Outdoor Sporting Products Inc. Essay

Executive Summary Outdoor Sporting Products Inc. has a number of issues regarding its product management, marketing channels, marketing campaigns, pricing, sales force, technology, and its customer service lately. Profits are down and sales have declined over the last year. Mr. Hudson McDonald is the owner and Chief Financial Officer of the Outdoor Products and sees the need for change. Mr. McDonald is in control of the sales force and believes that sales are a weakness for the company. Mr. McDonald is curious to know how he can increase sales and profits for the company without completely changing the organization. There are many changes that can occur to improve the position of the company. Rectifying many of the departments weaknesses are key ways to help turn things around for Mr. McDonald and Outdoor Sporting Products Inc. Some changes are minor and others will take more time to incorporate. The business has a great sales base already but needs to explore new markets and find ways to penetrate those markets. Outdoor will need to shift resources around in production and marketing to make things possible. Finally customer service and technology will help improve the standing among the customers that are already loyal and help with successfully satisfying customer needs. I. Product Management Mr. Hudson McDonald being the President and chief operating officer of Outdoor Sporting Products Inc. has a few issues that may need to be addressed when dealing with Product Management. While a product manager should actually be in charge of this area. Mr. McDonald would undoubtedly be informed of some of these issues and decisions involved. Product management should never lose sight of 4 distinct areas: the target market, the intricacies of the product, what the business needs in order to succeed, and how to measure that success (van der Merwe). Mr. McDonald claimed that â€Å"with a few exceptions, Outdoor’s customers had little or no brand preference.† This is a terrible assumption to make when dealing with someone’s products. Mr. McDonald and the product manager should be looking into ways that can make the brand and products have more loyal customers. Apparently customers don’t view the products as setting themselves apart from the others to start ex clusively buying from Outdoor Sporting Products Inc. This would also deal with marketing. However, the products themselves need to actually be a quality product that the customers will appreciate and want to re-buy. The manufacturing of products looked like an area that could use a little work. While there is no numbers in the case indicating the costs of manufacturing; the percentages of where the products are coming from could be fixed a bit. 50% of the company’s volume came from imported products. This is an area where Outdoor could perhaps increase its self-manufactured products to perhaps increase revenues or gain more control over the process. Increasing self-manufactured products could mean growth  in manufacturing factories. There could be future growth within the company if things start to turn around a bit. This could result in space being an issue. These areas of issues can be easily fixed actually and can even help each other. A higher quality product will most likely be self-manufactured rather than imported. This can increase brand and customer loyalty. This also increases revenues in the end. Importing 50% of the volume and only have 35% self made can be a bit different. The company should perhaps 50% self made and 35% imported. This could help Outdoor control the process of manufacturing which increases the quality of the product. Even if this did end up costing a bit more, starting secure a preference from the customers could be a significant boost to the company. Growing the production process will be necessary at some point if the company starts getting issues figured out. Looking at the future, there will most likely need to be more space to manufacture Outdoor products. There will most likely be a need to build and increase production. Buying space will be a real idea that will need to be addressed. Perhaps doing so in the Midwest area in order to extend the reach of the company and increase the presence in an area that has a large amount of hunters and fishers. II. Marketing Channels There are a few very real problems with Outdoor Sporting’s marketing channels. â€Å"The route that the product takes on its way from production to the consumer is important because a marketer must decide which route or channel is best for his particular product† (Blunt). The first issue is that they have very little presence in large metropolitan areas. The reasoning behind it was poor customer coverage. While poor customer coverage could be a real issue within the large metropolitan areas; that doesn’t mean that the market is impenetrable. There are some real customers that are perhaps being overlooked by Outdoor by not attempting as hard in this market. Outdoor’s share of the market is only 2% to 3%. This is an area that has a definite need for improvement. There are customers out there that simply aren’t having the chance to purchase Outdoor’s products. Discount Stores are also being untouched. Mr. McDonald claims that there  has been a growth over the last 10 years in discount stores yet Outdoor Sporting Products has not developed a presence in these stores. It has been blamed on the pricing policy and the amount of pressure that customers put on the salespeople. While these issues also need to be addressed; it is still a poor business strategy to not follow the trend of the market. The market shifting to more discount store oriented means that Outdoor needs to find a way to put its products in these stores. People won’t even see your product in a discount store resulting in less brand awareness. One final issue in marketing channels is how distribution is set up. Every item is shipped from the factory and warehouse in Albany, New York. This could limit the organization in distributing their product. Every sale and every product has to be routed through the same place. While it might not be an issue at this time; it could become one if the company grows. Outdoor products will need to stay ahead of its growth from a manufacturing standpoint. There are some very realistic solutions to these problems. When it comes to dealing in large metropolitan areas. I would advise trying to start having a presence there. This can be done by allowing time for your salespeople to develop a presence there. Perhaps hit large retail chains within large metropolitan areas. It can be beneficial in that it helps with brand awareness and also opens up to a market that is not being utilized. Another solution is to start developing a presence at discount stores. If these stores are where the market is moving, then the company needs to shift with the market as well. Standing still will result in lost profits. Salespeople will need more time for these areas. Decreasing sales in stores of small to medium size from the already 6,000 could free up time. Reducing the amount to 4,000 stores and then putting yourself in 500 major retail locations could be beneficial. Then add another 500-1000 discount related locations and develop these areas. After time re-evaluate and see how things are going and what will need to be done. Also, pricing options will need to be addressed as well but will be explained a bit more in the pricing section. Distribution could be addressed with another warehouse. Another distribution warehouse could also perhaps help in customer satisfaction by decreasing shipping times and perhaps putting less stress on the existing  shipping and manufacturing employees. It could payoff in the future but will need to be done at the right time. It is always good to think about the future but perhaps increasing right away may not need to be done until business starts to pick up a bit as well. III. Marketing Campaigns Outdoor Sporting Products Inc. and Mr. McDonald are making a very huge mistake in marketing. The organization is not utilizing marketing to full way that it should be. Outdoor did not use magazine, newspaper, or radio advertising to reach either the retail trade or the consumer. This puts a strain on the sales force to be the marketers. While it might save some money; Outdoor is not attracting customers by having the salespeople be the major role in marketing. Magazine, newspaper, and radio advertisings do not reach near the audience as some other mediums but they are much cheaper and can still play a major role. Newspaper ads and magazine ads especially can be a difference maker in hunting and fishing. There are numerous hunting magazines and they play a major role in outdoor product purchases. Hunters and fishers will likely be more likely to buy gear that is supported in their favorite hunting magazine than something that is not in the magazine. The merchandising catalogue that Outdoor Sporting Products puts out every year can be useful today but also needs to be evaluated. Customers today tend to much of their purchases outside of catalogues. Catalogues are not what they used to be, especially with the internet being around. While it might be useful to some customers, there needs to be an evaluation of what that catalogue is costing to what it is bringing in. Improving marketing should be a must. â€Å"Marketing programs, though widely varied, are all aimed at convincing people to try out or keep using particular products or services† (Marketing 101). Start advertising in fish and game magazines to improve the marketing of the products. â€Å"By concentrating your efforts on one or a few key market segments, you’ll reap the most from small investments† (Marketing 101). Targeting fish and game magazines are a perfect strategy. It will definitely not hurt the company and should be relatively cheap compared to other means of marketing. Newspaper ads and radio ads can be secondary to the magazine ads but should  still be utilized. This is a good way for people to have brand recognition. Even the name being said in the background of someone’s radio can make all the difference in reputation. Marketing cannot be pushed to the back. Get marketing out of the salespeople’s hands. The product catalogue can be useful for re-buys it says but is not a good marketing tool if it is only successful in re-buys. The catalogue can still be produced but only make it available to the customers who actually use them, or at least want to use them. There’s no use in sending out 10,000 magazines for example if only 1,000 customers use them. Utilizing the internet can be very useful in this area to eliminate wasted magazine catalogues. Product catalogues are an outdated way of doing business and should eventually be scrapped all together as a way of doing business at Outdoor Sporting Products Inc. IV. Pricing The pricing of the products is having a direct negative result on Outdoors sale of products. â€Å"Deciding on the price is difficult because, in addition to the physical factors of cost and profit, price is subject to psychological factors, some of which are out of your company’s control† (Kalb). Outdoor Sporting Product Inc. gets its products from self manufacturing, importing, and domestic companies. Outdoor naturally has a markup of their products in order to make a profit and also pay for the products and employees. The problem though is the amount of markup that is being used on the products being sold. The markup is too high, especially for the trends of the market. Mr. McDonald reported that there was a markup of 50% to 100% on Outdoor’s cost for the item. The average markup across all products averages out to 70%. This markup has worked for Outdoor products but will need to be adjusted. Mr. McDonald himself has claimed that the customers are shifting more towards a discount store customer. Maintaining a 70% markup average could make things difficult when trying to spread into discount stores. The markup might be a result of a few different issues including shipping, manufacturing, and distribution issues as well. It is not put at 70% strictly because of profits. There has to be better ways to be able to lower the markup pricing though. Outdoor Sporting Products Inc. needs to find ways to develop business into  discount stores. Having a 70% markup simply won’t be very sensible. Outdoor will need to lower markup at these stores in order to develop a relationship with these customers. Outdoor needs to find a way to become profitable with around a 50% to 60% markup average across all products. This would lower prices which were a problem with developing markets in discount stores. â€Å"When you are pricing your products, what gives you control over the price is the uniqueness built into your positioning, or branding, strategy† (Kalb). Also, the development of another warehouse or manufacturing center in another location would lower shipping costs in general also. These could help lower the prices of Outdoor products. Each area can help another part of the company by fixing the issues. V. Sales and Sales Force Management The sales force is one of the biggest problems within Outdoor Sporting Products Inc. The case appears to be a straight compensation structure, but analysis of the information in the case quickly leads to the conclusion that a number of other issues are also involved, including training salespeople, evaluating sales performance, determining sales potential and territories, and the relationship between the sales function and overall marketing strategy. The salesmen with a guaranteed salary have a significantly higher than average earnings to sales ratio. The incentive plans currently in existence have several weaknesses. Some of the plans require that the salesman be in the territory the previous year to be eligible for payment of a bonus. This provides zero incentive for a first-year person and makes it possible to so the next year can provide a large bonus. The compensation is not working currently and needs to be addressed. Compensation could be changed by having a lower guaranteed salary. Eliminating some of the sales incentives such as the yearly improvement incentive could be productive. Start giving the salespeople a chance to really excel at selling products and help with money in the area of commission. The first four parts of the selling formula are routinely found in the catalog carried by the salespeople. It is questionable that knowing these  four pieces of information on all 700 items is worthwhile. Perhaps more knowledge of customer needs and benefits that the customer could derive from the products sold by the company would result in increased pride in the job and sales. It can be seen that the entire sales group needs additional training, and plans should be made to provide for training on an ongoing basis. Perhaps Mr. McDonald could use his best salesperson in the role of sales training. It is apparent that he is doing a much better sales job than any of his colleagues. The improved training for salespeople can only lead to more a efficient and motivated sales force. With the results of recent sales, it would be a good idea to take a close look at the practice of having the salespeople plan their own itineraries and the time to be spent on each sale. Although having each salesperson handle some parts of the job is normally usually a good idea, the results show that the salespeople may need some help in this area. The reporting system used now can provide a helpful data base to make these salespeople more effective in this area. Mr. McDonald leading the sales team could be a potential problem from some salespeople’s perspective. Mr. McDonald can lead the sales team but will need to perhaps make a few changes to his approach. His sales formula can still be utilized if he wants it to be but the amount of time and effort put in with Monday sales calls and daily reports could be counterproductive. There will need to be a better way of checking in with salespeople and dealing with daily reports. Perhaps have another sales team director who can deal with day to day operations while Mr. McDonald can deal with marketing and sales strategy. VI. Implementation of Technology Technology is underutilized within Outdoor Sporting Inc. There is no real mention of internet sales or how technology is utilized to make the organization successful. This leads to believe that technology is not an area of focus by this organization. The technology used by consumers today is indicative of how a company like Outdoor should be doing business. Using internet sales might affect sales of the sales force but can be seen as an upgrade in customer service in dealing with customer wants and needs. â€Å"The  Internet allows communication in two ways: static communication through Web pages, and dynamic communication through information being exchanged† (Golden). The company seems to deal with sales today strictly through catalogues and salespeople. Customer satisfaction would seem to increase if they could use the internet to help deal with their needs. Technology alone can improve the shipping process as well. Salespeople calling and handing in reports of sales could take time that could be used in manufacturing or shipping products. Even eliminating a day off of processing sales can make all the difference in the world to a store. Just looking to the future alone should indicate that technology will need to be utilized more than it is now. With technology advancing and new generations of customers who utilize technology, it would be wise to start using technology as a company as well. Develop an online catalogue or ways to process sales online. Online sales today are a major market and Outdoor is missing out on these customers by focusing on how to deal with salespeople. Even having salespeople utilize the online site with their customers could be beneficial to both sides. It could speed up processing and perhaps allow more time for salespeople to travel to other customers. There will always be technology that can speed up manufacturing and processing and it should never be overlooked. In this instance though, the shortcomings in utilizing the internet and network systems seems to be a mistake. â€Å"Networking systems allows users to communicate through traditional voice and video in a secure system† (Golden). Technology could really help streamline the buying process for customers. VII. Customer Service and Support Customer Service and Support should be staples of the organization especially within the sales force. Sales are regarded as some of the tougher jobs in dealing with people. Having great customer service skills can make the difference between making sales and looking for a different job. The lack of training and uniformity in this area for the salespeople is a cause for concern. There are potential sales that could be missed but the company doesn’t know how the salespeople are dealing with customers. The case doesn’t mention a customer service department but there is most  likely some customer support somewhere in the organization. If Outdoor Sporting Products Inc. starts to grow, customer service will be depended upon to maintain happy and loyal customers along the way. Training of the sales staff will be vital for increasing customer service and support among the salespeople. Sales depend on customer service and support. Commission based salaries depend on employees being good with people. The best salesperson is doing something right at Outdoor and needs to be utilized in order to train other employees. Perhaps his customer skills are something that should be used by everyone. â€Å"Customer service is that personal encounter, whether it be via email, telephone or in person. How you conduct that personal experience determines whether you create a customer that has loyalty towards your place of business† (Lake). There will need to be a customer service department for complaints from customers. The distribution channels will often times complain to the sales team but customers of the products will most likely want to deal with people in the company. This is where a customer service department needs to be key. Saving customers can help save and maintain loyal customers. This is where there will be employees that need to dealing with customers needs and relaying the ideas to other departments. Customer service is about improving the company by satisfying a customer’s wants and needs. VIII. Conclusion Outdoor Sporting Products Inc. have done a great job at setting up a great company with a potential to be profitable. While the case wants to deal a lot with compensation of the sales force, there are many areas that need to be improved. Mr. Hudson needs to realize that it is time for the company to develop along with the market and take the company to the next stage. Outdoor has become a bit stagnant and will have to change each of the areas listed above to an extent to return to profitability. There will undoubtedly be growth. Outdoor Sporting Products Inc. has a great company that is ready to take the next step to become a major sporting product company. Mr. Hudson just needs to help develop the company to help it reach its potential. References Blunt, L. (n.d.). Types of Marketing Channels. Retrieved December 12, 2014, from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/types-marketing-channels-21627.html Golden, R. (n.d.). How Today’s Technology Is Used in Business to Communicate. Retrieved December 12, 2014, from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/todays-technology-used-business-communicate-27351.html Kalb, I. (2013, October 2). Three Ways Companies Decide The Price Of A Product. Retrieved December 12, 2014, from http://www.businessinsider.com/3-powerful-pricing-strategies-businesses-should-always-consider-2013-10 Lake, L. (n.d.). What Role Does Customer Service Play in Marketing? Retrieved December 12, 2014, from http://marketing.about.com/od/relationshipmarketing/qt/What-Role-Does-Customer-Service-Play-In-Marketing.htm Marketing 101. (n.d.). Retrieved December 12, 2014, from https://www.sba.gov/content/marketing-101-basics References Continued Van der Merwe, R. (2014, September 17). Why Companies Need Full-Time Product Managers – Smashing Magazine. Retrieved December 12, 2014, from http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2014/09/17/why-companies-need-full-time-product-managers/

Black Panthers Party Essay

The American dream can just be a simple dream to many Americans particularly for the whites who are employed in some refutable companies. But this is not the case for the African-American. The American dream was simply to own a house and a little plot of land and a clean and descent place to live. Simple as it may sound but the great majority of the African Americans were excluded from that dream. During the period in which Frederick Douglas lived, the condition of the blacks were â€Å"dehumanizing† (Hubbard, 2007, p. 86) and Douglas himself experienced this dehumanizing condition as slave in the American South from his birth in 1818 to his escape from the North in 1838 . Up to the early 1900s men such as Riis and Du Bois signify upon the rising social consciousness of whites and blacks in America â€Å"as they focused on the dispossessed classes of American (Hubbard, p. 90). From these, it appears that the main theme of American dream during this period was not simply to own a house and a parcel of land but it also include the social conditions between the blacks and whites. It means of the dehumanizing conditions of the black because of the social discriminations. Both Douglas and Du Bois fought for the abolition of slavery. According to Joseph M. Flora, Lucinda Hardwick Mackethan, and Todd W. Taylor (2002) stated that in his 1845 narrative that â€Å"every tone was a testimony against slavery† (p. 19). The main themes of the American dream have to do with integration of the black American into the society with out discrimination for their being colored people, and the recognition of the blacks as fellow human being in terms of social and economic factors. In fact, this was the very agenda of notable black leaders such as Du Bois, and Douglas. ThePanthers movement in the 1960s was also aimed at drawing public attention as to the social and economic condition of the black community. Charles Earl Jones (1998) noted, â€Å"In the heart of Black communities with Black Panthers Party (BPP) affiliates, Panthers implemented numerous survival programs that fed, clothed, and provided medical services to community residents† (p. 1). However, the Panther was viewed by the authorities as outlawed paramilitary organization. Has the dream become more accessible since the time of those writers? Obviously not during their time! The existence of the Panther in the 1960s up to the eighties was a clear indication that the American dream of the early writers such as Douglas and Du Bois was never attained. As a matter of fact, the resurgence of the Black Panther Party ideology â€Å"provides a forum for progressive politics in the Oakland Bay Area† (Jones, p. 2). The rekindling of the interest in the BPP implied the condition of the blacks to remains socially and economically depressed. But it should be noted that condition have improved considerably, since then as more and more blacks are becoming socially visible and actively involve in society’s prominent activities. What has happened since the time of writing to create the current state of the issue for this groups or individuals? There have been many developments that had taken place since the time of those black intellectuals that created the current state of the issue for this group. Notable was the founding of the BPP which was a radical political party that was supposed to attract public attention to promote awareness about the condition of the black community. However, the party became outlawed and was relegated to radical paramilitary organization. Another important development was the change in social atmosphere for the black community as they can now actively engage in social and political activity. Black Individuals like Barack Obama, Oprah Winprey and famous sports personalities such Kobi Bryant, Michael Jordan and other black basketball players and those in other sports indicate that blacks finally gaining acceptance and recognition thereby achieving American dream. Reference Flora, M. J. MacKethan L. H. & Taylor, T. (2002) The Companion to Southern Literature USA: LSU Press Hubbard, D. (2007) The Souls of Black Folk USA: University of Missouri Press Jones, C. (1998) The Black Panther Party (reconsidered): Reflections and Scholarship. USA: Black Classic Press.

Conquest of Panay and Other Islands Essay

Legaspi’s Cebu settlement had three important problems. First, there was a shortage of food and what the natives were used to eat was different from Spanish food. Second, misfortune struck the settlement. On November 1, 1565, a fire of unknown origin broke out in the settlement. Some twenty Spanish houses and the hut where masses were celebrated were burned. Third, the Spaniards were displeased with Legaspi’s order that no Spaniard should take anything from the Filipinos without paying for it. This, together with the shortage of food, led to a conspiracy on November 27 under the leadership of Pablo Hernandez. The captain of the San Pablo revealed the plot to the master-of-camp, Mateo de Saez. The latter immediately warned Legaspi, who lost no time in arresting the conspirators. Hernandez was beheaded–those were times of harsh justice–but the rest of the conspirators were pardoned. And fourth, Legaspi was also faced with the hostility of the Portuguese who did not enjoy Legaspi’s settling in Cebu. They sent ships to Cebu to spy on Legaspi’s activities. In 1568, and again the following year, a Portuguese captain, Gonzalo de Pereira, blockaded Cebu in order to starve the Spaniards. With the aid of the Cebuanos, however, Legaspi withstood the blockade and succeeded in forcing Pereira to lift the blockade and leave the Philippines. In the midst of all these problems, the first reinforcements from Mexico arrived in Cebu on board the galleon San Geronimo on October 15, 1566. This made Legaspi happy, for it brought not only the news that Urdaneta had safely arrived in Mexico but much-needed soldiers from Mexico as well. Later two more galleons from Mexico arrived in Cebu on August 20, 1567, bringing additional reinforcements and supplies. They were commanded by two young grandsons of Legaspi’s–Felipe de Salcedo, 20 years old, and Juan de Salcedo, 18. With these reinforcements, Legaspi sent out various explorations to the neighboring islands for the purpose of securing more food and establishing friendly relations with the datus of the other islands. Later Legaspi received the information that food was abundant in one of the islands in the north. In 1569 he directed his men to sail to Panay. There, on the banks of the Panay River, Legaspi founded the second Spanish settlement in the Philippines. As in Cebu, he won the friendship of the Panay inhabitants by his policy of attraction. Many of these inhabitants were converted to Christianity by Augustinian missionaries. After that, Legaspi never encountered the problem of food shortage, for the natives brought the needed provisions to him. Legaspi was now ready to spread the rule of Spain to the other islands in the archipelago. With Cebu and Panay as bases, he ordered his men to explore the other Visayan islands. Captain Luis Enriquez de Guzman explored and conquered Masbate, Burias, and Ticao and claimed these for the Spanish crown. He got as far as the Bicol region, then known as Ibalon. In January 1570 Legaspi sent his warlike grandson, Juan de Salcedo, on an expedition farther to the north. With forty Spanish soldiers and some 500 Visayans, Salcedo landed at Ilin Island, just south of Mindoro, and took it for the king of Spain. From Ilin he sailed to another island, Lubang, northwest of Mindoro and close to the mouth of Manila Bay. There he met stiff resistance from Muslim defenders. Salcedo subdued them and finally captured Mamburao. This brought the Spaniards almost to the entrance of Manila Bay. Salcedo then returned to Panay to report to his grandfather what he had done.

Innovation and knowledge management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Innovation and knowledge management - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that when it comes to the current competitive situations of organizations, innovation has been granted high regard by firms as it has been significantly associated with improved growth and performance through developments in quality, productivity, effectiveness and market shares. Often, the terms â€Å"innovation† and â€Å"creativity† are interchangeably used; however, primary differences can be distinguished between the two. Creativity is an essential step for innovation to be successfully applied. In fact, the current definition of innovation has become equal to creativity plus effective implementation. In the creativity stage, useful ideas are generated while the innovation process involves the course of action and the actual development of these ideas to reality. To simply put it, the innovation first starts with a particular need which brings forth a creative idea. Amabile et al suggest that all innovations start with th e formation of a creative idea. Innovation is therefore defined as a successful and effective achievement of creative ideas that are brought up in an organization. In terms of implementing a physical product or object, product design and development is extremely necessary. As in this stage, concept development, as well as the testing and manufacturing of the product or object, is undergone. When an organization has conceptualized and evaluated their ideas, through product design and development they are able to make them concrete and tangible using a systematic method.

Broadcasting of Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Broadcasting of Science - Essay Example In essence, the information given only exists in a temporary media hence the audience cannot go back on the content once aired. When viewed from the scientific point of view, Britain is the third largest research contributor globally after the U.S and Japan. In addition, the United Kingdom’s economy has technology and science contribute a third to it. Overtime, broadcasting of science related issues has proven to be a tricky affair, but reporters have tremendously stridden towards the achievement of the same. Essentially, this paper will examine the differing positions regarding the creation of a balance in being effective in the reporting of science related events with a major focus on BBC news channel. Mainly, many newsreaders and reporters tend to shy away from the broadcast of science, as it requires critical research and extensive munching of figures. A science related story is factual and not fictional therefore; it is not easy to cook figures or distort the facts. Therefore, a slight misrepresentation of the facts may lead to critic from the science fraternity, which may not be advantageous to the broadcasting company leave alone the reporter. However, if society does not get plenty of science information it becomes a scientific illiterate society. This proves highly detrimental, as the society may be unable to tackle the easiest of science related challenges due to its ill-informed state. Arguably, many scientists tend to view mass media as a not so powerful tool for conveying science related information. On the contrary, BBC stood out in Britain as its science related content was above that of the other channels. On average, it broadcasted 4.6% of science items while BBC rad io had the most number of shows doing coverage on these issues. In addition, the technology aspect got most coverage by the BBC News Channel, which had more science content. In contrast, the time allocated for science issues in daytime shows was relatively lower as compared to those broadcasted during the late hours. On the other hand, the BBC internet site displayed relatively similar proportions of science aspects just like the other tools of broadcasting. The News Front page of their site gave at least five percent linkages to science items. Additionally, a hundred and thirty out of the six hundred and forty queer items found were also science related in this site and a further forty-one to science-affiliated topics. Moreover, the length of the internet articles was up to 520 words, with the ones with origin to environmental science being longer with an average of five hundred and eighty three words (Mellor et al 12). In comparison, the science coverage given by BBC news is almos t equivalent to that given to other news channels. This was as per the year 2010. However, this would mean that there has been either an improvement or plunge in the coverage of the same since then. In essence, the days of the week also draw the amount of time allocated to the reporting of science and its affiliates. The weekends do not give coverage of such as dedication on these days goes to human-interest stories. However, for BBC broadcast of science was high on Friday and relatively low on Mondays. This scenario was due to the weekly Thursday journal with which with its release gave topics to which coverage could base upon. On the other hand, two percent of the BBC airtime went to broadcast of programs on the non-news schedule. In essence, radio

Adding value by analyzing an issue in a website Article

Adding value by analyzing an issue in a website - Article Example The first step is to explore Trent’s undergraduate programs. This link takes the student to a page that outlines the undergraduate courses offered. These courses are categorized into Undergraduate Degree Programs Available in Oshawa, Undergraduate degree programs and specializations available in Peterborough, Professional programs of study, Emphasis programs, Diploma programs, other programs, Graduate programs offered at Trent. After the student has analyzed the courses and identified one that they are interested in, they go to the next link which is Applicant Pathways, which outlines the admission requirements and deadlines for the specific course they wish to undertake. Finally, the student is required to apply to the university through Ontario Universities Application Center, which is the center through which application to all Ontario universities, including Trent University, is done. The proposed change is to reduce the steps required to be followed by a student to be admitted to the university so as to reduce the complexity of this process for the students aspiring to join Trent

How do managers manage resistance to change Research Paper

How do managers manage resistance to change - Research Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that organizations today are faced with severe competition, technological development, economic pressures, social and demographic shifts force organizations to implement change. Change is usually a reaction response to changes in the business environment. Some of the changes include job design, structural changes, and changes in the business operations. Change needs to be welcomed because it brings positive benefits to individuals and organizations. This attracts opportunities for new challenges, personal development. Unfortunately, change is usually accompanied by resistance from employees. It is crucial for managers to anticipate and plan for strategies that will help deal with resistance to change. Change is crucial to the success of any organization. Barriers to change include failure to accept that there is a need for change, fear and insecurity, preference to the current arrangements, inability to perform better under the new situatio n, a breakup of teams and groups, and the difference in people’s ambitions. Other factors include lack of understanding of the need for change and its benefits among employees, a poor introduction of change to employees by management. Change can also be negatively affected by poor employee-management relationship, lack of employee involvement in the process, and lack of management support in terms of providing training to its employees. Resistance to change takes a number of forms, the most obvious form being an active refusal, resistance, and objection to cooperate when a change occurs.

Assessing and Understanding the Foreign Exchange Market Essay

Assessing and Understanding the Foreign Exchange Market - Essay Example (Investopedia) Chinese foreign exchange market plays an important role in the development of its economy. It is an important source of investment and income in China. The Chinese foreign exchange market mainly deals in Chinese RMB Renminbi Yuan. The basic function of Chinese foreign exchange market is to conversion the currencies. For example in this market the U.S. dollars can be converted into Chinese RMB. Another important function of Chinese currency market is that it facilitates international business transactions of China through the conversion of currencies. (Laura Acevedo) An important tool for stable economic growth is currency value and this market helps the central bank in controlling the value of its currency through buying and selling. It is also a productive source of investment for the investors in China because if they a currency at a lower rate and due to fluctuations in currency rate they are able to sell it at a higher rate than this sure is a profitable investment . (Maps of World) Spot rate is the price that a buyer is ready to pay for buying a currency in terms of another currency. Chinese spot exchange rates are determined by the central bank. This determination by the central bank is based on a number of factors which include the buying and selling of Yuan in different exchange markets, the value of Yuan in term of other currencies- as this value keeps on changing the spot rate of Chinese exchange market also changes simultaneously. These rates are very important in the Chinese currency market as they are the current exchange rate on the basis of which the day to day transactions of the Chinese stock market take place. And without these rates no business is possible in this market. (Investopedia) Forward exchange rate is the rate at which a currency can be traded for one currency at a particular time in future. This time ranges between two days to twelve months. China puts forward exchange rate reforms when necessary in order to maintain its social and economic stability. Forward exchange rate plays an important role in insuring foreign exchange risks because when a country enters in a transaction through forward exchange rate and in the meantime the exchange rates fall badly then the forward exchange rate act as insurance against unprofitable dealings. (Ozforex) One of the most important theories used for the determination of currency exchange rate is purchasing power parity theory (PPP). It is an economic theory that calculates the changes that are to be made in the currencies of two countries in order to make the difference between their exchange rates and their purchasing power equal. Mathematically this theory is represented as follows: S=P1/P2 Here â€Å"s† is the exchange rate between the two currencies. â€Å"P1† is the price of good x in country one and â€Å"P2† is the price of good x in country two. This theory can be elaborated by an example that if a cold drink costs 1.50 Yuan in ch ina than it should be worth 1.00 us dollars if the exchange rate between U.S.A and china is 1.50 USD/RMB. This theory helps the economists in determining the standard of living in different countries. (Investopedia) It is possible that a currency may be devalued but the standards of living may remain high due the higher purchasing power of the people. Most of the economists prefer purchasing parity concept in the calculation of GDP as countries like china intentionally understate their currency value which results in the understatement of GDP. Therefore mostly the GDP of different countries is calculated through purchasing parity approach. This theory also helps in the correction of trade

Predictors of socio-cultural and psychological adjustment of Polish Essay

Predictors of socio-cultural and psychological adjustment of Polish immigrants in the UK - Essay Example icted to ability to speak fluent English, socio-cultural factor, psychological factor, level of education, relationship with the host nationals and the relationship with co-nationals. The results computed show the high value for mean, sample standard deviation and deviation: this support the observations that Polish immigrants are always prepare for their sojourn in Britain by learning English before leaving their homeland—which helps them assimilate easily to the host environment. The idea of people moving from their natural places of abode to reside in a strange land has been practiced from centuries to centuries. People move from one region to another for different reasons: they could be running away from political persecutions; they may be in search of a better place for economic reason; people also live in a strange land for health and recreational purposes (Van Naerssen et al., 2008). Globalization has also contributed to the increasing number of migration (emigration and immigration) that we are witnessing in recent decades (Watts, 2002). Globalization has broken the geographical barriers and encouraged people from different countries to move to any place they feel their economic, health and social needs would be met (Trachtman, 2009: Taran et al., 2009). One of the aims of European Union block is to facilitate the movement of Europeans from one country to another. These past decades had witnessed an influx of Europeans from a developing European country to a developed one (Taran et al., 2009). Most migrants are emerging from the Central and Eastern Europe and flocking to countries like Great Britain, Germany, France and Italy (Morokvasic, 1984). This migration has produced significant impacts in both countries of origins and destinations. While the immigrants who are lucky to secure gainful employment in their countries of destinations could achieve their economic purpose of moving there, the countries also benefit from the surge in the labor force

PetMeds Transformation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

PetMeds Transformation - Case Study Example The set of variables are grouped into transformational and transactional factors (Falletta, 2005). This paper focuses on the seven transactional variables, such as structure, tasks and skills, management practices, systems and policies, work unit climate, motivation and individual needs and goals. Burke-Litwin Model defines the organizational structure as an arrangement of functions and people into specific areas and levels of responsibility, decision-making authority, communication and relationships (Falletta, 2005). Such structure shall support the organization's mission, goals and strategy in order to achieve competitive advantage for the firm (Porter, 1985). PetMed Express can be considered as a mechanistic organization that follows the functional departmentalization structure. The company has highly specialized departments with high formalization and a clear chain of command. The company's structure supports its cost leadership strategy by increasing consistency and reducing cost through centralization and management control (McShane, 2001). The company currently has 248 full time employees distributed into four departments of customer care, warehouse, pharmacy and corporate departments. The customer care department consists of customer care representatives in a call center environment while the warehouse department consists of supervisors and associates. The pharmacy department employs pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and support. The corporate department is composed of accounting, legal, marketing, information technology, purchasing and human resources. Below is the organizational diagram of PetMed. (PetMed Express, 2009) Figure . PetMeds Organizational Chart In order to be effective in serving the customers demand, PetMeds employed 143 people in customer care and marketing, 58 people in pharmacy, and 34 people in warehouse and purchasing. Therefore, the structure of human resources in the company is aligned with its mission of delivering exceptional service, savings and convenience to its customers while maintaining a corporate strategy of cost advantage. Tasks and Skills and Motivation The business success of PetMed Express is attributed to the core competencies of their customer care, warehouse and pharmacy department. According to Prahalad and Hamel (1990), the core competencies of a company are the collective learning in the organization that involves communication, involvement and deep commitment to working across organizational boundaries. Therefore, the core competencies provide potential access to a wide variety of markets and make a significant contribution to the customer benefits of its products. The Burke-Litwin Model describes tasks and skills as the behavior required for task effectiveness which includes specific skills and knowledge required to accomplish work (Falletta, 2005). The tasks and skills of an individual coupled with its motivation, or heightened behavior to achieve goals, have a significant impact on organizational performance and productivity. In other words, an empowered and motivated employee will perform its duties and responsibilities when his tasks and skills are matched with the job requirements. The human resource management has an extensive recruitment and selection strategy that identifies the needs of the job as well as the competency of the employee. The bulk of the

Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 103

Case Study Example While Genzyme’s focus on orphan drugs can be questioned, on the face of it, this decision was a pragmatic one as is also substantiated by the tangible success of the company. Owing to its production of drugs for rare diseases it was easier for the company to target its markets, although essentially smaller than those for the widely-needed drugs, more systematically and sustainably. Moreover its focus on orphan drugs also made it possible for the company to accrue full benefits of tax breaks and market exclusivity contained in the Orphan Drug Act introduced by FDA in 1983 thus multiplying the chances of Genzyme’s domination of the already-limited orphan drugs’ market. As far as the strategic intent of Genzyme is concerned the company it’s a long term one as is being depicted by the company’s diversification of the drugs it produces. In addition to its focus on orphan drugs it is also producing common drugs so as to secure its share of the bigger markets too which can ensure accruing continued profit by the company and hence further cement its position in the pharmaceutical industry. Although Genzyme is actively pursuing diversification of its market through production of common drugs too the company should retain its focus on orphan drugs as the incidence of rare diseases such as certain kidney disorders and forms of cancer, whose cure is offered by the orphan drugs, is continually on the rise. Moreover, as the company’s exemplary success testifies to the latent practicality of its decision of focusing on orphan drugs it should take steps towards further specialized areas of medicine and medical technology so as to sustain its distinct position in the industry rather than plunging into the arena of common medicine characterized by fierce competition. Moreover if the company works towards integration of modern medical technology with its products it can add to the breadth of its market further. In

Literature Search Worksheet Essay Example for Free

Literature Search Worksheet Essay Select a literature search topic relevant to your practice. The topic must be sufficiently delineated in scope without being trivial. You will revisit this article in the Week Five presentation. Possible topics include but are not limited to: Non-pharmacological pain relief with childbirth Effects of shift work and fatigue on medication errors Best practices for pin site care Nurse satisfaction in magnet hospitals Accurate temperature assessment methods in neonates Pain assessment in the cognitively impaired d type II diabetes and obesity Complementary and alternative therapies for control of menopausal symptoms Best practices in nurse-led smoking cessation classes Thermoregulation in the operating room Best practices for pain assessment and management in specified area of practice Complete the table below: Which topic did you choose? Thermoregulation in the operating room Which three databases will you use? 1.EBSCO host 2.Proquest 3.Google Search each database, using key words, for relevant research on this subject. What key words did you use in the Search Strategy fields? Include all attempts and limitations used to refine your search. 1.EBSCO host- operating  room, temperature regulation 2.Proquest- Thermoregulation in the operating room 3.Google- Thermoregulation in the operating room Report the number of citations identified from each database in the number of articles found field. 1.EBSCOhost- 2 2.Proquest- 1502 3.Google- 185,000 Select one article from a peer-reviewed nursing journal published within the last three years—or a germinal article which may contain an earlier publication date—and provide the citation in APA format. Horosz, B., Malec-Milewska, M. (2013, January). Inadvertent Intraoperative Hypothermia. Anesthesiology Intensive Therapy, 45(1), 38-043. Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3sid=64fddb23-3c98-455f-a30a-67ad87d009dc%40sessionmgr115hid=126 Answer the following questions using your selected research article: 1 Is this qualitative or quantitative? What is the study design? What criteria did you use to determine the study design? It is a Quantitative. In the research there are numbers that indicate temperature regulation as variables. The study tests the patient’s core body temperature in the operating room when they are under anesthesia and with controlling the room temperature during surgery. The criteria I used out of this study were to determine the study design was that numbers were used in this study. The research was using a relationship between variables, the temperature of men vs. women and also the time that the person was in the operating room in and under sedation. There was documentation done in a drop of core temperature the longer the person was sedated and in the operating room. 2 How did you confirm that the journal you selected was peer-reviewed or germinal? I determined that the journal article was peer-reviewed because I selected  peer-reviewed form the EBSCO host database and it came from a credited web base. In the publication it also states that it is peer-reviewed. 3 Does this research article generate support for evidence-based practice? If not, state why it does not. Please review the critical appraisal guideline on pg. 466-480. It does provide evidence based research, In the article it describes ways of warming to prevent hypothermia in the operating room all based on research to keeping patients with warm fluids and warm blankets and monitoring the core temperature of the patient while they are sedated.

Reforming the Legal Rights of Patients in Pakistan

Reforming the Legal Rights of Patients in Pakistan â€Å"If they are unwilling to understand your pain make them feel it.† Kevin Schaller THE PROPOSED LEGISLATION TO RECTIFY DEFICIENCIES IN THE LAW Background One sentence triggered me to work on the patient rights which is a Doctor be treated as patients to make them realize that how hard is it to be a patient’. In Pakistan the basic fundamental rights of patients globally acknowledged (Right to Information; Right to Consent; Right to Free Choice; Right to Privacy and Confidentiality; Right to Respect of Patients’ Time; Right to the Observance of Quality Standards; Right to Safety; Right to Avoid Unnecessary Suffering and Pain; Right to Complain; and Right to Compensation; Right to Preventive Measures; Right of Access; Right to Innovation and Right to Avoid Unnecessary Suffering and Pain) have not been adequately secured by the law, especially rights breached through malpractice and negligence by the medical vocation and the main reason being the inability of the aggrieved patients to file ‘Suit for the Recovery of Damages etc.’ in court of law under tort being incognizance about these rights that have not been legislated and are predicated on the unwritten common law. We overviewed the domestic legislation about the patients’ rights that enabled us to point out gaps and deficiencies in the domestic legislation in the cannon of patients’ rights which are being violated by healthcare providers. This work will enable the legislators in ameliorating the quality of life of patients. The rectification if only possible if special legislation is made keeping in view the deficiencies, gaps and lapses in the domestic legislation. Thus, bringing the gaps and ambiguities, subsisting in the domestic legislation, in the lime light is additionally desideratum of hour if this country is solemnly wishes to amend the quality of human rights bulwark in patients care in Pakistan. Due to absence of any statutory legal framework the healthcare provider’s elaborate their own code, charter, code, rules and regulation with immunity or case law. While recognizing not only that doctors owe a fundamental duty of care to their patients but also that there is need to reform the present legal framework of the profession, it is essential to ensure that the focus of all reform is on distinguishing those doctors that act in good faith and to the best of their ability from those that are negligent, rash or reckless and on punishing only the latter with appropriate and objective severity. A solution lacking this balance will drive out any good doctors that may still remain in the country and leave the field open to their less vigilant peers to play with the lives of patients according to their whims. The Proposed Title of legislation: (Special Code for Healthcare) Therefore, to avoid legal conflicts, gaps, duplications, technical flaws, and vague norms found in current health care legislation discussed in the ‘prompt action’ domain of issues, unification, and codification of healthcare laws is desirable. Owing to significant influence from the continental legal system on patients’ rights the Pakistani legal system offers an opportunity for such unification by the creation of what might be titled the ‘Special Code of Healthcare.’ This approach can eliminate the need for different definitions for identical or similar terms and concepts, and would help to avoid conflicts, inconsistencies, and other gaps currently found both in terms of legal procedure and content due to which the patients in Pakistan are enormously being violated without halt. Therefore, making bases to this study, a package of legislative amendments was presented to the ministry of labor, health, and soon the Ministry will review the suggested amendments and orchestrating to issue orders to fine-tune deficiencies in the country’s health care legislation. The study has additionally accommodated as a reference guide for the Ministry’s legislative work, whose deliberations in this realm are underway, therefore, legislation to rectify the deficiencies, imperfections, gaps and lapses in the domestic legislation can be ascertained in two parts: PART-I Based on these findings, a number of recommendations follow and the problematic issues fall into three steps: Prompt Action Here we deal with technical legal flaws i.e. definitions of Right to Information; Right to Consent; Right to Free Choice; Right to Privacy and Confidentiality; Right to Respect of Patients’ Time; Right to the Observance of Quality Standards; Right to Safety; Right to Avoid unnecessary Suffering and Pain; Right to Complain; and Right to Compensation, ‘informed consent’, ‘the rights of a patient’s relative’, and ‘implied consent’ can be categorized as prompt action to act forthwith and without delay. Such problems do not need additional discussions about healthcare policy and for determining the rights we have discussed at length are supposed to be made available to all patients for which the recommendations offered are sufficient and adequate in order to make special legislation for administration of justice efficiently through setting up special courts and tribunals throughout Pakistan giving relief to aggrieved patients within the period of six months. As special baking, antiterrorist, consumers, labors etc courts are already set up in Pakistan in the interest of public. The patient relative should establish the priority ordering of ascending and descending relatives, or at least adopt the procedural framework established by Muhamdan laws determining different stages of heir: stage-1, (decedent’s children, spouse and parents, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren), stage-2 (siblings of the decedent; nieces and nephews and their children) and stag-3 (grandparents; great grandparents), 4th class (uncles and aunts), 5th class (first cousins; their children). The ambiguity and vagueness of the terms and rights of Patients could be addressed by eliminating the word â€Å"etc.† or any other word creating doubts while interpreting it. Therefore, the new proposed legislation must ensure by clearly defining the terms ‘implied consent’ by providing an exhaustive list of the situations and legal triggers when implied consent can be invoked. As for as, the term medical malpractice is concerned the issue of unacceptably restrictive scope could be resolved by using the term â€Å"healthcare provider† instead of â€Å"physician etc† in defining the term â€Å"medical malpractice† because â€Å"healthcare provider† extends liability to other individuals and institutional entities involved in the provision of healthcare. To resolve the ambiguities, the legal definition of medical malpractice could be formulated as follows: â€Å"Medical malpractice shall be an unlawful action or act of omission of a healthcare provider, which has resulted in a patient’s death or disorganization of health, or has inflicted moral and/or material damage to a patient.† Likewise, in the realm of confidentiality, the proposed special law should be prepared so that a patient’s information be made available to third parties, including investigative bodies subject to provision of a court order. The proposed law must also specify when it is justified to disclose patient information for forensic medical examination purposes and either a court order or the consent of the patient or his or her legal representative must be required for disclosing the information. The proposed law on the Rights of Patients must expand the characterization of cases when information should be provided to next of kin or guardians of incapacitated individuals and it should also specify that patients possess the right to receive any other medical information related to their medical histories, treatment procedures, and personal identity. The obligations of medical professionals and institutions to provide information in such cases must be clearly delineated. Public Policy There is a rather large group of issues where legislative action can be taken only after choices and priorities are first determined in public policy arena and the issues falling under this category, recommendations of technical legal analysis are not sufficient for remedial legal framework; however, these findings do help flag legislative norms that must be fleshed out or otherwise amended. These ‘public policy’ issues include the scope, limit and circumstance under which ‘medical malpractice’, ‘confidentiality of information’, and ‘patients’ right to information etc can be determined. The situation is more complex regarding the issues in this domain, as decisions need to be made in the public policy area first and only then can these decisions be reflected in legislative reforms. Furthermore, ambiguities and controversies in the healthcare policy arena need to be resolved and priorities defined before legislative action. Deliberation Extensively Required The thesis has identified several topics i.e. as patient safety, rights of healthcare providers etc with respect to which there is neither any legislation nor there is any clear approach in the domestic legislative canon in Pakistan which requires conceptual consideration and synthesis of approaches. Only then, after those policy decisions have been made it will be possible to bring the legal framework into compliance with the requirements of a healthcare system emphasizing human rights in patient care. Hence, with regard to the issues in ‘deliberation extensively required’ as compared to the other categories, there is a longer road ahead before legislative amendments can be made to effectively address these issues. In the area of patient safety, Pakistan first needs to formulate a state policy on the topic and then bring the legislation into compliance with such policy. The work determines different stages of heirs mentioned above. The approach towards this issue should include at least two areas: regulation and implementation. For regulation, legislation needs to be improved with respect to patient rights and patient safety. For implementation, the competent and impartial authorized agency or authority be established to determine policy and safety standards etc at national level for enforcing these concepts in true letter and spirit. In addition, it is necessary to implement projects and activities aimed at eliminating specific risks that pose a danger to patient and provider occupational safety. To accomplish needed progress in the rights of healthcare providers, we recommend that a special section in the healthcare legislation of Pakistan be dedicated to regulating and guaranteeing the rights of healthcare providers as well. At least, legislative amendments must cover issues such as contractual rights of healthcare providers and protections covering faith and religion because here in Pakistan a general tradition is that people attribute any calamity or loss during the process of medical treatment as ‘Act of God or destination’. Part-II PM DC Reformation The role of the council is replete with criticism because of multiple reasons which we have already discussed earlier. Therefore, at this stage the following suggestions are given: The Council must function under strict check and balance system empowering and authorizing the same to reevaluate the registration, performance, terms and conditions of licenses of the healthcare professionals on annual basis by making required amendments and alteration in section 31 of the PM DC Ordinance, 1962 which empowers the council to cancel the registration of a negligent doctor, reads as, â€Å"The council (PM DC) in its discretion may refuse to permit the registration of any person or direct the removal altogether, for a specified period, of the name of any registered medical practitioner or dentist who has been convicted of any such offence; has been held by the council guilty of infamous conduct in any professional respect or who has shown himself to be unfit to continue in practice on account of ill mental health or other grounds.† Secondly, through a cumbersome procedure a complaint is supposed to filed by the aggrieved patient before the registrar or the legal head of the PM DC or the president regarding any negligence of doctors [1] but what would be the outcome or timeframe of such hectic procedure strictly followed by the aggrieved patient regarding the injury or loss he suffered through medical malpractice? Law is silent. Weather this council is authorized to take action against any private hospital? The ordinance is also silent about this as well. Here, on this point again the PM DC laws are completely silent which calls for overall reform of the Pakistan Medical Dental Council Ordinance, 1962 in line with international standards where many countries tried to reduce the risk of malpractice which cannot be eliminated 100% because the risk of mistakes and errors of judgment will always be there even if factors like self-interest are removed completely but in some hospital strict standard operating procedures that are checked and evaluated by third parties like, professional bodies of doctors, medical staff, state authorities and insurance companies. Since its establishments, the Council is being run and administered by medical practitioners for personal gains or joins the executive body as tool to run their private medical entities, units or set up and not for the benefit of the profession, the patients to diligently improving the standard of medical education, training and licensing and likewise, the body has almost no power to restore the license of a medical practitioner once it has been revoke. The basic and derived patients’ right (non-enforceable rights) also called ethical codes be incorporated along with the basic rights. The critics, objects this point because of its nonbinding character as these ethical codes have no statutory base, therefore, cannot be legally enforced. Voluntarily and non-enforceable basis of non-statutory code has drawbacks which could only be avoided through legislation. Part-III Amendments in PPC More so, a remedy through courts is always there but it adds more salt to the wound of aggrieved patients who is already suffered facing the prospect of losing a limb or his life. Therefore, the penalties for medical malpractice or negligence be introduced to prevent negligence from occurring if healthcare intentionally does anything with actus rea and mins rea the concerned be booked under penal code as well and all those laws giving them immunity be repealed. The quackery can’t be eliminated from our society unless with this regards some amendments are not introduced in PPC. S. (XXIX) of The Punjab Healthcare Commission Act, 2010 defines â€Å"quack† a pretender providing health services without having registration of the Medical and Dental Council, Council for Tibb, Council for Homeopathy and Nursing Council and saved its skin from criminal jurisdiction. Section 40 PPC defines word a thing made punishable by PPC, and further defines in section 44 word injury as any harm illegally caused to any person, in body, mind, reputation or property and section 416 personation, a person is said to cheat by personation if he cheats by pretending to be some other person, or by knowingly substituting one person for another, or representing that he or any other person is a person other than he or such other person really is while section 419 deals with Punishment for cheating by personation: Whoever cheats by personation shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, or with fine, or with both. Unfortunately, quackery can be made an offence by making a slight amendment in PPC in the sections mentioned above but domestic trends protect this menace under the garb of technicalities. The question arises why so far against quackery none has been booked under penal code? Part-IV Miscellaneous Steps Awareness through electronic and print media: Average patients don’t know about their rights exactly what kind of service or limitations of their expectations. Separate Road Track for Emergency Services National Highway Authority must ensure that a separate track is lying on all roads for emergency. At government level, the general public be trained through celebrating ambulance week periodically for educating the masses about handling the emergency situation. Rules for Prescription Format The researcher as precautionary measures suggest that there must be a prescribed format for prescription and overleaf written all the basic rights and remedies of patients, with mandatory additional note:- I have diagnosed on ___________the Day of __________and fully understood the nature of the ailment of Mr / Ms. /____________________ and I feel fully competent to deal with the nature of ailment, hence, don’t refer to any other specialist doctor. The rules for prescription must be modernized through review keeping in view the Article 11 of the EU Directive on Patients Rights Rules for Pharmacies At national level all drugs and medicines classified as either the ‘Over the Counter Drugs’ or ‘Prescription only Drugs’; the prescribed drugs must only be sold by the pharmacies on the prescription of registered medical practices by PM DC. Social Security Framework: Can we replace tort compensation with a social security framework that serves victims patients like in 1972, New Zealand introduced the first ‘Universal No-Fault Insurance Scheme’ that provide compensation by the government-run Accident Compensation Corporation irrespective of negligence or malpractice whose goal may be to achieve equality of compensation and reducing different costs of litigation. In the 1970s, Australia and the United Kingdom drew up proposals for similar no-fault schemes but they were later abandoned but in Pakistan with certain amendments in this sector the goals can be achieved. [1] www.dawn.com/news/711896/cases-of-medical-negligence-on-the-rise-2, browsed on 12-4-2014

Organizational Structure of Starbucks

Organizational Structure of Starbucks Starbucks have built a global coffee empire on the basis of quality inexpensive drinks. In February 2009 the Seattle based Company announced that it will close more than 300 stores which would impact 6,000 people and result in 700 layoffs. Starbucks have stated that they will continue to expand its presence in Europe and staff that is laid off will be given the opportunity of alternate jobs in these stores. They are planning to open 150 new stores in 2009/10. At this moment in time Starbucks are represented in more than 15,000 locations worldwide. The Mission statement of Starbucks has been defined as Our mission: to inspire and nurture the human spirit one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time. (Farfan, 2012). The vision of Starbucks is all about quality and people. They want to enrich the lives of people by making Starbucks the premier neighborhood coffee shop and be seen as a social influence of good in peoples daily lives. Starbucks have a number of value statements and this is illustrated on their Canadian web site  [1]  where they enumerate:- where they enumerate:- The Coffee its all about the passion for coffee and finding the best ingredients and roasting the beans. They believe passionately in concepts of fair trade and enriching the lives of the coffee growers Partners The firm considers all of its staff as partners and inclusive in the contribution and wellbeing of the business. This ethos extends to its entire international operation. Customers Its all about social interaction with our customers and ensuring that they have an enjoyable experience at all of the Starbucks retail outlets The Stores All of the stores should have a unique Starbucks quality providing a consistent image of quality and an enjoyable social atmosphere where people can meet and enjoy fine coffee Community Starbucks wants to be seen as an important part of the community and an important force for good. It wants to enrich the lives of the local community and be seen as a desirable meeting place. Shareholders Starbucks recognises the important contribution of its investors and wants to remain a business that the shareholders can be proud of and provide them with good returns on investment. SECTION 2 The Organizational Structure The Organization structure of Starbucks is similar to most large groups of its size. The organization is controlled by a Board of Directors who functions from the Group HQ based in Seattle, Washington. Around the country it is split into regional jurisdictions with district Managers who oversee a group of regional stores. A store manager acts as the local boss for supervising the staff at a particular store location. The company does not operate as a franchise system but it does license store fronts. These are owned and operated by the Starbucks Corporation under strict quality control guidelines. The entire Starbucks team work as partners and are geared towards quality customer service and client satisfaction. Starbucks emphasises a policy of inclusion amongst its entire staff and no matter where you fit in the hierarchy the firm attempts to recognize individual contribution. Most of the consumers who are fans of Starbucks will endorse the level of consistency found across the Starb ucks locations whether you are in Seattle, New York or London. The Company has been extremely successful in this regard. (Schreiner, 2012). SECTION 3 Starbucks in China Starbucks have been instrumental in helping to increase the popularity of Coffee in China. The CEO has said that it plans to start and grow coffee in Yunnan province of China. This essentially will make a strategic commitment to help strengthen and develop the Starbucks brand in China. Yunnan province coffee already has a well-developed reputation in China for the production of high quality coffee beans. Starbucks have indicated that they would like to export Yunnan coffee beans throughout its world-wide distribution of retail stores. Starbucks has now been in China for 12 years and has 400 stores on the mainland and 800 stores in greater China. The firm has stated that China will be the fastest and biggest growing market in North America (CNN, 2010). The provincial government in Chinas Yunnan Province has said that it will invest $450 million to help expand the green bean volume of production from the current 38,000 tonnes per annum to that of 200,000 tonnes by 2020. It will also help Starbucks to expand its hectares in Yunnan province from 26,700 to 100,000 acres in the same period. This will help to create employment in China and develop the educational system within the Universities in the province of Yunnan, thereby promoting the development of the coffee industry in China. Starbucks will offer Yunnan province their agricultural expertise gained in coffee plantations in Cost Rica and Rwanda. This will help promote local knowledge and expertise in Yunnan province. When entering Japan they looked for local partnerships that would help them to ease their way into the Japanese market place and the approach was more one of stealth and careful navigation than opposed to that of a blockbuster announcement. The approach followed the typical model shown to the right. External Factors consider such items as cultural implications, market potential, and the intensity of competition and market barriers. Whereas internal factors are more focused upon such items as the characteristics of the country and environment for successful operations, the local resources available, speed of entry, ability to gain local support and investment. Statistics show a strong performance in sales between 2005-2008 but in 2008 the net income showed a sharp decline. So despite a growth trend in Sales the Company was losing money. The decline in the US market is however less likely to impact the potential investment and growth in China as the market forces are very different in the Chinese provinces as opposed to the USA economic determinations. (Tung, 2010) Starbucks and Sustainability When considering the concept of sustainability, the first word that comes to mind is that of the environment. Paper cups, are one of the most common consumables in our daily life. The disposal of these has become a serious problem in latest fifty years. This has contributed to the effect of global warming. Every day in the U.S. Millions of people will consume six cups of coffee as part of their routine life and only a few of them will choose not to use paper cups. As coffee has become the most popular drink for the breakfast and afternoon tea, all over the world, the expending of paper cups will only increase. Owing to the impact that paper cups will cause to the environment; some of the coffee stores advocate some discount activity to decrease the damage caused by paper cups. This project considers how paper cups are contributing to the destruction of the environment and the need for future actions of sustainability to protect the environment. The Environmental impact on paper cup disposal A paper cup is made of paper and lined with plastic or wax to prevent any drink from leaking out through the paper. Paper cups as the most popular drink container in the world, however, most of them are not recycled paper and as such they bring many negative impacts to the environment. According to a study of paper cups, it illustrates that a single cup will produce 0.25 pounds of CO2 emissions. When one paper cup is made, 0.90 square meters of natural habitat will be lost. Another statistic shows that in 2006, in excess of half a million trees were felled to make paper cups used by U.S consumers, in addition 4 billion gallons of water were used to make coffee and tea but resulting in 253 million pounds of waste. The only result of using large amount of paper cups is heavy air pollution, which is related to the thesis in this paper: sustainability. Wasting too many paper contributes to the wastage factor in the felling of trees. In particular, the disposable paper cups. Basically, a tree needs ten to fifteen years to mature . During this period how many other trees will be destroyed purely for the use of paper cups? Since the paper cup is a vital component of our routine life, most people do not consider the serious impact it creates. Meanwhile, landfill is another problem that disposable paper cups bring to the environment. The world administration is simply not equipped to deal with all of the recycling required and we are left with a quantum anount of plastic cups and lids which are virtually indestructible Starbucks are taking the campaign seriously Fortunately, there are some of the institutions and coffee store already realized the serious impact of paper cups. In this project, I am going to look at the most famous coffee store around the worldStarbucks. Starbucks is one of the most popular coffee shop in everywhere in the world, especially in its original placeU.S. And before 2006, paper cups were banned for recycling because of healthy. According to the graph above, U.S paper consumption has decreased in recent years. Starbucks serves 2.3 billion coffee cups a year. Owing to the huge consumption of paper cups they have realised the importance of environment concerns. Starbucks was the first company in the U.S to recycle content coffee cups. Those cups included ten percent post-consumer recycled fiber (PCF), this activity saved tens of thousands of trees, a half million gallons of wastewater and million pounds of garbage from being trucked to landfills. (Fusso, 2011). Starbucks also recommend people bring their own coffee cup nowadays, while one customer bring their own cup, they could have a ten cent discount for their order. This campaign encourages customers to be more environmentally friendly. Sustainability usually reminds people about green products and protecting the environment. However, when confronted not many people will agree upon how to achieve these objectives . Governments usually are indifferent on the subject and the only effective way is making sustainability related to profit. Modern Corporate entities become more interested in the concept of wealth accumulation and making profits. As a multi-national company Starbucks sets a good example to achieve paper cups sustainability. Customer Service Starbucks are an excellent example of excellence in customer service. They have had a lot of time in terms of getting the model right but they have persevered and never been complacent regarding the needs of their customer base. It starts with the quality of the product itself. They provide a range of coffees that are custom designed in order to meet the needs of even the most demanding of customers. The staff pays attention to the detail and little points that make your experience enjoyable; there are no real throwaways at Starbucks. One example is the type of background music played in the stores. This is designed to provide a light convivial atmosphere. Very often a light smooth jazz or the mellow sounds of Sinatra. The music is designed to make you feel good in a relaxing atmosphere. Another point is that Starbucks have never tried to nickel and dime their customers; they dont mind how long you sit at the cafà © with a single coffee. They want you to enjoy yourself. The Cafes often provide very comfortable seating arrangements and lounge chairs. This helps in the creation of customer loyalty and is indicative of the fact that they care about their customers (Hanft, 2012) Ethical Practices Owing to the amount of an ethical and dishonest marketing practices, as carried out in the USA, the public are looking for improved codes of ethics and marketing practices. Standards of marketing are not strictly governed by codes of ethics, as compared to other more regulated professions like law, medicine, accountants etc. the American marketing Association. [AMA] is attempting to bridge the gap but can only make code binding upon some members. An underlying question is will any rigorous code of ethics improve marketing practices of business behaviour? The first consideration must be enforcement; only if you can make people obey the code of ethics does it become worthwhile. Starbucks have attempted to place ethics high on their value chain. This starts off with the coffee production and dealing with Fair Trade Coffee that ensures planters and their staff are treated in an equitable manner and receive proper financial rewards that are commensurate with their efforts. This has also seen a move towards organic coffee production. It is often difficult to keep a check on all that takes place in your supply chain but is is important to avoid scandals like that of Nike who found themselves at the centre of a human rights scandal on the exploitation of child labour. Information Technology Starbucks has always taken Information Technology very seriously in its business operations. In March of 2012 they announced the appointment of two new Executives to be responsible for the way Starbucks uses technology and innovation relative to servicing its customer base. Starbucks have embraced the digital revolution in supporting digital networks within its stores. Starbucks has made significant investments in point of sale management systems, sophisticated inventor control systems and provision of computer technology in its supply chain. Leadership Practice The leadership style in Starbucks is very focused towards that of the democratic leadership style. This form of leadership style promotes delegation amongst assigned staff and given them the authority in which to complete tasks by using their own methods but adhering to corporate standards and guidelines. This motivates the staff because it promotes initiative and makes them feel more inclusive in the decision making. Delegation of responsibility does not however make the Manager less accountable for achieving the end results. The Manager is accountable for the end result. There is a danger that staff does not carry their weight and rely upon others to carry them. The Situational Leadership Model by Blanchard and Hersey is an important contribution because it has created a relatively simple matrix in order to explain a complex subject. Managers in larger Corporations are able to examine their directive and supportive leadership styles and determine where they are portrayed on the Model. By adjusting, the dynamics of their leadership style that can fine-tune the behavioural stance of leadership to be more supportive or more directive as the occasion demands. Hersey pointed out that this is not a theoretical concept but that of a leadership model. This is because the model is more application oriented and may be modified or adapted to meeting various situations as opposed to theoretical considerations that are normally more fixed. The negative side of traditional leadership models is that it has been more inwardly focused upon personal leadership styles as opposed to taking a more holistic viewpoint in terms of looking who leadership serves and how best to gain the optimum outcomes for the organization i.e. managing customer relationships and ensuring the business objectives are driven and focused towards meeting these needs. Positive attributes are that it has promoted group dynamics within the organization and helped in business transformation and change management. Starbucks have also adopted more of a servant leadership style at the store level. This is a relatively new concept that is finding a lot of support where high customer centric support is required. Servant Leadership may be defined as a leadership style that influences, models and supports how people learn to serve others first. It encourages the concept of speed (efficiency) and integrity in the way people interact and negotiate in a business setting. The concept covers both an internal and external focus. The approach works on the basis that in meeting peoples legitimate needs one gains more influence as a leader. This builds trust within the organization and is seen as dedication and commitment by customers. The qualities of servant leadership can be seen in individuals that:- Have Empathy they are good listeners Empowered They encourage others to lead by active delegation Positive attitude They promote a positive outlook in the organization Desire They have honesty and integrity and work on building trust Problem Escalation They will resolve issues or problems in an expedient manner Serve Excellent provision of customer service Pros of Servant Leadership Seeks and encourages open and honest feedback from others Helps people to progress and develop to their optimum capability levels Meets the legitimate needs of other people and aspires to the highest levels of trust Prepares for the future by careful succession planning Above all provides excellence in customer service by open, honest and transparent communications with an emphasis on service and quality Cons of servant leadership Not applicable to all situations e.g. The Military Changing the leadership view from one style to that of servant leadership can prove difficult unless very carefully handled Leading is different from managing personal and organizational styles need to be carefully aligned Importance of servant leadership Servant leadership has become an extremely popular approach in modern business. In a difficult financial climate competition for business increases and a good customer, relationship management team becomes of paramount concern. Good servant leaders bring about a very positive approach in the development of internal resources by promoting them, coaching and encouraging them, whilst equally motivating them towards a sense of community building. People will follow such leaders because they portray a selfless and generous demeanour and concerned about the welfare of others. This style is very paternalistic and encourages others not to be selfish but consider what they can do to help others. It was John F Kennedy that immortalised the saying Ask not what your country can do for you, but what can you do for your country. The style treats employees more as business partners as opposed to helpless drones of a slavish and subordinate mentality. Equally, the customers will look at the positive internal dynamics that are being generated. Customers will see this as indicative of the manner they will be treated i.e. with equality, respect, personal concern and a willingness to achieve a high quality product or service. (M.McCrimmon, 2012) Social Responsibility An excellent video link illustrating the Social responsibilities of Starbuck can be viewed at this location: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nly_OdvORQY . This is a very interesting video clip that illustrates both the ethical and social responsibility of Starbucks on a global basis. Essentially all business organisations have reward systems for their employees. Without these being in place the employees would not complete their job functions. Executives tend to regard this as compensation but in reality it extends far beyond the simple concept of pay. Modern organizations tend to view reward in terms of a strategic framework and this considers the overall vision and mission of the organization. For example, how will the business be successful and as such how the people that drive the business is both rewarded and incentivised. As such this rests upon a number of different perspectives i.e. Financial, Sociological, Psychological, Environmental, Hygiene etc. This falling within the general concept of Maslows Hierarchy of needs. (Bussing-Burks, 2009) SECTION 4 SWOT Analysis of Starbucks Strengths: There are a lot of very strong positive forces at play within Starbucks and this is what positions the firm as a Fortune 100 Company and a global player in this field. Large Market share capitalization They have the financial clout! Strong Brand Image The brand is recognized world wide Large store network Huge distribution of global stores Committed workforce A highly motivated workforce Highly profitable A highly profitable global business Global presence They continue to expand international presence Strong ethical values They have maintained a strong ethical stance Fortune 100 Company Recognition as an American Corporate giant High customer loyalty The customers are very loyal to the brand Quality products- Consistent quality over all their stores. Weaknesses: There are some issues with Starbucks but these are offset by the very strong profile the business projects. Premium company, as such can be undercut by low quality brands High dependency on coffee need for increased product diversification Very focused on US domestic market This is changing Could use more Free Trade Products This is being addressed and improving Seen as loyal American Global brand Despite this it is extremely well respected globally Fairly high costs to maintain standard of excellence You always pay for quality! Opportunities Starbucks have a very proactive marketing department and are always looking forwards to areas for improvement. . They are planning to open 150 new stores in 2009/10. At this moment in time Starbucks are represented in more than 15,000 locations worldwide. Emerging international markets like China Starbucks has now been in China for 12 years and has 400 stores on the mainland and 800 stores in greater China. The firm has stated that China Advancements in Technology Constant innovation spearheaded by two senior executives of the firm Product range diversity Constant ongoing improvements in this area Licensing its Name to open up market channels This will be done carefully in order tom protect quality standards and the brand image Improved marketing initiatives Constantly exploring new marketing opportunities Increased green initiatives Part of marketing initiatives . Starbucks also recommend people bring their own coffee cup nowadays, while one customer bring their own cup, they could own ten cent discount for their order. This campaign encourages customers to be more environmentally friendly. Threats: A saturated coffee market possibility of too many new market entrants Activists criticise Starbucks fair trade practices They are improving though Recession may mean less people purchase daily coffee- Temporary setback Increased costs of raw materials May need to be offset in pricing model Increased costs of operational overheads- May need to be offset in pricing model SECTION 5 Personal Reflection Starbucks is a hugely successful global American company and has a very loyal customer following, particularly in the USA and Canada where the coffee shops provide a focal meeting place for social meetings and connecting with the internet. There is no reason why the firm cannot continue its global expansion aims, particularly in China. Starbucks have been instrumental in helping to increase the popularity of Coffee in China. The CEO has said that it plans to start and grow coffee in Yunnan province of China. This essentially will make a strategic commitment to help strengthen and develop the Starbucks brand in China. Yunnan province coffee already has a well-developed reputation in China for the production of high quality coffee beans. Starbucks have indicated that they would like to export Yunnan coffee beans throughout its world-wide distribution of retail stores. (Gilbert, 2008) SECTION 6 Recommendation In todays difficult financial climate it appears that Starbucks are doing most things right. They have a customer centric approach, place quality control high on the agenda, they address the needs of a young discerning market place and have the right hygiene and environmental factors that support the business. Perhaps less reliance on coffee and increased diversification in their stores may help to consolidate their position further.

Bastard Out of Carolina Essay -- essays research papers

One of the most complex and elaborate characters in Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison is Bone. Throughout the story Bone has to live a life where she thinks that she is the leading mystery of the trouble being caused. She has numerous unhappy situations and is in no way self-satisfied with herself. She doesn’t appreciate who she is physically. She constantly thinks she is the most homely and dull person who causes the most inconvenience in the family. This sense of selflessness is mainly due to the physical and sexual abuse brought upon by Daddy Glen, Bone’s stepfather. Unfortunately, the assaults were stretched out over a long period of time, leaving little chance for Bone to recover as an adult if any at all. I decided to take a more scientific approach to discussing Bone’s future as an adult. The most common disorders I feel Bone is likely to face are posttraumatic stress, cognitive distortions, emotional pain, and avoidance, an impaired sense of sel f and interpersonal difficulties. After finishing some research I concluded that Bone would most likely be diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder. It entails enduring certain psychological symptoms that occur in reaction to a highly distressing, psychically disruptive event. A diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) requires the occurrence of a traumatic event, as well as frequent experiencing of the event through nightmares or intrusive thoughts, a numbing of general responsiveness to, or avoidance of, current events, and persistent symptoms of increased arousal, such as jumpiness, sleep disturbance, or poor concentration. All of these occurrences are a result from the sexual abuse Bone was forced to tolerate from Glen. Triggers of flashbacks include sexual stimuli or interactions, abusive behavior by other adults, disclosure of one's abuse experiences to others, and reading or seeing sexual or violent media depictions, all of which would more than likely be experienced throughout Bone’s adult life. Unfortunately all of these experiences are apart of life and in most cases can’t be avoided. Bone is obviously going to be exposed to such things, which could induce flashbacks. Without question Bone would suffer from cognitive distortions. As a result from the traumatic events throughout her life with Glen her assumptions and self-perceptions typically reflect an overestimation of the a... ...ren attempt suicide each year because they can‘t bear being abused any longer. Fortunately, Bone hasn’t reached that point yet. Depending on the circumstances ahead in the future, I see suicide as a last resort.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is important to appreciate that these issues are very complex, and to be familiar with how abuse and neglect can affect various aspects of a person's life. Child abuse does not affect every person the same. The extremity of the abuse and different situations determine the effect. Some people could live on to become great people and do great things. They don’t look at the abuse as something negative but rather as something that made them strong and made them believe that they were better and could do better than the situation that they were in. Dealing with abuse after it is over is the toughest thing to handle, most people that could afford therapy go to it, but since most people can‘t afford it they try to deal with it the best they can. Although in most cases the child is removed from the home that the abuse is happening in, sometimes child abuse can slip by unnoticed and that can have severe consequences on the child as well as others.