Critical Issue Analysis

University of Phoenix Material Critical Issue Analysis After reading the selected critical issue, use the following questions to analyze the issue. Issue 3 – Is Psychological Debriefing a Harmful Intervention for Survivors of Trauma? 1. What are at least two facts presented by each side of the critical issue? Devilly & Cotton who represent the con side of the agreement present many different facts. Two that stand out is: that psychological debriefing â€Å". . . more of a â€Å"moral maintenance† intervention qua gesture of employer support, rather than a clinical intervention influencing distress and clinical symptomatolgy. Halgin, 2009, p. 68. ) Devilliy & Cotton also point to the fact it is a company’s way to protect again unwanted litigation. By providing employees with psychological debriefing it keeps them from later having an employee suing the company for damages from the traumatic event. Mitchell points out that crisis intervention is a support system f or those who have suffered trauma. Also note that for a fact that Critical Incident Stress Management â€Å". . . program includes many tactics and techniques, but it is not limited to. . . Crisis assessment services and strategic planning programs Family support services Individual, peer-provided crisis intervention services. Pre-crisis education programs Large group crisis interventions The provision of food and fluids to work crews Rotation and resting of work crews Advice to command staff and supervisors Small group crisis interventions Follow up services and referral services Post-crisis education And many other services. (Halgin, 2009, p. 77). 2. What are at least two opinions presented by each side of the critical issue? Con: 1.They claim that â€Å"During times of organizational upheaval and personal and interpersonal crisis, organization frequently access the services of psychologist to help mitigate the long-term consequences of these occurrences. † Halgin, 2009, p . 61) 2. The claim that CISD and CISM may be one in the same; or may or may not have a definite procedure detailing it. . These seem to be just claims and there is no evidence supporting the claims. Pro: 1. That Mitchell claims CISM to be psychological debriefing, but then state â€Å"crisis intervention is a support service, not psychotherapy or a substitute for psychotherapy. (Halgin, 2009, p. 78). This claim to me states it is not psychological debriefing. 2. Mitchell’s opinion that â€Å". . . negative outcome studies represent a hodgepodge of different types of intervention which do not equate the actual CISD but which loosely use the terminology â€Å"CISD†Ã¢â‚¬ . (p. 81). This seems like a personal opinion in that it the CISD did not work due to the ones using it not following the proper protocol. I would like to see how these other programs that did not work which he calls hodgepodge to see if they did use it correctly or if he was maybe offended by it not w orking. 3.What are some of the strengths associated with the Pro side of the issue? What are some of the weaknesses? Mitchell strengths would be that he seems to be the leader in the Critical Incident Stress Debriefing, as he first wrote about it in 1983. (Halgin, 2009, p. 78). Mitchell’s response to Davilly & Cotton is what their weakness was. They response to their statements, rather than spend the time to show how critical Incident stress debriefing or critical incident stress management works in practice. I think that would have been a better response to Davilly & Cotton, so layout how it works, show examples and give some test study data. . What are some of the strengths associated with the Con side of the issue? What are some of the weaknesses? I believe the strength of Davilly and & Cotton was that they took the time to define and try to show the differences between Critical Incident Stress Debriefing and Critical Incident Stress Management. As well as defining what ps ychology debriefing entails. Their weakness would be it was how to read, it did not flow easy for the readers and somewhat confusing. Also another weakness which was pointed out by Mitchell was that they did not seem to do much deep research for other papers written on the topic. 5.How credible were the authors of each argument? Explain your answer. Davilly & Cotton when to detail on what psychological debriefing was and how there are many different forms of it with: Critical Incident Stress Debriefing and Critical Incident Stress Management. Also how these two really kind of play hand in hand and might be the same thing. Therefore it is hard to tell the difference between the two. They tried to break down how these two systems work and the outcomes of such programs. Mitchell was credible in from the first paragraph notes that â€Å"In 1983 I wrote the first article ever written on Critical Incident Stress Debriefing. . â€Å" (Halgin, 2009, p. 78). Uses the programs during an eve nt rather than after. 6. Based on the statements presented in this critical issue, which author do you agree with? Why? While both sides had concrete evidence supporting their claims; I think I would have to agree with Davilly & Cotton. But can see how both work so I do not think one is better than the other. They provided more studies and data in comparison to Mitchell who just mentioned them. I might be swayed the other way if I went and did my own research.Also Mitchell noted that they call it â€Å"Crisis intervention is a support service, not psychotherapy or substitute for psychotherapy. † (Halgin, 2009, p. 78) That sentence literally stuck with me while I read the rest of their response to Davilly and Cotton. With that statement to me it does not seem that are really using psychological debriefing. I feel that Mitchell is using a type of assessment to see who then needs to move forward with psychology debriefing. Also that critical incident stress management is a proce ss which is used doing an ongoing traumatic event such as natural disaster.Without doing my own research on the matter on the article he mentioned I cannot say he clearly defended themselves. With Mitchell’s claims on critical incident stress management provides help during an traumatic event could be helpful, but I would like to see more studies on how it has worked or hasn’t. Therefore I side with Davilly and Cotton more than Mitchell. While I do not feel psychological debriefing would work for everyone I am interested in the topic and feel more research is need to learn more about it. 7.Which side of this critical issue does contemporary research support? Please provide specific examples in your response. In my personal opinion I would think that contemporary research would support Mitchell’s claim that psychological debriefing is indeed a good thing. I think this to be true because of the being on hand during the event to help those who are facing the experi ence firsthand and how it will relay to the aftermath and how and if treatment is provide for those victims and first responders after wards.

5g Technology. Technical Report

A Technical Report on Atul Chavan Presented by Sri Sunflower College Of Engineering & Technology (Approved by AICTE, Affiliated to JNTU) Lankapalli – 521 131 Submitted By: 1. Sudha Madhuri. Sattiraju 2nd M. C. A Sri Sun Flower Col Of Eng & Tech Lankapally 2. Asha Jyothi. Koganti 2nd M. C. A Sri Sun Flower Col Of Eng & Tech Lankapally Contents 1. Introduction 2. Pre-4G Wireless Standards 3. parameters of 3G &4G 4. Architecture of 4G 5. Challenges: 6. Development: 7. 4G mobile technologies: 8. Future of 4G: 9.Conclusion. 10. Bibilography Abstract: Mobile devices are getting smaller, lighter, and more powerful; they have bigger screens and longer battery life, more features and more capabilities. Things like watching the football game on your mobile device, watching movies, videoconferencing, paying your bills and downloading music to the palm of your hand will become second nature in the near future. Bandwidth will always be the limiting factor in the development of applications and devices, be it wired, or wireless.At the moment the wireless world doesn’t have a large-cell, high bandwidth standard, that is capable of delivering the much needed speeds to a mobile device. The short fall of 3G networks is clear, it’s just not fast enough, offering 384kbps doesn’t meet the requirements of what the end user has come to expect these days. Some people see 3G as a stop-gap, until a fully integrated IP network is created; some countries have even chosen to bypass 3G and head straight to 4G, a method which has its advantages, and its disadvantages. G is set to be available around 2010, getting it right first time will make it a general winner with the one billion mobile users around the world. The end user can expect low cost per data bit, as well as speed and reliability, something which is greatly. Technology Companies with 4G networks are knocking on the door and mobile operators are beginning to answer. 4G networks and Next Generation Netwo rks (NGNs) are becoming fast and very cost-effective solutions for those wanting an IP built high-speed data capacities in the mobile network.IP is pushing its way into the mobile wireless market,† said Visant Strategies Senior Analyst Andy Fuertes, author of â€Å"The Road to 4G and NGN: Wireless IP Migration Paths. † By 2010, the just-published study finds, there will be 113 million NGN and 4G users, with the market starting to take effect 2006 and 2007. Introduction: 4G is an initialize of the term Fourth-Generation Communications System. †¢ A 4G system will provide an end-to-end IP solution where voice, data and streamed multimedia can be served to users on an â€Å"Anytime, Anywhere† basis at higher data rates than previous generations.No formal definition is set as to what 4G is, but the objectives that are predicted for 4G can be summarized as follows †¢ 4G will be a fully IP-based integrated system of systems and network of networks wired and wi reless networks (e. g. : computer, consumer electronics, communication technology†¦) †¢ Providing 100 Mbit/s and 1 Gbit/s, respectively, in outdoor and indoor environments †¢ End-to-end quality of service †¢ High security †¢ Offering any kind of services anytime, anywhere †¢ Affordable cost and one billing †¢   The following are some possible features of the 4G systems : Support interactive multimedia, voice, video, wireless internet and other broadband services. †¢ High speed, high capacity and low cost per bit. †¢ Global mobility, service portability, scalable mobile networks. †¢ Seamless switching, variety of services based on Quality of †¢ Service (QoS) requirements †¢ Better scheduling and call admission control techniques. Ad hoc networks and multi-hop networks Pre-4G Wireless Standards: †¢ WiMAX – 7. 2 million units by 2010 (May include fixed and mobile) †¢ Flash-OFDM – 13 million subscriber s in 2010 (only Mobile) 3GPP Long Term Evolution of UMTS in 3GPP – valued at US$2 billion in 2010 (~30% of the world population) †¢ UMB in 3GPP2 parameters of 3G &4G: |Attribute | 3G |4G | | Major | Predominantly voice- |Converged data and VoIP | |Characteristic|data as add-on | | | Network | Wide area Cell based |Hybrid – integration of Wireless | |Architecture | |Lan (Wi-Fi), Blue Tooth, Wide Area| | Frequency | 1. 6 – 2. GHz |2 – 8 GHz | |Band | | | | Component | Optimized antenna; |Smart antennas; SW multi-band; | |Design |multi-band adapters |wideband radios | | Bandwidth | 5 – 20 MHz |100+ MHz | | Data Rate |385 Kbps – 2 Mbps |20 – 100 Mbps | | Access |WCDMA/CDMA2000 |MC-CDMA or OFDM | | Forward Error|Convolution code 1/2, |Concatenated Coding | |Correction |1/3; turbo | | | Switching |Circuit/Packet |Packet | Architecture of 4G One of the most challenging problems facing deployment of 4G technology is how to access several different mobile and wireless networks. There are three possible architectures for 4G. †¢Multimode devices †¢Overlay network †¢Common access protocol. Multimode devicesThis architecture uses a single physical terminal with multiple interfaces to access services on different wireless networks. It may improve call completion and expand effective coverage area. It should also provide reliable wireless coverage in case of network, link, or switch failure. The user, device, or network can initiate handoff between networks. The device itself incorporates most of the additional complexity without requiring wireless network modification or employing inter working devices. Each network can deploy a database that keeps track of user location, device capabilities, network conditions, and user preferences. Figure-1 The handling of quality-of-service (QoS) issues remains an open research question. Overlay networkIn this architecture, a user accesses an overlay network consisting of several universal access points. These UAPs in turn select a wireless network based on availability, QoS(Quality of Service) specifications, and user defined choices. A UAP performs protocol and frequency translation, content adaptation, and QoS negotiation-renegotiation on behalf of users. Figure-2 A UAP stores user, network, and device information, capabilities, and preferences. The overlay network, rather than the user or device, performs handoffs as the user moves from one UAP to another. Common access protocol This protocol becomes viable if wireless networks can support one or two standard access protocols.One possible solution, which will require inter working between different networks, uses wireless asynchronous transfer mode. To implement wireless ATM, every wireless network must allow transmission of ATM cells with additional headers or wireless ATM cells requiring changes in the wireless networks. Figure-3 Challenges: †¢ v 4G definition – A global consensu s on the 4G definition is needed before the standardization starts. – Despite efforts there still are too many diverging approached to 4G. †¢ Seamless connectivity – Inter- and intra-network connectivity is fundamental to the provision of temporally and spatially seamless services. – Vertical and horizontal handovers are critical for 4G.In the former case, the heterogeneity and variety of networks exacerbate the problem. †¢ Latency – Many 4G services are delay sensitive. – Guaranteeing short delays in networks with different access architecture and coverage is far from straightforward . †¢ 4G definition – A global consensus on the 4G definition is needed before the standardization starts. – Despite efforts there still are too many diverging approached to 4G . †¢ Seamless connectivity – Inter- and intra-network connectivity is fundamental to the provision of temporally and spatially seamless services.  œ Vertical and horizontal handovers are critical for 4G. In the former case, the heterogeneity and variety of networks exacerbate the problem. Development: [pic]A Japanese company has been testing a 4G communication system prototype at 100 Mbit/s while moving, and 1 Gbit/s while stationary. Recently †¢ reached 5 Gbit/s moving at 10 km/h, and is planning on releasing the first commercial network in 2010. †¢ An Irish company has announced that they have received a mobile communications license from Irish Telecoms regulator. This service will be issued the mobile code 088 in Ireland and will be used for the provision of 4G Mobile communications. †¢ Sprint plans to launch 4G services in trial markets by the end of 2007 with plans to deploy a network that reaches as many as 100 million people in 2008 4G mobile technologies: ) Open Wireless Architecture (OWA) 2) Spectrum-efficient High-speed wireless mobile transmission 1. Open Wireless Architecture (OWA) A single system ar chitecture characterized by a horizontal communication model providing common platform to complement different access technologies in an optimum way for different service requirements and radio environments is called the converged broadband wireless platform or open wireless architecture (OWA). OWA will be the next storm in wireless communications, fueled by many emerging technologies including digital signal processing, software- definable radio, intelligent antennas. The open wireless platform requires: Area and power-efficient broadband signal processing for wideband wireless applications †¢ Highest industry channel density (MOPS pooling) in flexible new BTS signal processing architectures †¢ BTS solutions scalable to higher clock rates and higher network capacity Space-Time Coding and MIMO(Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output) Increasing demand for high performance 4G broadband wireless mobile calls for use of multiple antennas at both base station and subscriber ends. Multi ple antenna technologies enable high capacities suited for Internet and multimedia services and also dramatically increase range and reliability.. [pic] Figure-4 The target frequency band for this system is 2 to 5 GHz due to favorable propagation characteristics and low radio-frequency (RF) equipment cost. AdvantagesSpatial diversity and coding gains for large link budget gains (>10 dB). Disadvantage Multiple antennas at the transmitter and rece- iver provide diversity in a fading environment. 2. Spectrum-efficient High-speed wireless mobile transmission Wide-area wireless broadband systems spectral efficiency can yield a system capacity that allows that experience to be delivered simultaneously to many users in a cell, reducing the cost of service delivery for this mass-market broadband service. These systems are optimized to exploit the full potential of adaptive antenna signal processing, thereby providing robust, high-speed connections for mobile users with a minimum of radio in frastructure.Reduced spectrum requirements, minimizing up-front capital expenses related to spectrum †¢ Reduced infrastructure requirements, minimizing capital and operating costs associated with base station sites, translating into reduced costs per subscriber and per covered population element The acquisition of spectrum is a key component of the cost structure of wireless systems, and two key features of spectrum have great impact on that cost ( the spectral efficiency of the wireless system and the type of spectrum required to implement the system. A fully capable and commercially viable mobile broadband system can operate in as little as 5 MHz of unpaired spectrum with a total of 20 Mbps throughput per cell in that amount of spectrum.Factors contribute to the spectral efficiency of a system 1)Modulation formats, Air interface overhead 2)Multiple access method, Usage model. The quantities just mentioned all contribute to the bits/second/Hertz dimensions of the unit. The app earance of a â€Å"per cell† dimension may seem surprising, but the throughput of a particular cell’s base station in a cellular network is almost always substantially less than that of a single cell in isolation. Future of 4G: â€Å"The future of wireless is not just wireless, it is a part of life. † The future offers faster speeds and larger bandwidth. It is suggested that 4G technologies will allow 3D virtual reality and interactive video / hologram images.The technology could also increase interaction between compatible technologies, so that the smart card in the handset could automatically pay for goods in passing a linked payment kiosk (i-mode can already boast this capability) or will tell your car to warm up in the morning, because your phone has noted you have left the house or have set the alarm. 4G is expected to provide high-resolution images (better quality than TV images) and video-links (all of these will require a band width of about 100MHz). Con clusion: ? From user driven perspective, the user has freedom and flexibility to select the service, at a reasonable QoS and price, anytime, anywhere Reconfigurability: Next-generation wireless network interfaces need to be able to switch seamlessly between different communications standards, in order to provide the most suitable level of service while the user moves across different environments. ? 4G, convergence of networks, technologies, applications and services, will offer a personalized and pervasive network to the users. ? Convergence is heading towards an advent of a really exciting and disruptive concept of 4th generation mobile networks. Bibilography: †¢ Journals †¢ IEEE Explore: IEEE journals and conferences http://www. ieee. org/ieeexplore †¢ Ad Hoc Networks Journal †¢ IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking IEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing THE END As the technology grows day by day mobile device are also been developed by getting lighter, smaller a nd more powerful. Most of the mobile phones are been smart which are capable of doing all sort of operation done in computers, are able perform video conference, etc. For such high performance may not be capable to operate in 3G network until a fully integrated IP network is created. For this features the next generation network was introduced the 4G. It was set available around 2010, where the end user can expect low cost for data bits as well as reliability and speed which should be more efficient than 3G networks. G system can provide an end-to-end IP solution where data, voice and streamed multimedia, and can be delivered to users on an â€Å"Anytime, Anywhere† basis at a higher data rates than 3G networks. It is designed as a fully IP-based integrated system of systems and network of networks wired and wireless networks, it is able to provide data rate of 100 MB/s than the previous generation networks, 4G provides end to end QoS (quality of service), it is able to provid e high security, it provides integrated multimedia, video, voice wireless internet and other broad band services and Global mobility, service portability, scalable mobile networks, Better scheduling and call admission control techniques.One of the main challenges faced in 4G development was how to access several wireless networks and different mobile phones, for this problems three main architecture are been designed they are, Multimode device, overlay network and the common access protocols these architectures are been briefly discussed in this paper. Some of the other main challenges faced during the development were seamless connectivity, latency. This paper also discuss about the technologies used in the 4G, Open wireless architecture (OWA), spectrum efficient high speed wireless mobile transmission. | | | Reference: http://seminarprojects. com/Thread-4g-mobile-networking-full-seminar-report-download#ixzz2OuQ9qWjR

Strategic Planning

â€Å"Tomorrow is built today† – Each of us knows very well that our decisions and actions or non-actions of today will shape our future tomorrow. The collective consciousness of this fact and our efforts in the direction of a better future can definitively work in order to make the future what we like to see – the future can be provoked! Mind rules not only heart and body but all the respective issues in this world. The strategies of life are created by man with his ideas and approaches. â€Å"Think twice before you speak† is a familiar term in day to day life, this statement has got a deep meaning within itself, i.e., before you are about to say something think bout what you are going to speak and what would be it's outcomes later on. It is well said that if you want to achieve something in life, dream for it and plan how to achieve that goal or objective once getting started. Things always gets complicated for a person if the tasks involved in it are not familiar to that very person who was suppose to finish it off. It's always said that, two are better always rather then working single because two people working together makes things possible easily n quickly, thinking bout it's outcomes in advance and the result that comes out is always systematic and best possible. Some human beings follow others footsteps and some create their own ideas and work hard effectively and efficiently for attainment of their goals and objectives. Achievements never knocks at the door after dreaming bout them. One has to work out in real to achieve such tasks. As our day routine gets started we do look for a change so that the coming day should be better in comparison to the previous one. The major aim of most of the people in today's world is profit(monetary) and goodwill and yes definitely a long term well know never ending name in the market place just not in their country but most of the parts of the world. Future remains in hand if a task or work is performed efficiently and effectively keeping in mind all the basic operations which are supposed to be included in that known task. Life has changed a lot with real life competitions and challenges coming up day by day. Whatever step one moves should be effective and well balanced as the other could be smarter and experienced then what he/she is. Challenges not only arise within individuals but also within group of people and competitors. Each and every movement should be well planned and then only should be undertaken for its progress. For the highest level of stability one has to adopt advance skills and objectives as these only help in attainment of goals and objectives. STRATEGIC PLANNING Strategic planning is a management tool, period. As with any management tool, it is used for one purpose only: to help an organization do a better job – to focus its energy, to ensure that members of the organization are working toward the same goals, to assess and adjust the organization's direction in response to a changing environment. In short, strategic planning is a disciplined effort to produce fundamental decisions and actions that shape and guide what an organization is, what it does, and why it does it, with a focus on the future. A word by word dissection of this definition provides the key elements that underlie the meaning and success of a strategic planning process: The process is strategic because it involves preparing the best way to respond to the circumstances of the organization's environment, whether or not its circumstances are known in advance; nonprofits often must respond to dynamic and even hostile environments. Being strategic, then, means being clear about the organization's objectives, being aware of the organization's resources, and incorporating both into being consciously responsive to a dynamic environment. The process is about planning because it involves intentionally setting goals (i.e., choosing a desired future) and developing an approach to achieving those goals. The process is disciplined in that it calls for a certain order and pattern to keep it focused and productive. The process raises a sequence of questions that helps planners examine experience, test assumptions, gather and incorporate information about the present, and anticipate the environment in which the organization will be working in the future. Finally, the process is about fundamental decisions and actions because choices must be made in order to answer the sequence of questions mentioned above. The plan is ultimately no more, and no less, than a set of decisions about what to do, why to do it, and how to do it. Because it is impossible to do everything that needs to be done in this world, strategic planning implies that some organizational decisions and actions are more important than others – and that much of the strategy lies in making the tough decisions about what is most important to achieving organizational success. The strategic planning can be complex, challenging, and even messy, but it is always defined by the basic ideas outlined above – and you can always return to these basics for insight into your own strategic planning process. Strategic planning is only useful if it supports strategic thinking and leads to strategic management – the basis for an effective organization. Strategic thinking means asking, â€Å"Are we doing the right thing?† Perhaps, more precisely, it means making that assessment using three key requirements about strategic thinking: a definite purpose be in mind; an understanding of the environment, particularly of the forces that affect or impede the fulfilment of that purpose; and creativity in developing effective responses to those forces. Strategic planning has also been described as a tool – but it is not a substitute for the exercise of judgment by leadership. Ultimately, the leaders of any enterprise need to sit back and ask, and answer, â€Å"What are the most important issues to respond to?† and â€Å"How shall we respond?† Just as the hammer does not create the bookshelf, so the data analysis and decision-making tools of strategic planning do not make the organization work – they can only support the intuition, reasoning skills, and judgment that people bring to their organization. Finally, strategic planning, though described as disciplined, does not typically flow smoothly from one step to the next. It is a creative process, and the fresh insight arrived at today might very well alter the decision made yesterday. Inevitably the process moves forward and back several times before arriving at the final set of decisions. WHAT DO YOU THINK THE FUTURE MIGHT BE? WHAT KIND OF FUTURE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE? Competitions and challenges in the market or in a working concern is the primary aspect .it bothers all the managers of a growing concern in way or the other. Whether, it is the product (which they deal in or going to launch in the market), price (what should be the price related with other substitutes available in the market), longevity (what would be its demands in future), uniqueness (how it would be different from the other products) and rather endless number of features. Production is concerned with costumers, their tastes, choices. Mood differs from one body to the other. Nobody have the same kind of needs or wants. Thereby products also vary in prices, weight and size. Production is always carried out keeping in mind the perfect market situation. The basic aim of every individual is to earn profit and goodwill in the market. The stability and up-to-date growth is a must concern. To achieve all the goals and objectives all the plans are well made and accordingly strategies are designed. A strategy not only helps in a unique start of work but also gives the best outcomes of the efforts made for future. It takes years to earn goodwill in the market; therefore it is a must to make plans whatever is effective for the start-up of the work. End numbers of features are taken in consideration by any of the famous well-known company or industry whoever are the known leaders in the market. Sum of the known features are: * Members: the number of people who are going to lead the environment and the owners of the business concern. Most of the business concerns have partners. They have to aim at the goals and objectives, moreover, decide what their future would be. They are the only leaders to decide the nature of their business and what would be the size and how globally it should be recognised. They look out for not just competitors but also have to follow some law and orders of the government. These owners employ experienced staff as managers to work under them and employees to work under managers known as subordinates. Owners are the decision makers. * Capital: investments or the amount to be engaged into the business is one of the important feature without which nothing could be worked out. * Product: plans are made regarding the product that has to be brought up in the market. number of issues are considered like, costumers and their choices, other resembling or same usage products that would come up or already exists in the market,. The managers have to decide, how their products would be unique and how it would be better then the rest of the companies' products available in the market. How it would be cheaper and what goodwill would it bring to the company. Whether it has the future or not in the major aspect considered. * Market: strategies relates to market size and its globalization as well. One has to think bout customers and tends and fashions in the market. Managers have to plan out for the best market for their companies' products and its variations. * Machinery and equipments: new methods of production are used with new techniques available so that product could be easily made with less time consumption. Therefore, experienced and well defined staff is appointed and supervisors always motivates the employees and brings in new innovative ideas regarding production. * Available resources: A strategy not only helps in effective production but also helps in usage of resources available. Less wastage results in more profit and best outcome. * Employ welfare: Board of directors gives utmost respect to their employees and take care of their employees whether they are managers or subordinates by providing them with comforts and teaching them the new innovative ideas. They also give them bonus for their effective and efficient hard work they put on for production. * Exports-Imports: strategies are designed on the matter for exports of products and markets for trade are searched in a way or the other to earn profit and goodwill. They also take care of the importers from whom they have to but the raw material and stuff for production. A strong relation could only be maintained if the company have well detailed strategies regarding their work performance. * Strengths and Weaknesses: managers or the board of directors make plans to overcome the weaknesses whatever they could be. The strategies are designed in such a way that it lasts long and have enough strength to overcome every declining effect. A long lasting performance can only be obtained if the growing concern gets hold of their weaknesses. * Web page: as internet has proved to be one of the best sources in business relationships of most business companies. Owners make it a point to design their company's web page in such a manner that each and every product and its features along with price details are easily understandable. Strategies are made to achieve goals and targets not only through internet but also globally. Concluding with an Example: Longview Solutions and Marks & Spencer Take Planning to New Heights THIS IS MARKS & SPENCER Marks & Spencer is one of the UK's leading retailers of clothing, foods, homeware and financial services. Operating within approximately 12.5 million square feet of selling space, serving ten million customers a week in over 340 UK stores, Marks & Spencer employs more than 67,000 people. The company also trades in wholly owned stores in the Republic of Ireland and Hong Kong, and has over 150 franchise stores in 28 countries operating through a network of partnerships. In 2002/2003, Group turnover was in excess of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½8 billion. SITUATION With extensive operations in the United Kingdom, Marks & Spencer required a financial planning, actual reporting, and reforecasting solution to be used by all stakeholders in the planning process across all business units, service areas, and stores. There was a requirement for consistent, cohesive data that could be viewed and reported upon at various levels of summarisation from individual budget holders to a consolidated Group position. BUSINESS CHALLENGE The Marks & Spencer objective was to approach the planning process in a professional manner, passing accountability to individual commercial budget holders. The existing process was spreadsheet-driven and time-consuming with a heavy reliance upon the Finance Group to manipulate and consolidate the data, leaving less time for challenging and detailed analysis. SOLUTION Marks & Spencer considered five critical factors in its decision process – Product, People, Policy, Principles, and Price. Marks & Spencer selected Corporate Performance Management (CPM) application Khalix(r) by Longview Solutions because it best met their needs on all five key performance criteria. Khalix was able to: * Provide Marks & Spencer with a single, accurate version of the financial truth through one central repository of data * Delegate ownership and accountability for budgets and plans back to the commercial budget holders * Reduce the overall time required to achieve an approved, realistic budget * Meet Marks & Spencer's need for a flexible solution that could adapt and grow with the company * Perform â€Å"what-if† analysis during budget creation, to facilitate better decision-making and minimise risk * Provide Marks & Spencer with a solution that would fit with their corporate technology standards and future requirements * Achieve consistency of reporting across similar business units RESULTS With Longview Solutions' Corporate Performance Management application, Marks & Spencer is able to provide excellent service to internal customers and has achieved the following results: * Speedier and more accurate budgeting and planning process, with an overall reduction in process time. * High visibility of consistent, accurate data which is accessible to all – â€Å"One version of the financial truth† * Successful ownership for budget-setting to the appropriate level and clear visibility of ownership and accountability of planned performance at all levels of business * Ability to spend time analysing and challenging the plan, removing risk, and exploiting opportunities to achieve a realistic plan * Strong relationship between the Longview Solutions and Marks & Spencer teams, which has resulted in a high level strategic partnership that is helping shape future product direction * Ease of maintenance for database changes and reporting Thus Strategic planning brings in longevity and prosperity for modern corporations. Bibliography: TEXT BOOKS: -Strategic Management Business Policy by Thomas L. Wheelen and J. David Hunger. (Ninth edition). -Strategic Management by John L Thompson. -Strategic Management-An Introduction by Ronald Rosen. -The Strategy Process-Concepts, Contexts, Cases by Henry Mintzberg and James Brian Quinn. -Strategic Management by Cardiff Business School Cardiff University. -Sir John Harvey- Jones, Past chairman ICI, 1987 WEB: -http://www.longview.com/customersuccess/M&S.asp -http://www.lordofthewebs.com/portfolio/StrategicPlanning.asp Strategic Planning Strategic Planning MGT3880: Leadership for Organizations George Henson Strategic planning is a process of optimism by an organization. It anticipates the future of the organizational goals and strategically plans how the organization will achieve those goals. Strategic planning involves several steps in its process those steps are; (1) strategic thinking including external analysis, (2) internal analysis, (3) identifying key strategic issues, (4) developing viable strategic alternatives, and (5) choosing the best strategy using as criteria whatever the company defines as â€Å"success† (Abraham, 2012).The â€Å"Opening Bell Cafe† requires a strategic plan to ensure effectiveness so that new clientele, products and profits are within reach in the near future. The â€Å"Opening Bell Cafe† is a new organization and a revised strategic plan can assist with tackling new goals and growth for the organization over the next three years. This organization is very distinct because it offers services and products that exclude them from other leading competitors. In particular, the organization is responsible for employing individuals with great customer service and providing the client with quality individuals and extraordinary services.Also, the organization capitalizes on its stellar training of culinary and customer service skills which separates it from other competitors. The organization members are required to understand the organizational policies and are the first to ensure that the employee’s and client’s needs are addressed. The managers of the organization are responsible for deciding the direction in which the department should go, what the company should produce, and hence in what industry it competes (Abraham, 2012).Understanding the organization’s competitors, identifying the customers, rather they can provide and how the company will continue to remain profitable is the management’s responsibility. In order for the strategic plan to be effective the direction of the company must be understood. The student believes that the current direction is understood but is not being implemented correctly. The company knows what they want to offer; good products and great services this will allow the organization to compete with leading competitors.The menu of this organization differs from the cafe products to catering services and menu. The organization is aware of who the customer is but is unaware of how to meet them which is a weakness of the organization. During this strategic planning process a SWOT analysis must be completed to understand the organizations strengths, weaknesses opportunities and threats of the organization. The SWOT analysis is a straightforward model that provides direction and serves as a basis for the development of marketing plans (Danca, 2012).The SWOT analysis is being conducted for the benefit of meeting certain goals, the organization has to address the strengths an d weaknesses internally and the opportunities and threats externally. The â€Å"Opening Bell† has several strengths but the employee relations and effective differentiation are two of the organizations strengths. Opening Bell Cafe is a respectable employer and values its employees. They ensure that the employees feel a part of the team which increases employee relations so that everyone has a pleasant experience with Opening Bell Cafe.Effective differentiation is the second strength of the organization. Effective differentiation permits the organization to study the competition and questions if they offer the same as competitors. While studying the group has to be realistic about behaviors that will allow the organization to compete with leading brands while identifying ways to improve. These strengths allow the organization to offer well trained employees and recognize products the competitors do not offer. Exploiting the strengths give the Opening Bell the ability to market and promote ahead of the competition.Weaknesses of the organization need to be understood in order for the organization to have growth and tackle goals. One weakness of the organization is the narrow product line and poor marketing skills. Having a narrow product line limits this company from competing with other cafes’ that offer a selection of breakfast, and lunch. Poor marketing skills limited the organization from reaching millions of potential customers. Just recently the organization established a website which means the people who do not go utilize their stores or catering was unaware that the organization exists.Strategically the company can avoid these issues by planning for new menu items and developing a marketing strategy. If the company can begin to offer more products and reach potential clients the organization can increase growth, revenue and earnings. Capitalizing on opportunities can be beneficial to the organization as well. The opportunity has a specific technical definition; it is a product-market issue (Abraham, 2012). The company can address this situation by creating a new product for an existing market. Opening Bell can also, expand the market for an existing product.Creating new products and expanding on existing products can bring about new clients which can offer the organization appeal from their competitors. Such small changes can be huge when competing with leading brands such as Starbucks or Dunkin Doughnuts. Threats can be unfavorable to any company however identifying threats can help the company when strategizing. The threats for the Opening Bell consist of competitors having stronger brand names and the downturn in the economy. All consumers are currently aware of the leading brand names of Starbucks and Dunkin Doughnuts.Since Opening Bell is aware of these leading brand names they have to offer variations of products and experience. The leading brands do not offer delivery which means that local companies can phone in orders or even order online. Experts say that, â€Å"a downturn in the economy can mean that customers are spending less† (Anonymous,1990). After the threats are identified the organization can work towards increasing customer relations. After conducting the SWOT analysis the student has identified areas that are crucial toward the strategic planning process.The crucial areas are employee relations, poor marketing skills, expand the market for an existing product, and expanding on new products. If these areas are continuous strengths of the organization the organization can focus on other areas that may need restructuring. Employee relations are a part of the operational aspect of the business. Managers are required to guarantee that the organization employees know what to do and how to do it. For this aspect to remain an organizational strength it is essential that all employees know how to communicate effectively.One expert states, â€Å"In order to cope with competitio n, technological developments and customer demands, managers seek different solutions and tools to manage the unstable, rapidly changing, and never predictable situation which involves communicating effectively† (Johansson, 2008). This statement shows the organization that in order to continue growth in the industry the organization should continue focusing on employee relations. The organizations poor marketing skills have to be addressed in order for the strategic plan to be effective.It seems that at the present time the organization does not possess a marketing team or manager. The Opening Bell cannot dismiss what marketing the organization can do for the growth of the company. Having a marketing team who can promote the organization and improve customer relations will be valuable for the organization. The organization should put a budget together that permits marketing opportunities. This issue cannot be overlooked any longer the â€Å"Word of Mouth† marketing stra tegy has gotten the organization so far and now the growth is at a cessation.The organization has to utilize the tools of the internet and television to compete with the leading brands. Having a marketing team who can create promotional opportunities for customers can increase customer acquisition. The strategic plan has to improve the marketing skills of the organization. Expanding the market for an existing product can be challenging but the organization can grow from improving something that is already prevalent for other brands. Since, the organization utilizing fresh ingredients there is nothing like freshly baked cookies and homemade hot chocolate.There is already a market for these items and making them fresh to order with like a fifteen minute wait time would be fulfilling for the consumer. The hot chocolate would be a great in markets where the winters are cold and something warm is always desired One expert states that, â€Å"In fact, line extensions may be the answer to building sales and moving your company in a whole new direction† (Mischina, 2004). Being able to expand can open a whole new avenue for the organization that has not been offered by the leading competitors.Expanding on a new product for an existing market can create long-term growth for the organization. In today’s world of healthy eating offering gluten free product or even allergen free products on the daily menu can set the organization apart from leading competitors. These new products can provide a much needed solution to a giant problem that others have not offered yet. The previously mentioned areas are essential to the strategic plan of the Opening Bell because they provide an avenue on what is being done and what can be done to further advance the organization.The external analysis which entails observing, analyzing, and understanding what is changing in a company's external environment to anticipate what the future might hold has been completed (Abraham, 2012) . Secondly, the internal analysis involves knowing analyzing, and understanding everything about the company itself, especially what makes it a strong competitor or why it isn't as strong as it could be (Abraham, 2012). Both of these steps in the strategic planning process have been completed. The key strategic issues have been identified and managers are working on resolving the issue.Annual objectives will be set also, to measure these critical challenges. To measure the success of the strategic plan the Opening Bell will utilize the metrics of revenue growth and the return of investments. These two measuring tools can allow the organization to measure the success or failures of the organization. Revenue growth is used more often when a firm's revenue growth has been inadequate or flat, or when issues of market share and market positioning are strategically significant (Abraham, 2012,).The organization must measure the growth of revenue to warrant an effective strategic plan. Meas uring revenue growth allows the leader to be aware of rather the organization is prepared monetarily for the strategic plan that has been set forward. Also, the strategic plan sets forward what the allotted monies will be used for and how. Secondly, the return of investments can measure the success of the strategic plan. A ROI is a profitability measure. When utilizing the ROI managers should be aware that ROI can measure the performance of the organization, managers and its business units.Lastly, the strategic plan should include strategic implementation because it’s the only way to boost ROI and increase your chances of success (Evans, 2012). Both of these metrics are capable of measuring the success of the strategic plan which can help any adjustments that need take place to guarantee the company is headed toward success. For an organization such as the Opening Bell Cafe a strategic plan will help to provide sustain the ups and downs of this uncertain economy.Planning stra tegically can ensure that the organization meets goals that they have established. All of the strategic planning process steps have been addressed and will be implemented in the near future. Effectiveness is only possible when all employees are on the same page with one another and when a directive is put into place for all to follow. Indeed, the organization is new to the industry but they have found that revising the strategic plan can lead to growth for the organization. Reference Abraham, S. 2012) Strategic Management for Organizations. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Retrieved from: https://content. ashford. edu/books Anonymous. (1990). 1990 SWOT Analysis. Retrieved from: http://som. csudh. edu/depts/cis/meyadat/ClassesPage/CIS502/casestudies/SWOT Danca , A. (2012). SWOT Analysis. Retrieved from; http://www. stfrancis. edu/content/ba/ghkickul/stuwebs/btopics/works/swot. htm Evans J, (2012). 8 Steps to Boost the ROI of Your Strategic Planning Efforts. Retrieved from: http://www. vancarmichael. com/Management/5844/8-Steps-to-Boost-the-ROI-of-Your-Strategic-Planning-Efforts. html Johansson, Catrin (2008). Speaking of change: three communication approaches in studies of organizational change. Corporate Communications 13. 3 Retrieved from: http://search. proquest. com/docview/214190184/ Mishina,Y. (2004), Are more resources always better for growth? Resource stickiness in market and product expansion. Strat. Mgmt. Retrieved from: http://onlinelibrary. wiley. com/doi/10. 1002/smj. 424/abstract

GDP Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

GDP Paper - Essay Example These countries are not democratic, do not uphold gender equality and have been repeatedly cited by Amnesty International for human rights abuses (Amnesty International, 2006). In direct comparison, the United States, Great Britain and France, to name but a handful, are all democratic nations which uphold gender equality. While they have been cited for human rights abuse, they have been at a significantly much lower rate than the previously mentioned nations (Amnesty International, 2006). Yet, in accordance with GDP per capita statistical measures, these countries rank as the seventh, the twenty-first and the twenty-fifth on the global GDP scale (IMF, 2008). This is a clear indication of the extent to which GDP contributes to inaccurate readings of national development status and, indeed, fails to provide an accurate reading of the living standards and quality of life enjoyed, or suffered, by populations. As the weakness of GDP ultimately lies in that which it does not measure, it ne eds to be supplemented with poverty index, human development index and gender development index measures. GDP is a weak statistical indicator of national development ... As may be deduced from the foregoing, therefore, it does not discriminate between the rich and the poor, thereby indicating poverty levels and, does not calculate literacy and gender equality levels, to name but a few critical indicators. Added to that, and as Chant (2008) explains, in its calculation of the total amounts spent on healthcare in a given country within a specified time frame, it interprets higher expenditure levels as a positive indicator of well being rather than as an indicator of possibly worsening health conditions. The implication here is, therefore, that not only does it exclude critical indicators from its measurement of national developmental and economic status but, that the GDP and the GDP per capita measures are inherently incapable of providing an accurate indicator of economic and developmental status because the measure is non-discriminatory and tends towards generalizations. Even though GDP and GDP per capita fail to provide an accurate picture of a country's economic and developmental status and most certainly do not reflect the standards of living enjoyed by populations in question, the measurement has its uses. It may not accurately calculate standards of living and economic well-being but it is an indicator of the size of an economy (Ezcurra, 2007). Through the calculation of the monetary value of the goods and services which are produced within the economy and the financial exchanges which occur therein, the measure quite accurately conveys the size of the economy and by calculating the said size in relation to per capita income, it functions as an indicator of whether or not the economy has the capacity to sustain and maintain its population or not (Ezcurra, 2007).

Describing a situation where leadership was properly exemplified or Essay

Describing a situation where leadership was properly exemplified or not - Essay Example Ethical issues / Behavior The leadership style of Nelson Mandela is exemplified in the way he handled ethical issues that came his way. Mandela had a strong sense of what was right and what was wrong. He did not let societal prejudices and his former experiences determine how he handled things. He was a man of high ethics, and that is why he fought against the social injustices that were being meted out against South Africans. His belief in doing the right thing landed him in jail, but even this did not stop him from fighting for the rights of others (25). His ethical leadership is also seen in the way he handled the AIDS scourge in South Africa. While many leaders chose to not talk about the topic, Mandela took the bull by the horns. The death of his son that was caused by AIDS did not stop him from speaking about the disease and this not only helped reduce stigmatization of people suffering from the disease, it also helped create awareness (Limb 46). Political Perspective The leade rship qualities that Mandela possessed enabled him to steer a country torn apart by racial segregation to prosperity. He was a well loved figure among the African majority who had suffered a lot under the apartheid regimes. He could have used his power and his popularity to avenge himself and his people. However, he had the insight of a great leader, and so this is one path that he avoided. Instead, he decided to use his political clout to unite the people of South Africa. His political legacy speaks for itself. Though he had the power to ‘punish’ the whites in South Africa, he chose the path of humility and forgiveness (Boehmer 41). His decision to keep South Africa politically stable by avoiding any activities that could have given rise to racial tensions may have saved the nation from political turmoil. Many African leaders are known to hold on to power even when their time to give it up has come and gone. For Nelson Mandela, he did not hold onto power for longer tha n was necessary. He was ready to give others a chance to lead South Africa, even though he was still popular enough to continue being the president. It could be said that Mandela showed a level of political maturity that is very rare in the African continent. He paved the way for a peaceful transition of leadership and this put him up amongst the most respected politicians not only in Africa, but in the whole world as well. His exemplary political leadership is not only appreciated in South Africa, Mandela has proved to be a reliable and respectable statesman in his international missions (58). Economical Perspective When South Africa gained majority self rule in 1994, many pundits thought that the country would suffer economically. Their opinions were shaped mainly by what had occurred in many African countries where poor leadership had disintegrated the economy. However this was not to be during Mandela’s tenure as president (Limb 87). He was a focused leader who did not le t little matters of perceived racial discrimination affect the way he run his country. This way he was able to retain the investments that had so far made South Africa the economic powerhouse it was. His leadership was also very clean and open, in that he did not condone any form of corruption. He was an honest individual and he led using an honesty policy (Boehmer 94). Social

Financing health care Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Financing health care - Research Paper Example Different healthcare packages favor different age groups and citizens; there is no one whole package that caters for every citizen in the country. For example, in the U.S, the government funds Medicare, which caters for the elderly and the disabled and Medicaid, a package for the low income earning citizens. The different methods of financing healthcare have their own pros and cons and are, thus, suitable in different circumstances, hence, individuals can choose the ones they want. This paper analyzes different approaches of financing healthcare including Medicare, Medicaid and social security programs, and their suitability. In this structure, health care is generally offered by private organization and the system is prone to high levels of business competition. The people insured can have their own will to choose which company serves their needs best and the ones that are pocket friendly to them. Doctors are the ones who decide when and whom the treatment should be used for and are at will to make the decisions of case basis in view of the needs of every individual that is in need of these health care facilities. The first disadvantage of this system, where the patient and their physician have freedom of choosing these services that would best suit their client, is that there may raise a case of service duplication since care coordination will be hard to achieve. The biggest advantage of market-based system is improvement is mostly superior and new discoveries are easily available to patient after a short while, as these system mainly offer financial incentives for coming up with new medical improvemen ts. Some people may not have admission to the health care system and services they need since there may not be an adequate provision that ensures a more basic level of covering the health of an individual. As a result, this system offers a safety net curriculum that includes the

What Changes Have Taken Place during the 20th CenturyThe impact of Essay

What Changes Have Taken Place during the 20th CenturyThe impact of historical developments to culture - Essay Example The affluent families have larger homes now, and each member of the family has their own room, keeping them more cut off from each other. The interchanging roles of women in the society could also be seen as a culture change. The traditional role of women was challenged in the mid 20s, as women became members of the working force, thereby changing the culture of matriarchal society. During the turn of the 20th century that is, from 1900 to 1990, remarkable things were invented that changed the lives of the American people, and eventually the world (American History Timeline). This era brought inventions such as light bulb, the telephone, the photograph, the automobile and in later years, the airliners, motorways, supertankers, radio, television, antibiotics, frozen food, computers, the Internet, and mobile telephones. All of these developments have greatly affected the people and its culture. Also at the beginning of the 20th century, the feeling of discrimination based on race and sex was still rife. Although slave trade has ended by the end of the 19th century, the pressure for equality rights for Africans in the white society of America still persisted. At the end of this era, women won equal rights and have the same rights as men anywhere. The time line for the start of cultural change starts in 1900 to 1990.(American Cultural History). In 1910, the way people moved from a place to another was dictated by 8000 automobiles that travelled in a 10 miles of paved road. In 1920, it will take 13 days from California to reach New York in the paved road of 387,000 miles. This time also marked the beginning wherein Americans started to become interested in arts and paintings. Europe has a big influence on American artists as this is the place where they went to learn how to paint. Realism and Impressions were the designs popularized by American Artists like Sergeant, Winslow Homer, Charles Rusell and Frederick Hamilton. Their paintings depicted self-portrait, American lifestyles and landscapes which were framed and were hung onto the American homes(ACH). Kodak invented by George Eastman made the greatest impact in the 20th century because it was able to record important events in their lives. Photography was used to document l ives of important people, places of interests, and personalities. During the 19th century, photography was started as a trade and was left in the hands of professionals. This trade did not require any license and all that is needed to begin the trade is buy the equipment, follow the procedural instructions, and then proceed. The openness of the trade changed the culture of painting tradition into the more sophisticated art of photography(Gartner, Gretchen) Beautiful straight and low designed homes

Reasons behind Nursing as Career Choice Literature review

Reasons behind Nursing as Career Choice - Literature review Example From this research it is clear that nurses often compose the biggest group of healthcare professionals all over the world. In the United Kingdom (UK), there are around 27 physicians for every 10,000 people, while there are 103 nurses and midwives for the same ratio. Nurses are also considered as versatile caregivers and the backbone of the national healthcare system. Recruiting general nurses, especially in the United States and Europe, however, has undergone considerable decline over the years. Lai, Peng, and Chang and Preston noted that nursing recruitment and attrition are worldwide concerns, even for first world countries. They are concerned of the reasons that compel nurses to leave the nursing profession, such as lack of support from other healthcare staff and poor avenues for professional development. These nurses would have stayed in the profession if they received more support from mentors or coaches, as well as opportunities for professional development. A decreasing number of entrants to the profession of nursing have also been a core issue for many countries. The increased rates of nursing student attrition have brought about multiple quality and quantity healthcare delivery issues. In 2002, Jennings reported attrition rates in pre-registration nurse education that ranged from 27 per cent to 40 per cent for the entire United Kingdom alone. Price reviewed the qualitative literature on nursing as a career choice and one of the reasons that students do not pursue nursing or stop pursuing nursing is because of the â€Å"paradox of caring†... These external and internal concerns are only some of the reasons that the nursing profession has experienced loss of nurses and decrease in nursing students. Chapter One will explore recruitment, selection, and retention issues. It will provide the overview on the positive and negative images of nursing to target students. It will show that there is a research gap on studying the motivations of both nurses and potential nursing students in pursuing nursing as a long-term career option. It will also discuss the research goals of the researcher. 1:2 The Demand is Not Equal to the Supply Numerous nursing recruitment (Wells and McElwee, 2000), orientation (Price, 2009), retention (While and Blackman, 1998), socialisation (Price, 2009) and attrition issues (Rognstad, Aasland, and Granum, 2004) have affected the supply of nurses all over the world. Demand for nurses and other healthcare professionals and workers, however, continue to rise, as life expectancy improves and people experienci ng acute and chronic health conditions increase (van den Heuvel et al., 2009). One of the main causes of the discrepancy between nursing demand and supply is the human resource management (HRM) practices and strategies of healthcare institutions (Locke, Alavi, and Wagner, 1997). According to reports, there have been challenges in nurse recruitment and the filling up of nursing positions at hospitals. For instance, in 2000, there was a shortage of an estimate of 110,700 registered nurses as reported by the Ministry of Health in the US (Sochalski, 2002). In addition, Buerhaus, Staiger, and Auerbach (2008) reported that the shortfall of registered nurses in the country is likely to

Hematocellular carcinoma-Liver cancer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Hematocellular carcinoma-Liver cancer - Essay Example The cells of the liver, hepatocytes, compose about 80% of the liver. The other 20% of the liver is occupied by bile ducts, cells which specialize in storing fat and blood vessels. It is the hepatocytes which can become cancerous and thus give rise to the type of liver cancer that this discussion is based on. In patients who are diagnosed with liver cancer, virtually all of them will die within the first year following their diagnosis. Globally, hepatic cellular carcinoma is the fifth most common form of cancer but one of the deadliest forms. The occurrence of liver cancer tends to be most prominent in parts of Africa and Asia. In fact, about 75% of those with hepatic cellular carcinoma, originate from those areas of the world while only 25% of patients diagnosed with hepatic cellular carcinoma will reside in Europe or North America. One of the leading causes of liver cancer originating from the hepatocytes, is hepatitis B or C. Hepatitis B and C. is an infection of the liver which is normally transmitted through sexual contact or exchange of blood. The epidemiology of liver cancer is as follows: â€Å"In the U.S. the highest frequency of liver cancer occurs in immigrants from Asian countries, where liver cancer is common. The frequency of liver cancer among Caucasians is the lowest, whereas among African-Americans and Hispanics, it is intermediate. The frequency of liver cancer is high among Asians because liver cancer is closely linked to chronic hepatitis B infection†(Medicine.net, 2008). In these areas of higher occurrences of liver cancer, men are much more likely to be diagnosed with the disease than women and those who have been infected with Hepatitis B are also much more likely to present with hepatic cellular carcinoma. As we know, one of the main causes of cancer is viral infection. Hepatitis B. is caused by the HBV virus and HCV is caused by the hepatitis C. virus. These

The business world Essay Example for Free

The business world Essay The business world we live in today is a â€Å"dog eat dog† world and there is no such thing as slowing down anytime soon. If you rest that means you may fail because there is always someone or a company thinking and creating new ideas or products all the time that may be better than your current ideas or products. That is why many companies have adopted an entrepreneurial culture to help survive and thrive in today’s marketplace (Ryan May). There are four main reasons why entrepreneurial companies seek innovation in today’s marketplace; Independent action, Innovation, Competitive aggressiveness, and Risk taking. Independent action is a key factor for an entrepreneurial culture because it allows and encourages employees to create new ideas and then implement the changes that are needed to go forward with those ideas. These new ideas could and may lead to new products which in turn could lead to new revenues for the company. Independent action also triggers an internal need for people who need and want to be personally recognized for their hard work which pushes them to work harder. Innovation is the opportunity to create something from nothing or to expand a current idea into a better idea. Innovation can only take place when a company and its workers allow for the opportunity to create new ideas or theories. This is important in the business world in order to keep up with the times. Competition is where the strong will survive and where people will be the best that they can be. A competitive environment feeds into a person’s desire to always want to be the best against the best. This will allow for many new ideas and theories to be shared and created. Competition is what keeps a business alive and fresh because when a company because complacent they tend to become vulnerable and weak and then are easily surpassed or taken over by a competitor (Ryan May). Lastly, risk taking, is the aspect that every entrepreneurial company will have to face in order to be successful for a long period of time. This aspect is the hardest to overcome because it will involve a burden to the company initially by either the labor to create the new idea or product or the finances that will have to be put up in order to make the new product or idea a reality. That is why companies are gearing to have an entrepreneurial culture because it allows every individual in the company to feel important and significant which also leads to more creative ideas and theories.

Human Resources In US Healthcare

Human Resources In US Healthcare The healthcare industry is the largest employer in the United States, in 2002; this industry consisted of 518,000 organizations that employed 12.9 million individuals (Fallon McConnell, 2007). The healthcare sector employs 10.9% of all employment in the United States and has a 16% new job growth. The reason behind this growth is primarily due to two factors: increased in the use of technology and the continued aging of the population (McConnell, 2006). Large numbers of individuals are needed to provide, record, and bill for the services provided to the patients. Human resources are the backbone of the health organization because they address the need to ensure that each department is staffed with qualified and motivated personnel (Hernandez, 2009). In strategic human resources planning, the human resources department is an important member of the healthcare industry. The HR department is involved in a number of activates that together comprise of four major activity groupings: hirin g of employees, maintaining employees, retaining employees, and separating employees. To most people the human resources department is viewed as more administrative than advisory and as an enforcer of policies than the actual policy makers. Basically, people consider this department as where you go to get hired or to file your personal papers. There are times when other departments may look upon the human resources department negatively and this is due to the fact that other departments may not know the rules and regulations that HR must follow for example: a department manager may have a key position that has been vacant for a few weeks and because of the vacancy the other employees in the department has to work mandatory overtime (Bohlander, Snell, Reviews, 2009) An ideal candidate has been interviewed by the HR department and is then referred to the manager for another interview, the manager then tell HR that this is the exact person they are looking for and they would like this person to start in their department as soon as tomorrow, however, because of the proto cols that HR must follow they are not able to hire this person before a background check, references and a drug test has been done. The manager of the department may then complain to their senior manger that HR is taking their time or is unwilling to cooperate (Bohlander, Snell, Reviews, 2009). There are many departments within the healthcare field, from different types of physicians, nurses, administration and technicians. In hospitals the human resources has a part in hiring all of these people, in private facilities that is owned by one or two physicians the HR department will in most cases hirer everyone except the physicians. Physicians are some of the most important people that work in a hospital; they are traditionally the focus of the health care industry. The reason is because they are the people who primarily evaluate and diagnose patients conditions and prescribe treatment. When it comes to the hiring of a physician, it must be determine that their services will be an asset to the hospital because of their salary related costs. When there is a need for the hiring of a physician, the HR department must make sure he/she is competent, a background check must be preformed and they must make sure they are licensed to practice in the state where they are practicing. Ph ysicians must complete internship/residency which is a form of paid on the job training and this is usually done at a hospital. Nurses work closing with physicians because they provide the primary care to the patients in both hospital and clinic settings. The duties of nurses differ depending on the type of setting in which they are working. The different settings that nurses work in are: Hospitals Nursing homes Private practice Ambulatory center centers Managed care organization Worksites Government and private agencies Clinics Schools Retirement communities Rehabilitation centers Nurses are increasingly being employed by outpatient centers and home healthcare organizations because of the trends toward discharging patients from hospitals faster and performing many procedures in outpatient settings (Wolper, 2004). When a nurse is hired the human resources department must make sure that the nurse is licensed to practice. A nurses licensure is achieved by graduating from an accredited nursing school and completing a national exam. A physician that does not have a MD or a DO degree are non-physician practitioners, they provide health services in areas similar to those of a physicians. In 47 states and the District of Columbia, they can prescribe medication (Wolper, 2004). Human resources may be recognizable as 5 different models, these are: clerical, counseling, industrial relations, control and consulting model. Under clerical model, human resources perform the following duties: processor, file paper, keep records, and track various statistics and key dates and administrator of employee benefits plans. Under this model, the top manager of this department is most likely to be experiences as a benefits administrator or have a similar practitioner orientation. The counseling model is relatively common in hospitals because the total cost of employees represents a large portion of the budge and there is an emphasis on maintaining employees as effective productions. Under this model HR is likely to: function as an advocate for employees, place high priority on preserving privacy and confidentiality, actively stress training and development and function as a resource to managers for people problems, disputes, and disciplinary issues. The industrial relation s model develops in organizations in which the work force is unionized, and there are periodic contract negotiations and considerable activity having to do with grievances and arbitrations. HR functions specified by contract are performed automatically and as expected, with little room for flexibility or judgment in their performance. The control model observed in very few organizations offers the HR department substantial power, under this model little management action is taken without the clearance of HR; the HR department is current and knowledgeable concerning all legal requirements and the HR executive will be a key member of the organizations administrative team. The consulting model is usually found in larger organizations, under this model the HR practitioners are usually expert resources, relied upon by employees, department managers, and executive management according to need. There are alternative models such as managerial model and financial model, under the managerial model the HR has no particular strategic outlook or long range planning involvement. A HR function operating under the financial model displays maximum attention to HR costs, in particular, indirect compensation costs such as health and dental insurance, life insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, and other benefits. The human resources department of any healthcare entity must protect and encourage the quality of the patients relationship with the healthcare entity, but it also must protect and encourage the quality of the employees relationship with the healthcare entity. The employees of the healthcare industry must provide compassion and they should consider care but their job satisfaction is important. The major managerial function surrounding human resources are: Strategic Planning Recruitment and Selection Retention Compensation and Benefits Performance Evaluation Training and Education Legal and Regulatory Issues Strategic planning is the process of matching the human resources of an business with its goals and objectives. In strategic HR planning, the human resources department is an important member of the executive committee. Recruitment and selection allow hiring of the best candidate with the needed skills. When recruiting people for a new position, it is important to recruit internally as well as externally, because a member of the current staff may be appropriate for the position. It is important that new recruits fit into the organizational culture but it is also critical to assess the organizational culture to ensure that it is not a source of retention problems. For example: doctors lack of respect for nurses in some organizations has created a retention problem for nurses. The process of recruitment, selection, and training is intensive and expensive, in both actual cost and opportunity costs. High compensation is a factor that will enhance retention of workers, benefits is also im portant in retention. Performance evaluation is a way to define the level of competence of an employee as measured against a certain standard level of skills and knowledge. To encourage the practice of performance evaluation, many health care organizations, especially integrated health care systems are implementing, pay for performance, compensation plans. Pay for performance can be based on individual, tem, organization goals. Human Resources not only have to deal with many challenges such as training and education mandates, health care organizations must be knowledgeable of the legal and regulatory issues related to the HR department in general. This is especially when it deals with safety in the workplace and union regulations, because of the potential for exposure to blood borne pathogens and radiological substance. Health care organization must have appropriate safety measures in place to protect their employee against injury, as well as appropriate training to facilitate the use of these safety measures. Another challenge in HR is planning is very important in the HR department; by planning correctly (McConnell, 2006). HR can avoid having a surplus or a shortage. If HR has hired too many employees for the health care faculty then there would be a surplus but it do not hire enough then there would be a shortage. The health care organization is very diverse, diversity means a wider range of people bring ing a greater variety of approaches to work, ideas, lifestyles issues and many other things. Human resource policies must address these differences in order to attract, retain, and maximize the contributions of all members of the changing workforce. Human resource planning in the 21st century is a much more comprehensive set of analyses and examinations to ensure that the HR department function optimally contributes to the organizations overall business success. Human resources function is striving toward creating stronger business partnerships within the organization, the need for thorough and accurate HR planning is likely to be unique to each organization. There are laws that affect different aspects of employment relationship, the human resources department must be aware of these pieces of legislation. A significant legislation was the Civil Rights Act of 1964; this legislation marked the beginning of significant changes in relations between the government and business in the United States (McConnell, 2006). Before the Civil Rights Act, businesses were free to treat their employees essentially as they chose, there were only two exceptions: wage and hour laws and labor relations laws. Prior to 1964, the only laws that had not iceable impact on the employment relationship were the Fair Labor Standards Act and related state laws, and the National Labor Relations Act. Employees payment of wages and other related conditions of employment were governed under the Fair Labor Standards Act (McConnell, 2006). The relationship between work organizations and labor unions were governed under the National Labor Relations Act. The Social Security Act provided low income elderly people with social insurance. In 1937 this act was expanded to provide benefits to survivors of covered workers who became permanently disabled. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) went into effect on July 1st, 1997; this law ensures that most persons who change jobs will receive continuous health insurance without regard to many preexisting health conditions (McConnell, 2006). Organization need to consider a variety of issues when analyzing the impact of HIPAA on their organization. Some issues that may impact their organization are: HIPAA is about improving the efficiency and cost effectiveness of the healthcare system. Limited resources, both in terms of dollars, staffing, and time Convergence of e-health strategies and HIPAA objectives, which are clearly connect in the areas of standardization and technical security measures. Constraining effects of legacy systems within industry, which add to cost of compliance as well as ongoing dependency on vendors. There will be a profound impact on overall healthcare industry electronic communications and transactions HIPAA have pave the way for increasingly sophisticated e-health and other healthcare e-commerce and communications applications as well as for new uses of evolving technologies, such as hand held devices and wireless access (Fallon, McConnell, 2007). There are a few healthcare industry forecasts that will directly impact job analysis. In healthcare technology is ever and quickly changing and such technology makes new procedures and treatment possible. These new treatments and procedures provide a solution that meets medical needs for a number of patients, which leads to an increasing survival rate and the rising life expectancy of the nation as a whole. It is believed that over the next 15 years, there will be a shortage of physicians in the United States. We may also see a similar trend in the supply of nurses. With the demand for quality healthcare increasing by an aging population demanding more health care service, the nursing shortage will be an important strategic human resource issue in the health care industry (Shi, 2007). Job analysis will play an important role. Since the healthcare industry is forever changing, the idea of strategic job analysis surely will become a major focus on healthcare organizations. Strategic jo b analysis is the identification and specification of future jobs takes and responsibilities and the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform those jobs that currently do not currently exist but are anticipated to be needed in the future. There should be also be anticipation of the future changes in terms of laws and regulations, employee demographics, profession shortages, technology, information, technology, and other possible changes (Shi, 2007). It is important for human resources to know which jobs and associated tasks will be needed in the future, along with identifying the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other requirements needed to perform such jobs, will be a potential advantage for health care organization desiring to effectively compete in the future.

Development of the Administrative Structure

Development of the Administrative Structure 1 PHASE 1 (1789- 1883) THE FORMATIVE ERA 1.1 Introduction Although Public Administration as a separate academic field was only developed in the early 20th century it is important to study the early history of the field as it gives important insights into the complex governance structure that is currently in existence within the nation. The[b1] first phase began with the setting up of the new government under a new constitution by George Washington in 1789, takes a significant change in approach post the election of President Andrew Jackson which gave rise to the spoils system and finally ends with the implementation of the Pendleton Act which marked an end to the spoils system. The major factors that influenced the creation of an administrative structure during this time period and the reasons why they was modified afterwards will be presented in this section. 1.2 Major Factors The major factors that influenced the evolution of public administration during the first phase presented chronologically are as follows: 1.2.1 Government under the U.S Constitution The United State Constitution was drafted in 1787 and the new government had its first session in 1789 under President George Washington. While the period during the drafting of the constitution involved the sorting and testing of the American heritage of political ideas and experience, the period between 1789 to 1800 was one of selective synthesis of political concepts, and the establishment of a federal system of administration during the presidency of Washington and Adams (Caldwell,1976). The role of public administration during the early formative years was seen primarily as to facilitate in institutionalizing freedom. The government during this phase was largely concerned with coming up with a working system that could factor in the complex relations that existed between the states the centre and provide unique identity to the government 1.2.2 Expansion of Federal Powers under Hamilton The first major changes in the administrative structure of the newly formed state came with the changes brought in by Alexander Hamilton as the secretary of the treasury. During this period, Hamilton introduced several bills through his reports that lead to the federal government assuming state debts, creation of a national bank and tariffs on select trade operations. In just 10 years Hamilton put in place an administrative infrastructure that set the young nation on course for becoming an opulent commercial power (Green, 2002). These advancements by the federal government gave significant power to itself over the states and thus increased its responsibilities as well. The role of the federal government changed significantly after this step, as it moved from the state of being a facilitator to that of a manager of public affairs. The role of Hamilton in deciding the path to be taken by America in becoming an International power was based on supporting a strong national government as a more effective protector of rights and as a greater stimulant to prosperity than the states which would otherwise remain as a force majeure. His contributions to public administration in America according to Green (2002) can be mainly classified among four major categories: politics, organization design, ethics and law. Politics: Hamilton believed that public administration must conform its operations with the political character and principles of its people/society. He was the first person to envision the complex relation that public administration would hold with politics and believed that all three branches (Executive, Legislative and the Judiciary) would be involved with neither monopolizing or being subordinate to the other Organizational Design: Hamilton wanted a strong government that possessed competency and power, particularly considering the failure of the Articles of Confederation. For that to take effect Hamilton envisioned a partial agency concept which allowed separation of powers and also fostered dependency. Ethics :Hamilton was also one of the first persons to identify the role, ethics is to play in public administration. He understood that public administration officials might be influenced significantly and hence wanted to enhance their ethical standards by using external and internal measures like public status, sufficient pay, belief that future generations will view their achievements etc. Legal : Hamilton being one of the founding fathers involved in the writing of the constitution had in depth knowledge of its powers and limitations. He used the necessary and proper clause to create and muster support for his financial and welfare schemes. 1.2.3 Rise of Jefferson and Republicans Thomas Jefferson was ideologically polar opposite of Hamilton and preferred a Laissez-faire approach by the government. Under Washington and Adams Hamilton was setting up the road map towards the creation of America which would posses an integrated balanced economy requiring the simulation of finance and manufacturing and implying a degree of centralized administrative control over the national economy. Jefferson despised this ideology as he had seen first hand the evils of centralization, bureaucracy and public indebtedness during his travels to France as minister to the court. Jefferson wished to keep the American Common Wealth a union as to foreign affairs but decentralized as to domestic affairs. Jefferson became the voice of the people who were against Hamilton and his aggressive federalist ideologics. Jefferson was successful in maneuvering this opposition to Hamilton to finally win the presidency which lead to a significant alternation in the direction America was progressing in for a very long time. Jefferson believed in a wise and frugal government which shall restrain men from harming each other and shall otherwise leave them free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement. The Ideological differences of Hamilton and Jefferson can also be attributed to what they felt constituted America. Hamilton look at America as a growing county that had a huge potential, if it embraced the federalist approach whereas Jefferson viewed America as the people it constituted and wanted to focus more their growth and prosperity. Although Jefferson is considered as one of the finest presidents of America , he is largely remembered for what he said than what he did during his presidency. The major contribution of Jefferson to growth of Public Administration are the set of principles he had developed. They represented to him the rules by which wise administrative action should be guided. They were : Harmony , Frugality Simplicity , Providing for Change, responsibility and decentralization. His role at the top of the executive body made him realize the need for educated and competent leaders in the highest offices. He was also one of the first person who attempted to divide the politics from the administration, although it was done only in the case of federalist appointees. The government of America and its executive body took a 180 degree turn from the Hamiltonian approach, under Jefferson and stayed so until the late 19th century. Another important aspect related to his presidency was his belief int he educat ion system. He believed that education was clearly the responsibility of the government. Jeffersons presidency highlighted the major dilemmas that presidents have to encounter for centuries afterwards. He did not prefer taxation of the general public but had to execute it, he wished for greater local control but at the same time was vary of growing state and local powers. 1.2.4 Populist Approaches and the Rise of Spoils System President Andrew Jackson was the seventh president of the United States of America. His rise to power signaled the rise of the populist democracy and more importantly the spoils system. Under this system the federal government jobs were given to its supporters of the ruling party as a reward for working for it as opposed to a merit system. Jackson’s rise to power signaled numerous ever lasting changes in America. The change in the voting electorate from white men who possessed property to all the white men brought everlasting changes to the democratic structure of America. This eventually lead to the populist movements which meant policies that had more public support were implemented most of the times. The growth of the voter electorate made the process of winning the election process all the more difficult, the parties started to implement the spoils system as an incentive for its party members to work it. The spoils systems had one of the biggest negative impacts on the pro gress of America as it lead to the drain of qualified personnel from administrative positions. The new emphasis on loyalty rather than competence had a long term negative effect on the efficiency and effectiveness of the federal government 1.2.5 Role of the Judiciary The expansion of the powers at the federal level and the varying political stands of the states lead to conflicting situations within the government particularly at the executive and legislative levels. The supreme court passed several land mark judgments in the formative years in cases like the Marbury Vs Madison , Fletcher Vs Peck and Gibbons Vs Ogden using its judicial review powers. These judgments particularly demarcated the boundaries between the executive and the judicial branches and also clearly specified the limitations of the legislatures and the executive branches. The rise of the supreme court and its use of the judicial review powers along with the necessary and proper clause of the congress, helped in acting as checks on the powers imbibed with public administration to the legislature and the executive. The dominance of the judiciary by the federalists, particularly after the might night appointees further polarized the differences in ideologies of the Hamiltonians an d the Jeffersonians and established the important role of the judiciary in public administration. 1.2.6 Changing mood of the Nation America as envisioned by its founding fathers consisted of people who had historically a rights oriented and individualistic culture. This unique point of view of things of Americans was and is, even now one of the major factors influencing its policies and administration. Even the constitution as written by the founding fathers, attempts to be a limiter on the power of the government rather than limit the powers of its citizens. In its early formative years voting rights belonged largely to the aristocrats who were fairly educated. The government until 1829 embraced the Hamiltonian approach and promoted expansion and promotion of the private sector to boost the economy. This decision particularly was comfortable from the elite stand point of view as it helped boost their businesses. But as the awareness and educative levels of the citizens increased gradually, the relative interest of politics within the citizens increased and lead to a situation where in a majority of the voters we re not aristocrats. This change in voting rights and political awareness was influential in creation of populist electorates that eventually lead to the creation of the spoils system. The role of Religion in early America as a social binder was also very crucial in steering the ideological stand of the Americans. 1.3 Role of Presidents The constitution of The United States of America grants its president the power over the executive branch. The unique division of power between the executive, the legislative and the judiciary is what makes the American democracy and administrative structure unique. The necessary and proper clause of the constitution grants the president and his executive office unique privileges and has lead to everlasting impact on the administrative structure of the country. Hamilton himself under president Washington made ample use of the ambiguity in the constitution to propagate a strong centralized federal structure. All the presidents in the formative era except John Quincy Adams were founding fathers and in being so had intent and purpose towards the growth of the nation. Under President Washington, Hamilton envisioned and created a strong federal executive body. He continued the same even under President John Adams and lead to the federal governments increasing hold over the states. Under i ts first two presidents, the American government witnessed a massive boost to the federal and state level executive structures. The American presidents office saw numerous changes under the subsequent presidents of the formative era , but were largely not influential on the administrative structure of the state. The mid night appointees under President Adams lead to politicizing of the judicial and the executive wings also and further increased the powers of the presidency. This period particularly saw the rise of corruption and bargains systems within the administrative structures.

Fire Of Desire, Of The Movie Rudy Essay -- essays research papers

Fire of Desire Nearly everyone who has succeeded in some venture of life has at one point encountered critics and criticism. The events throughout the movie, Rudy, directed by David Anspaugh, are no different. The movie, based on a true story, is an inspiring tale of Daniel "Rudy" Rudiger’s fight against all odds to play football for Notre Dame. Rudy, through the course of his entire life, had been told by everyone that chasing his dream of playing Notre Dame football would only cause him heartache. Despite all hindrances, Rudy, played by Sean Astin, accomplished his dream, and is to this day the last Notre Dame football player to be carried off the field. The reoccurring them in the movie is to be persistent in chasing your dreams and overcome all obstacles and criticism you may encounter along the way. Evident throughout the entire movie is how the desire in Rudy’s heart helped him to overcome any physical abilities he lacked. This is clearly shown through Coach Parseghian’s having said to another player, "If you had only a tenth of the heart of Rudiger, you could have been All-American" (Coach Parseghian). Rudy was not blessed with the physical abilities of other players, but rather with the heart to continually persist in achieving his dream of playing Notre Dame football. Rudy’s heart and desire probably got him farther in the game of football than he would have got had he been more athletically gifted. Also lending sup...