Kentucky Town of Manchester Illustrates Obesity Critique Essay

According to Wil Haygood, it’s his best opinion that the health concerns in this town of Manchester are due to the lack of exercise facilities and excess amounts of fast food restaurants and unhealthy foods offered in their local stores. I somewhat agree, to a point, that it is more difficult with so much temptation around. However, I also feel that a lack of self control is a contributing factor in any case such as this, as well as the fact that some people turn to food in times of stress, while others may also be in denial that there is a problem at all. In this story as well as actual situations, I have heard reasons and â€Å"excuses† as to why someone may be overweight. For example, in the story the Mayor of the town says, â€Å"I just don’t know a lot about obesity.† Until you realize it, you’re blinded. Then you get to an age where you suddenly say, â€Å"Oh, my God! What have I done to myself?† On the one hand, it seems as though the mayor is admitting that at one point in time, she was oblivious to the fact that she was overweight. At the same time, I do not understand how any individual could not be aware of such changes to his or her own body, especially if it is a drastic change. I would have to say that she demonstrates a definite lack of self control, and denial that the problem has or had anything to do with her own actions. By focusing on anything but the root of the issue, this woman may be overlooking the deeper problem of her health actually being in jeopardy. I feel that these type s of problems can be solved by individuals simply assuming responsibility that they have a lot to do with their weight gain. They can make better decisions, though they may be hard to follow through with, they can take action to correct their issue. Focusing on one man by the name of Charlie Rawlins, he chose to do this. He was a twenty year old man who stood five foot nine inches tall, and weighed two hundred and fifty one pounds. His weight was problematic to the point that it caused him to have to have several knee surgeries. The pain that he had to experience from his weight applying so much pressure on his body was more than he could handle. Mr. Rawlins educated himself on nutrition. He  started eating healthier, making better choices with his eating habits, and he began working as a personal trainer at a physical therapy facility inside a local hospital. With such positive choices, determination, effort and a lot of dedication, he was able to lose a total of sixty six pounds. He shows a lot of concern towards the local kids. He attempts to get them to come and see him at work, but they always refuse. His concern for them is sincere and personal because as he puts it, â€Å"The kids around here, they’ll eat corn b read and taters for lunch. They’ll get a 20-piece chicken meal. It’s killing them.† He figures that the reason that people do not go is due to a lack of resources, however he also argues that with the amount of money that these people spend on fast food they could easily afford his prices. Another local, Regina Stevens, who is the town’s pharmacist, states that it is her opinion that the residents are â€Å"unaware of the consequences of being overweight.† The pharmacist admits that a good share of the medications, which she prescribes, are â€Å"things that can be adversely affected by increased weight.† â€Å"These medications are for conditions such as Type 2 diabetes and hypertension†. She also admits that while she is most important to some people, others would not need her help at all if they would simply lost weight. Some of these individuals could be taken off of their medications all together. She even states that â€Å"they would have increased longevity in life.† If Regina Stevens is right about this, which I believe that she is, then it is a shame that so many people still believe that losing weight and living a healthier lifestyle is so difficult to attain. One former local, Jill Day who grew up in this town was astounded by the amounts of overweight people, children and adults as she looked around after coming home on a break from the University of Kentucky in Lexington. It was her opinion that the issue would make â€Å"an interesting academic study.† She did a study on the underlying causes that can lead to obesity. She conducted the study using elementary school students, by using fourth and fifth graders, although only two hundred and seventy seven students total participated out of seven schools. She did different tests, and as it turned out, exactly half of the students were either overweight or obese. Her next comments are hand in hand with what was stated before, about the problem  with denial. Day, who is now an assistant professor of human development and kinesiology says the people have a fear of talking about the issue of obesity, â€Å"a fear of knowing the truth.† She even states that some claim that obesi ty by in large is heredity however she disagrees. She states that â€Å"Since 1980, obesity has tripled in children, so we can’t totally blame genetics for this increase.† She blames the issue on a lack of physical activity combined with poor eating habits, and makes a valid point that attitude can make a large impact on willingness to make such changes. She talks about how people do not want to work hard to get to where they want to be. Instead, they just want to take the easy way out and the outcome of taking that ‘easy route’ is that these people are having severe health problems. Some other people mentioned in this story are two sisters, Carlin and Brittney Robinson. These girls are sweet and full of personality; however the main topic of conversation for them is food. Carlin states that she has started to notice that she is bigger than most kids at school and that she gets picked on. Her sister Brittney says that she would like to talk to Carlin about her weight but she does not want to â€Å"push her buttons.† She states that it is uncomfortable to talk about. Carlin even admits that she will not weigh herself because it is embarrassing. The girls do not even have full length mirrors in their home, so they cannot see the extent of their weight gain. Brittney is right that she should talk to her sister and help her in any way that she can, but she seems to be more hesitant when she claims that her reasoning for not doing so is to not upset her. It is my opinion that by not reaching out to her she is enabling the situation. At the same time, she wants to keep from hurting her sisters’ feelings, possibly making her feel worse about herself. The better thing to have done would have been to reach out, especially as a family member, which is a lot less embarrassing than an outsider, and voice her concern in a way that showed that she cared, carefully. In conclusion, I would just like to say that I hope that more people will start taking the initiative like Charlie Rawlins did, and be able to understand that it is okay to admit that they have a problem and to ask for  help if they truly need it. If you are embarrassed about your appearance, and know that you need to lose weight, it isn’t as hard as you think. It will be hard at first, but keeping a positive attitude and staying determined to reach your goal, then you will be able to succeed. References: Kentucky town of Manchester Illustrates National Obesity Crisis (published in the Washington post, July 17th, 2010), by Author Wil Haygood Pages 406-416 of â€Å"They say I say† by Authors Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein, and Russel Durst. Haygood, Wil. â€Å"Kentucky Town of Manchester Illustrates National Obesity Crisis† Washington Post, 2010 July 12.

Legal and Ethical Issues at Workplace Essay

Introduction In this paper, legal and ethical issues will be discussed in connection with the current, previous and potential future habitability of the â€Å"health and safety of employees,† which is currently an important issue was the state of each and every country. Estimated mortality, along with the injury shows that a number of companies in past and present encountered several problems as well as in the near future, they will also continue in the direction facing the types of ethical and legal issues. All kinds of approximations and expenses related to workers’ health, along with safety and security that occurred in an organization depicts that safety issues were not a priority of the company; due to this the number of legal issues relating to costs and penalties can be experienced by companies (Granger 2010). Understanding of Employee Health & Safety Issues In the current competitive culture to the smooth performance of the company, it is necessary to ensure the safety and security of its employees. Health and safety includes an important part of work culture. Safety pertains towards act of defending physical well being of the employee (Clarke and White 2002). Additionally, it also involves risk of accidents involved due  to the machinery, fire and diseases. Security issues towards defending facilities along with equipments from the unauthorized approach and also guarding employees at time if they have been on work. Generally responsibility of the employee health along with safety falls on supervisors or Human Resource managers of the company (Swanton 2005). All these laws and plans for health and safety have been made by the government. These rules and regulations made ​​by the government shows that the director of personnel, organizations can help in the coordination of safety programs, resulting in employees aware of health and safety plans and policies of the company and to conduct a formal safety training, etc. In addition to supervisors and departmental heads are responsible for providing a safe working environment (Employees’ health and safety responsibilities, 2013). Subsequently some peculiar responsibilities have been decided by the government and organizations on the part of managers and supervisors which are as follows: Responsibilities of Managers: Observe health and safety of employees Instruct employees to be safety alert Look into accidents Clearly communicate regarding safety policy to employees (Lefkowitz 2003) Responsibilities of supervisors/departmental heads: Offer technical training concerning to obviation of accidents Align health and safety programs Train employees on treating facilities and equipments Formulation of safety reporting systems Assertion of safe working conditions (Hooker 2002) Within the framework of the organizations present different approaches to ensure the health and safety of its employees, but all of the approaches do not focus on the contribution of each of the design work and employee behavior to safety. Focus on both of these approaches is necessary to make this regulatory approach towards the safety and efficacy (Cahn and Markie 1998). Many organizational and individual issues are in the management of workers’ health and safety, which are as follows and should be managed ethically otherwise it can guide the organization in relation to the various legal issues. Workplace Issues: Ethical and Legal Physical Work Settings The physical position of the individual affects the performance of employees, and some of the factors that include temperature, noise, lighting, the size of the working area and the type of materials that make an impact on staff working with these factors (Granger 2010). Sick Building Syndrome This is a situation in which employees are acute health problems and anxiety because of the time spent in the workplace. Some factors that can guide sick building recognize poor air quality, inadequate ventilation, inappropriate cleanliness, food smell and Adhesives, etc (Clarke and White 2002). Ergonomics Ergonomics is the analysis of the physiological, psychological, and engineering design work prospects, letting factors such as fatigue, lighting, tools, equipment layout and placement of checks. This is the  boundary between humans and machines. In such a situation, problems like back pain, eye strain and headaches appear because of the long working hours are spent (Clarke and White 2002). Engineering of Work Equipments and Materials Accidents happen used in the organization can be excluded in this way, by the right placement of unsafe vehicles. Besides the construction of machinery and equipment also operates a key role in the safety of employees, as offering security guards and hide in the equipment, emergency stop pushing and other materials can help reduce accidents significantly (Clarke and White 2002). Cumulative Trauma and Repetitive Stress Cumulative trauma disorders fall, when the muscles are constantly used to perform some tasks. This in turn causes damage to musculoskeletal and nervous system. Employees need to meet the high level of mental and physical stress and due to this kind of stress and trauma (Clarke and White 2002). Accident Rates and Individuals Individual access to a secure environment also helps to dive accidents. It’s generally more of a nuisance as stimulated due to careless approach staff than on the machines or the employer’s negligence. The positive attitude of organizations and employers to the work environment and other practices can contribute to safety of employees, and not some other issues (Clarke and White 2002). Ethical Responsibility Individual access to a secure environment also helps to dive accidents. It’s generally more of a nuisance as stimulated due to careless approach staff than on the machines or the employer’s negligence. The positive attitude of organizations and employers to the work environment and other practices can  contribute to safety of employees, and not some other issues (Employee Health and Safety, 2013). Ethical Theories Consequentialist theory suggests that an act is morally wrong if it leads to the consequences of false or considered harmful by the vast majority of people in the community. Consequentialist theory requires evaluation of the actual effects of the law, which include the effects of direct and indirect alike. It also requires the use of some type of rules and evaluation criteria for determining whether the result is beneficial or harmful (Audi 1997). The theory is prescriptive because it is the use of evaluative criteria to guide whether individuals should lead or avoid the act. For the application of this theory, there should be a general agreement in society to the nature of the evaluation criteria. This theory also suggests that the ethics of each case must be determined according to the specific circumstances without reference to the legal or moral standard is absolute (Cahn and Markie 1998). Consequentialist approach and one that is utilitarian, which deals with the work on the basis of good winning or damage with the well-being or happiness as a result of the relevant assessment criteria. Consequentialist theory, however, suggests that the evaluative norms may be relevant to social or cultural factors. When the consequentialist theory is applied to this situation (employee health and safety) it suggests that the actions of the managers and employers can be unethical if they do not care about employees’ health and safety. From the consequentialist perspective, the negative consequences of the managers’ actions far outweighed the positive consequences of increasing their personal wealth (Hooker 2002). Deontological theories of ethics to determine the acts that constitutes or may not be based on the relationship which led to the duty. On the other  hand, deontological theories do not examine the outcomes of acts. Deontological ethics also postulates that adherence to the Duty set by the social relations is a moral obligation (Audi 1997). In the approach to ethics is imperative developed by Kant, one of the maxims is to treat others as an end and never as a means. Pluralistic intuitive approach to deontological ethics adopted by Ross suggests the existence of prima facie duties apply to all individuals regardless of the specific nature of the relationship. These duties include fidelity, and compensation after causing damage, and non-injury to others. These general duties, however, do not preclude the creation of specific duties in a relationship by explicit or implicit agreement (Cahn and Markie 1998). In addition, the deontological theories do not clearly describe the hierarchy of duties when a conflict arises between obligations, although there is general agreement that the duty not to harm others takes priority over other duties. Applying deontological theories to this situation (employee health and safety) requires assessing the general and specific duties of the managers and employers arising from their relationships to the firm and its stakeholders. The mangers have general duties for workers’ safety, accidental harms, and other health issues and to make reparations in the event if they are harmed because of the lack of safety measures (Hooker 2002). Virtue ethics postulates the existence of a fixed set of moral rules that an individual can use to determine the rightness of an action. A virtue is a disposition to respond in a good or appropriate way to a situation or event. From this perspective, virtue is character trait. At the same time, virtue ethics has a normative dimension in which it describes the types of responses to situations that are moral or appropriate for all people (Audi 1997). In this theoretical approach, an action is right only if it is the action that an individual with a virtuous character would perform in the same situation. Applying virtue ethics to this situation leads to the conclusion that the managers of a firm may be unethical because they did not behave in a manner expected of a virtuous person in the situation if any of the employees got hurt, injured etc. Although consequentialist theory, deontological theory, and virtue ethics have different approaches to assessing ethical behavior in an organization they arrive at the same conclusions (Cahn and Markie 1998). The consequentialist theories view the outcome of the harm caused to employees as the critical factor determining the ethics of the behavior. The deontological theories examine the breach of laws under OSHA and implicit duties as the controlling factor determining the ethics of any accidental events in an organization. Virtue ethics propose that virtuous people would not have performed the acts of irresponsibility and carelessness. The behavior of the managers and employers is said to be unethical regardless of the ethical framework used for evaluating the events leading to the collapse of the firm (Employee Health and Safety 2013). Legal Responsibility Numerous laws are contrived to defend workers from illness and injury. Most prominent act in this regard is the â€Å"Occupational Safety and Health Administration† that was created in 1970 within the â€Å"U.S. department of Labor† (Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 2013). The official duty of this act is â€Å"to make sure worker safety and health in the United States by working with employers and employees to demonstrate better working environments.† (Employee Health and Safety 2013) The implementation of this act had helped in cutting workplace deaths by â€Å"more than 60 percent and occupational injury and illness rates by 40 percent†. This act had explicated number of responsibilities for employers along with numerous rights of employees that can be used by an employee if he does not found organization concerned about his own health and safety (Occupational Safety and Health Administration 2013). From the time of this acts implementation various organization and employers are charged for not asserting with their determined responsibilities. Employer Responsibilities under OSHA: Under this act following are the duties and responsibilities of employer towards their employees’ health and safety: Meet with general duty obligation to offer a workplace free from documented hazards that are inducing or are potential to induce death or serious physical harm to employees and follow with standards, rules and regulations issued under the act. Define yourself and your staff with mandatory OSHA standards and make copies available to staff for reconsideration upon request. Continuous assessment of workplace conditions to ensure that they meet with appropriate standards. Minimize and reduce safety and health endangerments. Ensure that employees have and use safe tools and equipments. Offer medical examinations’ whenever required by OSHA standards. These are some peculiar responsibilities of employers along with number of other responsibilities. (Employee Health and Safety 2013) Employee Rights under OSHA: Under OSHA rules, employees have a right to know about the hazards to which they may be exposed at work. In addition to this employees have a right to seek a safe workplace without fear of punishment. The right is spelled out in section 11(c) of the act and all employees are covered except workers who are self employed and public employees in state and local government. This law also delineates that employers should not punish or discriminate against workers for exercising complaining and filing safety and health grievances.  This detailed discussion of employee health and safety concerned act OSHA depicts that it is necessary to organize and employers to adhere to their responsibilities and only they can be charged and directed in a number of other issues that would cause damage to its image as well (Occupational Safety and Health Administration 2013). In addition to OSHA other acts efforts in this regard are â€Å"Worker’s Compensation Law† (Occupational Safety and Health Administration 2013). The law deals with all accidental injuries and occupational diseases and during the growing and compass work. This involves a disease or injury resulting from such injuries. In general, this law does not offer compensation for any of the following conditions: Mental or nervous injury due to stress There is a work-related condition that causes the employee to have a fear or dislike of another individual race, color or national origin, religion, sex and age. Pain and suffering from the condition (Employee Health and Safety 2013). Under this law, the employer can be injured worker litigation to bring about the incident cannot be injured worker litigation employer to injury. This trade-off of this law makes it possible to injured workers to receive immediate medical care, at no cost to the injured worker, without any thinking about who was at fault, the employer or the employee. In the civil law is the perception that the negligence must be demonstrated through litigation before any compensation is awarded (Occupational Safety and Health Administration 2013). Recommendations Organizations should work to improve the welfare of employees and, therefore, should be trouble-free. Terms of health, safety, and security are closely related to each other. Health was the general state of well being. This not  only allows for the physical well being selected, however, also along with his healthy mind and body. It is believed that every organization should take care of the physical parameters of the work in which its employees work otherwise it can lead to a number of ethical and legal issues. Due to the legal act one can confer that each and every organization should follow with their ethical responsibility towards employees’ health and safety as they are also a vital part of the country and society from which it also belongs. Conclusion In the end, of the detailed discussion of ethical and legal issues in regard to employee health and safety we can conclude that organizations can avoid all these issues if they manage it with all-inclusive efforts from the time to employee hiring to his performance at workplace. If an organization abides with the established rules and regulations it will achieve immense success in the maintenance of employee health and safety. Adoption of appropriate laws and acts along with appropriate implementation of essential programs can furnish an organization with effective approach to manage and handle employees’ health and safety. References Audi, R. (1997). Moral knowledge and ethical character. New York: Oxford University Press. Cahn, S. & Markie, P. (1998). Ethics: History, theory, and contemporary issues. New York: Oxford University Press. Hooker, B. (2002). Ideal code, real world: A rule-consequentialist theory of morality. New York: Oxford University Press. Lefkowitz, J. (2003). Ethics and values in industrial organization psychology. Mahwah NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Swanton, C. (2005). Virtue ethics: A pluralistic view. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Hughes, Phil and Ferrett, Ed (2009) Introduction to Health and Safety at Work. taylor & francis; 4 edition Jane Clarke; Alex White; (2002) A guide to good employment practice in the community & voluntary sector. Dublin: Combat Poverty Agency. Granger, Lisa (2010) Best Practices in Occupational Health, Safety, Workers Compensation and Claims Management for Employers: Assisting Employers in Navigating â€Å"The Road to Zero†. Universal Publishers Employee Health and Safety. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.wbcsdcement.org: http://www.wbcsdcement.org/index.php/key-issues/health-and-safety Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.osha.gov: http://www.osha.gov/

An Analysis Of Global Alliances

An Analysis Of Global Alliances As a matter of survival, airlines within the current environment are constantly reviewing and altering their strategies. An important component of any airlines’ strategy to remain viable and maintain competitive advantage in today’s setting is to pool resources and share risk, known as an alliance. A broad definition of an alliance that occurs in the aviation industry is the â€Å"collaboration between two or more firms that retain their autonomy during the course of their relationship† (Kleymann & Seristà ¶, 2004). To that end, there are certain variations of airline alliance in vogue today, in particular the Global Airline Alliance. Starting with a synopsis and identification of these alliance groups, the discussion will move to a selection and analysis of benefits and shortcomings that can be associated with global alliances from a business and consumer perspective. From here, an appreciation will be gained of the major airline alliances and typical rational e of alliance strategies. Currently, the most popular forms of coalition in the airline business are the non-equity marketing alliances known as Airline Alliance Groups (Kleymann & Seristà ¶, 2004) or Global Multicarrier Alliances (Cools & Roos, 2005). At the present time, the main global multicarrier alliance networks are Star Alliance, One World, and Skyteam (UBM, 2010). These alliances are predominantly a massive global network of multilateral codesharing and joint resource Air Service Agreements (ASA’s) between carriers. This allows a central point of contact for the passenger to â€Å"ensure a convenient, smooth and efficient worldwide travel experience† (Star Alliance, 1997). Although individual airlines are aligned under the umbrella of a single corporate entity, distinct airline brand identities and cultures are retained. These alliances have set out to revolutionise seamless air travel for the international passenger from hub to hub and beyond. Additionally, the synergies created were only possible due to astute governance of previously implausible collaboration. To that end, airline conglomerates now understand â€Å"The best way to generate real business growth and expansion is by forging the appropriate strategic partnerships† (Borovich & Yeheskel, 2001). From an airline business perspective, membership in a global alliance has one distinct, instantaneous and strategic advantage. Almost overnight, all member airlines’ geographic route structures will have expanded without costly capital investment in infrastructure and assets. This allows airlines to service routes that were previously deemed non-profitable or inaccessible, albeit on other alliance members’ aircraft. This â€Å"complementary alliance† (Oum & Park, 1997, as cited in Chen & Ross, 2000, p. 328) has the flow on effect of generating untapped markets within the domestic environment and yielding higher load factors for all alliance members aircra ft operations. Henceforth, this produces larger revenues which in turn diminishes overhead costs and maintains more efficient airlines by lowering unit cost base (Doganis 2001, p. 76). While this contributes to diversification and larger profit margins for collaborating airlines, the traveller can be confident airfare cost will remain relatively reasonable assuming competition remains viable on any given route. This is a beneficial outcome for all involved, both airline businesses and the consumer. A comparable example where alliances between two airlines operating on the same route is however, considered anti-competitive (Chen & Ross, 2000, p 328). Here the competing airlines could strike a codeshare accord, typically after a tenuously long and protracted battle attempting to gain market share. This is routinely known as a â€Å"parallel alliance† (Oum & Park 1996, p. 190), however this is unfortunately likely to result in cartel type price fixing. This form of alliance gene rally benefits the airlines as it narrows competition and has a propensity to create a higher demand for a particular service, hence higher airfares (Chen & Ross, 2000, p 328). Conversely, the pre-alliance scenario utilising â€Å"capacity dumping† (NZ Parliament, 2006), where supply exceeds demand, only profits the consumer with ridiculously low and unsustainable airfares. This invariably serves to strengthen the dominant market leader’s position by financially eliminating the competition in the long term. These types of alliance are inherent of predatory behaviour with very little consumer benefit and require antitrust immunity (Bilotkach, 2005, p. 168). An example of this type of arrangement within the global alliance networks does exist, although on the exceedingly competitive North Atlantic route between Lufthansa and United Airlines (Kleymann & Seristà ¶, 2004, p. 23).

Project in colombia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Project in colombia - Essay Example However, since 20110, the ethnic and political violence has significantly reduced thereby developing a business environment. The United States entered the free trade agreement with Colombia in an attempt to develop the previously small economy thereby possibly creating some stability. The agreement that allows both Colombian and American nationals ease of movement between the two countries has so far benefited both countries. Colombia produces cotton and is a great exporter of the same to the United States. The free trade agreement allows for the unregulated exploitation of the resources in the two countries by nationals from either country. While the country exports such large amount of cotton, she still suffers from massive levels of unemployment with the rate estimate at ten percent. It is therefore in the spirit of the free trade agreement that the projects seeks to set up a textile company in the republic of Colombia. The project is likely to benefit Colombia in a number of ways while the investors target a substantial profit margin. With an unemployment rate of ten percent, it is more probable that Colombia has cheaper labor than the United States, the company will therefore solicit the readily available labor, coupled with lower rates of cotton in the country and the company is more likely to make great profits. The free trade agreement protects the investments of nationals from either country in case of any insecurity incident. Additionally, to obtain better protection the republic of Colombia has a number of insurance company most of which are American based offering American tariffs in the country (Pickton & Broderick, 2005). The success of the bilateral trade between the two countries relies on their efforts in upholding the terms of the agreement. The agreement benefits both the countries and they signed to it owing to its lucrative nature and the possibility of developing the countries. In the spirit of the country, the two countries have effective tax schemes to investors and goods produced in either country as though are in the mother country. This prevents exploitation of investors. Additionally, it prevents the mistreatment of foreign nationals in the countries. The Americans therefore access Colombia markets as though Colombians and vice versa. Additionally, the countries should coexist peacefully. Peace favors investments thus growth. Inter country squabbles destroy the diplomatic relations between countries thus stunts growth and creates animosity between the countries thereby eliminating any business possibilities (Bahreini, Willis & Primack, 1988). The American textile industry therefore has a number of success possibilities key among which is the effective management of the available resources in the republic of Colombia. With readily available cotton retailing at the local market value and cheaper labor, the company is more likely to make more profit. In setting up in Colombia, the company forgoes the cotton transp ortation and importation duties. Besides, the country has reliable yet cheaper electricity a fact that implies that producing the textiles in Colombia is cheaper than a similar production in the United States of America (Petrickv& Quinn, 1997). To maximize profits, the company should access both the

Quality Management in Business Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Quality Management in Business - Assignment Example r organisation seeks to ensure that its product quality is preserved or enhanced and most vitally, its operational errors are eliminated towards the attainment of predetermined organisational targets (Jain, 2001). With this concern, the assignment aim at discussing about the various principles of quality management as applicable in the tourism business, providing adequate stress on its importance, advantages along with drawbacks and practical applications within modern tourism business organisations. The notion of quality management has gained immense importance within the tourism business sector of this modern day context. Such immense significance has been driven by certain critical factors that need to be considered in order to gain an in-depth understanding of quality management aspect in the contemporary tourism business context. These factors comprise prevalence of extreme business market competition and increased level of globalisation among others. Observably, several tourism businesses have taken into concern the aspect of quality management to enhance their ability of providing a vibrant business focus, enhancing overall efficiency, raising customer satisfaction level, developing communications and augmenting cash flow along with profits balancing its quantitative and qualitative organisational interests alongside. In the present day context, wherein the business market environment is incessantly transforming and the demands as well as the preferences of the consumers are immensely fluctuating, quality management helps tourism businesses to overcome these worsening situations by a certain extent. It would be vital to mention in this regard that the customers belonging to this modern day context are much concerned towards obtaining better quality of products and services; rather than considering prices of the same. In this similar context, businesses of modern tourism based organisations tend to focus more on quality management as an imperative aspect

Lisbon Treaty for the Working of the European Union (EU) Essay

Lisbon Treaty for the Working of the European Union (EU) - Essay Example This growth in the number of members is primarily attributed to reasons that vary from being conducive in nature, to security issues, while some scholars have even suggested standardised or digressive reasons for the rise in the number of member states of EU (McAllister, 2010). To enhance understanding, trust, and collaboration amongst the members, various treaties have been devised from time to time related to regional policies on economy and trade, immigration policies, social policies, defence polices, and home and justice affairs. Some such treaties were Treaty of Rome (1957), Treaty of Maastricht (1992), Treaties of Nice (2001), the treaty that tried establishing a European Constitution and failed in 2004, and lastly the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007 (made effective in 2009). The 2004 and 2007 treaties created a great deal of controversies, and many experts claimed that the last two treaties were aimed primarily at creating a collaborative European superpower. However, the supporters for these treaties contended that these were aiming at making way for a larger EU in the 21st  century (Church and Phinnemore, 2010). ... The critics point out the body’s lack of power within the arena of global or regional politics, and for this reason the body has been often labelled as ‘soft power’ (Fioramonti, and Lucarelli, 2008, 193-210). In the context of security issues, EU as a body is often perceived as being irresolute, ineffective, and inconsistent (ibid). Even though there is no doubt that a war between the any of the members of EU is unthinkable, the body’s response during an on-going war in the neighbourhood, in terms of ‘crisis management,’ has not been very effective, and the Union is still perceived as weak, in terms ‘unity’ amongst its members (Gilbert 2008, 641-658). In this context, to understand whether the Lisbon Treaty (LT) would really work towards creating a stronger union amongst the member states, it is necessary to examine the treaty from close quarters. The representatives from the 27 EU member states signed the Treaty of Lisbon on 18th December 2007, which modified the Treaty establishing the European Community (TEC) and the Treaty on European Union (TEU). There are seven Articles under the Treaty of Lisbon, where the modifications to TEC and TEU are listed under Articles 1 and 2 (Amendments to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty Establishing the European Community, 2007). Under Articles 3-7, we find that there are provisions for treaty duration, the process of ratification, and article renumbering (ibid). This is unlike the 2004 Treaty, which attempted to establish a European Constitution, and remained ineffective owing to negative referendum votes cast by Netherlands and France. The Lisbon Treaty however retrains itself from trying to replace any of the treaties

How to develop a teaching plan for diabetes management for nurses Essay

How to develop a teaching plan for diabetes management for nurses - Essay Example Their teaching plan need proper customizations to this population and find ways that will help evaluate and monitor the program. Create a needs assessment survey Needs assessment survey briefly is a way of asking a group of a selected population what they see as the most important needs of that group. The analysis of the survey results are then used in guiding the future actions of the nurses. Generally, the needs most rated are therefore, addressed first depending on the available resources thus taking different forms. The resources will determine which type of survey to be carried out, such as informal methods for example, asking around in the community, friends, or postal carriers (Franz, 2001). Information is also retrieved from local hospitals where several people get their diagnosis, additionally it can also take the form of a professional-written survey, and then it is emailed to several people. Moreover, a need assessment survey have some common characteristics, for example, they have pre-set list of questions to be answered by the willing people, they also have a pre-determined sample of the number of participants to answer these questions. Finally, the results of the survey are then tabulated, summarized, dispersed, discussed, and then used (Funnell, Brown, Childs, Haas, Hosey, Jensen, & Weiss, 2009). In this case, the need assessment survey will be done on a small town population where the purpose will be to develop a program for the diabetic population in the effort to educate them on self-management. Therefore, the objective of the survey is getting to know the needs of diabetic patients also how the nurses can help them cope with their changing lifestyle. The first thought of this project is what the nurses can do to evaluate the needs of the targeted group and implement them appropriately in the proposed program. The first step will be compiling a list of relevant questions and relevant topics that would be useful in the assessment. This will ens ure that the targeted group provided the required information in the assessment (Funnell, Brown, Childs, Haas, Hosey, Jensen, & Weiss, 2009). The other step is developing, for example, a questioner that will be provided to the targeted group and then distributed to the citizens of the town. Included with the assessment is an information page about the survey also a page for the residents of the town to fill if they were interested in the next part of the program. After the responses from the residents, an analysis of the results will be done to display the resident’s view. This will help learn how the program will be funded financially, how it will be managed in terms of administrators, and how the participants will be selected. This need assessment survey will help the nurses in various ways. First, the analyzed answers will provide quantitative facts about how people with diabetes feel; also, it will help the nurses develop teaching plans for their patients (Funnell, Brown, Childs, Haas, Hosey, Jensen, & Weiss, 2009). Evaluate needs assessment to define areas of focus Need evaluation is a commonly used in program planning, where it helps determine which program aspects or activities are the mostly needed and for the specific population. Most importantly, this method is used to help build up new programs or else justifying the existing program

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY - The ways it has been changed Essay

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY - The ways it has been changed - Essay Example There is tremendous reason to expect that the development of information technology will considerably affect the trade-offs intrinsic in various structures for organizing work, the theoretical basis for these changes remains badly understood. According to the website som.csudh.edu, in the age of information, technology is in the forefront in the way we work and communicate. Many companies must now conform to the needs of many to satisfy the few. No longer is money the only criteria for companies to survive. Challenges such as global competition, technological innovation and customer service persist more so today than any other era. In order for the companies to exist in the industry and preserve what they can, they have taken a bold step in reorienting themselves. One way of doing this is through the use of Information Technology (IT) which can be defined as "computer and telecommunications hardware and software that aid in the processing, collection, and transmission of text, voice, and pictorial information" (Lahti, 1994, p. 1). With this technology, I as an employee can do my work virtually anywhere and at anytime that IT allows. The fundamentals of technology allow me to explore many ways of providing accurate and ac cessible information. The organization must form an infrastructure that will be incorporated into the corporations for its survival. Technology has played a most important role in shaping an organizational structure and processes, and is one of the main catalysts for organizational change. Technological innovation in the factory and office has accelerated lately and foreign competitors have been adopting these innovations promptly and effectively. Unless, companies do the same, they will be at huge disadvantage. Many of the barriers to effective use of new technology are managerial and organizational, rather than technological. For instance in my work we are still semi-computerized, we are still using manual operation in some instances, because of that our report used in meetings or for decision making is not updated. This means that organizational structure is directly associated to the usefulness of technology. The terms, organizational structure and information technology, are subject to various interpretations. Management teams in the 1980's keenly anticipated that new technology would answer the organization problems. Information technology, a term broadly used, is seldom defined. Information refers to the use of two or more elements of data. Information is subject to broad interpretation. In most organizations, on the other hand, data and information are used interchangeability. Organization refers to a group of people working together towards a common goal or objective. Structure is the summary of the ways in which a firm's labor is directed and coordinated into tasks. This definition of organization leads to the supposition that there exists a division of labor. The classical organizational model, the Elite model, was constructed over 50 years ago. Some organizations still follow this model that stresses stability, centralization, division of labor, and command and control. Technology has also influenced the organizational structure. Organizations of the past had cultures that reflect the values of bigness, hierarchy, and rigidity, have little craving to upgrade their technological equipment. Because of these unyielding and inflexible hierarchical structures, U.S.

Assessment of the factors influencing profitability within refractive Dissertation

Assessment of the factors influencing profitability within refractive clinics and recommendations for best practice management - Dissertation Example The purpose of this study is to describe the factors that affect profitability within refractive clinics and to examine the relationship between these factors and best practice in refractive care. The study is done in two settings the first being an online platform with 40 participants (n=40) and the second being closed door, eight interview sessions involving 28 participants (n=28) at two private clinics in north one in Turin and the other in Milan. The study was qualitative in nature, and it utilized a survey method to collect the necessary data. The survey involved the use of instruments such as online questionnaires and semistructured interview questions. Online questionnaires were prepared with the help of SurveyMonkey, and sent to the 40 participants who were refractive care patients identified from clinical databases. The questionnaires were designed in line with the research objectives. Overall, questionnaires were chosen as they heightened the validity and reliability of the research through the collection of quantitative, objective data. Semi structured interviews were chosen in order to gain context and detail. They were conducted under 8 sessions at the two private clinics that were used for the study. The results for both surveys were centrally analyzed in regards to the findings in the literature review. The findings for the online survey revealed that the participants strongly consider two key factors when making their choice attend refractive clinics. These factors include management, where they showed strong consideration for private clinics. The other factor was technology superiority whereby they would first assess the clinics and later consider the one with better technology. For the interview sessions, the results indicated that the top five factors of importance were as following. Technological Superiority, friendly and professional staff, trust in the service, organisational culture, and personal and individual service in the order of sup eriority starting with most important. To conclude the research reflects upon the importance of a consideration of organisational factors in order to enhance profitability. Moving away from a sole financial perspective, this research has promoted the importance of a patient centric approach and the use of relationships to build perceptions and expectations of quality of care. Table of Contents Table of Contents 4 Chapter One: Introduction 6 Chapter Two: Background and Literature Review 10 2.1.2 Refractive Surgery 12 2.1.3 Alternative technologies 12 2.2 Background on Profitability in Refractive Care 14 2.2.2 Patient Economics 16 2.2.3 Prospective Patient Demographics 17 2.2.4 The Refractive Surgery Patient Pool 21 2.2.5 Procedure Pricing 24 2.2.6 Relationships between Demand and Economic Conditions 25 2.2.7 Penetration Rates and Available Market 25 2.2.8 Refractive Surgery Centers Concentrated in Metro Areas 26 2.2.9 Competition 27 2.2.10 Michael Porter 5 forces analysis on refracti ve market 28 2.3 Motivations for refractive surgery 30 2.4 Marketing perspectives: experiential marketing 30 2.5 Satisfaction in the healthcare sector 31 2.6 Organisational Culture 33 2.7 Leadership 34 2.8 Organisational capabilities 35 2.9 Current research and summary 36 Chapter Three: Methodology 37 3.1 Research Methodology and Design 37 3.2 Research Philosophy 38 3.3 Research Ethics 38 3.3.1 Human Rights Protection 39 3.4 Sample Size 39 3.4.1 Sample Recruitment 40 3.5 The setting 41 3.6 Data Collection 42 3.7 Instruments 42 3.7.1 Questionnaires 42 3.7.2 Semi Structured Interviews 43 3.8 Data Analysis Plan 44 3.9 Assumptions 45 3.10 Methodology Summary 45 Chapter Four: The Results 47 4.1 Sample 47 4.2 Survey Results 48 4.2.1 Results from the

Abnormal Deviation in international exchange Essay Example for Free

Abnormal Deviation in international exchange Essay You are a Finance Manager at a company in your city. Your company purchase goods from international markets. You are planning to buy equipment worth AED55 million. You have decided to save the company some money and you have proposed to check the exchange rate for 5 days at www.xe.com for the currency of the country where you want to buy the equipment. You managed to secure two quotations from different suppliers from different countries using different currencies. The equipment is needed in January 2015. Transportation cost AED5 million and is paid in here to a UAE transportation company. The balance amount should be used to purchase the equipment. The transportation of the equipment is agreed to be arriving in UAE on the 5th of January 2015. It takes 3 days to fly the equipment to UAE. Whatever purchasing you are planning should be done in advance to give room for transporting the equipment. See more: Satirical essay about drugs The foreign supplier has agreed to give you a quotation for the equipment that is valid for 7 days. You want to take advantage of the quoted prices. The Equipment is quoted in both British pounds and in Euros. The Equipment is costing BP £860 000 and it is also quoted in EUROâ‚ ¬ 1 090 000. You had a meeting with your CEO and you both agreed to check the market performance of these two currencies and purchase the equipment when it is giving you a competitive advantage. The Activities to do: Check the exchange rate for a period of 5 days and create a table of comparisons of how much will be your Dh50m worth on each of the five days in both Euros and GB pounds. Choose the currency you will use for your transactions. [15 marks] Calculate how much it will cost the company in Dirhams to buy the equipment on the first day of monitoring the exchange rate. Explain the impact of your action. [15 marks] Calculate how much it will cost the company in Dirhams to buy the equipment on the second day of monitoring the exchange rate. Explain the impact of your action. [15 marks] Calculate how much it will cost the company in Dirhams to buy the equipment on the third day of monitoring the exchange rate. Explain the impact of your action. [15 marks] Calculate how much it will cost the company in Dirhams to buy the equipment on the fourth day of monitoring the exchange rate. Explain the impact of your action. [15 marks] Calculate how much it will cost the company in Dirhams to buy the equipment on the fifth day of monitoring the exchange rate. Explain the impact of your action. [15 marks] Write a report to support your decision for the transaction you have done. In your recommendation outline what makes your decision the best decision for the company. Consider every day you were monitoring the currencies, as the day you made a decision and purchased that equipment. Was that the best decision and why? [10 marks] Solution Table of comparison Conversion of DH to GBP 1dh = 0.173796 GDP 50,000,000 Ãâ€" 0.173796 GBP = 8,689,800 Conversion of DH to EURO 1DH = 0.221629 EURO 50,000,000 Ãâ€" 0.221629 EURO = 11,081,450 change Days Value of EURO (+ 1.44) Change in value % change Value of POUND (+0.3885) Change in value % change 1 11,241,023 159,573 1.44 8,723,516 33,716 0.388 2 11,402,894 161,870 1.46 8,757,363 33,747 0.390 3 11,567,096 164,202 1.48 8,791,342 33,979 0.391 4 11,733,663 166,566 1.50 8,825,452 34,110 0.393 5 11,902,627 168,965 1.52 8,859,695 34,243 0.394 Will use EURO as my currency in the transactions. Cost of the equipments on the first day in DH. 101.44100 Ãâ€" 1,090,000 = â‚ ¬ 1,105,696 1 DH = 0.221629 1,105,696 à · 0.221629 = DH 4,988,950. Impact The exchange rate create a positive impact in difference in the price of equipment with an increase of DH 75,300. Cost of the equipments on the second day in DH. Purchases costed = â‚ ¬ 1,090,000 100 + 1.46% = 101.46% 101.46100 Ãâ€" 1,090,000 =â‚ ¬ 1,105,914 1 DH = 0.221629 1,105,914 à · 0.221629 =DH 4,989,934 Impact The exchange rate create a positive impact in difference in the price of equipment with an increase of DH 76,284. Cost of the equipment on the third day in DH Purchases costed = â‚ ¬ 1,090,000 101.48100 Ãâ€" 1,090,000 =â‚ ¬ 1,106,132 1 DH = 0.221629 1,106,132 à · 0.221629 =DH 4,990,917 Impact The exchange rate create a positive impact in difference in the price of equipment with an increase of DH 77, 267. Cost of the equipment on the fourth day in DH Purchases costed = â‚ ¬ 1,090,000 101.50100 Ãâ€" 1,090,000 =â‚ ¬ 1,106,350 1 DH = 0.221629 1,106,350 à · 0.221629 =DH 4,991,901 Impact The exchange rate create a positive impact in difference in the price of equipment with an increase of DH 78,251. Cost of the equipment on the fifth day in DH Purchases costed = â‚ ¬ 1,090,000 101.52100 Ãâ€" 1,090,000 =â‚ ¬ 1,106,568 1 DH = 0.221629 1,106,568 à · 0.221629 =DH 4,992,885 Impact The exchange rate create a positive impact in difference in the price of equipment with an increase of DH 79,235. REPORT ON DECISION FOR TRANSACTION FOR PURCHASING EQUIPMENTS The above transaction was appropriate since it has brought a good comparison between the exchange rate in both quotations AED/EURO. Findings It can be observed that by use of this transaction the finance manager can be able to save for the company. The transaction of this equipment will take less than AED 50 millions Conclusion This method is best used when carrying out official transaction for example which government is involved. Recommendation This kind of transaction should be encouraged since it help in stabilizing the country currency. We find that the effect of exchange rate behave differently in the five days meaning that in each an everyday the currency get an additional value. It hence strengthens currency. References The great Soviet Encyclopidia, 3rd edition (1970 – 1979)[emailprotected] The gale group, IncCassel Guster (DSecember 1918) â€Å"Abnormal Deviation in international exchange,† 28, No 112. The economic journal. Pp.413 – 415.UBS’S â€Å"prices and earnings† report. Source document

Components of Business Documents

Components of Business Documents When is it appropriate to submit a report in business? Compare 3 types of business documents, look at the components of each and recommend the ideal business scenario for each. Executive Summary A business report is a written document, which provides comprehensive information and specific topic for a business purpose. The study investigated about definition, content and purpose of a business report. The study consisted of an analysis of three types of business documents and the ideal business scenario for each, and was based on information collected from a variety of sources: textbook, books and the Internet. Introduction A business report is a written document, which constitutes comprehensive information and specific topic for a significant business purpose. The purpose of a business report is typically used to make plans for the future, assist in decision-making, and propose a business idea. There are various types of reports that depending on different situations such as: informational reports, analytical reports, research reports and so on. The report is divided into two main sections: a Findings section, which presents information about three types of business documents, and a Recommendations section that provides specific suggestion about using each of business documents in distinct situations. Types of business documents Emails An email is considered as a form of business communication that is fast and convenient for everyone to use. They just need to access to the Internet to send and receive documents via emails. Business emails are generally brief, positive and professional. There are various benefits for people to use the email. It is a useful medium that can reach anywhere in the world after few minutes of being sent. With the available of the Internet, it can be connected quickly through laptops, computers or smart phones and can be sent fast to many people at the same time. Beside, the writers can send combinable emails that have text, pictures, videos and sounds. They also can attach documents or other files to the email. Nowadays, more enterprises are using email communications as an effectively communicational tool that helps them to share necessary information with customers, employees, and prospects. However, there are some disadvantages to take into consideration to use the email efficiently. Firstly, it is quiet difficult to discriminate between casual and formal emails because of their similar layout. Secondly, it takes us a lot of time to deal with spam and may cause information overload. It has some difficulty in solving viruses that affect an organizations online systems. Moreover, it can lead to interactive obstacle and decrease relationship building in environmental working. Finally, it also may lead to misunderstandings because the receivers just can read without knowing the writers tone and expression. There are six common types of email: instruction emails, request emails, announcement emails, transmittal emails, authorization emails and confirmation emails. Memorandums A memorandum is brief summary used as a means of internal communication. It provides suggestions, conveys information, seeks explanation and may solve problems. It includes detailed information on routine activities of an organization and is used by many companies for distinct purposes. The body of the memo is a short piece of writing that has numbered paragraphs and contains the subject sentence. It has a specific structure and is written in Plain English to show an actual, objective description of the topic with readers. Memos can be sent accurately to many receivers with just a single click. It provides a snapshot of what is happening in a workplace at a particular point and who is involved in company activities. It is considered as a written record or evidence of communication for reference. Therefore, managers and employees can refer to the memo to solve problems when they have a contradiction. In addition, memos are usually be short and to the point that enable the writer to disseminate information logically. One of the disadvantages of memos is lack of explanation. Because of the concise form, the readers sometime cannot understand clearly about the main content of the memo. It also can lead to the lack of formality because memos provide only informal communication. There are six types of memos: instruction emails, request emails, announcement emails, transmittal emails, authorization emails, confirmation emails. Report A report, whether long or short, shows comprehensive information on a specific issue. It provides specific information that help managers in making a decision, controlling progress or planning for the future action. Business reports play a vital role in conveying information to everyone in an organization. It is necessary management tool for managers to make a decision and resolve problems. Reports not only transmit internal information but also supply important information for customers, shareholders, agencies, suppliers and so on. Moreover, reports are used to develop information base in a company in two main ways: Firstly, day-to-day information is recorded endlessly for writing reports. Secondly, the saved reports will be used for future reference. By these ways, reports assist in boosting a secure information base. Although there is no doubt that reports are useful management tool, they also have several drawbacks. One of limitations of reports is cost of valuable time and money. Sometimes, reports become misunderstanding because it is not interact and the readers cannot give questions and get feedback. The viability of establishing a new salon was considered in relation to two broad areas the mega environment and the task environment (Bartol et al. 2008). Each of these areas is discussed below.

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway Essay -- Sun Also Rises Ernest

The epigraph to "The Sun Also Rises'; contains a quote from Gertrude Stein, saying: "You are all a lost generation';. This proclamation is juxtaposed with the passage from the beginning of the Book of Ecclesiastes: "One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever';. The message of the former quote clearly conveys that the WW1 generation, of which Jake Barns, Robert Cohn, Brett Ashley and Mike Campbell are the representatives, is forever deprived of moral, emotional, spiritual and physical values. On the other hand, the latter passage gives a lot of hope: "The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.'; This statement, from which the title of the novel comes, as well as the content of the whole Book of Ecclesiastes, may be the reason for upholding this hope, the hope given by the rising Sun, the hope of forever abiding Earth. It is a common knowledge that war - "the calamity for civilization';, as the narrator Jake names it - disorganises or even destroys human's inner life, his priorities, his code of values; that war causes a lot of chaos in the way one perceives oneself as well as others; that war deprives man of dignity and (self-)respect. The lives of the (dis)affiliates of the Lost Generation, who have gone through the tragedy of the World War1, epitomise this universal truth. They are constantly coping with finding themselves in the world after the war. It is highly probable that the ethics and morality for them is to be found in the book of Ecclesiastes. The preacher provides the reader, or rather the members of the team of expatriates, with the code of conduct they should follow to find the meaning and the purpose of their lives. However futile and vain life may be, on which Ecclesiastes insists by repeating the statement: "All is vanity and vexation of spirit';, one predominantly should put his life into the hands of God and obey Him. Do the protagonists manage to find any significance in their post-war existence? Are their lives likely to regain the meaning? Will they manage to "put together the pieces of their shattered personal faiths'; (Maloney 188) to obliterate their painful memories of "that dirty war';? Book 1 presents the tragic and hopeless situation of the Lost Generation. All the protagonists belong to the degenerated society of the expatria... ...g life as a constant rebirth, as the "re-entering the earthly paradise'; (Maloney 186) outside the novel, but still within the works of Hemingway, whose crucial message is after all that man can be beaten up, but not lost, that man can be destroyed but not defeated. Works Cited Backman, Melvin. "Hemingway: The Metador and the Crucified." Hemingway and His Critics. Ed. Carlos Baker. New York, American Century Series: Hill and Wang, 1961. Benson, Jackson J. Hemingway: The Writer's Art of Self-Defense. Minnesota: the University of Minnesota, 1969 Kashkeen, Ivan. "Alive in the Midst of Death: Ernest Hemingway." Hemingway and His Critics. Ed. Carlos Baker. New York, American Century Series: Hill and Wang, 1961. Maloney, Michael F. "Ernest Hemingway: The Missing Third Dimension." Hemingway and His Critics. Ed. Carlos Baker. New York, American Century Series: Hill and Wang, 1961. Spilka, Mark. "The Death of Love in The Sun Also Rises." Hemingway and His Critics. Ed. Carlos Baker. New York, American Century Series: Hill and Wang, 1961. (http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/pamplonaweb/riauriau.htm) (http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/LitNote/id-178,pageNum-51.html)

George Orwell :: essays research papers

George Orwell was born Eric Arthur Blair on June 25, 1903 in Motihari in India, which was at that time part of the British Empire. His family was not very wealthy and like most middle-class English families of that time, their livelihood depended on the Empire. In 1907, his family returned to England. His parents managed to send him to a private school in Sussex and when he was thirteen, he won a scholarship to Wellington. Soon after that, he won another scholarship to the well-known public school, Eaton. After being forced to work very hard at preparatory school, Blair lost interest in any further intellectual exertion that was not related to his personal ambition. In his book Why I Write he says that from a very young age he had known that he must be a writer. But, he also realized that in order to become a writer, he had to read literature. However, in Eaton, English literature was not a major subject and he spent his five years reading works by the masters of English prose includ ing Jonathon Swift, Laurence Sterne and Jack London on his own. He failed to win a university scholarship after the final examinations at Eaton and, in 1922, he joined the Indian Imperial Police. This decision was not the usual path that most Eaton students would have taken. Blair preferred a life of travel and action and he served in the force in Burma (now known as Myanmar) for five years. He resigned from the police force for two main reasons: firstly, being a police officer was a diversion from his real ambition of being a writer; and secondly, he felt that as a policeman in Burma, he was supporting a political system in which he could no longer believe. Even at this time, his political ideas and his ideas about writing were closely related. In his book The Road To Wigan Pier he wrote that he wished to "escape from†¦ every form of man's dominion over man", and he felt that the social structure of British Imperialism was that "dominion" over the English working class. After he returned to London at the age of twenty-four, he began to teach himself how to write. He spent most of his time writing in very poor living conditions because he felt that the poor in London and Paris represented the people of Burma under British rule.

Universal Healthcare Essay -- Healthcare Health Insurance

Introduction Universal Healthcare is a system under which basic health needs can be paid by a single government payer. Basic health care needs include treatment for urgent, emergent, preventative, reconstructive, routine, and chronic care. The United States is the only wealthy and industrialized country that does not universal health care, however, does have a publicly funded government health care program for the elderly, disabled, military service, and veterans. Programs like these only cover one quarter of the U.S. population. Universal healthcare can be thought as similar to a single-pay health care system. Single-payer health care is an American term that describes payment for doctors, hospitals and other providers for health care from a single funding source. Under the single payer system, doctors’ practices and hospital may remain private and negotiate payments with the government. How does the System Work? Most countries implement universal health care through legislation, regulation and taxation. Legislation and regulation direct what care must be provided, to whom, and on what basis. Usually some costs are paid by the patient but are subsidized by direct taxation and compensated to the patient to some extent either directly by the government or by some form of compulsory insurance. Why is it Important? It is predicted that by the year 2010 close to 52 million Americans will be without any health care coverage. As of 2004 nearly... ...premiums cost that American workers have to pay every year. Workers who are assured with their benefits will not feel obligated to choose their favorite career to pursue, and their employers don’t have to worry about the high workers’ health insurance cost and not raise their employees’ wages. Moreover, Children of low income family are guaranteed to be protected. Private insurers still exists as a choice for people who can afford their premiums and prefer the plan they are currently having. Although this might cost an increase of income tax, the benefit it brings in improving the citizens health care protection and reducing the unnecessary premium cost will in fact help the economy to function more efficiently.

The Benefits of Attending a Community College

The Benefits of Attending a Community College Some prospective college students tend to overlook the many benefits that come along with attending a community college. This may be because they aren't aware of the advantages or they don't have a true understanding of how this type of educational training can benefit them. Whatever the case may be, year after year large numbers of people opt to go straight from high school into four-year universities.Although that is of course a fantastic route to take, people should also give some thought to the notion of attending a community college. One of the best things about attending this type of educational institution is the smaller class sizes that are offered. At traditional universities, sometimes classes can have anywhere from 50 to 400 students at one time. This may not seem like a big deal, but the larger the class, the less opportunity students have to get one-on-one interaction with their professors.This may not be important to some pe ople. However, being able to contact their professor with questions or even for tutoring sessions is vital to many people. In fact, being able to have an accessible professor can make the difference in whether or not some students pass or fail. So, one of the great things about choosing these types of establishments are the fact that they promote more student and teacher interaction. Therefore, whenever someone has issues, there's a better chance that those problems will actually be addressed.Another great thing about attending a community college is that it costs much less than the traditional four-year institution. This is extremely important to note, especially now that the cost of education is rising and more people are struggling to stay financially stable. Being able to get a good education at an affordable rate is something that is sometimes hard to come by when people choose to attend traditional colleges. The good news is that the average community college allows people to get a good education without having to pay an arm and a leg.Lastly, another benefit these institutions provide is the ability for students to transfer their course credits to traditional universities. In other words, if someone decided to take this particular route and then one day they decided that they wanted to attend a four-year university, they wouldn't have to feel like they wasted their time. There are many benefits that come along with attending a community college, but many people might not realize it. As the landscape of education continues to change, more and more people are beginning to take this route instead of the traditional path.

Social Work Management and Its Relevance to the Social Work Profession

SOCIAL WORK MANAGEMENT AND ITS RELEVANCE TO THE SOCIAL WORK PROFFESSION LAUREN DA SILVA Introduction. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 4 The social work profession †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 5 {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} Definition of management†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. {text:list-item} What is social work management?†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â ‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 8 {text:list-item} {text:list-item} Case Study: Management in One Way Community Services†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 13 {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 9 Appendix 1†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 20 List of Sources†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 21 INTRODUCTION: Management and the study and refinement of management sciences are by no means a recent field of study. Basically, as long as human beings have been organizing themselves in groups to fulfil a common purpose or goal, some form of management has been employed to keep things under control, running smoothly and more effectively. In fact, one of the earliest recordings of a management technique can be found in the Christian Bible in chapter 18 (verse 25) of the book of Exodus where after encountering numerous problems resulting from being the only direct report to millions of Israelite people, Moses decides to â€Å"choose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens† (Exodus 18:25 New International Version). Considering management has been used by human civilization since the beginning of its existence (even if it is done completely unwittingly), I find it rather surprising that management as a field of study has only been in existence since around 1890, when Frederick Taylor developed the â€Å"Scientific Management Theory†, which characterized the emphasis on scientific measurement of tasks and use of highly mechanized, assembly line and routine activities by workers (Very Brief History of Management Theories). From between 1930 and 1950; Taylor’s management theory began to give way to Max Webber’s â€Å"Bureaucratic Management Theory†. He â€Å"focused on dividing organizations into hierarchies, establishing strong lines of authority and control† (Very Brief History of Management Theories) and emphasized detailed, standardized operational structures with very little room for flexibility (Very brief history of management theories). From then on human rights groups like trade unions began to heavily influence governments which in turn began creating legislation which reacted to these inhuman management structures. Human resource divisions were added to companies and it became common to relate the prosperity of the organization to the wellbeing of its employees. Added to this, breakthroughs made in the human sciences fields of study played a strong role in helping management to understand and take into consideration the needs of workers (Very brief history of management theories). So, with the momentum that management as a field of study has gained over the past century and the mark that it has left on organizational functioning (hopefully for the better) as it has developed, it’s relevance to the social work profession is an important topic of discussion. Over the course of this assignment I will be critically discussing social work management and its relevance to the social work profession. I will also use a case study to explain how management influences the effectiveness and efficiency within One Way Community Services (the non profit organization with which I have been placed for my practical work for this year). I will start off by introducing the social work profession as it will be discussed in this essay, specifically within the context of non-profit organizations. I will then define management as it is applied to both for and non -profit organizations and how these practices influence the success of non profit organizations. Then, I will define social work management specifically and its relevance to the social work profession. Finally I will discuss the influence of social work management on social welfare service effectiveness within the non-profit organization with whom I have been placed for my practical work (One Way Community Services) before I conclude with some final thoughts on social work management. THE SOCIAL WORK PROFESSION In order to understand the relevance of social work management to the social work profession, I feel that it is of importance to have a clear understanding of the history of the social work profession, how it is currently defined and the context it operates in. {text:list-item} {text:list-item} When Christianity was legalized by Emperor Constantine the first, the church started setting up poor houses, orphanages and homes for the aged and these were funded in part with grants from the Roman Empire. By 590, the early church had an established system of circulating food and consumables to the poor. In the Middle Ages, giving to the poor was considered part of one’s religious duty and although it was common to give items like food and clothing, the root causes of poverty however, were never addressed (History of Social work – Wikipedia). {text:list-item} As a profession, social work began in the 19th century in America and the United Kingdom – mainly because the poor were seen as threatening to the social order. When the industrial revolution began, the leap in technology and science also led to increased migration to urban areas which in turn lead to increased social problems which naturally lead to an increase in social activism. The settlement movement, during this time focused on the causes of poverty – Research, reform and residence. They provided educational, legal and health services that advocated reforms in social policy. Workers in the settlement movement pioneered the immersement of workers in the culture of those they were helping. Two pioneers in the establishment of social work as a profession were Mary Richmond (Mary Richmond's Charity Organization Society) and Jane Addams (Jane Addams's Settlement House Movement). They debated whether or not problems should be taken from a scientific method (Richmond) or immersion into the problem which blurred the boundary between professional and client (History of Social Work – Wikipedia). The first social work class was offered at the University of Columbia in 1898 and in 1947 Lindeman â€Å"affirmed criteria† by which it could be seen as an actual profession. In 1957, Lindeman described social work as being a profession but on the lower end of the development continuum. Encyclopaedia of Social Work(in SCK 407-G Study Guide 1:3). After a few decades of the increased formalisation of social work, and an increased understanding of the skill it requires to understand people fully and to assist them in helping themselves (SCK 407-G Study Guide 1:4), Spiro et al (in SCK 407-G Study Guide 1:4) describes social work as having achieved a â€Å"full-fledged professional status†. Since then social workers have taken the lead in developing programmes and organizations that have made a difference in the lives of people in need (NASW –History of Social Work). 2. 2 CURRENT DEFINITION OF SOCIAL WORK The social work profession is described by the International Federation of Social Workers as a profession that; â€Å"†¦ promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being. Utilising theories of human behaviour and social systems, social work intervenes at the points where people interact with their environments. Principles of human rights and social justice are fundamental to social work. † (International Federation of Social workers – definition of social work) It is further defined by the National association of social workers as; â€Å"the professional activity of helping individuals, groups or communities to enhance or restore their capacity for social functioning and to create societal conditions favourable to their goals. Zastrow (in SCK 102-X Study guide 1:57) Basically, social work profession definitions all point to people’s relationship between themselves and their social environments, a concern for social functioning, problems, needs, policy, institutions and wellbeing and ongoing interaction between individuals, groups and communities (SCK 102-X Study Guide 1:59). {text:list-item} The social work profession needs to und erstand the contexts within which it works (SCK 407-G Study guide 1:4), and for the purposes of this assignment, one of those contexts is the organization. Social workers hardly ever operate by themselves, in isolation of some sort of organization – most of the time the organization is a non-profit but it not unheard of to find a social worker being employed by a for-profit organization for the sake of the wellbeing of its employees. Organizations exist to meet the needs of people and as history has evolved, people have realized that human needs are better met with collective efforts (SCK 407-G Study guide 1:5) and social needs are no exception, thus social work is also practiced in organizations, particularly welfare or non-profit organizations (SCK 407-G Study Guide 1:5). In addition to this, social worker’s actions are sanctioned and accountable to these organizations (SCK 408-H Study Guide 1:3). A non-profit organization is characterized most importantly by the fact that the people involved for a reason other than benefitting financially (they are actually banned from doing so) and that a non-profit organization usually meets a need or goal of the public or a subsection of the public that supports its existence (SCK 407-G Study Guide 1:7). As mentioned earlier, one type of non-profit organization in which the social work operates in, is the welfare organization (and for the purposes of this assignment will be used inter-changeably with the term non-profit organization). Dealing with people directly The core activities are interactions between the public (customers) and the staff of the organization The results of the rendered service are difficult to predict There are many interested partied involved The organization is staffed by professional people all belonging to organized professions Organizations are highly dependent on their environments. Organizational factors influence how social work services are organized, delivered and evaluated (SCK 407-G Study Guide 1:24) and so it makes sense that the management of this organizational context would play a big role in the quality of social work services that are rendered, the next section we will introduce the concept of management and how effective management of a non-profit organization can improve its services before exploring how a specific type of management (Social work management), is specifically needed for the special challenges facing the social work profession within the non-profit organizational context. DEFINITION OF MANAGEMENT: Management is defined by dictionary. com as being: â€Å"The act, manner, or practice of managing; handling, supervision, or control: management of a crisis; management of factory workers; the person or persons who control or direct a business or other enterprise; skill in managing; executive ability. † (Dictionary. com: Management) It is also defined by Kroontz & Weihrich (in SCK 408-H Study Guide 1:6) as: â€Å"the process of designing and maintaining an environment in which individuals working together in groups, accomplish efficiently selected aims. From this definition we can infer a number of things: Management helps to facilitate & guide the actions of people and the use of resources towards accomplishing a specific goal. Management is responsible for creating an environment in which people can perform optimally – thus increasing productivity. Management can be utilized in any type of organization Management also consists of 4 or so (de pending on the source) basic management tasks which are perfomed in order for every task that is carried out. These basic management tasks are: planning, organization, activation & control. text:list-item} Management has a number of benefits when used correctly in any organization, adapted from Weinbach (in SCK 408-H Study guide1:28) a number of which are listed below: Management provides a structure for employee accountability. Management provides a structure for employee discipline. Management provides a structure for the co-ordination of a number of activities by a number of people all resulting in the accomplishment of the desired goal. Management provides the structures and means for evaluation of employee and organizational performance. Management provides an indication of where the organization stands within the greater environmental context Management structures provide guidelines for employee behaviour Management provides a vehicle for the improvement and expansion of employee knowledge and skills. Aside from the many benefits management has for the organization as a whole, good management is also associated with a number of benefits experienced by employees. Here are a few as listed by Brian Amble (Benefits all round from good talent management): Employees feel more engaged by their work Employees feel more satisfied with their jobs overall Employees feel more satisfied with their companies overall Employees are more likely to have confidence in the future of the organizations at which they are employed Employees have a positive impression of the people in management positions – they believe that the work load is managed effectively and that people in senior positions value the input of all employees and see it as an important contribution to the success of the organization. Employees feel a strong sense of job security Employees feel that their performance is evaluated fairly Employees experience more feelings of personal accomplishment In summary, when employees are satisfied, productivity increases and when productivity is high in any given organization, it can be said with great certainty that the management of that organization is fulfilling its role in making sure that the organization is running as effectively and efficiently as possible, resulting not only in a more competitive organization but an organization that is a better place for its employees to work. WHAT IS SOCIAL WORK MANAGEMENT? Social work management is defined by Trecker (1971, in SCK 408-H Study Guide 1:6) as the following: â€Å"Social work administration (management) is the process of working with people in ways that release and relate their energies so that they use all available resources to accomplish the purpose of providing needed community services and programs. Here one can see that this definition that relates specifically to social work management but that the definition is exceptionally similar to those of management as stated in the previous section in the following ways: Both refer to the co-ordination of people and resources to facilitate the accomplishment of a specific goal. Both refer to the creation of an environment in which an organization and the people in the organization can function optimally (ensuring maximum productivity). On first glance it would appear that management and social work management are two terms which refer to the same thing, but that is not really the case. Although the functions of management and social work management are essentially the same, the difference is that in the case of a non-profit or welfare organization, although effective management is most definitely required, social work management is the ideal. This is because success for this type of organization requires more than just management, it â€Å"requires a breadth of view, rooted in social work knowledge and values† Teichman in Slavin (in SCK 407-G Study Guide 1:33). An article by Mind tools called â€Å"Managing in non-profit organizations†, states that managers need more than just management skills to succeed and that they need a clear understanding of the very specific nature of non-profit organizations (Managing in non-profit organizations). Teichman goes further to state that employing a manager instead of a social worker could actually have a negative impact on this type of organization. Teichman in Slavin (in SCK 407-H Study Guide 1:33). The purposes of a non-profit or welfare organization are best accomplished when someone has a professional social work education and some experience. This in combination with a strong identification with social work values and ethics AND training in management is ideal and exactly what a welfare organization needs to fully accomplish its goals in the most productive way possible (SCK 407-G Study Guide 1:33). {text:list-item} The relevance of social work management can be found when the unique challenges facing non-profit and welfare organizations and the wider context in which these operate are considered. text:list-item} A challenge facing social work management which does not exist in other organizations is the absence of the profit motive. In for-profit organizations the motivation for the existence as well as personal involvement in the organization is financial gain (profit), this motive does not usually exist in non-profit organizations as the organization exists to provide a s ervice to others and if workers are paid employees, remuneration is generally not as high as with for-profit organizations. For this reason it is fair to say that people choose to work in non-profit organizations because they identify with the mission and/ or vision of the organization or because they have other personal reasons for joining the organization (it is important to note however that this is not always the case and there are some exceptions). It is thus important for social work management to understand what motivates their paid team and to use this motivation to increase worker effectiveness and efficiency. Providing incentive that links the worker personally to the organizational mission rather than career orientated incentives like promotion might be more effective (Managing in non-profit organizations). A social worker in management is more qualified for this type of thing because social workers are especially trained in the art of understanding people in their totality and these skills can easily be used in different contexts including management contexts. text:list-item} In for-profit organizations, profit gives an overall measure of effectiveness and efficiency of the organization as it is concrete and easy to measure(SCK 407-G study guide 1:29). In non-profit organization it is not as easy to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of the organization as firstly, each organization decides for itself (depending on its vision and mission) what the criterion are. Social workers have an advantage in that their understanding of human condition and the root causes of poverty and this might help them to quantify a way that would enable them to notice if the services of the non-profit organization in question have actually improved it. For this reason I believe that social work management is relevant to the social work profession. {text:list-item} In a non-profit organization income is not really proportional to how many people make use of your product or services in comparison to for-profit organizations where this relationship is directly proportional (SCK 407-G study guide 1:30). Non-profit organizations need to rely on grants from government and donations from other organizations and individuals in the public for the means to continue its existence (as adequate finances are indispensible for the increased frequency of service provision as well as the improvement in quality of these services). An added dynamic is that non-profit organizations normally cooperate with other organizations (discussed later), but have to compete for limited finances. This means that social work managers need to be very careful when using their resources responsibly, in a sustainable way and at the same time balance donor expectations (which usually involve wanting to see money go directly to the beneficiaries when a lot of money also needs to go into operating expenses)(Managing in non profit organizations). In addition to this social workers also need to master another skill which a manager in a for-profit organization would probably never need. I do not believe that a social work manager would necessarily be better at this task as in my opinion it would not really require skills specific to the social work profession but rather skills specific to financial management, public relations and marketing. {text:list-item} Non-profit organizations are also different to for-profit organizations in that instead of competing with other organizations that render similar services, it actually pays to cooperate with them. This is because a non-profit organization’s situation improves if ts clients are made independent of its services or if it has less customers than its capacity limit. It also ensures better service to the client. Cooperation with similar organizations is a good way to achieve this (SCK 407-G Study Guide 1:31). A special skill required for the social work manager is that of the ability to network and form partnerships with other organizations. This includes the ability to influence these relationships for the org anization’s and clients’ benefits (Management in non-profit organizations). text:list-item} Social work management also has the unique task of managing unpaid staff as in a non-profit organization, volunteers could sometimes out number paid staff. Volunteers need to be managed like any other human resource – staffing planning, job descriptions, performance management and evaluation as well providing appropriate awards and actions that could lead to the termination of services (non-profit specific management skills). In addition to this, a manager needs to manage volunteers and paid staff in such a way that ensures that all feel valued and motivated equally. Social work management is also more effective in terms of this challenge as in addition to management skills which they possess which allow them to create suitable job descriptions, planning the roles of volunteers into the organizational structure and managing them with the same professionalism as other volunteers, they possess skills needed to understand human behaviour and what motivates people, and then using this understanding to ensure motivation of volunteers as discussed in section 4. . 1. {text:list-item} In most cases, there is a vast difference in the availability of technology to assist in the accomplishment of organizational goals when one compares non-profit and for-profit organizations. In for-profit organizations, the application of technology is precise in its application and in non-profit organizations there is a wide range of responses to a limited number of techniques (case, group and community work). The technology used in social work is therefore very vague and imprecise in comparison, making it difficult to predict results and link cause and effect in relation to technology used in social work (SCK 407-G study guide 1:32). The social work manager’s task is to understand the technology used in the profession and also develop means to use it the most effective and efficient ways possible – minimizing its disadvantages and maximizing its benefits. The social work manager is also better suited to handle this challenge as the social work manager spends most of his or her time in professional training mastering the techniques mentioned above and so he or she is in the best position to understand them the most and thus use them most effectively. {text:list-item} Non-profit organizations possess another unique trait in that the climate in which it operates is very often emotionally charged and draining. Employees and volunteers very often become personally involved in what they do and their clients and although this sometimes does mean that they are highly motivated and committed to what the organization does, it also leaves them drained and sometimes traumatized by the situations that they encounter. This becomes a risk factor as it leaves employees demoralized and sometimes even desensitized by their experiences and their productivity decreases. Although workers at for-profit organizations experience some form of emotional distress at their place of work, it is the nature of this distress (usually stress related to the pace at which the organization moves and not the emotionally content of the work done) which makes it different to what is experienced at non-profit organizations It takes a wise and highly competent manager to negotiate this challenge in such a way that does not create a sterile and uncaring environment which at the same time does not create a space which leaves employees emotionally drained and exhausted. This, according to Jean Roberts requires an organizational commitment to reducing the possibility of risk by allocating resources to the identification, analysis and prevention of risk and monitoring the cause and effects of this risk and managing it effectively (Added Human risk for non profit organizations). Social work managers are once again better equipped at navigating these kinds of situations because of their knowledge of and probably their experience with the nature of the social work profession and the kinds of situations are encountered. A social work manager would need to combine the social work skills of empathy and the advanced skills with skills related specifically to management (creating structures and roles as well as allocating resources within the organization) to reduce the risk of this challenge without removing the personal nature of the work done in non-profit organizations. {text:list-item} Just as much as management in for-profit organizations need a strong knowledge of the laws and policies influencing the nature of the services and products that are rovided to the public, so the management of the non-profit organization needs a strong knowledge of policies and legislation that relate specifically to the kinds of services rendered by the organization (child welfare laws, fundraising laws, laws relating to non-profit organizational management structure) as well as policies relating to employment of employees, human resources and income tax laws (non profit specific management skills). In addition to this, non-profit organizations have an ethical responsibility towards improving and changing legislation and policy to better meet the needs of the people it is supposed to help and serve (SCK411-C Study Guide 1:66). Board members and management need to have strong working knowledge of the various agencies and organizations that influence legislation as well as rules and regulations effecting government and private funding – this is most definitely a non-profit specific management skill (non profit management skills). Social work management is best equipped for this unique attribute of the non-profit organization sector. Once again social workers are trained in the knowledge of legislation and policy that specifically effects the profession and the organizations in which it operates. This puts social work management in the position it needs to be in to not only react to these policies by complying with them and making sure that the organization stays on the right side of the law, but it being on the forefront of service delivery also allows it to be in the best position to make important recommendations to how policies and legislation can be changed for the betterment of the profession and overall, to improve the lives of the people who make use of these services. CASE STUDY: MANAGEMENT IN ONE WAY COMMUNITY SERVICES One Way Community Services is a section 21 company, non-profit organization, which focuses mainly on community development. It was started as the response of One Way Community Church to the needs it saw within its local community – the Vaal Triangle (which consists of Vanderbijlpark, Vereeniging, Sasolburg and the surrounding townships). (One way Community Services Brochure). One Way Community Services was started 9 years ago and its emphasis is on community development, specifically in the focal points of children and HIV/AIDS. The organization is proudly South African and firmly believes in the â€Å"purpose and potential locked up in the lives of the people they work with† (One Way Community Services Brochure). They have six core values which they try and incorporate into everything that they do and these are: Unconditional love, compassion, faith, excellence, brightness and fun. Projects which are run by One Way Community Services include Ikageng Shelter for homeless boys, Khanya Khaya Home for abandoned girls, One Way Early learning center, Breakfast club, Princess project, Public Hospital play time and once off community renovations (more information about these projects can be found in the attached One Way Community Services Brochure). Currently, One way Community Services employs five full time staff members 2 full time volunteers. The management team consists of Ellouise Jansen Van Vuuren who is the managing director, as well as four other people from various spheres of the community (Jansen van Vuuren 2010). text:list-item} I met with the managing director of One Way Community Services, Ellouise Jansen van Vuuren who is a qualified social worker who was trained at UNISA. Ellouise fits the description of social work management as described in section 4 and that is why I decided to interview her for the purposes of this assignment. It is important to rem ember that while reading the findings of this case study that they represent the frame of reference (proposition 7 of the person centered approach) and perceptions (proposition 2 of the person centered approach) of Ellouise within the context of her organization (Grobler et al 2006: 50 &69). I have however tried as far as possible to indicate contextual information as such as it could have an effect of my overall conclusion at the end of this assignment. {text:list-item} When asked where her organization would be without management, Ellouise simply responded, â€Å"nowhere† (Jansen Van Vuuren 2010). When I asked her to elaborate she said that management literally makes the difference between life and death for any kind of organization, no matter if they were for-profit or non-profit. She also said that the difference between a terrible organization, a good organization and a great organization usually has very little to do with the type of service it renders but the quality of the management. She mentioned further that administration and management keep the wheels turning in her organization and that one could have all the best intentions and resources in the world but if management was not there to administer them, they would not be used to their fullest potential (effectively speaking – effectively and efficiently)(Jansen Van Vuuren 2010). 5. 1. 1. The benefits of planning: Ellouise said that the management function of planning has helped her organization to increase its effectiveness and efficiency mostly in the area of how they use their finances. When it comes to government funding, the organization needs to submit a financial plan to the department of social development on how they plan on spending the money that they need almost 6 months in advance. This not only helps them to identify the resources needed for the next year but it also forces them to plan their activities and calendar ahead of time too (Jansen Van Vuuren 2010). This means that things no longer happen haphazardly, but intentionally as the organization deems necessary. This type of planning allows the organization to be purposeful about its priorities. The things that they say are important to them and are priority for them to do to fulfil their goals and objectives (as well as their mission and vision) can now happen according to a schedule which allows them to be as prepared as possible for these events – this is because they know that they are coming and prepare adequately for them, and the more prepared they are, the more effective and efficient their services can be (Jansen Van Vuuren 2010). . 1. 1. 2 The benefits of organizing Organizing by a manager at One Way Community Services involves meeting with people from different departments, meeting with the management committee and the marketing team and arranging with them the different activities that need to be done and who needs to do them. Ellouise, who is the managing director, oversees the various areas within the organization and is constantly concerned with the bigger picture and how every department fits in with the others but leaves the smaller details and nitty-gritty’s of running each department or project to the department or project heads. Each project head then has a team that works under them and so this ensures that Ellouise does organizing for the organization as a whole but each project has a team that organizes activities and responsibilities for that specific department or project (Jansen van Vuuren 2010). This ensures (as mentioned earlier), that Ellouise can focus on the bigger picture of the organization in that when she looks at the organization as a whole she makes sure that its meeting its mission and vision while projects and departments are making sure that they meet their own objectives (which contribute to the rganization’s mission and vision). Organizing in One Way Community Services also has an added benefit of ensuring service effectiveness and efficiency and that is because when jobs, time, departments etc are organized, things stand a better chance of actually being done. When things get done, service is delivered and when service is delivered in a certain way by certain people it is also e asier to evaluate which means that it is easier to improve (Jansen Van Vuuren 2010). Ensuring that everyone has a specific role and that departments and projects are well organized also ensures employee and volunteer security in that they know what is expected of them. Ellouise has found that people who are unsure of what is expected of them and how what they do fits into the bigger picture, are less motivated and productive than their counterparts who have a clear understanding of where they fit within the organization and a specific project (Jansen Van Vuuren 2010). 5. 1. 1. The benefits of activating Activating in One Way Community Services takes place by the setting into motion of the plans, people and departments that have been organized. Having everybody actually performing the role that has been assigned to them vastly increases the capacity of the organization. Ellouise noted that when you give somebody a responsibility, you need to be serious about it because a lot of the time people are given responsibilities as a token measure but they do not really functi on in it. She mentioned a simple example of telling someone they were in charge of answering the phone , sending faxes and making photocopies – if you are always answering the phone before that person and doing the faxing and photocopying yourself you are doing yourself, the organization and the employee or volunteer a disservice. For an organization to truly maximize its capacity and in doing so increasing its efficiency, you need to play people at their strengths and let them do what they are supposed to do. She said that if she was the only one doing the work in the organization, there would be no leading or future planning or big picture thinking and the organization would be limited to only what she could do – but when you start relying on other people to do what was planned to the capacity of the organization expands and you are able to do more (Jansen Van Vuuren 2010). 5. 1. 1. 4 The benefits of control Control takes place in 3 key areas at One Way Community Services: Finances, staff performance and project progress (Jansen Van Vuuren 2010). Financial control takes place via auditing of the organizations books which takes place once a year, an accountant on the management team that does book keeping of the books once a month, quarterly expenditure reports, 6 monthly progress reports, all the money that enters and leaves the organization (even cash), must go through the back account and there are 2 signatories and passwords on the bank account (Jansen van Vuuren 2010). All of these measures project the organization from financial mismanagement and it enhances accountability and transparency. This improves the effectiveness and efficiency of the organization because these measures ensure that funds are not easy to spend which means they are not easy to mismanage thus making them difficult to waste or spend unnecessarily. When financial resources are used optimally the effectiveness of the services provided by One way Community is increased and efficiency is improved (Jansen van Vuuren 2010). Control of staff performance is maintained through 6 monthly appraisals and weekly staff meetings. Management also does its best to create climate of trust amoungst the staff so that it is easier to talk about things (Jansen Van Vuuren). These measures enhance accountability between staff members and management but they also allow for the improvement of performance by staff members. Receiving regular feedback at staff meetings and more in-depth, specific feedback at appraisals are done in a very constructive way which encourage the improvement of performance and the development of skills. When staff members receive feedback in such a way that motivates them to improve themselves and how they do their work, effectiveness and efficiency of the organization improves (Jansen Van Vuuren). Measures that provide control for projects and different departments are department heads filling in quarterly reports which are submitted to the management team for review, strict policies regarding the spending of money and accountability measures which put project leaders directly responsible for money spent as well as objectives for each department and project which are determined before hand against which projects are evaluated. These provide a guideline for project leaders and department heads to keep track of their own performance and they know against what criteria they will be evaluated in the future (Jansen van Vuuren 2010). These measures provide both a yardstick for success as well as a means of using that yardstick. When projects and departments know how they measure success they can not only streamline their activities to meet their goals but they also have a means of evaluating their success and determining where to make changes if they are necessary. Any form of evaluation and positive change as a result can only hold positive results for the quality of the services rendered by the organization as activities that are evaluated and adjusted constantly, improve both the effectiveness and efficiency of those services (Jansen van Vuuren 2010). text:list-item} I will now discuss how Ellouise being a social worker in a management position improves the effectiveness and efficiency of social welfare services rendered at One Way Community Services. At the onset of our interview, I asked Ellouise if she felt that as a qualified social worker in a management position she had an advantage when it came to impro ving the effectiveness and efficiency of services rendered at One way Community Services, her reply was â€Å"definitely†, (Jansen van Vuuren 2010). When asked to explain why she thinks so she said that she had previously been involved in the management committee of another non profit organization and being the only social worker, she noticed that although her colleges had the best of intentions, their lack of understanding of the context of community development and how to properly identify needs, a lot of the time lead to money being put into projects which were â€Å"nice thoughts†, but made no real difference to the root causes of poverty or the real needs experienced by the people. Basically money gets wasted on good ideas when people do not have a proper understanding of the theory behind the profession. She went further to say that she wondered how much financial resource had been put into projects that made no real difference in the lives of people they were intended to reach and what kind of a country we would be living in today if management of some non profit organizations had some form of social work training (Jansen van Vuuren 2010). I will now explain the specific experiences One Way Community services has had with the unique challenges facing non-profit and welfare organizations (as mentioned in section 4. 1) and if social work management has been able to assist the organization in improving its effectiveness and efficiency as a result. {text:list-item} Ellouise agreed that the absence of the profit motive existed in non-profit organizations. The staff at One way Community Services are not motivated by corporate money or the ladder or promotion and success but she knows that every person does need money to survive (Jansen van Vuuren 2010). At One Way Community services, management uses principles of the person centred approach like self determination (proposition 4) (which Ellouise learned as part of her social work training) to handle problems that arise as a result of the absence of large salaries etc. They do not beg anyone to stay and freely allow any employee to leave the organization is not serving their needs. They also do their best to hire the right people for the job – people who are motivated by the desire to help others. This eliminates a lot of problems that can occur later. The organization also tries to keep their staff motivated by regular team building, staff meetings, socials and one on one chats between employees and management (Jansen van Vuuren 2010). I can see that Ellouise as the managing director has used a lot of the person centred theory she learnt as a social worker in the interaction with her staff, she however, doesn’t seem to think that her social work training has left her in a much better position than someone in management who has not had training in the field of social work (Jansen van Vuuren). 5. 1. 2. 2 The absence of the profit measure The lack of profit measure has proved a challenge for One Way Community Services management because outcomes of the services that they deliver can be very vague to quantify at times (Jansen van Vuuren 2010). Ellouises training as a social worker has however put her in a position where is better able to identify guidelines and objectives for development projects and departments that fit in with the theory that she learnt as part of her training which in turn fit in with development standards like empowerment of participants and encouraging independence in the organization’s clients. Objectives for the boy’s shelter and girl’s home for example include reunifications with families because the organization understands the importance of releasing people to independence rather than dependence on the organization. Ellouise has also promoted the importance of sustainability within the organization which is also something she learnt to be important during her studies (Jansen Van Vuuren 2010). In this instance, it is clear how social work training can be used by management to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of social welfare services within an organization. text:list-item} The sources of financial support at One Way Community Services include grants from government, donations from members of the public and funds raised by the newly established marketing team (Jansen van Vuuren 2010). Ellouise said that her specific training for social work didn’t really help her in these areas. She agrees that it is a unique challenge that management in for- profit organizations would not have to face and that she would probably not have been trained in fundraising if she studied a management degree. She said that perhaps social worker students from other institutions received more input on how to raise funds and work with government funding but she did not feel that she did. She did mention that just being exposed to the social welfare context as a student may have helped her a little bit but she did not feel that as a social worker she had any real advantage over a manager without her training in social work and that she had to stumble around blindly for a while before she got her bearings and figured out how to go about things (Jansen van Vuuren 2010). I believe that the problem in this instance is not necessarily with social work management in itself but rather the training Ellouise received as a social worker. If I look at this case study in isolation, taking no other evidence from other organizations into account, I would have to say that social work management has not been able to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the social welfare services of One Way Community Services in this specific situation. text:list-item} One Way Community Services has a lot of relationships and networks with other organizations like the Vaal Alliance for Street Children, Over the Wall and One Life (to name a few). Ellouise says that networks play a big part in what they do and that they assist the organization greatly in the accumulation of financial, support and knowledge resources (Jansen Van Vuuren 2010). Once again Ellouise said that her training as a social worker didn’t necessarily prepare her for collaboration and that a lot of what she learnt about how to go about it and who to collaborate with, she learnt as she went along. She mentioned that in her specific case, what was emphasised more during her training was the specific approaches that must be followed and not really the day to day running life of organizations. She mentioned that her practical placements helped to prepare her a lot but in