Case of the Mysterous Roses

In our daily lives we interact with people from all walks of life. As individuals some of us set our own rules to live by, and as professionals we are given a set of guidelines to follow. Working in the Human Resource’s field there are many situations that may occur and we are forced to make difficult decisions. This ethics game simulation presented some examples that occur in the real world. There were two scenarios presented, â€Å"The Case of the Mysterious Roses†, and â€Å"The Case of the Cold Feet†. These cases were both difficult to deal with, and allowed the managers use critical thinking skills to address both situations. The first scenario â€Å"The Case of the Mysterious Roses† there were several issues that arose; one is when a female employee began receiving roses from a secret admirer. One problem is that she believed the roses are from a male coworker, which made her uncomfortable. The employee feels the need to go to her supervisor for advice, and sends an email requesting a confidential meeting. In this scenario I am the supervisor, which reveals the other problem. The issue at hand is how I will respond to the request. As the department supervisor I should respond to the request without compromising the integrity of myself or the company. As the supervisor and witnessing the activities that had taken place felt confident that there may be a possibility of sexual harassment accusation. In response to the email I felt that she could not give her a firm yes or no answer. The exercise allowed me to look at the situation and put my thoughts into perspective and ask myself what is my responsibility as a supervisor. The ethical lens helped me to identify the primary stake holders, though both lens rights and responsibility, and results lens. These lens enabled me to make the decision. I was able to advise Gayle that, I am able to maintain confidentially on any personal matter; however if the issue is work related I may have to report it. I informed Gayle of the company policy on sexual harassment and advised her of her rights as an employees. I based my decision on my own professional experience, as my company has a zero tolerance for such behavior. I could not guarantee 100% confidentially to the employee if there was an employee violating company policy. If I am aware of the situation and do not report it I would be just as guilty. In the second scenario â€Å"The Case of the Cold Feet† there was an issue in reference to an employee falsifying information on a report. The issue is brought to my attention and I must take a plan of action by using a different set of lenses, relationship and reputation lens. The exercise took me through multiple steps to identify how I would handle the situation. In the relationship lens I decided to perform an in house investigation in reference to the allegations. My choice did not agree with the program and I was advised to consider my colleague’s reputation and allow him to clean up his act. That made me realize that I need to give others a chance to correct their mistakes. In the reputation lens I made that decision which allowed me to hold others accountable for their actions. In my professional life I would have given the employee to redeem him or herself before I would involve a manager. In this scenario I believe I thought about it too long and chose an answer based on what I thought someone else wanted. After participating in both of these activities I believe that I can make better decisions when called up on. Using my critical thinking skills I can think outside the box and give others a chance while following company policy. Sexual harassment is a serious offence and it is a good idea to educate employees to avoid situations such as this. The company that I work for as well as other companies, do not take this matter lightly. In the situation regarding falsifying documents is also a concern with organizations. The company that I work for does not tolerate this type of activity. Our policy states that if an employee is falsifying documentation that is immediate ground for termination. There are many situations that occur within an organization and with the help of a strong management team and policy to follow the company can be successful.

Premier Fitness Ethics Assignment

Ethics Assignment Premier Fitness The actions in question regarding Premier Fitness Clubs were proven to be misleading and in violation of the competition act as well as the basic consumerism trend that has aimed to empower consumers and increase their rights. In their quest to meet the firm’s profit oriented objectives, objectives of being economically usefull, and to earn enough profit to survive, Premier Fitness seemingly decided that they could forgo the objective of being socially useful. Misleading/false advertising and marketing was employed that drastically reduced or eliminated social usefulness by underhandedly convincing customers to enter contracts with the fitness club that resulted in materially higher fees, undisclosed costs, and high total net costs than the advertising would lead their customers to believe. Information was not adequately disclosed to portray the true costs associated with gym membership and cancellation of membership was found to be excessively difficult. Premier Fitness also was found to be withdrawing money from cancelled customer accounts which is also unethical behavior on their part. It is ironic that focusing on profit oriented objectives and the resulting unethical activity lead to the payment of a $200,000 fine by Premier Fitness for their unethical actions. Social usefulness was sacrificed by producing misleading advertisements that would lead customers to come to incorrect conclusions regarding total fees. This action violates the competition act and gave Premier Fitness and unethical advantage over their direct competition in the competitive business of fitness establishments. The competition act is structured to limit monopolistic behavior that could be damaging to smaller competitors and protect consumers, and by violating it, Premier Fitness could have negatively affected the competition in an unethical fashion as well as harmed consumers who ended up suffering greater financial losses than they had expected based on the advertising that they would have thought they fully understood. Premier Fitness’ false/misleading advertising and marketing would have left customers to believe that Premier Fitness was giving lower prices than the competition, which was not necessarily the case. Customers would therefore wrongly choose Premier Fitness’ services over those of the competition based on the superior price-point that Superior Fitness was seemingly offering. The result is that Premier Fitness’ acts harmed both the customers themselves as well as the competition that was advertising in a more ethical manor and losing business to Premier because of it. Advertising produced by Premier Fitness was misleading in that it violated many of the ‘do’s and don’ts’ of advertising. For example, using of fine print that was excessively small and possibly not legible. The impression created by the ad was much different than what the fine print conveyed. Also, not all material information was disclosed in all advertising, as some information was strategically left out of some advertisements. Premier’s misleading advertising and fine-print resulted in the charging of higher prices when multiple prices were appearing on their advertised product. With the misleading nature of the advertisements, customers were seemingly charged above the advertised price. The result of legal actions taken against Premier Fitness has undoubtedly affected their reputation considerably. Wide-spread negative publicity toward the company has unquestionably had a negative impact on the company’s operations. Websites designed to promote consumerism are a breeding grounds for the spreading of negative publicity towards unethical business operation. Although Premier continues to operate and has been in business for many years, it is conceivable that their reputation has been tarnished in a way that offsets any financial gains obtained through their unethical actions. Lost business due to poor reputation could easily have negatively impacted their financial objectives far more than gains achieved through misleading and false advertising. In order to fully recover from the negative effects on reputation that this incident has caused, Premier Fitness may benefit from re-aligning its objectives towards more of a customer oriented focus. Its marketing objectives must also be evaluation in order to be in line with such changes in the focus of the company objectives since marketing objectives often go hand-in-hand with company objectives. It is clear by the results observed in this case that Premier Fitness should have paid closer attention to the legal environment. Closer attention would have yielded the knowledge and understanding of the laws that inevitably were broken and could have guided Premier in a more ethical direction that would have bypassed the requirement for legal action and all the following negative publicity and financial ramifications that have haunted Premier Fitness thereafter.

Afghan Wedding Tradition

Marriage in traditional Afghan culture has a deep-rooted process that is gradually rooted. Young men and women rarely have opportunities to meet and usually choose a future couple in a hurry. When a young man wants to marry a young woman from an unknown family, his parents first make some background checks on her trying to learn more about her morality, beauty and other family problems. If they are satisfied with what they find, their parents indirectly or directly understand and send a family related to the woman 's family or her home to disclose the proposal in a favorable situation I will. The story that Khadija and her three brothers got married is an explanation of war and tradition, which is disappointing for Afghans. It included the Afghanistan War in its most violent place, the South Herman Province, the Taliban home base, many of them torn apart by loyalty between government and rebel factions. This is also a story that women in traditional societies are fighting the lack of choice in their lives. In their Pashtun society, brothers believe there is an obligation to make their brothers widow - the widow has no choice but to protect children or their homes. According to past wedding traditions, many couples now choose to incorporate their religious or spiritual devotion into their wedding rings. There are many contemporary designs that will allow you to incorporate these traditions into your ring design. You can integrate cross, Rosario, star of David, scrolls, other spiritual or religious signs in the design of the wedding ring. Do not forget that your wedding ring is not necessarily very traditional. If you want traditional things, please use the regular diamond engagement ring and wedding ring set. But even if you remember the old wedding tradition, there are other types of wedding rings on the market if you want something unique to complement your style and flare.

Partnering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Partnering - Essay Example Another example is provided by Kalundborg Symbiosis of Denmark, which is a public-private alliance that transforms waste materials generated by its member firms to the materials of raw production suitable for use by other companies. Over the time, Kalundborg Symbiosis has developed partnerships with nine companies some of which include Inbicon, Novo Nordisk, Novozymes, Gyproc, DONG Engergy, and RGS 90 (Turiera and Cros, 2013, p. 9). One way in which this partnership yields beneficial outcomes is Gyproc’s use of gypsum waste produced by Kalundborg Symbiosis during flue gas’s desulfuration to manufacture gypsum board to be used in the construction industry. Each of these partnerships has paved way for the development of pioneering services and products and have generated examples of some of the most successful businesses in the modern times. Developing successful business partnerships demands dedication, commitment, and patience on the part of all parties involved.  "Even when two people are a perfect fit, there are going to be times when someone needs to speak up, and say something difficult (in this case, "I dont want to share an office with you")† (Eisner,

Building a Strong Team Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Building a Strong Team - Essay Example c initiatives such as trainings that would ensure the team is in shape without room for complacency and potentials for failure or mistakes; and, 2) I will establish performance assessment mechanism and corrective measures to ensure the provision of quality care. Again, the BEI is the cornerstone of my strategy. The succeeding stages in the building of the team depend on its success. BEI will allow me to determine if an applicant is compatible with my objectives as a leader and to where I plan to steer the team. My plan is to build a close and interdependent relationship, although one that is also typified by a strong degree of independence from each member especially when responding to opportunities and crises. So one of my questions would definitely be this: "Can you give me a specific example when you encountered a problem at work and what did you do to deal with it?" This question should be able to give me an insight on the candidates past behavior. Dubois (1998) argued that that this line of questioning would demonstrate competency on the applicants end as well as a point of reference for his or her behavioral patterns in the future (p.235). The question would also enable me to gain insights on the potential team members self-confidence , adaptability and willingness to learn and develop on personal, group and organizational level. The STAR method could also augment the BEI questions by providing a way in which questions can be framed or how answers can be analyzed. It is also designed to make the interview logical and concise (McMunn, 2012, p.32). For instance, in my example question, the applicants answer can be parsed according to what it stands for: situation, task, action and results. If the answer is lacking or veering away from the question, then, it will provide the cue or the context for the follow-up question (Fernandez, 2006, p.581). If I would be asked the same question and I have to frame my answer according to STAR method, I would say: In 2009,

Professional Development of Nursing Professionals Essay

Professional Development of Nursing Professionals - Essay Example It suggests understanding a nurse as an important part of the whole system whose education, wit, strong leadership and interpersonal skills make her an equal partner with other health care professionals. The Impact of the IOM Report on Nursing Education The need to improve nursing education is one of the focal points discussed in the IOM Report. Specifically, the Report determines that an improved system of education is an obligatory foundation of nurses’ educational achievements. The latter have been defined as â€Å"seamless academic progression†. To illustrate: â€Å"Nurses should achieve higher levels of education and training through an improved education system that promotes seamless academic progression.† (The IOM Report, 2011, Transforming Education) For this, key areas of change have been defined. These are 1) suggested improvements in the system of nursing education; 2) general upgrade of the level of nursing education to a baccalaureate degree (BSN); 3 ) emphasis on lifelong learning opportunities; 4) managing the transition of graduate nurses from school to practice through various programs. The Report stresses the need to improve the ways in which modern nurses are educated. Due to the complex character of patient needs and healthcare environments, a number of competencies that nurses need to attain has grown of late. The following competencies are called crucial for providing high-quality care: leadership skills, knowledge of health policy, methods of improving systems, skills of teamwork and close collaboration, skills of working within a community, evidence-based, as well as research practice, etc. Respectively, the need to upgrade the existing standards of the nursing profession has been stated firmly. To be more specific, the Report recognizes the growing demand for nurses with a BSN degree. This will expectedly help achieve â€Å"a more educated workforce† in the nursing area (The IOM Report, 2011, Transforming Educ ation). For this purpose, a few models/programs are suggested that will help increase the number of nurses with a baccalaureate degree. Furthermore, the Report has established the need for nurses’ lifelong education and suggested ways of providing enough opportunities for this. To illustrate, â€Å"Nursing education should serve as a platform for continued lifelong learning and should include opportunities for seamless transition to higher degree programs† (The IOM Report, 2011, Transforming Education). These opportunities are represented by various bridge programs, such as LPN-to-BSN, ADN-to-MSN, and ADN-to-BSN. Finally, the Report has determined that managing the transition of graduate nurses from school to practice through various programs should be a priority. This will help decrease high turnover rates in hospitals, as well as nursing homes, and stabilize this workforce in the country. The Impact of the IOM Report on Nursing Practice The impact of the IOM Report o n nursing practice is evident, first of all, in the area of primary care. Apart from this, the need of the overall improvement of nursing care quality has been stated. Importantly, ways of redesigning roles for nurses and methods of overcoming barriers for improved practice have been outlined. As for primary care, this area has been established as lacking in nurse practitioners. However, medical students should be encouraged to enter this specialty since it is expected that â€Å"as access to coverage, service settings, and services increases under the

Management Strategy and Decision Making Research Paper

Management Strategy and Decision Making - Research Paper Example From 2003 onwards the company is known as Parmalat Australia Ltd. It is a part of Parmalat group which is listed in Italian stock exchange. The vision of the company is to maximise the value of the shareholders with the help of ethical practices and principles while conducting the business activities as well as fulfilling the social responsibility towards the society. The vision of the company is to be the world leader in food products by offering products of high quality and nutritional elements (Parmalat Australia-c, 2011). 2.2 Purpose and scope The purpose of this research is to analyse the strategic position of the company through strategic analysis. The research includes the assessment of the internal and external environment of the company including the industry analysis. The research includes the strategies of the company and the financial position of the company. The main objective of the research is to analyse the strategic position of the company Parmalat as a whole. This i ncludes the identification of the competitive forces of the company and the external and internal factors which can influence the operations of the company. 2.3 Limitation Every research activity is done with utmost care but still it has some or limitation. The main limitation of this research is the collection of data. The data used in this research are mostly secondary data which are not highly updated or latest as a result the result can vary a bit. 3 Internal analysis Internal analysis of Parmalat has been done on the basis of value chain analysis (refer appendix). It is a process which describes how every activity adds value to the product this process had helped to identify the values added in each link.... The intention of this study is Parmalat as a one of the biggest milk products producer multinational company in Australia. The history of Parmalat Australia Ltd dates back to 1923 when the company was a joint stock company and was registered under the name of Arctic Ice Creams Ltd. From 2003 onwards the company is known as Parmalat Australia Ltd. The vision of the company is to maximise the value of the shareholders with the help of ethical practices and principles while conducting the business activities as well as fulfilling the social responsibility towards the society. Internal analysis of Parmalat has been done on the basis of value chain analysis. It is a process which describes how every activity adds value to the product this process had helped to identify the values added in each link. The company monitors the standard of its suppliers of raw materials through the combined policies of pricing and grading. The laboratory results reflect the quality of milk produced which deci des the prices. Parmalat draws milk from three main sources. The transportation of milk from the farms to the centre of collection is done in two ways. The milk producers would use their own transportation or the company used its own collection route or contracts were made with small haulers for shipment of products. SWOT analysis helps in the improvement of development process. The external analysis comprises of SWOT analysis and PESTAL analysis. With the help of SWOT an organization can maximize its strength, minimize the weaknesses, and take advantage of the opportunities .

Christianity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Christianity - Essay Example of Wittenburg literature, philosophy and theology Died 18 Feb. 1546 July 31, 1556 (Religion Facts, 1) (Famous People, 1) Message salvation is a free gift absolute self-abnegation, â€Å"love and compassion, from God; the Bible is the obedience to Pope and universal promise of only true source of superiors (ibid.) help and protection to Divine message all mankind† (Our (Religion Facts, 1) Lady, 1) Contribution Protestant Reformation Spiritual Exercises, conversion to Chris- Translated to English the Jesuit Constitution and tianity, miracles, cures, King James Bible; Jesuit Schools, interventions, millions Lutheran teachings and Society of pay homage to her (Our (Religion Facts, 1) Jesus (ibid.) Lady, 1) From the tabular form, one can deduce that the earliest account of significant event happened during the birth of Luther in 1483, only eight years prior to the birth of Ignacius in 1491. The apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe in 1531 happened within 25 years prior to Ignacius death, which means that during the apparitions, Ignacius was still very much alive and just finished his writing of one of his most significant contributions, the â€Å"Spiritual Exercises, a simple 200-page set of meditations, prayers and various other mental exercises† (Famous People, par. 16). Their birth similarly occurred prior to the 16th century. Luther was born in Saxony while Ignacius was born in Spain. The date of death was only 10 years apart, where Luther died in 1546 while Ignacius died on 1556. Both Luther and Ignacius studied theology. Although the messages were diverse, where Luther focused on transforming the belief in the Catholic faith that God’s punishment could be redeemed by money and that salvation earned through good deeds (Religion Facts, 1); while Ingacious, due to his similar orientation in the priesthood, was actively involved in â€Å"teaching catechism to children, directing adults in the Spiritual Exercises, and working among the poor an d in hospitals† (Famous People, par. 14). There is disparsity in their commitment where Ignacius focused on uplifting the conditions of the poor through whatever means they were capable during their times. Luther, on the other hand, was focused on reorienting the belief in the Catholic Church that previously stressed on â€Å"on purgatory, hell, angels, demons, sin, judgment and the saints. Jesus was depicted as an unapproachable, terrifying judge, but believers knew they could call upon the Blessed Virgin and other saints to intercede on their behalf† (Religion Facts, par. 2). Likewise, the message of Our Lady of Guadalupe centered also in according universal assistance and protection of all mankind (Our Lady, 1). Their contributions range from movements and formation of organizations that paved the way for increased awareness of the need for reformation of the true meaning of salvation, enhanced awareness of the word of God through the Bible (Luther); and through the organization dedicated to the commitments and endeavors of the Holy Father (Society of Jesus) and the set of prayers needed to remain steadfast in faith (Ignacius). Our Lady of Guadalupe’s apparition has set the time for miracles to happen through cures and interventions that converted nonbelievers. As indicated, â€Å"

3010 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

3010 - Essay Example tiple learning styles, (4) information is presented via multiple channels, (5) grounded in personal reality, (6) conveys a clear goal, (7) earn and build on respect, and (8) create a friendly learning environment. Competent faculties are required to facilitate this to ensure efficient professional development of employees. Having professionals working in a business facilitates ease in the working environment and assurance of quality performance which is primarily the goal of every institution (Ulrich and Brockbank, p.243). 2. The legal context of employment decisions. It has been said by Bohlander and Snell (p.96) that when the HR management and all its functions are acted in compliance with the law organization and companies become more unbiased and more effective workplace. Awareness to the provisions of the law is therefore valuable in HR management especially in choosing the manpower for the organization. This way, occurrence of costly and time-consuming litigations can be prevented. 3. Building an HR Strategy. HR managers are expected to act in two manners when it comes to making decisions for the company. First is that they are fairly familiar with the business to be capable of directing the business strategy to be taken. And they play reactive role to initiate critical thinking among the members of the organization to come up with proficient strategy for the problem at hand. This criterion is necessary for HR managers to perfect to be able to help the members of the organization in arduous decision making and strategic planning (Ulrich and Brockbank, p.224). 4. HR Organization. Like in any other group of management of business, creating a clear organization is essential. This precludes confusion of authority, responsibilities and roles of each member. Selection of HR organization is base on the business organization type (Ulrich and Brockbank, p.179) and only after its fulfillment will the real value of HR management be achieved. 5. HR Competencies that

Scholarship Essay Example for Free

Scholarship Essay Describe which experiences or persons have contributed to your plans to pursue a career in a health related field. (500 words) I am inspired to become a nurse because of the positive relations with nurses I have known, personal experiences, and my interest in public health nursing. Having achieved a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Health Services Administration and Urban Planning twenty-six years ago, I have gained a solid foundation and maturity to approach a nursing education and career with a new perspective. My only regret is that I did not enter nursing school sooner! First, I have had the privilege of being raised by a mother who was educated as a nurse. She had the amazing ability to lovingly and effectively juggle thirteen children in our family (yes, one family with thirteen children with my father! ). I partially attribute this remarkable skill to her training as a nurse, as I think she would agree. She not only cared for her own children but neighbors would call on her nursing skills to assess their children for a quick consult when they were ill. It was inspiring to see her put her nursing skills to work. See more: how to write a college scholarship essay format I still feel proud to this day how her compassion and knowledge as a nurse could benefit so many children while maintaining her own family. Incidentally, she was doing community nursing long before the phrase was used! Today, at the age of eighty-two years old, she continues to make â€Å"house calls† to â€Å"elderly† neighbors needing assistance with medicines and carrying out nursing skills. (see the neighbor to draw in reader more) Secondly, I had the unfortunate personal experience of seeing and caring for two sisters who lived with and eventually died from ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig Disease). I can honestly say this was not the nursing experience that is at the top of my list. Obviously, I did not have my nursing degree at the time but I quickly learned the skill of tube feeding as well as other nursing techniques out of necessity. Seeing how this devastating disease took away my sisters’ lives, has given me more reason for pursuing my nursing degree. Learning and understanding how this disease could destroy an otherwise very healthy and vibrant person motivated me to finally pursue what I knew I was meant to do a long time ago. That, of course, would be to become a nurse. I can utilize my nursing skills, exercise compassion, and ultimately contribute to the healing of body and soul of the patient. (put more heart into this and why it drew me in be nurse) Briefly describe your short-term and long-term goals related to your career. (400 words) My short term goal for pursuing a nursing degree is to contribute positively to the critical need for good public health. With an aging population and an alarming increase in obesity and diabetes, it has further prompted my interest in public health nursing. I have always been interested in community as a concept and I believe this current crisis is a community issue and problem. It is my opinion that nurses are a key factor when it comes to educating and serving the community health needs in today’s world. Due to rising healthcare costs, the public health nurse/community health nurse has the opportunity to be the most accessible, knowledgeable and affordable resource for meeting most people’s healthcare needs. My long term goal is to participate in global health issues and the prevention of disease on a global level. I would love to be a part of a team of medical providers doing field work, per say, and participate in the assessments for a population of people. It may sound idealistic yet as the world is becoming more connected to each other the need for healthcare on this level will increase even more cultures continue to change, mix and become ever more transient. My other long term goal is to reintroduce the idea of food as medicine. This concept is nothing new to a portion of the population. Yet many people are very unaware of how they can benefit from what foods they decide to add or subtract from their diet. I am well aware of currently reading about a medical doctor who took time away from her medical practice to work on a farm to learn about the benefits that farmers gain from living and working this way of life. Organic food, caring for farm animals without overcrowded and stressed living situations, and other farming methods provide so many health advantages. Being able to incorporate just a part of this into people’s lives can make a significant difference in their well-being. Why are you interested in, or have you chosen to pursue a career in, the healthcare industry? (100 words) I have chosen to pursue a career in the healthcare industry because of my combined interest in nurturing and health. I think there are many broad options one can explore when they choose a career in healthcare. Personally, a decision to pursue a career in healthcare means using many resources to improve one’s health. This would mean using traditional medical techniques combined with integrative methods. In today’s society, education is a basic need to improve areas of health in certain populations. Prevention is also a big key to solving healthcare issues. I would like to be a part of shifting the medical approach of healthcare and help people to lead health and full lives. Nursing of the past was patient driven. Nursing of the future is population driven based on healthcare initiatives. How does nursing reach greater populations? How do they interact in resolving health problems by health promotion? I would like to participate in nurturing healthcare into the community.

Wet Mix and Dry Mix Concrete: Cost and Quality

Wet Mix and Dry Mix Concrete: Cost and Quality This is a conceptual proposal in which the main objective is to determine the cost and quality effectiveness on the application of modular wet mix and dry mix concrete batching plant. Based on the data collected over the pass years, a detail study was being conducted to determine the various cost factors arising from the setting up of concrete batching plant, production operations, quality control, inventory and delivery of the products to the customers. As this study covers the entire overall operations of a commercial concrete batching plant, the complexity of the various processes and functionalities has to be identified to provide a full understanding on the limitations on the speed, cost, quality, flexibility and dependability. This proposal is also inline with the company long term strategy of increasing the marketing share by twenty percent annual growth. Therefore, to achieve this goal, various steps have to be taken into consideration such as the speed, cost, quality, flexibility and dependability. Existing Dry Mix Concrete Batch Plant Plant Component The basic components of dry mix concrete batch plant and its related facilities are as tabulated below:- Item Descriptions Remarks 1 Ground Hopper For feeding of raw material, coarse and fine aggregates 2 Movable Inclined Conveyor To convey the coarse and fine aggregate to the designated storage compartment 3 Aggregate Storage Bin For storage on top of the aggregate weighing bin 4 Aggregate Weighing Bin For weighing of the coarse and fine aggregates 5 Shooting Conveyor To convey the coarse and fine aggregates at high speed which shoot directly into the mixer drum of the mixer truck 6 Cement Storage Silos For storage of cement OPC, PFA and Slag Cement 7 Cement Weighing Bin For weighing of various cement 8 Water Weighing Bin For weighing of water 9 Admixtures Weighing Bin For weighing of admixtures 10 Control Room To provide staff on the control of the production 11 Water Storage Tank For water storage 12 Aggregate Stockpile For storage of coarse and fine aggregates 13 Slump Check Platform For concrete slump check 14 Wheel Loader For material handling from aggregate stockpiles to ground hopper 15 Mixer Truck For mixing of concrete and delivery of finished products to customers 16 QC Laboratory For quality control and testing 17 Power Supply To provide power supply to the plants and other facilities either by TNB or generator set 18 Waste Material Storage To collect all waste material and disposed to designated area Figure 1 in the Appendix shows a typical dry mix concrete batch plant layout. The ideal size for setting up is plant is 2,950m2, this set up will include a laboratory for quality control, a site office for staff and other facilities such as workshop and weighbridge on material control. Process Flow of Dry Mix Plant The process flow of the entire dry mix plant operation per 8 m3 load is as illustrated below:- Cycle Time per Load = Batching + Mixing Slump Check + Delivery + Discharging + Return + Queuing = 5 min + 15 min + 30 min + 45 min + 30 min + 10 min = 135 min From the process flow mapping, it is clearly shown that the complete process cycle time for 8 m3 load is 135 minutes. As the plant capacity is 80m3/hour, if the efficiency of the plant is 80%, therefore the plant is capable of producing 8 loads of 8m3-load but all the rest of the processes are done by the mixer trucks from mixing to discharging at site. In order to have a smooth operation flow, the number of mixer truck required by this dry mix plant is calculated as below: Number of Mixer Truck = 135/60X8 = 18 From the calculation above, 18 units of mixer truck is required for the smooth operation. Quality of the Product In dry mix plant, all the pre-determined materials are charged into the mixer drum of the mixer truck, then the mixing and quality check are carried out by the individual mixer truck operator accordingly. The product quality is not consistent as this is done by the 18 mixer truck operators and therefore, quality is becoming a major issue in this type of plant as the requirement of the quality is increasing with the advancement in construction technology. This quality will also hinder the further penetration of market share and jeopardise in achieving the long term strategic goal. Cost This operating cost is only covering all the facilities except the raw material cost as this remains consistent either dry mix or wet mix plant. But there are other costs that everyone is aware of such as the maintenance cost of the mixer truck. In this case, the operating cost of the plant is cheap but the mixer truck is much higher as there are 18 units of mixer drums which are having high wear and tear parts as they are used for mixing the concrete. These costs will be tabulated in the comparison and the overall operating cost will be identified. Flexibility In term of flexibility, this dry mix plant will have a limitation in producing high grade concrete as the mixing is done by mixer truck. The mixer truck will not be able to mix consistently and thoroughly inside the mixer drum of the mixer truck as the mixing is only dependent on the ploughing and dropping action of the mixer blade on the side wall of the mixer drum. Other than this, it is the same as in other type of plants. Dependability The availability, reliability and maintainability of this plant is actually quite similar to the other types of plant available in the market but duration for each maintenance will be a little bit shorter than wet mix plant because the components is less and the mixing is transferred to the mixer truck, therefore the availability is better. The reason for this is, there are 18 units of mixer instead of 1 unit of mixer. Proposed Modular Wet Mix Plant Basic Plant Components The basic components of dry mix concrete batch plant and its related facilities are as tabulated below:- Item Descriptions Remarks 1 Ground Hopper For feeding of raw material, coarse and fine aggregates 2 Aggregate Weighing Bin For weighing of various types of aggregates 3 Horizontal Conveyor To convey the weighed coarse and fine aggregates to Inclined Conveyor 4 Inclined Conveyor To convey the weighed coarse and fine aggregates to the aggregate transfer bin 5 Aggregate Transfer Bin For storage on top of the Mixer 6 Mixer For mixing of concrete 7 Concrete Holding Hopper For holding of finished product before discharging into mixer truck 8 Cement Storage Silos For storage of cement OPC, PFA and Slag Cement 9 Cement Weighing Bin For weighing of various cement 10 Water Weighing Bin For weighing of water 11 Admixtures Weighing Bin For weighing of admixtures 12 Control Room To provide staff on the control of the production 13 Water Storage Tank For water storage 14 Aggregate Stockpile For storage of coarse and fine aggregates 15 Wheel Loader For material handling from aggregate stockpiles to ground hopper 16 Mixer Truck For mixing of concrete and delivery of finished products to customers 17 QC Laboratory For quality control and testing 18 Power Supply To provide power supply to the plants and other facilities either by TNB or generator set 19 Waste Material Storage To collect all waste material and disposed to designated area Figure 2 in the Appendix shows a typical modular wet mix concrete batch plant layout. The ideal size for setting up is also plant is 2,950m2, this set up will include a laboratory for quality control, a site office for staff and other facilities such as workshop and weighbridge on material control. Process Flow of Modular Wet Mix Plant The process flow of the entire modular wet mix plant operation per 8 m3 load is as illustrated below:- Cycle Time per 8 m3Load = Batching + Delivery + Discharging + Return + Queuing = 5 min + 30 min + 45 min + 30 min + 10 min = 120 min From the process flow mapping, it is clearly shown that the complete process cycle time for 8 m3 load is 120 minutes. As the plant capacity is 80m3/hour, if the efficiency of the plant is 80%, therefore the plant is capable of producing 8 loads of 8m3-load in just 5 minutes as the process of mixing is done by the mixer and mixer truck is only used for delivery and discharging at site. In order to have a smooth operation flow, the number of mixer truck required by this dry mix plant is calculated as below: Number of Mixer Truck = 120/60X8 = 16 From the calculation above, 16 units of mixer truck is required for the smooth operation. Comparison of Process Flow Item Descriptions Dry Mix Plant Wet Mix Plant 1 Batching 5 minutes 5 minutes (Mixing by Mixer) 2 Mixing 15 minutes (By Mixer Truck) 3 Delivery to Site 30 minutes 30 minutes 4 Discharging at Site 45 minutes 45 minutes 5 Return to Plant 30 minutes 30 minutes 6 Queuing at Plant 10 minutes 10 minutes 7 Total Cycle Time per Load 135 minutes 120 minutes 8 Mixer Truck Required 18 16 By looking at the table above, it is clearly shown that the cycle time per load is reduced by 15 minutes or 11%. The number of mixer truck required to complete the work in progress is also reduced by 2 units, there will be a significant improvement in the whole process flow and this will be reflected in the investment cost and operating cost later. Quality of the Product In wet mix plant, all the weighed materials are charged into the mixer of the mixer for mixing and quality check are controlled by the batching operator accordingly of which the product quality is consistent therefore, quality issues can be minimized in this type of plant as the requirement of the quality can be assured to fulfil the modern construction technology. This quality assurance will also help increase the image and market recognition thus, to further penetrate into the untapped market share and also in achieving the long term strategic goal. Cost This operating cost is only covering all the facilities except the raw material cost as this remains consistent either dry mix or wet mix plant. Tabulated on the next page is the comparison of the overall operating cost of the whole process flow. It can be shown that the overall operating cost is reduced by RM1.26/m3 or 7.2% and it is very significant and substantial as the annual production is huge. For example, an annual production of 1 million cubic meters will mean a saving of RM1.26 million and so on and so forth, thus increasing the profitability of the sales and competency in the market place. Comparison on Wet and Dry Mix Plant Operational Cost excluding Raw Material Flexibility In term of flexibility, the wet mix plant will have less limitation in producing high grade concrete as the mixing is done by mixer. The mixer will be able to mix consistently and thoroughly inside the mixer as the mixer is specially design for this specific purpose. It can also produce different types of design mix as required by customers. Another advantage is that the supply radius can be increased by 5 km, thus the coverage area. Dependability The availability, reliability and maintainability of this plant is actually quite similar to the other types of plant available in the market and the duration for each maintenance will be a little bit longer than dry mix plant because the components is more, therefore the availability is slightly less but this can be eliminated by pre-planned preventive maintenance. Conclusion With the study and experience that had been merged and input, it is strongly advisable to convert all the dry mix plant into the modular wet mix plant for the following reasons:- Cheaper operating cost as justified on the operating cost Better flexibility for high grade concrete Less mixer truck requirement Quality consistency and assurance All the above implementations will be justifiable to achieve the company long term strategy to provide the highest quality, service at the lowest cost and to increase the market share in the next 10 year.

Electronic Writing Will Not Make Books Obsolete Essay -- Internet Blog

Electronic Writing Will Not Make Books Obsolete Twenty years ago, the thought of instantly publishing your thoughts for the world to see with the simple push of a button, would have been a dream. Today, websites and on-line forums have made this dream possible. Through the years, technology has made advancements in many fields. Today, nowhere is that more apparent than in the field of writing. Electronic writing’s detractors fear that the increase of electronic writing will spell disaster for modern language. History does not support this claim however. Some additional complaints about electronic text are that it is not aesthetically pleasing and it is awkward to read. This is a copout for people unwilling to change with the times. Books will always have a place in writing, but doubters had better hop on the bandwagon soon, because computers and electronic writing are here to stay. In the educational arena, printed texts are becoming increasingly obsolete. The amount and variety of information availab le on the internet have made reading electronic text not only an option, but in some areas, a necessity. Electronic writing has changed the modern perception of who is a writer is by offering a wider range of places for authors to publish their work and opinions. Computers and the internet have become too mainstream to ignore. Electronic writing may never completely replace printed text, but its use is becoming increasingly more popular. In Into the Electronic Millennium, Sven Birkerts lists language erosion as his number one fear of â€Å"an all-electronic future (70).† â€Å"The complexity and distinctiveness of spoken and written expression, which are deeply bound to traditions of print l... ...tion. Electronic text is redefining our idea of what a writer is. It allows anyone with enough time and desire to post their writing on the internet. Anyone can now publish their volumes for the world to read. Books will always have their place, but technology is advancing, and electronic text is becoming a major force among modern forms of popular writing. Works Cited Birkets, Sven. â€Å"Into the Electronic Millennium.† Writing Materials. Eds. Evelyn Tribble and Anne Trubek. New York: Longman, 2003. 62-74. Landow, George. â€Å"Twenty Minutes into the Future, or How Are We Moving Beyond the Book?† Writing Materials. Eds. Evelyn Tribble and Anne Trubek. New York: Longman, 2003. 214-226. Sosnoski, James. â€Å"Hyper-readers and their Reading Engines.† Writing Materials. Eds. Evelyn Tribble and Anne Trubek. New York: Longman, 2003. 400-417.

Alexander Hamilton Essay -- essays research papers

1. Tittle: The Reports of Alexander Hamilton 2. Author: Jacob E., Cooke 3. What kind of childhood did this person have? Alexander Hamilton had a rough and tough childhood. Born on the West Indian Island of Nevis as the illegitimate son of James Hamilton (a Scottish trader) and Rachel Faucett Lavien. Hamilton underwent a lot as a child. He had to face his mother's death at the age of twelve and his dad's bankruptcy, which forced him to go live with some folks that accepted to take him in. 4. What kind of education? Born to a poor family, Hamilton never had the opportunity to engage in any educational practice while still living with his parents. It wasn't until he moved into the counting home of David Beckman and Nicholas Cruger at saint Croix where he exhibited a precocious ability to comprehend the complexities of commerce and accounting. As time went on, he was later able to enroll at a grammar school at Elizabeth, in New Jersey (1772-1774) and then entered King's College (Today Columbus University). 5. Who raised this person? Hamilton lived with his parents up to the age of twelve. He then moved with David Beckman and Nicholas Cruger at Saint Croix. They took care of Hamilton as if they were his real folks until the age of 23 which is when he married Elizabeth Schuyler, daughter of General Philip John Schuyler, a member of an influential New York family. 6. Who inspired of influenced this person? Hamilton inspired himself. Hi...

Princess Diana :: essays research papers

Art can be describe and shown in many ways. When I look at art, I looked to see different types of painting, sculpture, or anything that is made out of any object that is creative. Princess Diana exhibit was a different type of art that I would never considers as being art. At the Museum of Art in Fort Lauderdale, â€Å"Diana A Celebration† displayed many collections of Princess Diana Family memorable items for the world to see. My first impression I had in my mind before visiting Diana A Celebration was to see beautiful painting or sculptures, but instead I walk into a room that portrayed as a biography of Princess Diana life. Visiting the Downtown Miami Museum kept a vision in my mind of traditional type of art. My mind has been closed minded as to what art is and what type of art is really considered art. â€Å"What art really is?† can be a question that is probably asked and can never be answered because of the different opinions about art. Generally, comparing to the Museum of Art in Downtown Miami and the Diana A Celebration exhibit, you can defiantly see the different type of Art and how it is presented.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Downtown Miami Museum of Art was more of a traditionally type of Art that many people will recognize first. The museum displayed many types of paintings that were drawn by famous artist. There was a beautiful arrangement out of mirrors that when you stood in front of the piece it presented many reflections of yourself. The collections of painting at the Downtown Miami museum made you step out of the box and think so you would try to figure out what the artist is trying to reveal in their paintings. Art to me should be like a brain buster trying to solve an unsolved mystery, a beautiful sketch, or a creative piece that have never been done before. However, at the Princess Diana exhibit, I learned more about her life, contributions, and death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Princess Diana exhibit was a beautiful exhibit that displayed the time she was born, married, and sadly died. Princess Diana of Wales was born Lady Diana Frances Spencer on 1 July 1961 in Norfolk. Princes Diana was the youngest of four children and she had two sisters, Sarah and Jane, and a younger brother Charles. Princess Diana lived with her father and in 1975 the family moved to the Spencer family house in Northampton shire in English Midlands.

Life of a Teenager

The life of a teenager is wild, and young and free. You can do whatever you want. You can have your crushes if you want or either a boyfriend, a good and understanding boyfriend. But take note, that you must know your limitations. You can happy as happy as you want and you can be as sad as you want. You can decide what can of life you want to live in. Being a teenager is the happiest part of your life. This is the stage of your life, which is exciting and fun. You can also have many experiences in this stage. Also, beware because temptations might happen here. You must choose a good friend, to avoid dilequenc y and problems. Choose a boyfriend who is good, and not a sex addict, because if he is a sex addict you might have a chance to be pregnant. And if that would happen your future might be broken. There is also a case that you will undergo or commit abortion, without thinking the baby’s good. You are thinking y your self. It might also happen that the person who made you pregnant will go to other places, just to hide from you, because he is not ready for the responsibility. Being a mother or father in young age is a great challenge, because you are not yet ready to take that responsibility. But you can’t give your back on it. Remember responsibility is always been a responsibility. Be aware, temptations might be at your back, following you.

Marketing Qantas

The report discuss all the crucial information on Qantas Airways Limited required for business and competitor intelligence needs and contain a study of the major internal and external factors affecting Qantas Airways in the form of SWOT and PESTEL analysis as well as a breakdown . And examination of leading product revenue streams of Qantas Airways. Data is supplemented with details on Qantas Airways history, key executives and business description, location and subsidiaries as well as a list of products, services and the latest available statements from Qantas Airways Limited.To undertake the report, primary/qualitative (Qantas Web site) and secondary/quantitative (Internet journals, reports and news) data was collected. The oil market is going through dramatic shifts in regional demand and supply balances. In 2012 the influence of OPEC and strong demand from the Brazilian, Russian, Indian, and Chinese (BRIC) economies prevented a decline in price (IATA, 2014, p. 12). This can be se en as a major factor affecting Qantas International’s profitability. With socio political factors in Middle East and North Africa may have low potential impact on the growth of aviation business.Aviation Industry’s growth was always linked to technology. New developments in this front are gathering pace and will continue to influence future dynamics of the industry. New trends in aircraft technology will continue to influence the delivery. Aviation Industry continues to make progress in the area of environmental protection where new aircraft models are designed to cut back emissions and to improve efficiency. On the legal front, industry continues to achieve harmonized legal framework for aviation industry. 2. Qantas International –Important Macro environmental factors2.  1 Crude Oil PricesAviation fuel process follows trends in crude oil prices. One of the most important macroeconomic factors affecting Qantas International Operations and profitability will be fuel prices. Looking at the latest financial statements (Fig 2) it is obvious that fuel contributes to the expenses in a large scale. Thus any changes in fuel prices are going to affect the bottom-line. As mentioned in the PEST Analysis in the previous section, crude oil prices maintained position preventing a decline in fuel oil prices. Source: Qantas Group Annual Report 2013Fig. 2 2.2Technology Technology will be one of the important macroeconomic factors which will be driving Qantas International’s transformation. Qantas group will continue its investments in new aircraft technology, customer experience technology, training, customer service etc. Emerging technologies like New Distribution capabilities (NDC) are going to transform customer shopping experience. Technology will continue to impact following areas of the business†¢Aircraft Design ( Fuel efficient designs, reduced carbon footprint)†¢Customer Experience †¢Ground Handling†¢Customer shopping e xperience Marketing Qantas The report discuss all the crucial information on Qantas Airways Limited required for business and competitor intelligence needs and contain a study of the major internal and external factors affecting Qantas Airways in the form of SWOT and PESTEL analysis as well as a breakdown . And examination of leading product revenue streams of Qantas Airways. Data is supplemented with details on Qantas Airways history, key executives and business description, location and subsidiaries as well as a list of products, services and the latest available statements from Qantas Airways Limited. To undertake the report, primary/qualitative (Qantas Web site) and secondary/quantitative (Internet journals, reports and news) data was collected. The oil market is going through dramatic shifts in regional demand and supply balances. In 2012 the influence of OPEC and strong demand from the Brazilian, Russian, Indian, and Chinese (BRIC) economies prevented a decline in price (IATA, 2014, p. 12). This can be s een as a major factor affecting Qantas International’s profitability. With socio political factors in Middle East and North Africa may have low potential impact on the growth of aviation business. Aviation Industry’s growth was always linked to technology.New developments in this front are gathering pace and will continue to influence future dynamics of the industry. New trends in aircraft technology will continue to influence the delivery. Aviation Industry continues to make progress in the area of environmental protection where new aircraft models are designed to cut back emissions and to improve efficiency. On the legal front, industry continues to achieve harmonized legal framework for aviation industry.2.Qantas International –Important Macro environmental factors2.1 Crude Oil PricesAviation fuel process follows trends in crude oil prices. One of the most important macroeconomic factors affecting Qantas International Operations and profitability will be fuel prices. Looking at the latest financial statements (Fig 2) it is obvious that fuel contributes to the expenses in a large scale. Thus any changes in fuel prices are going to affect the bottom-line. As mentioned in the PEST Analysis in the previous section, crude oil prices maintained position preventing a decline in fuel oil  prices.Source: Qantas Group Annual Report 2013Technology will be one of the important macroeconomic factors which will be driving Qantas International’s transformation. Qantas group will continue its investments in new aircraft technology, customer experience technology, training, customer service etc. Emerging technologies like New Distribution capabilities (NDC) are going to transform customer shopping experience. Technology will continue to impact following areas of the business†¢Aircraft Design ( Fuel efficient designs, reduced carbon footprint) †¢Customer Experience †¢Ground Handling †¢Customer shopping experience

A Glimpse at Bernard Maybeck Architectural Works

Just imagine looking at a full scale drawing? Well that was just one of Maybeck’s ways of studying his design. His works are blend of possibility and actuality and the reason why the blending of unrelated styles became a success in his works (Matthews, 2008). His love on experimenting designs is very much seen in his Buena Vista Way studio because it looks like a laboratory and at the same time a house.This visionary Architect and described as the Gothic man of the 20th Century believes that every architectural problem requires an original solution. He addresses the housing crisis during the World War 1 by making generic floor plans called small houses or the workers houses. Most of his house design works infused the garden with the house structure. He never uses one type of specifications for the finishes but leave it to his Clients to make the decision.However, most of his works are made up of wood and timber (see photo of a community hall on page 3) for which reason why som e of his drawings did not came into reality because of the scarcity of lumber and failure on the part of the timber supplier. Design Studio Small House The gauge of success for a famous work is its revival when Bill Buchanan an architect whom he mentored enlivens his heritage in Oregon by adopting Maybeck standards for the design of 1000 dwellings on a steep hill on a 630 Acre land parcel near Harbor Hill.Bill Buchanan believes that his mentor ideas are still in proportion of meeting the requirements for affordable housing. Maybeck’s flexibility 80 years ago can now be answered by the existing technology when at the time of his mentor’s life is quite difficult to undertake for example, the inclusion of garden on rooftops which makes a plant difficult to tend and the bedroom oriented towards the sky when ninety years ago is inconvenient due to the lack of technology with regards to thermal protection for buildings.Keith Pepper Brooklyn city council member also believes in the potential of the revival of the famous Californian Architect by persuading that good designs are an economic potential (Week, 2000). Recently the Oregon’s Department of Transportation rerouted part of Highway 101 which will allow part of downtown to return to Maybeck’s original plan and provision of funding for the reconstruction of the design.

Fairness Principle

Compare and contrast the guiding principles of the Global Business Standards Codex and the Mixed Framework principles. Global business standards codex captures eight major underlying principles in which ethical behavior can be interpreted and evaluated. The eight ethical principles are fiduciary, property, reliability, transparency, dignity. fairness, citizenship and responsiveness. Fiduciary Principle. As part of the legal structure of a business organization, each officer and director of a company has a legal fiduciary duty to act in the best interest of the stakeholders and other employees within the firm.Furthermore, there is also an implied fiduciary duty for every employee within the organization to also act in a way that generates positive benefits for the firm. Property Principle. The property principle is based on the belief that every employee should respect property as well as the rights of the owners of the property. This principle has been expanded to intangible property and now also includes the misappropriation of intellectual property or other types of information.It expected that an employee would protect the tangible and intangible assets of the firm and the employee should be a good steward to the resources the employee has access to. Reliability Principle. It is based on the belief that it is the employee’s responsibility to honor the commitments he or she has made to the firm. It is expected that the employees will follow through with the promises and commitments that have been made between the employees and the firm. Transparency Principle. It is based on the belief that every employee should conduct business in a truthful and open manner.It is expected that the employees will not make decisions based on a personal agenda and not to act in a descriptive manner and to keep accurate and current records of all the business obligations that are currently the responsibility of the employee. Dignity Principle. It is based on the belief th at each employee needs to respect the dignity of all individuals. It encourages the enhancement of human development not only within the company and marketplace, but also in the society at large. Therefore, any type of humiliation coercion, or other type of human offenses is in direct violation of the dignity principle. Fairness Principle. It is based on the belief that stakeholders who have a vested interest in the firm should be treated fairly. There are four types of fairness: reciprocal fairness, distributive fairness, fair competition and procedural fairness. Reciprocal fairness addresses the issues of treating another party fairly and having the other party treat the firm fairly. Distributive fairness is based on the assumption that the allocation of finite resources within the firm will be distributed fairly based on maximizing the benefits of those allocations.Fair competition focuses on the fair treatment given by the firm as it interacts with its existing and potential competitors, Procedural fairness deals with ensuring that parties that interact with the firm are treated fairly from a due process perspective. Citizenship Principle. It is based on the belief that every employee should act as a responsible citizen in the community. It is also expected that employees respect the laws of the community. Furthermore, it is expected that employees protect and preserve public goods or commons available to the community. It is also expected that employees should be cooperative with community officials.Responsiveness Principle. It is based on the belief that employees have a responsibility to respond to requests for information about the operations from the various stakeholders. As a result, employees must not only reply to stakeholders’ request for information, but also be responsive to ideas presented by the stakeholders to help improve the operations of the firm. A responsive firm is expected to react in a timely manner to resolve any outstanding issues that have been raised by the employees, interest groups, suppliers, the local community and any other stakeholders that has a vested interest in the company.Mixed Framework principles:a)Fidelity: an individual needs to keep explicit and implicit promises.b)Reparation: an individual must act an repairing the conseque nces for previous wrongful acts.c)Gratitude: an individual must be able to show gratitude for the kindnesses that others have given him or her.d)Justice: an individual should try to see that any goods are fairly distributed.e)Beneficence: an individual should focus on trying to improve the lives of others.f)Self-improvement: an individual should improve oneself by focusing on virtue and intelligence.g)Noninjury: an individual should not cause any harm to others.

Coral Eugene Watts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Coral Eugene Watts - Essay Example Approaching the age of twelve, he started visualizing the torturing and killing of girls and young women. When he reached his teens he started stalking girls and there is a popular perception that he is believed to have killed his first victim before the age of fifteen. He was not a very good student and often received failing grades. He had also suffered a lot of harassment at school. During his eighth standard, he suffered from meningitis accompanied with extremely high temperature; which further affected his studies and he was unable to cope up with his class fellows. It is still not clear if this was the consequence of his brain damage or the persistent sleep problems that he faced after his illness. He was also having violent dreams in which he was trying to kill women, but these could not be considered nightmares because he enjoyed them. At the age of 15, he felt an urge to fulfill his dreams. During his psychiatric assessment, he admitted that he felt better after having one of those violent dreams. Coral finally graduated from high school in 1973, despite his poor result. He was brilliant in sports and found this an adequate way to release his built-up aggression. After graduation he got a football scholarship to Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee. He got expelled only three months later on the charges of pestering and mugging women. He was also mix up in the atrocious murder of a female student but could not be convicted because of lack of concrete evidence. He was also arrested on the allegation of the sexual assault of Joan Gave aged 26 on June 29, 1969; while en route on his paper delivery and sentenced to a mental hospital in Detroit, the Lafayette Clinic. Upon evaluation he was found to have been enduring from a mild mental retardation. He had an I.Q. of 68 and has delusion thought processes. He was released from the Lafayette Clinic five months later. He worked for nearly a year at the Detroit Wheel Company as a mechanic. He then

Regulatory Theory cw2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Regulatory Theory cw2 - Essay Example That made it necessary to merge with British Satellite Broadcasting and that is how a new entity came into existence called BSkyB. Currently, BSkyB is the most dominating company in the British pay-TV market. By owning 100 percent of BSkyB, Rupert Murdock is likely to have a dominant role in the British print and electronic media that subsequently may play a critical role in influencing major government economic and political policy issues. Rogers (2003) sees the mass media channels such as TV, newspapers, radio in a different perspective as mass media have the capacity to reach a large audience quickly, spread information and alter weakly held attitudes. Thus, too much concentration of media power in one hand or group of people could be detrimental as it may even affect the plural fabric of the society. It is a fact that some 30 years ago the newspapers such as ‘The Times’ and ‘Sunday Times’ were allowed to have a control by Rupert Murdock even though at that time he owned other print publications such as ‘The News of the World’ and ‘The Sun’. The reasons were given that it was necessary in view of the likely closure of these two print media if matter were referred to the MMC. In 1990, Sky TV and the British Satellite Broadcasting (BSB) were merged for the reasons that both were making losses and that was the only alternative to save both of them (Douglas, 2010). In a current scenario, pay TVs continue to expand in size and BSkyB with around10 million subscribers in its fold and revenues that is 2-3 times larger than its nearest rivals BBC and ITV has a dominant position in the market. That means that complete buyout of BSkyB will place Rupert in an enviable position to exert considerable influence in the national media (Douglas, 2010). On this acquisition efforts, competition such as BBC, Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail and BT wrote to Vince Cable urging him to initiate necessary

Diversity in the United States Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Diversity in the United States - Term Paper Example Diversity in the United States I had always known about the settlers from Europe and their conflict with the Native Indians in the early days, but I had not realized just how many different national origins have made up the people of the modern United States. Looking at modern American culture, with such different styles as Hollywood films, rappers, classical orchestras and all kinds of local folk, country and rock music it is obvious that a creative mixture is going on. Learning about the different groups, such as Africans, British, Italians, Spanish, Japanese, Puerto Ricans, Mexicans etc, has opened my eyes to the rich cultural history that we all share. When I see this big range of cultures, this helps me to understand that immigration is a permanent and healthy tradition that America needs to manage well. People want to come here, because it is a great country to live in, but at the same time, we need to find ways to accept each other and get along peacefully together. My own background already combines two ve ry different cultures, since my parents are from the Philippines and Jordan. I grew up in a Muslim country, with a Muslim father and Christian mother. I can see that there are many differences between these two major religions, but what I have learned is that both of them have a belief in God, and both of them deserve our respect. I have seen how Muslims looked down on Christians (in Jordan) and Christians looked down on Muslims (in the United States) and this shows me that people are influenced by their own place of birth, rather than by any particular logic. I think my mother must have endured quite a lot of hardship to be married to my father and I think it took great courage for her to bring me to the United States and start a new life in a new country. She has been able to find a job, and I have been able to learn English, because this country welcomed us at a time when we needed a safe place to go to. Seeing this against the background of America’s history of diversity makes me very proud to have joined the many thousands who have brought their own culture into this country. I think that in the next thirty years or so there will be more immigrants to the US, including some from China, because of the attraction of the lifestyle and the freedom to think and speak what you want to. I hope that there will be a better agreement about immigrants from Mexico and the South American countries, because I believe that this has the potential to cause some tensions if it is not regulated properly. One big change that I see coming in the next thirty years is that there will be more people like myself who have a mixed heritage of more than one culture. Hispanic and Asian populations are growing faster, and so the proportion of these groups is likely to rise (Census Bureau, 2011). I think this is a good thing, and it will make people generally more tolerant. This is because second and third generation immigrants tend to marry outside of the narrow culture of thei r parents, and this will bring about more mixing of cultures, and more children who have the benefit of seeing things through different perspectives. A big challenge that the U.S. faces is the fact that different cultures have strong views about some issues, such as

Thermoplastic polyester elastomer nanocomposites Assignment

Thermoplastic polyester elastomer nanocomposites - Assignment Example It also shows very good resistance to impact, tear, creep, and abrasion. Inorder to improve to improve mechanical, therma and electrical properties of TPEs (Aso 2006, 2854) fillers such as mica, clays, silica, kaolin, and talc are added (Sreekanth 2009, pg. 272). Mica improves critical properties of TPEs, these properties are cost effective . which are cost effective (Sreekanth 2009, pg. 272). This position has also been supported by LeBaron et al. (1999, pg.12) who argues that composites that show a change in structure and composition over a nanometer length always exhibit property enhancements in comparison to conventioanally scaled composites. Layered silicates which have been distributed as a reinforcing phase on a polymer matrix are an example of such mixture of inorganic/organic nanocomposites (LeBaron et al.1999, pg.12). Some of these enhanced properties are, increased moduli, increased heat resistance and strength, and also decreased flammability (Ray et al. 2003, pg. 2355). For example, in a nylon layered silicate with 2 % with volume of inorgan ic content, doubling of strenghth and tensile modulus is achieved (Giannelis 1997, pg. 675). The reason why nanocomposites exhibit improved characteristics as compared to conventional composites is because the dispersion of clay nano layers increases the number of reinforcing elements available that can deflect cracks (LeBaron et al.1999, pg.13). Coupling between polymer matrix and the large surface area (760 m2/g) increases stress transfer to the reinforcement phase, which enable toughning and tensile improvement by (LeBaron et al.1999, pg.13). In addition, layered silicates thickness are in the order of 1 nm and they also have high aspect ratios in the magnitude of (10-1000) (Ray et al. 2003, pg. 2355). There are various reasons why there is an increase in the high aspect ratios of the nanocomposites.According to Yano et al. (1993), it is possible that the improved barrier

Modern Imperalism(The british Empire) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Modern Imperalism(The british Empire) - Essay Example Being often dubbed â€Å"internal colonialism†, those relationships, according to Levine, did little, if anything, to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor, but exploited the divide for colonial ends (11). Insofar as the poor had found a solution, although not always an easy one, to their problems, migrating in large numbers from their impoverished regions into distant lands, the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century British Empire is largely considered â€Å"a significantly Scottish enterprise† (Levine 11). On the other hand, as Judd points out, the primary motive and most powerful drive behind the establishment of the Empire and its global growth was the â€Å"desire for profitable trade, plunder and enrichment† (3). Thus, having served many useful purposes, besides bringing wealth to a substantial part of the British population, the Empire was seen as both â€Å"a mainstay† of the restored Stuart monarchy after the period of republican rule known as â€Å"the Commonwealth and Protectorate† and the stabilising factor in â€Å"the post-revolutionary Britain of the late seventeenth century† (Judd 3-4). ... d been perceived as â€Å"underwriting the nation’s future in a variety of ways†, including as â€Å"a means of uniting the British people in a common cause, a means of â€Å"inspiring a sense of international mission†, as well as a â€Å"device to blunt the edge of class warfare and egalitarian philosophies†; most notably, however, the Empire helped boost both the confidence of the individual and the nation, stifling fears of degeneration and decline. (Judd 4-5). This essay is intended to review the reasons for the British invasion in Egypt in 1882, including such as the situation in Europe, imperial geopolitics, commercial and strategic interests, as well as domestic economic concerns due to the pressure of increased international competition. The essay argues that the invasion was necessitated by a cocktail of factors, whose relative weigh varied with each stage of the British involvement. 2. Historical Background Porter point out that the British Empi re significantly changed over the nineteenth century; thus, the West Indian islands rapidly lost their relative importance in the British trade after 1815, whereas the westward extension of Canada to the Pacific, along with the emergence of six colonies in Australia, transformed not only altered the pattern of investment distribution within the Empire, but also created a number of â€Å"self-governing, self-confident ‘settler capitalist societies’†, which generated nearly â€Å"16.5 per cent of Britain’s overseas trade† (Porter 5). Despite the changes, India, which underwent a consolidation of the British control over its territories between 1819 and 1870 – remained of â€Å"paramount importance in any assessment of Imperial assets† (Porter 5-6). This expansion, in turn, brought about other significant developments,

Ethics, Pirated Software and Spyware Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethics, Pirated Software and Spyware - Essay Example Benefits include attracting new employees, customers, investors and retaining the employees. Lack of ethical behavior and corporate social responsibility, can damage the firm’s reputation and cause a fall in profits and an eventual business close down. There are several cases that would be eligible for an exception to the law of copyright. One of such situations is when the work is in the public domain. The work in the public domain is not protected by the copyright law and can be used freely by anyone. Another instance is when there is assurance of fair use. This provision allows copyright materials to be used for research and educational purposes (Howe 265). Other occasions may include the use of electronic reserves, libraries and archives, learning management systems like blackboards, and the application of the first scale doctrine. In the first scale doctrine, owners of legally obtained copyright material can dispose of them without the permission of the owner. However, this does not apply to music and software licenses. In music and software licenses, one has to be authorized so as to carry out a transaction. Spyware can be defined as software and applications that take information about the user’s online activities and send them back to their creators. Spyware effects include pop-up ads and browser hijacking. More serious breaches include identity theft and key logging. Each piece of spyware acts differently depending on the information collected. Some gather information for the purpose of marketing while others have malicious intents. Key logging applications monitor the user’s keystrokes and send the information a malicious recipient of the data. In the workplace, keystrokes may be directed to an administrator, who may just be monitoring the companys operations. Keylogging can happen through the email or other internet servers. There are three types of keylogging, hardware keyloggers, software

Information System (IT) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Information System (IT) - Essay Example It serves computer industries dealing with hardware, software and consumer electronics worldwide. Michael Porters value chain framework helps to analyze activities through which creates value and gains competitive advantage. In this case, Delta Airlines applies different secondary and primary activities in realizing its value chain. For instance, the company uses technology (secondary activity) through its company website to enhance flight scheduling for its clients. Another secondary activity used by the company is the procurement of resources such as acquisition of aircraft and their parts. Primary activities of Delta Airlines include marketing of its services to their target audience through different marketing channels such as Internet marketing. Another primary activity is great customer service that is realized through a good company motivational plans. Organizational designs make sure that the rights to make decisions are properly allocated. In hierarchical, a manager is the mediator and oversees information collection from those answerable to him and reports as in is the case in several companies around the globe. Flat structures support information flow all through the firm like in the case of matrix which involves small groups that are interconnected. Some of the technologies that support this organizational structures and designs is the Intranet. Intranet functions just like the Internet, but it’s not available to the out Internet community as it’s solely for a given

Creativity, innovation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Creativity, innovation - Essay Example It can also include the effect on the local community who might have to live in the shadow of their premises, and how they engage with the community, their customers and workforce. Social Accounting helps organizations to investigate its performances in relation to social, environmental and economic objectives ensuring that organizations core objectives are met in doing so. Focusing on the automobile Industry, almost all the large brands ensure that the keep CSR at par which includes Sustainability Reporting along with the Financial Statements. Most companies in the sector have CSR policies implemented throughout their operations including proper management system for the same. Following is the comparison of two of the industries’ brands; namely Toyota and Honda. Toyota has implemented a CSR policy throughout its operations that is based on the company’s Guiding Values. Furthermore, the company has also implemented a separate policy on Biodiversity, as well as a Code of Conduct, a Global Vision for 2020, and the Toyota Way 2001, which outlines the expectations of how employees should behave. It also has an environmental plan of action that includes design production and recycling. Toyota has a separate CSR department, as well as a CSR committee that includes members of the executive board. The company is a member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), but does not mention any of the relevant international standards in its international CSR report or CSR policy. Several regional divisions also publish their own annual CSR reports in accordance with GRI standards. Toyota annually produces its sustainability report including environmental aspects, social aspects, and economic aspect. â€Å"Its environmental aspect addresses Energy/ Global Warming, Recycling of resources, Substance of concern, Atmospheric Quality, Environmental

Personal & Professional Healthcare Communication Paper Essay Example for Free

Personal Professional Healthcare Communication Paper Essay Communication, according to the Free Dictionary, is â€Å"the exchange of thoughts, messages, or information, as by speech, signals, writing or behaviors†. It is vital in the development and maintenance of personal and professional relationships. It is important to understand communication also includes non-verbal as well as verbal acts. According to Rane (2010), 93% of communication is nonverbal and body language is an effective nonverbal communication tool. There are two essential components in communication, which are a sender and receiver of a message. In the personal and professional health care communication paper, I will discuss the definition of healthcare communication, the relevancy of effective personal healthcare communication to health outcomes, how the lack of effective personal and professional healthcare communications contributes to poor health outcomes, and the theories and principles of therapeutic communication in health care settings for the healthcare pro fessional (UOP, 2012). Healthcare communication definition In the healthcare field communication is vital to provide optimal care for the patient and enhancing the ability to make informed decisions. Healthcare communication relates to communication between people in health care organization, according to Northouse, 1998. This communication allows for questions and answers to who, what, where, how and when about health-related information in the patient-healthcare professional relationship. When used correctly communication enhances patient outcomes and results from patient surveys. Relevancy of effective personal healthcare communication with other healthcare professionals, clients, and patients (UOP,2012) Communication with the healthcare team including the patient, their family, medical professionals such as the doctor, nurse, and ancillary services such as X-ray department, pharmacy is vital in achieving the best outcomes as a result of evaluation, intervention, and the overall status of the patient. In order to give high-quality health care, it requires effective communication between the team and the patient. In cases of Non-English speaking patients or individuals with hearing impairments, they require other resources for effective communication such as interpreters, picture board or other devices. The healthcare professional must explain procedures or management of care to the patient or family to ensure optimal goals. It is through effective communication that the healthcare professional empowers the consumer with knowledge related to their illness, its ’ schedule of care by increasing patient compliance. It is when the patient does not understand what is happening in the health care system they need the professional to be understanding and sensitive by taking time to explain. This aids the patient by meeting their need to understand according to Northouse, 1998. Relevancy of effective professional healthcare communication to health outcomes (UOP, 2012) Effective professional healthcare communication is relevant to desired health outcomes. Successful communication is essential between team members because it allows for the development of specific objectives to accomplish. The health care team strives as one but individually they ensure the patient reaches the desired outcomes. If all team members are not â€Å"on board† to assure the patient reaches the goals set forth causes an uphill battle which produces conflict. This conflict could be productive by encouraging the team to review a difference in opinion that can be beneficial for the patient. How the lack of effective personal and professional healthcare communications contributes to poor health outcomes (UOP, 2012)   The lack of effective personal and professional healthcare communication affects teamwork, patient satisfaction, patient safety, patient management, compliance with treatment, level of anxiety, job satisfaction efficiency, which potentially leads to poor patient health outcomes (www.health.vic.gov.au/qualitycouncil/safetymodul/page22.htm). The purpose of effective communication in healthcare is to provide first-class medical care, minimal to no medical errors and have precision; and without it there is room for medical errors, poor patient care and an ineffective team that produces undesired outcome. In the professional and patient relationship, the lack of good communication causes the patient to be apprehensive in asking questions, to worry about being bothersome because they feel other patients are sicker, and there is an assumption that the patient doe s not have any concerns. There are barriers to communication that include only one between the sender and receiver of the message understands the message, cultural differences, and lack of education. In sending the message it is essential that the message is received with clarity, it is concise and complete. If the patient has a language barrier, it can be masked by the patient not responding to information and it is detected as a result of poor or no compliance. In literacy concerns, all information should be presented on a 5th grade level to aid in the comprehension of the information. The care of the patient should be patient/family centered which helps in detecting any language, cultural or literacy barriers (Schyve, 2007). For example, a 46 year old single male patient that is functionally literate is admitted with a diagnosis of acute angina. During the admission process it is disclosed he completed the 7th grade which renders him functionally literate and there is no language barrier. The cardiologist (heart doctor) comes in and discusses his plan of care that includes a stress test. The nurse asks the patient if he has any questions and he reports he cannot do any exercise. The nurse provides information related to the procedure that includes using medications to mimic the manual exercise. The theories and principles of therapeutic communication in health care settings for the healthcare professional (UOP, 2012) Therapeutic communication is a process in which the nurse consciously influences or helps the client to better understanding through verbal or nonverbal communication (The Free Dictionary). There are detailed approaches that promote the expression of feelings and ideas that convey approval and respect in a non judgmental manner. Therapeutic communication encourages the patient to participate in the plan of care. The patient would not be receptive to engaging in communication if the nurse runs in and out of the room hurriedly or promises to perform a task and not complete it. It is important that the patient views the care professional as one that is cari ng and willing to go the extra mile for the patient. The patient can be appreciative of any act of kindness displayed by the professional in as they promote Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring. Most nurses chose this career because of a genuine caring attitude toward all mankind therefore using the Watson’s caring theory will enhance the caring system. The information found in Watson’s caring theory helps the nurse revisit the place of traditional values, which is the foundation of becoming a nurse The following are Watson’s clinical caritas process (es): †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"Practice of loving-kindness and equanimity with context of caring-consciousness† (Alligood Tomey, 2006 p.116); †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"Being authentically present and enabling and sustaining the deep belief system and subjective life world of self and the on-being-cared-for† (Alligood Tomey, 2006 p.116); †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"Cultivation of one’s own spiritual practices and transpersonal self, going beyond ego self. Being sensitive to self and other† (Alligood Tomey, 2006 p.116); †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"Developing and sustaining a helping-trusting, authentic caring relationship† (Alligood Tomey, 2006 p.116); †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"Being present to and supportive of the expression of positive and negative feelings as a connection with deeper spirit of self and the on-being-cared-for† (Alligood Tomey, 2006 p. 116); †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"Creative use of self and all ways of knowing as part of the caring process and engagement in artistry of caring-healing practices† (Alligood Tomey, 2006 p. 117); †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"Engaging in genuine teaching-learning experience that attends to unity of being and meaning and attempts to stay within other’s frame of reference† (Alligood Tomey, 2006 p. 117); †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"Creating healing environment at all levels (physical as well as nonphysical) whereby wholeness, beauty, comfort, dignity, and peace are potentiated† (Alligood Tomey, 2006 p. 117); †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"Assisting with basic needs, with an intentional caring consciousness; administering human care essentials, which potentiate alignment of mind-body-spirit, wholeness, and unity of being in all aspects of care; attending to both embodied spirit and evolving emergence†, (Alligood Tomey, 2006 p. 118) and †¢Ã¢â‚¬ËœOpening and attending to spiritual-mysterious and existential dimensio ns of one’s own life-death; soul care for self and the one-being-cared-for† (Alligood Tomey, 2006 p. 118). The Caring Theory facilitates therapeutic communication because it addresses all aspects of the patient’s being which encourages the patient to be more open and receptive to the treatment and procedures needed to promote desired outcomes. â€Å"Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you† (King James Bible, Luke 6:30-31). In conclusion, effective communication is understood by the patient and healthcare team and if there is a misunderstanding the communication is nonexistent, the terms of health care cease or continues with poor quality and high risks to patient safety (Schyve, 2007). Effective communication enhances the potential to provide error-free care of the patient. When there is an error it is viewed as the inability to provide optimal patient care (O’Daniel Rosenstein, date unknown). In order to provide premium quality patient care effective communication is a requirement; therefore it is an important role of communication and teamwork to reduce errors in the medical field thus increasing patient safety and promoting desired outcomes (Grover, 2005). I believe in providing therapeutic effective communication the health care professional should utilize professional skills learned especially those the endorse a caring and nurturing nurse-client/patient or professional-professional relationship. References Alligood, M. R. Tomey, A. M. (2006). Nursing theory: Utilization application (3rd ed.). St. Louis, MO: Mosby Elsevier Grover, S. M. (2005). Shaping Effective Communication Skills and Therapeutic Relationships at Work. AAOHN Journal, 53(4), 177. King James Version. (1976). The Holy Bible. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc Northouse, L. Northouse, P. (1998) Health communication: Strategies for health professionals (3rd ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall O’Daniel, M. Rosenstein, A. ( ). Chapter 33. Profession Communication and Team Collaboration www.ahrq.gov/qual/nurseshdbk/docs/O’DanielM_TWC.pdf Rane, D. B. (2010). Effective Body Language for Organizational Success. IUP Journal Of Soft Skills, 4(4), 17-26. Schyve, P. (2007). Language Differences as a Barrier to Quality and Safety in Health Care: The Joint Commission Perspective. Society of General Internal Medicine The free dictionary. http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/therapeutic+communicationcommunication The free dictionary. http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/therapeutic+communicationtherapeutic communication University of Phoenix, 2012. HCS/350-Health Care Communication www.uop.edu Why is communication important in health care? http://www.health.vic.gov.au/qualitycouncil/safety_module/page22.htm

Definition Of Change Management As An Organizational Capability Management Essay

Definition Of Change Management As An Organizational Capability Management Essay Able and How, an international management consultancy firm, specialises in helping clients solve their communications, change and people issues. The project saw the light when the group was working on a growth strategy for Rio Tinto . It was then that the group made a recommendation that said that the massive organization needs to have a capability to manage change and adapt itself to the volatile business environments in order to grow by 100% in the next 3 years!!! Problem Definition The tinkering over the recommendations lead the group to question, whether they can create a definition of change management as an organizational capability? If yes, whether there are any reliable and credible ways of assessing and benchmarking the same? The long term goal of the group is to create a sort of ranking system that would rate organizations on their ability to manage change or adapt itself successfully to the changing environments. Search for the Solution It was the combination of challenge, vagueness of the idea and the knowledge of the expertise at Cass, which lead to Able and How coming to Cass and specifically to Veronica Hope Hailey to help with project. Literature Review: The rapid changes in the business ecosystem create pressure on organizations to implement change initiatives to meet the demands of the stakeholders. Of late, the frequency and magnitude of change has increased. If anything one was to look at as a indicator of this, it would be the Fortune 1000 list of companies. The list shows that between 1973 and 1983, 35% of the companies in the top 20 were new, and this has increased to 60% when we compare the figures for years between 1993 and 2003. This indicates that increasingly more businesses are dealing with / managing changes in their organizations to stay ahead. At this point, one pertinent question that comes to our mind is what is change management? Change management, as defined in the Business and Management dictionary, is the coordination of a structured period of transition from situation A to situation B in order to achieve lasting change within an organization. Change management can be of varying scope, from continuous improvement, which involves small ongoing changes to existing processes, to radical and substantial change involving organizational strategy. Change management can be reactive or proactive. It can be instigated in reaction to something in an organizations external environment, for example, in the realms of economics, politics, legislation, or competition, or in reaction to something within the structures, processes, people, and events of the organizations internal environment. As a proactive measure, an organization might undergo change in anticipation of say, unfavourable economic conditions in the future. (Bloomsbury Business Library Business Management Dictionary 2007) Change management is a well-known and respected means to deal with budget cuts, volatile requirements, and other non stationary core reasons for project failures. The definition of change management includes at least four basic aspects: (1) the task of managing change, (2) an area of professional practice, (3) a body of knowledge, and (4) a control mechanism. Change can either be programmatic and planned or can be emergent, driven by unforeseen external events (Carl and et al, 2010). Boomer suggests that both academics and practitioners see change management capability as a strategic advantage and view change as a control mechanism, which typically results from standards, policies and processes. He goes further to define that as a body of knowledge, change management consists of methods, tools and techniques (Boomer 2008) to successfully manage the transition from one state to another. A lot of research work has taken place in this area, especially in the academic world. If one were to search for change management, in the past 20 years, in the business source complete, one could find that there are 2515 results in the category of academic journals out of a total of 4309. Moreover, the importance of the industry can be highlighted by the presence of the number of consulting firms with sophisticated tools and techniques to help clients manage change. However, even recent studies show that approximately 70% of all planned organizational change initiatives fail (Eaton, 2010). This leaves us wondering why The study done by Beer and Eisenstat in 2000, does talk about the top 6 silent killers of a change initaitive. They are Top-down or laissez-faire senior management style Unclear strategy and conflicting priorities An ineffective senior management team Poor vertical communication Poor coordination across functions, businesses or borders Inadequate down-the-line leadership skills and development (Beer and Eisenstat, 2000). A lot has been talked about in the academic literature and in practioners world of the prescriptive way to overcome these issues, however, not much has been done to identify the causal effect of these and the failures of change initiatives thereafter. As identified by Pellettiere, one of the main causes for these failures is the lack of a thorough diagnostic investigation in an organizations readiness and risk for a planned change. By a thorough diagnostic investigation, he intends to include both an external as well as an internal analysis using some form of an assessment to determine the need to change as well as an organizations readiness and risk involved in a planned change. He did identify that organizations have a tendency not to conduct a thorough internal analysis but rather have a propensity to initiate quick-fix solutions, sometimes ignoring the context, when implementing a change initiative (Pellettiere, 2006). As such, there have been numerous efforts to develop a scale to assess an enterprises managerial or organizational capabilities to change. Before we go an talk about a metric, let us try to define an organizations capacity for change. Organizations Capacity to Change When an organization undergoes a change, new organizational solutions have to be decided upon; product programs must be modified; positions must be reallocated; routines and policies must be revised; employees training programs need to be planned and implemented; and so on (Meyer Stensaker 2006). This requires a lot of effort. As such, as highlighted by Meyer and Stensaker (2006), organizations that have a capacity for creating multiple change processes in order to create sustainable change must not only have the ability (resources and capabilities) to change the organization successfully, they must also have capability to maintain daily operations and implement subsequent change processes. They defined change capacity as the allocation and development of change and operational capabilities that sustains long term performance (Meyer Stensaker 2006). An organizations capability in managing change should ensure that change should happen without destroying the well-functioning aspects in an organization or adversely affecting subsequent changes. This requires both capabilities to change in the short and long term as well as capabilities to maintain daily operations (Meyer Stensaker 2006). Gtaetz and Smith define it as a firms ability in initiating, managing and implementing critical changes in organizational structures and development processes (Graetz and Smith, 2005; Self et al., 2007). These refer to a firms ability to launch and implement large scale changes to develop organisational capabilities for rapid adaptation, flexibility and innovation (Graetz and Smith, 2005; Yanni Yan, Ding Mak 2009). This definition of change capability does give us an impression that the capability is a static advantage. It can be set in place by having the right processes and structures. If it is so prescriptive then why does it happen that there are organizations that are better off at changing because of some unknown factors. The answer to this was found in the extension of the RBV and the intersection of the same with change management capability. Savory (2006) attempted at extending the RBV concept and distinguished the terms resource, competence and capability. He defined resources as factors that are owned and controlled by the organization or available through alliances and other external relationships whereas competence is the ability to use the resources to an acceptable level of performance towards a desirable purpose. Further, he defined capabilities as the ability to operate a specific configuration of an organizations set of resources and dynamic capabilities as the ability to reconfigure both the use and coordination of a specific configuration and the development of new configurations of resources, according to changes in the organizations environment and strategic direction (Butler, 2009). Dynamic Capability We know the key ingredients of a successful planned change comprise of leadership, visioning, teamwork and communication, but in dynamic environments on the other hand, change can hardly be planned ex ante in a detailed and distinct manner. The most severe disadvantages of planned change can be seen by large losses in the short-term, a high probability of a relapse, issues coming up as an result of limited foresight, unadjusted takeover of best practice from a different context, ignorance of key contingencies, a possible implementation lag that makes change already outdated before completion and a lack of suitability for large-scale change matters (Weick, 2000; Burnes, 2004). One especially severe drawback for hypercompetitive environments is that planned change represses innovative behaviour and, thus, rejects the important innovators, innovations and adaptive processes for this context (Weick, 2000; Biedenbach SÃ ¶derholm 2008). These drawbacks have encouraged us to think of the proactive, emergent change. Such an approach supports experimentation, is sensitive to local contingencies, open to shortened and tightened feedback loops from results to action, is comprehensible and managable. However, also within emergent change there are some drawbacks such as due to its incremental nature the speed of change which is slow, outcomes might be too small and, thus, more appropriate for exploiting opportunities than countering threats. Weick (2000) suggests that such an emergent change, in general, is most suited for operational level change than a major strategic change, which however can be built up incrementally through smaller emerging changes. Moreover it is because of the diffuse and less focused character of emergent change that it is less likely to deliver a transformational shift (Weick, 2000; Biedenbach SÃ ¶derholm 2008). When we talk about organizational change capacity, it cannot be an activity performed in order to improve operations or products once the change has been implemented. Instead, it is an inherent and continuous ingredient of the firms activities that need to be incorporated as a capacity of regular operations. Organizational change is thus upgraded from being a one-off and unique activity, to a strategic capability of the successful companies in hypercompetitive or turbulent environments (Nadler and Tushman, 1999; Meyer and Stensaker, 2006; Biedenbach SÃ ¶derholm 2008). Flexibility and creativity, as per rhe Mckinsey Quarterly (april 2009), are very important for a successful organizational change. These all lead us to think that there exists some kind of dynamic capabilities in an organization that would enable it to proactively change to the external environment. Teece et al. (1997) define dynamic capabilities as firms ability to integrate, build, and reconfigure internal and external competences to address rapidly changing environments. In other words, independent of the line of business, technology applied or markets served, dynamic capabilities point to the ability to constantly change in order to respond to environmental changes, to overtake competitors and to maintain competitive advantages (Biedenbach SÃ ¶derholm 2008). The dynamic capability is an extension of the static resource based view, which fails to explain firms competitive advantage in changing environments (e.g., Priem Butler, 2001). As a result, Teece and colleagues proposed the dynamic capabilities framework to fill that gap. Teece et al. (1997). It seems that the concept dynamic capabilities was the one most suited for developing a theory on organizational capacity to change because of the focus of the theory on the organizational processes that enable growth and adaptation in changing environments (Eisenhardt and Martin, 2000; Teece et al., 1997). Moreover, such capabilities are grounded in organizational learning and managerial capabilities, the former, because organizational learning both leads to dynamic capabilities and is a dynamic capability (Zollo and Winter, 2002) and the latter as managers play crucial roles in developing organizational capabilities (Teece et al., 1997). The dynamic capabilities have actually taken up a strategic stage and subjugated the operational capabilities as zerolevel capabilities, being the how we earn a living now capabilities (Winter, 2003; Dixon, Meyer Day, 2010). Organization Capability for Change When we talk of a construct that would enable us to measure an organizations capacity to proactively change, one is lured to think of 3 antecedents, viz. organizational ambidexterity, environmental uncertainty and relative performance. Ambidexterity, which means doing 2 things at the same time, when extended to an organizational context, refers to the ability of organizations to achieve alignment in their current operations while also adapting effectively to changing environmental demands (Gibson and Birkinshaw, 2004). As conceptualized by Ghoshal and Bartlett (1994) ambidexterity builds on the 4 interdependent attributes, which are discipline, stretch, support, and trust. Discipline encourages individuals to voluntarily strive to meet all expectations generated by their explicit or implicit commitments. Stretch tempts members to voluntarily strive for more, rather than less, ambitious objectives. Support refers to the collective action of members to lend assistance and countenance to others. Finally, trust induces members to rely on the commitments of each other (Gibson and Birkinshaw, 2004). They argued that an organization needs to foster discipline and stretch to encourage individuals to push for ambitious goals, but it also needs support and trust to ensure that this happens within a cooperative environment. In terms of the yin and yang of continuous self-renewal (Ghoshal Bartlett, 1997): a balance between a pair of hard elements (discipline and stretch) and a pair of soft elements (support and trust) (Gibson and Birkinshaw, 2004). To understand the meaning of environmental uncertainty, another antecedent to the change capability, we need take each word at a time. Uncertainty, which is defined as an individuals perceived inability to predict something accurately because he/she perceives himself/herself to be lacking sufficient information to predict accurately or because he/she feels unable to discriminate between relevant data and irrelevant data (Gifford, Bobbitt, Slocum, 1979). The word environmental when attached to the term uncertainty, suggests that the source of the uncertainty is the organizations external environment. This uncertainty stems from the components of the environment (e,g, suppliers, competitors, government, distributors, consumers, etc) in which a company operates. Milliken (1987) said that the decision makers need to not only understand the particular source of environmental uncertainty, but also understand the type of environmental uncertainty. While specifying the source of uncertainty he refers to the domain of the environment which the decision maker is uncertain about (eg. competitors or suppliers). The type of uncertainty focuses on delineating the nature of the uncertainty being experienced. This could of 3 types, State uncertainty, Effect Uncertainty and Response uncertainty. State uncertainty refers to the inability in understanding how components of the environment might be changing. Effect uncertainty is defined as an inability to predict the nature of the impact of a future state of the environment on the organization. Response uncertaintys definition acknowledges the lack of knowledge of response options and/or the inability to predict the likely consequences of a response choice (Milliken, 1987). One of the reasons to construct a scale to measure an organizations capacity to change is to help the firm gain a competitive edge. This would mean superior performance. A firms performance depends on its strategy, but as per Bourgeois, (1980) the lack of consensus on means is more troublesome than disagreement on ends (final strategy). Also, a firms performance is affected by its organizational structures (centralised or decentralised), adaptive entities and decision problems (decomposable or non -decomposable) (Siggelkow and Levinthal, 2003). Based on the aforementioned 3 concepts, a new dynamic capability called organizational capacity for change (hereinafter referred to as OCC) was developed by Judge and Elenkov (2005). They conceptualize OCC as a dynamic organizational capability that allows the enterprise to adapt old capabilities to new threats and opportunities, as well as create new capabilities. More specifically, it is defined as the dynamic resource bundle comprised of effective human capital at varying levels of a business unit, with cultural predispositions toward innovation and accountability, and organizational systems that facilitate organizational change and transformation (Judge et al., 2009). OCC is defined as a meta-capability that enables an enterprise to regain or remain competitive with other enterprises through effective leadership, adaptive cultures, resilient employees, and an organizational infrastructure conducive to change. As suggested, it is different from Cohen and Leventhals (1990) absorptive capacity. Absorptive capacity focuses exclusively on organizational routines and processes while OCC focuses not only on the organizational routines and processes but also takes into account leadership talent and employee attitudes (Zahra and George 2002; Judge et al., 2009). Another construct that comes close to the OCC is the organizational readiness for change (Armenakis, Harris and Mossholder 1993),as both constructs deal with the organizations receptivity to change and organizational resilience. However, organizational readiness for change is focused exclusively on employee attitudes toward change, while OCC examines employee attitudes, leadership capabilities, and organizational infrastructure for bringing about change. In essence, OCC presents a comprehensive and as such, OCC is a bigger and more encompassing concept than absorptive capacity or organizational readiness for change (Judge et al., 2009). Having defined the Organization Capacity for Change, lets see how this has been developed as a construct in the organizational sciences that can be used by executives to prepare for and enhance their organizational change process, or for scholars to study the organizational change process. Building Blocks of the OCC Construct The construct was developed by an inductive process of assessing the works of several academics and practitioners in the area of organizational change over a period of 20 years. The construct has defined eight distinct but inter-related dimensions relating to the issues of human capabilities, formal organizational systems/processes and informal organizational culture (Judge and Douglas, 2009)*. [An earlier version of this paper was accepted for the 2006 Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings for the Organization Development and Change Division.] [Insert the pic here] Sl. No. Dimension of OCC What does it mean? Referred Work 1 Trustworthy leadership Ability of senior executives to earn the trust of the rest of the organization and to show organizational members the way to meet its collective goals (Barney and Hansen, 1994) 2 Trusting followers Ability of the non-executive employees to constructively dissent with and/or willingly follow a new path advocated by its senior executives (Kelley, 1992) 3 Capable champions An ability of an organization to attract, retain, and empower change leaders to evolve and emerge (Kanter, 1983) 4 Involved mid-management The ability of middle managers to effectively link senior executives with the rest of the organization (Floyd and Wooldridge, 1996) 5 Innovative culture The ability of the organization to establish norms of innovation and encourage innovative activity (Kotter and Heskett, 1992) 6 Accountable culture Ability of the organization to carefully steward resources and successfully meet pre-determined deadlines (Ulrich et al., 1999) 7 Effective communication The ability of the organization to communicate vertically, horizontally, and with customers (Oshry, 1996) 8 Systems thinking The ability of the organization to focus on root causes and recognize the interdependencies within and outside the organizational boundaries (Kilmann, 1991) Not only have Judge and Douglas (2009) designed the construct, interestingly they have found significantly positive relationship between OCC and financial performance of companies. This co-relation lends support to the contention that OCC is a strategically important organizational capability, and that it may be a source of competitive advantage. This capability assumes all the more importance when the perceived environment uncertainty is high (Judge and Douglas, 2009). Judge and Douglas (2009) have attempted to make OCC construct as robust and relevant as possible by refining it while surveying 3,725 employees within 161 organizational units in a wide variety of industries during the period of 1999-2005. While they do intend to help leaders in one of the most difficult aspects of leading organizational change initiatives, which is the ability to diagnose and develop the organizations capacity for change (Bossidy and Charan, 2002), their study is not void of shortcomings. Neither does it take into account the size of the change nor does it measure the effects of the specific nature of the environment changes. The study is not free of regional bias, as all the findings are validated in a North American context. Moreover the construct has references to studies that are out-dated, the oldest one done in 1983. A lot of research has been taken place in each of the dimensions in the recent years. It will be worth exploring / expanding the ideas of the construct in the light of latest works. New findings Trustworthy Leadership: The construct talks about trustworthy leadership, but it will be worth understanding what attributes make leadership trustworthy. Ingenhoff and Sommer (2010) identified the 4 different dimensions that influence the degree of overall of trust, namely ability, integrity, benevolence, and information quality. They also identified trust as being significantly important for a companys ongoing success, as it strengthens the long-term relationship between stakeholders and the company (Ingenhoff and Sommer, 2010). Trust, which is correlated with greater information sharing, has been identified to reduce transaction costs. It is unique as a governance mechanism and also creates value in the exchange relationship (Dyer and Chu, 2003). Croonen, 2010, through his studies strengthened the findings of Brockner and Siegel, 1996; Krishnan et al. 2006; Mishra and Spreitzer, 1998 who have considered fairness as an important element of trust and says that it should be shown more often. Trusting followers: When subordinates trust their managers, they are willing to provide benefits in the form of extra effort toward job performance and OCB and should have more favourable attitudes toward the exchange relationship and be more willing to maintain it (Dirks Ferrin, 2002; Konovsky Pugh, 1994; Mayer Gavin, 2005). Every leaders top priority should be to establish trusting relationships in order to drive productive working environments, as a study by the Institute for Organizational Performance has revealed that trust alone predicts 46% of the difference between low and high performers (Mercurio, 2005). For this, it is not only sufficient for senior managers to be able to demonstrate that they are trustworthy, but also they have to trust their subordinates. Such trust-building practices involve exchange of information and the empowerment of employees (Cummings, 1983; Deluga, 1994; Folger Konovsky, 1989; Whitener, 1997). This does puts the manager in a more vulnerable position and organizations should help managers learn to use these procedures wisely (Brower et.al, 2009). It has been identified that effective followers play significant roles in fostering leadership and organizational effectiveness. Trusting followers leads to very effective employees, but requires the leaders put forth leadership over their specific area of work and requires honest upward communication. Such followers need to be dependent, loyal and co-operative (Agho, 2009). Capable Champions When we talk of capable champions, what skills and abilities are we referring to? In his book, The Change of Champions Field guide: Strategies and Tools for Leading Change in the New Era, Ulrich says that the winners in turbulent times will be the ones who are good at understanding the environmental and technological contingencies and leveraging them to the advantage of the organizational performance and excellence. It has been found that good change managers are very good at envisioning. They can see the future they want to create, the short and long-term wins they want to achieve. They are completely aware of the dynamics involved in developing adaptability, team-learning and responsiveness within the organization to achieve the desired win (Khan, 2006). We all know that change in an organization takes in 3 phases and each phase requires specialized skills. The table below gives a summary of same and has been adapted from the study done by Warrick, 2009 and the book Exploring Strategic Change by Veronica Hope Hailey and Julia Balogun (2008). [Refer to book by Veronica .. ] Stage of Change Role played by the Change Champion Skills Needed Mobilise Initiating Developing a change mindset Providing visionary leadership Involving key stakeholders and building commitment Well informed and cognizant of the issues and opportunities and knows how to get things done Move Facilitating Working with teams Working with people Networking and getting the right people together Sustain Implementing Planning and managing the change process Making things happen Motivating people Developing feedback mechanism to evaluate and monitor progress Persevering until the change succeeds (Warrick, 2009) For a successful change, change champions are required to create a creative culture, manage diversity, empower employees, maintaining organizational integrity, establish a just and fair reward system, create an environment of trust and inclusion that will really empower leaders and proponents of change to deal with any change process. Some additional skills are the use of appreciative enquiry, intuition and creativity (Khan, 2006; Warrick 2009). Involved Mid Management When we talk about line managers, researchers say that they can be of 2 types, the realists and the humanists. Realists are goal orientated and focus on getting things done, which includes things like developing a plan and a budget for the work and ensuring that the deadlines will be hit. On the other hand humanists, as the name suggests, focus on the people aspects-for example, making sure everybody understands and is committed to the plan, and figuring out how to handle any resistance to the plan (Axelrod, 2007). Axelrod (2007) further suggests that to get things done in an organization, one needs to bring together both the perspectives in his / her thought process and make it an all encompassing approach by moving beyond the usual suspects to include people who care about or stand to be affected by the initiative, people with relevant knowledge and expertise, and people whose authority is touched by the work. All change efforts need some element of fresh thinking and ways to overcome resistance. It has been found that innovative solutions can be obtained by including people with diverse points of view. Also, by bringing resisters, detractors, and other troublemakers onboard, one can reduce the resistance as it reduces the chance of stirring up trouble and distrust from the outside and might even convert the detractor to an instrumental team member (Axelrod, 2007). Axelrod has suggested some steps, for an involved middle management in a change effort. They are Keep the vision for the project front and center. Remind people whats going to be different as a result of your collective efforts. Give them regular progress reports about whats been achieved so far. Listen and value to the subordinates inputs. Communicate and celebrate the closure is very important too. (Axelrod, 2007). Innovative Culture Change is intended, amongst other reasons, to foster innovation and as suggested by Judge et.al. (2009), it also is one of the pillars that supports and organizations capacity to change. How do we foster innovation in an organization? The answer lay in leaders ability in fostering and developing innovation among their followers by having a vision and mission that encourage ideas from their workforce and actively seeks input from all departments and across all levels. It means giving followers the freedom to make decisions. This act enables employees to try out new ideas in a conducive environment and challenge themselves with a new way of thinking. With the ability to add to the work process, employees will begin interacting in a way that supports innovative ideas and influences the future of the business. It has been prescribed that with proper leadership training, accountability, and daily communication about leaderships responsibilities to foster creativity and trust, mid-level managers can rise to the standards necessary to inspire innovation and grow the next generation of innovative leaders (Agin and Gibson, 2010). When we talk about a culture, what would attributes would define an innovative culture? Daniels, 2010, discovered that innovative workplaces share six cultural characteristics. They are Dimension Meaning Context rich Information feed innovation. It would lead to a culture which ensures free-flowing communication so that innovators can draw on a rich background and perspective. Customer close Key to innovation lies at