Advanced Nursing

With the development of more advanced ways to deliver consumer centered quality health care services the traditional professional roles of nurse and doctor are being transformed. The shift from provider driven to consumer driven health care system anticipated a change in traditional ethical, cultural, and structural doctrine of professions in the system.As such, there is distinct shift in organization and culture of nursing profession, which includes the way nurses are educated, development of new nursing competencies, Code of Ethics, and a Code of Conduct, influences of human rights movement, opportunity policy, and legislation.There have been quite a number of speculations and criticism behind the establishment of advanced nursing practice but generally a lot of potential and promises have been seen from this profession.   Proof of this is that States such as Kansas have since revised their laws concerning the practice since 1999, and has generated positive responses thus far (â €Å"Nurse Practice Act changes to be introduced in 1999†, 1999).Similar cases in which there was an increase in the number of advanced nursing Practitioners has also been noted in States like Connecticut, where a community of APNs started their own discussion group until they found that their population has increase since they were established in the late 1990’s (Capobianco, 1999).Definition of Advanced Nursing PracticeAdvanced nursing practice at its simplest, is the attainment of further education, caring skills and field of practice of registered nurses.   Those who are undergoing advanced nursing practice posses a master’s or even a doctorate degree in nursing, and in doing so may entitle themselves to additional certification examinations.The practitioners of Advanced Nursing Practice are called Advanced Practice Nurses or APNs may also take the task of Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM), Nurse Practitioner (NP), Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) or Certified Re gistered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) whenever required.   They may also administer primary health care, perform mental health services, diagnose and prescribe medicine, do some scientific research and finally they can also teach in medical and nursing schools.As with other professions, examinations are conducted to earn and maintain licenses which some professionals claim as almost like trying to acquire a medical practice license (â€Å"Advanced Practice Nursing†, 2006).Another definition of advanced nursing practice comes from Jeffrey Bauer, one of the authors of Telemedicine and the Reinvention of Healthcare: The Seventh Revolution in Medicine.   He defines advanced practice nursing as not just the attainment of higher education and training of a nurse but also the pursuit of excellence through the six foundations of professional autonomy.Bauer also noted that APNs can manage their own clinical practice and that they are probably the solution for the country’s ever present shortage of health care practitioners (Sharp, 2000).Brown (2003) in the position statement defines advanced practice nursing as â€Å"an umbrella term appropriate for a licensed registered nurse prepared at the graduate degree level †¦ with specialized knowledge and skills that are applied within a broad range of patient populations in a variety of practice settings.The competencies of specialists include the ability to assess, conceptualize, diagnose, and analyze complex problems related to health. Credentials for a specialist require current licensure as a registered nurse, at least a master's degree in nursing, current national certification in the advanced practice area, and approval by the board of nursing,† (Brown, 2003, p. 391).As such, even though there is a variety of definitions that are used by scholars to define advanced nursing practice, there are three crucial features that distinguish advanced practice nursing from a regular registered nurse: grad uate level advanced education, strong relevant and specific theoretical base, professional application of theoretical knowledge in a day to day practice.Definition and Roles of a Nurse PractitionerA nurse practitioner (NP) is an advanced practicing nurse, whose practice is focused on services that meet the general needs of community, individuals, families and groups. NP is one of the four types of dances practicing nurses, the other three – certified nurse midwife, certified registered nurse anesthetist, and clinical nurse specialist normally concentrate on a specific area of health, such as cancer care, gerontology, mental or national health (Hickey, 2000).  High level of demand for nurse practitioners that is caused by economic efficiency of these specialists as compared with doctors is a factor of the roles and focus of services provided by NP.When it comes to speaking about the scope of roles attributed to a nurse practitioner, they are broad. Earlier definitions addres s health promotion and disease prevention as well as involve diagnosis and management of common illnesses alongside with stable chronic diseases.Nurse practitioner’s roles also include ordering, conducting, and interpreting laboratory tests alongside with prescriptions, treatments, and therapies. The general roles must then be matched with the specific theoretical background of a nurse practitioner and the field of practice (Raingruber, 2003).As such, the focus of the nursing practitioners’ roles is on chronic health care treatment, performance of parental, child care, well-woman and adult care check ups, and, finally, health promotion and teaching alongside with disease prevention.Primary attention is given lately to patient – nurse practitioner relationships and the scope of NP roles in a given situation. Firstly, scholars emphasize advocacy relationships between the two, as there is a conflict between NP’s freedom to practice and patients’ right s and interests in health care settings.Ellen W. Bernal (2002) emphasizes the importance of friendly relationships between patients and medical personnel and the role of a nurse practitioner as a patients’ advocate. Under this view, NPs are to identify unsafe and unethical practices and at the same time maintain own autonomy in order to be able to openly stand up to moral and ethical dilemmas.At the same time, the need to maintain treatment boundaries within the nurse client relationship is also one of the roles of nurse practitioners. As nurse find themselves working in different therapeutic settings working on his/her own or as a member of   a team, the boundaries of client relationships are often a subject to testing (Peternelj-Taylor, & Yonge, 2003).As such, one of the roles of NP is to adequately respond to the testing within the boundaries of professional integrity. Even though there is a large amount of literature addressing therapeutic treatment boundaries for nurse practitioners, it is impossible to address every situation and the issue still remains to be up to nurses’ consent, whereas the role of NP is to establish and maintain working boundaries in patient relationships.Professional Issues Surrounding Advanced Nursing PracticePerhaps, the hottest issue surrounding current ANP is the blurring line between being a doctor and ANP. To be more specific, ANPs feel as though their â€Å"territory† is slowly being intruded by APNs, which they believe is outrageously unfair for them who have the â€Å"proper† and â€Å"real† right to administer medical attention to patients.A drastically increasing number of ANPs in the United States, which doubled within the past 10 years and, under the most modest predictions, is likely to double within the next 4 years. The scope of the issue is broad, as in more then half of the states ANPs are allowed to practice without any distinct requirement for physician supervision or collabor ation (Mccabe & Burman, 2006).Going even further then this, as nurses have authority to prescribe some drugs and are eligible for Medicaid reimbursement in every state – it is economically unreasonable for patients, whose focus shifted towards sustaining medicine and health care, to pay for considerably more expensive medical services provided by a physician. As such, there is a conflict between the roles of physicians and APNs, which leads to uncertainty and deprives medical students to pursue additional education.Thus, a way in which this matter can be solved is by putting a limit on what an APN can and cannot do by setting-up a set of guidelines and regulations that will clearly state the roles of the physician and APN so that arguments like these would be avoided (Edmunds, 1999).It should be further pointed out, that the issue is very challenging, as there is a need to issue federal level guidelines and, perhaps, even regulates market economically in order to resolve the current argument.Other professional issues surrounding Advanced Nursing Practice are related to patient-nursing roles, Ethical Code of Ethics and a Code of Conduct that define nursing behavior in a given situation. Being complicated and complex previously, they become a subject to even wider interpretation as a result of blurring difference between the roles of physician and APN, as they question the current hierarchy in health organizations and current reimbursement policy in health institutions.ConclusionNurses are the backbone of the industry and thus it should be equated that a strong backbone is required for the integrity of the industry. Unfortunately, inability of government to establish in a timely manner guidelines for advanced nursing practice results in a conflict between the roles of a physician and a nurse practitioner, which leads to uncertainty and potential misconduct.And still, it is clear that the advantages and benefits of advanced nursing practices far outweigh i ts consequences.   It should also be noted that there are boundaries and limits that are established between the two professions and that any argument regarding these should be settled in a much rather mild-mannered and professional way.   After all, professionalism is all about work and anything that is taken personally should be shrugged off.ReferencesAdvanced nursing practice update. (1999). Kansas State Nurses Association. Retrieved July 31, 2006 from http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3940/is_199906/ai_n8877228/printAdvanced Practice Nursing. (15 July 2006). Retrieved July 31, 2006 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Practice_NurseBernal, E. W. (2002). The Nurse as Patient Advocate. The Hastings Center Report, 22(4), 18.Brown, M.A., & Draye, M.A. (2003). Experiences of pioneer nurse practitioners in establishing advanced practice roles. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 35(4), 391-397.Capobianco, M. (1999). Advanced practice nursing in the northwest: â€Å"Th ere's a lot happening in our little corner of the state†. Connecticut Nursing News. Sept/Nov.   Retrieved July 31, 2006 from http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3902/is_199909/ai_n8853925/printEdmunds, Marilyn W. (1999). Increasing professional tension limits NP opportunities. Springhouse Corporation. Retrieved July 31, 2006 from   Ã‚  http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3958/is_199905/ai_n8851221/printHickey, J. V. (2000). ANCC Responds. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 36(1), 33.Mccabe, S., & Burman, M. E. (2006). A Tale of Two APNs: Addressing Blurred Practice Boundaries in APN Practice. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 42(1), 3.Nurse Practice Act changes to be introduced in 1999. Kansas Nurses.   Jan. 1999.Peternelj-Taylor, C. A., & Yonge, O. (2003). Exploring Boundaries in the Nurse-Client Relationship: Professional Roles and Responsibilities. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 39(2), 55.Raingruber, B. (2003). Nurture: The Fundamental Significance o f Relationship as a Paradigm for Mental Health Nursing. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 39(3), 104.Sharp, Nancy. (2000). â€Å"The 21st century belongs to nurse practitioners†. Nurse Practitioner, April, 2000.

How Modern Medical Technology is Easing Out Standard Physical Examination Essay

In today’s time-constrained society, medical practitioners are noticeably turning to modern technology to pinpoint health problems of patients. Most new-generation doctors who rely a great deal on sophisticated machines in ascertaining medical issues faced by their patients illustrate a startling reality: the standard physical examination stands to be eased out. While science has made possible quicker, more convenient, and non-invasive ways of spotting and treating health disorders, being overly dependent on technology has its drawbacks. The problem with technology arises when doctors rush to order tests without first performing a thorough physical exam†¦ Doctors may be overly reliant on tests because they have confidence in the results; however, tests aren’t always accurate† (Max, 2009, par. 6). A seemingly better approach that redounds to patient benefit is the combination of modern technology with age-old practices that worked, notably a thorough physical examination — done prior to tests or possible confinement and as part of the doctor’s hospital rounds. There are several factors contributing to the demise or exclusion of the standard physical examination in modern medical practice. For one, there is the shortage of medical personnel in certain localities. Harried doctors and nurses end up employing measures to maximize time. â€Å"Time constraints also discourage performing a complete physical during routine office visits. The managed care system pushes doctors to see patients as briefly as possible† (Obel, 2003, par. 6). The fact is that the physical examination â€Å"can be a valuable guide in deciding which tests to order and letting specialists know where to concentrate their efforts† (Obel, 2003, par. 7). Hence, the standard physical examination can greatly aid doctors in ruling out certain health issues, thereby saving time and money on unnecessary tests. However, new-generation doctors overlook these, believing that using sophisticated equipment is more effective in reaching an accurate medical analysis than conventional routine practices. Indeed, a professional diagnosis relying first and foremost on the standard physical examination appears to have been displaced by modern devices. The downside is the loss of human contact that most patients may still prefer. â€Å"There is an intangible benefit to the contact afforded by the physical exam†¦(it) can go a long way in establishing and building a good doctor-patient relationship† (Max, 2009, par. 11), something which most patients – from the very young to the elderly – yearn for. The emotional bonding between the healthcare giver and the patient is obliterated with less time allocated to examine patients. As seasoned medical practitioners decry the demise of the physical examination, which â€Å"can be therapeutic in itself† (Obel, 2003, par. 35), concerned medical institutions have instigated efforts to train and retrain medical interns on the vast range of medical approaches – including the routine physical examination. The increasingly important role of nurses, who can assume the vital task of resuscitating the fading practice of conducting a thorough physical examination and promoting human interaction, cannot be underestimated. Well-trained nurses who realize the value of human interaction can play significant role in fostering enhanced patient care and faster recovery. The upsurge in electronic technology users is another phenomenon affecting the demise of face-to-face interaction with physicians and the traditional physical examination. With many doctors nowadays dispensing medical advice online by relying purely on patient history and description of symptoms, thereby eliminating the need for a comprehensive physical examination, it becomes clear that modern trends are taking the place of traditional medical approaches. The inescapable fact is that medical practitioners cannot always totally rely on modern technology alone to ascertain patient needs. Even in modern times, there is a need to go back to basics, ingrain patient-oriented skills among the emerging crop of doctors, and revive conventional medical approaches like the physical examination.

Mona Lisa Reflection Essay

To be honest I have never been much of an artsy kind of person. My major is history and I just never thought art as such a significant thing until now. The painting I find myself most interested in is the Mona Lisa. As it is probably the most valuable and most popular painting in today’s modern time, I find it very interesting that nobody really knows who the women is in the Mona Lisa and why paint it in the first place? I think the skeptics of the painting is what drives me to like it so much. I mean you have this painting of what is supposed to be a women in Italy around the 18th century and you see this nice glowing smile, but in the back ground it almost looks like Armageddon. I mean as far I know Leonardo Di Vinci wasn’t a very dark or Dominic man. I mean this guy painted the famous last supper. If you look at this painting you would almost think of it as a man with female qualities. There have been skeptics saying that Da Vinci made a self-portrait of him as a women, but nobody knows. That eerie feeling that nobody does know makes you think so much about it. It’s this painting along with a couple others that Da Vinci did that got me interested in taking art history especially around the time of the Renaissance. I figured since I am already a history major that maybe understanding why art has such an impact on today’s society will help me see a more rounded view of certain topics in history like the Renaissance. Which was the time that Mona Lisa was painted and the time where culture is just booming and you have all these other great artists at the time. You know my biggest question is who are these artists why are they painting such portraits and why does art have such an impact? By learning the reasoning behind this maybe it will help me get a better grasp on other things in history during this time.

Explain the concept of globalization. Critically discuss the main Essay

Explain the concept of globalization. Critically discuss the main features of globalization - Essay Example Globalisation is also a product of investment and cultural exchange between nations. Although globalisation possesses many economic, social and political benefits it has negative impacts on most global economies as well as the environment e.g. pollution and tampers with the sovereignty of various nations. Globalisation can be divided into five categories; internationalisation, universalisation, modernalisation, liberalisation and respatialisation (Ferendinos, 2009:4; Clayton, 2004: 274-294). Internationalisation portrays globalisation as an aspect of cross-border relationships while liberalisation discusses the aspect of creating open world economy by elimination of interstate movement restrictions among countries. Universalisation views globalisation as a process of distributing a wide range of knowledge and products all over the world. International business aspects such as capitalism and industrialism determine the modernisation aspect of globalisation (Egan, 2005: 559–64). Globalisation increases global economic interdependence. This involves the rise in the sensitivity of individuals and companies on the changes taking place around the global business circle and the measures necessary for curbing possible challenges emanating from such changes. Global dependence can be unilateral i.e. a country depending on the global economy, or bilateral i.e. a country benefitting from the global economy and the global economy benefitting from that country, in return. The free movement of goods created by the globalisation process provides multi-national corporations with an opportunity to establish a global competitive advantage. Globalisation is caused by various factors. The prominent cause of globalisation is the enhancement in technology which most multinational corporations have adopted in a bid to improve production. Technological progression has led to reduced cost of transport as well as communication. The availability of cheap, rapid and reliable communi cation channels is the key to integration of the international capital markets. This nurtures the growth of multinational corporations as they exploit intellectual property efficient in various locations from a central point. The change in lifestyle has also led to increasing demand that makes most enterprises establish branches in other locations. The dimensions of globalisation include economic, political, psychological, sociological, anthropological, geographical and communications. The economic perspective of globalisation focuses on economic drivers such as trade, money, banking, corporations and capital. Economic dimension posits that globalisation has taken the form of an increase in trade liberalisation, expansion of world markets and the increase in the international mobility of capital. This has made many countries to come together under supranational trade unions such as the European Union as well as the formation of multinational institutions such as the World Trade Orga nisation (Ingham, 2004). Economic globalisation has also enabled firms gain the ability to locate their production facilities everywhere in the world. Most of these multinational firms take advantage of globalisation to target less developed countries that provide cheap labour which, in turn, reduces operational costs. Economic globalisation enables multinational corporations to establish their business close to the sources of raw materials, capital, technology and other business components; thus improving

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

Team Creation Paper - Essay Example Failure to establish these two very important components that should characterise the qualities of the team members will likely to impact negatively on the project. Another consideration when selecting team members is the aspect of availability. This entails that people who are flexible and committed to the project and can be readily available are given preference than chancers. Another consideration in selecting the team members is that they should have something to contribute to the overall project. Team members are selected on the basis of the knowledge and skills they possess about that particular project. In the same vein, these members should show a willingness to get along with the other team members towards the attainment of the goals of the project. Another strategy that can be used to select project team members is through the establishment of the members’ willingness to abide by the rules and the parameters of the project. Those who are not prepared to learn or shar e their ideas may not be capable to be selected as team members. b. Some of the team building strategies are going to be outlined in detail below. First and foremost, a task breakdown is the foundation for team building which helps the project manager to assign the right people to the right project tasks (Morris 2008). This foundation stage of team building is concerned with setting the vision, goals and objectives of the team. This strategy is very important in team building in that it clearly spells the direction upon which all the members of the team should follow towards the attainment of the project goals set. The other strategy in team building involves clarifying the roles of the team members. This helps minimise conflicts and misunderstanding as each and every member of the team will be aware of the role expectation in the project. The other strategy of team building is centred on establishing group norms that will shape the conduct of all the team members. Determining the t ask processes is another strategic factor in building a project team which will promote team cohesiveness. Dynamics related to the team such as issues related to interaction of the team members, communication, decision making process as well measures for conflict resolution are some of the strategies that can be taken into consideration when building a project team. These factors play a pivotal role as they are meant to ensure that the goals of the team are clearly spelled as well as attempting to minimise the chances of conflicts in the team. c. Within a diverse project team, potential areas of conflict may be a result of negative behaviour among members of the team where the members may disagree with one another or the direction of the team (Kerzner 2006). The major cause of conflict in a team is the aspect of diversity which encompasses such factors as age, culture, gender and work values. In some instances, senior employees may attempt to insubordinate their junior by virtue of seniority in terms of age which is a cause of conflict. This can also go hand in hand with the aspect of gender where in some cases women may be looked down upon by virtue of their sex and gender. This is a major cause of conflict where there is unfair treatment of the members of the team on the basis of gender. Cultural factors in a diverse proje

A recent major decision that was made in the United States Assignment

A recent major decision that was made in the United States - Assignment Example One of the assumptions was by the management of financial, mortgage and insurance institutions that the real estate prices would continue rising. According to Bianco (2008), after a decade long of continuous rise in property prices, lending institutions assumed that this would go on and disregarded the long known real estate price cycles. As a result, they continued lending to willing consumers majority of who are oblivious of such real estate price patterns. It is difficult to conceive how real estate and financial experts failed to project the burst in real estate prices, instead relaxing their lending requirements to take advantage of the price boom. Insurance institutions also bought into this assumption and thus insured such unsustainable investments. The second assumption is on the part of the government; driven by free market assumptions that competition and market forces would result in self-regulation, the government watched along as standards were relaxed in fierce competition to sell mortgages (Akif, 2011). The government failed in providing oversight and regulation which would have resulted in the lending institutions acting ethically and following sound financial projections. A number of explanations have been provided as to why the much experienced financial experts, who had witnessed real estate price cycles before, would assume the prices would not fall on this occasion. Bianco (2008) argues that unscrupulous and unethical behavior from financial institutions was behind the assumption. This is supported by the view that financial institutions loosened their standards, offering high risk and fraudulent mortgages. The author provides evidence of this by citing the statistics that fraud in mortgages had increased by 1411% between 1997 and 2005. On the part of the government, Akif (2011) ponders whether the assumptions were a result of naà ¯ve optimism that social utility would accompany self

Business operations of American airlines and British airways Essay

Business operations of American airlines and British airways - Essay Example Airlines today operate in a competitive global environment, where every minute there are thousands of take-offs and landings across the world. International airlines like British Airways and American Airlines, which have dominated the skies for many decades now, operate with minimum possible margins, use innovative measures to keep their competitive edge over others, manage operations with hectic minute to minute schedules, somehow retain their trained manpower in this expanding aviation sector and still stay afloat to perform better in the next year. All these aspects require herculean efforts from the HR, operations and executive management where one adverse report or an accident/incident can permanently damage to the reputation of an airline and throw it off the markets in matter of months. American Airlines, the world’s largest airline is a fully owned subsidiary of AMR Corporation founded in 1934, based in Texas and operates a passenger airline within North America, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe and Asia. With about 86,600 employees on its payroll, the airline covers 250 destinations and also operates air freight service. The AMR Company also connects America’s eight important cities to smaller destinations throughout the US, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean through two subsidiaries with other names of American Eagle and American Connection. As on Dec 06, AMR’s fleet included 697 American Airlines aircraft and 306 American Eagle aircraft. AMR Company with over 4000 daily flights contributes $ 150 billion to US economy and holds 17.8% market share. In 2006, the airline carried over 98 million passengers. On an average day, American Airlines alone will:1 Fly about 270,000 passengers Receive more than 220,000 reservations calls. Handle more than 344,000 pieces of luggage. American's award winning website provides customers with all possible facilities at the click of a button including online reservations, news, destination information and assistance, connections with other airlines and various other offers. Financial Position: Year Revenue Profit/Loss 2006 $22.56 billion $231 million 2005 $20.71 billion - $861 million 2004 $18.65 billion - $761 million 2003 $17.44 billion - $1.23 billion 2002 $17.30 billion - $3.51 billion 2 AIRLINE PROFILE - BRITISH AIRWAYS British Airways is the leading international airline from the United Kingdom, and one of the largest airlines with a great reputation in the market. The airlines has its bases at Heathrow and Gatwick, London, and the airline is the flag carrier of the UK. With about 48070 employees on the payroll, the Company also operates a worldwide air cargo business along with its scheduled passenger services. As in Mar 07, the company operates to about 147 destinations in 75 countries and carried over 33 million passengers during previous year. BA has holdings in many international airlines and business partnerships with many other airlines from various countries creating 'Oneworld' alliance. It aims to be a transnational airline. Financial Performance:3 Year 2006 2005 2004 2001 2000 Net Operating revenues* 7,813 7,560 7,688 8,340 9,278 Net Profit* 251 130 72 -142 114 * in million(s) of Pound Sales per Geographical Area United Kingdom 49 Europe: 63% Americas: 20% Rest of the World: 17% Areas data as of 31/03/2007 Considering importance of new technologies available for consumers at the click of a button, BA also has a well developed internet site offering various attractive services to its customers besides online reservations. IMPACT OF LIBERALIZED ECONOMY AND AVIATION SECTOR Recently, a study was conducted to study impact of liberalization of economy and aviation sectors on the airlines performance which came out with astounding results.

We are a caring community of well-rounded individuals who embrace Essay

We are a caring community of well-rounded individuals who embrace leadership, learning, service, and global awareness. With this in mind, which of these characteristics appeal most to you, and why - Essay Example Through learning, I have been able to overcome challenging activities such as the high school process and intensive dance training (FSU, par. 1). I also consider learning as a crucial characteristic since personal experiences have taught me that there is an opportunity for leaning in everyday life. As a result of learning, I have competed as well as won competitions at the Youth American Grand Prix in Orlando, FL and NYC. I consider learning a phenomenal aspect; through learning, I have realized that the best way to be successful in life is by putting more effort. This is exemplified by the struggles I have had as a freshman in upper level honors classes. I have also learnt to cope, especially in my association with new people. Learning had been part of my junior levels when I took my first AP classes. I learnt study skills as well as work ethics that made me prepared for college life. I have developed a desire for learning through my curiosity and inquisitiveness. Through my curiosity, I have developed a learning culture, and I have grabbed every learning opportunity that has come in my life. At my junior level, I learnt vocabularies, carried out tests every Friday, wrote lab reports, conducted projects, and prepared for the AP test. I was able to achieve significant success in these aspects given my desire to learn and acquire new knowledge. I also learnt college algebra at Palm Beach State College, where I also learnt how to develop friendships with other students in college, as well as their lifestyles. I consistently put a lot of effort in my work and persevered a lot; this makes me value learning as a highly crucial aspect in the Florida State University. I also consider learning as a crucial characteristic of the Florida State University since it has enabled me to acquire the qualities of a well rounded individual, as embodied in all the characteristics of Florida State

The California Sutter Health Approach Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

The California Sutter Health Approach - Essay Example In the new system, the PFS would be empowered to be accountable for each patient’s information as their work will be much easier now. This will be possible as each PFS member is provided tools that enable automation of accounts by sorting out the accounts by use of various means and also dashboards to track progress. This will lead to more autonomy and efficiency of the services being provided. There were also changes in the registration section to ensure that patients’ problems were identified before they left the registration desk to reduce claims. Some of the patients’ problems included bad debts and having invalid patient types. The changes in the new system program mentioned included having a front end collecting system with different access to analyze the patients’ records. As with the introduction of every new program, training was needed if the benchmarks in the old system were to be fully eliminated and the goals of the new system met. A comprehensive training program for the PFS and the registration staff was designed in order to provide these staffs with the necessary tools and competence required by the new system. The training also prevented the hiring of new staff already competent in the new system but who would cost Sutter Health more money per hour. Since the new system allowed more autonomy to the staff, the training also included introducing aspects of autonomy and how to handle it for effectiveness and motivation to the employees. The implementation of the new program brought other benefits like bringing the customers on board since it was customer friendly, it reduced the number of patients being denied treatment due to the inventory system and the patients new beforehand the cost they were going to incur.

Child Pschology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Child Pschology - Essay Example However, for the ethics to be considered there are several dimensions that need to be considered. Each of these are based on the types of interactions which occur, ethical considerations associated with this and the unique situations that are associated with children in a given environment. Ethical Issues of Researchers The problems that arise with researchers are based on ethical considerations which occur as individuals are collecting data within a given field. As the data is collected, it becomes easy to change the perspectives of those that are studying while allowing the impact to alter with the study that is done. This raises ethical concerns for several reasons. The first is based on the impact that occurs when a researcher is on the scene. This can change the scenario of what is occurring. If the data is being collected by observation or interaction, then it may not be consistent with the expected results of those that are in the scene regularly. The ethical question then is concerned with how much a researcher can affect the outcomes of a given study and what the participation leads to. Personal changes, building relationships with others and interacting with the expectation to change things for the better while changing the data and the outcome of the research which is involved (Dennis, 2009, pg. 131). The concept of intervention as an ethical issue is one which can alter the data being collected on a variety of levels. This is dependent on the type of study conducted as well as the level of influence which occurs. The first is with interpersonal interventions, which is inclusive of creating relationships with other individuals involved in the study, specifically which is done with any interactions for the study and which is easily done with the study over a longer period of time. Administrative interventions are also considered, specifically which relates to individuals who have a sense of power over a given institution and which can begin to change or change the data within a given study. Enactment and modeling are also considered, both which are dependent on action based participation in the environment, all which specifically can lead to changed results within the environment. This may change the general way in which individuals would interact, may change the results of the study and questions the intention of finding relevant data without trying to alter the data for the research study (Dennis, 2009, pg. 132). The interventions which occur in research are not only important to note from the general changes which occur, but also the extent to which these can alter. When working with a general population, there may be the same responses which occur while changing only a few responses. However, when working with vulnerable populations or when seeking out answers or change with interpersonal relationships, it changes the data which is collected. There is a difference which occurs among the intervention types, specifically which can alter the data. If the population remains more vulnerable, then the integration of data can easily be manipulated with the researcher going in to make changes within a given society, as opposed to collecting the necessary data (Fisher, 1993, pg. 17). Ethical Issues with Children and Youth When a

Economy of China Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Economy of China - Research Paper Example Contextually, with respect to commercial activities, national limitations are lessening in terms of legitimate administrations where independent federations are performing as the principal power over their respective regions (Kojima, 2002, pp. 1-2). A similar notion can also be held true in the context of China’s relation with major global powers, including the US, UK, and other countries. On political and economic grounds, serious economic conflicts have transpired in recent times between China and other economies, especially those concerning the US in numerous aspects. Besides, the Chinese economy is also facing problems which are likely to have the profound impact on the world economy (Xuetong, 2010, pp. 267-269). Considering these aspects, this essay will review the world politics on international business causing conflicts, majorly between China and US along with other nations. Therefore, the prime focus of the essay will be on the economic problems witnessed by China concerning its relations in the global arena. Stating precisely, the objective of the essay is to evaluate the economic issues currently witnessed by China in the international context from different perspectives. In the global political history, two most apparent changes in power have been identified in the recent occurrences; one being the rise of European economy after ‘Industrial Revolution’ and the other being the rise of the American economy in the post-Civil War era (Zhou, 2008, pp.171). These power moves have resulted in international conflicts with the motive to acquire more authority in the global trade systems. It was during this era that weakening nations became more probable to lose the governing position in the international business system, thereby increasing the gap in relation to international power distribution.  Ã‚  

American Antislavery 1820-1860 Essay Example for Free

American Antislavery 1820-1860 Essay Rather, the movement was fraught with ambiguity over who its leaders would be, how they would go about fighting the institution of slavery, and what the future would be like for black Americans. Some of the persisting goals of antislavery activism were legal emancipation, aid to runaway slaves through vigilance groups and the Underground Railroad, civil rights for freed blacks in the north, and education, suffrage, and economic advancement for African-Americans. Perhaps the most unifying ideal of the  anti-slavery movement  was that the racial basis forAmerican slavery  could be undermined by promoting Christian values, education and economic progress among free blacks to show that they were capable of succeeding as individuals in an integrated American society. Richard Allen, leader of the A. M. E. church, stated the case for black progress as an answer to the justifications of slaveholders: â€Å"if we are lazy and idol, the enemies of freedom plead it as a cause why we ought not to be free. In addition to the connection between abolition and economic and social progress, most abolitionists worked for the assurance of civil rights and legal protection for free blacks, who lived in an anomalous condition of â€Å"freedom† without citizenship and with constant threat of discrimination, violence, and abduction to be sold into slavery. There were some bitter conflicts over specific strategies. Though Garrison and most blacks favored immediate abolition, many whites continued to prefer or express willingness to settle for gradual emancipation. Violent resistance was at first rejected by many, again under the influence of Garrison, but David Walker’s appeal that violence should be used against slavery became more popular as blacks and abolitionists searched for an effective means of self-defense against mobs and pursuit of civil rights. Whether or not individuals worked within the political framework of the constitution to effect change again depended on allegiance to Garrison, and in general the early antislavery activists preferred moral arguments while later leaders were more willing to use political means. To what extent black abolitionists cooperated with and trusted white abolitionists varied, for though whites were essential to the movement, blacks often felt they needed to rely on their own race’s leadership, and so both black and integrated organizations formed. A few abolitionists supported the proposal of African or Haitian colonization by free blacks, but most viewed the colonization schemes as a way for whites to get rid of the â€Å"black problem† in the US rather than a viable alternative to gaining equal rights in the nation of their birth (since only a small minority of blacks in the US after the 1820s were African-born). Furthermore, colonization reinforced the notion that African-Americans would be better off somewhere else because they could never be integrated into American society as whites’ equals. Blacks saw similarities between Jackson’s Indian removal policy and federal funding for African colonization, and most determined to resist relocation. Settlement in Canada was not similarly viewed as running away from the struggle for equality at home because it not only provided safety, legal protection, and civil equality for black refugees but also harbored the founders of new abolitionist publications who strengthened the antislavery movement in the American North and Midwest. Leaders of the anti-slavery movement were well known for their publications and speeches, and many served the equally important but less public role of organizers or â€Å"conductors† on the Underground Railroad. The assortment of leaders included free blacks, like William Still in Philadelphia, radical whites, like William Lloyd Garrison, former slaves, like Frederick Douglass, and women of both races, such as Sojourner Truth and Harriet Beecher Stowe. Garrison’s anti-political, non-violent moral opposition to slavery was the largest sect of antislavery agitation for many years, but his unwillingness to work within the political system to reclaim the constitution and his allegiance to women’s rights were controversial positions that caused many, including Douglass, to split with Garrison eventually. Many whites who were identified with the antislavery cause, such as Stowe, did not extend their sympathies for enslaved blacks as far as supporting equal rights for freedmen. Though generally considered radicals, few leaders of the antislavery movement committed large-scale revolutionary or violent acts. Quiet small-scale acts of resistance termed â€Å"the Underground Railroad† gave way to more violent public resistance in the 1850s, particularly in â€Å"radical† centers like Boston, against the recapturing of fugitive slaves who lived as free blacks in the northern states. A later martyr for the cause of abolitionism, John Brown, was one of the few who were brave (or insensible) enough to direct violent action against the federal government with hopes to end slavery through militancy in his raid on Harper’s Ferry in 1859. Blacks and whites who rallied behind the unified cause of abolitionism did not always cooperate fully, sometimes because their goals differed, but often because blacks were wary of whites. As the Hortons summarize, â€Å"white reformers were more likely to accept a gradualist approach to anti-slavery, and blacks sometimes faced discrimination or subtle prejudice in integrated organizations† (Hortons 222). Racism of various forms existed among white antislavery reformers, who often felt that slavery was a moral wrong but nonetheless thought blacks inferior to whites or distasteful to associate with. Harriet Beecher Stowe notes this phenomenon in her creation of the character Miss Ophelia for Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Like many white northerners who object to the institution of slavery, Miss Ophelia sees the education and moral improvement of blacks as a Christian duty that whites owe to the race they have long enslaved, but does not see that the â€Å"spiritual equality† of blacks and whites implies social equality and is uncomfortable with physical contact with her black charge. In addition to direct racism, white reformers often harbored a more subtle condescension when they â€Å"credited their work with blacks as broadening their views and stimulating personal growth,† as if the movement was more about the moral development of white individuals through their acts of charity than about seeing justice enacted in fulfillment of the Constitution’s claim that all men are created equal (Horton 224). Despite these tensions and overwhelming white paternalism, whites â€Å"brought financial power, reformist zeal, and the respectability of heir color† to the movement and were â€Å"instrumental in opening higher education to African Americans on an equal basis† which bolstered the educated black leadership of the 1840s and 50s (Horton 236, 215). Many short-lived organizations, some comprised solely of blacks and others integrated, competed to some extent for support, and allied themselves with different causes. There were a few longer-la sting organizations, such as the American Anti-Slavery Society and the National Convention of the People of Color, and publications such as the Freedman’s Journal and the Colored American, that were highly influential. Discounting one convention’s endorsement of the Free Soil Party in 1848, the Liberty Party was the only political party that embraced an antislavery platform. Garrisonian opposition to recognizing the Constitution and working within the existing political system, termed â€Å"union with slaveholders,† detracted from potential early antislavery political organization, favoring moral arguments which proved largely ineffective for provoking large-scale change. Between the period of the 1820s through the eve of the civil war, and particularly during the 1850s, the antislavery movement grew in response to political developments and increasing sympathy to abolitionist propaganda. Federal victories for slavery such as the expansion of slavery in the west, the Fugitive slave law of 1850, and the Dred Scott decision of 1857 threatened blacks and white northerners alike as they represented the power of the slaveholding south to influence federal policy. In nine Northern states, where twenty years before towns had passed regulations against integrated schools and where racism persisted to some extent, Personal Liberty Laws passed which essentially nullified the federal Fugitive Slave Law, evincing that states’ rights to reject complicity with slavery was more widely supported than black equality. Uncle Tom’s Cabin, slave narratives, and other popular publications aroused many white northerners’ sympathies. The alliances forged between antislavery agitation and other political and social reform movements garnered support for the anti-slavery cause among moderates. Over time, as hopes of gradual emancipation and an end to racism soured in light of the political and social realities, many shifted from adherence to Garrisonian apolitical non-violence to a widespread sentiment, especially among blacks, in favor of David Walker’s appeal for the use of violence in defense and in opposition to slavery. Resistance to enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Law included groups rescuing blacks from jails, like the case of Shadrach in Boston in 1852. Whites and blacks alike worked for black suffrage, and the blacks who cast votes in the 1860 presidential election overwhelmingly voted for the Republican candidate Lincoln, a departure from the call for Garrisonian disunion by blacks like Charles Lenox Remond. Blacks in the North formed militias, including Boston’s Massasoit Guard, without state governmental sanction. On the eve of the Civil War, blacks were ready to engage in a federal struggle for freedom, a new revolution that would grant them the equality promised to all men in the Constitution that was now nearly a century old. The decades leading up to the south’s secession had taught blacks that patience and diligence in educating themselves and working to acquire land and social status was far from achieving the end of slavery or earning them equal citizenship. White northerners who were not necessarily proponents of black civil rights often supported the antislavery cause in order to counter the seeming growing influence of Southern slave power. Secession lit the fuel of 40 years of antislavery agitation and began a war that some would say was waged for union, but most blacks and many whites insisted that the coming war would be the final struggle for universal freedom.

Media Rights for Barclays Premier League in Singapore

Media Rights for Barclays Premier League in Singapore 1. Background Information In 1998, StarHub first introduced the English Premier League to Singapore and has constantly secured broadcasting rights for the past 12 years. During that period, local telecommunications rival, SingTel, has launched their own pay-TV service named mio TV on July 2007, signaling its intention to rival StarHub to be the nations main pay-TV provider. In 2008, SingTel made its first step by securing the media rights to the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League from 2009 to 2012. With the rights for these prestigious European football competitions, many StarHub pay-TV customers were forced to sign up with SingTels mio TV to satisfy their needs. One year on, in October, SingTel rocked the nation by announcing their victory in the bidding war for the media rights for the English Premier League, which is known now as the Barclays Premier League, from 2011 to 2013. The victory was greeted with dismay from many football fans, as they now have to make the jump from StarHubs pay-TV over to mio TV to get their dosage of English football. This effectively ended StarHubs 12-year broadcasting rights of the league, which would certainly result in a fall of subscribers in time to come. 2. Purpose of the Report This report aims to identify the various economic concepts shown in the textbook, and show how they are applicable in the actual business world using the decisions of StarHub and SingTel as examples. 3. The Art and Science of Economic Analysis 3.1 The Economic Problem In the article, it is clearly identified that the resources which led to Starhub bringing in the Barclays Premier League (BPL) to Singapore are human capital and the entrepreneurial ability of the firm. Human capital was shown in the form of knowledge they had on the wants of the locals, and the entrepreneurial ability of StarHub made them realize that they could profit from this project. It was exactly the same two factors that led SingTel to wrestle for the BPL media rights from StarHub. Having observed the huge economic benefits StarHub enjoyed with the monopoly of the BPL media rights in Singapore, SingTel realized they too, would profit hugely from the ownership of the BPL media rights. Thus, SingTel launched a bid to rival StarHub for the rights, which sparked off a bidding war between the two telecommunications firm. Eventually, SingTel earned the rights to broadcast the leagues game for the next 3 years, starting from 2010. 3.2 The Science of Economic Analysis SingTels decision to foray into the Pay-TV market and especially, the market for televised sports like soccer is not due to a normative economic statement, or opinion, made by their staff. Instead, it has been based on a positive economic statement, which is backed by concrete facts. The decision to outbid StarHub for the BPL media rights was greeted by the stock market with changes to the share prices of both firms. StarHubs price dived 16 cents to a low of $2.01 before closing at $2.03 yesterday. SingTels share price rose from $3.25 to $3.31 before closing at $3.28. (A whole new ball game in pay-tv market, 2009, October) This supports the statement that the local market for the BPL is lucrative, as the stock market has made changes to reflect the expected future gains of SingTel, and the foreseen loss of StarHub. Having said so, the change in the share prices are definitely in response to SingTels successful bid, thus eliminating the possibility that the fallacy that association is causation was committed. 4. Economic Tools and Economic Systems 4.1 Three Economic Questions Of course, before the bid was launched, SingTel had to know what to do should they win the bid. Hence, the three economic questions learned in Microeconomics come into play. Firstly, SingTel has identified the broadcasting of Barclays Premier League matches as a service they wish to provide to the nation. Secondly, the launch of mio TV in 2007 paved the way for the bid, with SingTel in the clear that they would use the mio TV as a portal to broadcast programmes, especially the BPL games in the future. With the above two questions answered, SingTels ultimate aim was to overtake StarHub as the nations leading pay-TV provider. Hence, their target market would be the existing subscribers to StarHubs pay-TV, and more notably, the huge number of subscribers to the BPL games and other sports programmes. 4.2 Negative Spillover Costs Negative spillover costs have been incurred with SingTels foray into the local pay-TV market. This is supported by the article which mentioned that SingTels foray into pay TV which split the football content which previously all resided with StarHub actually fuelled soccer fans ire. Thanks to competition between the duo, they said, football fans have to sign up for both StarHub and SingTels pay-TV services to enjoy all of the matches they had previously received when StarHub was the sole pay-TV player. (A whole new ball game in pay-tv market, 2009, October) With that, it is clear that the move by SingTel has not gone down well with sports subscribers of StarHubs pay-TV and has created unnecessary inconvenience. 5. Economic Decision Makers 5.1 The Firm The answers from the three economic questions, namely what service to produce, how and who to produce the service for, reiterates the fact that SingTel is a firm, just like StarHub. Firms are economic units created by entrepreneurs looking to earn money through the combination of the various resources to produce a good or provide a form of service. A more specific term to describe SingTel and StarHub are that they are separate corporations. Corporations are one of the most highly-valued forms of business, often equipped with significant financial power. Funds can be raised quickly through the sale of the corporations stocks, which also leads to the company having an array of stockholders. Behind the strong financial wealth are several drawbacks. Firstly, stockholders are unable to have a significant say in the operations of the corporations with their votes making up only a minority. Instead, a board of directors is often entrusted with the job of making corporate decisions with their bigger shares. Corporate income is also taxed twice, resulting in more profits being used to pay taxes. Despite that, corporate incomes are often huge sums of money, and the taxes would not be able to affect it much. 6. Demand, Supply and Markets 6.1 Demand, Supply and Market Equilibrium for SingTels mio TV For SingTels mio TV, the demand and supply increases by the same value. The increase in demand is attributed to the successful bid of SingTel for the Barclays Premier Leagues media rights. With the media rights, SingTel is able to broadcast the BPL games on their pay-TV service. This would cause a significant increase in the subscribers for mio TV as the subscribers want their dosage of BPL football. This is in line with the taste and preferences of the subscribers, which is a determinant of demand. Hence, there will be a rightward shift for demand. The change in supply for SingTels mio TV is due to SingTels expectations on the future prices of their sports package, which is a determinant of supply. With the hype for the BPL matches present now, it would bring along sales for the sports package. However, in a years time, people might be more interested in other sporting events, and the BPL matches would not appeal as much to the public. As a result, SingTel would then have to reduce their prices to increase sales as the sport package would turn into a luxury product, instead of a necessity. This would see a leftward shift for supply. With an identical shift in the demand and supply curve, the equilibrium price will remain the same. 6.2 Demand, Supply and Market Equilibrium for StarHubs pay-TV For StarHubs pay-TV, a fall in demand has been observed. This is a result of their failure to continue providing Singapore with the BPL matches on their pay-TV service. As such, consumers desperate for their fix of football decided to make the jump to SingTels mio TV due to their taste and preference for the BPL matches. This is the determinant of demand that causes the fall in demand. There is no change reflected in the supply curve as the channels in the sports package are still present. However, the only difference is the removal of the BPL content. Hence, there is no change in supply. As such, the equilibrium price has reduced to account for the fall in demand. 7. Elasticity of Demand and Supply 7.1 Price Elasticity For many Singaporeans, the Barclays Premier League matches are not considered as a necessity to them. Hence, the demand of SingTels sports package is more price elastic to the general public. This means that they are very responsive to changes in the price plans for the matches, and would be unlikely to sign up for the package should it be too pricey. However, to the football fans in the nation, it is a content they are not able to live without. Therefore, the demand of the package is less price elastic to them, suggesting they are not responsive to price changes. This indicates that they would be willing to sign up for the package, regardless of the change in price. 7.2 Income elasticity With the nation recovering quickly from the economic recession, as seen from the recent reports stating that Singapores economy expanded at a stunning pace of 19.3 per cent in the second quarter of 2010. (Singapore economy zooms 19.3% in Q2, 2010, July), the money income of consumers has risen. To them, SingTels sports package is a normal good, as compared to StarHubs sports package, which has been deemed as an inferior good. This is highly due to SingTels success in securing the media rights for the BPL games, which allows them to broadcast the BPL games and other related programmes on mio TV. Thus, with the increase in money income of consumers, they would be more willing to purchase the sports package launched by SingTel. 8. Production and Cost 8.1 Costs in the Long Run and Economies of Scale Firstly, the successful bid for the BPL media rights and ESPN Star Sports brought an increase to the amount of channels available for mio TV. This would indicate an increase in the output by SingTel. Next, average cost for SingTel decreases as they would see an increase in subscribers, especially with football fans rushing to sign up for their sports package. This would cover up the cost incurred between q and qa. Lastly, with the increase in customers for SingTels mio TV service, they would have to increase their plant size to cater to the increase in demand. The plant size could increase in the form of having more service centers around the island, with more technicians and customer service officers hired to meet demands. This would open up the opportunity to create a more extensive division of labour, reflected from qa to q. In the long run, SingTels decision to take over as the exclusive broadcaster of BPL content would enable them to earn a tidy sum of profit. SingTel was not afraid of suffering losses even though StarHub reported that they lose money from providing sports content to pay-TV customers. (A whole new ball game in pay-tv market, 2009, October) They knew that as they were the only pay-TV operator showing BPL content, they would be able to benefit from the media rights with business opportunities coming in from all over the market, including advertising and partnership deals. 8.2 Explicit and Implicit Costs In the case of SingTel, they have incurred both explicit and implicit costs in their decision to outbid StarHub for the BPL media rights. The explicit costs incurred are the money spent on bidding for the exclusive media rights for the Barclays Premier League and the cost of operating mio TV. The implicit costs, also known as the opportunity cost incurred, would be the reduction of their budgets to spend on other genres of programmes. This reduces their ability to bid for other genres of programmes such as primetime blockbusters. 9. Oligopoly Duopoly 9.1 Barriers to Entry With only two pay-TV operators in Singapore, the oligopoly could be identified as a duopoly. A duopoly is a form of oligopoly where only two dominant players are present in a market. As with all kinds of market structure, barriers to entry are in place to deter additional competition. Firstly, there is a high-start up cost involved to enter the pay-TV industry. With bids starting from six-figure sums, a lack of start-up funds would certainly spell the end of the new company as they would not be able to compete with the financial power of StarHub and SingTel. Secondly, StarHub and SingTel have been around for some time, establishing a reputation along the way. The general public is more accustomed to these brands, and any new entrants to the pay-TV market would find it hard to persuade customers to switch to their service. This is true till they are able to force competition through providing exclusive content that the customers demand or other attractive deals. In the case of SingTels mio TV, their original entry to the industry back in 2007 was tough as StarHub was the only established player in the market. SingTels mio TV was finally able to garner the support of customers when they secured the rights to the elite European football competitions. Lastly, the new entrants would probably suffer losses early on, as a large output is required before low production costs can be achieved. This is also known as the economies of scale. The economies of scale would not benefit the new entrants as it takes time to establish high economies of scale. This would put them at a disadvantage as they are unable to effectively compete with the other pay-TV providers. 9.2 Price Leadership Price leadership refers to a player in the market that establishes a price for the rest of the industry to abide to. The player that sets the market price is usually one of the forerunners in the industry, and others in the market would follow suit. This is practiced to avoid price competition as everyones prices will be kept the same. In the case of SingTel, after they have taken over the media rights for the BPL games from StarHub, pressure was inflicted by the public for prices to remain the same. Fans feared that a change in ownership of the rights would cause a hike in the price for BPL matches, due to the exorbitant bid made by SingTel for the rights. Hence, SingTel agreed to maintain the same price that StarHub used to charge for their sports package, appeasing the public. Thus, price competition was not present in this scenario. $25 million StarHub pay-TV SingTel mio TV Raise Raise Maintain Maintain $25 million $20 million $20 million $20 million $25 million $20 million $25 million9.3 Game Theory SingTels huge bid for the Barclays Premier League media rights was not made without any form of theory. Instead, SingTel and StarHubs bids for the BPL media rights could be represented by the game theory. In the game theory presented above, the figures used are generic as the actual bid was not disclosed to the public. The objective of the game theory is to avoid the worst possible outcome, which in this scenario, is losing the bid for the rights. Hence, neither SingTel nor StarHub would think of maintaining their current bid. This is because if the other party decides to raise their bid, it would effectively rule them out of the competition. Thus, neither side would maintain their bid, ruling out the option of both parties maintaining their bids. As such, the only likely choice would be for both telecommunications firm to raise their bid. The difference was that SingTel decided to raise their bid significantly, which outweighed StarHubs raised bid with ease. Hence, SingTel obtained the media rights for the Barclays Premier League. 10. Conclusion In conclusion, SingTel has come a long way to achieve its goal of overtake StarHub as Singapores dominant pay-TV operator in sports. When SingTel first started, they experienced difficulties attracting customers as they were unable to rival what StarHub was able to offer to its subscribers. It was only when they obtained the broadcasting rights for the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League that football-mad customers decided to make the switch to SingTels mio TV. A year ago, SingTel stepped up its attempt to overtake StarHub by outbidding the latter for the BPL media rights for the next three years. Their successful bid enabled them to be the new price leader in the industry, and many football fans from StarHub made the jump from StarHubs pay-TV to SingTels mio TV to get their fix of football. This led to an increase in demand of SingTels mio TV, and a fall in demand for StarHubs pay-TV. Looking at the long term benefits, SingTels costs have been reduced due to an increase in the economies of scale, through establishing more service centers and hiring more workers to meet the increased demand. With a huge number of customers making the switch from StarHub pay-tv to SingTel mio TV due to their need for football, it has allowed SingTel to overtake StarHub as the nations dominant pay-TV operator in sports.

The Strengths Of The Mattels Core Brands

The Strengths Of The Mattels Core Brands Answer: Yes, every manufacturer of the childrens products have special responsibilities. Because being a part of a business organization has the responsibilities to the consumers and the society. Every organization tries very hard to survive in market, by the effective use of factors of production and other facilities of the society. With the help of this process the organization get into an interdependent relation with the community at large, the environment and the target customers. Such interdependence gives rise to a series of broader responsibilities to society and the targeted customers. According to the business environment theory of Palmer and Hartley, the business organization should act in social responsible manner in two different ways, one philosophic and one pragmatic. The philosophical way includes the model of the organizational requirement and other includes the social values of the society which is very important for an organization to resist in the social market. Every organization has a responsibility towards the consumers and the society and that particular responsibility is being termed as Corporate Social responsibility, which can be defined as economic, legal, ethical and different expectations that a society has from an organization. The concept of corporate social responsibility means that organizations have moral, ethical, and philanthropic responsibilities. Previously many organizations opposed consumerism but now most companies have grown to accept the responsibilities towards customers and the society. The philosophy of enlightened marketing says that even the marketing practices should also be socially responsible which consist consumer oriented marketing and societal marketing which aims at serving and satisfying the needs and wants of the customers and to produce such products which are not only pleasing but also beneficial. As a manufacturer of the products which are specially designed for the children the, the manufacturer has some special responsibilities to consumers and society, because children often lack the literacy to completely understand how things may work, the toys must be safe in all use including non-intended use in order to protect the children. The manufacturers should not only create the safe toys but they must also be sensitive to the societal concerns on childrens rights and privacy. Manufacturers of the childrens product specially have obligations to the consumers. This is in assurance that children continue to have highest levels of protection when it comes to toys. An obligation that manufacturer do is that manufacturers must carry out assessments as it relates to safety and health hazards and add to it technical information on specific such as chemicals, in order to support findings and present accurate information. The warning should be put on certain toys to indicate what the intended age is for use of the toy. Moreover after all testing is done on the toys, if any toy or part is significantly under the standard, then it must be destroyed in order to prevent the public from gaining access to it in any way, shape, or form. When we talk about Mattel that how Mattel has met the responsibilities then the things are quite clear the Mattel did it by creating such a product that consumers and parents trust and building a successful and positive brand image. They also integrate this responsibility with their Corporate responsibility report in which they state their goals are to ensure product safety, volunteer in communities, and treat colleagues with respect in order to work hard to be a leader in making our communities and the lives of the children better. The core brands of Mattel are Barbie, Hot wheels, Fisher price, and American Girl. Each brand clearly has its own demography, each brand catering to infants and preschoolers, Girls, Boys and those adults that are still young at heart. One of the strengths of the brand Mattel is the rich history of the company. The company began in 1945 out of a small and simple idea that started in a garage workshop. Each brand also has good staying power at the forefront of their market. The evidences that show the strengths of Mattel in the area of fulfillment of the responsibilities to the customers and the society specially as the manufacturer of childrens products are. Mattel recognizes international environment, different legal systems and cultural expectations, and the use of technology especially with regard to consumer privacy and has taken steps to strengthen its commitment to business ethics and social responsibility. Mattel recently published its first Corporate Social Responsibility report, including a strong statement about its commitment to economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic responsibilities which includes commitment to product safety, volunteering in a community, developing a best practice or even treating colleagues with respect and dignity. Makers of American Girl collection provided $449,500 in grants to support childrens projects as environmental education for elementary school children, various cultural programs and a performing arts series for children. The Barbie brand debuted a worldwide cause related-program called Barbie Cares: Supporting children in the Arts dedicated to supporting Arts education for children funded by a $2 million donation to the Entertainment Industry Foundation. The weaknesses of Mattel in the same area are. The Childrens privacy- Mattels attempts to follow their market into the technological realm have included the development of a number of children-friendly websites to accompany their toys. Targeting children with internet sites, however, brings about extra concerns. Mattel must be very careful to protect their legal and moral reputations by respecting the privacy of the children and their families, which is put in jeopardy every time the website asks a minor to provide information. Lack of total control over business partners-Though Mattel has embarked on the Global manufacturing Principles (GMP) and regular social audits, Mattel cannot intensively monitor the business processes and activities of its partners. There is no guarantee that its business partners will completely comply with Mattels corporate social responsibility (CSR), ethical business conducts and product safety requirements. Mattel somehow could be facing legal actions and criticisms from various stakeholders around the world. Q.2- Comment on the strengths and weaknesses of Mattels core brands. In looking at Barbie specifically, has Mattels success with the American Girl collection cannibalized sales from Barbie? Explain. Ans. Mattels core brands have multiple strengths. Mattels image overall is one of which parents and consumers trust. The Barbie brand is highly accessorized allowing for multiple products to be marketed and purchased. Other brands such as Hot Wheels and American Girl also have the flexibility to accessorize and customize consumer needs and desires. Some weaknesses that Mattels core brands may have are the lifespan of their products. As children grow older, they are no longer interested in playing with dolls and cars such as Barbie and Hot wheels and the life span of the product shortens for continual use. The strengths of the Mattels core brands are- Brand Recognition- 1. Barbie is Mattels flagship brand and its number one seller-routinely accounting for more than 50 percent of Mattels sales revenue. 2. Barbie was the only Mattel brand that made the list of the 2002 The 100 Best Global Brand. 3. American Girl is targeted for girls in from 7 12 years old. This is due to different taste in different target market. 4. American girl is a well-known line of a historical dolls, books and accessories. Intense demand of the product- Barbie- Captured the attention of girls under 7 years old that resulted in high demand. The intense demand seen at the retail stores was insufficiently met for several years. Barbie- The best-selling fashion dolls in most global market with $2 billion in worldwide sales annually and more than 1 billion dolls sold in four decades. Customer Orientation- Mattel redesigned Barbie to more naturally reflect a normal athletic woman in an attempt to meet the demands for a more realistic doll. Opening of American Girl Place shops New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. The New York store features three floors of dolls, accessories, and books in the heart of the 5th Avenue shopping district. The store offers a cafe where girls can dine with their dolls and a stage production where young actresses bring American Girl stories to life. Product variety and differentiation of the product- Barbie has taken on an extension of different characters, family and friends, and profession. For Barbie, there are Barbie clothing for children, computers and digital cameras with Barbie theme. This is done to recapture more customers and expand their market to attract girls after the age of 7. For American girl, they have books, accessories and even a Store that offers a cafà © for girls. This has resulted in an increase the product variety for both brands that generates more revenues. Product Development- Mattel introduced the new line of My Scene dolls aimed at tweens with as trendier, young looking and are considered to be more hip for girls of age group above 7. Other efforts targeted at tweens include the Mystery Squad, a crime-solving crew, and the Barbie Doll as Elle Woods, which is a tribute to the blond character in the MGM Pictures film Legally Blond 2. The weaknesses of Mattels core brands include- Foreign Market Customization being ineffective-Traditional Barbie has triggered the possibility of banned in Malaysia by the Malaysian Consumers Association of Penang, due to her non-Asian appearance and the lack of creativity but it was not success. Some other cases like in Iran, the non-Islamic characteristics of Barbie and western influences resulted in the confiscation of Barbie doll from toy stores. In Russia, it is interpreted as harmful to young minds that awaken sexual impulses and consumerism among infants. This creates a negative brand images that can bring loss to Mattel. Not only children are leaving tangible toys at earlier ages, but the impact of the global market is affecting the success of Mattel. Mattels Barbie is well recognized throughout the global market, but is not considered appropriate in all cultures which are one of the weaknesses of the core brand of Mattel in the international market. The problem of limited distribution networks of American girl in the international market is also found to be one of the weakness of Mattels core brand, it is been seen that American girl is sold exclusively through catalogues and different stores in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago but there is no evidence or details of the product sold in international market. Even though there has been lots of product innovation of the Barbie but its slipping popularity failed it to be the top five selling dolls due to competition in the market. If we talk about the Cannibalization of American girls sales from Barbie several points came into light which tells that American girl has out-performed the sales of Barbie as- 1. Barbie successfully catered only to the young girls of 7 years old and below. 2. American Girl has a better image. American Girl dolls have a wholesome and educational image- the antithesis to Barbie. The retro versions of Barbie dolls, feature Hooker Barbie, Trailer Trash Barbie and Drag Queen Barbie are seen less decent than the image of American girl. These points explains the Cannibalization sales of American girl from Barbie. Q-3. What are the opportunities and threats that Mattel faces as it looks ahead? Ans. Mattel has lots of opportunities as it moves ahead with its product in the market. The opportunities of Mattels product in international market includes its venture into more interactive, educational and technology product line as today children are preferring to spend time with music, movies or on the Internet. The American toy market is becoming increasingly saturated and competitive, along with a downward shift in age of when children abandon tangible toys such Hot Wheels and Barbie for more interactive and technological products. If Mattel continues with the same product it provides better opportunities to grow ahead in the domestic market. All of Mattels core brands are instantly recognizable around the world. Therefore, Mattel has the ability to highly leverage one or all of these brands. Mattel can expand more to international distribution networks apart its reliance on Wall Mart and target hypermarkets like Giant (Malaysia), Carrefour, Cold Storage and local toy distribution network could make Mattels products highly visible in the international market which would led Mattel to have a better future prospects ahead. Mattel can also have An alliance with an Asian company, Bandai, which can prove very beneficial as numerous eastern countries open their markets to western goods. This market has been left largely untapped, and offers a huge increase in customer base. Finally, Mattel must address is that of selling its products in foreign markets. An important aspect of going global is being able to adapt to different cultures and to break down cultural barriers. Mattel has done a little bit of this with the changing of the product packaging, and some of their Barbie lines. However, there are still some countries that are boycotting Mattel because they are offended by some of their products that are being sold. While Mattel is expanding their product lines, they need to take into consideration the message each of their products is conveying. By conducting market research, Mattel can find out what values are important in foreign markets. If Mattel neglects to customize to all of their markets, their new products can fail overseas, and therefore the company as a whole will not be able to expand. The threat that Mattel faces as it looks ahead is that the market is shifting away from tangible toys, which account for a majority of Mattels core products. Children are adopting more interactive and electronic toys earlier in age today, eroding Mattels primary market of children under the age of 10. This has already forced Mattel to enter, and may force Mattel to further their involvement in the technological realm, a product category in which the firm has performed very poorly. Young customers have less time spending on traditional toys today and the same is expected in the future. Intense competition from other toy-makers like Bratz has slowed down the sale of the Mattels product Barbie worldwide and the realization of Mattel for its product distribution mainly on Wal-Mart and Target diminishes its pricing power. Mattel has also experienced problems breaking into foreign markets due to cultural barriers. The Chinese found it offensive that the Barbie doll did not represent people of their cultures, the Russians believe that the doll promotes adolescents to think in a promiscuous fashion at a young age, and the Islamic countries find that the doll goes against their religion with regards to the role and image of women. The foreign market will be very prosperous for Mattel if they can structure their entry into the market appropriately. Q-4. If you could make only one recommendation to Mattel, what would be it? Introduction According to the case, we find that Mattel in the United States, Europe and Latin America market growth is more and more slow, even appear saturation sign, although they try to into Iran and Russia market, but due to without considering the cultural differences lead to sales were almost forced to withdraw from there. So our proposal is in full consideration of cultural and religious differences influence, produce to accord with other local culture habit of products, continue to develop and enter into the emerging market, such as Asias China and Africa, which support the companys globalization strategy, and realize the great-leap-forward development. Recommendation Through the Mattel in Iran market failure we recognize that if a company would like to sell their products to abroad, it must pay attention to the product whether will conflict with local customs and culture, once things happen, be sure to adjust. As is known to all, the Barbie doll is Mattels most famous product, which is fashion and filled with the western world liberal breath. But in Iran, such as makeup and revealing clothes, are not wanted in a society where women must wear head scarves in public and men and women are not allowed to go to the poll or beach together (page 484 of case study). So if Mattel want to re-enter Iran market in the future, must adjust their products style, below is Irans own doll can be used as Mattels reference. C:UsershpDesktopuntitled.bmp On the other hand, in order to expand the market, increase sales, Mattel should seize the opportunity into some of the good prospects for emerging markets, especially Chinese market, which is a toy production country, it is estimated that China toy enterprise has more than 6000, about 75% of the toys made in China over the world. The toy market size of mainland has the rapid development. In childrens toys market as an example, toy sales from 2.13 billion RMB in 2001 to 4.44 billion RMB in 2006, which raised by 108%, with an average annual growth rate of 15.8%. The mainland toy market rise space is enormous. From toy joint network industry report, Chinas per capita consumption in toy only 20 30 RMB (2.4-3.6 dollars), far lower than per capita consumption in Asian children toys $13 and children all over the world in per capita consumption level of $34 toys. If they reach the Asian average level, childrens toys market scale is expected to will exceed 30 billion RMB. (Long long, M.2006) In the business strategies, because Chinas toy productions are mostly applied in the low-standard level, breed is monotonous, mainly plush and wooden material. However, the mainland local toys and international brand compared with large price gap, so the low-standard market has a strong competitive power, the general basic monopoly wholesale market and vendors, and other sales pipeline. So Mattel should positioning in high-end, give full play to their own advantages, for example, in a Barbie doll legend marketing history story, telling the story is always the conventional methods. They sell toys as well sell a way of life. According to Mattels design, Barbie have their own lives, thoughts, need a friend, like to dress up, have belong to him fairy tale world. Make good use of this advantage, the company entered into the China market is no longer a dream. (Li, L.2011) Conclusion Like many foreign brands to enter the Chinese market, Mattel need pay enough time and patience. After all, in Chinas such a big Oriental country, want to get common identity is not a simple matter. But one thing is sure, respect local culture and customs is very important and necessary. Q-5. How can Mattel reverse the decline in Barbies sales? Should Mattel give up on Barbie and accept that fact that the brand will never regain its former sales status? Explain. Ans. Mattel, Inc. (Mattel) designs, manufactures, and markets a broad variety of toy products worldwide which are sold to its customers and directly to consumers. Mattels vision is creating the future of play. Mattels objectives are to grow its share in the marketplace, sustain gross margins of about 50%, leverage its scale to deliver cost savings and lower its selling and administrative costs, and create long-term stockholder value. Barbie doll happiness concept is based on human sensibility, through happiness brand image and happy shopping experience to satisfyconsumer demand happy emotion, so that consumers will be product or brand with the happy feeling together, then will be happy with the product or brand linked, to stimulate consumption desire and to promote the marketing concept of consumers purchasing behavior. Body part: The concept of Barbie has not only toys, and became an immortal symbol of American culture. Until now, the business of Barbie bigger and bigger, not only toys, books, clothing, cosmetics, movies and electronic games. Even today, see any one of the two in standard, sexy blonde doll, almost all of people were not consciously known as Barbie ¼Ã…’whether this doll is not Mattel produced. This is also proved Barbie industry is how success. As a result of population, technology and social change, Mattel is undergoing modernization, Mattel, in my opinion, cannot reverse the decline of Barbie sales. Although there are still to be improved, Mattel weakness seems to be far less than they were just a few years ago. Specifically, the Mattel Inc. has some very famous brand. The largest is Barbie doll, and now accounts for more than half of the companys revenue. However, the most interesting news for Mattel declining popularity rate of its core products Barbie doll. As of 2002, Barbie dollfell out of the top five best-selling. Mattel Inc. subsequently has been undertaken to reclaim market share items, such as computer software and the girls clothing line of Barbie doll. Barbie has tried to fight back. Internet becomes another weapon to reverse the sales decline in 2007; Mattel launched a brand new Barbie Girls. com site where kids can create their own virtual Barbie, and placed in a virtual commercial buildings can also directly involved in product design. The girls also can have around Barbies virtual community space, this was considered a breakthrough attempt, also let Mattel in sales for 7 consecutive years after the decline appeared to pick up. Mattel is also faced with many cultural barriers, these need to overcome the market penetration strategy will be successful. Lack of understanding of cultural replacement, the brand awareness of self-protection is too strong, the Barbie doll isolated in new era outside, so that the target consumers become more and more narrow. Unresponsive market, the Mattel have not been able to guide the trend, the competitors took the opportunity to split its market share.Andin the occasion of Mattel Barbie doll become fashionable rage, the former Mattel CEO Jill Barad made a series of mistakes and expensive acquisitions, to make the worlds largest toy manufacturer long-term stock price in a slump. In addition, Mattel in new product launch, behave not just as one wishes, the new design style also no expectation. These are all Mattels malpractice. Conclusion: Sweet chocolate, eat more will be tired. Barbies decline has a deep-rooted cultural factors and the impact of social thought, to give people a profound inspiration. We can see that the United States of America culture is moving toward a diversified ethnic culture, to encourage the pursuit of self-direction stride, and popular culture trend change quickly. Mattel ignore this value orientation, or excessive protection is of brand ego blinded their vision, do not have a proper understanding o of the mind of the public, lost the lead market opportunities.After opponents successfully host, Mattel still did not take timely measures, wait for the opponent create a certain threat after to respond but too weak. Finally, caused the market share to be cut, the lesson is painful. Careful observation of the leader in the market, we will find their commonness rapid response, countermeasure in time, they will not be trend guide, but to guide the trend. It is simple and easy to know. Pacifying the interior before resisting foreign aggression. The first thing Mattel need to do is solve the inner problem, straighten a relation, in order to solve the problem of providing external guarantee. For the external development of Mattel, the problems which should be paid attention to, not in order to cope with the market competition and to launch new products with the opponent, but in the consolidation of existing customers on the Barbie dolls loyalty. They are supporting the Barbie dolls core strength, so that through interaction and understanding of their needs, provide their satisfaction with the program to maintain this part of customers. In order to consolidate the customer base, and prevent competitors directly off the market share. With the development of computer and networks, such as Face book and Twitter applications, Barbie doll will be able to control its sales decline. This is a very expensive to change their production and advertising means. The only advantage of this strategy, both short-term and long-term within, they will not bear any additional costs. In this way, Mattelcan use their own resources,make full use of social networking technology environmental advantage in price, and try to participate in the market competition. Having the correct marketing strategy and innovative products Barbie doll product line, will become more interactive and educational products, Mattel can still create the market to meet their needs.Also around the world set up Barbie doll flagship store, experiential marketing, will drive the Mattel sales market, strive for the biggest market share.

Great Gatsby :: essays papers

Great Gatsby Two prevalent themes portrayed in The Great Gatsby are money and social status, both which coincide with the novel’s four settings: East Egg, West Egg, the Valley of Ashes, and New York. As Natania stated, these different locations are used to â€Å"show the absurdities of modern life,† as well as to dictate social class from the upper royal status of the East Egg community to the common folk of New York. Fitzgerald uses these settings and the actions of characters within them to define and set boundaries between financial and social status of the roaring 20’s. An example of Fitzgerald’s technique lies in the comparison of Myrtle Wilson’s party in her New York apartment to one of Gatsby’s many summer parties in his West Egg mansion. Through descriptions of guests coming and going frequently, and the obnoxious drinking and wild conversation going on at the New York and West Egg parties, the reader can conclude that neither of these locations are above the social standing of an upper class party of East Egg, such as one at Tom and Daisy Buchanan’s without the slight insanity of their dysfunctional family. However, the differences between Myrtle and Gatsby’s parties are great and relevant to Fitzgerald’s theme. For example, the physical description of guests attending the party in New York gives knowledge to the reader of their lower class standing. Myrtle’s sister arrives with a â€Å"sticky bob of red hair† and wild, unnatural eyebrows and makeup, and Mr. McKee with lather showing on his cheekbone. His wife is described as â€Å"shrill, languid, handsome, and horrible,† quite the opposite of guests attending Gatsby’s party, and even the host himself. Fitzgerald describes Gatsby as a very clean cut, proud postured, gentlemanly looking man with hair which looks like it â€Å"were trimmed every day,† just as a stereotypical member of the social upper class should appear. Myrtle’s party included obnoxious, almost insane guests who were quick to speak their rude, blunt opinions and provide proof to Jordan Baker’s statement that â€Å"at small parties there isn’t any privacy.† In fact, Tom Buchanan was so uncivilized a guest as to punch Myrtle, his lover and the party’s hostess, and cause a bloody mess.

Inclusion of Children with Autism Essay -- Teaching Education Schools

Inclusion of Children with Autism The inclusion of children with learning disabilities into normal classrooms has proved to exhibit both positive and negative effects on children with and without disabilities. However, the negative aspects of inclusion have not proven a strong enough point in that the good, which comes from this experience, severely outweighs any doubt of its success. Inclusion of autistic children has shown to be beneficial due to the notion that these 'disabled kids' can attend 'normal' classes with their non-learning disabled peers. By allowing all kids to feel 'normal' we, as a society, stand a chance of making prejudice which we associate the disabled under, cease to exist. Autism is a rare disorder that primarily affects the nervous system and psychic emotion system. It causes the abnormality or incapability to complete, on the normal level, skills in language, sensory, communicative, and social perspectives. Depending on the individual's severity, the disability can manifest itself in a very wide range of symptoms. One of the universal symptoms is an infatuation with inanimate objects or objects that spin. Although the disorder encompasses many different symptoms and effects, it is very common for children with autism to develop other disorders throughout their development. In many cases, children will develop hyperactivity, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and/or Tourette's syndrome. Autism is still a disorder that is under continuous study by many people in an attempt to determine exactly how the brain is being affected. The disorder is not a form of retardation, although some children with the disorder are born with mental retardation. Even tho ugh autistic children lack the normal skills in... ...ho has this disability? Kaplan, James E. & Moore, Jr., Ralph J, (2000), Legal Rights and Hurdles. (2nd ed.) Powers, Michael D. Ed., Children with Autism: A Parent?s Guide, Woodbine House Inc ?Explains inclusion and the testing aspects and how they determine if the students are hurting or benefiting all parts their schooling environment? Macarthur, Charles A., Rozmiarek, Daniel J., (1999), Full-Time Collaborative Teaching: Special Education in an Inclusive Classroom. Graham, Steve & Harris, Karen R. Ed., Teachers working Together, Massachusetts: Brookline Books. ?Discusses what and how inclusion works. Who is involved and how it effects both teachers and the students who partake? Guskin, Samuel L., Gottlieb, Jay, (1941), Attitudes Toward Children with Disabilities. Encyclopedia of Educational Research, New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, (Vol. 1).

Group Presentation Essay

1. Watch two of Pal’s commercials. What do they emphasize? After watching two of the commercials for Pal’s you see that they emphasize a lot on how fast their product is made and how popular their food products are too many people including old to young. Pal’s product line consists of a focused group of food, hamburgers, ham and chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, French fries, and breakfast biscuits and beverages, soft drinks, tea, coffee, milk shakes with a unique flavor profile designed to meet their customers’ taste requirements. Pal’s has developed the ability to effectively integrate manufacturing, service, and retail into its operational systems. They have also learned to apply world-class management principles and best-in-class processes that cause other companies emulate to our systems. 2. What type of waiting line model is found at Pal’s drive-thru restaurants? Pal’s drive-thru facilities have been designed to be efficient and effective. The equipment, facilities, and technologies that Pal’s uses to meet customer needs are components that serve our manufacturing, service and retail needs through ongoing use of our Benchmarking, Innovation and Product/Service/ Process Introduction processes. Their process layout is designed so that raw materials enter through a delivery door and are worked forward through the store with one process serving the next process in the processing/assembly/packaging line until a finished product is handed to an external customer. The major technologies involved are order taking, cooking, holding, filtering, order delivery, and packaging. They have developed proprietary state-of-the-art technology to achieve product and service quality and to provide efficient product flow. 3. What waiting time do you think is acceptable at a drive-thru restaurant? What order accuracy? I would think that anytime from 5-7 minutes would be acceptable wait time for a drive-thru restaurant. I did some research and it said that in 2011 Wendy’s is fastest once again with an average time of 145.5 seconds, while Taco Bell is second at 146.7 seconds and McDonald’s has the longest time at 184.2 seconds. Though the benchmark brands have not increased their speed over past years, all the operators who commented for  the study say they are working to improve the efficiency of their drive thus so that the speed can improve. Order accuracy should be almost always correct. By getting customer orders correct it will make them have a good experience with your company and they will be happy with your business, making them want to come back. 4. From the Baldrige award data, what is the average order speed at Pal’s and at its best competitor? What other things does Pal’s measure? In customer satisfaction, including food quality, service, and order accuracy, Pal’s is outperforming its primary competitor. For example, customer scores for quality in 2001 averaged 95.8 percent, as compared with 84.1 percent for its best competitor. Pal’s order handout speed has improved more than 30 percent since 1995, decreasing from 31 seconds to 20 seconds, almost four times faster than its top competitor. Errors in orders are rare, averaging less than one for every 2,000 transactions. The company aims to reduce its error rate to one in every 5,000 transactions. In addition, Pal’s has consistently received the highest health inspection scores in its market and in the entire state of Tennessee. Pal’s aims to provide the â€Å"quickest, friendliest, most accurate service available. 5. What influence do you think Pal’s name has on customer expectations of service? I believe that the name of a company has a lot of influence on how customers think about them. If you are known for your fast service and good food your name will be popular and be advertised a lot which will help your business grow. If you have a good name you want to keep it and make sure to keep customers satisfied and happy with your service. 6. What factors associated with order completion time are beyond Pal’s control? Pal’s is exhaustive in its pursuit of useful data, the basis for sound planning and decision-making. Owner/operators also maintain a communications log. They record what they have learned about sales, expenses, customers, staff, products, services, equipment, and suppliers, and they list ideas for improvement. Weekly logs are sent to senior Pal’s executives, who comb the entries for issues and opportunities to be addressed at formal monthly management reviews of organizational and  business results. Data are gathered systematically at all levels–process, shift, individual store, and entire business. The company’s enterprise resource planning system, SysDine, is a key tool, generating store-level and company-wide data on sales, customer count, product mix, ideal food and material cost, and turnover rates. This information supports daily operational decisions. It also is used to update Pal’s Balanced Scorecard of Core Performance Measures, which links directly to its key business drivers: quality, service, cleanliness, value, people, and speed. Managers regularly review the value of the data collected, and the company employs an outside statistician to evaluate the type of information tracked, how it is used, and how it is collected. 7. How does Pal’s â€Å"drive-thru only concept† affect speed of service? The quick-service restaurant business, the facilities and equipment must be capable, reliable, and sanitary. The drive-thru facility at Pal’s has been designed to be efficient and effective. The equipment, facilities, and technologies that Pal’s uses to meet customer needs are components that have been determined to serve the manufacturing, service, and retail needs by our staff through ongoing use of our benchmarking, innovation, and product/service/process introduction processes. Pal’s has created an environment that promotes continual improvement. Pal’s leadership supports this environment by being a role model for its systematic evaluation and improvement processes. Because of the management-led and organization-wide focus on continual improvement, major results are improving. 8. What are Pal’s core values? How does employee training differ at Pal’s? The company’s Business Excellence Process is the key-integrating element, a management approach to ensuring that customer requirements are met in every transaction, today and in the future. Carried out under the leadership of Pal’s two top executives and its 17 store owner/operators, the Business Excellence Process spans all facets of the operation–from strategic planning to on-line quality control. Every component process, including those for continual improvement and product introduction, is interactively linked, producing data that directly or indirectly inform the others. Developed with the aid of benchmarking studies, the company’s training  processes support improvement in operational and business performance. Owner/operators and assistant managers have primary responsibility for staff training. They use a four-step model: show, do it, evaluate, and perform aga in. Employees must demonstrate 100 percent competence before they are certified to work at a specific workstation. Initial training for all employees includes intensive instruction on effective listening skills. In addition, in-store training on processes, health and safety, and organizational culture is required for new staff at all facilities via computer-based training, flash cards, and one-on-one coaching. Cross training is required of all store-level staff to ensure their complete understanding of all production and service procedures as well as quality standards. Recognizing that most of their front-line workers are first-time entrants into the labor force, Pal’s management believes it has responsibility to help its workers develop knowledge and skills that can be applied in future jobs. This approach, along with competitive wages and financial incentives, has made the restaurant chain a desirable place to work for high school and college students. Pal’s has leveraged its reputation by implementing a statistically controlled, talent-based hiring system that helps managers iden tify applicants with attributes associated with effective job performance and customer satisfaction. 9. How does Pal’s use technology? Pal’s Leadership Team members partner with three information technology firms to maintain awareness of currently available and emerging technologies and methods for making information and data more reliable, accurate, available, and usable. Input from these partners is considered during strategic planning where their data capabilities and requirements are aligned with their business objectives and action plans. At Pal’s, they ensure that hardware and software are reliable and user friendly by using established standards and specifications in the selection of each of the computers and point-of-sale terminals they use in all operations. Their standards and specifications include strict criteria to review reliability and user friendliness. They also test new systems in advance before installing them in all of their stores. During use, they measure and review mean time  between failures on their systems components, and we routinely assess whether they have sufficient redundant backup. To help assure the reliability of the software, they also have strict controls over who can make changes in the programs. Changes are tested and verified prior to being used on a production basis. They review the way their systems perform within operations with the people who actually use the equipment and programs. They also keep abreast of technology changes through their partners, trade shows, and publications. During strategic planning they use this input to analyze how their systems are meeting all current user requirements. They also assess what is needed to support our strategic objectives and action plans.