Technology Inevitably Gets Better Over Time Essay

Technology Inevitably Gets Better Over Time - Essay Example This essay discusses that  advanced technologies have been getting better over a period of time that intends to provide significant facilities with the intention of improving the society. It can be affirmed that the idea of technology has developed the living standard of the societal members by a greater extent throughout the last decade and is still continuing to perform such function. It has been apparently observed that technology has provided advanced amenities to different people belonging to any communities by systematic employment of science.  According to the report  social interaction among the people living in different regions was viewed to be quite due to lack of communication as well as interaction. However, in recent days, with the introduction of innovative technologies such as mobile phones and internet, people can interact with each other quickly without facing any difficulties. In the past, distance was considered to be one of the critical factors that restric ted social interaction among people. But now, the distance barriers are resolved by various technological inventions. In today’s modern world, people can reach one part to other part of the world in a single day with the help of airplanes. Moreover, computers and laptops among others are regarded to be certain valuable gifts of technological inventions that are playing a major role in varied sectors.  In relation to technological advancements, various social networks like Facebook and Twitter among others are regarded to be the valuable inventions of internet technology.

Evidence Based Practice Essay Example for Free

Evidence Based Practice Essay The institute of Medicine has set a goal that by 2020, 90% of all health care decisions will be evidence based (Mazurek et al. , 2009). On entering the words Evidence Based Practice into the Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health Literature( CINAHL) database in December 2012, the amount of articles to be found by the author of this assignment was 5694. It could be said that this shows the importance of evidence based practice in todays world of nursing. In 2012, the words accreditation, in private health care settings, Health Information and Quality Authority ( H. I. Q.  A) standards, in the public sector and indeed Clinical Governance are spoken every day! Cranston (2002) stated that for the organisation, clinical governance lies at the heart of quality assurance and that clinical governance is linked to clinical effectiveness which is the goal of evidence based practice. Inevitably as a result of this all health care professionals are required to use evidence based practice in their every day working lives. Thus promoting accountability and quality patient care. However we must ask ourselves is there a down side to all this evidence based practice? What is wrong with the way we always did things? As already stated above it is a necessity for all health care professionals to use evidence based practice, however for the purpose of this assignment the author will concentrate on the nursing profession, looking at how the use of evidence based practice is important for the patient, the nurse and finally the organisation. On the other hand the author will also look at the barriers of evidence based practice for nurses. The methodology used is that of a literature review on evidence based practice in nursing. In addition a S. W. O. T. analysis was undertaken by the author looking at the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and also the threats to evidence based practice. At the outset it is important to firstly look at what evidence based practice is. It has been defined as the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients (Sackett D. L, 1996) In addition it is further described as the integration of best research evidence with clinical expertise and patient values (Sackett, 2000). On speaking about Professor Archie Cochrane, Barker ( 2010) stated that he argued there was a need to ensure treatment was delivered in the most effective way and to ensure that available evidence was used (p. 5). The dictionary definition of evidence is a â€Å"grounds for belief or disbelief; data on which to base proof or establish truth or falsehood† (Collins 1998) So where you may ask do we obtain this evidence? Well the range of different sources of evidence that can inform practice includes personal reflection, journal articles, policies, guidelines, reports and professional consensus, as well as research and audit. However, the literature generally implies research is the strongest form of evidence (Dale, 2005). So why is it important to use evidence based practice to the nursing profession? For this section the author has divided it into three; the patient, the nurse and finally the organisation. Improvement in the quality of care received by the patient. The Department of Health and Children (2001) stated that improving quality in the Irish Healthcare system requires the implementation of internationally recognised evidence based guidelines and protocols. Furthermore Craig and Smyth (2007) stated that the main aim of evidence based practice is to obtain the best outcomes for patients by selecting interventions that have the greatest chance of success cited by Leufer and Cleary-Holdforth (2009). Every working day a nurse carries out daily duties; a bed bath, medication administration, mobilising patients post joint replacement, and many more, the list is endless; but how does the nurse know that what he or she is doing is the best way to do it and indeed perhaps what he or she is doing may be impeding the healing for the patient. Evidence based practice has been demonstrated to yield improved patient outcomes ( Killeen and Barnfather, 2005). Recent research carried out on the use of anticoagulation therapy for the prevention of post operative development of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism following a total knee or total hip replacement surgery, showed the effect of the anticoagulants appears to be influenced by the time of initiation of coagulation more than the effect of the drug itself. (Salazar, et al. , 2011). Therefore it can be said that the previous practice of commencing the anticoagulant post operatively is not the best for the patient. Indeed commencement pre operatively greatly reduces the risk of developing a deep venous thrombosis or a pulmonary embolism, thus improving the patient outcome. When evidence is used to define best practices rather than to support existing practices, nursing care keeps pace with the latest technological advances and takes advantage of new knowledge developments. ( Youngblut and Brooten 2001). Accountability and Ongoing Education for the nurse as a practicing professional. In addition to the before mentioned benefit to patient outcomes another strength to evidence based practice is that to the nurse as a professional. The Code of Professional Conduct for Nurses in Ireland states that each registered nurse is accountable for his or her own practice An Bord Altranais ( 2000). In order for the practicing nurse to be accountable for his or her practice he or she must be able to substantiate the decisions they have made on a foundation of professional expertise which clearly includes using relevant evidence to inform practice (McSherry, et al. 2006) Nurses and midwives form the bulk of the clinical health workforce and play a central role in all health service delivery (Buscher, et al. , 2009). Therefore it could be said that nurses can improve the quality of healthcare provided to their patients if they were to use the best evidence based practice. Moreover by carrying out evidence based practice the nurse is maintaining and improving his or her knowledge continuously. Therefore increasing his or her confidence while carrying out his or her daily nursing duties, as he or she is confident that the care he or she is administrating is based on researched findings. Furthermore in their article on a Spirit of Inquiry Melnyk et al. stated that findings in some studies indicated that when nurses engage in evidence based practice, they experience greater autonomy in their practices and a higher level of job satisfaction. This is of huge importance in these difficult times of staff shortages, cost saving and unfortunately emigration. There is a need to retain the nurses that we have and indeed job satisfaction goes a long way to aid this retention. The Organisation: Finally in this section the author looks at the organisation as a beneficiary of evidence based practice. Leufer et. al (2009) stated that evidence based practice is highly relevant in a social and healthcare environment that has to deal with consumerism, budget cuts, accountability, rapidly advancing technology, demands for ever-increasing knowledge and litigation. Furthermore in the USA there is a system where health care follows a business model, it is imperative for organisations to provide the best care based on the best available evidence to attract customers. (Fitzsimmons Cooper, 2012). This indeed could also be said for the healthcare system in Ireland at present, with the increasing demands on health care facilities either public or private to show that they are compliant with strict standards of care. Furthermore some of the many health insurance providers in Ireland will not continue to provide cover to the private hospitals if they do not hold an accreditation award. Moreover as has been seen in recent years H. I. Q. A. ill without a doubt close down healthcare facilities if they do not show themselves to be compliant with the H. I. Q. A. standards. It could be said that the best way to ensure obtaining and retaining these standards is through the use of evidence based practice. As already mentioned in the introduction clinical governance is also of paramount importance in todays hospitals; Sale 2005 stated that achieve clinical governance, organisations are expected to set and monitor standards that are evidence-based. as cited by Dale (2006). In addition in these highly litigious times, an organisation that uses internationally approved evidence based practice could perhaps be less likely to attract litigation cases. However if such a case were to arise the organisation could successfully defend itself, again if it is providing care which is of international best practice standard. Finally in relation to the benefits of evidence based practice to the organisation it could perhaps be claimed that evidence based practice may lead to a change in practice; as a result of said change, indeed cost saving may occur. For an example of this the author would again like to refer to the afore mentioned study on anticoagulants, if the use of the anticoagulant preoperatively is to reduce the risk of developing thrombosis, this in turn will lead to a reduction in hospital length of stay, when no thrombosis occurs, thus in the long term introducing a cost saving to the organisation. However, even with all the benefits of evidence based practiced as already discussed, throughout the literature review, it was difficult for the author not to discover the weaknesses, or indeed the pitfalls to the use of and the implementation of same. Lack of understanding! Perhaps one of the main barriers to evidence based practice is indeed the very lack of understanding of what it is! Evidence based practice is a well known concept, yet practitioners appear to lack knowledge of the principles that underpin it (Dale, 2006). It could be said that definitions of evidence in nursing are very broad, Is it literature review? Is it clinical expertise? Is it nursing knowledge? Is it nursing theory? Is it local? Is it organisational? As evidence based practice is a relatively new phenomenon to the profession of nursing, only really being born in the 90s, there are a lot of nurses trained before this time who do not understand the concept of evidence based practice. This in turn perhaps leads to another pitfall of evidence based practice! Conflict between professionals: There may indeed be a lack of team effort in implementing evidence based practice in the work place. As previously mentioned the old fashioned trained nurses may not understand what evidence based practice is and may feel that I have always done it this way or youre only qualified what would you know Resistance to change is very common in all areas of life. The extent to which different healthcare professionals work well together can affect the quality of the health care that they provide. If there are problems in how healthcare professionals communicate and interact with each other, then problems in patient care can occur. (Zwarenstein, et al. , 2009). In addition there may interdisciplinary conflict as a result of nurses carrying out evidence based practice. As already mentioned above in the research carried out by Salazar, et al. in 2011, it is of more benefit to administer anticoagulant therapy pre total hip or total knee replacement; however the nurse does not prescribe these medications and perhaps he or she may not feel they have the autonomy or authority to propose this or indeed even show the consultant or the anaesethist these findings. There could be a perceived lack of authority to change practice on reflection of research findings Medical disinterest is a significant barrier to evidence-based standards (Sams, et al. , 2004) Unfortunately it would appear from the authors own experience that some surgeons still see the nurses as only nurses. Therefore the nurse may feel this is a waste of time. Speaking of time this leads onto another pitfall in the use of evidence based practice. Time Constraints: In these times of cost savings, high staff turn over, emmigration and staff shortages, there may be a perceived lack of time to carry out any research or data. It can be said that staff work hard and perhaps they feel as if research is not part of their job, as it is not spelt out in the their job description. However as discussed earlier it is the responsibility of every registered nurse is accountible for his or her own practice. In addition it could be said that in this nday and age nurses feel that they do too much writing and have less time for hands on care therefore they feel that they really do not have the time for researching data. Because we are so busy doing the real work of caring for patients in the operating room, it is hard to even contemplate activities that would result in more work! We often believe we dont have the time, that our energies are better directed toward patient care, and that research is something to be conducted by academics; (Knoll Leifso, 2009). If however the time was made available, another question to be asked is; Is there the library facilities available? Lack of study facilities or library facilities: Yes if perhaps the nurse works in a teaching hospital then it could perhaps be presumed that there would be very good library and research facilities to hand to aid in research. However in some organisations there may be a lack of resources to support changing practice to reflect research findings (Hewitt-Taylor, et al. , 2012). However not all hospitals are teaching hospitals, so where does the information come from. In an ideal world the organisation would provide such facilities, however what if there is a: Lack of Organisational Support: Is there managerial support provided? Do management understand the process and the importance of the process for the organisation? Is there a cost involved to the organisation? If there is going to be a change in practice will it be cost effective. Is there organisational readiness to change?

Service Blueprint For 100 Yen Sushi Information Technology Essay

Service Blueprint For 100 Yen Sushi Information Technology Essay The US might eventually reach and equally high penetration of wireless device and acquire abundant number of content provider and dealers that target mobile users. It is hard to imaging however that people in US would spend at least 1 hour daily looking at their cellular phon. A phenomenon commence commuter in Japan. The legacy effect of excellent land line telephone services in the US would delay the rapid adoption of M-Commerce as weaknesses in other country. Using a customer as a partial employee in the service process has several organizational implication such use create the tradeoff between operational efficiency and operational control. When customer provides element of the service may result enhance efficiency of the service capacity because the capacity is added to the system at the moment it is needed. At the same time, however, much of the quality of the service may be out of the control of the organization mistake made by the customer may be costly. For example, the self-service yogurt machines in a grocery stall is a highly efficient delivery system but it may also result in waste extra work for the cleaning staff and damage to the equipment when customers misuse it. The use as customer as partial employee also require management to train the customer in how to behave often the training must take place at the time when the train sought failure to communicate the proper behavior may result in customer anxiety and dissatisfaction. Customer who act as partial employee have implication for marketing operation, services may target the type of customer who desire a lot of control over the process and who is a quick learner. An example may be seen in the relationship between airline and frequent business traveler who are often control oriented and well education. What possible dangers are associated with developing complementary services? The possibility of increasing the firms liability because of those added services. For instance adding cold or hot sandwiches at convenient grocery store incur the possibility that a customer might suffer food poisoning and take legal action against the store. Another example seen the addition self service guest bunk which involve the risk of fire damage and injuries. When the complementary services attract customer who may hurt business consider a shopping mall that install a video arcade may become a heaven, for noisy and teenagers who will drive away those customer who want to shopping in peace. Suggest diversions that could make waiting less painful. Offer attention diversion suggests video games, travel poster, music and magazine. Group waiting people in cluster to promote intention. Acknowledge the customer present, inform the customer about the waiting time and advise the customer about any requirement of limitation of service for he or she is waiting. Make the customer aware of any other services the organization might offer promote community services; provide information about non-competing organization by scenic side and etc. Provide live entertainment, example musician in a restaurant; divert attention for customers who wait for services. Provide toys to young children. Offer education materials, suggest video tapes relating to customers need, example, the divert person will show the tapes related to condition. Offer refreshment. How can effects of service recovery be understood as customer perceived fairness? There are three dimension of perceive fairness in regard to the service process: Distributive fairness related to the extent to reach recovery offer equates that the customer feel is deserved or needed. Procedure fairness relates to how much influences, the customer feels has on the process and to how timely or convenient the recovery is. Interactional fairness is concern with the quality of interpersonal interaction occurring during offer recovery. Example, fair, honest, empathy interaction, fair communication and behaviour. An excellent recovery process can turn a quality disaster to positive experiences. Tutorial 11 Explain why the goods analogy of a supply chain is inappropriate for services. For physical goods, the analogy of a chain ideally capture the linear hand off of inventory between players in the distribution of product firm supplier à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Manufacturer à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Distributors à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Retailer à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Final Customer. The chain can be rather short, for Dell computer that sell directly but substantially longer for end for an automobile manufacturer selling through independent dealers. The simultaneously production and consumption nature of service doesnt lend itself to the chain analogy but rather the service encounter is the essence of the service experience. The service provider can in turn have supplier but virtual analogy is a hub rather than chain. Suggest some strategies for controlling the variability in service times. To limit the service provider or to standardized them, eg. Fast food restaurant, they offer limited menu and standardized the ways in which the worker provide the services. To partition demand into categories such as we see for commercial customer at bank or express lane customers at supermarkets. Pizza Hut delivery services can guarantee delivery within a specific time by controlling variability to several measure. They standardize the preparation of the pizza and they locate store strategy throughout the town. They also organize the delivery people, so each one can make several delivery on each trip. When the line becomes long at some fast-food restaurants, an employee will walk along the line taking orders. What ate the benefits of this policy? To discourage customer to reneging once an order is taken the customer feel committed to follow. Taking orders from customer while they still in line, save time when the counter is rich. The only tasks remaining are taking money and filling the order which reduce services time and increase the capacity to serve. Such strategy establishes customer contact early in the encounter may avoid having to play catch up point later. Personnel who are on the floor taking orders during busy time can also keep wash for tables that need to be clean and make ready to accommodate the new customers. Will the widespread use of yield management eventually erode the concept of fixed prices for any service? More service establish to some extent the capacity constraint dilemma faced by airline and hotel there are unable to inventory their product (seat on flight or room for night) to avoid losing the revenue for time perishable capacity constraints airline/hotel services are motivated to presale the inventory when possible by using reservation and giving discount to avoid loss sales. eg. Travellers found that the publish room rate for under utilize hotels are quickly abandoned if the quest request a discount. The exemption to business that practise thus strategy are budget hotel that fill on those room each time, yield management has allocate customer to perishable measure of capacity constraints services and this knowledge will destroy fixed price for many service lead to price negotiation for all services. Tutorial 12 (Managing Capital Demand) What organizational problems can arise from the use of part-time employees? The uses of part time employees can be very helpful to businesses that have peak demand period such as restaurant, supermarket and bank. Part time employees are usually paid lower wages and they enjoy fewer if any benefits of company are provided for full time employees. Also, it is not generally flexible for a company to carry carrier development incentives to part time employees; it is also more difficult to fit them into their organization structure. In addition, part time employees generally have lower experience than full time employee. As a result, part time employee may have bad attitudes and loss loyalty and commitment which could affect reliability performance the quality of work. This situation can leave the direct impact on customer and the business. In view of this condition, part time employee may require greater supervision and control that could be necessary for full-time employee. Also, there is usually a greater turnover in part time employee, so more time must be spent in training new employee. Finally, the business must hire more part time employee than full time people to start position which create more administration work for scheduling, personal record and payroll. How can computer-based reservation systems increase service capacity utilization? The main function of the reservation systems is to pre-sell the services. A reservation system allows the customer to reserve a service long before it is actually utilized. Allowing customer to make reservation has certain advantages. The reservation systems can be used to reflect demand to other times or location where services capacity is available. For example, if a passenger wants flight that is full reservation, the reservation clerk can suggest immediately suggest alternatives fly are available. Thus demand of service capacity has been effectively re-routed to under utilize capacity. Reservation systems also allow the services to over book its capacity when it reasonably expect to have no show. Illustrate how a particular service has implemented successfully strategies for managing both demand and capacity. Because a service is consume and produce simultaneously a failure to provide enough capacity to serve results in idle servers and facilities. Public school had been experiencing this variability in demand recently owing to frustration in the no. of school age children a move of family from center city to suburban and increasing enrollment in private school. Some strategies for managing the demand and supply are as followed. Managing Demand: Expand education services by offering adult education, early childhood education programs and before and after school child care program. Offer social services such as community education program, job retraining programs, programs for senior citizen and summer recreation programs. Promote of peak demand in some areas by offering summer school classes. Managing capacity: Use school building when classes are no longer held because of declining and enrollment for warehousing school supply or for admin office or lease those to other organization until school demographic change. Hire teachers who are train in more than 1 subject in order to cope with a fluctuating demand for courses. Hire part time teacher in small schools for support areas such as art, music and physical education. Suggest some strategies for controlling the variability in service times. To limit the services provider or to standardize them, fast food restaurant provide an excellent example of both approach they offer menu and they standardize the wears in which the worker provide the services. To patricians demand categories such as we see for commercial customer at bank or express lane customers at market. Pizza Hut delivery services can guarantee delivery within a specific time by controlling variability to several measure. They standardize the preparation of the pizza and they locate store strategy throughout the town. They also organize the delivery people. Each one can make one several delivery in each trip. Discuss the functions of inventory for different organizations in the supply chain (i.e., manufacturing, suppliers, distributors, and retailers). Manufacturing- factory inventory can be divided into 3 categories: raw materials, walk-in-progress (WIP) and finished goods. Raw materials are usually purchase in bulk quantities that often take advantages of price discount or forward buying in anticipation of future price increase. WIP is materials found on the factory floor in various steps of competition, WIP creates buffers between different manufacturing various steps and those allow some independent in operation. Finished goods if not representing a completed customer order ready for shipment are those available for immediately delivery. Suppliers- in addition to the role of inventory share with other manufacturer, suppliers are expected to the role make delivery to their manufacturing cost on a just in time (JIT) basis. Using electronic data intra changes (EDI) suppliers are indirect contact with manufacturing contact with manufacturing cost and those they are reduce ordering delay significantly using EDI and JIT delivery, inventory level can reduce. Distributors- act as consolidator of retail demand and provide more efficient distribution of goods because demand can be aggregated of regional level, distributors allow small manufacturer the opportunity to reach market efficiently by sharing the distribution cost with other firms. Retailers at the retail level inventory are on display for ready accepts by customer. Lack of inventory for immediate sale that is stock out represent a lose sale and possible loss of future sales if the customers never return. Suggest ways that service management can influence the arrival times of customers. Use appointment or reservation. Fill appointment times with walk in Advertise the time during the day/week when the facility is seldom busy Offer reduce rates for the services of weekends, example, telephone rates Segment the market by time sensitivity, example, retire people with no schedules and business people at lunch time and student after school Offer inducements suggest double stands on Wednesday gifts for the first specific customer who was arrived reduce the matinee rates for early theatre performance or meals. Tutorial 13 (Growth and Globalization of Services) Discuss the implications of service outsourcing for employees, stockholders, customers, and host-country economy when a firm outsources a call center overseas. Employees of the firm will lose their job resulting in personal hardship, a lot of tax base of the local economy, unemployed employees and unexpressed of the government. Stockholders will probably see some infinite improvement profit due to saving but this will dissipate when competitors follow the outsourcing practice. Customers may be unaware the claim but could put off if the outsource call center is less responsive to customer need. Eg, Dell computer give up its oversea call center for its high dollar business clients following complaint poor service. The host country economy and its citizen should benefit from the creation of new job. In what ways are service sector inventory problems different from typical manufacturing inventory problems? Services inventory problems differ from manufacturing inventory problems in the following ways: Set up/ordering cost are typically not of great concern Number of products is much larger Shelf space limitation are a main concern They are usually loss sales not back orders Product substitution often occur in services Demand variances is often much higher Information accuracy is lower What is the main difference between offshoring and outsourcing? Discuss THREE (3) potential risks of outsourcing. Offshoring involve moving work to a different country, workers can be employes by the same firm or different firm. Outsourcing involve moving work to a different company, workers can be in a same country or a different one. Outsourcing vs. Offshoring Risk: Outsourcer may collapse financially, go bankrupt, experience labor strike and a company might have to find a new solution on a short notice. Outsourcer might share or sell the sensitive company information to competitors. Company can become so tide or dependent on a particular outsources that outsource can drastically increase price in the future. Potential Risk of outsourcing Loss of direct control over quality Jeopardizes employee loyalty because of job loss fears Exposure to data and security and customer privacy issues Dependence in one supplier compromises future negotiation leverage Additional coordination expense and delays Waste of in-house capability to perform outsourced service What is the main purpose of yield management techniques? Suggest and explain FOUR (4) tactics to be used to manage supply. Purpose of yield management techniques: To sell right capacity to the right customer with right price. manage demand capacity to maximize revenue 4 tactics to manage supply: à ¢-   Daily / weekly work shift scheduling ~ Carefully scheduling work shifts, profile of service capacity can be made to approximate demand à ¢-   Cross training employees ~ cross -training employees to perform tasks in different operation creates flexible capacity to meet peaks in demand à ¢-   Increase customer participation ~ Customer provides labor just at the moment its required ~ Thus, capacity to serve varies directly with demand rather than being fixed à ¢-   Using Part-Time Employees ~ A ready part-time labor pool is available for who are interested in supplementing their primary source of income Company can utilize creative work schedule to solve the problem of unevenness of customer demand throughout a day such as non-uniform starting time and work days that have variable work hours. The traditional method for a control strategy cuts total labor by encouraging customer to participate in serving themselves. By cross-training personnel for different jobs, a company can flexibly shift personnel temporary to increase the capacity of any position. Capacity can offer be shared between department or between firm for personnel or equipments that is needed only occasionally. Eg., sharing the same secretarial accounting and office management team. How is a service level determined for most inventory items? Many factors are considered in determining a service level for an inventory item. The most of obvious included the cost of holding extra inventory as a safety stock and the cost associated with a stock out using an information database and expresses the delivery. This cause can be reducing significant need, for example, some retailers will have a stock out item, shop directly to the cost from another store. The competitive circumstances or willingness of the customer to place a back order also play a part. Rural store with competitors will seldom have the variety found in urban areas. What is the inherent conflict in a franchising arrangement? A franchiser is interested in delivering a consistent offering across all units in order to establish a brand that attract travelling customer. However franchising attracts either entrepreneurial owner-operator or large firm operating several franchises. In the case of the owner-operators that is a desire to personalize the establishment and cattle to the local customer base. Large firm with multiple units under management have the power and economy self-incentives to challenges the franchiser in particular with respect to any binding agreement (example: supplies and materials). Given the atypical nature of the franchise contract two business entities bound together in a contract seeking mutual and separate profitability, it is unsurprisingly susceptible to disputation. Conflicts can be categories five groups, relating to: values; relationships; data; structures; and interests. Causes of franchising conflict: financial issues can cause franchisees to seek either release or re-negotiation of their agreement; disputes with third parties; operational disputes with potential to impact on others involved in the same franchise scheme; financial issues interconnected with family and personal issues.

Dickinsons I Felt a Funeral, in My Brain Essay -- Dickinsons I Felt

Thomas Higginson changing Dickinson's words. An interpretive paper on, "I Felt a Funeral, in My Brain Emily's Version I felt a Funeral, in my Brain, And Mourners to and fro Kept treading--treading--till it seemed That Sense was breaking through. And when they all were seated, A Service, like a Drum. Kept beating--beating--till I thought My Mind was going numb. And then I heard them lift a Box And creak across my Soul With those same Boots of Lead, again, Then Space--began to toll, As all the Heavens were a Bell, And Being, but an Ear, And I, and Silence, some strange Race Wrecked, solitary, here. And then a Plank in Reason, broke, And I dropped down, and down. And hit a World, at every plunge, And Finished knowing--then-- After Higginson's Alterations I Felt A Funeral in my Brain I felt a funeral, in my brain, And mourners to and fro Kept treading, treading, till it seemed That sense was breaking through. And when they all were seated, A service, like a drum Kept beating, beating, till I thought My mind was going numb. And then I hea...

Capital investment Essay

Capital investment:regardless of whether they involve a tangible or intangiable asset. The incestment creates wealth if the discounted value of the future cash flow exceeds the up front cost. The problem is what to discount- stick to these rules: 1. Only cash flow is relevant. Net present value depends on future cash flows it’s the difference between cash received and cash paid out. Cash should be recorded only when they occur and not when work is undertaken or a liability is incurred. Ex: taxes should be discounted from their actual payment date. 2. Estimate cash flows on an incremental basis. The value of a project depends on all the additional cash flows that follow from project acceptance. Some things to watch for when you are deciding which cash flows to include: a. Do not confuse average with incremental payoffs. you will sometimes encounter turnaround opportunities in which incremental NPV from investing in a loser is strongly positive. These benefits should be net of all other cost. b. Include all incidental effects. Sometimes a new project will help the firms existing business. c. Forecast sales today and recognize after-sales cash flows to come later. Many manufacturing companies depend on the revenues that come after their products are sold. d. Do not forget working capital requirements. Net working capital aka working capital is the difference between a company short term assets and liabilities. Most projects entail an additional investment in working capital, which should be recognized in your cash flow forecasts. e. Include opportunity costs. Is the cash it could generate for the company if the project were rejected and the resource were sold or put to some other productive use, which prompts us to warn you against judging project on the basis of before vs after or with or without. f. Forget sunk costs. They are past and irreversible outflows, cannot be affected by the decision to accept or reject the project and so they should be ignored. g. Beware of allocated overhead costs. We should include only the extra expenses that would result from the project. h. Remember salvage value. The salvage value represents a positive cash flow to the firm, but some have shut down costs in which case the final cash flows may be – 3. Treat inflation consistently investors that inflation into account when they decide what is an acceptable rate of interest, tax saving from depreciation do not increase with inflation. Discount nominal cash flows at a nominal discount rate. Discount real cash flows at a real rate. Never mix real cash flows with nominal discount rates or nominal flows with real rates. Operating cash flow= revenues-cash expenses-taxes Separating investment and financing decisions: we analyze the project as if it were all equity financed, treating payments as cash outflows as coming from stockholders and all cash inflows as going to them, we do this to separate the investment decision from the financing decision. Investments in working capital: working capital increases in the early middile yearps of the project. working capital summarizes the net investment in short term assets associated with a firm, business, or project- the most important components are inventory, AR,AP. Working capital= inventory+ ar-ap Working capital increases for several reasons: 1. Sales are increasing and customers are slow to pay their bills, A/R ^ 2. Age properly. As projected sales increase, larger inventories have to be held in the aging sheds. 3. Payments are delayed, which ^ A/P Additional investment in working capital=increase in inventory+ increase in A/R – increase in A/P

A Great Law of Human Action

Truong Th? H? ng Nhung MSV: 08D170334 *** Managers can find an effective way to delegate work successfully thanks to reading the chapter Tom Sawyer whitewashing the fence in the famous novel of â€Å"Tom Sawyer†, written by Mark Twain because Tom Sawyer discovered a great law of human action, without knowing it – namely, that in order to make a man or a boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain. When being assigned to paint the fence, Tom felt â€Å"life to him seemed hollow, and existence but a burden†. Tom wanted to hire some children walking on the street to do his work but he found that he didn’t have enough money to buy their â€Å"free afternoon†. At this dark and hopeless moment, a magnificent idea raised in his mind, instead of complaining, he returned to his work with pleasure. Soon came a boy, named Ben Rogers by and laughed at Tom because he could not go swimming instead he had to work. Tom pretended to be so interested in his work, which made Ben curious to try the work. â€Å"It suits Tom Sawyer†, â€Å"I reckon there ain’t one boy in a thousand, maybe two thousand, that can do it the way it’s got to be done†, these sayings urged Ben to ask for whitewashing the fence a bit. Tom surrendered reluctantly his brush to Ben in exchange for an apple core. Gradually, more and more boys came to whitewash the fence with Ben, the duty of Tom was just sitting under a shade tree, managing the activity. In such a short time, the fence put on â€Å"a new shirt† with the pleasure of both Tom and the children. From the story, we can withdraw two useful delegation skill. First, you need to know how to make your task inviting. No one wants to take a task which you are always grumbling about it. Tom would never have invited the children to take his work if he had been always complaining about the boreness of the work. Second, when someone asks to help you with your work, you should pretend to hold back, as Tom did, but do allow them to help you in the end. If so, he will find that it’s not easy to take the job, and so appreciate it more highly. Last, but not least, you need to monitor the one to whom you delegated the job. In the whole, the great law of human action really reflects the fact about all people’s need. People always want to show that they have abilities to fulfill a difficult task which many people are unable to do.

Denotation of the Word “Character”

According to Webster's dictionary, character is defined as: a person in a play or novel; distinctive trait; behavior typical of a person or group; moral strength; reputation; status; individual being†. It is this last denotation of the word â€Å"Character† that this chapter deals with: the concept of â€Å"individuality† or â€Å"individual being† and how that in turn builds a person i.e. the Self. This chapter focuses on the strong characteristics possessed by Blanche Haggard and Princess Sasha from Absent in the Spring and Grannie and Peter Maitland from Unfinished Portrait to study the aspect of the Self which builds. A person's individuality can come out through various positive aspects but this chapter analytically studies the characters under four major aspects of self-actualization, the striving towards health, the quest for identity and autonomy, the yearning for excellence by finding success in their own terms rather than being defined by the society. There's so much more to creating a real character than choosing physical attributes and personality traits. The most memorable characters stay in the reader's mind because they have touched the emotions of the reader and become real people. While molding such a character, the author never stops at the stereotypical basics- but goes a step ahead. That is exactly what Christie has done to her characters chosen for this study. These characters do not fall under the general standard which the reader can so often predict or expect. The first character, Blanche Haggard stands as an analogy to strengthen the claim that the Self is built as by way of finding success in one's own terms rather than being defined by the society. Blanche Haggard, Joan's old school friend whom she hasn't seen for over 15 years, is a well-bred, high-spirited woman, who has changed a lot over the years. Joan looks at Blanche as someone who has had a pathetic life. However, Joan's perspective of Blanche is biased. This also highlights the fact that not all narrations are â€Å"likeable† or honest. In the case of Blanche Haggard, her true character is revealed from a little bit of truth from Joan's perspective but mostly through her own dialogues. Joan's way of looking at Blanche is always with the adjective â€Å"Poor† as a prefix to her name, which is a false notion that she has painted of Blanche. In her personal prayers that night after her encounter with Blanche, Joan prays, â€Å"God-thank thee-poor Blanche-thank thee that I am not like that- great mercies- all my blessings- especially not like Poor Blanche- Poor Blanche-really dreadful-all her own fault- of course dreadful- quite a shock- thank God- I am different- Poor Blanche† Blanche, however, is an optimist. She has had three husbands, and married to the fourth at present. She is seen to be someone who takes life as it comes, learns to let go and accepts what's negatively thrown at her and use it as a stepping stone to build her Self. To further prove this, one can observe that throughout her dialogue with Joan, Blanche's confidence is something that constantly comes to the forefront. According to Joan, Blanche presented a deplorable appearance but Blanche does not seem to mind. To her, external appearances don't matter for she has defined success in her own terms. To her, an attractive appearance is the least of her worries for she has a man who loves her for who she is and if he doesn't (in the case of her previous marriages) she moves on and doesn't dwell in the shambles of a broken relationship. Her looks needn't affect her anymore, for to her, success is living a happy life. She says from experience,â€Å"Oh well, that's the way of the world. You quit when you ought to stick, and you take on a thing that you'd better leave alone; one minute life's so lovely you can hardly believe it's true – and immediately after that you're going through a hell of misery and suffering! When things are going well you think they'll last forever- and they never do- and when you're down under you think you'll never come up and breathe again. That's what life is, isn't it?†It is quite evident that Blanche says this out of familiarity. She starts by saying that this is the way of world for she has been through the many ups and downs in life. She had quit once, but fought back up to her feet, started to let of go of things that hurt her if she kept holding on to them (her broken marriages for instance). She describes how people picture life to be perfect and blissful only to be faced by hardship and suffering that makes them hit rock bottom. This shows that Blanche is someone who isn't afraid of reality. She faces the actuality of her life and doesn't flee from the truth. She has had her share of bitter experiences from the past when she narrates and describes the many other men in her life. There's Harry, a bad lot yet good looking; Tom, who didn't amount to much; Johnnie, who was good while it lasted (which means she keeps changing her men when she knows it's time to move on- happy go lucky) and Gerald, who wasn't good either, but that's what made her fond of him. A woman seeks for a man who is her equal; someone who can challenge her and be a rebel at times. Blanche's inclination towards such men is proof that she herself is one. She does not regret any of her life choices for she has already done so and now knows what to look out for. She is only attracted to men, who are different like herself. They aren't up to any good, but that's what makes her fond of them. All this comes as a shock to Joan. She feels that it was â€Å"an unsavory catalogue of men†. But Joan's way of defining success is narrow when compared to Blanche who is very much broad-minded and independent. In one such instance, she asks a rhetoric question, to make a statement rather than to get an answer: â€Å"And when you're down under you think you'll never come up and breathe again. That's what life is, isn't it?† Blanche doesn't stay stagnant in the pitfalls of life but she comes back up more matured than ever to tackle any situation at hand. She had assumed that one could never come up and breathe, but it isn't the case for her and her life stands testimony to that. In one instance, Joan describes Blanche saying, â€Å"looks years older†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦could be more than 48†. However, this does not indicate her physical appearance of being old but it metaphorically indicates her level of maturity through the years. The fact that she doesn't look her actual age but looks much older than she really is comes here as a sign of mellowness, rather than being old. She has experienced much in life that she doesn't look her age, at present. Even when Joan feels sorry for her (as society does) she immediately says that she shouldn't waste her sympathy on her. She is not one to settle in her â€Å"misfortunes† as Joan would put it, but moves on and takes life as it comes again stressing the fact that she defines success in her own terms rather than how society sees it. â€Å"Don't waste your sympathies on me. I've had lots of fun† she says. Her self-assurance does not only make her carry herself differently but it also sticks to those around. For instance when, Blanche brings up the topic of Rodney â€Å"having a roving eye† or Joan's daughter, Barbara, not having a happy time at home and hence decided to be married off and gone, Joan is immediately influenced by this for she gives a second thought to the same. This clearly indicates Blanche's sureness in her opinions not only stays with her but also impacts those around her too. In one instance Joan thinks to herself, â€Å"What was it that Blanche had said?† Even if Joan sees Blanche differently, she still is impacted by what Blanche had to say. Blanche also doesn't worry about the way in which she is judged by others. Her self is built on the strong foundation of the truth she believes in about herself. She is appreciative in nature for she applauds Joan for how well she has brought up her family. This does not however mean that she doesn't have a satisfying life, but shows that she's learnt to see the good in others; their other side. She's seen it all and thus has a positive take on life. She is of the idea that â€Å"Come what may, I shall face it and come out successful†. Thus, Blanche Haggard, is a character whose ability to define success on her own terms, brings out her individuality which in turn builds her Self. Peter Maitland from Unfinished Portrait also falls under this category. Peter, who is Celia's best friend's brother, has a liking towards Celia and they eventually fall in love but do not get married. However, from what the reader deciphers, Peter is of an extraordinary character. He doesn't rush or hurry and takes everything in a sportive attitude. His motto is â€Å"Well, why spend your life rushing? Take it easy- enjoy yourself.† Peter's ability to calm himself down in a fast phased world is highly indicative of his character. In Celia's own words, Peter was â€Å"dear, easy going and sweet-tempered†. Like Blanche, he takes life as it comes and doesn't expect much in return either. Being a soldier in the army, Peter knows that life's full of unexpected circumstances; he knows what would be Celia's fate if she did marry him but he lets her be open-minded when it comes to moving on and finding someone else. Despite being the patriarch, he doesn't restrict Celia but let's her be independent in her choices. In his letter to Celia, he says, â€Å"I'd like you to live like a queen.† To him, letting people bloom in their own spaces and watching them grow is considered to be his true contentment. When Celia falls for Dermot (her husband), Peter takes it sportively. He congratulates Celia on her choice and wishes her well. To Peter, he defines success by not only being the reason for someone's happiness, but his happiness is also seeing those he loves be happy even if he is not the reason either. His Self is built to such an extent that he is able to face the loss of something that he holds dear. Thus both Blanche and Peter are striking examples of the Self which builds as a result of the positive traits which they possess. The second aspect to be studied to further strengthen the claim that the Self builds is the positive trait of Self-Actualization. The Oxford Dictionary defines Self-Actualization as, â€Å"the realization or fulfilment of one's talents and potentialities, especially considered as a drive or need present in everyone†. And that brings this study to the next character: Princess Sasha. Sasha's positive trait, is what makes her the apt example to fortify the claim that the Self builds. Studies show that if sociology is taken into play, then the character will influence not only the message but also the view the analysis must take of the message, particularly of messages which connote such meanings as ‘power' and ‘quality'. Sasha, who is clearly in a position of power has the upper hand in convincing the reader as well as Joan, that what she says is equal to the power she possesses. The way she carries herself, talks to others and treats her fellow passengers shows the Self which has built as a result of the positive trait of Self-Actualization. Just her opening lines indicate what sort of a person she is.â€Å"I apologize for this early morning intrusion. It is an iniquitously uncivilized hour for a train to leave, and I disturb your repose†¦..we shall not get on too badly on each other's nerves. It is but two days to Stamboul, and I am not difficult to live with. And if I smoke too much, you will tell me. But now I leave you to sleep†¦..again I say how sorry I am you have been disturbed†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦I see you are sympathetic- good- we shall get on together famously†In Sasha, one can see the realization of true potential and her talents have been well-groomed when further down in the n ovel, it is revealed that she can speak in more than eight languages. She is well-accomplished clearly denoting that she has imbibed an affirmative living. Despite being a princess, she has also practiced the art of humility. She doesn't think too high of herself in spite of her many accomplishments. She apologizes for intruding. She lets Joan know that if there is anything that makes Joan uncomfortable (Sasha's smoking for instance) she shouldn't keep it to herself but let Sasha know. This also indicates that Sasha is open to criticism and is sensitive to those around her. Someone who is Royal by birth, needn't stoop so low, let alone adopt for a public mode of transport. Sasha does not let pride take over her and that is seen as one of her positive traits and this reflects in the way she treats others. Her character results in the building up of another. This kind of thought about human behavior, which emphasizes the uniqueness of the individual, the importance of values and meaning, and the potential for self-direction and personal growth are what sums up the character of Sasha thus making her yet another example of the Self which builds. Grannie, the third most prominent entity from Unfinished Portrait is a striking example of the Self which builds. Determination, independence despite her age, the aspect of striving towards health and the strong will to live are the positive traits observed in this character. Introduced to the reader as an eighty year old woman, Grannie is astonishingly brisk and sharp that the activities she does and her age don't correlate. One of the very first reasons to validate this is the fact that Grannie being eighty still has authority over her household. She walks with her â€Å"large bunch of keys clanking† and this immediately paints a picture of a woman who is in control over things. She is in possession of the keys which also stresses her power. In Celia's description about Grannie she says,â€Å"Grannie was a very handsome lady†¦in figure she was majestically stout with a pronounced bosom and stately hips. She wore dresses of velvet.†Grannie's appearance also adds to her character. Despite her age, she is still strong built and this gives her an added air of confidence. Something about her description sounds royal, with words like â€Å"majestic† and â€Å"dresses of velvet†. The Self in her has built through the ages and this is obviously proved when Celia looks up to her grandmother more than she does to her own mother. The absence of the male entity in Grannie's life (i.e her husband) also adds to the independence which she portrays. Like Blanche, she has had three husbands previously, all of them dead now. This indicates that she has not only seen her share of men but also had to go through mourning not once or twice but thrice. Yet, it was just a phase and she has sailed through life and keeps pushing despite her physical deterioration (her failing sight). Celia's grandmother plays a major role in both the life of Celia and her mother. Her constant presence even when she is physically absent is seen whenever Celia thinks of what Grannie had to say if faced by a situation clearly highlighting that Celia's upbringing into a woman is influenced by Grannie in a positive way. Grannie's will to live also gives a glimpse of her mental make-up. Studies show that most sicknesses occur in the psyche even before it takes root in the human body. Here, Grannie is seen as an exception since even her ailing health as a result of age is hardly a barrier. She is as active as ever, that even her death occurs while she is busy knitting mittens for Celia's baby. People who have been through hardships at a very early age show signs of strength as the years progress. Grannie, having lost her parents at the age of fourteen with twelve younger siblings to look after is seen to be someone who has taken up the role of a parent when she herself was a child. This reflects in the stories she tells to Celia where the characters always end up dead. Christie could've also added this instance to slightly stress the fact that while there are people meeting their end, here is Grannie, who has been defying age and lives to be a ninety. Thus, the aspect of the Self being built as a result of positive traits such as determination, independence, the aspect of striving towards health and the strong will to live is reflected through the character of Grannie. Many people realize their selves much later in life. But the sooner one becomes aware of this essence within, the sooner the change happens. This chapter is thus brought to a conclusion, as one critically looked at the characters with positive traits by grouping them under the categories of Self-Actualization, defining success in their own terms and the striving towards health.