the contemporary business environment is in practice while fulfilling the demands of employees with monetary efforts or non monetary efforts. There is a perceived relation and a connection between job satisfaction, organizational commitment and job performance concepts. At this end, researchers and authors have made an emphasizes about employee satisfaction and organizational commitment. As per a research, an organization makes an optimal use of human resources and if the employees are satisfied they work for the organizations goals (Schwepker, 2001). This states that employee satisfaction is a very critical factor that is important to consider in an organization. Employee satisfaction is actually a pivotal role that is influenced in order to achieve the goal, motivation and as such positive impact of employees morale standards. These are the main concepts that are expected of an organization, but in turn an organization considers the following requirements such as employee empowerment, job evaluation, promotions, perks, benefits and improved compensation plan. These are the positive change management that a company does for employee satisfaction (Karrasch, 2003). There is a correlation that stands within job satisfaction, organizational commitment and job performance. This is the case when Walmart adopts employee satisfaction strategy by providing its employee performance evaluation system with an increase in compensation rate as far as benefit plans matter. This shows the relation between the employee satisfaction and the job performance factors. There are no such organizations who may achieve organizational goals and achievements, if there are no right set of employees. Because of the reason, employees play a vital role in the organizations success and the contemporary business is as such a matter of importance in the competitive world (Daneshfard Ekvaniyan, 2012). On the other hand, if job satisfaction is achieved by employees, there is an impact towards the organizational commitment which means employees are working hard for achieving the organization's goals and their staff turnover is less due to employee satisfaction. When the employee turnover is controlled, absenteeism is not observed and this may be a positive impact for the growth and development of the company (Lok Crawford, 2004). So there is a correlation towards each concept and is linked to the employee satisfaction and organizational commitment concepts. There is a positive correlation that states the performance and job satisfaction point of view. For optimal use of employees, the best ever strategies are applied and implemented in an organization and this will gain the needs and requirements for growth and development of the company. There are crucial efforts made by an organization, which are undertaken in a large survey with extensive use of resource and has mainly aimed at the top level talent in the company. Employees of the company are asset of an organization who have responsibility towards an organization to fulfill the goals. There are social factors, economical factors, cultural factors, political factors, technological, environmental and legal factors that are responsible for the extent employees are satisfied in Walmart. These are critical factors that influence the employee satisfaction rate. Walmart being a well known retail company emphasize these changes (Ayeni Phopoola, 2007). Political factors may have an impact towards the degree of satisfaction that is observed in a research. With the political factors the employees feel they are being discriminated whether with race or class. Due to globalization, there are many such factors that have changed the level of commitment of employees. Economic factors may even impact and the degree of employee satisfaction. The economic factors include the work conditions in an organization, the employment opportunity and the rate of employment that the company provides. At this end, Walmart has higher rate of employment opportunities and this has made an impact towards the employees. Employees are satisfied with the working conditions and the working hours (Nagar, 2012). Technological factor has made an impact over the employee satisfaction. Information technology accepted in an organization proves that organization is well developed and is going according to the change (Alotaibi, 2001). Employees get satisfied with the level of technology used in the company, thereby they are committed towards their work. Globalization has made changes in the current organization to prove the effectiveness of competitive advantage that is dealt in Walmart. Employee satisfaction is achieved as far as globalization factor matters because employment opportunities are high at Walmart and there are 2 million employees all over the world who are working for Walmart because of the employment opportunities with job satisfaction rate. There are economic and non economic factors that influence the job satisfaction and organizational commitment in Walmart. As such the cost advantage that is adopted by the company may prove as a benefit for employees and increase the pay structure. Compensation and the benefits that are provided by the company are again entirely accepted by the employee which results in job satisfaction rate and organizational commitment. The human resources practices and policies adopted in the company matter a lot while the human resource department is managed significantly. This shows that employee involvement and employee engagement is accepted by the employees voluntarily. The net income of the company is approximately 3.7 billion dollars as per the research in 2013 (Bergmann, Lester, De Meuse Grahn, 2000). This made the demand in an employment opportunity with a higher rate of interest by the candidates and the notorious reputation of the company influence the general public to apply for the position. The job satisfaction rate is therefore high and the organizational commitment is therefore achieved as far as this is one of the reasons among many. Employment treatment and higher salaries are one of the reasons for job satisfaction rate and organizational commitment as well. The structure of the company is managed in such a way that employees get satisfied as far as human resources practices are adopted. Employee morale is considered in the company and responsibility and authority are measured at this end. The rules, supervisions and the policies are well framed in the company so that employees get a fair compensation and equal pay at each level and phase. This becomes a positive impact for the employees to give their best as far as promotion matters with change management system adopted by the company. There are some disappointments that can be ignored as far as absenteeism in the company matters. Conclusion The study conducts the findings that explore the perspirations and the perceptions of employees towards the company. There are certain measures that may help to fulfill the research with inherent interest. The fact that Walmart was selected here for the concepts of job satisfaction is due to an employment opportunity and employment relations it has towards its employees because the organization is well known, this may impact positively. The role of a manager in a service organization is to build the teamwork among the employees while even emphasizing the need of employees. What is perceived at the next stage is job satisfaction of employees, which may enhance and increase the level of perceived objectives that are pre decided in the strategic planning process. Organizational commitment is observed and growth opportunities may flourish with the help of employee engagement and employee involvement. Employee retention rate is being standardized and this is keenly observed in Walmart. To work and support employees in a service organization describe about the level of leadership attitudes adopted in an organization which again helps to achieve the job satisfaction and organizational commitment concepts. A contemporary manager builds and sustains the organizational commitment, attitude and motivates employees to achieve organizational and personal objectives. There are specific factors that influence the employees level of job satisfaction in a Walmart retail company. This even means that organizational commitment is achieved with those specific factors. Walmart being one of the well known retail company operates with thousands of department stores over the world. This shows how the organization would have been working for years by achieving growth and development in each of the countries. The human resource management practices make an influence towards the employee satisfaction and organizational commitment concepts. There are attitudes that are carried out by the company to satisfy employees. The human resource management practices adopted by Walmart has emphasized the employee satisfaction rate. There is an intense relationship between the job satisfaction and the organizational commitment that has an influence over the company objectives. As such managers contribute and help to complete the purpose of an organization and indicates this as a normative commitment which is significantly a very important factor to perceive. There are factors that affect the growth and development of an organization, but these are to be maintained efficiently and this is observed as per the research conducted for many service companies in the world. Employees are getting rewards and incentives as per their performance and involvement in company objectives. References Alotaibi, A. G. (2001). Antecedents of Organizational Citizenship Behavior: A Study of Public Personnel in Kuwait. Public Personnel Management, 30 (3), pp. 363-376. Awang, Z., Ahmad, J. H. Zin, N. M. (2010). Modelling Job Satisfaction and Work Commitment among Lecturers: A Case of UiTM Kelantan. Journal of Statistical Modeling and Analytics, 1 (2), pp. 45-59. Ayeni, C. O. Phopoola, S. O. (2007). Work Motivation, Job Satisfaction, and Organizational Commitment of Library Personnel in Academic and Research Libraries in Oyo State, Nigeria, Library Philosophy and Practice. elik, C. (2008). Relationship of Organizational Commitment and Job Satisfaction: A Field Study of Tax Office Employees. International Conference on Management and Economics (ICME-2008), pp. 138-155 Chen J. C. Silverthorne, C. (2008). The Impact of Locus of Control on Job Stress, Job Performance and Job Satisfaction in Taiwan. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 29 (7), pp. 572-582. Daneshfard, C. Ekvaniyan, K. E. (2012). Organizational Commitment and Job Satisfaction in Islamic Azad University, Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business, 3 (9), pp. 168-181. Eslami, J. Gharakhani, D. (2012). Organizational Commitment and Job Satisfaction. ARPN Journal of Science and Technology, 2 (2), pp. 85-91. Greenberg, J. (2005). Managing Behavior in Organizations. 4th ed., Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ. Karrasch, A. I. (2003). Antecedents and Consequences of Organizational Commitment. Military Psychology, 15 (3), pp. 225-236. Lambert, E. G. (2004). The Impact of Job Characteristics on Correctional Staff Members. The Prison Journal, 84 (2), pp. 208227. Nagar, K. (2012). Organizational Commitment and Job Satisfaction among Teachers during Times of Burnout. Vikalpa, 37 (2), pp. 43-60. Lok, P. J. Crawford, (2004). The effect of organizational culture and leadership style on job satisfaction and organizational commitment: A cross-national comparison, Journal of Management Development, vol. 23, no.4, pp. 321-338, 2004 Swailes, S., (2002). Organizational commitment: A critique of the construct and measures, International Journal of Management Reviews, vol. 4, no.2, pp. 155-178, 2002. Schwepker, C. H. (2001). Ethical Climates Relationship to Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment, and Turnover Intention in the Sales Force. Journal of Business Research, 54 (1), pp. 39-52. Bergmann, T., Lester, S., K.P. De Meuse, Grahn, J., (2000). Integrating the three domains of employee commitment: an exploratory study, Journal of Applied Business Research, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 15-26, 2000.

UN High Commissioner Navi Pillay - On 2011 International Human Rights Day free essay sample

Understand Chemistry Unit Conversions

Understand Chemistry Unit Conversions Unit conversions are important in all sciences, although they may seem more critical in chemistry because many calculations use different units. Every measurement you take should reporting with the proper units. While it may take practice to master unit conversions, you only need to know how to multiply, divide, add, and subtract to do them. The math is easy as long as you know which units can be converted from one to another and how to set up conversion factors in an equation. Know the Base Units There are several common base quantities, such as mass, temperature, and volume. You can convert between different units of a base quantity, but may not be able to convert from one type of quantity to another. For example, you can convert grams to moles or kilograms, but you cant convert grams to Kelvin. Grams, moles, and kilograms are all units that describe the amount of matter, while Kelvin describes temperature. There are seven fundamental base units in the SI or metric system, plus there are other units that are considered base units in other systems. A base unit is a single unit. Here are some common ones: Mass kilogram (kg), gram (g), pound (lb) Distance or Length meter (m), centimeter (cm), inch (in), kilometer (km), mile (mi) Time second (s), minute (min), hour (hr), day, year Temperature Kelvin (K), Celsius (C), Fahrenheit (F) Quantity mole (mol) Electric Current ampere (amp) Luminous Intensity candela Understand Derived Units Derived units (sometimes called special units) combine the base units. An example of a derived unit is a unit for area, square meters (m2) or the unit of force, the newton (kg ·m/s2). Also included are volume units. For example, there are liters (l), milliliters (ml), cubic centimeter (cm3). Unit Prefixes In order to convert between units, youll want to know common unit prefixes. These are used primarily in the metric system as a sort of shorthand notation to make numbers easier to express. Here are some useful prefixes to know: Name Symbol Factor giga- G 109 mega- M 106 kilo- k 103 hecto- h 102 deca- da 101 base unit 100 deci- d 10-1 centi- c 10-2 milli- m 10-3 micro- 10-6 nano- n 10-9 pico- p 10-12 femto- f 10-15 As example of how to use the prefixes: 1000 meters 1 kilometer 1 km For very large or very small numbers, its easier to use scientific notation: 1000 103 0.00005 5 x 10-4 Performing Unit Conversions With all of this in mind, youre ready to perform unit conversions. A unit conversion can be thought of as a sort of equation. In math, you may recall if you multiply any number times 1, it is unchanged. Unit conversions work the same way, except 1 is expressed in the form of a conversion factor or ratio. Consider the unit conversion: 1 g 1000 mg This could be written as: 1g / 1000 mg 1 or 1000 mg / 1 g 1 If you multiply a value times either of these fractions, its value will be unchanged. Youll use this to cancel out units to convert them. Heres an example (notice how the grams cancel out in the numerator and denominator): 4.2x10-31g x 1000mg/1g 4.2x10-31 x 1000 mg 4.2x10-28 mg Using Your Calculator You can enter in these values in scientific notation on your calculator using the EE button: 4.2 EE -31 x 1 EE3 which will give you: 4.2 E -18 Heres another example. Convert 48.3 inches into feet. Either you know the conversion factor between inches and feet or you can look it up: 12 inches 1 foot or 12 in 1 ft Now, you set up the conversion so that the inches will cancel out, leaving you with feet in your final answer: 48.3 inches x 1 foot/12 inches 4.03 ft There is inches in both the top (numerator) and bottom (denominator) of the expression, so it cancels out. If you had tried to write: 48.3 inches x 12 inches/1 foot you would have had square inches / foot, which wouldnt have given you the desired units. Always check your conversion factor to make sure the correct term cancels out! You may need to switch the fraction around. Key Points Unit conversions only work if the units are the same type. For example, you cant convert mass into temperature or volume into energy.In chemistry, it would be nice if you only had to convert between metric units, but there are many common units in other systems. For example, you may need to convert a Fahrenheit temperature into Celsius or a pound mass into kilograms.The only math skills you need to do unit conversions are addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

Recent changes made to the National Breakfast and Lunch Program Research Paper

Recent changes made to the National Breakfast and Lunch Program - Research Paper Example It is in the process of seeking to ensure that the meals received by children at schools meet the required health standards that the USDA has issued new dietary guidelines, which the school meals should meet. While the new requirements might seem to be too demanding or disruptive of the current school breakfast and lunch program, it is conclusive to say that the new requirements are highly beneficial not only to the school children, but also to the society at large. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) new requirement standards for the school breakfast and lunch programs provides that children should be served with more fruits, vegetables and whole-grain containing foods, while at the same time being offered low-fat or fat-free dairy products (USDA, 2012). Secondly the new requirements provide that processed meat and processed dairy products should wholesomely be eliminated from the school breakfast and lunch programs, to avoid the adverse health effects that are associated with these type of foods on children’s health (FRAC, 2014). Offering daily plant-based snacks/salads as an option for all children eligible for the NSLP, which constitute of fresh garden salad-bars, as way of ensuring the provision of fiber-based whole meal diet for children (FRAC, 2014). The other recommendation of the new NSLP requirements is that the schools should ensure to offer low-fat, fat-free or nondairy milk on a daily basis as an option for all children eligible for the NSLP, where soy milk; a plant-based nondairy milk, has been recommended as the new milk beverage that schools should offer to the children, owing to the potential health benefits that are associated with this nondairy milk (FRAC, 2014). The other requirement by the USDA revised school food programs provide that the schools should increase their annual food and nutrition classes to a minimum of 50 hours per academic year (USDA, 2012). This recommendation has been established on

MPH502 - Introduction to Public Health Module 3 - Case Essay

MPH502 - Introduction to Public Health Module 3 - Case - Essay Example The constitutional design reveals a plain objective in government to protect community health and safety. Government has great responsibilities towards public health sector; health is not only indispensible to finance but also to individuals. Public health is a collective action not only government can save the community’s health. On this point, I completely agree with the author, as if individuals work alone, they cannot save the minimum level of health. Government support is always needed for this great cause. According to the author, it is quiet difficult to separate government responsibility and individual’s effort. Public health also takes in account the individuals that stake a claim to health protection. A strong relationship exists between individual’s health and the health of community at large. I completely agree with author that public health efforts need collective actions for better results because it’s nearly impossible to improve health sector without governments help. Public health law states the advantages and burdens by government on individuals and private health sectors on legally protected interest. Government acts for health sector, it may de-motivate individuals to invest in health sector. The law address that how government act on the growth of health sector both individuals and a large population. Author point is valid up to some extent as both public and private sector has own responsibilities. Government has primary responsibility to promote both mental and physical health and prevent injury and disability. Government responsibility is to inform, educate individuals and invest heavy amount on health. Public health law focuses on governmental responsibilities to the community and individuals health. Government can do much for public health as it owns thousands of resources and power. Government is authorized

Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Project Management - Essay Example All these factors are not driven on product and service quality but, also on how to achieve them, so it does not entails the latter two but also quality assurance and control of the process in addition to the end product for an overall even and good quality. Contrary to the other software development, which can be termed in many different ways good examples, are software application development, software design, platform development, and many others. However, all said it is the development of a software product, they may include research in development of new designs, photo typing, reuse modification, maintenance, and re-engineering of result oriented software products. By trying to define it, we can say it is a structure driven on development of a software product. Then in trying to understand the two first, let us look at the former software development projects. There are different approaches of software development. Nevertheless, all this approaches share a common understanding a nd towards the following laid down processes: analysis of the problem, a market research on the problem, coming up with requirements for the proposed business solution. There is also generating a planned design for the solution based on the software, implementation of the software, a test drive for the software, use of the software in the market and lastly maintenance and fixing of any abnormalities in its use (Brooks 2005). Software development project are projects just like any other and to relate them to quality management one has to simplify the and try to understand them that way as to have a clear understanding of the two of them .quality management can be a big element too a smooth running of a software development project. Through quality management, a software development project is derived. for one to come up with a workable and profitable project one has to use and implement the workability’s and elements of quality management for this reasons we have to look at th e ways and elements of quality management to understand the similarities, success and failures of software development projects as it is as any other project in quality management. There are certain elements that are adhered to in quality management that are essential and vital to project control these are; organization structure, responsibilities, data management, processes including purchasing’ resources natural and human resources, customer satisfaction, continuous improvement, product quality, maintenances, sustainability and transparency. All this factor has to be incorporated in system development project for it is to be viable (Brooks 2005). For a viable system, quality system adhere to certain elements that are co related and brings out a good relationship between the two that is quality management and system development success these are personnel training and qualification; control of product design, documentation, product design and its purchasing power, product id entification, traceability at all stages of production. Process of controlling and defining the production both the systems and the product at the same time in this scenario. The production software, inspection should be defined and controlled and ensuring the test equipments is measured to standard. There is need for process validation, acceptance of products, reduction, and control of

Food Safety Modernization Act and Puerto Rico

Food Safety Modernization Act and Puerto Rico Research Paper Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA): An Assessment of Puerto Ricos Food Industry Readiness and Preparedness Abstract Preliminary Idea The successful development and implementation of compliance policies and activities in the food industry could be directly associated with the access to information and understanding of the law. Discussions and information found in the literature about the impact of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) implementation has been mainly conducted within the United States. However, limited information is available about the impact of this new law in one of the U.S. territories, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. On this research study FDA Official Inspected Establishments in Puerto Rico were questioned about their readiness and preparedness for FSMA using an on-line survey tool. The purpose of this research is to obtain information that can allow to evaluated if the lack of access to FSMA information and language barriers have a direct effect that limits the readiness and preparedness of the FSMA implementation in Puerto Rico. In progress: include results and conclusion headings/sections Chapter I: Introduction Introduction FSMA implementation represents a big challenge that urges food manufacturers to revise their food safety systems and make decisions about resource allocation to reduce food safety risks in their operations. This new law had been building with several years of high-profile food recalls, foodborne illness outbreak, and consumers advisories (3). Discussions and information found in the literature about the impact of the implementation of FSMA has been mainly conducted within the United States. However, limited information is available about the impact of this new law on the food industry in other U.S. territories. On this research study the information collected allow to examine the readiness and preparedness on FSMA in one of the U.S. territories, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The island of Puerto Rico is part of the Greater Antilles and since 1898 has been part of the United States (1). This unique status requires that food manufacturers in Puerto Rico comply with all federal regulations that cover the food industry (2). It is important to understand that the challenges faced by food manufacturers in Puerto Rico are not different from their counterparts in the United States. FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg stated that FSMA calls for the strengthening of existing collaboration among all food safety agencies whether they are Federal, state, local, territorial, tribal, or foreign. Building and leveraging the capacity of these food safety partners is how we can have a well-integrated, national food safety system that is as effective and efficient as it can be (12) (13). In order to achieve these statements it is imperative to collect information, actually not available, about food manufactures readiness and preparedness in Puerto Rico for the implementation of the different requirements established on FSMA. This task represents a big challenge; specific topics about the requirements of the FSMA law are outside the scope of this research study. Taking this limitation in consideration, two research questions are intended to be covered by this study. Is the lack of access to FSMA information limiting readiness of food manufacturers in Puerto Rico? Is the lack of understanding due to language barriers among food manufacturers limiting FSMA preparedness? The participants were defined using the FDA Official Inventory Establishment (OIE) list of food manufacturers in Puerto Rico (Appendix 1). An online survey was used as the instrument to obtain information. The survey questionnaire was distributed among the participants by e-mail and descriptive statistics was used to summarize and analyze the data obtained from the survey. Findings, recommendations and future directions will be discussed to learn more about the food manufacturing industry in Puerto Rico. FSMA Rule Requirements The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is the most significant amendment of United States food law since passage of the 1938 Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (3). It will impact all domestic and imported food products that are not under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS). FSMA was signed into law on January 4, 2011 and since then food manufacturers have been called upon to start preparing their companies to be in compliance with the new law requirements. FDA identified five key elements where its authority was enhanced. The first element is focusing on preventing food borne illness by requiring mandatory preventive controls, Hazard Analysis Risk Preventive Controls (HARPC), for food facilities and mandatory produce safety standards, and also giving the authority to prevent intentional adulteration. The difference from the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) approach is that HARPC is slightly broader requiring identification and controls of hazards generally, not just critical control points (3). The second is by providing the ability to increase FDA inspection frequency based on risk; high-risk facilities will be identified. Third, ability to respond to problems when emerge including authority to conduct mandatory recall for all products, authority to detain products that are in violation, and by suspending facilitys registration. Before, FDA was required to have credible evidence or information than an article of foo d presents a threat of serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals with FSMA FDA have the authority to detain an article if the agency has reason to believe that the article of food is adulterated or misbranded (3). The fourth element identified is new requirements for imported products by requiring importers to verify their foreign suppliers have adequate preventive controls. The last element considered is the enhanced of partnerships between FDA by improving training of state, local, and tribal food safety officials (25). In addition, FDA will enhance the partnerships with other food agencies and private entities (24). The FDA is responsible for more than 50 regulations, guidelines, and studies under FSMA, this included seven foundational rules required to fully implement it (See table 1) (25). Among the 7 different rules included in FSMA the well-known part 110 that covers Current Good Manufacturing Practices was removed and replaced it. Now part 117 will covers Good Manufacturing Practice and Hazard Analysis and Risk Controls for Human food and for Growing, Harvesting, Packing and Holdings of Produce for Human Consumption. In addition, it is expected by law that all high-risk domestic firms after the law enactment be inspected in a period of five years and no less than every three years thereafter (3). The FSMA legislations purpose is to renovate the existing approach to food safety by enabling stakeholders to concentrate on preventive controls rather than simply reacting to food safety events (4). Legislative requirements of FSMA can be challenging, especially for small food facilities affected by the regulations immediately or in the near future (4). The new recordkeeping requirements will be science-based and based on the know safety risk of a particular food, including the history and severity of outbreak, and factors related with the likelihood on foodborne illnesses (3). Small and very small plants do not have robust programs in place when compared with larger plants. Historically, small businesses have not had extensive experience with prevalent food safety management systems and standards such as ISO 22000: 2005, SQF code (Safe Quality Food Institute), GFSI guidelines (Global Food Safety Initiative) or HACCP (4). Programs that in most cases larger plants are more familiariz ed (4). In addition, FDA has recognized that small food facilities will likely face financial concerns in the implementation of the preventive control requirements of FSMA because they lack experience with HACCP-based models (4). Nevertheless, the new food safety requirements are the same regardless of size, unless they are partially or fully exempted based on the operations conducted in the facility (5). Small plants and very small plants need to comply within a period of two to three years, respectively, after the publication of the final rule (see table 2) (5). Historical Background and Food Regulatory Structure in Puerto Rico The island of Puerto Rico is similar in size to Connecticut, encompassing 3,492 square miles. The population is about 3.4 million and the main language is Spanish. The island has 6 urban centers designated as Standard Metropolitan areas (SMAs) by the U.S. Census Bureau (6) (7). Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands are under the jurisdiction of the FDA San Juan District office located in the capital area of Puerto Rico. This office is the smallest of the FDAs 20 districts, was established back in 1911 and was officially named in 1971. This office reports to the Regional Field Office, Southeast Region in Atlanta, GA (19). In 2013, FDA reported that they regulated 1,500 facilities, approximately half of them from the food industry (8). FDA in San Juan works closely with the local Health Department Environmental Health Food Division, which is in charge of the inspection of food manufacturing facilities. As other states in the U.S. (20), this agency establishes specific regulatory requirements and issues the mandatory sanitary license that covers food operations in the island. In 2016, the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO), under contract to the FDA, shared data on the progress of FDA Food Code adoptions by States, Territories, and Indian Health Se rvice. They reported that Puerto Rico adopted the Food Code version 2009 based in their population (21). Food Regulatory requirements in Puerto Rico are also promulgated by the Puerto Rico Health Department in Departamento de Salud de Puerto Rico Reglamento General de Salud Ambiental No. 6090 4 de febrero de 2000 (18). On this regulations, the CFR tittle 21 is mentioned as the primary reference for compliance. However, in addition of the regulation established in the CFR title 21 there is specific requirements established in Puerto Rico for food products label language, annual license certificationXXXXâ‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦ In addition, there are other agencies in the island that are or may be involve on food safety oversight. The State Department of Agriculture has regulations thru the program of Inspeccion de Mercado that covers produce, coffee and eggs (22). Also, the Departamento de Asuntos al Consumidor (DACO) protect consumers from being deceiving (23). They are involve on informing recalls of imported products marketed in the Island, inspect and removed expired products from shelves and have the authority to enforce civil penalties. Also, they are involving on the inspection of packaging of meat, fruits, vegetable and others food products by enforcing the Reglamento de Empaque (23). It is important to mention that the USDA-FSIS is responsible for ensuring that meat, poultry, and processed egg products produced in Puerto Rico are safe, wholesome, and accurately labeled. Puerto Rico establishments are under the jurisdiction of the FSISs Atlanta, Georgia District (14). Data obtained from the USDA-FSIS in Puerto Rico showed that eighty seven establishments are inspected by FSIS; thirty four of them under dual jurisdiction with FDA. This means that thirty nine percent of these establishments have to comply at some point based on their size with FSMA requirements (15) (appendix 2). Puerto Rico is highly dependent on importations ninety three percent of the food consumed in the island is imported. This is also extremely important to take in consideration since one of the part of FSMA cover importations and foreign supplier verification. Importers will need to institute risk-based foreign supplier verification programs to assure that imported foods are compliance with the new requirements of the law (3). Although much information can be found related to FSMA, information about the impact of this new law in Puerto Rico is limited. An in-depth literature review showed nothing specifically related to Puerto Rico. Recent U.S. Surveys Outcomes Several surveys in the U.S. have already been conducted, covering specific topics on FSMA readiness and preparedness. One of the recent surveys in 2016 was conducted by Sparta Systems Inc. They conduct an online survey about FSMA readiness and compliance strategy. About 153 food and beverage professionals in the U.S. participated in this survey. The results showed that 61% of the participants felt confident that their organizations are prepared for FSMA. Approximately 20% of the respondents from medium-sized companies disagreed that their organizations were ready for FSMA according to additional finding from the survey (9a) (9b). Safety Chain Software and The Acheson Group (TAG) also conducted a survey in 2016. They used an online survey that received more than 400 respondents, including food processors and manufacturers, produce growers/packagers/shippers, warehouse and distribution companies, animal food manufacturers, domestic suppliers, foodservice companies, retailers, import manufacturers, and import and domestic brokers (10b). More than two-thirds of respondents (68 percent) said they were somewhat ready for FSMA. Only 25 percent of respondents indicated they were ready for FSMA, while 6 percent said they werent ready at all. (10a)(10b). These findings indicate that education and preparation for FSMA remain a challenge for some food manufacturers in the U.S. particularly for medium, small and very small processors. Why its important There are many reasons of the importance of complying with the implementation of this new law. But for to make this task achievable it is important to make sure that the information is accessible and understandable by the regulated firms that fall under the law. The ultimately responsible following the different steps that compose this chain is the food manufacturer. The decisions made by them in order to be in compliance will be critical more than ever. Traditional inspecting styles will change becoming more inspection -oriented and enforcement-minded (). Practices that were usually acceptable it maybe not enough to comply with these new inspections styles (). Firms that receive a Warning Letter following an FDA inspections, will be charged for the follow-up inspection (). In addition, if the firm is enforced by an injunction it will be required to close until corrective actions are completed and re-inspected by FDA, at the firm expense. It is important to note that even after being permitted to reopen, the firm remains under court supervision for the foreseeable future (). Moreover, FDA are resurrecting enforcement actions like criminal liability under the Park doctrine. The application of the doctrine establishes that corporate officials can be held criminally liable for violations of the FDC Act in areas of the company under the officials control, even if the official did not intend for the violations to occur (). If information on FSMA is not readily accessible it can limiting readiness of food manufacturers in Puerto Rico that can severely delay their compliance. Also, language may be a barrier on food manufacturers that can limiting FSMA preparedness. Considering that English is part of the educational curriculum of schools in Puerto Rico, contradictorily in 2000 the US Census showed that 45.1 percent of the total of the population of 481,410 people do not speak English (26). This number could have been changed thru the years but Spanish stills is the main language used by the governmental offices in Puerto Rico and the population. Survey Instrument Description The survey instrument used was similar to the ones already used to obtain information from food manufacturers in the U.S. Taking into consideration that the main spoken language is Spanish, questions were provided in both, Spanish and English. The survey begins with a 5-minutes educational video from FDA about FSMA implementation to help participants be introduced into the topic. After completing the video, the participants will complete 16 questions in Likert and multiple selection formats. The questionnaire is divided into the following three parts: Company and Respondent Profile, FSMA and Resources Preferences. (Appendix 3) Sample Selection The initial target population based on the OEI list submitted by FDA includes 786 firms (Appendix 2). Nevertheless, this number drastically changes because data include establishments reporting a last inspection dated in 1970. Furthermore, several firms appear duplicated on the list with exactly the same address information. Water and Ice Plants were also excluded for the purpose of the study. A further research, conducted me to a list NAME in the FDA webpage that seems to be more updated. This list included firms that were inspected for the period of 2008 2016. At the end, the sample used were considering firms that have their last inspection date from 2008. The only contact information of the firm provided in the list was the address and phone number. Industry groups in Puerto Rico, MIDA and PRIDCO, and the Food Industry Forum (FIF) were contacted and provide me with additional information by sharing their members list that include the e-mails information. Also, information found on the webpages PR Supply Chain On-Line and Hecho en Puerto Rico where extremely helpful to retrieve and validate food manufacturers contact information (16)(17). However some firms have been found that closed business at some point during 2008 2016; which was the period selected. At the end, the final revised number that their contact information can be validated roughly finished in 179 inspected firms. Data Collection The survey was classified as exempt by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) (appendix 2). It was open from February 14 to March 20, 2017 (proposed closing date). A total of 179 FDA food inspected firms were invited via e-mail to participate in the survey. From the 179 firms invited 23 e-mails bounced out and 1 opted out. Only 3 firms responded during the period of February 14 to February 27. A second invitation was sent on March 3, something that may affect the participation on the first invitation is that subject line and message were sent in English taking this premise in consideration second invitation subject line and message were sent in Spanish (on progress). In addition, some firms were contacted by phone to encourage them to participate in the survey. Data Analysis The analytical procedure used to evaluate the data collected was descriptive statistical methods. (Waiting for data) By been FSMA compliant food firms should be able to be better prepared to respond to situations that emerge in the day to day. They should switch from reactive and corrective minded to preventive minded by creating strong food safety plans and HARCP programs. Future directions may include a second project that can be used as a follow-up in conjunction with regulatory agencies in Puerto Rico to evaluate and compare the progress of the FSMA implementation among Food Manufacturers. Classification of the industry will be important to organize strategies by focusing on high-risk operations and offer a better guidance to food manufactures. Development of educational strategies such as guidelines, videos, workshops, and educational campaigns may be developed. Better allocating local and federal economical resources food manufacturers with limited resources can be better assisted. Regulatory agencies in Puerto Rico can unify efforts toward food safety compliance to create a strategy. Puerto Rico can used models from other states in U.S. that compiled information of food agencies in their area in a webpage creating a roadmap for food firms making the information easily accessible to food firms. Food regulatory agencies must enforce their partnership between agencies, identify and share available resources between the agencies. Also, it is needed the establishment of periodic revisions and analysis of recorded data to evaluate the progress of the firms. The use of new media tools such webpages and phone apps can expedite the delivering or retrieving of information from food manufacturers in the island. This will help to maintain open communication and keep information updated ensuring the availability of accurate data when it is needed. References (1) Ayala, C. J., Bernabe, R. (2007). Puerto Rico in the American century: A history since 1898. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. (2) Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, Food and Drug: Pt 1403, App. A, page 282 Revised as of April 1, 2011 (3) Fortin, N. D. (2011). The United States FDA food safety modernization act: The key new requirements. European Food and Feed Law Review: EFFL, 6(5), 260-268. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.msu.edu.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/docview/903529133?accountid=12598 (4) Grover, A. K., Chopra, S., Mosher, G. A. (2016). Food safety modernization act: A quality management approach to identify and prioritize factors affecting adoption of preventive controls among small food facilities. Food Control, 66, 241-249. doi:10.1016/j.foodcont.2016.02.001 (5) Food and Drug Administration, 2015 Food and Drug Administration FSMA proposed rule for preventive controls for human food(2015, February 21) Retrieved from http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/FSMA/ucm334115.htm (6) United States Council for Puerto Rico Statehood http://www.prstatehood.com/about-pr/index.asp (7) United States Census Bureau 2015 Puerto Rico Population Estimates http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk (8) FDA-Island Office Protects Consumers Near and Far http://www.fda.gov/forconsumers/consumerupdates/ucm370079.htm (9a) Sparta Systems Survey Finds Food Beverage Companies Confident in FDA Regulation Preparedness-May 5, 2016 http://www.spartasystems.com/about-us/press-releases/press-archive/press-releases-2016/sparta-systems%E2%80%99-survey-finds-food-beverage-compa (9b) Sparta Systems Food Quality and Safety Survey 2016 http://marketo.spartasystems.com/rs/084-QBA-512/images/Food_Survey_Results_Report_2016.pdf (10a) Food Engineering Are you ready for the FSMA final rules? April 25, 2016 http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/95479-are-you-ready-for-the-fsma-final-rules (10b) 2016 FSMA Readiness Compliance Strategy http://marketing.safetychain.com/acton/attachment/2194/f-01d9/1/-/-/-/-/2016%20FSMA%20Readiness%20%26%20Compliance%20Strategy%20Survey%20Report%20Sponsored%20by%20SafetyChain%20and%20TAG.pdf?sid=TV2:K3Vrv8uFV (11) Kumar, R. (2014). Research methodology: A step-by-step guide for beginners (4th ed.). London: SAGE. Chapter 12 (12) Strauss, D. M. (2011). An analysis of the FDA food safety modernization act: Protection for consumers and boon for business. Food and Drug Law Journal, 66(3), 353 (13) Margaret A. Hamburg. Food Safety Modernization Act: Putting the Focus on Prevention, Jan. 3. 2011, https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2011/01/03/food-safety-modernization-act-putting-focus-prevention (14) The Food Safety and Inspection Service in Puerto Rico https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/8d8574dc-4d0a-4b36-8667-039d8f5f6aac/PR.pdf?MOD=AJPERES (15) Data enviada por OEIO Sepulveda -Evans, J.R. and Lindsay, W.M. (2011),Managing for Quality and Performance Excellence, 8th ed., South-Western Cengage Learning, Mason, OH, pp. 554-555. -Cobb, C. (2000), Knowledge management and quality systems,The 54th Annual Quality Congress Proceedings, 2000, American Society for Quality, pp. 276-287. -Teskey, S., Nassar, M. and Buciarelli, R. (2010),Food Safety: Beyond the Standards How to Build a Culture of Food Safety to Protect Your Customers and Your Brand , Delloite and Touche LLP, available at: www.deloitte.com/assets/DcomCanada/Local%20Assets/Documents/Consulting/call%20for%20papers/ca_en_ers_FoodSafety_230910.pdf (accessed March 5,2012). (16) http://hechoenpr.com/directorio-de-servicios-y-productos/ (17) https://www.prsupplychainonline.com/PRSCO/search.jsf (18) http://cayey.upr.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/07/REGLAMENTO-GENERAL-SALUD-AMBIENTAL.pdf (19) ORA Regional Field Office, Southeast Region, Atlanta, GA Organizational Chart https://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/CentersOffices/OrganizationCharts/ucm351289.htm (20) State Retail and Food Service Codes and Regulations by State https://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/RetailFoodProtection/FoodCode/ucm122814.htm (21) FDA- Real Progress in Food Code Adoption 02/22/2016 (last visited 02/26/2017) https://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/GuidanceRegulation/RetailFoodProtection/FoodCode/UCM476819.pdf (22) Departamento de Agricultura de Puerto Rico Inspeccià ³n de Mercados http://www2.pr.gov/agencias/Agricultura/SAIA/InspeccionMercados/Pages/Leyes-y-Reglamentos.aspx (23) Departamento de Asuntos del Consumidor DACO http://daco.pr.gov/sobre-nosotros (24) Susan A. Schneider, Notes on Food Law: An Overview of the Food Safety Modernization Act, October 10, 2011  · 2011 Ark. L. Notes 650 (25) Renà ©e Johnson, Congressional Research Service, Implementation of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA, P.L. 111-353) December 2016 (26) Fishman, J. A., Garcia, O. (2011). Handbook of language ethnic identity. 2 : The success-failure continuum in language and ethnic identity efforts. Chapter 9 Learning English in Puerto Rico: An Approach-Avoidance Conflict? Oxford: Oxford University Press. Table 1 Seven Foundational Rules Required to Fully Implement FSMA Congressional Research Service Implementation, December 16, 2016 (1) Preventive Controls for Human Food: Requires that food facilities have safety plans that set forth how they will identify and minimize hazards (FSMA  §103). (2) Preventive Controls for Animal Food: Establishes Current Good Manufacturing Practices and preventive controls for food for animals (FSMA  §103). (3) Produce Safety: Establishes science-based standards for growing, harvesting, packing, and holding produce on domestic and foreign farms (FSMA  §105(a)). (4) Foreign Supplier Verification Program: Importers will be required to verify that food imported into the United States has been produced in a manner that provides the same level of public health protection as that required of U.S. food producers (FSMA  §301(a)). (5) Third Party Certification: Establishes a program for the accreditation of third-party auditors to conduct food safety audits and issue certifications of foreign facilities producing food for humans or animals (FSMA  §307). (6) Sanitary Transportation: Requires those who transport food to use sanitary practices to ensure the safety of food (FSMA  §111). (7) Intentional Adulteration: Requires domestic and foreign facilities to address vulnerable processes in their operations to prevent acts intended to cause large-scale public harm (FSMA  §106(b)) Table 2 Classification of food facilities as per the