Strategic business management planning The WritePass Journal

Strategic business management planning Introduction Strategic business management planning Introduction Importance of trainingValue of Staff coachingHuman resources and value of Training budgetBudget and talent assessmentFunds and training  Skills  Time of recessionConclusionReferenceRelated Introduction Training has great value in business .The trained employees also gives the benefits to the business. Training programs give more value for the organizations where programs reflect the key measures of business performance. Training also helps the management to filter the employees on the basics of training outcomes. There are two catageroys of trained or untrained employees in business .when we talk about the trained workers they are highly skilled and more beneficial for business .Our business also depend on the employees. Importance of training Training is important for any business .without   training we cannot successful in our business .staff training is essential for the business .we cannot avoid the staff training for the better future of the business . So being a HR manager of the company, after long investigation into the requirements to reduce costs by visiting and passing through the current situation of companies who are terribly affected by crises Financial due to the recession. I would suggest to the board to continue spending on staff training rather than stopping completely, because I think that trained, competent, dynamic and qualified staff numbers is an asset to our organization and that training programs and employee benefits to attract and motivate our staff to work more effectively to achieve the objectives of our organization and they want to stay and work with our organization. Value of Staff coaching When business is slow then it is time for new leaders within your company. We need leaders to move and motivate our existing employees because in bad times employees look to the CEOs. Thus, each employee cannot set their own targets they need help from leaders. Training improves the efficiency of the workforce and enables them to perform their tasks more efficiently. The increase in employee productivity can save more to reduce the training budget. Human resources and value of Training budget Training budget is also included in business. The training must be seen as an investment, and as a business tool. For example when we talk about the large they have budget for the training .we do not spend our budget in a non profit expenses. Investing in training is an investment will be return in future. Budget and talent assessment We built our budget on training and retention of talent of our employees, but before selecting staff for further training or development of their talent, I would suggest to go for talent assessment of each employee. In terms of talent management, we can make an assessment of our employees, for two main areas of performance measurement and capacity. Current performance of the employee in specific job has always been a standard tool for measuring the cost-effectiveness evaluation of the employee. However, talent management also tends to focus on the potential employee that is the future of an employee if given the proper skills and responsibility. Funds and training Funds are necessary to develop, retain, evaluate and attract the workforce. To provide prompt and professional customer service or support. This is important for the board of directors to continue spending on staff training rather than stopping it completely because I think that trained, competent, dynamic and skilled   workforce is an asset of our organization as well as training programs and its benefits to the employees will attract and motivate our staff to work more efficiently to achieve the objectives of our organization and they would like to stay and work with the organization. ListenRead phoneticallDictionary View detailed dictionary Training helps to achieve organizational goals Collect reliable and convincing showing how the achievement of course learning outcomes provide tangible benefits to the organization. How would we like training programs help reduce error rates, more satisfied customers, more sales, or anything that our management team considers it important? In some cases we might need to calculate the return on investment (ROI) of a training program to prove the value of baseline.   Skills The employees feel motivated when the company recognizes that improving their skills will help firm’s results, and employees can continue to contribute to the better. Compete better If we do not train people to our competitors will do it. Having the best staff in all aspects of today is the key to success in business. Not just having a good product, good service, but with good training.   Time of recession At the time of recession our organization also faced with a low response to advertisements from our company and because of low sales and low return on investment (ROI) Board of Directors decides to cut the budget for training before the business becomes profitable, but its time to look at how our employees are training and what type of training they require to make our company more profitable. In these difficult times, our employees look to their leaders so that the time to prepare a few more competent staff, so they can benefit from our organization. So being an HR director I conclude that training is main part of the job and HR department should not be cut down the training budget. It is the driving force behind the organization’s success. If we do not train our staff it will effect on the productivity and organization will go to the loss instead of success. Conclusion So, we must decide how to focus on training. Invest in training that would meet the previous requirements. Not all workers are entitled to a training program, the selection according to the needs of businesses and workers need to be done. Diagnosis of training needs to be done, preferably through and outsourcing company, so we can find out what our basic training needs. We do not stop investing in training, it is easy to cut costs that way, but our business future may be damaged. Education should be seen as a strategic tool for business success. So it is also important tool of success in business. Reference www.business knowhow .com www.businessball.com

Good Grades Do Not Mean Everything Essays

Good Grades Do Not Mean Everything Essays Good Grades Do Not Mean Everything Paper Good Grades Do Not Mean Everything Paper ENTER Grades Do Not Mean Everything l, myself, used to think that grades are the basis for a successful and better future. I was honestly among the grade conscious students who always strive to excel In class; who get depressed when getting failed marks; and who Invest much time studying. That is because I have always thought that the idea of studying hard and excelling in school is the key for a good career in the future. Hence, the fact that the ones with bad grades are often the ones who are most successful seems unfair to me cause it was set in my mind that those with good grades are guaranteed to be more successful than those who have bad grades. But not for long. Because I realized that getting good grades does mean something but it does NOT mean EVERYTHING. It is not the sole basis for one to have greener pasture and lifetime successful career. Why is it that most of the students still think that grades will determine what will their future hold? : Why Is It that most people believe getting good grades guarantee success In life? Why Is that a student with bad grades create an unpleasant Image to other people? Simple, It Is all because of our collects established norms In terms of education. Society makes a big deal out of grades. It made students who have bad grades to often get looked down at. It established schools that implant to students the idea of getting good grades in parallel with being a better and more likely to be a successful person. Schools made students believe that a better future is ahead of them if they maintain good grades, excel in class, do well in school, and avoid failing arks. Students aspire for profession and great future opportunities, hence, with this idea set in their minds, they are motivated to do study and strive hard at school to get really good grades as much as possible as much as they can. They set high standards on themselves with the belief that the grades they receive are a measure of their success or failure In meeting these standards. But no, they shouldnt consider aqualung good grades as the sole factor to success. They should not let grades define themselves. Life experiences and learning from mistakes matters more because life is not all about the knowledge we obtain from school. Life is about how we personally deal with everyday circumstances, how we interact with other people, how we solve problems, and how we handle situations. These are things that are more to life which arent taught in school. Therefore I agree to almost everything what Lauren Martin stated in her article titled Why The Ones Who Have Bad Grades Are Often The Ones Who Are Most Successful. I agree to what Martin pointed out in re article that the ability to learn from failures and life experiences are more important than good grades when it comes to being successful and prosperous In life. Great skills + Learning from failures = Best chance for success. Grades dont really play that big a part. For us to get along In the reality of this world, we need to gain skills through life experiences and not through aqualung grades w hich are Just mere records of how great we did at school. I dont agree though on how biased her point of view is and how she addressed the tight-ass intellectual students who

Contractor case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Contractor case study - Essay Example b. Public liability insurance details c. Details of any licensed security to be employed In reply to our correspondence with the Liquor and Gambling Commission, we were told that alcohol will not be sold or supplied to intoxicated persons or persons under the age of 18 years and we should ensure the safety and comfort of those attending the function by not permitting overcrowding in any area. We were also asked to display the limited license in a prominent position during the whole of the function. Lastly we were asked to nominated person(s) to take responsibility for the sale, consumption or supply of liquor during the function i.e. the applicant or nominated person organizing or taking control of the function, must be present at the function at all times when liquor is being sold, consumed or supplied. (Office of Liquor & Gambling Commissioner 2003, Government of South Australia) Draft of the letter sent to the Council: To Whom It May Concern ____________ (***Your Organization Name***) will be organizing an Outdoor Cinema Night at the "Mrs.Macquaries Char" of Sydney Botanic Gardens, which we hope shall be a fun-filled evening. The event will officially start at 7pm on the 14th of May 2008, first featuring the performance by the dance troop, then we shall be having a break for food and drinks the evening will end with the broadcast of "Bourne Supremacy" at "OpenAir Cinema", Mrs.Macquaries Point from 9pm to 12 pm. Yours Sincerely, ________________(***Your Organization Name****) Contractors: - We will be making use of various contractors: 1. "Be Productions": Be Productions is a Sydney based production company and national leaders in Open-Air Cinema event management. Be Productions will be undertaking for us, the complete set-up and...entertainment consent/trading hours). In reply to our correspondence with the Liquor and Gambling Commission, we were told that alcohol will not be sold or supplied to intoxicated persons or persons under the age of 18 years and we should ensure the safety and comfort of those attending the function by not permitting overcrowding in any area. We were also asked to display the limited license in a prominent position during the whole of the function. Lastly we were asked to nominated person(s) to take responsibility for the sale, consumption or supply of liquor during the function i.e. the applicant or nominated person organizing or taking control of the function, must be present at the function at all times when liquor is being sold, consumed or supplied. (Office of Liquor & Gambling Commissioner 2003, Government of South Australia) The event will officially start at 7pm on the 14th of May 2008, first featuring the performance by the dance troop, then we shall be having a break for food and drinks the evening will end with the broadcast of "Bourne Supremacy" at "OpenAir Cinema", Mrs.Macquaries Point from 9pm to 12 pm. All Time Securities success is driven through innovation and customer satisfaction.

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

American Workforce - Essay Example tics, 2012), in 2011 just 71 percent of men had jobs, whereas in 1960’s more than 80 percent of men worked; and the share of women holding jobs rose from 36 percent in 1960 to 58 percent in 2011. Among the major worker groups, in the year 2012, the unemployment rates for adult men (7.8 percent) and Hispanics (11.0 percent) edged up in May, while the rates for adult women (7.4 percent), teenagers (24.6 percent), whites (7.4 percent), and blacks (13.6 percent) showed little or no change (U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012). The jobless rate for Asians was 5.2 percent in 2012 down from 7.0 percent a year earlier (U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012). The baby-boom generation, people born from 1946 to 1964, which has been a major force in the labor market of US for the past 33 years, has now reached its prime working years. So while 64 percent of those ages 55 to 59 worked during the mid-1980s, 73 percent worked in 2011, according to (Schulzke, 2012). In the mid-1980s, 68 percent of the 16-to-24-year-old cohort was in the workforce; by 2011 only 55 percent were (Schulzke, 2012). According to (Schulzke, 2012), Baby boomers are actually far more likely to keep working than earlier generations, and for many reasons: jobs are less physically draining, medicine has extended vitality, Social Security now pushes older workers to keep going and market reversals have erased nest eggs. However, should long-term health trends, such as rising levels of obesity and the increase in certain chronic health conditions, continue, fewer individuals than expected may be able to work long past retirement age (Schramm, 2005). Changes in demographics, specifically family structure, living arrangements and marriage rates, may also impact retirement trends. Studies have found that, after retirement, baby boomers are more likely to move to nonmetropolitan areas within their current region rather than moving to a different region

Asch Conformity Experment Essay Example for Free

Asch Conformity Experment Essay The Asch Paradigm Majority Influence Introduction In this essay i will discuss the experiment that Solomon Asch’s conducted in (1950) were his main was aim was to discover how majority influence can affect one individual judgment and how pressure from the majority can pressurise one person to Conform, I will also evaluate his research method, the results and the findings he attained. Aim S Solomon Asch’s had disapproved of the Conformity experiment conducted by Muzzafer Sherriff as Asch had felt that sheriffs visual illusion known as the auto kinnect didn’t really show any results of conformity as the participants were asked to take part in an ambiguous task were they were just asked to point out how far the a light travelled in a dark room, Asch believed that Sherrifs experiment clearly had no right or wrong answer so it was impossible for the experiment to show any results of conformity in a group situation. Asch figured the only way to measure the rates of conformity was to place an individual in a group situation were they would be influenced by the majority even if they knew their group was giving incorrect answers on a task that was ambiguous and obviously correct. The Method (laboratory experiment)

Changes vs. Improvements :: Social Issues Government Essays

Changes vs. Improvements Intolerance, war, inequality and poverty - these are just a few of the issues found in the texts that we have read this semester. Even though some of them were written hundreds of years ago, the same problems still exist in our world today. Many things have changed over time, but they have not necessarily improved. Today, we are still involved in wars and violence with our continued presence in Iraq, Afghanistan and other foreign countries. We still persecute the poor by raising taxes and cutting funds to the programs like Medicaid and Welfare, while making it easier on the upper classes. We are very intolerant of the practices and beliefs of others whether it is homosexuality, different religious beliefs or opinions on abortion. Most of these issues have been problems in the past, and unless we do something to change them, they will continue to be problems in the future. There is no better place to find examples of today’s social problems than the newspaper. In the April 15 issue of the Creightonian, the April 14 and April 18 issues of the Omaha World Herald there were an abundance of articles about problems today. Despite the fact that writers and other artists were dealing with them hundreds of years ago, these problems are still on the forefront in today’s society. In the Omaha World Herald, there were many articles related to war. They were primarily about the involvement of the United States in Iraq. In one, it referred to a kidnapped American man and how he was videotaped at gunpoint, holding his passport to his chest and apparently pleading the U.S. to withdraw its troops from Iraq. In response, President George Bush’s spokesman said, â€Å"Our position is well-known when it comes to negotiating.† This seems to be a prime example of the idea of â€Å"One man, or many?† meaning it is better to sacrifice the life of this one man rather than risk the lives of many. This makes the Bush administration seem cold and heartless and shows our stubbornness when it comes to leaving Iraq. Instances like this reaffirm that it will undoubtedly take a major event for us to exit their country. Another article from the Omaha World Herald was about keeping U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

Critique of Mary Worley’s Article: Fat and Happy

As obesity escalates towards becoming an epidemic in modern day America, pressures to stay fit have become overwhelming from media and doctors. Mary Ray Worley, a member of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA), believes that modern day society is completely intolerant of obesity so much as to say that they â€Å"would rather die or cut off a limb than be fat† (492). She has made it a priority to convince Americans to accept obesity which she fights for in her essay, Fat and Happy: In Defense of Fat Acceptance. She believes that people should not be ashamed of their bodies, or try to change them to fit in with the crowd. She discusses a new outlook on body image and believes that we all should create â€Å"a new relationship with our bodies, one that doesn't involve self-loathing† (496). In her essay, Worley compares twentieth-century society to a NAAFA convention she attended. Worley describes her home as a place where â€Å"you’re grateful if you can find clothes that you can actually get on, and forget finding clothes that actually fit you. † In Worley’s eyes American culture has always treated obese people as a lower class and pushed aside anything that was designed for a fat person. On the other hand, at the convention she finds a planet created specifically for overweight people. The convention opened her eyes to an entirely different planet that is free of inhibitions with nothing to be ashamed of. There she could find clothes that shaped to her body perfectly and she was entertained by belly dancers of all shapes and sizes that â€Å"were exquisitely beautiful and voluptuous† (493). She then goes on to discuss how society views fat people and how she believes health care professionals are prejudice towards them. Mary concludes by arguing that like her, all obese people can learn to love their bodies and â€Å"play and dance without self-consciousness† (496). Appearance seems as if it’s almost everything in today’s society, especially with women. Worley explains that society feels that losing weight is easy and that â€Å"it is acceptable to shun fat people and make them the butt of cruel jokes† (492). Without a question, it is not fair that overweight people go through their entire lives being criticized and taunted for their weight. Worley explains how rude comments discourage fat people from exercising because they are embarrassed and â€Å"they don’t have the support they need to continue† (494). It is the stares and snide remarks that give overweight people low self-esteem. Worley justly states that â€Å"you’re entitled to the space you take up† (496). No person should feel like they need to hide away from the world. Not all of Worley’s claims have valid points however. She stated that â€Å"health professionals are among the most prejudiced people around† (494). She is implying that the majority of health professionals are prejudice towards all of their overweight patients. Yet her reasoning was not supported and her claim was fueled solely by resentment. She also explains that overweight people do not like going to doctors or weight loss clinics for medical needs, because â€Å"the goal is usually to lose weight as quickly as possible, as though to snatch the poor fat soul out of the jaws of imminent death†(494), in contrary to focusing on just being healthy. This is true with some health professionals, but it should not hinder someone from finding an adequate physician or nutritionist Worley further excuses obesity by giving many reasons as to why obese people don’t try to lose weight. She excuses inactivity by the embarrassment of exercise; however, she does not address any other contributors to obesity such as diet. There is no excuse for eating unhealthy on a regular basis. It is alright to treat oneself once in a while, but junk food on a daily basis is not excused. Poor eating habits are not excused for overweight or thin people, because healthiness is not determined by how fat someone looks. Worley also states that â€Å"body size is primarily determined by one’s genetic makeup† (493). Although there is evidence to support that the overall size of one’s body is genetically determined, DNA however, does not force oneself to have an extreme excess of body fat. Worley may have discussed that exercise plays an important role in overall health and happiness, but she did not focus on the many other factors that lead to obesity and health issues. Worley is right to say that one’s happiness and healthiness should not be determined by weight. All people, fat or thin, should feel comfortable in their own bodies. No person has the right to tease or criticize someone else’s body to lower someone’s self esteem. On the other hand, people that are overweight cannot blame their health problems on other people. They need to take charge of their life by exercising, eating healthy and seeking good medical advice. It is not right to make hasty generalizations against health professionals, because there is a reason why doctors go through eight or more years of schooling. All current knowledge of obesity has been derived from physicians and scientists studying the anatomy and physiology of the body. Overall, one’s goal should not be to lose weight, but to be healthy and feel great. Living a healthy lifestyle will lead to higher feelings of self worth, which can overcome the psychological effects that fat jokes create. Worley encourages her readers to â€Å"be proud of yourself and never dread unwanted attention† (496), and that is possible. Not everyone may accept obesity, but it is the overweight people themselves that must learn to make good lifestyle choices and accept themselves in order to truly be fat and happy. Works Cited Worley, Mary Ray. â€Å"Fat and Happy: In Defense of Fat Acceptance†. Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. 9th ed. New York: Pearson, 2005. Print.

A Critical Analysis of Sir Patrick Spens, The Ballad Essay

‘Sir Patrick Spens’ is, for the most part, an archetypal early ballad being composed in quatrains, with the typical alternating four-stress and three-stress lines and the second and fourth line of each stanza rhyming. The poem is set in medias res, telling certainly of a tragedy, possibly based on two voyages in the thirteenth-century on which Scottish noblemen transported princesses to royal marriages, with many members of Alexander III’s daughter Margaret’s escort drowning on the journey home. The theme of tragedy and having a plot based on local history are both elements often seen in the ballad form. However, the poem does also defy characteristics of the traditional ballad; it includes a third person narrative voice that is not necessarily impartial, which contradicts the typically impersonal, distanced narration commonly found in this genre of poetry. There is an example of a satirical view of the higher classes, mocking the king’s decision to not withhold the voyage and also mocking the fact that the nobles boarded the ship, for if they had not, then the tragedy would have been avoided. The dark humour found in the personification of their hats that ‘swam aboon’(line 32) exemplifies a view not particularly sympathetic with the drowning victims, which coupled with the idea that ‘the play were played’(line 31) suggests the inevitability that this would be the situation, clearly signifying a mockery of the decisions made by the higher classes. Early ballads often contain strong regional dialect as they were originally orally transmitted. This particular dialect gives the reader a strong idea of the origins of the ballad and lends a sense of authenticity to the text, reaffirming the typicality of this particular ballad, being a further reference to it’s foundations in local history. The dialect can also be used as a tool to highlight sections of the ballad, for example, when it is used to describe the King drinking blood-red wine or ‘blude-reid wine’ (line 2). This strong image is prefigurative of the tragic ending of the poem and echoes the previously displayed idea that the narrator feels the king is responsible for this misfortune. The narrator’s view reflects the idea of ‘power without responsibility’ which makes this ballad somewhat  ahead of its time. It was rare that royalty were questioned when the ballad form flourished in Scotland from the fifteenth century onward. This notion that the poem is quite a ahead of it’s time implies that at least this ballad negates the view of Ben Johnson’s dictum ‘a poet should detest a ballad maker’[1] as clearly here the early ballad demonstrates a brilliant use in it’s ability to convey a person’s personal political view in a rather active way, passing on their message by word of mouth and challenging the accepted.

An investigation of the role of SIS in The (Especially, In A Rural Part Of Our Planet)expand Health Servicing The WritePass Journal

An investigation of the role of SIS in The (Especially, In A Rural Part Of Our Planet)expand Health Servicing Introduction An investigation of the role of SIS in The (Especially, In A Rural Part Of Our Planet)expand Health Servicing ). The overarching argument for this is that firms perform well when IT resources including knowledge assets, managerial and technical IT skills and physical IT infrastructure elements are aligned with the business strategy, and when suitable structures are employed in effectively managing the IT resources and supervising their deployment (Coltman et al., 2015). This alignment is ever important in the current environment where new information technologies continue to fundamentally alter conventional business strategies by allowing firms to function across the boundaries of function, time, and distance by leveraging these technologies (Bharadwaj et al., 2013). This report discusses the role of strategic information systems in expanding the health service in rural areas. Specifically, it focuses on the implementation of a telemedicine program for managing diabetes for patients in rural areas by a hospital in an urban centre. The investigation focuses on the planning and the implementation of this technological solution by considering the perspectives of different stakeholders. The report starts by discussing literature on telemedicine in diabetes management. Telemedicine and Diabetes Management The management of diabetes and its associated complications is quite costly. Targeted glycaemic control is necessary for minimising the complications of this chronic condition. Conversely, less than 70% of individuals with diabetes are attaining targeted glycaemic control, showing that effective management of the disease continues to be a challenge (Fatehi et al., 2014a). Patients in rural areas are unable to attain targeted glycaemic control partly because of poor access to specialised healthcare providers. Because of the increasing need for quality healthcare and the declining availability of clinicians, information and communications technologies have demonstrated the potential for improving access to healthcare services and reducing the costs of delivering healthcare (Fatehi et al., 2014a). Telemedicine involves providing health and medical services remotely using ICT. Telemedicine facilitates the expansion of healthcare by bridging the physical gap between consumers and healthcare providers thus reducing costs. Synchronous telemedicine entails consumers and healthcare providers interacting in real time by relying on communication technologies. For instance, video conferencing, where there is exchange of image and voice in real time, is increasingly becoming popular in telemedicine in the delivery of various healthcare and clinical services at a distance (Fatehi et al., 2014b). Verhoeven et al. (2010) systematically reviewed asynchronous and synchronous teleconsultations in diabetes and reported that these offer a reliable, cost-effective, and feasible solution for the delivery of diabetes care. Video conferencing is used in collaborative goal setting, nutrition counselling, self-management training, and diabetes education for patients (Siriwardena et al., 2012). According to Faruque et al. (2016), telemedicine is helpful in the provision of care t o individuals with diabetes especially those in rural areas who are unable to travel to healthcare facilities due to large distances.   Therefore, telemedicine, especially teleconference, is a technological solution for managing diabetes for individuals in rural areas who are underserved by specialists. The next section explains the methodology used to obtain stakeholders views on the adoption and use of teleconferencing for diabetes management. Methodology This report collected data using interviews to understand the implementation of telemedicine for expanding access to healthcare services for people with diabetes in rural areas. The report included the views of various perspectives including patients, healthcare providers at the hospital, and in the rural areas to understand the adoption and implementation of this information system.   Semi-structured interviews were conducted with these stakeholders in locations and time that were convenient for the stakeholders. The interview was based on the interview schedule found in Appendix 1. These interviews were digitally recorded followed by verbatim transcription. After transcription, the interviews were analysed using coding (Vaismoradi et al., 2016). The coding led to the identification of various thematic categories including the strategic intent of adoption of telemedicine, benefits of telemedicine, and challenges during implementation as explained in the section below. Findings and discussion Strategic intent of implementation of telemedicine The telemedicine intervention was adopted by the hospital after it was discovered that some of the patients from the rural areas were not coming for the follow- up appointments to get information on ongoing management of their diabetes. An endocrinologist at the hospital stated that: I noticed that some of my patients were not coming for their appointments†¦ I looked at their records and realised that they were unable to do so because they came from rural areas. Therefore, we had to find a way of ensuring they got the much-needed information and support to manage diabetes at home The hospital identified the need for providing cost-effective care for their diabetes patients in rural areas who were unable to access specialised care in their communities. The hospital considered the adoption of telemedicine as a way of providing quality care while minimising unnecessary patient admissions due to diabetes complications. Thus, this was a critical component of the hospital’s strategic intent. According to Coltman et al. (2015), having a strategic intent involves the allocation of resources and engaging in activities to assist in achieving their objectives. In line with this, the stakeholders at the hospital had to consider how the telemedicine program will improve access to healthcare for patients with diabetes in a cost-effective manner. The CEO of the hospital said that: We recognised that the telemedicine would provide us with an opportunity for providing the required care to our patients†¦ However, we had to consider the overhead costs to set-up the telemedicine infrastructure both on our side and the rural side. Additional funding was required for this initiative. The implication of this is that the hospital had to set aside funds for the telemedicine infrastructure and this entailed working with managers from the finance and IT departments. The manager from the IT department determined the costs of using telemedicine intervention in terms of initial costs and ongoing upgrades to achieve a sustainable system.   The IT manager identified a cost-effective technological solution provider for the information systems that was required for the provision of diabetes care and support to patients from rural areas. The manager from the finance department and the CEO worked together in determining how to get the funding for this initiative. The initiative was funded using funds from the hospital’s contingency budget. Furthermore, the CEO of the hospital had to talk with administrators and nurses, and pharmacists in the rural areas to participate in the project as they critical to its success. This is captured in this statement â€Å"we realised that we needed professionals on the ground to provide some aspects of the care. We approached healthcare providers to get their buy-in into this initiative’’ (hospital’s CEO). Therefore, the strategic intent of the hospital in the implementation and use of video-conferencing in reaching individuals with diabetes in rural areas and providing them with the necessary care reflects a strategic alignment between IT and business, particularly, strategy execution. Specifically, the hospital adopted a strategy execution alignment where the business strategy influenced the IT infrastructure, but this was constrained by the business infrastructure (Gerow et al., 2014). In other words, the hospital’s business strategy was to provide quality care in a cost-effective way to individuals with diabetes in rural areas. In turn, this strategy influenced the IT infrastructure in terms of the kind of technological solution required to meet the business strategy. Therefore, the hospital ended up selecting videoconferencing as the appropriate IT infrastructure.   However, this was constrained by the hospital’s business infrastructure in terms of skills and proce sses in the provision of diabetes care and support to individuals in rural areas. The telemedicine initiative involved using interactive video-conferencing between a multidisciplinary diabetes care team from the hospital and the patients in the rural homes. The multidisciplinary team consisted of diabetes specialists including diabetes education experts, nurses, endocrinologist, and ophthalmologist who provided personalised care to diabetes patients based on their clinical status. The patients were provided with tablets that allowed them to engage in video conferences with the multidisciplinary team on a daily basis. The patients shared with the specialists about their psychological, emotional, and physical health during the interactive video conferences. Furthermore, the patients’ health data including glucose levels, blood pressure, and weight were automatically captured by the tablets and transmitted on a daily basis to the clinicians. The outcomes of the consultation between the specialists and the patient were then communicated to the physician in the rural area to facilitate care coordination. According to a local physician, the implementation of this initiative required a change in how care was delivered to individuals with diabetes†¦the hospitals care team got in touch with me and communicated their daily consultations with patients to ensure that I was prepared to provide the necessary care at the local level.   This approach to the implementation of video-conferencing reflects strategic information systems planning to achieve alignment between the business and IT. In particular, this planning was characterised by the identification of the required IT applications together with the necessary change management, resources, and infrastructure for implementing the technological solution (Maharaj Brown, 2015). Benefits of telemedicine The diabetes specialists were positive on the potentiality of video-conferencing in enhancing and expanding access to diabetes services to individuals in rural areas to promote self-management of the disease. A diabetes education expert said that: This technology increased my ability to provide education on exercise and diet modifications to my patients by talking to them via the video-conference, and this has empowered our patients to manage their diabetes in their homes. Patients were enthusiastic that the telemedicine would support the clinical needs even though they had no or limited experiencing in using video-conferencing. Some of the patients stated that: I didn’t have experience when it comes to telemedicine. But, I knew that it would be benefit me by providing  Ã‚   with ongoing support and information for diabetes management at home (patient 1) I had never used video conference before, but it provided me a way to talk with the physician and get timely advice and guidance on managing my diabetes (patient 2) In recognition of the limited experience that patients had in video-conferencing, the hospital’s IT department together with the external technological solution provider offered the required training. According to the IT manager at the technological solution provider: We collaborated with the hospital’s IT department in sending out individuals to provide training to the patients. The patients were taught on how to use the video conference system and provided with the necessary equipment. The stakeholders highlighted the benefits of video-conferencing for diabetes management for the patients in the rural areas. The statements below capture some of the stakeholders’ perspectives. During the video-conferences, we used the daily clinical status reports of the patient, and we were able to discuss appropriate interventions to implement with the patient. This benefitted the patients because they got personalised interventions, information, and support (Hospital endocrinologist). I got e-prescriptions from the healthcare team, and when the patients picked their medications, I talked to them about complying with their medications. By collaboratively working with the healthcare team, the quality of care of patients improved in terms of medication compliance (Rural Pharmacist) The use of video conference has contributed to preventing unavoidable admissions for diabetes for these patients. The daily support and education they got from us has improved care coordination and connections between the patients and us to minimise the use of emergency departments (Hospital ophthalmologist) A few months after the implementation of this project, we had seen a reduction in the admission of patients with diabetes in our area (Rural physician) I had problems before in controlling my diabetes because I did not have access to the kind of doctors who provide the necessary care†¦ but this changed with the daily video conferences (Patient 3) I am satisfied with information and guidance I get from the consultations with the doctors each day in managing my diabetes. I no longer need to travel to the hospital to get the care I need (Patient 4) The stakeholders perspectives highlight the impact of teleconferencing on the delivery of healthcare services to diabetes patients in rural areas.   These perspectives have received support in literature. For instance, patient satisfaction is highlighted in the study by Fatehi et al. (2015) in an assessment of patient satisfaction levels with remote consultations for diabetes via video conference in a virtual outreach clinic using a cross-sectional survey. The results revealed that the patients were generally satisfied with remote consultation as they had no problem with building rapport with the clinical specialists over video conferences (Fatehi et al., 2015).   Furthermore, the positive impact of telemedicine on the management of diabetes has been shown in the literature. Specifically, Huang and colleagues (2015) carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials on the impacts of telecare intervention on glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes. It was demonstrated that patient monitoring by telecare demonstrated significant improvement in glycaemic control in comparison with patients monitored by routine follow-up (Huang et al., 2015). Weinstock et al. (2011) also found that improvement in glycaemic control related to telemedicine was sustained over a period of five years among medically underserved patients with diabetes. In their randomized controlled trial, Steventon et al. (2014) discovered that telemedicine led to modest improvements in glycemic control among patients with type 2 diabetes over 12 months. Self-management as a critical aspect of diabetes management in telemedicine has been investigated by Young et al.(2014) who focused on the effect of person-centred health behaviour coaching model delivered through telehealth with patients with diabetes living in underserved, rural communities was assessed. The results showed that the interventions led to significantly higher scores in self-efficacy, which supported self-management of the disease (Young et al., 2014). According to Steventon et al. (2014), the greater self-care and oversight related to telemedicine might lead to fewer unplanned hospital admissions. Challenges during implementation Implementation of the technological solution was accompanied by some challenges. One of the major challenge identified by the stakeholders was unanticipated technical issues.   This is explained by the IT manager at the hospital: Sometimes the video conferences failed because of a drop in the internet connection. This meant that the encounter could not take place. When this occurred, communication occurred via cell phones to address important issues. The technical issues had a negative impact on the interactions between the patients and diabetes care team. According to the endocrinologist, Sometimes in the middle of the video-conference, the connection dropped. I could wait till past the time I had allocated for that specific consultation. Mostly, by the time the connection was up again, I would be consulting with a different patient at the hospital, and I missed my encounter with the patient in the rural area. In those cases, I worked with the rural nurses via a cell phone to communicate important information about the patient. Technical difficulties in teleconference are due to problems with accessing broadband in rural areas, which is still lagging behind urban areas. Patients homes might lack high-speed cable internet that has more bandwidth capabilities and a highly reliable signal, and this causes connection problems during video conferencing (Batsis, Pletcher Stahl, 2017). Schulz et al. (2014) reported in their study that 25% of all video conferences consultations experienced a drop in internet connection. Consequently, it is suggested that unanticipated technical issues with implementing teleconferencing should be anticipated and this highlights the importance of providing strong IT support with ongoing updates in protocols for patients in rural areas (Slusser et al., 2016). Another challenge reported was issues with reimbursements. This was identified by the finance manager at the urban hospital.   She said that: I had problems with suitable billing of encounters between the patients and the doctors and capturing this. Sometimes, I billed an encounter, but the insurer failed to pay or took longer to do so. I had to go through convincing them [insurers] that the consultation actually occurred by talking with the patient and pharmacists or nurses in the rural areas for confirmation. One of the patients also talked about this issue by stating that, â€Å"after talking with the doctors on the video conference they tell you to pick up the drugs at your pharmacy and when you get there, you are told there are problems with your insurer in terms of payment. I had to call my insurer to follow up and address this issue’’ (patient 5). According to Batsis et al. (2017), low reimbursement is a problem for the lasting sustainability of telemedicine systems in a fee-for-service model. This problem is due to limitations that are placed on the type of telemedicine covered by health insurers. Conclusion In conclusion, this report has focused on the strategic information systems in expanding the health service in rural areas.   This has been achieved by examining the implementation of video-conferencing between individuals with diabetes and diabetes specialists in the provision of diabetes care to patients in rural areas. This report has highlighted how the hospital ensured alignment between its business strategy of providing cost-effective diabetes care to individuals with diabetes in rural areas and the use of the video-conferencing as its IT infrastructure.   The hospital had to plan for its strategic information systems by identifying the appropriate IT infrastructure, processes, and changes to how care was delivered to the targeted population in rural areas. The analysis revealed how the implementation of video-conferencing addressed the interests of the different stakeholders including the hospital, diabetes specialist care team from the hospital, the patients, and healthca re providers at the local level.   Thus, the implementation of this technological solution was beneficial to all the stakeholders. Overall, this report highlights how strategic information systems are vital in the expansion of health service in rural areas. References Arvidsson, V., Holmstrà ¶m, J., Lyytinen, K. (2014). Information systems use as strategy practice: a multidimensional view of strategic information system implementation and use. Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 23, 45-61. Batsis, J., Pletcher, S., Stahl, J. (2017). Telemedicine and primary care obesity management in rural areas-innovative approach for older adults? BMC Geriatrics, 1-9. Bharadwaj, A., El Sawy, O., Pavlou, P., Venkatraman, N. (2013). Digital business strategy: toward a next generation of insights. MIS Quarterly, 37(2), 471-82. Coltman, T., Talon, P., Sharma, R., Queiroz, M. (2015) Strategic IT alignment: twenty-five years on, Journal of Information Technology, 1-10. Faruque, L., Wiebe, N., Ehteshami-Afshar, A., Liu, Y., Dianati-Maleki, N., Hemmelgarn, B., Manns, B., Tonelli, M. (2016). Effect of telemedicine on gylcated haemoglobin in diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials. CMAJ, 1-25. Fatehi, F., Armfield, N., Dimitrijevic, M., Gray, L. (2014b). Clinical applications of videoconferencing: a scoping review of the literature for the period 2002-2012. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 20(7), 377-83. Fatehi, F., Martin-Khan, M., Gray, L., Russell, A. (2014a). Design of a randomized, non-inferiority trial to evaluate the reliability of videoconferencing for remote consultations of diabetes. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, 1-7. Fatehi, F., Martin-Khan, M., Smith, A., Russell, A., Gray, L. (2015). Patient satisfaction with video teleconsultation in a virtual diabetes outreach clinic. Diabetes Technology Therapeutics, 17(1), 1-6. Gerow, J., Thatcher, J., Grower, V (2014). Six types of IT-business strategic alignment: an investigation of the constructs and their measurement. European Journal of Information Systems, 1-27. Huang, Z., Tao, H., Meng, Q., Jing, L. (2015). Effects of telecare intervention on glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. European Journal of Endocrinology, 172, R93-R101. Maharaj, S., Brown, I. (2015). The impact of shared domain knowledge on strategic information systems planning and alignment. South African Journal of Information Management, 17(1), 1-12. Schulz, T., Richards, M., Gasko, H., Lohrey, J., Hibbert, M., Biggs, B. (2014). Telehealth: experience of the first 120 consultations delivered from a new refugee telehealth clinic. Internal Medicine Journal, 44(10), 981-5. Siriwardena, L., Wickramasinghe, W., Perera, K., Marasinghe, R., Katulanda, P., Hewpathirana, R. (2012). A review of telemedicine interventions in diabetes care. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 18(3), 164-68. Slusser, W., Whitley, M., Izadpanah, N., Kim, S., Ponturo, D. (2016). Multidisciplinary paediatric obesity clinic via telemedicine with thin the Los Angeles metropolitan area: lessons learned. Clinical Paediatrics, 55(3), 251-9. Steventon, A., Barsley, M., Doll, H., Tuckey, E., Newman, P. (2014). Effect of telehealth on glycaemic control: analysis of patients with type 2 diabetes in the Whole Systems Demonstrator cluster randomized trial. BMC Health Services Research, 1-12. Vaismoradi, M., Jones, J., Turunen, H., Snelgrove, S. (2016). Theme development in qualitative content analysis and thematic analysis. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 6(5), 100-110. Verhoeven, F., Tanja-Dijkstra, K., Nijland, N., Eysenbach, G., Van Gemert-Pijnen, L. (2010). Asynchronous and synchronous teleconsultation for diabetes care: a systematic review. Journal of Diabetes and Science Technology, 4(3), pp.66-84. Weinstock, R., Teresi, J., Goland, R., Izquierdo, R., Palmas, W., Eimicke, J., Ebner, S., Shea, S. (2011). Glycaemic control and health disparities in older ethnically diverse underserved adults with diabetes: five year results from the Informatics for Diabetes Education and Telemedicine (IDETel) study. Diabetes Care, 34, 274-9. Yayla, A., Hu, Q. (2012). The impact of IT-business strategic alignment on firm performance in a developing country setting: exploring moderating roles of environmental uncertainty and strategic orientation. European Journal of Information Systems, 21(4), 373-87. Young, H., Miyamoto, S., Ward, D., Dharmar, M., Tang-Feldman, Y., Berglund, L. (2014). Sustained effects of a nurse coaching intervention via telehealth to improve health behaviour change in diabetes. Telemedicine and E-Health, 828-34. Appendix 1: Interview Schedule Please explain why the hospital decided to implement videoconferencing in providing diabetes care to individuals in rural areas? What was involved in the planning for the implementation of the technological solution? Did the hospital work with external stakeholders in the implementation process? How did the implementation of the technological solution affect the aims of the hospital and its specialist clinicians? How has the use of videoconference affected your (patient) access to diabetes care? Were there any challenges that were experienced during this process? If so, which ones? To obtain answers to these questions and/or get a Custom Essay for you research, feel free to reach out to us and place an order today.

Snowflake Chemistry - Common Questions

Snowflake Chemistry - Common Questions Have you ever looked at a snowflake and wondered how it formed or why it looks different from other snow you might have seen? Snowflakes are a particular form of water ice. Snowflakes form in clouds, which consist of water vapor. When the temperature is 32 ° F (0 ° C) or colder, water changes from its liquid form into ice. Several factors affect snowflake formation. Temperature, air currents, and humidity all influence shape and size. Dirt and dust particles can get mixed up in the water and affect crystal weight and durability. The dirt particles make the snowflake heavier  and can cause cracks and breaks in the crystal and make it easier to melt. Snowflake formation is a dynamic process. A snowflake may encounter many different environmental conditions, sometimes melting it, sometimes causing growth, always changing its structure. Key Takeaways: Snowflake Questions Snowflakes are water crystals that fall as precipitation when its cold outside. However, sometimes snow falls when its slightly above the freezing point of water and other times freezing rain falls when the temperature is below freezing.Snowflakes come in a variety of shapes. The shape depends on the temperature.Two snowflakes can look identical to the naked eye, but they will be different on the molecular level.Snow looks white because the flakes scatter light. In dim light, snow appears pale blue, which is the color of a large volume of water. What Are Common Snowflake Shapes? Generally, six-sided hexagonal crystals are shaped in high clouds; needles or flat six-sided crystals are shaped in middle height clouds, and a wide variety of six-sided shapes are formed in low clouds. Colder temperatures produce snowflakes with sharper tips on the sides of the crystals and may lead to branching of the snowflake arms (dendrites). Snowflakes that grow under warmer conditions grow more slowly, resulting in smoother, less intricate shapes. 32-25 ° F - Thin hexagonal plates25-21 ° F - Needles21-14 ° F - Hollow columns14-10 ° F - Sector plates (hexagons with indentations)10-3 ° F - Dendrites (lacy hexagonal shapes) The shape of a snowflake depends on the temperature at which it formed. 221A / Getty Images Why Are Snowflakes Symmetrical (Same on All Sides)? First, not all snowflakes are the same on all sides. Uneven temperatures, presence of dirt, and other factors may cause a snowflake to be lop-sided. Yet it is true that many snowflakes are symmetrical and intricate. This is because a snowflakes shape reflects the internal order of the water molecules. Water molecules in the solid state, such as in ice and snow, form weak bonds (called hydrogen bonds) with one another. These ordered arrangements result in the symmetrical, hexagonal shape of the snowflake. During crystallization, the water molecules align themselves to maximize attractive forces and minimize repulsive forces. Consequently, water molecules arrange themselves in predetermined spaces and in a specific arrangement. Water molecules simply arrange themselves to fit the spaces and maintain symmetry. Is It True that No Two Snowflakes Are Identical? Yes and no. No two snowflakes are exactly identical, down to the precise number of water molecules, spin of electrons, isotope abundance of hydrogen and oxygen, etc. On the other hand, it is possible for two snowflakes to look exactly alike and any given snowflake probably has had a good match at some point in history. Since so many factors affect the structure of a snowflake and since a snowflakes structure is constantly changing in response to environmental conditions, it is improbable that anyone would see two identical snowflakes. If Water and Ice Are Clear, then Why Does Snow Look White? The short answer is that snowflakes have so many light-reflecting surfaces they scatter the light into all of its colors, so snow appears white. The longer answer has to do with the way the human eye perceives color. Even though the light source might not be truly white light (e.g., sunlight, fluorescent, and incandescent all have a particular color), the human brain compensates for a light source. Thus, even though sunlight is yellow and scattered light from snow is yellow, the brain sees snow as white because the whole picture received by the brain has a yellow tint that is automatically subtracted. Sources Bailey, M.; John Hallett, J. (2004). Growth rates and habits of ice crystals between −20 and −70C. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences. 61 (5): 514–544. doi:10.1175/1520-0469(2004)0610514:GRAHOI2.0.CO;2 Klesius, M. (2007). The Mystery of Snowflakes. National Geographic. 211 (1): 20. ISSN 0027-9358 Knight, C.; Knight, N. (1973). Snow Crystals. Scientific American, vol. 228, no. 1, pp. 100-107. Smalley, I.J. Symmetry of Snow Crystals. Nature 198, Springer Nature Publishing AG, June 15, 1963.

Six blind men & Elephant Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Six blind men & Elephant - Assignment Example It also enables categorization of all the complex information into four simple perspectives: financial, customer, internal and innovation and learning perspective which enables minimization of information overload which is a common thing in modern business. A balanced score card tracks and indicates all the results which have been attained pointing to the high and short scores. This therefore enables the managers put strategies in place rather than exercising control and in the end the success is high and employees and customers are satisfied and happy. With a balanced score card, management of the modern business becomes easier and takes shorter time. The customers, employees and manufacturers are all satisfied by how the balanced score card makes business relations easier than before. Lastly, the financial tracking as well as operations management which have previously proved to be challenging to monitor are simplified and monitored simultaneously ensuring nothing goes wrong (Kaplan and Norton,

European Law essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

European Law - Essay Example It is agreeable that legal cooperation and integration is the most important premise for political and economic integration. There should be horizontal and vertical legal cooperation and integration; that is, among member states themselves, as well as between the Union and its member states. This means that such integration should be in such a way that, despite the fusion of legal processes, each state do not lose their individual legal characteristics.1 It is in the light of this that a question arises of how supreme law can be established while each state still maintains their inherent laws. In practice and theory, this question point at two most crucial European Law doctrines: the doctrines of â€Å"supremacy† and â€Å"subsidiarity†.2 So, how is the doctrine of â€Å"supremacy† and â€Å"subsidiarity† developing and how can it address the question of enforceability of directives by individuals? The Doctrine of â€Å"Supremacy† The doctrine of â €Å"supremacy† is one of the basic principles of EU law that was developed by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in the Costa v Enel [1964]3 to ensure supremacy of EU laws over individual member states law. The development of this doctrine was based on the pacta sunt servanda principle that the EU laws should not be prejudiced by national laws. Since the EU laws respect the fundamental rights, the ECJ is of the opinion that member states should not prejudice EU laws under the excuse of protecting human rights. The ECJ’s ruling followed the principle that the courts of individual member states must not apply national laws that are not consistent to EU Laws. The EU Treaty provides the EU laws with supremacy over individual states laws.4 It should be noted that the doctrine of supremacy of the EU law is a debatable concept that is still evolving. Since the ruling in Costa v Enel, there have been various reactions to the opinion held therein. The ruling has been challenge d in the members’ states constitutional courts, as noted in German Constitutional Courts in the case of Spa Granital v. Amministrazione delle Finanze dello Stato5. In the case, it was held that Community law should be given precedence because of its competence over any relationship aspect between national law and Community law. Also, the Treaty of the European Union has been challenged through a series of Maastricht cases. The enforceability of the doctrine of supremacy directives by individuals is very possible. However, such enforceability is only within the ECJ’s conditional jurisdiction; in some cases, EU laws do not have direct effects to the national Acts hence implying that its provisions cannot be enforced in such circumstances.6 The Doctrine of â€Å"Subsidiarity† The Maastricht Treaty on European Union (TEU) sets out that the doctrine of subsidiarity enjoins the European Community to act in areas where there is concurrent competence. The doctrine requi res the EU institutions to refrain from acting in situations where their objectives can be served effectively at member state level. This doctrine is informed by the need to ensure that the EU laws do not trample on the principles of cultural diversity and democratic self- governance, needlessly. This doctrine implies that the EU will only act when the individual members states action are deemed to