Information Technology in Healthcare Essay

Information technology has undoubtedly played important role of transforming the operation, management and the overall performance of many organizations. Similarly, it’s expected that information technology would show more or less same impact of results in the healthcare organizations. That is, the employment of IT system in the provision of health care services will mitigate the quality of service provision in the industry. Generally, the term â€Å"quality† is used not in its simplest form but has been used in its complex form, which is primarily meant to incorporate improvement of the functioning of the different healthcare departments together with the affiliated organizations which form part or participate in one way or another in the process of delivering health care service (Berg, 2001). Despite the fact that there has been increased investment in the healthcare industry, recent research has shown that the consumption of IT services/products is far much less in the healthcare industry as compared with the consumption rate of organizations in other sectors. Moreover, the large world population in developed countries or states like in the UK, USA among others access to high-quality healthcare services. While it’s known that not all individuals in the developed nations are well up, the poor and the middle class group experience a lot of obstacles as they endeavor to access healthcare services and their related products such as acquisition of healthcare insurance cover and payment of hospital bills. With the low consumption rate of the IT services by the healthcare organizations in most developed nations, this has led to provisions of meager services to the poor, but it’s postulated changing to intensive IT consumption would mitigate the situation (Fournier, 2003). Significance of Using EMR system There are several reasons for the embracing of IT systems in the healthcare industry. Depending on different perspective of the focus, the use IT system has been used to bring an evolution in the healthcare provision. Like in other industries dealing with provisions of services and products different from those of healthcare industry, the implementation of IT services in the healthcare sector is aimed at bringing an evolution both in the performance and quality of the services delivered to the consumers. For the last two or three decades back, many organizations have put more efforts in the funding of healthcare service provision, in order to have a change from the traditional record keeping practices. The adoption of the E-recording has thus been viewed as major step towards achieving a greater improvement in the healthcare overall performance. The consumption of IT services though is at low rates, the benefit accrued from the few ways in which it has been absorbed is enormous. In the area of medical records and record keeping, healthcare industry is adopting to the IT system to solve the problem of complexity in their system. First and foremost, the utilization of IT systems in medical record and recording reduces the time of production, spaces and transfer duration, thus leading to overall decrease in the expenditure cost of the record management (Berg, 2001). Facility evaluation The EMR facility is a sophisticated instrument which comprises of different parts for the accomplishment of the recording and storage of healthcare data and information. The equipment’s components include both computer hardware as well as software that support its data processing, storage operations and management. The major physical parts of the facility are the CPU together with its accessory components, while the non-physical component included the operating software and the special EMR software, which permit the performance of multiples tasks of healthcare. The special software is an advanced one which enables data entry through use of clicks, reducing the amount of keyboard typing. This means that the EMR facility supports the input of enormous data into the healthcare records with ease. The advanced software not only wires information in the word formats but it also supports the use of the imagery or photographic works, meaning that it’s a complete storage system of healthcare information. Cost of EMR system The EMR system is a model that occupies the least space in data storage systems. Though it has a multi-task purpose, the costs perhaps is at moderate rate. EMR costs are computed from the various variables or components which are needed in the implementation of the system within an organization. The costs of implementing EMR are identified in two classes, viz the purchasing and installation system cost and the maintenance cost. Usually, prior to the installation of the EMR system, the CPU and computer accessories must be purchased. Additionally, the clinicians and physician are without the knowledge of developing the superior software which allows the carrying out of the various functions of data storage and processing. Currently, the prices of a computer range from $ 7000 to &7500, while the software prices are estimated in the range of $`1000 to $1500 which are inclusive of the license charges. The grant installation expenses of the hardware and the software within the healthcare premise is approximated at $ 3500, but this quote is not inclusive of the implementation expenses which incorporates the costs incurred during the adoption of the new systems. A part from the equipment and software costs, other indirect expenses are incurred in the courses of running the systems: the maintenance costs which are at about $ 2000 per annum (Fournier, 2003). Regulation implications The utilization of the EMR systems in hospitals will have great impacts on the regulation and management of information within the healthcare provider organizations. Among the anticipated outcomes is that the use of this system would save time taken in retrieving patient’s information as well as hasten transferring of the information to any other organization or party where it’s needed. By doing so, both insurance organizations and organizations acting as referral healthcare services providers will have broader based of the assessment the patient’s health progress. While this system employed Electronic signatures that are unique, it’s a practice that reduces the risks associated with the heavy use of personalized signatures that can change with time or maybe forgotten. Barriers to EMR systems As revealed in a number of healthcare organization that have endeavored to install the new EMR system in their organization, there are several challenges are generally faced by firms implementing the system. According to the disclosed information, the initial outlay or capital is extremely high to be met within the current budget on healthcare development. The lean budgetary range bars the purchase of crucial and basic equipments such as power backups to ensure data inputs and output operations are not halted due blackouts or brown out that adversely affect the quality of service delivery. Considering that most have workers have been used to the old system of paper work, it’s undoubtedly overt that most of them will be disturbed of the implementation of the system (Miller, 2004). The employment of EMR system mean that much work would be accomplished by a few clinicians and physician workers, a case that actually acts as a threat to job security for some of the employees. To take the full benefits of the systems, it’s very important for the training of the staffs, particularly to empower them in the use of installed system. This calls for the payment of the training service from external organization/firms as the organization has got no training personnel with the required knowledge, experience and proficient of the installed system. The hiring of the new trainers is not ease as their cost falls out of the current budget. The handling of the new system of EMR also demands the use of shared devices such as serves, which implies that the company would have to hire additional staff to maintain the networks and the servers. Fraud and waste issues The implementation of the EMR systems within the organization has the ability of curbing certain problems experienced in the course of management and activity accomplishment. Usually, most of the organization depending on the traditional paper work recording depicted a lot of movements from one place to another. This indicates poor integration or communication between individuals at different departments. Sometimes, this increases the duration of the patient’s stay within the healthcare facility. Thus, the employment of the EMR system reduces the waste of healthcare facilities by eliminating or reducing many personnel movements, meanwhile leading to improvement on patient’s safety and general service delivery. Though EMR systems is appealing way of improving the clinicians and physicians work effectiveness, high risks on privacy and confidence are associated with this kind of system. System hacking together with ease of reproducing the data in this system acts as the greatest threat to the use of the methodology (Miller, 2004) EMR Implementation The following are steps of implementing an EMR system: †¢ Selection of the most suitable EMR to be adopted by the organization †¢ Compose a lead team to campaign for the EMR system †¢ Generate an implementation plan †¢ List/choosing the required equipments and software †¢ Training the organization’s staffs †¢ Select security provider to the data/ information sites †¢ Input the selected data of interest Timeline The first day will be the discussion on the redundancy experienced within the organizations so as to determine the appropriate EMR system. The second day will be formation of a steering team that would work together towards ensuring success of the project. Third will be generation of a list of items: equipments and software that would be used. Then, this will be followed by the installation of the system that would take a bout a week. This will run concurrently with the training of the staff members on the new system though the training will be extended by another week for practical skill acquisition.

Conservative Party From 1951 To 1964 Essay

1) Labour failed to modernise its policies to a move affluent Britain and the party was constantly divided 2) The parliamentary party was split between the Left and Right: left-wing Bevan’s wanted an expansion of the public sector & hostile to Gaitskell, who did not 3) Gaitskell became leader after Wilson and agreed on a social democracy rather than a socialist one, but failed to remove Clause IV in 1961 Labour weakness enabled the Conservatives to avoid the electoral consequences of their mistakes, partially 1) Suez 1956 2) Resignation of Eden Conclusion The Labour party was dominating in votes up to 1950, however that year the difference between Labour and Conservative parties was very neglectful. There are several factors that might have contributed to Labours loss of power in 1951. The Labour government was associated with the period of austerity when people had to overcome rationing and devaluation. Additionally, many key members of the Cabinet were exhausted or unwell. Moreover, they were split internally and the event with Gaitskell that led to Bevan’s resignation in 1951, undermined the cohesion of the government. In comparison to them, the conservative party seemed to be more convincing at that period. The reign of Conservatives began in 1951 and lasted for 13 years, when Winston Churchill ran his campaign for election, and eventually, won. Here were several reasons that guaranteed his success: he agreed to maintain the post-war consensus that kept full employment under Keynesian policy and allowed to enlarge the system of social services. Moreover, Churchill’s second election victory was partially due to the gratitude of British public for being a good wartime leader. Another point is that, Conservatives reorganised the system of internal work and its campaign that was oriented toward gaining of additional votes. Also, they brought young and bright members into the government that made them stand out against old Labour government. The policy proposed by Churchill’s government was Keynesian and it guaranteed full employment due to the increased financing of projects by government and decreased taxation that led to increase of import. Additionally, growing industry, build of housing and development of welfare services guaranteed growing employment and high consumer demand; women found it easy to find a job that gave families at least 2 incomes. One of the important factors was that Conservatives finalised the austerity: rationing and licensing came to an end. However, there were some difficulties, too. Development of industry and services required more people, which resulted in immigration of low-cost workforce from colonies of GB. Consequently, up to 1962 the number of immigrants from India and African countries was about 200 000, that led to Commonwealth Immigration Act. Moreover, depressed areas continued to have the level of  unemployment above average that suggested costly measures to create intensives for workers, such as low interest loans, tax breaks and housing for key workers. But those measures could not guarantee safe functioning during difficult periods, for instance, firms closed as soon as recessi ons started. Winston Churchill was a prime-minister during 1951- 1955, even though he was very old and due to health issues was no longer dynamic. And this period is considered to be successful despite the fact that recovery of British economy was moving at a slow pace than one of Europe or USA. In 1955 the parliament was under direction of Anthony Eden, who worked close to Churchill and coordinated the work of government during his absence. He inherited good economic and political conditions, and it was hard to imagine that in 2 years he would resign in disgrace because of foreign affair matter, the very field area of government where his talent was praised for. His fiasco was caused by the Suez Canal seizure made by Gamal Abdel Nasser that was a strategically important point controlled by Britain since 1875. An attempt to intervene in Egypt with military force in secrete coalition with France and Israel was not supported by US government and would cause heavy pressure and withdrawal of its financial help from British economy. That event was humiliating failure of British foreign policy; and the secret collusion with France and Israel created a bad image for Eden. Harold Macmillan was a prime- minister from 1957 to 1964 and he followed the strategies of his fellow members. He implemented the Butler’s theory to operate a mixed economy and the policy of Keynesianism. The aims of these policies were to avoid extreme inflation and deflation by a series of government adjustments. If inflation rose too quickly, the government introduced measures to slow it down. These measures included, raising interest rates to prevent borrowing and increasing import controls to limit purchases from abroad, with the intent of reducing the trade gap. Alternatively, if demand was low, the Chancellor of the Exchequer at the time would introduce ‘a giveaway’ budget whereby taxes and interest rates were lowered. The Conservatives maintained these economic policies from 1957 right up until 1964. The ‘give away’ budgets were criticised however, as they were said to be attempts to ‘buy votes’. Macmillan also introduced the policy of stop-go, which resulted in stagflation due to Britain’s lack of economic strategy. That indicated the failure of governments to develop  policies that encouraged a constantly performing economy. The policy of stop-go was about intervening of government when consumption rose too quickly. Despite any criticisms, Macmillan (also named as Supermac) created an image of full confidence in this policy and that reflected in increase of his popularity and general public approval. As the result, quality of life improved and people were able to buy luxuries. Macmillan had many qualities that gained him respect: he was decisive, portrayed his confidence through media and delivered on promises. He pulled out of the Suez affair as he knew Britain was not going the way Eden wanted to see. He promised to build 300,000 houses per year: in 1953 the number of new houses achieved 327,000 and in 1954 – 354,000. Finally, Macmillan got rid of the British Empire which saved enormous amounts of money. Though Britain was criticised for doing this, as they were said to be abandoning their empire, ultimately it was the right thing to do as too many extreme promises were made and Macmillan knew t hese could not be kept without risking the welfare of Britain themselves. Also, the empire wanted freedom and therefore it was impossible for Britain to ‘abandon’ them; they were just providing their colonies with the freedom they craved. In 1964 the last prime-minister to hold office while being the member of House of Lords. After becoming a lord he was criticized by Labour Party as an aristocrat, who cannot understand the needs and problems of ordinary families; and he had an image of rather stiffly person by contrast with the Labour leader, Harold Wilson. In conclusion, one might say that the period of 1951-64 was a great success for British economy when it came revived and more industrialized after the 2nd World War. It gave a start for new vision and policy that improved the face of the country with time.

Hospitality Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Hospitality Operations Management - Essay Example Intangible factors on the other hand, include branding, image and reputation, innovations, and market position of the business model within the marketplace. Perishability factors are associated with products that can go bad or be destroyed for being poorly stored or for not having been preserved correctly. 1 These factors influence the magnitude of an investment in order to ensure the target goals and operational objectives are met. For instance, the hospitality industry, especially in cases where meals are prepared and offered to vast customer segments, preservation of recipes falls under intangible factors while the ingredients to prepare the meals fall under perishables. To preserve ingredients, investors are required to finance the refrigeration facilities. In order to protect an establishment from corporate espionage, the business model has to consider intangible factors such as patenting of innovation. Lastly, the fact that most business establishments in the hospitability industry deal with different customers; the services offered, such as accommodation and entertainment, require the presence of assets such as rooms, swimming pools, spas, and restaurants. High Valley Hotel seeks to expand its business scope in order to lure and serve more customers as part of a strategy to satisfy the objective of increasing revenue generation as well as the capacity of operations. With reference to the nature of the tangible factors that High Valley Hotel has to consider during the expansion, depreciation and maintenance of the property are among the most vital factors. The establishment seeks to increase the current number of rooms in order to host more clients at any given time since demand continues to increase. However, in the construction of the desired rooms, quality of materials of use as well as the nature of

Establishing a legitimate business enterprise in the UK Assignment

Establishing a legitimate business enterprise in the UK - Assignment Example A brief description of the type of venture to set up This is a proposal for forming wedding planning company that will be based in London. This company will be aimed at organizing wedding events. The aim of this company will be to ease the burden and hustles experienced by the couples while organizing a wedding event. Through this company, couples can go ahead with their daily activities as the company organizes the ceremony for them. With this wedding planning service that the company, the couple just has to specify their preference for the wedding and the company will provide all the other services before, during and after the wedding ceremony (New York: Cengage Learning, 2004), 37. The other aim of the company will be the need to introduce decorum in this industry that has not been taken seriously (New York: Cengage Learning, 2004), 25. The company will offer an extensive range of services as required by the clients. It will therefore act as a full service planner that handles all the requirements of the wedding from the beginning to the end according to the client’s preferences on color themes, scene, timeline and budget. From the beginning through advice and consultation, the company will assist the clients prepare a timeline schedule for the event to identify the dates and time. It will then assist the client in budgeting for the wedding by advising them. The company will also assist the clients organize the actual wedding ceremony, this will involve activities such as selecting the most appropriate date and venue for the wedding, finding people to officiate the wedding ceremony, choosing the music preference and obtaining all the legal requirements for the wedding to take place. Other services will include contracting other stake holders for the wedding such as florists, caterers, photographers, stationers and car hire companies among others. In addition, the company will also offer advertising services for the wedding through bridal fairs and med ia advertising. After the wedding ceremony, the company will offer the services of advising clients on an ideal destination for their honey moon and clearance of the wedding venue (New York: Cengage Learning, 2004), 64. The legal set up of the venture. The wedding planning company will be formed as a private limited company considering its liability protection, flexibility as well as favorable taxation policies. The company will be registered under the United Kingdom because it will be based there. Therefore, it will operate according to the UK policy governing private limited organizations. The company will be registered to the registrar of companies in the UK for the purpose of monitoring and taxation. In Private limited companies, the owner is not personally held responsible for the liabilities and legal accountability of the company. This factor will be an advantage because in case of liabilities, the most the proprietor of the proposed company will lose is the company and its a ssets. The company will be established in one of the cities of choice so as to serve clients from a wide range of regions and backgrounds. Furthermore, considering the high populations in the cities, there is likely to be more clients there. It will be situated in a presentable place where that will be facilitated with sample decorations, wedding gowns and other materials. After the success of the first establishment then venture

See word Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

See word - Assignment Example Florida Christian School is a well-structured Christian school created by Christian around Miami. The school is strategically located in Miami Dade County and easily accessible by the community around. It is located at  4200 SW 89th Ave. It provides Christian based academic skills and knowledge of Miami and other Christian communities across the country. The school formulates payment structure and competitive fees that best suits the community around Miami. The pricing strategy applied by the institution attracts many parents to offer their children into this institution. To enhance its competitive advantage in an academic institution, Florida offers a multiple child discount for additional siblings enrolled in the institution who live in the same household. In this perspective, a 10 percent discount is provided for each second child enrolled 20 percent reduction to the third child and 30 percent reduction of fee payment to the fourth child. On the other hand, the institution provides an annual plan that offers a 6 percent reduction of the annual fee if payment is made in full by June 1st. The institution is very innovative in establishing promotional activities that increase the institution’s brand name in the community and across the country. In this respect, the institution created a website link that is easily accessible to potential international students and parents. On the other hand, the institution produces periodic journals distributed to parents and other stakeholders. In an attempt to reach into more communities, the institution selected a unique color matching of its uniform with institution logo and other relevant information on it. Concisely, the institution is well positioned in the market to attract parents and to gain competitive advantage. Its main core competence in providing Christian based education and pocket friendly fee

Issues in global business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Issues in global business - Essay Example In addition, if the firm has specialized products or services, which cannot be found or found in minor varieties in a foreign market, then also firms will adopt internationalization and become an MNC. Instead of competing in a saturated local environment, if the firm becomes MNC, it will have access to new markets and new customers. In foreign countries, people will always view foreign products with big expectations, particularly if it is a well known brand. If the MNCs are able to provide superior quality product than the local companies, it can attract many customers and earn good profits. However, the disadvantage is, in most cases, the MNCs have to launch a new and localized marketing campaign, to build a brand from scratch. As the local companies would have been operating for a long time, they will be in the minds of the people, but MNCs has to carry out campaigns and this could take time. There are a number of entry paths available to the MNCs to enter foreign countries. However, the common paths are Direct Investment, Joint Ventures, Franchising, Mergers, etc. Although, Direct Investment will be the favourable mode of entry for the foreign firms, if there are any government regulations against it, then they will go for joint ventures and franchising. Franchising has become one of the common entry paths because franchises have local knowledge and expertise that can be leveraged to a competitive advantage. (Neelankavil and Rai

Reader response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Reader response - Essay Example For example, it is soiled and ripped. Additionally, it is an â€Å"unclean yellow† (Gilman, 1999). After gazing at the paper for a considerable amount of time, she figures a sub pattern shrouded by the main pattern. However, the pattern is only visible under a certain light. Ultimately, the sub pattern transforms into a woman, desperately trying to entangle herself from the primary pattern which resembles a cage. The wallpaper imagery represents the family and tradition structure in which the narrator finds herself trapped. The cage emanating from the wallpaper has been festooned with heads of women who had tried to escape. All these women were strangled in the process of escaping. Therefore, The Yellow Wallpaper is symbolic of the concept of true womanhood. The cult or concept binds and restricts women to the family and home. These parameters were determined by men. The heads festooned on the cage illustrates the fate that befalls women who try to tamper with the laid down concepts that made a true woman. Any woman who defied was termed as an enemy of civilization and God. The imagery of the wallpaper is significant since it highlights or is used to represent the domestic life that snares a lot of women in

Currency Future Contracts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Currency Future Contracts - Essay Example Some buyers and sellers of the instrument used it for speculation. The named instruments are not only used to hedge against unfavorable movements in the value of currency but also in other economic factors such as interest rate, exchange rates and natural calamities (CME group, n.d .). These contacts are reliant on some underlying assets thus are called the derivatives. First, swap is a derivative that involves an agreement between two or more traders to exchange the denomination of their cash flows. For instance, consider two investors from the US and the UK, who have invested in the local government securities. The two investors would agree that the US investor receives the cash flow of the UK investor, denominated in Sterling pound. The same would happen to the UK in investor. Secondly, an option is a contract that grants the buyer rights but not an obligation to participate in the contract, on maturity. On the other hand, the contract obliges the seller to participate when the co ntract matures. Thirdly, a forward is a contract between the counterparts to exchange currencies at a predetermined exchange rate. That is, the parties agree to exchange their currency at a given exchange rate agreed now, but during a future transaction, say after one year. Lastly, a future is a contract between parties to exchange currencies in the future, at a pre-determined rate. The nature of the contract is similar to that of forwards. The only difference is that futures are exchange traded whereas; the forwards are traded over the counter (CME group, n.d .). Have the current future prices fallen or risen? In the recent past, the currency future prices have demonstrated a downward trend. The reduction of the prices is said to have been caused by a high level of uncertainty about the future prices. Another reason for the fallen prices is the deteriorating US economy (CME group, n.d .). Types of exposures Most companies sign future contracts mainly to hedge against the unfavorabl e move of the exchange rates. A volatile exchange rate presents an environment that is too risky for businesses to operate. The risks are categorized into a transaction, operating and translation. A transactional exposure arises from the various trading activities that a company engages in. Globalization has made the world a small village where companies in the various parts of the world are well connected. The process of globalization has facilitated the sharing of resources between different companies. Businesses that operate in the international markets face greater risk of future price movements. This is because they borrow, lend and invest in those markets using foreign currencies. It is from the trading activities of a business that transactional risk arises. Secondly, operating risk is the adverse changes in a company’s revenue elements due to unfavorable movements in the currency prices. For instance, the prices of caterpillar tractors were at one time high in the int ernational market because the US$ gained more strength against other currencies. Other countries had to give up more of their currency in exchange for one dollar. This situation caused the tractors to be more expensive as compared to the competitor’s (Rheinla?nder & Sexton, 2011). During the period, the caterpillar company recorded lower sales due to the influence of the currency price fluctuations. Lastly,

Literacy Essay Essay Example for Free

Literacy Essay Essay For as long as I can remember literature has always played an important role in my life. As a young child, I can remember how excited I’d be at story time each night before bed. My interest in literature carried on throughout my school years from kindergarten when I was placed in the red bird group, which was the group of strongest readers†¦. to high school†¦when I had the benefit of being taught by one of the best English teachers ever, Ms. Irena King. Now as an adult and professional, I am very appreciative of the literary foundation that was laid for me by my family and my teachers. I understand how important literacy is in everyday life. First, as a young child, literacy played a very important role in my life even before I could read. I was always fond of books of all kinds. Coloring books, magazines, and picture books†¦I loved them all. I remember each trip to the grocery store; I would always get a new Little Golden Book. I absolutely had to have the entire collection and would want them read to me each night before bed. My favorite of this collection was The Gingerbread Man. I would sit for hours and look at the pictures. My mother would often encourage me to keep an interest in books. She always kept a subscription of Highlights Magazine for me and I would watch the mail each day in hopes that a new issue had arrived. As I grew older, my love for books did not change, but the type of books I wanted did. I had the largest collection of Sweet Valley High books and was a faithful subscriber to Fresh Magazine. I think that these are some of my fondest memories from my childhood, and I am so appreciative of my familys support of my passion for reading. Next, my interest for literature carried on from my early years to my school years. This was very evident when I started kindergarten. I vividly remember there were different groups within our kindergarten class.

Individual Report on Group Summit Essay Example for Free

Individual Report on Group Summit Essay Analyzing the process and group dynamics involved in the Summit Agenda, it can be argued that each one member contributed specific approaches to address specific tasks and responsibilities given. These then provided the necessary means to become valuable and effective not only in outlining specific tasks and processes but also allow the group to convey relevant information concerning the purpose of appreciative inquiry and how it relates to the educational realm and the professional expansion among educators. Looking at the division of responsibilities, the creation of the Summit work corresponds to three parts which are then given to each members of the team. Under each category, specific expectations are made for each person to pursue and obtain. Such capacity then gives the necessary ability to address the objectives and goals of the course and actively respond to the topic being discussed. Specifically, these activities look into areas of planning, delivering and reviewing of group work. Analyzing the contributions of Mahire, it can be seen that she was the one responsible for creating, designing, and implementing new strategies related to the process of appreciative inquiry. Here, it is essential to consider that careful study and research must be made in order to convey effective information and knowledge. In handling this responsibility, Mahire was very cohesive and targets every vital input necessary to complete specific goals. This then enabled the group to collaborate effectively and cater towards introducing important inputs relevant to the facilitation of what appreciative inquiry is and how it applies within the realm of educational enhancement and development. Due to this, a fair score of 34 points should be given because of the effort, leadership, and direction that Mahire has given to the group. On the other hand, Marlene handled the review part of the group project. Since she was in charge of this process, she had to make sure that the inputs, text, and other forms of information provided in the presentation are coherent with the given objectives in class. At the same time, considerable attention was also given to the manner the information is conveyed to viewers. This is rather relevant because it can help to encourage participation and induce appreciation of the content presented by the group. Due to this, Marlene showed a very meticulous eye over details and justified her role in the process of immersion and application of relevant concepts as well as its proper documentation and availability during the presentation. Due to this, she deserves a score of 33 due to her effort and willingness to go the extra mile despite seeing some problems with regards to the way she handles her work. Lastly, Aziz provided a fair contribution to different processes associated in the completion of the project. He has shown significant responses both as a leader and follower of specific tasks and responsibilities need to be made. It can be argued that I have given considerable inputs necessary to make this project viable and interesting for viewers. Under each category, like my group members, considerable attention was provided in outlining, processing and addressing each problem that may be involved. By having a significant background in the process of appreciative inquiry, it has provided the leverage to overcome specific challenges and recognize new potentials and goals related to the completion of the project. Thus, I consider giving myself 33 points because of the capacity to cooperate and collaborate towards completing the requirements of this specific project. In the end, the group was successful in fulfilling its objectives. Though there may have been disagreements and challenges in some areas, specific attention was given towards improving the capacity of addressing each one’s needs. Due to this, we were able to overcome these setbacks and focus on what is really important. That is why each one deserves credit for their contributions and actions.

The Primary Method Of Maintaining Organizational Culture Commerce Essay

The Primary Method Of Maintaining Organizational Culture Commerce Essay Explain the primary methods of maintaining organizational culture. What can management do to create a more ethical culture? Organizational Culture refers to the shared values, beliefs and assumptions of how members of an organization are expected to behave The values that characterize an organisation. In essence, how an organization functions and gives meaning to its way of doing things is the purpose and function of culture, and this helps to foster internal integration, bring staff members from all levels of the organization much closer together, and enhances their performance. It is sometimes argued that an organizations current customs, traditions and general way of doing things can be due to what it has done before and the successes experienced. Culture is believed to always mainly go through a three way creation process, which starts with the recruitment stage, where management employs individuals who think and feel the way they do. The recruits are then indoctrinated and soci alized according to the way of thinking and feeling of the organization. And the third stage is where managements own behaviors act as a role model that encourages employees to identify with them thereby internalizing their beliefs, values and assumptions. This is why the founders of an organization traditionally have a major impact on that organizations early culture. Also, as much as culture-creation is important, much of the work usually lie with managements strategies in place to maintain the existing culture. 2.0 Methods of maintaining organizational culture As already mentioned, culture creation is one thing and its maintenance is another. Once the culture has been established and recognized in an organization, there are certain practices within the organization that should act to support and maintain it. These practices are deemed crucial to the maintenance of culture and they include the selection practices of management, actions of the top management team, and socialization methods. The selection process includes identifying and hiring individuals who have the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the jobs within the organization successfully. This process provides information to applicants about the organization. With the information available, candidates will be able to learn about the organization and, if they perceive a conflict between their values and those of the organization they can quit out of the selected pool. Also, actions of the executive management team have a major impact on the organizations culture. Most times an organizations executive management team establishes norms that filter down through the organization through what they say, as to whether risk taking is desirable; how much freedom managers should give their employees; what is considered an appropriate dress; what actions will pay off in terms of pay rises, promotions and other rewards. But no matter how good a job the organization does in recruiting and selecting new employees, th ese employees will always find it difficult to be fully indoctrinated in the organizations culture if there is no appropriate socialization and this has to do with the third aspect. In essence, the organization would want new employees to adapt to its culture. Socialization involving adaptation is when the organization tries to mold an outsider into an employee. This action further contributes towards the maintenance of an organizational culture. 3.0 How Management can create a more Ethical Culture The culture-creation stage is very important to any organization. How management create a more ethical culture is crucial to the sustainability of the organizational culture. Like I mentioned earlier, the process of culture-creation is believed to happen in three ways. But in all of these, management plays a leading role. Most times employees behaviors are primarily influenced by the behaviors of an organizations management team. From the onset, management can reduce ethical ambiguities through appropriate communications to the employees, the organizations code of ethics and ethical expectations. This code of ethics is expected to include the organizations primary values and the ethical rules that employees are expected to follow. Additionally, management can provide training on ethical issues which can be used to reinforce the organizations standards of conduct, to make certain clarifications on the does and donts and to address possible ethical dilemmas. It is important that management consider rewards to employees for good ethical acts and likewise punish for nonconformance. These actions of management most times prove successful in helping to create a more ethical culture in organization. Question 2: Define the merits of the Mckinsey 7-S Framework for use as an assessment tool and discuss what you think is missing in the basic 7-S Framework. Answer 1.0 Introduction The Mckinsey 7-S framework is an assessment tool developed to diagnose the causes of organizational problems and to formulate programs for improvement. What this model is saying is that for an organization to perform well, there are seven elements that needs to be aligned and mutually reinforced. The model helps to identify what needs to be realigned to improve performance. This 7-S framework model was first mentioned in a publication titled, Art of Japanese Management by Richard Pascale and Anthony Athos in 1981 whiles they were investigating how Japanese industries had been successful. Around this same time, two leading management consultants, Tom Peters and Robert Waterman of the Mckinsey Company Consulting Firm were also exploring what made a company excellent. Out of the works of these four scholars, the 7-S model was eventually born. After it reappeared in Peters and Watermans famous publication, In Search of Excellence, it was taken up as a basic tool by the Global Management Consultancy Company Mckinsey. Ever since then, it became the famous Mckinsey 7-S Model. This model involves the seven interdependent factors outlined below. Shared Values (also known as superordinate goals) The shared values element refers to the central beliefs and attitudes of the organization what the organization stands for, its core values and its corporate/team culture. Shared values or superordinate goal are the core values of the company that are evidenced in the corporate culture and the general work ethic. These goals are the fundamental ideas around which a business is built. They can also be seen as the blood notions for future directions of the organization. Placing superordinate goals at the center of the model indicates that these values crucial to the elements of all the other critical elements. The companys structure, strategy, staff, styles and skills all stem from why the organization was originally created and what it stands for. This is because the initial vision of the company was formed from the values of the creator and as the values change it affects the other elements also. Structure (how the organization is structured) This element explains how the company/team is divided, how the team members organize and align themselves, the communication lines, and the organizational hierarchy. In such, the structure element refers to the way in which the organizations units relate to each other. It has to do primarily with arrangements about report relationships, line of communication, rules and procedures which exist to guide the various activities performed by various hierarchical position in the organizational structure. It more or less refers to the formal relationship among various positions and activities performed in the organization. Strategy How an organization intends to achieve its objective is very important. Also, how its strategies are adjusted for environmental issues and to deal with competitive pressure is equally important. Strategy here refers to plans for the allocation of a firms scarce resources over time to reach desired goals. Strategies are long-term objectives of the organization devised to maintain and build competitive advantage over the competition. Style (style of leadership adopted in an organization) The style of leadership in any organization is also crucial to the success of that organization. This specifically refers to the cultural style of the organization and how key managers behave to achieving the organizational goals. It is the pattern of the management team and the tool they use to bring about organizational changes. Staff (employees and their general capabilities) Also important is the staffing issue. This refers to the number and type of personnel used by the organization. Staffing is the process of acquiring human resources for the organization and assuring that they have the potential to contribute to the achievement of the organizational goals. It involves the selection, placement, training and development of appropriate and qualified employees. Systems It is always important to consider the systems that run an organization as vital in the 7-S model. This shows the procedures, processes and routines that characterize how the work is done in the organization. Every organization has a system of operation. It refers to the rules, regulations, procedures that compliment the organization structure. Depending on the size and type of organization, there could be financial system, recruitment, promotion and performance appraisal system, capital budgeting system, training and development system, information system, etc. Skills Skills specifically points out to the distinctive capability of the personnel or the organization as a whole. The strongest skills represented within the company can make a difference in its success. It is important to know whether the current employees/team members have the ability to do the job as expected and how are the skills monitored and assessed to determine whether there are gaps. 2.0 The Seven Elements Categorized As already stated above, the Mckinsey 7-S Model involves seven interdependent factors, which can be categorized as either Hard or Soft elements (see table below). Hard Elements Soft Elements Systems Staff Strategy Shared Values Structure Skills Style 2.0 What is missing in the 7-S Model A careful study of the Mckinsey 7-S Model reveals that it only provides an internal analysis of an organization. That means, the external environment is not mentioned in the 7-S model. Question 3: How can you personally reduce prejudice in this world? Discuss the problems of prejudice in the work place and provide one example of how you can change this. Answer 1.0 Introduction Prejudice refers to a situation where one makes a basic facts are available. It is a discriminatory attitude that keeps people from dealing with a person or a situation objectively. That is, it blocks your objectivity and causes you to see things not as they are. Today, prejudice in any form, racial or social, is destructive and costly to society and hence every effort must be made to reduce it if not eliminate it. 2.0 How we can personally reduce Prejudice in this world There are many ways we can direct efforts to reducing prejudice in the world. Each of us personally have a responsibility to confront prejudice wherever we sense it and do in our own little way to reduce the level of discrimination in our societies. From the above definition, we can start the job by asking certain questions about ourselves, and quiet literally creating a checklist to challenge our own values and views. Whenever we are tempted with this vice, we must pause to ask ourselves the following questions: Is this true? Area all the facts available? Am I over generalizing? Am I focusing on one or two negative aspects instead of considering the whole picture? Am I labeling this group or person unfairly? One will realize at the end of it all that by just making the first step of looking at and questioning the common sense views we hold about people, groups and cultures would be a major step forward in opening our eyes to our own levels of prejudice and challenging the pre-conceptions we hold. There are many other methods of approaching the reduction of prejudicial behavior. One of these has to do with tolerance, which more or less is the appreciation of diversity and the ability to live and let others live. Tolerance refers to our ability to exercise a fair and objective attitude towards those whose opinions, practices, religion, nationality and so on differ from ones own. The approach here is that as individuals, we must continually focus on being tolerant of others in their daily lives. Individuals with religious beliefs can reduce prejudice if they stop following intolerant teachings of religious texts. One example of how we can reduce prejudice in this regard is by reducing our own prejudices thereby reducing prejudice in our communities. Also, our exposure to other cultures, or rather our lack of it, greatly influences our understanding of what is normal behavior and what is not. The fact is that people who strongly identify with their group and have limited exposure to different cultures, people and culture are more likely to consider the values of other groups as alien and therefore be prejudice against them. As an example of how we can help reduce prejudice in this world, we must endeavor to tolerate other cultures that are alien to ours. Others believe that we must try to live as compassionate as possible without sacrificing our principles. 3.0 The problems of prejudice in the work places There are many problems associated with prejudice in our work places. These problems range from racial discrimination to other social issues. In the case of social prejudice, it kills motivation and raises overhead cost of a business. This could be in different forms such as, I am better than them, I come from a better neighborhood, I have a better education and authority and therefore I must make all the decisions, etc. Racial or social prejudice carries a heavy price, lowers efficiency and increases overhead cost. Racial prejudice is more prominent in western countries. In mot cases prejudice create barriers between white-collar and blue-collar employees. One of the harmful things about prejudice in work places is that it kills communications, innovations and many other good attributes that drives a business to success. For instance, departments will limit communication with other departments; craftsmen will consider production workers of low intelligence to name two. At each level, people believe lower levels have low capabilities and this becomes the mindset of the organization. Self-fulfilling prophecy proves everyone right. 3.1 Example of how we can change the problem of prejudice in our work places Lets consider and incident that occurs in one of the outlets of the organization I am working for. It is a health service provider unit that supports health insurance scheme operating in a division within my organization. A patients chart was labeled High Risk in respect of HIV infection and made clearly visible to other patients and other members of staff, an action that the management of our company actually frowned at. On further investigation, we found out that the information had only been put on display because the man was known to be homosexual and so thought of as being at risk from HIV. Everybody, including the nurses started behaving strangely to the patient and in a discriminatory way even before we realized the truth about the matter. I publicly reached out and started encouraging the patient even before I knew the facts. I engaged the patients and it was through this I came to realize that the man was a homosexual and with such information I decided to push for investiga tion on the matter. With this effort the truth was revealed. In another instance, one of our frontline staff at the customer service department had refused to give one of our customers an appropriate attention whilst the man was requesting for his pension payment. Upon inquiry the staff replied to me that he knows the man and that he is a drunker who does not deserve to be treated seriously. Questioning the man, we realized that he knows what he wants and his rights as a customer. After I witnessed a repetition of such behaviors from our frontline staff, I requested Management to design a comprehensive customer service training program for our frontline staff which includes a teaching on how we can reduce prejudice in discharging our official duties. Another effort I am making to change the prejudicial behaviors in our workplaces is through a deliberate effort to encourage colleagues from other religions and tribes. In the case of tribal prejudice, it is so evident in our company but I am making enough effort to reduce it through the making of close friend from other tribes.

Jean Paul Sartres Writing - No Exit Essay -- essays research papers

Jean Paul Sartre’s Philosophical Writing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jean Paul Sartre personally believed in the philosophical idea of existentialism, which is demonstrated in his play No Exit. His ideas of existentialism were profoundly outlined in the play. Based on the idea that mental torture is more agonizing than physical, No Exit leaves the reader with mixed emotions towards the importance of consequences for one’s acts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Set in Hell, the vision of the underworld is nothing the characters imagined as they are escorted to a Second Empire styled hotel. This is all ironic, in the fact that Sartre never believed in perdition. He uses this fictitious place to persuade his audience. Hell is used as a foundation to prove his point. The characters, Garcin, Inez, and Estelle, are all brought together by some kind of complicated design that they try to unveil. Each character has a story and a reason for their damnation, but what they look for is an answer for their presence with each other. Garcin, a journalist and pacifist that took 12 to the chest, was the first to attempt to mend matters in the room. His idea to be courteous to one another is later contradicted when he begins to fight with Inez. Estelle, a self-absorbed instigator, appears to suffer from denial.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As these three people sit and argue about their past, their visions of life on earth are gradually fading. When they see how things are not going as the...

Household Fuel Project :: essays research papers

The UNJLC mission to the greater Darfurs and assessment of UN/NGO interest and commitment to launch an ITDG project promoting manufacture of fuel-efficient stoves from locally available organic materials by IDP camp women thus, reducing firewood consumption by 40%, has been concluded. Project proposal development responsibility were delegated to the Fuel and Energy Development Groups (F&EWD) established during the mission's visit to El Fasher, Nyala and Geneina comprising a cross section of UN and NGO partners. UNJLC and ITDG Khartoum organization management, structure and process flow discussions were concluded since the last bulletin-reporting period resulting in a formalized and systems approach that demarcates service provider and NGO stakeholder responsibility levels and assists F&EWGs in development of geographic specific project proposals, which thereafter will be forwarded by the field directly to ITDG Khartoum for compilation and presentation to DFID in accordance with donor conditions. Preliminary dissemination of road-map guidelines coinciding with inter-agency meeting in El Fasher are undergoing final revision for broad electronic dissemination to all locations by 23 September. Other significant contributions include the launching of an F&EWG inter-agency 100 household surveys in Nyala comprising World Vision, as focal point covering Kalma and Otash camps. Save the Children UK will commence survey work in Manawashe, Mushing and Duma while IRC covers Kass. Surveys are based upon data standardization mission recommendations and will capture trend information (i.e. distances currently travelled by women collecting firewood compared with 3 months ago) and gender based threat data (incidence, periodicity of risk/threat factors) and solicits GBV risk/mitigation recommendations from respondents. Data capture fields of wood fuel consumption, access, collection methods, meals preparation related to fuel availability supplement the survey's format. 13 UN and NGO partners forming the consortium of F&EWG with HelpAge nominated as focal point are concurrently carrying out a similar 100 household survey in Geneina.

Pakistan and modern concept of rule of law Essay

Aristotle said more than two thousand years ago, â€Å"The rule of law is better than that of any individual.† The notion of the â€Å"rule of law† stems from many traditions and continents and is intertwined with the evolution of the history of law itself. The Code of Hammourabi, promulgated by the King of Babylon around 1760 BC, is one of the first examples of the codification of law, presented to the public and applying to the acts of the ruler. In the Arab world, a rich tradition of Islamic law embraced the notion of the supremacy of law. Core principles of holding government authority to account and placing the wishes of the populace before the rulers, can be found amid the main moral and philosophical traditions across the Asian continent, including in Confucianism. In the Anglo-American context, the Magna Carta of 1215 was a seminal document, emphasizing the importance of the independence of the judiciary and the role of judicial process as fundamental characteristics of the rule of law. In continental Europe notions of rule of law focused on the nature of the State, particularly on the role of constitutionalism. Rule of law is classical principle of administrative law. As a matter of fact this principle was one of the principles that acted as impediment in development of Administrative Law principles. The irony further is that the rule of law is now an important part of modern Administrative Law. Whereas the rule of law is still the one of the very important principles regulating in common law countries and common law derived countries modern laws has denied some of the important parts of rule of law as proposed by Dicey at the start of 19th Century. DICEY’s RULE OF LAW: As mentioned above the concept of rule of law backs to the time of Aristotle. Aristotle ruled out the concept of rule under discretion by all means and tried to convey his followers that given the choice it is always rule of law that scores over rule of discretion. Though Sir Edward Coke was the originator of this concept, but Dicey developed this theory. Now it is popularly known as Dicey’s theory of Rule of Law. It is also known as the Traditional concept of rule of law. According to Dicey, this doctrine has three meanings: i) Supremacy of Law ii) Equality before law iii) Predominance of legal spirit SUPREMACY OF LAW: Rule of law in this sense means the absolute supremacy of regular law as opposed to the influence of arbitrary power or wide discretionary power. Dicey says, Wherever there is discretion, there is room for arbitrariness and that in a republic no less than under a monarchy discretionary authority on the part of the Government must mean insecurity for legal freedom on the part of its subjects.  EQUALITY BEFORE LAW: Dicey states that there must be equality before the law or the equal subjection of all classes to the ordinary law of the land administered by the ordinary law courts. According to him, there should not be any extra-ordinary tribunals or special courts for officers of the Government and other authorities. PREDOMINANCE OF LEGAL SPIRIT: Dicey emphasized the role of the courts of law as guarantors of liberty & suggested that the rights would be more secured if they were enforceable in the courts of law than by mere declaration of those rights in a document. Dicey’s theory of rule of law was never accepted fully even in his days. Many scholars criticized his theory. He was firm proponent of the concept and very influential thinker of his times. Though the first two principles are still in almost every legal system of world, the third principle was protested many of jurists of that time. The Dicey in particular opposed the principle of French system of  Droit Administratiff. England at that time was in fact propounding some quasi legislative and quasi judicial processes which were taken cognizance of English thinkers of that time; still the whole common law system of country was blindfolded with the Dicey’s philosophy of â€Å"rule of law.† MODERN CONCEPT OF RULE OF LAW Recent attempts to formalize its meaning have drawn on this rich history of diverse understandings. The modern conception of the rule of law has developed as a concept distinct from the â€Å"rule of man†, involving a system of governance based on non-arbitrary rules as opposed to one based on the power and whim of an absolute ruler. The concept of rule of law is deeply linked to the principle of justice, involving an ideal of accountability and fairness in the protection and vindication of rights and the prevention and punishment of wrongs. Long before the United Nations, States were working towards a rule of justice in international life with a view to establishing an international community based on law. SEVEN MODERN PRINCIPLE MEANING OF RULE OF LAW Davis gives seven principal meanings of the term Rule of Law  which is known as Modern concept of Rule of Law. These are as follows: i) Maintenance of Law & order. ii) Existence of fixed rules iii) Elimination of discretion where it is not necessary iv) Following due process of law or fairness v) Observance of the principles of natural justice vi) Preference for Judges and ordinary courts of law to executive authorities & administrative tribunals vii) Judicial review of administrative actions. MODERN RULE OF LAW DEFINED IN INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTS. Today, the concept of the rule of law is embedded in the Charter of the United Nations. In its Preamble, one of the aims of the UN is â€Å"to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained†. A primary purpose of the Organization is â€Å"to maintain international peace and security†¦ and to bring about by peaceful means, and in conformity with the principles of justice and international law, adjustment or settlement of international disputes or situations which might lead to a breach of the peace.† The Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948, the historic international recognition that all human beings have fundamental rights and freedoms, recognizes that â€Å"†¦ it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law†¦Ã¢â‚¬  FOR THE UN, THE SECRETARY-GENERAL DEFINES the rule of law as â€Å"a principle of governance in which all persons, institutions and entities, public and private, including the State itself, are accountable to laws that are publicly promulgated, equally enforced and independently adjudicated, and which are consistent with international human rights norms and standards. It requires, as well, measures to ensure adherence to the principles of supremacy of law, equality before the law, accountability to the law, fairness in the application of the law, separation of powers, participation in decision-making, legal certainty, avoidance of arbitrariness and procedural and legal transparency.† The principle of the rule of law applies at the national and international levels. At the national level, the UN supports a rule of law framework that includes a Constitution or its equivalent, as the highest law of the land; a clear and consistent legal framework, and implementation thereof; strong institutions of justice, governance, security and human rights that are well structured, financed, trained and equipped; transitional justice processes  and mechanisms; and a public and civil society that contributes to strengthening the rule of law and holding public officials and institutions accountable. At the international level, the principle of the rule of law embedded in the Charter of the United Nations encompasses elements relevant to the conduct of State to State relations. The Declaration of Principles of International Law Concerning Friendly Relations and Co-operation Among States in Accordance with the Charter of the United Nations: recognizes the inherent link between the UN and the international rule of law. Its preamble emphasizesâ€Å"the paramount importance of the Charter of the United Nations in the promotion of the rule of law among nations.†Drawn from existing commitments in international law, the core values and principles of the UN include respect for the Charter and international law; respect for the sovereign equality of States and the principle of non-use or threat of use of force; the fulfillment in good faith of international obligations; the need to resolve disputes by peaceful means; respect for and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms; recognition that protection from genocide, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing and war crimes is not only a responsibility owed by a State to its population, but a responsibility of the international community, the equal rights and self-determination of peoples; and the recognition that peace and security, development, human rights, the rule of law and democracy are interlinked and mutually reinforcing. Appropri ate rules of international law apply to the Organization as they do to States. RULE OF LAW IN DEVELOPING SOCIETY LIKE PAKISTAN: IN developing societies, the rule of law is often slaughtered at the altar of discretion and personal whims. However, governance, peace, investment and development are interlinked with the extent of the rule of law in a society.Where the rule of law exists the government and its functionaries are accountable. Due care is exercised to ensure that no single organ of the state becomes omnipotent. Mere legislation alone is not enough. Public consent strengthens the rule of law. Laws not synchronized with social and cultural values result in low acceptance. Awareness regarding the law not only empowers but also improves enforcement. In the developing world, the public tends to narrowly interpret the rule of law. In Pakistan, evidence  abounds of how the law is bent or broken, with society suffering as a consequence. Misappropriation of public money, sale of spurious medicines, issuance of fake degrees, non-payment of taxes and loans are but a few examples of lawlessness in Pakistan. In a democratic society the rule of law reflects the quality of governance. Weak enforcement of the law provides space to criminals and terrorists to further their aims. For example in Karachi, the country’s biggest city, the Supreme Court has taken notice of the existence of ‘no-go areas’. The presence of gangs in the Lyari area is another challenge for the Karachi police. Such groups patronize extortion, as well as the proliferation of weapons and drugs. Though we are an energy-starved country, the theft of electricity and gas is considered normal practice. For example, illegal gas connections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Karak district have touched alarming levels. The district is said to be a defaulter of Rs210m. Our tax laws provide exemptions to certain sectors, such as agriculture. According to a media report only 0.81 million people filed tax returns during 2011-12, despite the fact that some 3.39 million people possessed National Tax Numbers. â€Å"Only 0.6pc of the population pays taxes in Pakistan, as against 4.7pc in India, 58pc in France and 80pc in Canada,† the report observes. The easy availability of weapons and explosives is another grave issue badly affecting peace in the country. According to an estimate 20 million illegal weapons pose a serious threat to national security. However, deweaponization based on zero tolerance can earn dividends. Balochistan is a province where establishing the rule of law is a major challenge. The country’s largest province, as far as area is concerned, is divided into ‘A’ and ‘B’ policing areas. To strengthen the writ of the government in 2003 a program of converting ‘B’ areas into ‘A’ areas at the cost of Rs5.515bn was started. But owing to certain reas ons the colonial-cum-tribal set-up was restored in 2009. When institutions fail to protect human rights and dispense justice, the vacuum is filled by non-state actors. The low conviction rate encourages criminals. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, during 2012 in cases of terrorism, the conviction rate was only 4pc. Overall in Pakistan the conviction rate varies from 5pc to 10pc, whereas in the US it is 95pc. According to India’s National Crime Records Bureau data, in that country during 2012 the conviction rate was 38.5pc. The rule of law requires balance between rights and responsibilities, where no one is above the law —  including the government. The Constitution guarantees fundamental rights and everyone is supposed to have access to justice, including the accused. In our context judicial activism and a free media have enhanced the understanding of human rights. From September 2012 to September 2013, 45,040 complaints were filed with the Human Rights Cell of the SC. Yet delayed justice erodes the public’s confidence in the system. For example in 2012 there were 107,088 cases pending in 437 courts of Sindh alone. Reluctance of the witnesses to testify speaks to the defects in the system. The rule of law requires a human-friendly correctional system, having the capacity to correct human behavior. But Pakistan’s overcrowded jails only end up creating more hardened criminals. RULE OF LAW UNDER CONSTITUTION OF ISLAMICE REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN 1973 In the constitution of Pakistan 1973 the principle of rule of law was embodied in shape of article 4 which though is not a part of the fundamental Rights however provides better safe guard to the individual as even in the emergency this right to be dealt in accordance with law is not suspended. As it was held in Jamal Shah Case PLD 1966 SC 1. According to Kaikas Justice Article 4 prevents the Government from taking any action in their country for which there is no legal sanction and it at the same time debars the legislature from creating an authority whose actions are not subject to law. It was also held in Mir Ali Nawaz Bugti vs. Superintendent Jail PLD 1966 sc 357 , 360 It is intended to negative any claim by the Government that any category of its acts in relation to citizens and other persons in paksitan are not subject to law at all In Brig. Imtiaz Ahmad vs Govt. of Pakistan 1994 SCMR 2142, 2160. It was sought to be argued that the Appellant the former director Intelligence Bureau who had challenged the registration of some criminal cases against him was not an ordinary man, the supreme court thought it necessary to recall for the benefit of all concerns that â€Å" the law makes no difference between great and petty officers ; thank God they all are amenable to justice. In Federation of Pakistan vs. Ghulam Mustafa Khar PLD 1989 SC 26, 53 It was held that so predominant is the position of Article 4 in the constitution that it furnishes the only Guarantee assurance to the citizen  when the fundamental rights are suspended.in a ay the Article confers a right which is more basic then fundamental rights because while the fundamental rights can be suspended the right given in Article 4 cannot be. In Manzoor Ellahi vs. federation of Pakistan PLD 1975 SC 66 it was held that Pakistan is governed Rule of Law as as embodied in Article 4 and 5 of Constitution. The constitution creates no right and imposes no duty in vain. INTRODUCTION OF DUE PROCESS AND FAIR TRIAL IN FORM OF ARTICLE 10-A â€Å"10A. Right to fair trial.- For the determination of his civil rights and obligations or in any criminal charge against him a person shall be entitled to a fair trial and due process.† After introduction of Article 10 A The due process of law which is relatively a wider term than the rule of law has been made the part of fundamental rights guaranteed by the constitution to the subjects of the state. Through Article 10-A of the Constitution which is largely inspired by Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, the legislators have introduced two fundamental concepts i.e. of due process and fair trial. Interlinked as these are, due process has a much wider meaning than fair trial. The history of due process is rooted in the Magna Carta in English jurisprudence and, subsequently, in the American jurisprudence surrounding the 5th and 14th amendments to the US constitution. The 14th Amendment, for example, states: â€Å"No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.† The US Supreme Court has interpreted the 14th Amendment as having created a constitutional natural law that would be available as a protection against the states and not just the federal government (which was the position under the 5th Amendment). In Pakistan the Article 10 A is still under process of interpretation before various court as various exiting laws have been challenged in various writ Petitions. However it can be presumed that the introduction of Article 10 A would be serve as an instrument for the legislature and law enforcing agencies to seal with the subjects on equal footing while law making process. CONCLUSION: For improvement in the rule of law, the ‘enforcement wings’ of authorities  such as the Federal Board of Revenue, civic administrations, PEMRA, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority and the Drug Regulatory Authority etc. need better administration. The media in Pakistan, especially the electronic media, has the potential to educate the masses regarding their role in the establishment of the rule of law. Instead, at times, some outlets end up glorifying non-state actors. Improved rule of law in Pakistan requires an improved criminal justice system, especially in Fata, Balochistan, Karachi and certain parts of KPK. Therefore capacity-building and revamping of the whole criminal justice system is essential. Reforming one component will not work; synchronised reforms are the need of the hour.

Battle of the Beers

Case Study: Battle of the Beers Q1: what attributes are the most important in determining beer purchasing decisions? How does this vary by market segemts? The various attributes are Aroma Appearance Taste Aftertaste or finish Aroma A beer’s aroma is extremely important to its overall taste. The aroma determines the purchase decision of a beer. The market segments that use this attribute to purchase a beer are mostly experienced. The experience and the age determine the attribute. Appearance: The process of buying a beer begins with its visual appearance.Many people make hasty judgments of taste (food or drink) based entirely on sight alone. But as far as appearance goes, what you’re looking for are color, clarity, and head retention. The companies need to focus on these attributes in order to determine a valid taste for beer buyer preference. Taste: Taste is one of the most important things which determine the purchase of the beer. The repeat purchase takes place when t he taste of the beer suits a customer. A taste test would be the ideal test to be performed to exactly know what the preference of the customers is.Aftertaste: (Finish) The term aftertaste is not a negative thing like many would believe. An aftertaste can be bad, or it can be good. It all depends on your personal preference. The aftertaste will magnify the good and the bad qualities a beer will possess. These are the four attributes which are important in determining the purchase decision of a beer. Q3: should television networks and stations accept advertising using comparative ad’s? what standards (and do) they use in making decisions? Standards of Beer advertisingBeer advertising should not suggest directly or indirectly that any of the laws applicable to the sale and consumption of beer should not be complied with. Brewers should adhere to contemporary standards of good taste applicable to all commercial advertising and consistent with the medium or context in which the a dvertising appears. Advertising themes, creative aspects, and placements should reflect the fact that brewers are responsible corporate citizens. Brewers strongly oppose abuse or inappropriate consumption of their products. The standards the television networks should follow areBeer advertising and marketing materials should not portray, encourage, or condone drunk driving. Although beer advertising and marketing materials may show beer being consumed (where permitted by media standards), advertising and marketing materials should not depict situations where beer is being consumed rapidly, excessively, involuntarily, as part of a drinking game, or as a result of a dare. Beer advertising and marketing materials should not portray persons lacking control over their behavior, movement, or speech as a result of consuming beer or in any way suggest that such conduct is acceptable.Beer advertising and marketing materials should not portray other brands of beer as low quality and standard than there beer. This technique should not be used only while advertising their product. Beer advertising and marketing materials should not portray beer drinking before or during activities, which for safety reasons; require a high degree of alertness or coordination. Retail outlets where beer is served or sold portrayed in advertising should not be depicted as unkempt or unmanaged.

Hobbes and Locke Social Contract Theory Essay

Thomas Hobbes and John Locke are two of the most influential political philosophers of the modern age. Their ideas on political philosophy, among other ideas, have helped shaped the Western World, as we know it. One of the most important theories that the two have both discussed, and written in detail on, is the idea of the social contract. Social Contract Theory is the view that moral and/or political duties depend on a contract that leads to the formation of a civil society. Thomas Hobbes was the first person to come up with the idea of a social contract in his text, Leviathan. As with any concept in history, other political philosophers have used Hobbes’ theory as a stepping-stone. One of those men is John Locke, who presents a very different account of how it is civil society is formed. Although both men have very different accounts on the social contract notion, there are some similarities between the two. Before putting pen to paper Hobbes had a front row seat to a quintessential moment in early English history—the English Civil War. The war was a dispute between King Charles I and his followers, the Monarchists and the Parliamentarians. The Monarchists preferred the traditional authority of the king, while the Parliamentarians demanded more power for Parliament, England’s quasi-democratic institution. Hobbes is somewhere in between the two groups with his own set of views. Hobbes believed that political authority is based on the self-interest of the members of the society, all of who are considered equal. He argued that no single individual had the power to rule over the rest. He also backed the conservative point of view that the sovereign must have absolute authority in order for society to last without disruption. It is in the rejection of the Monarchist point of view, that Hobbes and Locke find their first similarity. Both authors sought out to refute the positions presented by Robert Filmer’s Patriarcha, regarding the issue of the Divine Right of Kings. Filmer believed that God gave absolute authority to the king. Since God gives the power to the king, political society focused on obeying God unconditionally. Although Hobbes did agree that it was necessary for a king to have absolute authority in order to keep the people in line, he believed that authority came from the people living in the community and not God. Locke’s most influential political writings come from his Two Treatises On Government. His First Treatise is focused almost entirely on rejecting Filmer’s theory. Locke is in line with Hobbes in his belief that political authority comes from the consent of the governed. Along with this similarity, both men also agree on the idea that those people in a State of Nature will willingly consent to coming together to form a political society. They also agree on the belief that people would live in fear of each other regardless of their ability to use reason. Human nature allows men to be selfish. All people have the natural right to defend their own life, liberty, health and property. This fear is what leads many people to come together and form a state so that there would be a central authority to protect their life, liberty, health and property of all people within society. Along with creating the outline for the social contract theory, Hobbes was also a major contribution to the idea of the State of Nature, a hypothetical situation used to show how people lived before the establishment of society. In the State of Nature, life was â€Å"solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short,† characterized by self-interest and the absence of rights and laws (Hobbes 89). Hobbes believed that man was fundamentally evil and required a central authority to keep them out of the conditions of the state of nature. Locke, on the other hand, saw individuals as exercising moral limits over their actions. In order to answer the question of why the people should be willing to submit to political authority, Hobbes uses the idea of a State of Nature. This is a completely hypothetical situation through which he imagines what life was like for men before the establishment of civil society. In the State of Nature, men are naturally and entirely self interested, resources are limited and there is no power that forces the people to follow the rules of society. Men are also considered equal to one another in that even the strongest man can be killed in his sleep. There is no ability for men to ensure the satisfaction of their needs and desires as humans, and no prolonged systems of cooperation among men. The state of nature is a state of constant fear and distrust, or as Hobbes puts it â€Å"a state of perpetual and unavoidable war† (Hobbes 90). Based on the previous definition of the State of Nature, it would seem that mankind is doomed for eternity. However, hope is not lost. Using the power of reason, they are able to understand the laws of nature, which lead man out of the state of nature and into civil society. A Law of Nature, (Lex Naturalis), is a Precept, or generall rule, found out by reason, by which a man is forbidden to do, that, which is destructive of his life, or taketh away the means of preserving the same; and to omit that, by which he thinketh it may be best preserved. (Hobbes 91) The first rule of nature is to seek peace when others are also willing to follow in the quest for peace, â€Å"That every man, ought to endeavour Peace, as farre as he has hope of obtaining it; and when he cannot obtain it, that he may seek, and use, all helps, and advantages of Warre† (Hobbes 92). In the pages leading up to the natural laws, Hobbes describes what it is that drives us to seek peace. â€Å"The Passions that encline men to Peace, are Feare of Death; Desire of such things as are necessary to commodious living; and a Hope by their Industry to obtain them† (Hobbes 90). These are the things that lead people out of the state of nature and into forming a political society. People want protection of their bodies, property, and commodious living. It is through reason that men are led to the construction of a Social Contract, allowing for a life better then in the State of Nature. The social contract is formed through the establishment of two other contracts. The first contract is that they must agree to establish society by renouncing the rights that they had in the State of Nature. The second is that they must choose a single person, or an assembly of people, that will have the authority to enforce the various parts of the contract. The sovereign has the power to punish those who violate the social contract, which leads people to adjust themselves to the rules of their society. In order to understand the purpose of the Social Contract, Hobbes sets forth a definition of a commonwealth, or civil society: And in him consisteth the Essence of the Commonwealth; which (to define it,) is One Person, of whose Acts a great Multitude, by mutuall Covenants one with another, have made themselves every one the Author, to the end he may use the strength and means of them all, as he shall think expedient, for their Peace and Common Defence. (Locke 121) Without a common power to exercise force, society would be the same as it was while in the State of Nature. The Social Contract is considered to be the fundamental source within society for all that is good, along with being the force that allows us to live well. On the opposite side of the spectrum is another major figure in political philosophy, Locke. Locke’s views are very different from that of Hobbes, besides the fact that Locke uses the State of Nature concept created by Hobbes. For Locke, the State of Nature is a state of complete and perfect liberty to live the best life possible, while being free from interference from others. We must consider what state all men are naturally in, and that is a state of perfect freedom to order their actions and dispose of their possessions and persons as they think fit, within the bounds of the law of nature, without asking leave or depending upon the will of any other man. (Locke 5) In this state of equality no person has any power over any one else—everyone is subjectively equal. â€Å"The state of nature has a law of nature to govern it, which obliges every one; and reason, which is that law, teaches all mankind who will but consult it that, being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions† (Locke 5). The state of nature is not a state of license, or a state of authority, in that individuals have the ability to do whatever they want. Although this society is pre-government, morals guide the laws of nature. God gives the natural laws to commands and us that we do not harm others, since we are all equal in the eyes of God. For Locke, the State of Nature is more like a state of liberty that allows the people to pursue their own interests free from interference. It is considered a peaceful state because of the natural laws and its restrictions on the people. Hobbes saw the State of Nature as being a state of constant war, a drastic change compared to the views presented by Locke. Although Locke’s state is predominantly peaceful, there is potential for a State of War. According to Locke, the State of War starts between two or more people when one person declares war on the other. This is usually done by stealing something from the other, or trying to make another man a slave. Since there is no central power to mediate the dispute and the laws of nature allow for self-defense, people are allowed to kill anyone that brings force against them. Without a force to mediate, the duration of wars is much longer and more brutal. Political societies form when men come together in the State of Nature, and agree to give up their power to punish those who disobey the laws of nature and give that power to a central authority. It is through this that the people consent to the will of the majority. Through leaving the state of nature and forming a society, the people create a â€Å"one body politic under one government† and are thus subjected to the will of that particular â€Å"body† (Locke 55). The only way for one to become part of society is through our own individual consent, meaning we cannot be forced to join the society. By joining a society, people gain a few things that they lacked in the State of Nature. These aspects consist of laws, a judge to settle disputes regarding laws and most importantly an executive power to enforce the law. The executive power is created for the protection of the people, their property and general well being. It is when this protection is non-existent, or the King becomes a tyrant by acting against the interest of the people, that the contract can be thrown away. It is with this that the process of establishing a social contract can begin once again, and also the power. Both Hobbes and Locke agree on the fact that people living in a state of nature will come together to form a contract amongst themselves, which ultimately leads to the establishment of society. Both Hobbes and Locke also agreed that people living in a state of nature would be living in a constant state of fear of one another before society is established. Hobbes has a much darker view of Human Nature, seeing them as inherently evil, while Locke viewed man as being guided by â€Å"rational self-interest† with the ability to self-govern without the Leviathan watching over you. These two figures have helped shape our modern systems of government among many other things.

Organizational psychology Essay

I’m likely to be motivated most by personal growth factors. This is understandable for a person who seeks personal fulfillment and development. I’m achievement oriented and have a preference for an interesting and challenging job. However, all other factors pertinent to work environment are also important to me. There are several formal theories of motivation that help me to increase my own productivity and motivate my colleagues. The two-factor theory divides factors that affect employee performance and productivity into two broad categories, namely motivation factors (encompassing factors related to satisfaction and work content) and hygiene factors (those related to dissatisfaction and work conditions). The focus in the organization should be on enhancing employee motivation to the extent that it provides opportunities for (a) achievement, (b) recognition, (c) responsibility, (d) advancement, and (e) growth in competence. According to the two-factor model, both ‘satisfiers’ and ‘dissatisfiers’ are of value to a person that ranks factors related to the content of work (e. g. recognition and chances to advance) as high as factors related to work conditions (e. g. friendly co-workers and flexible schedule). For me, reward and recognition are less important than the nature of a job. Material needs are less important for me than personal satisfaction or clients’ approval. The most applicable theory in my case is Goal Setting Theory. Goal Setting Theory is the most critically acclaimed theory of motivation. It argues that individuals are motivated to achieve goals they set, and the strength of their motivation depends on goal specificity, goal difficulty, and commitment and feedback. Other moderating factors include self-efficacy of an employee and task complexity. My perception of difficulty of achieving a goal might be too subjective and my reliance on feedback might be less than by other employees, yet I’m very result-driven and challenged by complex yet interesting tasks. My motivation is influenced by the difficulty of goals (such as ensuring high customer satisfaction ratings on big projects were there are many stakeholders), yet goals’ value (excitement from working on a specific type of project delivering good results rather than cash influx) is more important. My superiors have recognized that it is important to give me freedom in choosing projects I’m motivated to work on and allow me to set my own objectives and performance measures. My high appreciation of autonomy and power also suggest that I am more effective as an individual worker than a team player. This is yet another reason why Goal Setting Theory is appropriate for my motivation: it has been argued that workers with higher self-efficacy are more effective in personal goal setting and fulfillment. However, this does not mean that I don’t value team spirit as a means of motivating my co-workers. Our company’s motto is ‘Let’s Build Something Together. ’ Therefore, encouraging teamwork is one of the ways to increase motivation and productivity. Our management succeeded in gathering and developing an outstanding crew by applying several important principles of group work management which I also follow. I foster group cohesion by a variety of methods and believed that sound preparation, ego less teamwork, and original strategizing are the inherent components of success. In my view, the emphasis should have been on team performance rather than individual performance. People, management, and psychology are three important aspects of teamwork. The emphasis on continuous learning makes it possible to stay ahead. When skills and knowledge of all group members combine in a way that exceeds the sum of knowledge of all individual members, the synergy effect can be observed, i. . the system as a whole has certain qualities its elements do not have. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to pay attentive to group cohesion so that exceptional results can be achieved with limited human resources available in each organization. Group decision making means not only working to achieve better solutions but also promote growth of community and trust. Group decision making ensures much higher level of member satisfaction and motivation. Greater commitment is also among important advantages of group decision making. Open, collaborative atmosphere ensures contribution from all levels and no domination, intimidation or judgment from the boss. Participation in problem solving increases acceptance; some even argue that a lower-quality solution that has wide acceptance can be more effective than a higher-quality solution that lacks acceptance. It’s possible to conclude that I’m motivated by complex yet interesting tasks, while teamwork and group decision making are the tools I use to motivate others.

Altruistic Surrogacy Arrangements Essay Example for Free

Altruistic Surrogacy Arrangements Essay Couples around the world find out that they’re unable to conceive children. This is a very heart breaking and detrimental situation in anyones life who is trying to have a child. Infertility affects more than 7 million people in the United States, and about 12 percent of women of childbearing age are considered infertile. Most infertility cases are treated with drug or hormone therapies or surgery. However, about 3 percent of cases require more advanced techniques, such as surrogacy. A surrogate is a woman who carries a child for an individual or a couple. Stories of surrogacy reach back to the Bible with the story of Abraham, his wife, Sarah, and her handmaiden, Hagar. In this story, Sarah finds she is unable to conceive and arranges for Abraham to impregnate Hagar, who goes on to conceive Ishmael. There are two types of surrogacy options, one is traditional surrogacy and the other is gestational surrogacy. A traditional surrogate is a woman who donates her own egg and then carries the pregnancy. The surrogate’s egg is fertilized through artificial insemination with the sperm of the father or a sperm donor. Traditional surrogates are genetically related to the child because their own eggs are used in the process. A gestational surrogate or also known as a gestational carrier, are not biologically or genetically related to the child she carries. Gestational carriers become pregnant through the process of in vitro fertilization, where an embryo or embryos created from the eggs and sperm of the intended parents. Donor eggs and donor sperm are selected by the intended parents are implanted in the uterus for the gestational period of 40 weeks. Intended parents and surrogates have to consider what type of surrogacy arrangement they feel like they are comfortable with. There are two common types of arrangements pertaining to surrogacy, which are commercial and altruistic. In commercial surrogacy the surrogate is paid for her time and effort, any travel involved and related medical expenses not covered by insurance. The chosen surrogate and the intended parents usually don’t know each other before the arrangement. In altruistic surrogacy arrangements, the carrier sees no financial gain, and the arrangements are commonly made with relatives or friends of the intended parents. Surrogacy is against the Church’s teaching, they teach that techniques that entail the dissociation of husband and wife, by the intrusion of a person other than the couple (donation of sperm or ovum, surrogate uterus), are gravely immoral. These techniques (heterologous artificial insemination and fertilization) infringe the child’s right to be born of a father and mother known to him and bound to each other by marriage. They betray the spouses’ â€Å"right to become a father and a mother only through each other (Catechism). † The use of a surrogate mother is a process that is thousands of years old. This is proven in the writings of the Bible in the story of Abraham and his wife Sarah, she was infertile. At this time in the earth’s history, a woman who was childless was often at times shamed by her family and friends. These women would offer their servants to act as a surrogate. The Bible does not specifically forbid the process of surrogacy. The question that you must ask is, whether it is considered to be moral or ethical with keeping children conceived out of love, born from a married couple. The Bible has also been interpreted as stating that children are a gift, not a right. Therefore, God will bless some people with children and others not. Personally I believe surrogacy is an â€Å"okay† practice. Surrogacy ultimately brings joy to the couple and why would god not want us to seek happiness. Surrogacy may seem to be defying God’s will but I think it’s a way of making a precious life out of a bad situation. Being told you will not be able to have your own children is a heart breaking situation. You would never know how it felt until you experience yourself. What gives us the right to judge someone else for wanting a child from their own DNA. If Surrogacy can use one embryo and not kill of the others I think it should be allowed in the church. Altruistic Surrogacy Arrangements. (2018, Nov 07).