Hcs 571

Capital Project HCS/571 Capital assets are generally purchased to improve quality of care, or to provide needed equipment for a new service or expansion of an existing service. The key element in capital budgeting is that the building or piece of equipment being acquired has a lifetime that extends beyond the year of purchase and it is a capital asset or long-term investment for the hospital. Capital assets are good financial investments for the organization. (Finkler, Ward, & Baker, 2007). The Electronic health record software system is one of the important operational priorities in the US healthcare.The change from paper-based record system to electronic record system supported by technologies and help for reducing errors and improving quality of care based on best practice. (Song, McAlearney, Lausanne, Robbins, & McCullough, 2011). Research a capital purchase of software for filing patient records costing more than $5000 Health care organizations have invested heavily in computer technology. The health care organizations use computer technology and electronic health record in the actual delivery of care and to support clinical areas.The four principal uses of computers for nursing are for general information, clinical applications, research, and financial management. (Finkler, Ward, & Baker, 2007). The health care organizations are in the process of major transformation, and becoming more complex. It is very important to maintain the safety of patient and to provide high quality care. (Ting, Tsang, Ip, & Ho, 2011). The electronic health record system is considered as a means of technological efficiency to reduce the cost in healthcare organization.The need for EHR in healthcare organization is based on certain evidences like, It supports guideline-based care, increased patient monitoring, act as an efficient technological tool for effective communication in areas related to patient care, and improves coordination of care(Song, McAlearney, Lausanne, Robbins, & McCullough, 2011). The electronic health record system act as an easy access for medical literature and it is considered as a fast access system due to the effective utilization of information technology and enhances the healthcare efficiency system. Hillestad, 2005). Employee development The computer software and electronic health record advances will continue to evolve and that computer use by staff nurses will become commonplace in most healthcare organizations. In the long run this will likely increase the quality of patient care due to more accurate and timely information, while creating at least some efficiency in the use of nursing time. This should release more nurse time for patient care. (Finkler, Ward, & Baker, 2007). Computerization should work both to reduce nursing shortage and to increase nursing satisfaction.The health care organizations struggle to allocate sufficient funds for information system implementation, maintenance, and upgrade. The computerization of the nursing units has been a potential solution for nursing shortage. (Finkler, Ward, & Baker, 2007). Management goals The EHR implementation and governance are related to each other and it is mainly focus on the mission, vision, and behavior related to the management. The decision and action from managers level management is very essential factor for the effective purchase of EHR. Jarvenpaa & Ives, 1991). The support system in the organization related to EHR implementation helps to support and motivate the employees in difficult situation related to the technical failure of the system. (Miller & Sim, 2004). The successful implementation of EMR depends upon the team and technology of the organization. Team refers to people and issues related with organization. The technology related to the choice of the software, hard ware, and design set up of the organization to meet the implementation process.The main components of implementation process are people, process, and technology. The main focus of the change management is people and the related objective is to change the behavior for the acceleration of change process. (McCarthy & Eastman, 2010). Cost containment The software related Electronic health record implementation need to be appropriate for the needs of the organization and budget. (Swab, & Ciotti, 2010) The EHR software system has many areas of market depending upon the size of the hospital bed size.The first criteria for the vendors according to the bed with 100 and small hospital The Electronic health record system cost about between $ 1 million and 2 for the electronic health record system The electronic health record software cost for the organization about medium hospital cost is much larger than the first one. It comes around three to ten million. The hospital and organization with more than average bed cost for the electronic health record system will be higher amount than the other one.The cost and amount of electronic health record system will dep end upon the size of the hospital . The management has to decide about the budget for the organization. (Swab, & Ciotti, 2010). The organization must evaluate its mission and goals in light of its particular strengths and weakness and in light of the demand for services and competition in the external environment. Based on that evaluation it can make a plan that will take advantage of opportunities like Electronic health record implementation according to the goals of an organization. (Finkler, Ward, & Baker, 2007).The planning process explicitly address whether the implementation of new services and programs that make up the majority of operations of the organization are being retained at a steady-state level or whether they are to be contracted or expanded in scope. (Finkler, Ward, & Baker, 2007). The successful implementation of EMR depends upon the team and technology of the organization. Team refers to people and issues related with organization. The technology related to the c hoice of the software, hard ware, and design set up of the organization to meet the implementation process.The main components of implementation process are people, process, and technology. The main focus of the change management is people and the related objective is to change the behavior for the acceleration of change process. (McCarthy & Eastman, 2010). The computerization of the nursing units has been a potential solution for nursing shortage. (Finkler, Ward, & Baker, 2007). Quality assurance The management of the organization need to review the costs of the software system related to Electronic health record implementation with users of the selection committee before the system demos.The committee includes staff from clinical areas like pharmacy, radiology, laboratory, operating room, and emergency department. The committee needs to invite physician champions to participate and observe EHR system demonstrations before selecting the system. (Swab, & Ciotti, 2010). The managemen t of the organization needs to clarify the all of the costs such as travel costs, training class tuition fees, files conversion fees, and other ancillary system fees with the vendors. Another factor need to consider while implementing Electronic health record system is the costs of additional staff required to operate the EHR system.The organization need to consider adding the IT staff, Nurse informaticist, and Chief medical information officer. (Swab, & Ciotti, 2010). Once the plan has been finalized and formalized, it serves as a guide for a number of years. Long- range plans are typically prepared only once every three or five years. Creating a new plan each year would only lead to constant changes in the organization’s direction. This would lead to wasted efforts, and money. The long-range budgets or strategic plans look in general terms at the entire organization over a period of years. Finkler, Ward, & Baker, 2007). Program budgeting techniques are equally effective for reviewing the operations of an ongoing unit as for evaluating a new program like Electronic health record implementation. Business plans are becoming essential for the introduction of new programs. Such plans help managers complete a comprehensive examination of a proposed program. By making such a thorough review, the manager and the organization gain an in-depth understanding of the program as well as its financial implications for the organization. Finkler, Ward, & Baker, 2007). Patient care, clinical research, and leadership role The Electronic health record software system support efficient and good health care. Electronic health record improve the completeness and accuracy of patient records and they improve communication among health care professionals. (Hayrinen,Saranto, &Nykanen, 2008). The larger hospitals, especially academic medical centers with a high acuity case mix, may benefit from investing in Electronic health record adoption.The hospitals with high patient volume s and with complex medical problems need to adopt Electronic health record as a capital asset for the organization. (MCcullough, Casey, Moscovice, & Prasad, 2010). Team refers to people and issues related with organization. The technology related to the choice of the software, hard ware, and design set up of the organization to meet the implementation process. The main components of implementation process are people, process, and technology. The main focus f the change management is people and the related objective is to change the behavior for the acceleration of change process. (McCarthy & Eastman, 2010). The monitoring of EHR implementation process mainly focused on areas like project costs, project progress, schedule controls, control changes, scope of the project, quality management, and risks. (Noblin, Cortelyou, & Ton, 2011). The EHR implementation is considered as a high-cost project. The management needs to consider and monitor equipment costs including hardware and softwar e costs.The workflow inefficiencies need to monitor and need to redesign during the implementation phase is an important step to overcome the failure. (Spector, 2010). The workflow reflects the ability of the employee to use the resources to complete the work in an effective manner to achieve better results and it also shows the efficiency of team work. (Lee, Cain, Young, Chockley, & Burstin, 2005). The EHR implementation requires strong leadership and all workers need to participate to deliver their own role for the success of the implementation process.The redesigning process improves the work efficiency and job satisfaction. (Spector, 2010). The change from paper medical records to electronic medical record system improve the quality of healthcare, reduce the administrative cost, reduce medical errors, and decrease the unnecessary expenditures for the issues related to medical errors occur during paper charting. (Huryk, 2010). The electronic medical record system is considered as a means of technological efficiency to reduce the cost in healthcare organization.The need for EHR in healthcare organization is based on certain evidences like, It supports guideline-based care, increased patient monitoring, act as an efficient technological tool for effective communication in areas related to patient care, and improves coordination of care(Song, McAlearney, Lausanne, Robbins, & McCullough, 2011). The electronic health record system act as an easy access for medical literature and it is considered as a fast access system due to the effective utilization of information technology and enhances the healthcare efficiency system. Hillestad, 2005). Research studies shows that the paper record system is inadequate to give all informations regarding patient to caregivers for the effective care. (Thakkar & Davis, 2006) The effective use of EHR minimize the problems related to healthcare disparities, allows the involvement of patients and their families in treatment plan, a nd maintain adequate privacy and security. (Podgurski, 2008). Computer uses for clinical care fall into two general areas. The first area is assement of patients.This includes computers used in laboratories to measure blood levels, in radiology for magnetic resonance imaging, and for physical assessment measures such as blood pressure. The second clinical area is storage and management of patient information. Often called the hospital information system, these computer systems store data such as patient demographics, admission, transfer, and discharge information, and documentation of nursing care provided. (Finkler, Ward, & Baker, 2007).Although clinical information systems are not directly related to financial management, data produced by these systems can be used to make financial decisions. Clinical systems are used to directly link the use of services to the billing for them. Ultimately, financial management is based on the allocation of resources; clinical information systems offer the manager data about the use of resources in the organization. Clinical information systems that combine information from a variety of sources such as laboratory, radiology, dietary, and nursing are called fully integrated systems.In these systems the data are entered once and are accessible all over the organization with appropriate confidentiality precautions. These integrated systems improve the flow of information. (Finkler, Ward, & Baker, 2007). The implementation of EHR in healthcare organization is influenced by human and technological factors. The implementation process depends upon many factors starting from employee attitudes and concerns to various technology.The main factors are readiness for the employee to accept the changes related to EHR implementation, resources available for the change, technical concern, availability of finance for the implementation of EHR, motivation of the employee, time, and ability of the individual to use computer for the effective i mplementation of EHR. (McGinn, Grenier, Duplantie, Shaw, Sicotte, Luc, Leduc, Legare, & Gagnon, 2011). The managers need to take interventions to overcome the factors influencing the implementation process early in the planning stage. (Spector, 2010).The budget development in the initial phase of change process reflects the initial cost and all other related expenses of an electronic health record system. The hardware expense needs to be classified on a yearly basis. The organization need to consider the cost of upgrading the hardware and software system to maintain the efficiency of the system. The cost for the replacement of hardware and maintenance of the computer need to be considered. The Information System Success Model evaluation measures the quality and technical achievement of the system.The system quality depends on the elements like reliability, accessibility, and security of the system. (Delone, & McLean, 2003). The user satisfaction level needs to be evaluated because i t reflects the level of competency, skills, and experience of the users. The overall measurements include quality of care in terms of patient safety, and effectiveness of care, accessibility of care, and productivity. ( Lau, Hagens, &Muttitt, 2007)The implementation process requires skilled people in areas like computer networking, informatics, administration, management, and clinical workflow.The monitoring and controlling of the proper utilization of the resource specialist will help for the cost management. (Wang, 2003). Consultant packages The consultant from outside the organization for any change process need to be assessed, monitored, and controlled as per the organizational policy and management decision. The health care organization may need assistance from outside consultants for the effective implementation of EHR and that will cause an extra cost for the implementation process and the management need to monitor the necessity of the consultant for the process. Noblin, Cor telyou, & Ton, 2011). The quality assurance of the Electronic health record software system can be done by the evaluation process. The evaluation process need to focus on certain elements like care, human, educational, administrative, technical, and social aspects. (Shaw, 2002). The care aspect of evaluation consists of monitoring the quality of care, continuity, system acceptance from patients and other professionals. The evaluation of organizational aspects mainly focuses on examining the interconnection between different care providers in different settings. (Shaw, 2002).The educational aspects of evaluation focus on the quality of the information system for the retention of the staff, training of employees, and user satisfaction related to EHR implementation. The administrative aspect of evaluation addresses the changes related to EHR implementation and the after effect on health care services and mainly focus on areas like access to care, interactions between clients and health care workers, and changes in cost effectiveness related to new electronic system. The technical aspects of evaluation measure the technical quality, reliability, and security of the settings.The social aspects of evaluation focus on the changes in the level of social interaction after the implementation of new system. (Shaw, 2002). The other measurement strategies include evaluating the output of new system by reviewing employee satisfaction and user satisfaction. The organization need to conduct post go-live reviews after the implementation process to assessment of system. Conclusion The Electronic health record software system is one of the important operational priorities in the US health care and it should be capital assets for the organization.The health care organizations that are decided to purchase an Electronic health record system should always search for the software system with right vendors, share the costs with selection committee members, and need to think about the costs of additional staff members required to operate the software system. (Swab, & Ciotti, 2010). The other measurement strategies include evaluating the output of new system by reviewing employee satisfaction and user satisfaction. The organization need to conduct post go-live reviews after the implementation process.The successful implementation requires teamwork and effective communication technique between the vendors, health care staff, management, administration, and outside consultants. The health care organization may need assistance from outside consultants for the effective implementation of EHR and that will cause an extra cost for the implementation process and the management need to monitor the necessity of the consultant for the process. (Noblin, Cortelyou, & Ton, 2011). References Delone, W. H. , & McLean, E. R. (2003). The DeLone and McLean Model of Information Systems Success: A Ten-Year Update.Journal of Management Information Systems,19(4), 9-30. Hayrinen,K. K. , Saranto, P. , Nykanen, P. (2008). Definition, structure, content, use, and impacts of Electronic health records: A review of the research literature. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 77(5), 291-304 Hillestad, R. (2005). Can electronic medical record systems transform healthcare? Potential health benefits , savings, and costs†. Health affairs, 2(1), 8-10. Huryk, L. (2010). Factors influencing nurses' attitudes towards healthcare information technology. Journal of nursing management, 8(5), 606-612. Jarvenpaa, S. L. , ; Ives, B. (1991).Executive involvement and participation in the management information technology. Journal of Medical Informatics, 15(2), 205-225. Lau, F. , Hagens, S. , ; Muttitt, S. (2007). A Proposed Benefits Evaluation Framework for Health Information Systems in Canada. Electronic Healthcare, 10(1), 112-118. Lee, J. , Cain, C. , Young, S. , Chockley, N. , ; Burstin, H. (2005). The adoption gap: Health information technologyin small physician pract ices. Health Affairs, 24(5), 1364-1366. McCullough, J. M. , Casey, I. , Moscovice,S. , Prasad,S. (2010). The effect of health information technology on quality in US Hospitals.Health Affairs, 29(4), 647-654. McGinn, C. A. , Grenier, S. , Duplantie, J. , Shaw, N. , Sicotte, C. , Luc, M. , Leduc, Y. , Legare, F. , ; Gagnon, M. (2011). Comparison of user groups' perspectives of barriers and facilitators to implementing electronic health records: a systematic review. BMC medicine, 9(46), 2-10. Miller, R. H. ,Sim,I. (2004). Physician’s use of electronic medical records : Barriers and solutions. Health Affairs, 23(2),116-126. Noblin, A. M. , Cortelyou, K. W. , & Ton, S. (2011). Electronic Health Record Implementations- Applying the Principles of Monitoring and Controlling to Achieve Success.The Health Care Manager, 30(1), 45-50. Podgurski, S. A. (2008). Finding a cure : The case for regulation and oversight of electronic health record system†. Harvard journal of law and techn ology, 22(1), 107-110. Shaw, N. T. (2002). ‘CHEATS': a generic information communication technology (ICT) evaluation framework. Comput Biol Med, 32(3), 209-220. Song, P. H. , McAlearney, A. S. , Lausanne, E. F. , Robbins, J. , & McCullough, J. S. (2011). Exploring the business case for ambulatory electronic health record system adoption. Journal of healthcare management, 56(3), 169-180.Spector, B. (2010). Implementing organizational change: Theory into practice (2nd ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Swab, J. , Ciotti, V. (2010). What to consider when purchasing an EHR system. Health care Financial Management, 64(5), 38-41 Thakkar, M. , & Davis, D. C. (2006). Risks, barriers, and benefits of EHR systems: A comparative study based on size of hospital. Research Journal in Health Information Management, 3(5), 10-12. Wang, S. (2003). A cost-benefit analysis of Electronic medical records in primary care. American Journal of Medicine, 114(5), 397-403.

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Different Types of Investment Essay

Checking Account Basic – In this type of account, one is presented less services and low cost. The disadvantage of this type of account is that banks usually do not pay interests. Moreover, if used excessively, the owner of the basic checking account may pay additional charges (â€Å"Types of Accounts Typically Offered by Banks,† 2008). Interest Bearing – compared to the basic checking account, the interest bearing account is broader in terms of services and cost. Interest bearing accounts offer unlimited number of checks. Negotiable Order of Withdrawal (NOW), a type of interest bearing account, offers interest depending on how large the money a person has deposited in the bank   (â€Å"Types of Accounts Typically Offered by Banks,† 2008). Money Market Account The money market account is a savings account that is protected by the federal government. This is the most liquid and safe account, but it offers low interests. In this type of account, a person’s money is invested in a short-term debt. Examples of short-term debts are commercial paper and treasury bills. Commercial papers are unsecured commitment that is given by banks to back up their needs such as accounts receivable and inventory.   Money market accounts also give higher interests than interest bearing checking accounts (â€Å"Types of Accounts Typically Offered by Banks,† 2008). This type of account is given a number of checks. If an account of this type fails to maintain a minimum balance the bank will enforce a service charge (â€Å"Types of Accounts Typically Offered by Banks,† 2008). Savings Account The savings account is the most basic type of investment. In this type of investment, one is eligible to withdraw and deposit money in the bank but one cannot use checks to transact with the bank. Banks usually give higher interests in this type of account than checking account, but it is much lower than certificate of deposit and money market accounts. The bank also charges the depositor a certain amount if the balance falls from its required minimum. This type of investment usually uses passbooks to record each and every transaction (â€Å"Types of Accounts Typically Offered by Banks,† 2008). Certificate of Deposit Also known as Time deposit, the owner of a certificate of deposit agrees with the bank to hold his or her money for specified amount of time. The longer the duration specified in this type of account, the bigger the interest it will get. However, the owner of this type of account cannot withdraw the money until the end of the specified duration. Once he or she withdraws the money when the duration is still not finished, the bank will penalize him or her. If one cannot live without his or her money then it is best not to enter this type of account (â€Å"Types of Accounts Typically Offered by Banks,† 2008). Analysis of the Advantages and Disadvantages of the Various Types of Accounts In checking account, one disadvantage is that the interest given is very little compared to other accounts. Nevertheless, the advantage of this is that one can use check whenever he or she needs money. One disadvantage of a savings account is that one cannot use the money in his or her account whenever he or she needs money by accident. However, the advantage of this account is that the owners can monitor their money through their passbook. The advantage of the money market account is that it gives a higher rate of interest compared to checking account. However, the disadvantage of this is that it requires a high minimum balance. In the case of the certificate of deposit, its advantage is that it gives a higher interest rate compared to the three other types of account. However, the downside of this account is that one cannot withdraw his or her money until the specified time agreed by him or her and the bank. Considering the advantages and drawbacks of the aforementioned accounts, I can say that the certificate of deposit, otherwise known as the time deposit, is the best investment to choose. We invest our money to get big money. Hence, we should aim for the highest interest as it means higher profit for us. Given the formula for compounded interest, we can actually estimate the money that will be accumulated when we invest $1,000 dollars in a certificate of deposit: A = P(1 + r/m)mt Where A = accumulated amount at the end of conversion period, P is the principal amount, r is the normal interest rate per year, m number of conversion period per year, and t is the term or the number of years (â€Å"Exponents, Logarithms, and Applications to Compound Interest,† n.d.). Whatever the number of conversions per year, if the rate and the number of terms are increasing, then the accumulated amount will always be higher in certificate of deposit (CD). As we are only given a certain amount of money, the only thing that we have is the time. As long as the money stays in the bank and is accumulating interest, then it will still profit. That is why the CD is the best account to invest your money with.

Pulmonary fibrosis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Pulmonary fibrosis - Research Paper Example Pulmonary fibrosis is a factor that categorizes various forms of acute and chronic interstitial lung disease. The American Thoracic Society and the European Respiratory Society classify Interstitial Pulmonary Diseases into seven distinct categories of Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD), â€Å"idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP), acute interstitial pneumonitis (AIP), respiratory bronchiolitis-associated ILD, desquamative interstitial pneumonia, cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (COP) and lymphocyte interstitial pneumonia† (Lovgren, 2007). The history of pulmonary fibrosis is deeply linked with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). IPF is a subset of ILD. IPD is a form of chronic pulmonary fibrosis where the etiology of the disease is unknown. IPF was first described by Hamman and Rich in 1935 at the John Hopkins Hospital. Later this was found to be a case of acute interstitial pneumonia. The Liebow classifications in 1960 marked a new era f or interstitial lung diseases. It was not until 1980 that the importance of growth factors was taken into consideration. This led to understanding of ILD through abnormal wound healing rather than inflammation. Anatomy of the systems involved The foremost system involved and affected by pulmonary fibrosis is the respiratory system. ... The alveoli are sac like structures that are present at the terminal end of the bronchioles. Alveoli are highly vascularized and are responsible for gaseous exchange. The alveolar wall is about 0.5 µm in thickness. It consist of four layers of cells which are the squamous cells of alveoli, basement membrane of alveoli, basement membrane of the capillaries and squamous cells of capillaries. The intersitium is the space between the alveolar epithelium and capillary endothelium. It is found to be thin on one side of the capillary, where it consists of basement membranes of the capillary and alveoli. The mechanical strength of the thin side of the blood gas barrier comes from the type IV collagen present in the interstitium. The opposite side of the capillary has an interstitium that is wider and consists of type I collagen with fibroblasts and pericytes. Pulmonary fibrosis affects the intersitium of the alveoli. The disease involves thickening of this interstitium through collagen. In the initial stages, an increased number of lymphocytes and plasma cells are found within the area. These cells are later accompanied by fibroblasts that lay down thick collagen bundles. The functioning of the heart is closely related to respiratory system. The affects of pulmonary fibrosis are evident on the working of the cardiovascular system. Since the tissue is scarred, the heart muscle works harder to pump the same volume of blood through the lungs. As fibrosis continues the risks of heart failure increase. Causes for the disease Pulmonary fibrosis may be caused by a number of factors, the foremost of which are inhalation of environmental agents and results of auto immune disorders. The more common reasons

International Normalization Ratio (INR) home testing devices Essay

International Normalization Ratio (INR) home testing devices - Essay Example Thus, it makes strategic sense for all hospital departments, including the Accident and Emergency (A&E) unit within a hospital, to maintain electronic patient record systems, which present clinical and nursing notes, patient data, treatment history, etc. to assist with care. Life and death decisions in the A&E unit within a hospital are quick and clear and legible information is essential to administer proper treatment. This project report presents a discussion about electronic patient record systems that incorporate standardized nursing language for the A&E unit within a hospital. Consideration of the Keogh Medical Systems Electronic Patient Record System, the Ascribe Symphony system and the Siren ePCR that enables information collection in ambulances concludes that the ideal electronic patient record system for an A&E unit within a hospital combines the Ascribe Symphony system and the Siren ePCR system. This combination presents a capacity for timely information flow right from fir st contact with a patient. (This page intentionally left blank) Introduction McGonigle and Mastrian (2011) suggest that the use of informatics in healthcare is increasing because a need exists for adequate knowledge about the progression of various ailments for application of the right therapy. Thus, nursing professionals are now information dependent knowledge workers who must maintain accurate nursing records in information systems for accurate depiction of the care process and the results presented by this. However, it is impossible for medicine, nursing or any other healthcare related discipline to present accurate electronic records without resorting to a standardized language or vocabulary that accurately depicts the real-life condition of a patient at any point in time. According to Rutherford (2008), doctors, nurses and other health professionals should be able to read a record for a patient, maintained as an electronic document, to seek an accurate assessment of the situati on without getting confused about what really transpired. Knowledge imparted by accurate records benefits care because everyone knows what happened without ambiguity to decide about what needs doing. However, any inaccuracies result in confusion that presents an adverse impact on the delivery of appropriate care for a patient. Thus, nursing information systems that maintain computerized electronic records based on the standardized nursing language are now essential for hospitals in which a wide variety of health professionals must make the right decisions at all times based on these records to deliver the most appropriate care for a large number of patients. According to McGonigle and Mastrian (2011), nursing informatics systems should permit for accurate knowledge acquisition for the health situation for patients, precise knowledge processing, knowledge dissemination without any adulteration and accurate knowledge generation. However, if depiction of information in a nursing inform atics system presents flaws, the nursing informatics system is likely to present errors. This adds to the impetuous for ensuring accurate transcription of electronic records into the system, and the standardized language ensures that this is possible. Rutherford (2008) states that

Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Argument - Essay Example Some four years ago a relative of my aunt’s was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was only fifteen years old and there was no family history of cancer yet when asked for the cause of the disease the doctors said that high exposure to DDT was the cause of cancer. In Africa (where they lived) DDT was frequently used to counter Malaria and the same chemical is an integral component of many of the pesticides used on agricultural fields, which later forms a part of our food chain either through the vegetables we eat or through the red or white meat we consume. The concentration of DDT by the time it reaches the bloodstream of human beings reaches very high levels compared to its concentration in plants or animals. Consequently, the adverse effects of DDT in human beings can cause diseases such as cancer. As is the case of genetically modified food, people do not raise the issue of the usage of concentrated levels of pesticides because they themselves are not aware of the potential dangers associated with the use and exposure to such chemicals. In a documentary aired on BBC, which I saw a few years back a farmer was being interviewed and asked as to why he wore no protective mask while spraying the fields with pesticide and his reply was that he felt no need to do so. Just as Carson pointed out, this shows us how little awareness exists amongst the primary stakeholders who are most vulnerable to the detrimental effects of these chemicals. Moreover, when asked as to why he used pesticides he clarified that they were cheap and thus killed the pests. My friend who is studying Agricultural Engineering in India also hardly knows the potential threats which pesticides can cause to the environment. The justification provided by Carson for the excessive need to use of pesticides as being nothing but a farce is something I only partially agree with because the scenario of surplus food production is prevalent in

Public Affair class summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Public Affair class summary - Essay Example Furthermore, the government uses Public Relations for purposes of influencing the public, to behave in a way that is conducive to them. Public Relations is therefore an important tool of governance and promotion of accountability. Chapter Two of this book analyzes the importance of Public Relations to administrators and the government. For instance, this chapter denotes that Public Relations is important in helping administrators to achieve efficiency in whatever they do. Public relations achieve this objective by helping administrators to achieve the central mission of the agency, and helping to fulfill the democratic responsibilities of the government. Some of the missions that Public Administration helps to achieve include customer relations, delivery of services, provision of information, etc. By enabling administrators to provide information, public relations help to depict accountability of the government agency, to the people. Furthermore, an efficient and effective public relations tool helps a government agency to conduct its affairs and mission in a less expensive manner. Another important role of public relations is political. It is used for purposes of advancing the political autonomy and power of the agency. In short therefore, the functions of public relations are categorized under the following three groups (Lee and G, 9), Fitch talks about how federal agencies communicate with their employees and the public. This chapter examines the difference between Federal agencies, and other agencies. The major difference denoted is that in a federal agency, communication is structured and hierarchical. This means that communication emanates from the manager to the junior officers. This is in terms of instructions and policies of the organization (Fitch, 251). Furthermore, these organizations have a spokesman or woman, whose role is to communicate with the media or relevant authorities that seek any information

Employment law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Employment law - Essay Example This could also be held to be unreasonable behavior. A general rule has been set out in the case of General Billposting Co Ltd v Atkinson1 it was held that there may be instances where an employer has behaved so badly towards an employee that the employee can treat his employment contract as if it is at an end. When this is the case, the employer may not be able to impose any post termination restrictive covenant on the employee, because the contract has been ended as a result of the employer’s own fault, hence he will not have the right to demand that the employee adhere to any conditions post employment. Thus, on this basis, Ali has grounds to contest the sudden change in the contract that has been made by Balmoral. It must also be noted that there may have been certain terms implied in Ali’s original contract, such as the duty of an employee not to work for competitors, even during off duty hours, as also stated in the cases of Hivac Ltd v Park Royal Scientific Instruments Ltd2and Provident Financial Group plc v Hayward.3 Ali’s original contract with Balmoral would have already included the implicit restriction on working for competitors, therefore the grounds for Balmoral instituting a new contract may itself be subject to dispute. In general, once an employment contract has been entered into with an employee, an employer may not change the terms without first obtaining the consent of the employee.4 Unless the original contract Ali had with Balmoral allows the flexibility of changing contractual terms, Balmoral will be required to follow the correct procedure and offer the terms to Ali, who is at liberty to accept or reject them. Balmoral’s dismissal of Ali on the grounds of refusal to accept new terms may give rise to grounds for a breach of contract. Even assuming that the new contract was deemed necessary after the recent incidences of poaching staff, it will be difficult for

Management plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Management plan - Essay Example Quitting is never a good decision pertaining to this case; rather she can opt for a better opportunity. A winner never quits and he or she has to march towards their goal facing all the hurdles in life. Not all the organizations will have the same problem. But at this time she should develop an attitude to manage with the difficulties in the institution created by the higher officials. Since her educational status is primary requirement, she should enquire about different schools which can provide distance learning programs or evening colleges which will offer her the required degree. So that she does not loose the experience in the work and also completes her course in the ordained time. In this present case she has to learn to cope up with the present situation of the organization. Parallel to this she should make every effort to look for an alternate; she should be prepared in mind not to look for rewards or recognition since she cannot get what she expects in this organization. The time taken for accomplishing things for the decision she made will includes time taken to shift to a new job (Full time or part-time) and as well as to complete her degree. a. The decision made will be evaluated on the outcomes of the decision. With reference to her situation it is obvious that she should make a decision with minimal risk or no risk.

Dinosaur ridge Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Dinosaur ridge - Essay Example On the 20th September 2014, I visited the famous Denver Dinosaur Ridge for a practical activity that involved fossil examination, gold panning, mineral recognition and dinosaur track printing. The place has experts and representatives from FODR geologists who help in the analyses of the geographical activities. For instance, the experts take students and visitors through the faulting, volcanic and earthquake processes that took place in the area. However, the geohazards occur in different ways due to the geological structure of the terrain and the localities of the features. This implies that the influence of the geohazards may vary in separate places depending on the geological composition in that area. The impacts of earth tremors on plain lands cause minimum risks compared to the one on rugged terrains. For instance, earthquakes on barren lands might cause destructions to properties, especially in congested areas. According to the FODR experts, volcanic ash bends are the common influence of geohazard processes at the Denver Dinosaur Ridge. This is because of the dumping nature of the volcanic bends during eruptions as was evidenced at the Colorado disaster. The experts further indicated that the determination of the geohazard activities is undertaken through checking on the mineral zircon crystals. This model considers the date of the rocks and their nature that might contribute to the breaking. It emerged that the volcanic ash bends had taken place over 100 million years ago because of the nature of the rocks and the number of mineral zircon minerals found. Geohazard activities may have also occurred at the Karst Hazards in the recent years. The formation of the Karst Hazard occurs because of the sinkholes that damage the infrastructure. It is evident that the sinkholes dissolve in the underlying limestone, exposing the infrastructure, such as roads or buildings, to risks of collapsing or sinking

Psychology and Teaching Assistant Essay Example for Free

Psychology and Teaching Assistant Essay 1.1 Describe the duties and responsibilities of own work role. The teaching assistant role includes working under the guidance of the teacher, supporting teaching and learning in the school nursery through group activities. I am able to devise learning activity plans also and also spontaneous learning activities which occur through play and other immediate learning activities. The learning assistant role also includes administration, wall displays, food preparation, leading activities with smaller and larger groups, and also individual work. Listening and talking with the children and offering support in social and emotional development as well as curriculum activity development. It is necessary to promote positive behaviours and deal with any negative behaviour in a professional manner. It is also necessary to promote equal opportunities, diversity and inclusion. It is necessary to build professional relationships with the children and also with other work colleagues. Assessment on a formative or summative basis is also part of the role. The teaching assistant role also includes effective safeguarding, and health and safety of the children and also the learning environment all contributes to a happy place, that is a safe and healthy place to learn within. 1.2 Explain expectations about own work role as expressed in relevant standards. There is a list of standards for school support staff depending on the role. The National Occupational Standards for Teaching Assistants offers guidance of competent performance. Some schools ask teaching assistants to complete the National Association of Professional Teaching Assistants. There are also local and national guidelines for codes of practice. 2.1 Explain the importance of reflective practice in continuously improving the quality of service provided. Reflective practice is actually reflective learning and then putting this learning into future practice. It is essential to reflect over activities and other things that have happened and work out if they worked out well, or did not work out well. Why? And what can be improved. It is a continual thinking process to strive for improvements. It is important to self-assess and assess situations by reflecting on them and then putting ideas/plans forward to progress from that event. It is good to  be able to discuss thoughts and ideas with colleagues to then identify areas of strengths and those that need further development. Reflective practice includes reflecting on own role when supporting children learning. It also includes managing children’s behaviour and planning and assessing and also feedback. Reflective practice also includes working with colleagues and other adults and professional development. 2.3 Describe how own values, belief systems and experiences may affect working practice. If the teaching assistant is a religious person, then there may be personal conflict with been expected to take part or support learners in other religions activities. If the teaching assistant has no religion, then it is likely to be easi er to support learning activities and personally be rather passive about the belief part of the religion, and just concentrate on the knowledge part of the religion. Own beliefs, and values and experiences shape the way a person is and so facing and taking part in activities about other beliefs, values and experiences can enhance learning and understanding depending on how flexible in thought and attitude the individual actually is. A person who is less flexible in thought and attitude may find that the taking part in activities of other beliefs, values and experiences can be a very challenging experience. 3.1 Evaluate own knowledge, performance and understanding against relevant standards. It is essential to reflect on learning activities that you have taken part in with the children and then compare with the national occupation of standards to see if you meet what is required. By working through and addressing areas of performance a person can begin to improve their practice. There are 69 units of the National Occupational Standards. These describe the skills and knowledge that teaching assistants need to do their job effectively. Teaching assistants and other support staff roles do not need to cover all 69, they just need to cover the ones which relate to their work environment. (see table attached regarding the relevant standards and my evaluation of own performance and understanding) 3.2 Explain how you would demonstrate use of feedback to evaluate own performance and inform development. Consider the feedback fully and then reflect on own performance to see if you can accommodate the feedback to make effective improvements to own performance to then be able to put this into further practice. Constructive feedback is best to work from and can aid professional development as well as additional training  opportunities. The assessment forms from tutor observed sessions in the workplace can highlight strengths and also areas that need some improvement. 4.1 Identify sources of support for planning and reviewing own development. Sources of support can come from other work colleagues, teaching assistants and teaching staff and also tutors if on further college courses. The planning and reviewing cycle is not unlike that of the planning and assessment cycle which a teaching assistant is part of in the working environment. There are also online materials and also books which can be used to aid learning in order to develop planning and reviewing abilities. The school system for employees would be to use formal and informal support and appraisal meetings with senior management. College staff for those on college courses can also be part of this support system. Inset/training days for staff are a way of gaining support for planning as information is pooled and new ideas and methods are put into operation. Da ta may be logged in a milestones format for reflection and further development. 4.2 Explain how you would demonstrate how to work with others to review and prioritise own learning needs, professional interests and development opportunities. The school appraisal system for employees is a way of assisting staff to consider their own professional performance on a frequent basis. This process needs to be a positive and non-threatening one to be at its most effective. A line manager may do this process for a general teaching assistant, whereas the schools SENCO is likely to do this for a teaching assistant with one to one supportive roles for a child or children with SEN. 4.3 Explain how you would demonstrate how to work with others to agree own personal development plan. A personal development plan is a plan to improve professional practice. The appraisal system and other formal and also informal feedback on a person’s professional development all contribute along with own reflective assessments of actual working experience. There will be opportunity for training in the working environment and also external training events which can be added into the personal development plan. The initial in employment training is the induction course for teaching assistants and also opportunities for other training to take place. These will cover areas such as behaviour management, SEN, and also supporting numeracy and literacy, and learning intervention schemes such as extra literacy and extra numeracy support training to be able to implement  these programmes effectively with children who need extra support. 5.1 Evaluate how learning activities have affected practice. Practice has been affected by learning activities with extended experience. Using the learning from these experiences it has helped to shape and develop abilities and new experiences have provided opportunity to try out and reflect upon. Observing and working with other colleagues have affected practice in offering ideas previously not thought of, to use and develop into own professional practice. All learning activities have provided opportunity for reflection and then personal development with copying and continuing good practice throughout. Just as the children learn from direct experience and from each other and build/scaffold on these experiences, teaching assistants also follow the same process. 5.2 Explain how reflective practice has led to improved ways of working. Reflective practice is the key to effective learning. Reflective learning is a powerful tool and can be gained from self-reflection and including feedback from others to reflect upon. It is personal assessment and this can be used to find out what went well and what needs working on. Work colleagues and training can also aid learning as we learn from each other. Observation of other more experienced staff such as other teaching assistants and the teachers can offer food for thought, and then the person can try out these newly observed methods observed to improve ways of working with learners across the school years. Reflection on good practice has led to personal development in this role by developing new ideas based on the good practice already experienced. 5.3 Show how to record progress in relation to personal development (see enclosed CV) It is a good idea to have an achievements file where all the qualifications and other awards and certificates are all placed into the file, in groups and date order. A detailed CV can also include the most essential qualifications as well as other personal information and employment and voluntary experienced logged in chronological order. I update my CV frequently and also adapt it per type of job role that I am applying for and update my achievements file and keep in in good order.

Fast Food Industry Challenges and Opportunities

Fast Food Industry Challenges and Opportunities Fast food franchising was still in its infancy in the 1950s however this picked up greatly in the 1970s due to several factors including the steady decline on hourly wages of US workers which resulted in a substantial percentage of women re-entering the job market to support their families. This trend resulted in great business opportunities for fast food chains whose product saw a substantial increase in demand due to long working hours of parents, thus lack of time to dedicate to cooking due to other family commitments, including a lack of quality time between family members. Fast food options thus made it easier for families who could choose to either purchase take away food, on their way home, or else consume it at the chains premises together with family members or friends. Thus this provided an affordable solution to purchase cooked food, for families, single parents, youths and professionals. Burger King was the first fast food chain to introduce drive thru service which now accounts for a majority of the companys business. www.datamonitor.com Apart from the drive thru option, Burger King as well as other fast food retailers, offered home service delivery in order to suit the needs of consumers who were pressed for time. The provision of such convenient services boosted the organisations turnover. Lack of elaborate furnishings and low skilled labour of fast food chains, compared to full service restaurants were substantially lower, contributed to low operating costs, which was reflected in the price of meals, rendering them affordable. Although the chains sales were very promising, stiff competition from other fast food operators forced fast food leaders to engage in aggressive marketing campaigns and diversified product offerings. Burger Kings major limitation has been the adoption of a reactive rather than a proactive strategy. This resulted in higher costs which were at times wasted as the reactive strategy would have been employed too late, and the competitors effort would have by then been too effective to be beaten. It is also worth noting that although in the case of Burger King, its major competitors have been McDonalds and Wendys being the first and third placed leaders respectively, in the fast food industry, so far, yet competition from many well-established food service companies, has been cut throat. The restaurant industry is intensely competitive and BKC competes with many well-established food service companies on the basis of product choice, quality, affordability, service and location. Burger King Corporation- SWOT Analysis: May 2010 ( www.datamonitor.com) Health concerns lead to a substantial slow down by fast food chain companies in the 1990s. Health campaigns bombarded the media claiming that obesity was the result of excessive fast food consumption. Fear of heart conditions, damaged liver and other health conditions, resulted in lower consumption of fast food, which proved to be a major threat to fast food sellers, particularly large chains like Burger King who had thousands of outlets spread across the globe reflecting high investments in the franchise. This major setback also led to a considerable drop in value meals which had been introduced to beat stiff competition from other fast food suppliers. Such favourable pricing strategies encouraged consumers to opt for the added value meal options, contributing further to health problems including obesity. During this period, Obesity was believed to cause more deaths than smoking. (Case Study:4) Apart from consuming high levels of fast food, people hardly engaged in physical due to their working commitments and hectic lifestyles which were the main reasons for drawing crowds to fast food consumption. Had fast food companies not have catered for such a shift in demand, they would have probably been driven out of the market particularly since people have become more health conscious due to higher exposure to media and the internet the latter being a super highway of information. The emerging popularity of certain diets including the Atkins and the South Beach diets, which proved to be effective for many, were also a threat to the industry, thus the introduction of a much varied menu by fast food retailers. With increased health consciousness, consumers shifted to healthy food like salads and organic food. (Case Study: 6). Leaders in the fast food industry sought to adapt to changing consumer preferences. The provision of healthier options increased operational costs, including the requirement for more cooking spaces. Fast food leaders sought to transform the initial threat into an opportunity for business development, particularly since the desire for healthy options at fast food outlets, was not a phase but is still in demand today. Awareness of the negative effects of hydrogenated oils which were deemed to be cancerous, had to be eliminated from fast food kitchens and replaced buy healthier oils. The industry was further challenged by the bird flu and Mad Cow diseases which also contributed to a decrease in consumer traffic. In 2005, the World Health Organisation (WHO), also made reference to the fact that Acrylamide in certain foods as fried or roasted potato products, has shown to cause cancer. Growing public awareness about Acrylamide levels in French fries, could affect the companys sales. Other threats faced by fast food retailers including Burger King, include Legal tangles such as violation of accessibility requirements under federal and state law, which will reflect negatively the brand image of the organisation. Unemployment and low consumer confidence the US a case in point, will affect consumer spending and thus will impact directly Burger Kings financial performance which tends to be highly sensitive to such economic conditions. Burger King, apart from dealing with the number of threats faced earlier in the write up, had a number of internal issues to solve. These problems contributed to higher challenges the company has to face particularly since for a company to deal with external factors, it must be backed up by key important factors, including internal organisational stability. Lack of constructive communication between the Mother Company and franchisees led to a number of outlets to close down. [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] disagreements soon erupted between the franchisees and the parent company regarding issues of product control, store image, design and operations. (Case Study: pp 6) Franchisees claimed that Burger King failed to understand and adapt to the needs and requirements of the franchisees target audience who demanded a varied product to suit the culture and trends of the particular country and location. Franchisees also claimed that they had no financial backing from the mother company to refurbish the ir outlets, thus a considerable percentage of Burger Kings outlets were shabby and neglected. The No. 2 fast food chain may need to spend billions on refurbishing. Burt Helm (2010) Burger King also faces the threat of expiry franchise agreements. Of the 409 agreements that expired in fiscal 2006, only 47% were renewed and 28% were extended for similar periods. If a substantial number of franchisees decide not to renew their agreement, the companys operations would be affected. (www.datamonitor.com) In spite of the number of threats faced by fast food retailers during the past decades, one must not underestimate the future opportunities which such industry players can take advantage of. In this regard there has been a considerable rise of the restaurant industry in the US. New dining and lifestyle patterns including an increased percentage of working women, divorce, rise in single parent household and longer working hours have all been extended further over the last three decades. Demographic changes including the demand for snacking and increased comfort requirements are creating further opportunities for businesses within the catering industry. The FFHR business in the US is expected to grow at an annual rate of 4% per annum during 2006-2011. (www.datamonitor.com) Burger King is seeking to extend on product development by introducing new products and an increase in limited time offers. Ongoing product development must be in line with current market trends to ensure that the menu is appealing to the target market and to ensure that the menu is not stale, which will benefit competitors. Launching new products will enhance the brand image in line with the success of its direct competitors. However the success of the Whopper which is Burger Kings signature product which initially contributed to Burger King Brands image, should continue to appear in the chain marketing campaigns, with the latter being more innovative. Burger King is also seeking to expand in current and tap potential markets, including Asian markets such as China and Malaysia. This diversification plan will hopefully improve Burger Kings threat of market concentration. Further investment in the chains restaurants could also be an opportunity to boost the brand image. A change in design and image of the outlets, would provide an opportunity for further growth, targeting upcoming generations proactively. Market analysis and in-depth research will provide the company with feedback regarding the emerging customer needs not only as regards food menu, but also design and dà ©cor and in-store facilities including a potential area accommodating business meetings and coffee breaks, if in demand. In todays global, fast changing and ever growing competitive environment being a market leader, today, will give you some advantages but definitely will not grant you automatic market leadership for the future. A competitive strategy based on a number of key internal competences will provide a solid platform for organisation sustainability and long-term success. Internal competences may be referred to as stated by Barney (1991) in Lado et al. (1994) organisational resources that are rare, valuable, non substitutable and imperfectly imitable form the basis for a firms sustainable competitive advantage. Unless these core competences are unique to the company, achieving competitive advantage would be harder particularly in todays competitive business environments. Further more Prahalad and Hamel (1990) state that In the 1990s managers will be judged on their ability to identify, cultivate, and exploit th core competences that make growth possible indeed, theyll have to rethink the concept of the corporation it self. Organisations must seek to understand first and foremost the micro and macro environment including, the immediate industry (micro) and competitive environment, and general economic conditions (macro). Understanding the Critical Success Factors of the industry in which they operate helps companies identify the areas in which the company must excel over its competitors to achieve competitive advantage in the market place. Internal competences will prove to be effective if they contribute directly or indirectly to the organisations success, based on the industry Critical Success Factors. In this respect, the Board of Directors and the CEO should: have the ability of understanding the process of industry evolution; be able to predict change that would satisfy customers in terms of their expectations and preferences; understand that company Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats, is not a one off exercise. Such factors have to be analysed and revised regularly to ensure that the organisations strategy is updated to cater for any changing patters, newly recognized weaknesses or threats and that any potential opportunities are tapped in real time Investment in quality Human Resources contributes towards achieving competitive advantage. Recruitment and selection processes are fundamental for a companys long term success, considering nowadays, the organisations best resources are human resources. Ongoing training and development of employees contributes to high efficiency levels within companies, and in the case of retail, ongoing training and monitoring ensures that high levels of customer service by the organisations employees, is practiced at all times. In the case of a large company as Burger King, standardised and compulsory training ensures that service standardisation is achieved throughout its franchise outlets. Apart from providing ongoing, updated training, companies should seek to develop their staff complement so that their key staff members will improve their skills and will be given the opportunity to be promoted internally and contribute to the companys success, rather than leave the organisation in search for better opportunities. This investment in human resources contributes highly to a companys internal competences, thus to the companys overall success, considering a substantial percentage of Burger Kings (as an example) employees are the chains front liners, providing the service directly to the customer. The way employees are treated at the workplace and the relationships with their superiors, automatically affects their performance and hence the efforts they give. In a way this all depends on the management level and as Foot and Hook (1999) state [] they enhance the willingness and ability of employees to contribute to the achievement of their organisations goal. The level of Information Sharing and Effective Communication within organisations may also be viewed as a fundamental internal competence. Members within an organisation should be informed and should feel part of the organisations success of failure. The Mission and Vision of the company must be clear from top to bottom, otherwise it may result in lack of commitment due to a lack of understanding of the companys goals. Dissemination of information and communication within companies may take different forms ranging from meetings, e-mails, intranet and newsletters. Further advancements in technologies, have reduced communication barriers to a substantial degree, thus communication between the head office, or parents company and its internationally spread businesses, is now even more possible than ever. The use of Skpe, conference calls, video conferencing have contributed to new forms of communication options. Total Quality Management (TQM) emphasises the responsibility of each individual for ensuring high levels of quality throughout the organisation. Commitment and training in this regard will require less supervision and higher levels of commitment. Encouraging Quality Circles, involves having a group of people who meet away from the shop floor to discuss potential improvements in the work systems. Members of quality circles will then analyse the data and set up proposals addressed to senior management for consideration. Achievement of effective Total Quality Management within companies provides results in competitive advantage over competitor organisations since high levels of quality, are the order of the day. Other examples of organisational competences include; innovation, embracing change rather than resisting it and other key characteristics which render a companys product or service distinct from those of direct competitors or substitutes. Organisations must not take their internal competences for granted but must seek to develop them further so as to maintain long-term competitive advantage. Seeking other forms of key internal competences is very important in view of the ever changing market conditions in which organisations operate. Unless organisations have key ingredients distinguishing them from what their competitors are offering, it would be very challenging to operate sustainably and register ongoing growth. Market research including competitor analysis is carried out by companies with the main purpose of identifying any potential threats or new opportunities within the diverse business markets. Unless companies seek to embrace their key competences and improve to maintain mar ket leadership position whenever possible, they will soon be challenged by upcoming competitors. Enterprises across the whole spectrum of the economy are faced with multiple challenges generated within the parameters of national and global economy. Globalisation is resulting in a high degree of economic openness, and to a very large measure, this exposes emerging businesses to vulnerable business scenarios. Ruysseveldt et al (1995) highlighted that In general, companies now face fierce competition, and this in turn affects the employment relationship, which is increasingly subject to the logic of the market. In this regard, organisations which fail in adapting their structures to emerging societies of the market will eventually face a natural death. Subsequently, visionary agile organisations need to capitalise on a proactive approach, in anticipating and responding to change effectively. 2. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the franchising business model used by Burger King. What are the implications of this approach for successful implementation of their strategies? Franchising is a form of business in which the franchiser gives the authority to a franchisee to distribute services, products or methods of business to affiliated dealers. In many cases franchisees are given exclusive access to a particular geographical area. The franchiser usually mandates uniform symbols, trademarks and standardization of services. On the other hand negative macro consequences of franchising include the propensity of franchising to promote anticompetitive distribution systems (Hunt, 1972), the rationalization of consumer choice (Alon, 2004), and the destruction of local customs (Ram, 2004), leading to what has been called the McDonaldization of Society (Ritzer, 1995). Currently Burger King has 3 different forms of franchise schemes, which correspond to 3 different types of franchise ownership: Individual or Owner/ Operator Entity Corporate Individual or owner/ operator ownership was traditionally used for individuals who signed the franchise agreement personally and who were personally responsible for operating the franchise restaurant. Although the individual franchise agreement can be assigned to an operating company under certain conditions, the individual remains personally responsible under the franchise agreement. Entity ownership allows different forms of ownership and management of, and equity investment in the franchisee. Under the Entity ownership program, a corporation, a limited partnership or a limited liability company can directly execute the Entity franchisee scheme if they satisfy Burger Kings guidelines and for approval of franchise ownership distribution plans. Generally, one of the conditions of Entity ownership is that one or more individuals or entities guarantee to be responsible for the franchisee obligations to Burger King out of which one of them has to be designated by Burger Kings approval to be the managing owner who shall be responsible to ensure that they comply to the franchise agreement and has to have enough authority to make certain decisions. Additionally the managing owner must have at least 5% ownership of the franchisee. Corporate ownership franchise scheme occurs when a company with publicly-traded stock or a subsidiary of a publicly-traded company, that controls locations that are not accessible or have limited access to the general public. Such franchisees are typically food service companies that provide a variety of contract feeding services in a institutional location such as government buildings and facilities, airports, bus and train stations, theme parks and zoos. A qualified director of operations who shall be approved by Burger King needs to be appointed who will have certain responsibilities and authority to ensure that the corporate franchisee is complying with the franchise agreement. Although these 3 franchise schemes may slightly vary between them as to responsibilities and setup costs, however in substance they follow the traditional franchise setup that Burger King has adopted through the years. Burger King grants franchisees to operate restaurants using Burger King trademarks, trade dress and other intellectual property rights that it owns, from quality of products and standardization of service. For each franchise restaurant, Burger King enters into a franchise agreement that covers a number of standard terms and conditions that are common to all franchisees. Franchisees incur recurring fees consisting of royalty and advertising payments that range between 3.5% to 5% on monthly gross sales, and a fixed yearly fee that starts from $50,000 depending on the size of franchisee set-up. Burger King offers its franchisees its renowned barbell menu strategy, which gives the franchisees the opportunity to expand on Burger Kings high-margin premium products and value products in order to grow the core drivers of its product offerings. The barbell menu strategy is aimed at driving average check and traffic, since Burger Kings management team believes that by adopting this strategy Burger king is balancing higher margin products with value offerings and at the same time increasing the brand equity of flame-broiled taste. However the fast food industry is highly competitive and some of Burger Kings competitors have greater resources, such as Macdonalds. This leads to a disadvantage when it comes to compete with Macdonalds, since Burger King takes a reactive mode to price changes, furthermore Macdonalds marketing campaigns in general are more effective than Burger Kings. Clearly this gives the competitors a competitive advantage through higher levels of brand awareness among consumers. In addition, our major competitors are also able to devote greater resources to accelerate their restaurant re-modelling and rebuilding efforts, introduce new product and implement advantageous product offerings, which in most cases gives them a competitive edge over Burger King. Furthermore, the market for retail real estate is highly competitive. Due to the economies of scale that Burger Kings competitors managed to achieve, Burger Kings major competitors may have the ability to negotiate more favourable terms and entrepreneurs may offer priority or grant exclusivity to these competitors for more desirable locations. As a result, this may hinder the ability to obtain new franchisees or renew existing agreements. The capital required to grow and maintain Burger King Corporation is primarily funded by franchise agreements, this presents a number of drawbacks in Burger Kings portfolio management strategy, especially when the company currently holds ownership of only 10% of its restaurants. Burger King is planning to significantly reduce the ownership of these restaurants over the next 5 years. This may lead to problematic situations whereby Burger King being the franchisor will have limited influence over franchisees and high reliance on franchisees to implement major initiatives. This may also lead to limited ability to facilitate changes in restaurant ownership, limitations on enforcement of franchise obligations due to bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings and inability or unwillingness of franchisees to participate in our strategic initiatives. On the other hand Burger Kings principal competitors are mainly Macdonalds and Wendys. These have greater influence over their respective franchisees due to the significantly higher percentage of company restaurants and ownership of franchisee real estate that they hold. This may result, that they may have a greater ability to implement operational initiatives and business strategies, including their marketing and advertising programs. While Burger King can mandate certain strategic initiatives through the enforcement of its franchise agreements, they need the actively seek support from its franchisees for a successful implementation of these initiatives. These efforts to build this alignment with its franchisees may result in a delay in the implementation of the marketing and advertising programs. Although the current relationship with its franchisees is positive, there is no assurance that it will continue to be so. In fact Burger King has already been sued by the National Franchisee association, this organisation represents over 50% of Burger Kings franchisees in the United States. This law suit is due to Burger Kings decision to dictate to the U.S. franchisees to sell the 1/4 lb. Double Cheeseburger and the Buck Double burger at $1. This is a clear example whereby Burger Kings failure to win the franchisees support in its marketing programs and strategic initiatives could lead to negatively affect the ability t o implement the strategy that it would have decided to adopt. Burger Kings operating results substantially depend upon its franchisees sales. However, its franchisees are independent operators and they cannot control many factors that impact the profitability of their restaurants. Pursuant to the franchise agreements and their operational manual, Burger King mandate menu items, signage, equipment, hours of operation and value menu, standardization of procedures and approval of suppliers. However, the quality of franchise restaurant operations may be diminished by any number of factors beyond its control. Consequently, franchisees may not successfully operate restaurants in a consistent manner with the mother company standards and requirements. Due to various factors, Burger King as a franchisor may not be able to identify problems and take action quickly enough; as a result, its image and reputation may suffer. Most of Burger Kings franchisee restaurants are presently located on leased premises. As restaurant leases expire, our franchisees may be unable to renegotiate a new lease, on commercially acceptable terms or nothing at all, which could cause a number of its franchisees to close down. As already stated, the fast food industry is intensely competitive and Burger King has to compete both in the U.S. and internationally with a number of established companies on the basis of product choice, quality, affordability, service and location. Burger Kings competitors include a variety of independent operators, in addition to well-capitalized national and international chains and franchises. Furthermore, this industry has few barriers to entry, and therefore new competitors may emerge at any time. Burger Kings ability to compete will mainly depend on the success to improve existing products, to develop new products, effectively respond to consumer preferences and to manage the complexity of its operations as well as the impact of our competitors actions. 3.Using relevant theory and examples to support your answer, critically evaluate the role of leadership in managing cultural and behavioural factors during the execution of a turnaround strategy.    In the rapidly developing modern world and the age of globalization, the concept of organisational change has become more important than ever before. Although it has always been an important feature of organisational life, the place, magnitude and necessity of organisational change has considerably escalated over the past two decades (Arnold, 2005). As Mullins (2007) states, Change is a pervasive influence. It is an inescapable part of both social and organisational life and we are all subject to continual change of one form or another. There exists a multitude of reasons as to why organisations must constantly make changes, both external and internal. Although internal factors play a role, the main pressures faced by companies to change comes from external forces. This is because in order to survive in the corporate world, organisations must be properly prepared to face and respond to the new challenges and opportunities presented by the ever-changing external environment (Mullins, 2007). Many organisations appear to be in a continuous state of change as they are forced to increase the speed with which they respond to the unpredictability of external factors, essential for their survival (Hussey, 2000). One of the most influential forces instigating organisational change today is the rapid rate of globalisation and consequent fierce world competition. With the accelerating emergence of economies such as India and China, Mayle (2006) states that globalisation is no longer an academic discipline or a fringe movement but a business imperative Thus creating the need for constant change and the fact that competition is intensifying, means that organisations cannot simply ignore developments and give advantage to their competitors. Technological change has therefore become extremely significant as the rate of obsolescence increases, a trend that is set to become more significant with the rapid growth of the internet and E-commerce. As Hussey (2000) states, it is unlikely that organisations can introduce new developments without causing changes to skills, jobs, structure and often culture. Another external factor to consider is that the demographic profile of most countries is changing the proportion of older people is increasing relative to the proportion of younger people. This will create huge pressures for organisations, and corporate issues may involve finding ways of dealing with skill shortages, changes in attitudes to the employment of older people and problems of motivation in flat organisational structures which of fer little opportunity for promotion (Hussey, 2000). Other external forces of change relevant to organisations include government intervention, political interests, scarcity of natural resources and the nature of customers. Internal sources of change include innovations, new methods of work, re-locating, training, staff development and the re-allocation of resources and responsibilities (Mullins, 2007). The survival and success of any organisation depends how they choose to adapt to these internal and external demands. It is not about whether to change, but to how and when. Burger King started this process in 1977, by hiring Donald Smith as president and CEO. Smith identified the shortfalls that Burger King was facing at the time. Smith adapted and executed his turnaround strategy, and modelled on the basis of Macdonalds strategy which proofed rather successful. The processes involved in organisational change may differ widely depending on the corporation in question and the current situation that it is facing. However, it is important for all organisations in todays globalised economy to understand the importance of continual change constantly transforming in order to keep up with the changing environment and hence survive in the competitive modern world. The actual changes to an organisation can either be implemented in a planned and systematic fashion, often designed and implemented by consultants, or in a more informal and reactive way, where managers react to situations on a daily basis and implement change accordingly (Tosi, Rizzo Carroll, 1994). The notion of organisational development change that focuses on the whole organisation is concerned with anticipated, planned and consciously designed change that will serve to increase an organisations effectiveness (Cummings and Worley, 2001). Lewins change model provides a fundamental m odel of planned change, which perceives change as a modification of those forces keeping a systems behaviour stable. In this model, Lewin believes that the change process consists of three steps: Unfreezing, Moving and Refreezing. Unfreezing involves diminishing the forces that uphold an organisations current behaviour often done by showing employees the discrepancies between behaviour desired by the organisation and behaviour that is currently displayed. Through a process of psychological disconfirmation members can thereby be motivated to change. The second step, Moving aims to shift the current behaviour of

Growing up in The Outsiders and That Was Then by S. E. Hinton and Lord of the Flies by Golding :: essays research papers

Growing up is a current issue nowadays with children and teenagers seeming to enter the adult world at an earlier age thus having to take on the responsibilities of adults. When does a child become an adult? For many the right answer is that it has nothing to do with age, it is determined by the behavior. In this essay I will not go into the issue of when a child turns into an adult but rather think about how the issue is treated in ?The Outsiders?, and ?That Was Then, This Is Now? by S.E Hinton, and ?Lord of the Flies? by William Golding. From the point of view of growing up, the first two novels are quite similar. In ?The Outsiders? growing up is an issue throughout the novel and it is largely focused on the stages of teenage years to surviving adulthood. While in the novel ?That Was Then, This Is Now? the boys encounter what they are capable of and what they can do to change their future. As I read ?The Outsiders? the behavior of the boys have are not shown in a regular teen aged boy. For example the group of boys enjoy fighting and causing violence because that is how they were raised. The author let the readers have an idea of what it is like to have no discipline and authority. Hinton came up with ideas that nearly got the readers to grasp what was going on in her novel, she showed the readers that a life without authority only results with bad behavior. Ponyboy a character from ?The Outsiders? and his older brothers including the rest of the boys all did what they wanted. Because the boys grew up without any parents or idols they didn?t feel that they needed to listen or follow any rules. In the result of their behavior and choices they have to deal with bad consequences that they have to grow up with. In the novel ?That Was Then, This Is Now? I noticed that the characters almost have the same traits of the teens in the book ?The Outsiders? because the two main character Mark, and Bryon grew up without any parents. These boys also enjoyed fighting and partying all the time because they never had

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn :: essays research papers

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 1.Period: The period that is most evident in this novel is that of realism. Realism is a style of writing, developed in the nineteenth century, that attempts to depict life accurately without idealizing or romanticizing it. Mark Twain depicts the adventures and life of Huck Finn in a realistic, straight-forward way. He did not try to  ³idealize ² or  ³romanticize ² his characters or their surroundings; instead he described them exactly how they would be in real life. Realists did not write about the long ago or far away, the realists concentrate often on contemporary life and on middle- and lower-class lives in particular (such as Huck Finns). Evidence of the Romantic period is also found in this novel in that romantics tend to seek nature as a solace from problems caused by society and the big city. In this novel Huck turns to the Mississippi River (nature) as an escape from society, as does Jim for an escape from his slavery. Huck Finn also shows evidence of romanticism with its inst ances with the supernatural. 2.Style One of Mark Twain ¹s most effective uses of style in this novel is his first person point of view. In a first person point of view one of the characters tells the story, using first-person pronouns such as I and we. With this point of view the reader knows only what the narrator knows. The Adventure ¹s of Huckleberry Finn is told by the novel ¹s main character, Huck Finn. This point of view allows us to hear Huck ¹s distinct voice and dialect, further familiarizing the reader with Huck ¹s culture and surroundings. The skill with witch Twain elevates the dialect of an illiterate village boy to the highest levels of poetry established the spoken American idiom as a literary language.

The Pros and Cons of Ethanol as a Renewable Source of Energy Essay exam

I. Introduction One of the most hotly contested debates in today’s realm of environmental concern is how to secure energy for the maintenance and improvement of quality of life in the future. To date, humanity has been blessed with plentiful reserves of cheap crude oil, which can be refined into a multitude of items that make the lives of many so convenient—gasoline, heating oil, natural gas, plastics, and fertilizers. In some parts of the world, these technologies merely facilitate survival. But concern over what happens when these supplies dwindle is universal. Science has revealed that oil will not last forever at the rate it is being consumed. Therefore, alternatives must be developed that can provide sustainable levels of energy well into humanity’s future. We are entering a world in which, energy-speaking, renewable is the name of the game. In addition to facilitating the weaning of humans from fossil fuels, renewable energy poses many environmental benefits because renewable means clean. Most scientists will argue that, though the degree to which we benefit might be speculative, human and environmental welfare will increase with tapping of renewable energy sources. If modern science is in any way accurate, using clean and renewable energy would result in better air quality, curbing of climate change and the Greenhouse Effect, and perhaps even the luxury of supplying most or all of our energy domestically. This means that countries like the U.S. would stand heavily resistant to both the ramifications of a global energy crisis and to international political tensions surrounding the trading of oil. Despite its being more expensive, there is much to be gained from renewable energy. ... ...erations, we must make the leap. Works Cited â€Å"Ethanol.† Encyclopedia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 4/15/2007. http://0-search.eb.com.tiger.coloradocollege.edu/eb/article-79648 â€Å"Gasoline.† Encyclopedia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 4/15/2007. http://0-search.eb.com.tiger.coloradocollege.edu/eb/article-9036148 Godoi AFL, Ravindra K, Godoi RHM, Andrade SJ, Santiago-Silva M, Vaeck LV, Grieken RN. 2004. â€Å"Fast chromatographic determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in aerosol samples from sugar cane burning.† Journal of Chromatography A 1027:49-53. Hodge C. 2002. â€Å"Ethanol use in US gasoline should be banned, not expanded.† Oil and Gas Journal 100:20-27. Wackernagel M, Rees W. 1995. â€Å"Our Ecological Footprint: Reducing Human Impact on the Earth.† Gabriola Island (Canada): New Society.

Blog Entry

Apart from the usual things that goes along with this class, I can’t help at times to cite things that I really do like and the things that quite irk me off a bit sometimes. These things I like keep me going through on and on with my usual life here in the university and the things I don’t like are the ones that remind me that, yeah, I can’t have it all. I really like talking to people. I really like the feeling that I get to know a lot of different personalities as I go on through this class each and every exercise. Writing my thoughts is one thing I don’t like however.I really find it difficult each and every time I had to write, something like this. It’s like I always wanna talk instead of pushing every keyboard tab in my computer. I also don’t like seeing red or green lines each time I write! It’s so frustrating of a feeling to see a barrage of lines going under each of my work at times, especially at times that I’m cramming to finish off a research paper to meet a deadline. The lines are there to help yeah, but I guess help should also know when and where not to help me so that I could still be in the mood to do the things and write then off well.Think about it, given that I don’t like to write much of my thoughts, how much more if I’d see red and green lines under every words I type. That thing is so horrendous, I just don’t quite like that. Anyway, there could also be other things to be liked about in this class, one of that is having the feeling of being free to do just exactly what we want, the way we want it. I guess nothing could be more exciting than that, I guess some of the readers of this paper know what I mean but yeah, we always have to play by the rules still. Albeit, it is always exciting of a feeling to still play by the rules.Another thing I don’t like is following too much orders and rules in school and at home. It makes me feel that I was born to just foll ow orders. On the other hand, breaking these rules sometimes is one of the things I really do like because deviating at times just provides me the thrills and the act of being caught can always be exciting. To sum up everything, I could say that majority of the things that I like are those that makes me feel that I am free to do what I want and for those that I don’t, they just make me feel frustrated and not to mention, dumb.

Becoming Influential Essay

The public view of nurses as subordinates to physicians, simply â€Å"trained† to follow doctors’ orders, an overall lack of understandingas to the level of education and the kind of work nurses actually do (Sullivan, 2004) has lent to this perception. Sullivan (2004) writes about telling nursing’s story as an avenue to turn opinions around; empower nurses at an individual level, and ultimately raise the bar to a degree where nursing as a whole takes a stance to being viewed and treated as experts in the health care arena alongside other disciplines. Nurses outnumber all other health care providers (Kelly & Crawford, 2008, p. ) in both acute care and community care settings; are the most diverse clinicians having knowledge and experience that intertwines with all other health professionals, the public and now the business world. Nurses collectively have a deeper understanding of the everyday goings-on within all areas of healthcare. The challenge is to convince t hose who do not recognize this attribute to tap into an invaluable resource. The message I have chosen to include in this paper will attempt to encourage and support the utilization of nurses in the area of clinical informatics, as this is an up-and-coming opportunity to recruit the experts. Deciding on My Message I have always had an interest in computers long before I went into nursing. As a new graduate nurse in the early 1990’s I went straight to San Antonio, Texas where at one of the hospitals I worked implemented a cutting-edge clinical documentation application in the intensive care units. I quickly became a champion user as I was quite comfortable with the whole concept. That, blended with my diverse clinical experience in nursing to include using many other applications in various areas set the stage for my area of expertise; clinical informatics. As a practitioner, I felt unfulfilled at the bedside, frustrated with the lack of positive recognition toward the profession, regardless of the root cause. Being able to move away from direct patient care to a role that required a strong clinical background, informatics became my passion. My concern has intensified over the lack of clinicians called upon to do what nurses do best: clinical workflow analysis, agents of clinical change management and clinical adoption, and most important ensuring the application is robust enough for that program, clinic or unit based on expertise in that area. The further I observe resistance to change and poor adoption by nursing the more incensed I become with the lack of expert utilization. The motives for the resistance are significant: the omission of the nursing process, the inability to enter orders (physician and nursing), track medication and document medication administration is to list a few. These gaps could have been identified and possibly avoided had nurses been involved in the initial requirements gathering. Nurses understand process and know what questions to ask, as opposed to non-clinical analysts, who could not know what they do not know; who better to understand specific practice methodology and process than those who live it? Furthermore, physicians are viewed as the key holders to patient care while nursing and other allied health groups are seen as simply assisting the physician, not as part of an integrated multidisciplinary team. Nurses understand and embrace this model far more than other disciplines and are the best choice in this domain. Deciding on How to Share My Message The conduit for my message is through networking with individuals I have met and worked with over the years with influence and power; those at the executive level in the health region, university and college leaders, business leaders and clients, in person, via letters, and public speaking. Another channel I will utilize is the Canadian Nursing Association Journal with a letter to the editor or submission of an article to be published within the magazine. The target audience at this time is business and other health care professionals as the need to have nurses recognized as assets to the fast moving execution of electronic systems in health care, soon to replace paper, is urgent. If more nurses are not involved in this process as expert consultants, there is a high risk of failure and inevitably patient safety. I will not directly target the public but indirectly as I believe once health care and business professionals view nurses as experts in our profession overall, then their perceptions and opinions will reach the public. The obstacle will be persuading those with little health care understanding just how nursing can be affective. Business leaders are all about deliverables, making sure they are provided. How the product is packaged is not of great concern; patient safety is not a term truly understood by non-clinical analysts and project managers. Within eHealth in general, the organizational structure from top down holds minimal if any clinical knowledge beyond the high level business of healthcare. The best way to convey the message in this arena is by example of competency and the successes when nurses are part of the team. Unfortunately, failed deliverables due to lack of clinical analysis and input is the other method of getting the message across in this instance. However, that would require a clear understanding of why the project failed, which has slowly been coming to light within the eHealth community. Therefore, the target for this message would be the CIO and the medical officer of eHealth, however, the argument must be well supported to ensure being heard. As Kelly & Crawford (2008) discuss, the lack of awareness noted by the reluctance of nurses to be identified as experts creates an obstacle. Opportunities to speak at various forums that involve nursing directly or indirectly is the best way to share the message with nurses. I was recently asked to speak to an audience from the informatics graduate program at a university in order to encourage and promote more nurses into the program. As one individual stated, â€Å"we recognize the unique expertise nurses bring to informatics and have identified the gap in this program. † My Message In preparation for this assignment I learned that there are others in the profession that have identified similar trepidations around the lack of positive recognition toward nursing, however, a solid foundation to build on has been laid. As discussed in Sullivan (2004) nurses rarely take the opportunity to promote the profession through the media, citing shortage of time, or fear of repercussions as a motive to decline. In order to be valued in positive locus those in the profession must promote their own successes without fear of appearing egocentric or as a braggart; taking pride in undertakings that might seem unremarkable but are more than that. While other professionals present their individual accomplishments regularly, gracefully accepting the prestige and standing that comes with their show,nurses must embrace this characteristic in order to continue paving the road to professional recognition. I am inspired to carry on promoting nursing as I have- by example, through networking.