Flat or House

I would like to speak about what is better to live in a flat or in a house ? Comparing living in a flat or a house is difficult. Someone says that living in a house is better than in a flat and someone the opposite. An I think that living in house is much better than living in flat. Fistly, I would like to speak about living in a flat. Speaking about positives aspects about living in a flat I should say that people who‘s doesn’t like working in garden or just being quiet and alone there really should choose to live in a flat as you don’t have any problems about that. But living in a flat there is and negative aspects.I live in a flat. The flats are often smaller than houses. In flats there usually isn't so much place as in a house. If a family has more children, the children must live in one room together. In most cases, people living in flats don't have any gardens or cottages, only a garage. The main advantage of living in a flat is that flats aren't so expensiv e and usually are situated in a town, where everything is near and handy. Secondly, I would like to speak about living in house. Living in houses has many advantages too. There are more places for living. Every member of the family can have his or her room.A house usually has more rooms. In a house can be a big kitchen with larder, a workroom, a fitness room, more bedrooms, toilets and bathrooms and of course an attic. There can be spare rooms for guests and visitors too. In the house, there can be a cellar, where to store the vegetables and fruits from a garden. Next to a house, there is usually a  big or small garden, where children can play and they don't play on the street, where there is a traffic. For example, you can also keep pets there on a garden. Family can work in a garden, relax, or do various parties. Houses usually have garages. It's very good place for men's hobbies.Speaking about negatives aspects I should say that living in hause is very expensive and it is requi re a lot of care: such as housework. Also in detached house you can feel like in your own castle. Nobody disturbs you, but also nobody helps you too. You house usually is in the suburb. There is cleaner air and prettier environment then in the centre. In suburb, you need to have your own car, because usually there is no bus stop and you have to walk for a few kilometres to the nearest one. All in all, I should say that I better prefer living in a house then living in a flat because it is much more comfortable and better than living in a flat.

Jamaica National Heroes

Manley| Jamaica's National Heroes Published Nov 20, 1995 | Jamaica’s National Heroes dared to challenge the institution of colonialism and in so doing changed the course of Jamaica’s history giving social and political freedom to its people. Today, the statues of Jamaica’s seven National Heroes stand in proud acknowledgment, in the National Heroes Park in Kingston where they are viewed with inspiring pride, unforgettable symbols of Jamaica’s enduring strength. PAUL BOGLE birth date uncertain-died 1865. Paul Bogle, a Baptist Deacon was generally regarded as a peaceful man who shunned violence.He believed in the teachings of the Bible, endorsing the principles of charity and endurance. Yet he was also a leader and organizer who knew well the terrains of the land and had spent time in educating and training his followers. He lived in St. Thomas and led the Morant Bay Rebellion in 1865. GEORGE WILLIAM GORDON 1820-1865. George William Gordon was a free colored land owner and an associate of Bogle. As a member of the House of Parliament, he used his position to highlight the sufferings of the people and to make a plea for changes.The Morant Bay Rebellion and the resultant deaths of Bogle and Gordon precipitated the beginning of a new era in Jamaica’s development. The British government became compelled to make changes including outstanding reforms in education, health, local government, banking and infrastructure. NANNY lived and died in Nanny Town. Nanny of the Maroons stands out in history as the only female among Jamaica’s national heroes. She possessed that fierce fighting spirit generally associated with the courage of men.In fact, Nanny is described as a fearless Asante warrior who used militarist techniques to foul and beguile the English. Like the heroes of the pre Independence era, Nanny too met her untimely death at the instigation of the English sometime around 1750's. Yet, the spirit of Nanny of the Maroons remain s today as a symbol of that indomitable desire that will never yield to captivity. SAMUEL SHARPE 1801-1832 ‘Daddy’ Sam Sharpe, as he was affectionately called was to carry on the Resistance against slavery effecting at the young age of 31, the most outstanding Slave Rebellion in Jamaica’s history.Sharpe, an educated town slave, was a preacher and spokesman. Intelligent and sharp, he followed the developments of the abolition movement by reading discarded local and foreign papers and was able to advise his followers. Sharpe was tired of slavery, spent months in strategic planning, educating the slaves and traveling from estate to estate in secret meetings at nights, igniting the slaves with inspiring messages of hope of freedom. The 1831 Christmas Rebellion started in St. James and spread throughout the entire island.The Rebellion started on December 28 and lasted 8 days. Sam Sharpe was eventually captured and hung at the Parade in Montego Bay (now renamed Sam Sha rpe Square). On August 28, 1833 slavery was abolished and the System of Apprenticeship instituted, allowing for the total freedom of slaves in the next 4-6 years. On August 1, 1938 the Apprenticeship System ended granting full freedom to the slaves. SIR ALEXANDER BUSTAMANTE 1884-1977 Alexander Bustamante was an aggressive, outspoken young man who understood the dynamics of labor relations.A charismatic and impressive speaker, he used the media to criticize the prevailing political system and its attendant social problems. He started the Industrial Trade Union in 1938 and was jailed for 17 moths following labor riots. He became Jamaica’s first Chief Minister, a position he held until 1954, being knighted that same year by the queen. On August 6, 1962 Jamaica was granted full independence. At the first session of Parliament, Bustamante received the Instruments of Independence from the queen’s representative, Princess Margaret.This time in Jamaica’s history drastic changes were heralded, not by bloodshed but by peaceful negotiations. NORMAN WASHINGTON MANLEY 1893-1969. Norman Washington Manley founded the People’s National Party which later was tied to the Trade Union Congress and the N. W. U. Together with Bustamante, their efforts resulted in the New Constitution of 1944 granting full Adult Suffrage. In 1955 Manley was elected Chief Minister. The 400 year British Rule, invoking slavery, deculturisation, uprising and bloodshed was now at an end.MARCUS MOSIAH GARVEY 1887-1940. Marcus Mosiah Garvey stands out in history as one who was greatly committed to the concept of the Emancipation of minds. Garvey who was born in St. Ann became famous worldwide as a leader who was courageous and eloquent in his call for improvement for Blacks. He sought the unification of all Blacks through the establishment of the United Negro Improvement Association and spoke out against economic exploitation and cultural denigration. He spent many years in the United | |

Response Essay: Issues Related to Soft Drinks Essay

This essay is a response to â€Å"Negative health effects of soft drink consumption confirmed in study† written by Jacqueline Weaver (March, 2007). The essay was published to http://www. yale. edu/opa/arc-ybc/v35. n21/story12. html. The main idea of the essay is about issues relating to soft drink consumption. The purpose of the author was to inform readers how soft drinks can affect health and also information regarding false researches and data involving soft drinks. Many people don’t think that soft drinks are that harmful to their body but according to non-funded research soft drinks can be very damaging to human health. As the essay has stated that soft drink consumption has rapidly increased in the United States many people have tried to decrease its distribution, however, there are still many people who protests against this idea (Waever, 2007). In my opinion, I think one of the reasons why people don’t take the risk seriously because of how it looks. Soft drinks don’t seem as life threatening to most people as a big piece of chocolate cake. Advertising is also another factor, most soft drinks advertisement are very friendly and soft drinks company also try to come up with new products to make soft drinks seem healthier. Another reason why people are not worried of health risks related to soft drinks is because of the researches funded by the food industry. â€Å"It is alarming that industry-funded studies so consistently favor industry and that these reports muddy what are otherwise clear waters,† says Kelly D. Brownell. In my opinion I think it is wrong for someone to go though all that trouble of false advertising just because they want to sell a health harming product. Many studies found that soft drinks are related to great caloric intake but most people still choose to consume them because some of them choose to lower their calories in other types of food instead (Waever, 2007). However, food with higher calories might be less harmful than most soft drinks. In my own knowledge I have learnt that soft drinks can cause obesity and can lead to heart problems, diabetes and other serious illness. I completely agree with the author because I personally do not drink soft drinks and not because of just its health risks but because I have no appeal to its taste. Many help problems are caused by soft drinks and unhealthy food, however, there are also many ways to decrease the risks. One of the prevention is stated in the essay, which is to eliminate or decrease the distribution of soft drinks at schools (Waever, 2007). I personally think that this is a great idea because most people who consume soft drinks in their adult life are brought up with it. Consequently consuming soft drinks regularly becomes a habit. As I have stated in my essay earlier that I do not consume soft drink and I think that the reason for that is because when I was growing up my parents have never stocked soft drinks in the fridge therefore I would always drink juice and healthier drinks. As a result I have no appeal to soft drinks at all. There are also many other ways to prevent health issues relating to soft drinks but the most important and the easiest way relies on soft drink consumers. This is because all the researches and proves in the world is not going to change the way one think only the consumer can change their own mind. In conclusion, as the author has informed us that there are great health risks revolving soft drinks along with many conspiracy in health researches (Waever, 2007). Therefore, it is our job to look after our self. People have to be more careful about their food intake and eating habits. The government also needs to help promote healthy eating and lower prices of healthy food and maybe increase the price of unhealthy food. After the help of many hands I’m sure that health problems caused by food will rapidly lessen.

Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 64

Summary - Essay Example The impact of the violation of the local independence assumption on both reliability and information function was also evident where the study results showed that if the items were treated as a locally independent (which is in fact in violation of the items local independence), the reliability coefficient would then be biased to the top as well as the information for the test function. According to (Chen & Wang, 2007) they used index Q3 in the study to detect the items which including violation of local independence assumption. Then through simulation data according to the three parameter model , the results indicate that if it appeared that a violation of the local independence assumption between the items were corrected, then they were locally independent. This affects the estimated parameter discrimination where if the violation is positive, then to answer the first item correct increases the probability of the correct answer on the other item. The discrimination parameter estimate will then be biased upwards while at the same time, if the violation of local independence between items will be negative, then the discrimination parameter estimate will be biased to the downwards. Chen and Thissen (Chen & Thissen, 1997) used Q3,, to examine the local independence of items and a test was generated. As the results indicate, there are two types of local dependence between the items. First one is known as (ULD) Underlying Local Dependence and this type of local dependence is shown by the items there. There are some separate traits for items groups showing local dependence, but not for all the test items. This means that there is another traits which is not the general trait measured by the test. The second type of local dependence is known as (SLD) Surface Local Dependence, and this type of local dependence of items is shown in the

Dance analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Dance analysis - Essay Example I took a class at my schools Music department studio, with a special aid of the department’s tutor in African dances. Finally, after successfully attending a class of the Zulu dance I now have a deeper understanding of the connection that exist between the dancers and the ceremony occasioned by the specific dance. The Zulu dance generally involves a traditional dance of both men and women fully dressed in their respective traditional dance attires. The dance entails high stepping and a subsequent stomping of the ground in a rhythmic manner. The dancers also perform this while holding weapons and shields, where by their hands are frequently raised in a manner that goes in line with the rhythm of the entire dance. The weapons that the dancers hold commonly include a traditional spear and a shield. At some instances, the dancers make a unique kick over their head and systematically fall to the ground in a well-managed crouch position. In addition, the dancers commonly dress code that differently showcase the dance moves of either men or women. This means that the dress code of the dance is different for both men and women. The Zulu dance dress code is mainly an animal skin for the men, while the women have skirts that are decorated with hardwood beads (Welsh-Asante, 2010). Furthermore, while the adults are expected to have their thighs covered, the children dancers are exempted. However both men and women will have limited clothing on their bodies and therefore a substantial part of their bodies are exposed. The Zulu dance is performed during the traditional Zulu ceremony and is commonly accompanied by extremely vibrant singing and at times, the beating of the drums. The dance is regarded as uniquely specular as both men and women of perform it are usually in blended traditional attire that matches the dance. As a traditional aspect for the Zulu culture, it is customary for the unmarried

Opertaing a small rural-based business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Opertaing a small rural-based business - Essay Example (Landstorm, pp. 13-14, 2005) In particular, SMEs play a significant role in the contribution to rural economy. Since few years, sector of rural-based tourism has developed and grown progressively in the country. Certain limits related to the annual turnover or the number of employees have been defined and described in every country, in order to identify the definition the small and medium enterprises. However, every country has its economy, and thus, definition of the abovementioned term has been provided by various trade organizations according to their terms and conditions. In this regard, these enterprises have been abbreviated by SME by some of the major trade organizations, as well as, unions, such as, the World Trade Organization, the World Bank, and the European Union. For instance, a limit of five hundred employees was put on the German companies according to their traditional definition. On the other hand, a limit of only hundred employees was the standard for becoming SME in the Belgium. (Hall, pp. 49-50, 1997) In this paper, we will try to discuss different steps that can be taken to establish and operate small rural-based business in particularly, tourism sector of the United Kingdom. Every business confronts different threats and weaknesses during various business processes; however, establishment of a business brings new opportunities and strengths that will be discussed in this paper as well. The importance of the small business sector in tourism sector of the country will be highlighted during this paper, and few implications will be provided during the study. In the United Kingdom, magnitude of the annual balance sheet, annual turnover, and number of employees are considered during the evaluation of a small business firm statistically. In detail, small business firms have been categorized according to their volume. For instance,

Managing Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Managing Change - Essay Example es on timely delivery of the goods assigned to it, raised satisfaction of the clients and the process depends on the quickness of the staffs and machinery associated. Staffs of the company undertakes major roles in various segments entailing the roads , taxi truck, sea freight, air express, transit store, customs and air VIP. The restructuring mainly focuses on the organization of the staffs and realignment of the machineries applied in working of the Express-Link system. The design of the current and appropriate interventions aimed at moving the firm from the current state to the future prospected level thus by tackling its limitations and moving on forward. The action plan also addresses the essence of the internal politics, leadership in execution of the changes and culture in the organization by further elaborating on the account type, depth and range of the change entailed program. The action plan also considers the recommendations regarding how the prospected change should be i nstitutionalized by considering features of the firm. The clear and vivid development of the parts and portions of the action plan is aimed at presenting coherent, well supported and logically structured model. The output action plan is a contributed process with agents of change ready to work on the tasks that conform to the roles of the external change agents and inclination on evaluating the different approaches to the team members on every intervention, implementation and institutionalization stages (Jones, Jimmieson, & Griffiths, 2005). The Organizational Development interventions must be adopted by the Express-Link. The essence of the planned change interventions which extensively reveal a sets if structured activities that selected organizational units or even the target groups undertake task and even sequence of certain critical tasks with aimed goals having organizational improvement and other distinct individual tasks. The actual interventions are aimed at moving the

The Nature and Scope of Fraud and Fakery in International Business Term Paper

The Nature and Scope of Fraud and Fakery in International Business - Term Paper Example Before understanding the nature and scope of fraud and activities related to it, it is important to understand what is meant by the term â€Å"Fraud†. In its simplest meanings, fraud can be considered an act of deceiving another with the intention of gaining something as a result. Fraud is illegal because it involves misrepresentation, deception, and trickery. It is pertinent to distinguish fraud from errors considered as unintentional (Singleton & Singleton, 2010; Davia, Coggins, Wideman, & Kastantin, 1992; Albrecht, Albrecht, Albrecht, & Zimelman, 2009). As for instance, incorrectly entering the wrong amount in an invoice and receiving or giving incorrect amount by mistake does not account for fraud. In fact, it is the thought of deception which distinguishes a mistake from a fraud. The Oxford Dictionary defines fraud as: On the other hand, the government of UK on its official website has provided a broad definition of fraud in relation to international trade. The definition provided by the government of UK is as follows: Apart from these definitions, another version of the definition for fraud is provided in the Webster Dictionary, which seems to be more explanatory, simple and convincing. The definition is as follows: â€Å"In law, the deliberate misrepresentation of fact for the purpose  of depriving someone of a valuable possession or legal right. Any omission or concealment that is injurious to another or that allows a person to take unconscionable advantage of another may constitute criminal fraud. The most common type of fraud is the obtaining of property by giving a check for which there are insufficient funds in the signer's account. Another is the assumption of someone else's or a fictitious identity with the intent to deceive. Also important are mail and wire fraud (fraud committed by use of the postal service or electronic devices, such as telephones or computers).†Ã‚  

How Capitalism Works in Different Scenarios Coursework

How Capitalism Works in Different Scenarios - Coursework Example According to Hagopian capitalism is a social organization which is currently experienced in every country. In this type of organization, means that are used for production are owned by a minority group in society (capitalistic class). The rest of the population has to sell their labor in exchange for salary/wage (working class). Unlike the communist form of organization where a society has no classes, in capitalism class division plays a major role. Capitalism is best explained by Karl Marx who says a capitalistic society has two main classes; those who have (own the means of production) and those who have not. There may be the existence of other classes in society but the two are conceived as the major ones. According to Marx those who have are fond of exploiting those who do not have hence conflict will always exist between the two classes. This is what forms a capitalistic society and that is how it operates.Capitalism is the mode of production that is employed in our contemporary societies. In many societies today you will find the existence of the two main classes. Exploitation comes about when the capitalistic class uses the working class to their benefit. This is because as much as the working class is the one working on the ground the overall profits realized go to the capitalistic class. Costs paid by capitalists in the production process such as salaries are way too low as compared to the profits realized. These profits are then invested in order to generate more profits, leading to further wealth accumulation. When the working class gets tired they will result in a revolution and finally, the society will go into a state of communism. At this stage, no one owns anything and Marx asserts that the process will repeat itself.Blaut (127) explains the history of capitalism by first letting the people know the transitional debate history. Capitalism origins can be best explained through the commercialization model. ration to show how capitalism works is in factory scenarios, where a lot of people are involved in the production process but the profits are reaped by one person.

Ethnomedicine Essay Example for Free

Ethnomedicine Essay Since the beginning of man, there have been ailments that have plagued the human race without concern of who it is inflicting or why they occur. These ailments had to have been combated by some sort of medicine by each culture and their remedies must have been plenty. The plethora of different kinds of medicines and remedies to these ailments among the different kinds of cultures is what we, Team Bloodnut, define as ethnomedicine. Many cultures throughout the world practice some form of ethnomedicine. A field of anthropological research, ethnomedicine seeks to describe the medical systems and practices utilized in different cultures. It examines the origins of what people believe cause illness, as well as examine the ways in which individual cultures treat such maladies. Team Bloodnut wanted to discover the healing beliefs and practices held by Amazonian shamans. Through the use of a life history interview, we sought to understand the traditions held by a people through the experiences of a man working with a former shaman of the tribe. Team Bloodnut formed a hypothesis regarding ethnomedicine in today’s modern world. We hypothesized that the remedies and medicines indigenous cultures use to heal the ill are unorthodox from the stand point of western civilization. Western society will view these remedies as barbarian and a total fallacy. We conducted our research through a life history interview, contacting a filmmaker named Matthew Vincent. Possessing an interest in natural medicines, Vincent spent over half a year living in Peru documenting the experiences of an American Shaman’s journey into the depths of Amazonian Shamanism. Together, they discovered the origins and methods involved in practicing shamanism in relation to this particular cultural group. Matthew trained under the ‘gringo shaman’ Ron Wheelock, learning the techniques and methods required to effectively heal members of the community in which they lived. In order to effectively film his documentary in a realistic manner, Matthew Vincent needed to integrate himself into the rituals, learning their practices and lifestyles. Researching through a life history interview best utilized our information since it enabled us to capture the personal experience of a man submerging himself into such a specific aspect of a community’s life. Our group set out to understand the origins of Amazonian shamanism. We wished to learn about the beliefs of the roots of illnesses as well as the methods used to treat them. Ethnomedicine seeks to understand what illnesses mean within a culture and how to remedy these ailments. According to Vincent, shamans believe people contract illnesses due to a variety of reasons. Culturally, the soul brings balance to the physical body and makes it strong. If presumed damaged or corrupt by devious spirits, souls must undergo ritualistic healing in order to return to a healthy state. Physical illness is thought to be a manifestation of corruption within the soul. In order to correct this corruption, patients go through a mixture of ritualistic songs, plant gnosis, and trances. Shamans utilize trances in order to enter different states of consciousness, allowing them to interact with souls and spirits to perform healing to the soul and bring the spirits back to the sick physical body. One extremely common way to remedy an ailment in Amazonian Shamanism is through the use of ayahuasca. Ayahuasca is an extremely hallucinogenic vine used in brews that are consumed by the Shaman along with the patient so the Shaman can conjure the spirits of the plants used in the brew to foresee any future ailments, cure any immediate ones, and try to prevent any others from manifesting themselves within the patient’s body and or soul. The ayahuasca brew can take any time from a couple of hours to brew, all the way to up to two days, being cooked three times. Wheelock told Vincent that he has treated people who have visited a psychiatrist for over a year and with one ayahuasca ceremony, the patient feels more rejuvenated and alive than ever before. Ayahuasca can also be used for other uses as well, depending on the ingredients used in the brew. For example, if brewed with shapishico, moonshine, and rainwater, and left to sit together for about nine days, this brew acts as an extremely potent aphrodisiac. Shamans are not only medicine men, but spiritual guides. Shamans can choose from two different paths when immersing themselves in their practices. They can choose to be curandero or a brujo. A curandero is a healer. He is the medicine man that can heal physical and psychological ailments that one might have. He does this through plant gnosis and conjuring the spirits of the plants to help cure the patient. A brujo, on the other hand, focuses on the dark arts of Shamanism, although he can also heal. In a Shamans training, they are visited by spirits and are given magical darts. These magical darts are a brujo’s weapon of choice when it comes to causing harm or kill another. He can use those towards anybody in the world as long as he has their name, a mental image of the person, a picture, or some sort of memorabilia that depicts who their target is. A curandero will only use these magical darts, usually, to defend himself. When a curandero sends a magical dart to a brujo, it’s usually with the intention to kill him. After conducting our life history interview, Team Bloodnut came to a conclusion on our hypothesis. We concluded that our hypothesis was correct regarding the differences between western medicines and Amazonian Shamanistic medicines. Western medicines include all of the technologies, modern medicines, and commodities that these indigenous cultures do not have access to; therefore we are much more technologically advanced. These countries are at a disadvantage when it comes to the commodities and technologies but that doesn’t mean that the quality is any less. These medicine men spend most of their lives learning how to conjure and interact with these spirits of nature so that they can heal in their favor. The way in which they do so shouldn’t be frowned upon. If these Shamans have found ways to cure, not just treat these illnesses and ailments, then why haven’t we, Western Civilization, adopted these methods? Is it the fear or the skepticism of failure? We think that it’s not so simple. We believe that the reason for these medicines not being accepted into our country is simply so the government won’t lose money and control. Wheelock cured a patient that had been visiting a shrink for over a year. In that time how much money did that psychiatrist earn? From that income how much did the government take from the psychiatrist in taxes? This is only for one person, too. Some people spend half of their lives, if not longer visiting some kind of medical practitioner or some form of psychedelic help. There will never be a shortage of sick people, so if they are simply just cured with a couple of ayahuasca ceremonies, that’s a pretty significant chunk out of the United States’ money supply. Not only is it a monetary issue, but also a control issue. If these practices were administered in the United States, people would gain insight and enlightenment to its effects. There is a chemical in ayahuasca that is an intense psychedelic. Dimethyltryptamine is the psychedelic in the ayahuasca that puts the body in the state in which it can be visited by manifesting spirits of the vine. If this psychedelic were to fall into the wrong hands, it could be very harmful to not only to America’s economy, but also to the ones who abuse it. Ergo, ethnomedicine is a sensitive subject because it is not only a way to treat people within a certain country or tribe, but it is also the way of life and the way generations upon generations have practiced these remedies. Just because different cultures do things differently, it doesn’t mean that one way is right and the other is wrong. If we, as a species and inhabitants of this Earth, all worked together and shared our practices with each other in the field of medicine, maybe we could find cures, not just treatments to malignant diseases such as cancer. Ayahuasca ceremonies are not just a ritual to heal patients that come to Shamans, but also a lifestyle.

Strategic Planning Essay

Strategic Planning Essay Introduction: Planning is the most important thing for all organization. A successful plan means a successful mission to goal of a business or organization. It doesnt matter the organization big or small. Plan will bring you to face the challenges and opportunities. This will enable to deliver more effectively to meet the needs of target people and strengthen the organization. Planning is the first step towards sustainable funding. Planning should be creative process, simple and straightforward that brings demonstrable benefits. The process of making systematic decisions about proposed future outcomes, the process includes evaluating an organization and the environment in which it operates, establishing long-term goals, and mapping a plan to achieve the goals that have been identified. Strategic planning assumes and incorporates the likelihood of a changing environment that will require adjustments in the identified goals and the process of achieving them. Strategic planning process: Environmental Scanning Developing the environmental scanning structure. The environmental scanning process. Searching for information resources Selecting information resources to scan. Identifying criteria by which to scan. Determining special actions to take on the scanning results Scanning for the institution. Evaluating the process. Key stages of strategic planning process: There are several key stages of strategic planning process: Develop Vision and Mission Business and operation analysis Develop and select strategic option Establish strategic objective Strategy execution plan. Establish resource allocation Execution summary â€Å"Strategy can be seen as an on going ‘positioning process for an organization and strategic planning can be seen as a separate activity reviewed at periodic well- defined intervals†. Strategy involves achieving a competitive advantage for an organization in meeting the needs of customers and fulfilling the expectations of stakeholders. â€Å"An organization with an ‘active strategy will have a ‘plan on which to base its decisions. This plan may be in the form of a written document, or it may be a way of approaching matters as they arise†. Example: In the case of Marks Spencer in the late 1990s, its surveys showed that customer satisfaction did fall over a period of months, but there were a combination of factors causing problems, including a general recession in High Street shops in 1998. Other possible problems for MS that were out limited TV advertising, its supply lines were relatively expensive, and it had difficulties with its product range and with the presentation of its clothes. Although the company recorded profits of over  £1 billion in 1997 and 1998, there was a 23 per cent drop in profits in November 1998. The CEO left the company in 1999 and there were further changes in senior management in the following two years. Major credit cards became accepted, product ranges were altered, product presentation was reviewed and a TV advertising campaign was undertaken under the slogan ‘Exclusively for everyone. (Tim Hannagan, Mastering @Strategic Management, 2002, Palgrave, New York, pg 60) Task 2: Involvement of stakeholders in the strategic planning process. Stakeholders are involved in the effects of strategic management because the actions and the development of the organization will result in change in their circumstances in one way or another. Stakeholders can be described as individuals and groups who are affected by the activities. It can be argued that the most important stakeholders are those who have the most to lose from the organizations actions. It is also important for an organization to be able to assess the power of these groups to influence events and the attitudes of the most powerful groups individuals. Stakeholders include a range of people involved with a company: The shareholders- who own the company and receive dividends. Financial bodies such a banks- who fund organizations in one way or another, and receive added value through interest or by other means. The employee- who receive some of the added value through their pay. The management- who receive added value through their pay and other benefits. The government- which receives part of the added value in the form of taxes. The customers- who consume the results of the value added to a commodity or service through the value chain. The mission and the objectives of an organization have to be developed taking into account the interests of the organizations stakeholders. Stakeholders Expectations Shareholders Financial return Creditors Interest, Creditworthiness, Prompt payment Suppliers Payment, long-term orders Employees Pay, stability, job satisfaction Managers Pay, benefits, power and control Customers Supply of goods and services, quality Government Taxes, employment, economic growth Strategic Management In terms of strategic management the major issue is to identify the relative power of the various stakeholders so that it is clear which of them is the most important to satisfy. On the one hand, it can be said that form any organization the customer comes first, second and third because comes without the customer the purpose of the organization will not exit, on the other hand, there may be other stakeholders who if not satisfied have the power to bring the organization to an end. For an example, Creditors have the power to close an organization if they are not paid, and employees can bring a company to its knees by withdrawing their labour. Every organization has to decide which are its most influential stakeholders and balance out their interests. Task 3: SWOT analysis of an organization: SWOT is an abbreviation for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. SWOT analysis is an important tool for auditing the overall strategic position of a business and its environment. Once key strategic issues have been indentified, they feed into business objectives, particularly marketing objectives. The key distinction: Internal and External Issues. Internal Issues: Strengths and Weaknesses are internal factors. For example, an strength could be specialist marketing expertise. A weakness could be the lack of a new product. External Factors: Opportunities and Threats are external factors. For example, an opportunity could be a developing distribution channel such as the internet, or changing consumer lifestyles that potentially increase demand for a companys product. A threat could be a new competitor in an important existing market or a technological change that makes existing products potentially obsolete. (S)trengths: Diversifying away from areas of major threat to more promising opportunities. Focusing on modifying weaknesses in spots of significant opportunities. Taking defensive measures in areas of threat where you are weak. (W)eaknesses: Make mind up which weaknesses need to be addressed as a priority. Other weaknesses have got to be accepted and respected until time and resources let find a solution. Some weaknesses can be developed into strengths or opportunities. For instance, it might be feasible to turn a shortage of production capacity into increased value for your product. (T)hreats: Build successful relationships with suppliers and customer. Cultivate good employee relations. Ensure clear and reasonable contracts with suppliers, customers and employees. Procure insurance against evident debacles. Make realistic contingency plans to deal with potential. Establish the right types of service contracts for key personnel. Invest in legal protection for intellectual property. Task 4: The differences between balance scorecard, scenario planning, cost benefit analysis and sensitivity analysis. Balance scorecard: The balanced scorecard is a strategic planning and management system that is used extensively in business and industry, government, and nonprofit organizations worldwide to align business activities to the vision and strategy of the organization, improve internal and external communications, and monitor organization performance against strategic goals. Kaplan and Norton describe the innovation of the balanced scorecard as follows: The balanced scorecard retains traditional financial measures. But financial measures tell the story of past events, an adequate story for industrial age companies for which investments in long-term capabilities and customer relationships were not critical for success. These financial measures are inadequate, however, for guiding and evaluating the journey that information age companies must make to create future value through investment in customers, suppliers, employees, processes, technology, and innovation. Examples: Department Areas Finance Return on Investment Cash Flow Return on Capital Employed Financial Results (Quarterly/Yearly) Internal Business Processes Number of activities per function Duplicate activities across functions Process alignment (is the right process in the right department) Process bottlenecks Process automation Learning and Growth Is there the correct expertise for the job Employee turnover Job satisfaction Training opportunities Customer Delivery performance to customer Quality performance for customer Customer satisfaction rate Customer percentage of market Customer retention rat Scenario Planning: Scenario planning where choices can be screened by matching them to possible scenarios. This is a ‘what if? approach based on possible changes in the organizations environment. This leads to the formation of contingency plans in order to meet the requirements of each of these possible scenarios. For this approach to be useful, the strategic manager has to recognize the onset of the elements of a particular scenario so that the appropriate contingency plan can be introduced. Tim Hannagan, Mastering Strategic Management, 2002, Palgrave, New York, pg 60 Scenario planning or scenario thinking is a strategic planning tool used to make flexible long-term plans. It is a method for learning about the future by understanding the nature and impact of the most uncertain and important driving forces affecting our world. â€Å"Change has considerable psychological impact of the human mind. To the fearful, change is threatening because it means that things may get worse to the hopeful, change is encouraging because things may get better. To confident, change is inspiring because the challenge exists to make thing better â€Å"King Whitney, Jr.† Cost benefits analysis: A cost benefit analysis finds, quantifies, and adds all the positive factors. These are the benefits. Then it identifies, quantifies, and subtracts all the negatives, the costs. The difference between the two indicates whether the planned action is advisable. The real trick to doing a cost benefit analysis well is making sure you include all the costs and all the benefits and property quantify them. Example of a Cost Benefit As the Production Manager, proposing the purchase of a $ 1 million stamping machine to increase output. Before present the proposal to the Vice President, know the need some facts to support suggestion, decide to run the numbers and do a cost benefit analysis. Itemize the benefits. With the new machine, it can be produced 100 more units per hour. The three workers currently doing the stamping by hand can be replaced. The units will be higher quality because they will be more uniform and be convinced these outweigh the costs. There is a cost to purchase the machine and it will consume some electricity. Any other costs would be insignificant. Calculate the selling price of the 100 additional units per hour multiplied by the number of production hours per month. Add to that two percent for the units that arent rejected because of the quality of the machine output. Also add the monthly salaries of the three workers. Thats a pretty good total benefit. Then calculate the monthly cost of the machine, by dividing the purchase price by 12 months per year and divide that by the 10 years the machine should last. The manufacturers specs tell what the power consumption of the machine is and get power cost numbers from accounting then figure the cost of electricity to run the machine and add the purchase cost to get a total cost figure. Now subtract total cost figure from total benefit value and analysis shows a healthy profit. Sensitivity analysis: Sensitivity analysis is a method for testing the degree of sensitivity of a system or models variables by applying incremental changes. The system can be physical or notional and represent the whole project or major element the analysis determines which variables are the most significant having the most impact on results and so helps the selection of the optimal settings or best solution. A technique used to determine how different values of an independent variable will impact a particular dependent variable under a given set of assumptions. This technique is used within specific boundaries that will depend on one or more input variables, such as the effect that changes in interest rates will have on a bonds price. Sensitivity analysis is a way to predict the outcome of a decision if a situation turns out to be different compared to the key prediction(s). Example: An analyst might create a financial model that will value a companys equity (the dependent variable) given the amount of earnings per share (an independent variable) the company reports at the end of the year and the companys price-to-earnings multiple (another independent variable) at that time. The analyst can create a table of predicted price-to-earnings multiples and a corresponding value of the companys equity based on different values for each of the independent variables. Conclusion: Strategy can be seen as an on going positioning process for an organization and strategic planning can be seen as a separate activity reviewed at periodic well defined intervals. References: http://www.yourdictionary.com/business/strategic-planning horizon.unc.edu/projects/seminars/futuresresearch/stages.html http://ezinearticles.com/?7-Steps-Effective-Strategic-Planning-Processid=588763 Tim Hannagan, Mastering @Strategic Management, 2002, Palgrave, New York, pg 60 Tim Hannagan, Mastering @Strategic Management, 2002, Palgrave, New York, pg 50, 51 Kaplan and Norton http://www.businessballs.com/balanced_scorecard.htm Tim Hannagan, Mastering @Strategic Management, 2002, Palgrave, New York, pg 60) http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/tools/scenario-planning King Whitney, Jr. http://management.about.com/cs/money/a/CostBenefit.htm http://www.maxwideman.com/issacons1/iac1112b/tsld002.htm http://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/sensitivityanalysis.asp

Searching for Assata :: essays research papers

Searching for Assata I thought long and hard about the type of creative project I wanted to do for my Gender & Society class. This project is a really cool one, in which gender and the things I learned in class would be combined. At first, I was going to interview four teenage African-American girls about their experiences about being Black and female in this society. Due to technical difficulties (raggedly camcorder), I was not able to complete that task. Then I thought about doing a feminist critique of Scarlett O’Hara, the main character from â€Å"Gone with the Wind† but that type of thing is for a ten-page paper, not a creative project. Finally, I decided to do a collage depicting the life of Assata Shakur, one of the most wrongly convicted individuals in U.S. history. Her story is a sad chapter in American history, in which the color of her skin, social class, political affiliation, and gender played a role in her subsequent exile from her homeland. On May 2 1973, racial prejudice would change the life of Assata Shakur forever. An incident of what would now be labeled "racial profiling" takes place on the New Jersey Turnpike. Ms. Shakur, an active participant in the Black Liberation Army (BLA), was traveling with friends, Malik Zayad Shakur and Sundiata Acoli when state troopers stopped them, reportedly because of a broken headlight. A trooper explained that they were "suspicious" because they had Vermont license plates. The three were made to exit the car with their hands up. All of a sudden, shots were fired. When it was all over, state trooper Werner Foerster and Malik Shakur were killed. Ms. Shakur and Mr. Acoli were charged with the deaths of state trooper Foerster and Zayd Malik Shakur. While held in jail, she was shackled and chained to a bed, with bullet wounds still in her chest. She was also forced to undergo the jabs of shotgun butts of the New Jersey State troopers and heard their voices shouting Nazi slogans an d threats to her life. In the history of New Jersey state, no female prisoner had ever been treated as she, confined to a men’s prison, under twenty-four hour surveillance of her most intimate bodily functions. Ms. Shakur and Mr. Acoli were eventually sentenced to 30 years plus life. Although the verdict was no surprise since it was an all-White jury who convicted them, many questioned the racial injustice of the trial because it was riddled with many human rights violations and constitutional errors.

Starvation in midst of plenty Essay -- Health, Diseases, Diabetes

â€Å"Starvation in midst of plenty† is a phrase, often used to describe diabetes. This disease became so widespread and so â€Å"important in its health complications that November 14th has been declared as World Diabetes Day† (Blumer, Rubin, 2009). One of the most common forms of diabetes is Type 2 diabetes or non-insulin dependent Diabetes. More than nine million Canadians live with diabetes or prediabetes according to statistics. Although diabetes has become prevalent in all communities across Canada, the problem has reached an epidemic level among Aboriginal people (Blumer, Rubin, 2009). They have a rate three to five times higher than that of other Canadians (Health Canada). Regarding the high-risk factors as obesity, low level of physical activity, and an unhealthy eating pattern among Aboriginal people, diabetes is a very big concern. Firstly, obese people are more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes. Approximately 200 years ago, before their first meeting with the Europeans, the Aboriginals enjoyed a simple and healthy lifestyle. They lived nomadically, eating â€Å"seasonal foods native to Canada† (Rosenthal, 2009). Their immune system has built a protective mechanism able to adjust to non-consistent food supply in such a way they used carbohydrates in a very efficient way metabolically (Blumer, Rubin, 2009). This mechanism is called â€Å"the thrifty gene†. Unfortunately, after being introduced a diet high in calories and saturated fat they started to accumulate the extra calories as fat which lead to obesity. Also, traditional foods such as â€Å"wild game, fish, root vegetables, fruit, whale meat, and blubber†, became unavailable during the years due to pollution of water (Rosenthal, 2009). Furthermore, their healthy food was replaced with ... ... professionals try to â€Å"marry the West and North† (Rosenthal, 2009) trying to suit diet and activity to the cultural environment of Aboriginal communities. In conclusion, even though the rate of diabetes is very high all over Canada, Aboriginal people are more endangered, because of their lifestyle. It is proved that diabetes can cause long term complications like heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease etc. The best ways to avoid these diseases are to prevent diabetes by fighting the risk factors through education. Maybe if the programs are more suited to the Aboriginal tradition and culture the effect would be obvious. Fortunately, the gap created between West and North due to cultural and language barriers start to fill up slowly. It is assigned that the rate of diabetes can decrease in the future among Aboriginal people.

Power in OConnors The Artificial Nigger and Masons Shiloh Essay

Power in O'Connor's The Artificial Nigger and Mason's Shiloh Flannery O'Connor's story The Artificial Nigger and Bobbie Ann Mason's story Shiloh both possess characters that excercise power . Mr. Head, the main character that exercises power in The Artificial Nigger, is an old racist man, who claims to know everything. In Mason's story, Norma Jean, a simple southern woman who wants change in her life, is the main character that exercises power. Both characters are similar in their successful exercise of power; however, the effects their power have are different. Mr. Head's exercise of power has a negative effect on his grandson, Nelson, while Norma Jean's exercise of power serves as a way to benefit herself. Mr. Head's main focus is to make Nelson see black people as "niggers" and for Nelson to fear the city. Mr. Head's controling nature effects Nelson in a negative manner. From the beginning of the story, Mr. Head's powerful and controling personality is evident when the narrator states, "...he saw half of the moon five feet away in his shaving mirror, paused as if it were waiting to enter" (249). Mr. Head's desire to control also extends to all aspects of life. His intentions for Nelson are clear when he says, "...but I mean for him to get his fill once and for all" (254). By making Nelson feel powerless, Mr. Head steals away his innocence. Before influencing his grandson, Nelson's description of a black man is "'A man,'" but later in the story Nelson begins to see black people as "niggers," just like his grandfather (255). Fearing the cit y, also has a negative effect on Nelson. He holds pride in being born in Atlanta, but his grandfather wants to teach Nelson that "he had no cause for pride merely because he had been... ...aking classes, she is able to slowly but surely find her independence again. Norma Jean finally tells her husband that she wants to leave him because she does not want to "...feel eighteen again" (500). By leaving Leroy and starting a new life, Norma Jean is able to forget the pain and embarassment she felt many years ago. The power she possesses enables her to succeed in her wish to move on. The characters in both stories have similarities and differences. Mr. Head and Norma Jean use their power to get what they want. Both are similar because they are successful in exercising their power and are different becausse their power has different effects. Mr. Head thrives on control and succeeds in his plan to control his grandson. Norma Jean works at self-improvemennt so that she can leave her husband and continue to live the life that she has longed for. Â   Â  

Civilization in Africa

The era of African civilization is a pre-colonial history of 16,000 BC through 1800. Africa is well known with diversity of culture and many colonial masters. The civilization ranges widely from the social and cultural points of view. It does not exclude the technology and the economy.From an objective overview, it shall be demonstrated that histories and civilization of Africa since 1800 is a clue to understanding the essential roles played by the African people and continent as a whole in the genealogy of human race. The topic – civilization in Africa is inexhaustible. We shall consider each heading in brief.IntroductionAfrica is a large continent of immense population tribes and size, almost covering a whole twelve million squares landscape in miles. This distance is times three of the United States of America. Majority of the land mass is situated along the globe tropics. Others are rain forests, tropical forest comprising less than ten percent of the continent.Much of its surface is enveloped by open grassland, Savanna’s forestation, dry plain land and deserts. In geographical and geological terms, Africa is formed by numerous â€Å"high plateaus broken in the east by the Great Rift Valley and the mountains that surround it; large rivers – River Congo, River Nile, River Zambezi, and River Niger.Begin in the interior of the continent and flow to the sea over the great falls and cataracts; this marks the channel from the plateau down the coast†.The Ghana EmpireColonized in the southeastern Mauritania, Western Mali, and Eastern Senegal. It began in the 8th century with a dramatic drift in Sahel economy area southern Sahara. Initially, camel was introduced. This preceded Muslims and Islam centuries ago. Later, there was introduction evolutional trade, extensive gold, ivory, and salt resources.These were sent to North Africa, Middle East and Europe in an exchange or other needed manufactured goods and commodities. The success of the empire was connected in addition to aforesaid exchange, from rich â€Å"trans-Saharan trade in gold and salt†. They gain control over other lucrative trades. In addition to its success, Ghana could harbor army of over 200,000 soldiers.The Mali EmpireFounded by Sundiata Keita, and reigns from 1235 to 1600. Otherwise known as Manding Empire or Manden Kurufa. Of importance are the cultural influences Mali Empire had on West Africa in â€Å"terms of language, laws and customs.† Kouroukan Fouga reigned in Mali Empire with a notable social and economic reform, relieving mal-handled slaves, encouraging women in power.Mansa Mari reigned conquered several icons in Mali empire. With this, he ruled a larger realm that out ways that o Ghana Empire, extending over a thousand miles east to west. Having unified Manden, Mari added â€Å"Wagara goldfields† among the conquered lands were northern commercial towns Oulata and Audaghost. Mali Empire was indeed great.The Mutapa Empir eSimply means â€Å"conquered land†. The empire was created by Rozi o the modern-day Shonans. â€Å"The founder of the ruling dynasty was Mbire, a semi-mythical potentate active in the 13th century. Mbire's purported great-great-grandson Nyatsimba was the first ruler to assume the title of the â€Å"owner of the Conquered Lands and Peoples.†Mutapa Empire survived based on the Chinaware and fabrics were exchanged for luxurious gold before the states collapsed and moved to Mount Fura. Portuguese attempted to overpower Shona but failed (Fernand Braudel).CivilizationAgricultureOwing that the first domesticated cultivations were sorghums and millets, the origin of agricultural civilization is traced far to the West Asia. The channel of agricultural transportation is marked to have gone via the Egypt or Ethiopia; they both had contact with the Red Sea. The agricultural civilization is traced far as 3000 B.C.The dissertation of Sahara, moving people to the south sub-Saharan African provides a sustained fish farming for livelihood. African began to plant and develop its own crops. This did not still exclude warn reception on import foods from neighboring continent in addendum. The foundational area for African crops’ domestication ranges between Ethiopia through the southern Sudan to West Africa.The success of earlier crops gave confidence to planting other cash crops such as bananas which were introduced from the Southern Asia. In 16th century, maize, manioc, apples and other crops spread through the land from America.Livestock rearing also originated from outside the African continent. Cattle for example were introduced from Asia. Horses spread across Sudan to West Africa from West Asia through the Hyksos – invader in Egypt. Live stock serves a mean of survival in the arid region of Savanna belt and the Sahara.The spread of cattle were significantly limited by tsetse fly in certain part of Africa. The fly is a carrier of causative organi sm causing sleeping sickness. According to experts, â€Å"the tsetse flourished in wet lowlands areas below the sea level of 3300 feet, and it severely limited pastoralism and also hindered the use of animals for farming and transport as away of life in large areas of West and central Africa.†Technological driftThe civilization of Africa recorded a technological shift from technology of stone to technology of iron. The shifting earlier passed sequentially through the stages of copper and bronze metallurgy. The Phoenicians transported the knowledge of iron smelting technology from Near East and Anatolia of Africa to their colonies.The knowledge of iron smelting had been in existence for over a thousand years B. C. From here, iron technology migrated to the Western Europe. Some of the evidences of iron technology originating in Africa still remain in substantial part of Nigeria culture, Ghana, and Mali.In the uncivilized African, iron symbolized a possession of Power. The black smith made tools and weapons from iron, the possessions of which confirm the owners an important place in the society.America received late development in metallurgy. In the present civilized Africa, Africans have found a better use in making cutleries, utensils and as a mean of revenue generation fro exportation.EconomyAfricans usually inhabit a small enclosure with poor sanitation. This owing to the poor economy condition led to numerous avoidable and preventable prevailing diseases. The politics of importing raw materials to finance the economy and develop Africa worried the colonial masters.The first colonial response was rather a move to separate Africans from Asians and Europeans, and establish control laws, hence, the establishment of apartheid policy in South Africa in 1950. This policy later spread to Nairobi, Harare, Lusaka.With the dragging economic recession over years in the past, prices of African exporting products fell drastically, leading to a pronounced economic do wnturn and crisis. Leaderships of Africa lend a helping hand from civilized continents to salvage the suffering masses.With the knowledge, the mining companies for example began to prefer permanent workers, authorities changed some stiff policies to effect change and facilitate development.The new policies mainly strengthened the land control by individuals, city growth and by and large make life easier for a better administration. Sequel to the introduction of the apartheid policies, the urban migration received a boost of 3.3% and an overall of 4.6% in Africa. Some challenges that the policy is regionally limited.  The growth in economy further encouraged many other civilization agenda Africa. Social amenities and services, including primary schools, secondary schools, and even some tertiary institutions were built close to the end of the colonial era.With the collective support and the regain of economic depression in 1930, infrastructures were developed to meet the peculiar ne ed of the people/masses. These were road constructions, electricity grid erection, and provision of borehole water among others.EducationGradually in early 90s, African begins to travel around the world in search of westernization. The discovery of western education has been a major brake through in the continent.Through education, African became significantly independent to take care of her own health, though with the limited power to manufacture drugs and equipment. The advent of information and technology in the present civilized Africa is a dividend of academic liberation from ignorance and hard life.ConclusionBut for civilization, hard ship and sufferings would amount a gradual extinct of the human source itself- the African land. On the scale of development many grounds are yet to be conquered for African dependent. Over 60% of Africans’ daily needs are still based on importation, the huge debt to World Bank and IMF is an economic enslavement that speaks loud of underde veloped and yet civilized Africa.When will Africa and the entire black race be free of bad leadership that failed to focus on the pertinent needs in the interest of its economy? When will our mother land that gave birth to nations be redeemed from gradual abstract extinction? With a civilized utilization of African abundant natural resources, the room is widely open to absorbed awaiting development and full civilization.ReferencesLobell, Jarrett (July/August 2002). â€Å"Etruscan Pompeii†. Archaeological Institute of America 55 (4). Retrieved on September 2007.Libourel, Anthony, Jan (1973). â€Å"A Battle of Uncertain Outcome in the Second Samnite War†. American Journal of Philosophy 94 (1): 71. Retrieved on Sep. 2007Diamond, Jared (1999). Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. Norton.

Customer feedback Essay

The purpose of this report is help Dave Smith, the General Manager of the Landmark Hotel Auckland to improve the hotel’s current customer satisfaction measurement scheme by comparing a range of survey methods and recommends the most appropriate survey programme for the hotel. The report is broken down to two sections. The first section defines customer satisfaction and articulates the importance of measuring customer satisfaction. Section one also compares the functions of CSQs and TripAdvisor.com and introduces the content analysis method to the Landmark Hotel. The second part of the report defines measures of central tendency and dispersion and presents calculations from the guest survey spreadsheet provided. Based on summary table 1.1, the report briefly describes what the calculations mean to the hotel and produced a short recommendation. The report is produced with several limitations, which need to be addressed and overcome for future research. The recommendation made to Landmark Hotel under the first part, regarding the most appropriate research method was selected based on one of only two options. Further, since there is no standard ways to perform content analysis, the report simply presented what appeared to be the most logical procedure. Finally, the recommendation regarding internal marketing was much generalised due to word limits. PART A Defining Customer Satisfaction Customer satisfaction has been a topic of great importance in business practices. There is an overwhelming amount of outcome definitions characterising customer satisfaction, many of which have not yet been empirically tested. According to Yi (1993), some academics and practitioners define customer satisfaction from an outcome-based approach. Alternatively, other perceives and defines customer satisfaction as a process. Engel and Blackwell (1982) defined customer satisfaction as â€Å"an evaluation that the chosen alternative is consistent with prior beliefs with respect to the alternative† (p. 501). This definition is comparable with the disconfirmation theory, which proposes that guests are either satisfied or dissatisfied based on their expectations prior and subsequent to the purchase of the actual service experience. In this section, we are particularly concerned with the importance of measuring customer satisfaction. Fortunately, this question can be answered directly using the service-profit chain. The service-profit chain is simply a proposition of a series of linkages between â€Å"profitability, customer loyalty, and employee satisfaction, loyalty, and productivity† (Heskett, Jones, Loveman, Sasser & Schlesinger, 1994, p. 164). Customer satisfaction represents a crucial role in the service-profit chain because satisfaction is essentially a driver of customer loyalty (retention, repeated business and referrals), which directly impacts the profitability of a hospitality firm. Customer satisfaction is extremely important because it produces word-of-mouth, reduces operating overheads and facilitates price premiums (Denove & Power, 2006). Hospitality firms constantly look for more effective ways to measure customer satisfaction. Managers try to achieve greater accuracy in survey outcomes and use them to reliably address the gaps between management’s visions and the customer’s needs. Comparing Data Collection Methods Guest Feedback Forms Guest feedback forms, comment cards or customer satisfaction questionnaires (CSQs) are frequent tools used by most hotels for measuring customer satisfaction. Barsky (1992) stated two major disadvantages of guest comment cards, â€Å"poor construct validity†¦ poor statistical validity† (Barsky, 1992, p. 51). Yesawich (1978) also hypothetically considered CSQs as â€Å"more often than not, unreliable and statically invalid† (p, 72). Barsky (1992) further argues that guest comment cards may indicate customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction and related trends, but generally does not provide sufficient information for decision-making. Poria (2004) outlined several key advantages of using CSQs during guest complaints. Poria claimed that asking the guest to fill in CSQ would allow the staff extra time to resolve the problem and calms the guest. Tripadvisor.com In comparison with CSQs, Tripadvisor.com is an online interaction platform. Unlike the majority of quantitative methods, online customer reviews often articulate psychological changes of the hotel guests. According to Li, Ye and Law (2012), online reviews are more likely to convey guest’s true feelings, which make up for the missing information that was not captured by guest surveys. Tripadvisor.com and other eWOM platforms allow managers to interact with the guests, form one-to-one dialogues and perform qualitative content analysis. Content analysis is a systematic and objective approach to make inference from written data (Downe†Wamboldt, 1992). Like all qualitative research methods, content analysis is concerned with meanings and contextual aspects of a service experience. Content analysis can be described as an intensive exploration of a single customer review and typically, managers look for rich and vivid descriptions in the review, rather than generalised knowledge. However, content analysis and comparable qualitative research methods may lack scientific validity. Thus, it is difficult for managers to make reliable generalisations from a confined sample size. Research Methods and Design The Landmark Hotel needs to go beyond measuring performances and begin to understand perceptions and gain practical and context-dependent knowledge relating to specific guest experiences. I recommend the Landmark Hotel to focus on qualitative content analysis. Content analysis can be performed on online guest reviews as well as guest comment cards. Additionally, I recommend the use of open-ended question in guest comment cards in order to provide greater insights to the guest’s feelings (Lukas, Hair, Bush & Ortinau, 2005). According to Guthrie and Abeysekera (2006), content analysis requires a randomly selected sample, clearly defined criteria of analysis and a systematic data categorisation method, so that statistical analysis of the data can be performed. Downe†Wamboldt (1992) proposed an eight step procedure that the researcher should follow when conducting content analysis. These steps can be briefly described as 1) selecting unit of analysis, 2) defining the categories, 3) defining the categories, 4) testing for reliability and validity, 5) define or revise coding rules, 6) pre-testing the revised category schemes 7) data coding and 8) reassessing reliability and validity. According Marković and Raspor (2010), reliability of content analysis can be improved by developing coders for similar contents. Data coding allow researchers to measure frequency and percentage through tabulations, compute measures of central tendency and dispersion, test for difference, association and interdependence by performing t-tests and chi-square analysis using SPSS applications. Integration After the results have been analysed and interpreted, the researcher can choose to integrate and present the research outcomes within the hotel using an analytical report that is credible and believable. The report clearly defines the research problem/issue and the research methodology, which clearly articulates the objectives of the research, the research design used, descriptions of samples and the sampling methods and the how data are analysed. The results section is the most important section. This section should contain presentations of findings that are relevant to the research problem. The report should also contain a conclusion section, a recommendation and a limitation section which illustrates â€Å"extraneous events that place certain restrictions on the report† (Lukas, et al., 2005, p. 557). PART B Calculations and Definitions of Measurements Considering the guest survey spreadsheet, I have calculated the measures of central tendency and dispersion for each behavioural intention scale. For measures of central tendency, I have computed the mean, median and mode respectively. These measures are used as data reduction, which describes the set of responses through a single value. The mean is â€Å"the arithmetic average of the sample† (Lukas et al., 2005, p. 436). The mean is derived from the sum of all values pertained from the responses and divided by the exact number of valid responses. The median is â€Å"the middle value of a rank-ordered distribution† (Lukas et al., 2005, p. 436). The mode is defined as â€Å"the most common value in the set of responses to a question† (Lukas et al., 2005, p. 436). Standard deviation is a measure of dispersion. It is defined as â€Å"the average distance of the distribution values from the means† (Lukas et al., 2005, p. 438). The Excel function which I have used to compute the standard deviation of the data given was STDEV.S. STDEV.S estimates standard deviation from a sample rather than the entire population. The guest survey spreadsheet provided a number of intention statements aimed to obtain some ideas about guest experiences for certain aspects of the hotel. The management hoped to explore the guest’s intended behaviours as much as possible and the likelihood that guests will demonstrate predictable behaviour towards staying at the hotel in the foreseeable future. Table 1.1 shows that first and second rating scale demonstrated a lower average value in comparison with other rating scales. Evidently, service standard and staff competence to make guests feel accustomed during their stays did not meet the required expectations. Question eight also shows that on average, guests would not recommend the Landmark Hotel to others. Recommendations I postulate that service quality could be a major contributory factor to declines in booking rates. According to Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry (1985), there are ten determinants of service quality – competence, courtesy, reliability, responsiveness and understanding are five relatively important determinants directly influenced by staff. Additionally, empathy and assurance are additional components of service quality directly determined by hotel personnel, as proposed in the SERVQUAL scale (Parasuraman et al., 1988). For the purpose of restoring and improving service quality, I recommend an adjustment of focus onto internal marketing activities. According to George and Gronroos (1991), â€Å"internal market of employees is best motivated for service-mindedness and customer-oriented behaviour by a marketing-like approach, where marketing-like activities are used internally† (p. 86). Internal marketing is essentially a process of building a customer-oriented culture through training and achieving internal satisfaction. Internal marketing implies a number of activities besides training utilisation. Take, for example, regularly assessing internal satisfaction, empowerment, and the provision of adequate supervisory support, open communication policies and the development of a sound reward system all forms part of internal marketing activities that seeks to achieving continuous quality improvements. References Barsky, J. D. (1992). Customer satisfaction in the hotel industry meaning and measurement. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 16(1), 51-73. Denove, C. & Power, J. D. (2006). Satisfaction: How every great company listens to the voice of the customer. New York, NY: Portfolio. Downe-Wamboldt, B. (1992). Content analysis: method, applications, and issues. Health care for women international, 13(3), 313-321. Engel, J. F., & Blackwell, R. D. (1982). Consumer behavior. New York, NY: Hole, Rinehard and Winston. George, W. R., & Gronroos, C. (1989). Developing customer-conscious employees at every level: internal marketing. Handbook of services marketing, 29-37. Guthrie, J., & Abeysekera, I. (2006). Content analysis of social, environmental reporting: what is new?. Journal of Human Resource Costing & Accounting, 10(2), 114-126. Heskett, J. L., & Schlesinger, L. A. (1994). Putting the service-profit chain to work. Harvard business review, 72(2), 164-174. Li, H., Ye, Q., & Law, R. (2012). Determinants of customer satisfaction in the hotel industry: An application of online review analysis. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, (ahead-of-print), 1-19. Lukas, B. A., Hair, J. F., Bush, R. P., Ortinau, D. J. (2005). Marketing research. North Ryde, NSW: McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Limited. Markovic, S., & Raspor, S. (2004). Measuring perceived service quality using SERVQUAL: a case study of the Croatian hotel industry. Management, 5(3), 195-209. Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V.A. & Berry, L.L. (1985). A conceptual model of service quality and implications for future research. Journal of Marketing, 49, Fall, 41-50. Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V.A. & Berry, L.L. (1988). SERVQUAL: a multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality. Journal of Retailing, Spring, 12-40. Poria, Y. (2004). Employees’ interference with the distribution of guest satisfaction questionnaires. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 16(5), 321-324. Yesawich, P. C. (1978). Post-opening marketing analysis for hotels. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 19(3), 70-81. Yi, Y. (1993). The antecedents of consumer satisfaction: The moderating role of ambiguity. Advances in Consumer Research, 20, 502–506.

Report will focus on analysing the existence of power Essay

Introduction This report will focus on analysing the existence of power, control and resistance within an organisation with particular reference toward Australia’s largest and most successful telecommunications provider, Telstra (Telstra, 2013). Applying widely recognised theoretical frameworks and concepts against these focus areas, a critical analysis has been conducted and assessed with the findings referenced throughout the report determining the positive and negative impacts each are having on Telstra the organisation and its stakeholders. The three focus areas of power, control and resistance are major influences within any organisation and critical to its success. Power and control can be perceived as being the same within an organisation, however there are key differentiators between the two that is important to identify and understand. Both power and control of an organisation can have various levels of influence on its stakeholders depending on a companies geographical or workfor ce size and culture. A level of power labeled as â€Å"Domination† identifies the way that an organisation can ultimately shape the preferences, attitudes and even political outlooks of its stakeholders (Sadan, 1997). The area of control stems from the introduction of â€Å"scientific management† introduced by (Taylor, 2007). Taylor’s methodologies of control are still predominant in many modern organisations that adopt various means to maintain a controlled workplace. Such means can consist of forms of surveillance such as email and phone scanning, remote working arrangements and segmentation of skills. Jermier, Knights, & Nord refer to resistance within an organisation as constituting forms of power that’s exercised by subordinates within a workplace. Example forms or â€Å"faces† of resistance are refusal, voice, escape and creation. With an understanding of the theoretical frameworks and concepts of these three focus areas, various stakeholders of Telstra have been interviewed to construct a comprehensive analysis on what impact power, control and resilience is having on the organisation and its stakeholders. Methodology Being one of the largest organizations in Australia, power, control, and resistance is spread throughout the companies multiple functions and sectors. It is these elements that aid in shaping the way Telstra operates. This fact has led to various methods being utilized to collect and critically analyse information on Telstra regarding these three aspects of organizational behaviour. Both primary and secondary research was conducted for this report. Primary sources include conversations with Telstra stakeholders in conjunction with online secondary research. Stakeholders include employees of Telstra as well as the customers themselves. By learning about their experiences with Telstra a better understanding of the organization was created as well as how power, control, and resistance are evident in Telstra. The use of primary and secondary research allowed for power, control and resistance to be critically analysed in Telstra. A number of theories were also addressed in the analysis of Telstra. Relevant aspects of power, control, and resistance were explored and applied to Telstra to develop this report. As power, control, and resistance are different elements of organizational behaviour, a range of theories needed to be used in order to properly analyse Telstra. This also led to the stakeholder interviews being less formal due to questions having to cover such as large industry and often transparent elements of organizational behaviour. To address the issue of power in Telstra, a number of cases were used to identify the scope of power itself in Telstra and how those in power are at times abusing it or using it as a tool for manipulation. In some cases, the extremities of Telstra are clearly shown. Alongside this evidence and research, the theoretical framework of the ‘four faces of power’ derived from Lukes (1986) and Foucault (1977) was used for analysis of the company. As Telstra is a very large company, appropriate control systems and management of control is essential throughout all the functions of the business. To analyse how control plays a critical role in Telstra, different functions of the organization and their appropriate control mechanism were explo red. This was done through researching into examples and cases of how Telstra has managed it’s control systems. Similarly to the use of the ‘four faces of power’, resistance was also analysed using a comparable framework. The framework used was the ‘four faces of resistance’. This framework helped to highlight areas where employees show resistance and how far they can take it. Research and cases gathered coupled together with the four faces of resistance aided in presenting and analysing the various issues of resistance and how it exists in Telstra. Organisational Power â€Å"Power is derived from owning and controlling the means of production and how this power is reinforced by organisational structures and rules of governance† (Weber and Marx, 1948) Telstra as an organization consists of management hierarchy comprising of numerous Directors and Executives that hold responsibility for the direction and public image of Telstra. These positions at times are extremely demanding as their everyday decisions can, and will have an effect on the business profits and customer satisfaction levels. Power is crucial amongst these ranks as it is required to make necessary changes and improvements to policy and procedure in the highly competitive industry of telecommunications. Ultimately the responsibility of the performance of Telstra resides with the CEO (David Thodey) and the supporting Directors (executive and non-executive). As the ‘Top-level manager’, David Thodey makes decisions affecting the entire company. He does not direct the day -to-day activities of the company; instead he sets goals for the organization and directs the company to achieve them. An example is the announcement of a strategy of market differentiation and a renewed focus on customer service and satisfaction (Telstra Website, 2009). Top managers are ultimately responsible for the performance of the organization (Simmering, 2007). Following the top-level management group is the middle-level managers, who set goals for their departments and other business units. Middle managers are charged with motivating and assisting first-line managers to achieve the company’s objectives. They also play an important role by communicating and offering suggestions to the top managers, as they are more involved in the day-to-day workings of the company. The next level of management is the first-level. This level is responsible for the daily management of the employees who actually produce the product or offer the service. Although first-level managers typi cally do not set goals for the organization, they have a very strong influence on the company, as they are the managers that most employees interact with on a daily basis. Telstra’s use of coercion internally has become evident in various situations. By assessing the four faces of power we can see how intimidation towards workers has resulted in a number of public outbursts. An unethical and undisclosed strategy was introduced by Telstra during 2008 whereby 15,000 employees were targeted to sign up to Australian Workforce Agreements (AWA) before the ban on agreements was to be imposed by the Government (Eastley, 2008). A confidential Telstra document showed that managers were given 29 pages of tips on how to best convince workers to signing up to AWA’s (Hawley, 2008). The document urged managers to use psychological profiling of employees when considering who to target and were rewarded with bonuses once successfully signing workers up to workplace agreements. This method of power is an example of coercion. Telstra has clearly done something unethically in this situation. The company’s actions have demonstrated a coercive environment that maximises pressure through psychological manipulation. Domination is a level of power that identifies the way in which an organisation can ultimately shape the preferences, attitudes and even political outlooks of its stakeholders Lukes (1986). Telstra’s domination of most communications markets and its ability to leverage market power across markets is a consequence of its structure. The result is the failure of competition affecting all consumer groups. The ideal solution is a form of structural separation of Telstra. This objective can be achieved through the creation of a regulatory package that delivers as much of the benefit as possible that would be derived from structural separation, while acknowledging the limitations of real separation to address the core incentives of Telstra to favour itself (Competitive Carriers’ Coalition Inc, 2005). Workplace bullying is a widespread issue that can only be resolved through an implementation strategy targeting all employees. Employers need to be held accountable and have a str ategy in place to protect the employees from this offence. Unfortunately this is not always the case, in some instances the employer is the one orchestrating the bullying. A recent case in which the Administrative Appeals Tribunal overruled Telstra’s decision not to pay compensation to an ex-employee for stress and psychological injury shows that it is possible to resist intimidation (Sdrinis, 2012). Mr Sami was successful in wining his compensation claim against Telstra for work-related psychological injuries and in particular in relation to bullying and harassment by his manager over a period of time. This case underlines that management’s often-used tactics of subtle bulling and harassment to push people out the door has a human cost which the law is prepared to recognise. Within most major companies, including Telstra, workers have to live with the threat of losing their jobs and this case should encourage workers to stand up to workplace harassment and, if victimized, seek legal advice and compensation. Organisational Control In order to regulate and manage organisational activities and resources, so that accomplishing goals and objectives are possible, organisations need control. It is a significant part of running any business so that a targeted element of performance remains up to organisational standard. There is a considerable amount of responsibility that goes into managing control, as there are many different levels and areas in which organisations define control. Information Resources is an area of control in which include sales forecasting, environmental analysis and production scheduling. In a recent article, Telstra has reported a 12.9 per cent increase in net profit, reaching $3.9 billion, and an increase in revenue up two per cent to $26 billion (Bartholomeusz, Technology Spectator, 2013). Telstra chief executive officer David Thodey said it was the â€Å"third consecutive year of significant customer growth for Telstra mobile, driven by $1.2 billion of investment in the network during the y ear.† As profit results slightly bettered expectations, this can only leave a positive impact on employees, shareholders and the organisation itself. For instance, as a result of meeting organisational goals and objectives, employees get to keep their job, and keep the shareholders content. In any organisation, operations control is needed to control the processes used to transform resources into products and services. As Telstra is constantly aspiring to grow as a company and are faced with new business opportunities, changes in operational processes takes place as a result, workers find themselves jobless. The terminal decline of Telstra’s once-dominant telephone business and the rise of new business opportunities have forced the telco giant into a major operational restructure that will affect half the company’s 30,000 strong domestic workforce (Bingemann, 2013). (Telstra Chief Operations officer Brendon Riley, is likely to see hundreds of jobs cut from the te lco as it transitions its operations and IT divisions from infrastructure-based businesses to more of a software and services future (Bingemann, 2013). Although this may mean good news for Telstra advancing as an organisation, this change in operations control is affecting the lives of 30,000 loyal employers and their families. Telstra’s financial control plan has an upside and a downside. Like most organisations, a budget control provides a way of measuring performance across different aspects within the company. Also control the financial resources as they flow into, are held by, and flow out of the organisation. Telstra while having generated some $2 billion in savings has punished workers by cutting 1,000 net local jobs over the past two and a half years (Bartholomeusz, Business Spectator, 2013). Although the savings are benefiting Telstra’s fast-growing mobile business, the price to pay is substantial for those 1,000 workers who need to make ends meet. Telstra has insisted that it can simultaneously cut costs while improving customer service b y reducing errors, queries and complaints that allow it to, for instance, reduce call centre staff (Bartholomeusz, Business Spectator, 2013). As technology advances, so does the way people do things. With the new possibilities of using apps and online resources to ask questions, queries and form complaints, the need for call centre workers reduces sizeable Organisational Resistance Within the multinational telecommunication company Telstra, numerous accounts of resistance both internally and externally have risen from management decisions by the company’s head. Several incidents have occurred in which the public and workers have raised their voice in resistance against some of the giant’s actions. By assessing the four faces of resistance, we can see typical and expected responses from the public and workers. One incident occurred earlier this year in February. Telstra slashed over 700 jobs from their Sensis network, which resulted in mass rallies and protests by union leaders and workers alike (Conifer, 2013). This method of resistance is an example of ‘voice.’ By publicly displaying and enforcing their dissatisfaction against the loss of their jobs, the union workers are resisting Telstra’s actions. The rally and protests have been constructed to highlight the unsatisfactory methods of Telstra. As Telstra grows as a company, many Australian jobs are being sent offshore, particularly to Asian nations. The rapid growth of the company forces management and corporate heads to expand the company to increase revenue and profits, at the expense of Australian jobs. In July of this year, over 170 jobs were sent offshore to India, which lead to widespread union outrage (Bingemann, www.theaustralian.com.au/business, 2013). The Communication, Electrical and Plumbing union, as well as the Community and Public Sector unions protested and demanded negotiations in regards to job losses. The fact that unions stood up and resisted to sacrifice their jobs highlights an internal voice of the company. This resistance from the unions demonstrates a type of power that workers have within their job, to stand up against unsatisfactory managerial decisions. (Bingemann, www.theaustralian.com.au/business, 2013) The third face of resistance represents the ‘escape’ side of work. This face is made up of three tools: cynicism, scepticism and dis-identification. Dis-identification refers to the disconnection from ones identity and the work environment. In an incident that occurred in April of 2007, a young girl committed suicide after been given unrealistic work goals and hassled by management staff of Telstra to return to work during her stress leave (Masanauskas, 2007). This amount of pressure lead to her suicide, and the change from her once â€Å"vibrant personality† was transformed into a â€Å"nervous wreck† (Masanauskas, 2007). The young women’s parents described the Telstra staff to be treating their daughter â€Å"like a machine.† From this tragedy, the union demanded realistic work goals and targets. The dis-identification from ‘human’ to ‘machine’ within the workplace highlights the third face of resistance, to escape work. However, this escape was much more serious and punishing, for it was not just a mental escape from work, but a suicide. Conclusion Throughout this report it is made evident that the three focal behavioral characteristics of organisations can have a major impact on its stakeholders. Although these impacts can be both positive and negative it is clear from the examples provided that a balance between what’s positive to both an organisation and its stakeholders remains a huge challenge to maintain. Telstra has been used as a case organisation due to its operational size and market reach throughout the country and spreading to different cultures internationally. Various methods were used to gather and analyse information specific to the affects of power, control and resistance from both internal and external stakeholders of the company which formed the basis of or report. Power of an organisation over its stakeholders is seen almost always as a negative characteristic but is critical to an organisations success. It was found that power in Telstra is delegated down through a hierarchal management structure to manage staff and performance. This lead onto analysing which control methods are being used within Telstra such as performance goals and project deadlines, which have been founded to be a major cause of many bully and stress related complaints. Due to the mismanagement of power and control various cases of industrial action and even suicide has been reported as a form of resistance from stakeholders. This resistance has a negative impact on the public image of the organisation and can potentially affect its market value. It is critical for organisations to achieve a balance between economic growth and ethical practices. Until this happens cases such of those highlighted in the report will continue causing restraint and harm to both the organisation and its stakeholders.

My Role as a Nurse in Canada

Collaboration implies working together for the greater good, but it actually encompasses far more. Several preconditions must be in place in order for collaboration to be successful. As a nurse in a health care setting, collaboration is very important to facilitate better patient outcomes. During my practice in the hospital communication is vital for collaborative nursing to be successful. Team work is the key for all staff member. Working together requires communication. As healthcare professionals, we need to look at the whole picture and meet all of the needs of our patients.As nurses, it is essential that we give up some power and trust that other members of the team are just as important in providing comprehensive, quality care. With that in mind, we will always do what is best for our patients, even when that means relinquishing some control. In my experience I rely on the nursing aids as my eyes and ears because they are in the frontline but maintaining professional roles. In the role of teacher, I am frequently asked health, medication and growth and development questions.He or she also often provides additional details on a diagnosis not quite understood by patient or family members, the nurse helps clients learn about their health and the health care procedures they need to perform to restore or maintain their health. I assess the client’s learning needs and readiness to learn, sets specific learning goals in conjunction with the client, enacts teaching strategies and measures learning. Another form of role is a Nurse educator, combine clinical expertise and a passion for teaching into rich and rewarding careers.These professionals, who work in the classroom and the practice setting, are responsible for preparing and mentoring current and future generations of nurses. I have been in the academe for 4 years as a Nurse educators I have a pivotal role in strengthening the nursing workforce, serving as role models and providing the leadership neede d to implement evidence-based practice. As a nurse educator I express a high degree of satisfaction with my work. Watching future nurses grow in confidence and skill as the most rewarding aspects of this job. The nurse is a caregiver first and foremost.Nurse Caregiver is the one who give love and care to the people that need someone that can care not only physical and also the emotional and also the love that needed of the people with special needs and also to the aged person. I can definitely relate to this role because I have been a care giver before and it gives me much fulfillment as a nurse to see someone smiles and give gratitude for the tender loving care that you give them. Counselling is a process of helping a client to recognize and cope with stressful psychological or social problems, to developed improved interpersonal relationships, and to promote personal growth.It involves providing emotional, intellectual, and psychological support. In my practice as a nurse I encoun tered lots of situation wherein a patient or family member needed counselling regarding health related issues. As a counsellor I give information regarding their health related issues and assess how effective are the patient coping with it, based on my assessment that I patterned my intervention. Sometimes the nurse must serve as patient advocate in helping loved ones make difficult decisions. Providing education and detailed information regarding treatment options is only the beginning.The nurse asks for input from patient and families. That, in addition, to his/her own observations about each patient – and the knowledge from caring for hundreds of other patients – allows the nurse to best create an individualized care plan. As a Client advocate I acts to protect the client. In this role the nurse i represent the client’s needs and wishes to other health professionals, such as relaying the client’s wishes for information to the physician. I also assist c lients in exercising their rights and help them speak up for themselves. Communication is an integral to all nursing roles.Nurses communicate with the client, support persons, other health professionals, and people in the community. In the role of communicator, nurses identify client problems and then communicate these verbally or in writing to other members of the health team. The quality of a nurse’s communication is an important factor in nursing care. In my practice I usually communicate with other health professional regarding the most effective intervention for the client, like referring them to a specialist or to a social worker, helping the client achieve the optimal health status possible.The nurse has significant responsibility as a supervisor of delegated or assigned activities. Each person involved in this process is accountable for his or her own actions or inaction and is potentially liable if competent and safe care is not provided. Certainly, the educational p reparation and demonstrated ability of the person who will perform the designated act must be evaluated by the nurse making the decision to delegate tasks to others. In my practice decision to delegate essentially involves the use of the nursing process, i. e. appropriate assessment of the circumstances (staff available and patient acuity), planning, implementation, and evaluation by the delegator. It is up to me to make a professional judgment based upon the information available for me in each specific situation. Every day, nurses are responsible for the health and well-being of their patients. Regardless of specialty or work setting, perform basic duties that include treating patients, educating patients and the public about various medical conditions, and providing advice and emotional support to patients' family members.Doing this roles of nurses are basically the same in any work setting, with my education and experience I am very confident that I can do this roles when I prac tice as a registered nurse here in Canada, although there are some anxiety involved regarding the whole process, but I feel confident that I can do the job because I already have the experience being a licensed practical nurse first then moving up to becoming a registered nurse plus my previous experience as a registered nurse in the Philippines. The management and leadership competencies that I currently possess, and comfortable of using is communication.Because I am a type of person that is very organized and to be able to achieve this is to have a good communication with other members of the team, and I am very comfortable in speaking the English language because back home in the Philippines we are use to using English as a medium for instruction so there not much adjustment on my part. Barriers for this competency that might challenge me is the possibility of sending or receiving incorrect messages. So it is essential that we know the key components of the communication process, how to improve our skills, and the potential problems that exist with errors in communication.After I graduates from nursing school and gets my Registered Nurse (RN) license in the Philippines, somehow I got to possess some fundamental leadership skills to apply to direct patient care. I would identify more to a directive autocrat type of leadership, because for me it would be more effective to direct each team member to do a specific task to complete, ensuring that command and supervision as to what to do, and see to it that it gets completed accordingly. Positive side of this type of leadership is that the nurse leader tries to ensure that the whole unite works as a team to get the tasks done.