Promote Team Effectiveness

Charles Telfair Institute – Mauritius BSBMGT401A show leadership in the workplace (SIN D0841) ASSESSESSMENT 1 – GROUP PROJECT (WORK RELATED PRACTICAL TASK) GROUP PROJECT COVER SHEET CANDIDATES’ NAMES: Ashveena Moorgawa, Meghna Nagessur and Jessica Sevathiane | We declare this evidence has been produced by the undersigned. Candidates’ Signatures: ____________________________________ Date Submitted: 17/04/2013| ASSESSOR’S NAME: Maryline LAMY| Evidence to be presented: | Part/E| PC| 1st Attempt| 2nd Attempt| Comments| A E1| 1. 1| | | | BE1| 1. 2| | | | CE1| 1. 3| | | | DE1| 1. 4| | | | EE2| 2. 1-2. 3| | | | FE3| 3. 1-3. 6| | | |Assessor to CompleteGeneral Comment:Result Satisfactory Not SatisfactoryAssessor’s Signature: _________________________________ Date: __________________Candidates’ Signatures: ________________________________ Date: __________________Please Note: If a candidate is not satisfied with the assessment outcome he/she may lodge an appeal. | Charles Telfair Institute – Mauritius BSBMGT401A SHOW LEADERSHIP IN THE WORKPLACE (SIN D0841) ASSESSESSMENT 1 – GROUP PROJECT (WORK RELATED PRACTICAL TASK) GROUP PROJECT INSTRUCTIONS Project for: | BSBMGT401A show leadership in the workplace| Due date:| Final submission: Date indicated in the DAS|Description of the Task:| You are required to provide answers to questions related to the three elements of competence. | General overviewThis assessment is designed to give you the opportunity to show you have the skills and knowledge required to show leadership in the workplaceElements covered 1 Model high standards of management performance and behaviour 2 Enhance Organisation Image 3 Making Informed DecisionsRequirements 1 In groups of 3 – 4 students, you are required to address Part A to Part F 2 No word limit is imposed, quality is more important than quantity.Make sure you address all parts of the question and provide sufficient detail to illu strate your answers. 3 Each task is to be word processed and presented in a logical and easy to read format. | Ashveena Moorgawa:| Part A and E| Meghna Nagessur:| Part B and C| Jessica Sevathiane:| Part D and F| Contents Part A6 Answer A. 16 Answer A. 27 Answer A. 38 Part B8 Answer B9 Part C9 Answer C9 Part D9 Answer D10 Part E14 Answer E. 114 Answer E. 215 Answer E. 316 Part F16 Answer F18 â€Å"End of paper†19 Charles Telfair Institute – Mauritius BSBMGT401A SHOW LEADERSHIP IN THE WORKPLACE| SIN D0841) ASSESSMENT A – WORK RELATED TASKS Part A E1 PC1. 1 Read the case study. Write down your responses to the tasks. Case study Jennifer has recently been recruited by a retail store as a frontline manager. Jennifer has previous experience as a team leader but this is her first frontline management position. Her responsibilities include team rosters, coordinating security in her department, managing displays, team member supervision and stock control. 1. Identify wha t Jennifer needs to find out what the organisation expects of her performance and behaviour.Answer A. 1 The function of a front line manager is mainly centered on the daily activities of a department. His role is mainly to do the short term planning, motivate its subordinates and accomplish the day to day task. As Jennifer is also a front line manager, the organization expects her be fair towards all the employees . She should treat all the employees equally. She should be able to organize the roster fairly taking in consideration all the employees. She should be able to identify the right employees and put the right people to work.She should share information with her employees in order for them to know how the work should be done. She should be intelligent in order to know if whether there is a leakage in the information she should be able to handle the problem quickly. Concerning the displays in the retail store Jennifer should be imaginative in order to know what articles should be display to attract customers. She should look at the cleanliness of the store and should be open to listening and learning from other people to know what is the latest trend. Jennifer should be a good leader; she has to be a representative for the employees.Jennifer has to constantly remind the employees the vision, values, goals, standard and image of the organization. Jennifer should always be here to listen, coach and motivate her workers to build an effective work. Jennifer should be able to take effective decision for the team objective. She has to be fair towards all her team member and not favouritism anyone. As a frontline manager, Jennifer should be honest concerning the stock control as employees are going to follow her path and constantly taking note on her behaviour. Jennifer should be trust worth and not afraid to take decision or actions whenever needed.She should be well organize and have a proper recording of the stock. Reference: Management principles 2nd editio n PJ SMIT & GJ DEJ CRONJE 2. What sources of workplace information are available to help Jennifer in establishing the organisation’s requirements? Answer A. 2 The source to help Jennifer establishing the organization requirements , is that, she has to know the policies and procedures, that is, policies is the guidelines adopted by the organization to reach its long term goals and procedures are the action taken to achieve the day to day operations.Jennifer should work the company code of ethics that is the principles and values that directs behaviour of what is good and wrong and it can also influence decision making. Jennifer should know what is the code of conduct, what behaviour is accepted in the workplace and what type of dress should she wear at work. Jennifer has to keep confidential information about her workplace. She should not speak badly about the company and has to know about health and safety. What precautions should be taken for the employees’ in order t o have a safe and health workplace. 3. How could Jennifer monitor her own performance?Answer A. 3 Jennifer can monitor her own performance when she saw that she has achieved the goals that she has set and compare the results with the planned performance. For example her team members are doing the job well as she has trained them or there has been an increase in sales. When the customers are satisfied there will be no complaints at all. She can also monitor her performance when she will get good feedback from her superiors and everyone is satisfied with her job. Also when she will see what she has contributed in the organization. Part B E1 PC 1. 2 Read the case study.Write down your response to the task. Case study Matthew has received advice that the rostering system is to be changed next month. The change means that the organisation will be able to offer extended trading hours to their clients. This should offer them quite an advantage over their competitors. Matthew is concerned t hat several members of the team will be unhappy about the changes. He is aware that several team members will need to make new arrangements for childcare, family arrangements and transport. Describe how Matthew can behave as a positive role model to his team during this period of change.Answer B In this organization, they are planning to change the roster system by next month, where the staff has to extend their working hours. Matthew is concerned that several members will be unhappy about the changes. So being the team leader and also change agent, he has to motivate his team by acting as a positive role model. First Matthew has to be a good decision maker in order to help the staff cope with the changes in the company. Several factors must be taken into consideration while making these changes for example: arrangement for childcare, family and transport.Matthew acting as a positive role model he must have a plan, know how to lead, organise and control. Concerning arrangements for childcare, Matthew can discuss with his top management to see if they can provide the staff with a nursery near the working place. This will allow the parents to focus on their roles, knowing that their children are being cared in a safe environment nearby. For family arrangements, Matthew can consult the finance department in order to see if they can, pay part of exam fees, for staff’s children. They can also provide health care insurance for family members.Health Insurance will pay specified amounts of money to cover medical expenses or treatments. Reference: humanresources. about. comodenefits For transport, Matthew can take organize loan facilities for staff to purchase new car. He can also arrange transport for staff’s children; that is vehicles will fetch the children from school to nursery or willing destination. By this, staff will be at ease as they will know their children are in safe hands. As they will have night shifts, the company will arrange transport, so that the staff will not be facing any difficulties.Being a positive role model Matthew can opt for these benefits. As the company will be more advantageous over their competitors, this will bring it more profit. So, the Team Leader must create a win-win situation whereby both staff and the company will be profitable. A good role model also does what he says, so Matthew will have to keep his promise towards his staff. He must also be open to them, so that they will not hesitate to share ideas concerning the changes in the company. Part C E 1 PC 1. 3 Describe the characteristics of an effective performance plan. Answer CPerformance Planning is designed to assist Leaders and Staff in communicating about performance. Continuous application of these guidelines will ensure that employees know what is expected of them, how they are performing and what can be done to strengthen performance. The characteristics of an effective performance plan are as follows: 1. Demonstrate leadership co mmitment to the process and the plan. To be effective, a performance plan should have commitment of both manager and team member. This may be in terms of resources provided or brainstorming sessions. . Promotes environment of common understanding of goals and priorities. Development plans and performance reviews focus upon coaching and developing employees, for example helping them to reach their full potential. 3. Creates feeling of ownership and team effort among unit members. Showing Trust is the most important. If there is trust, then members will not hesitate to work to their full capacity. Group dynamics will be formed, that is team building among team members. 4. Makes clear alignment of unit initiatives with Vision, Mission and Goals. Vision: A strong vision and the willingness to see through it is one of the most important characteristic. It is a long-term view and concentrates on the future. It can be emotive and is a source of inspiration. * Mission: Defines the fundament al purpose of an organization or an enterprise, succinctly describing why it exists and what it does to achieve its vision. The leader who believes in the mission and works toward it, will be an inspiration and a resource to their followers. * Goal: Goals are for which the firm is striving and the policies by which it is seeking to get there.A goal is sometimes called a roadmap- which is the path chosen to plow towards the end vision. The most important part of implementing the goal is ensuring the company is going in the right direction which is towards the end vision. 5. Promotes coherence in unit programs, services and operations. If the entire team acts without regard for one another or is lacking sense of camaraderie in teamwork, the team leader will need to know quickly and carefully to remedy the situation. (Without cohesion, we don’t have a team) 6. Results in plan that serves a management and decision making tool.Among the most useful tools for planning is SWOT analy sis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats). The main objective of this tool is to analyse internal strategic factors, strengths and weaknesses attributed to the organization, and external factors beyond control of the organization such as opportunities and threats. 7. Communicates clearly the unit priorities to all stakeholders. Effective communication helps keep the team working on the right projects with the right attitude. If we communicate clearly about expectation, issues and advice our stakeholders will be more likely to react and trust our company. . Feedback and performance appraisal Regular feedback combined with yearly performance appraisals is an effective tool for discussing performance issues objectively and specifically with staff. Effective planning increases the likelihood of success for a program while ineffective planning practices almost results in false starts and frustrations. When a group is aware of the characteristics of effective planning and mo nitors the presence of these characteristics formally or informally, they will be a step closer to high quality program.Since it is formal and written, it acts as a guide management for example it can clarify staff expectations. Performance plan can also serve as a benchmark for next review period for setting another performance plan. But what is also important is consistency, coherence and a well coordinated performance plan. The most important stakeholder in the performance plan is the Staff Members, because it is then who will put it into practice. Hence, there should be sense of ownership and motivation. Part D E1 PC 1. 4 Read the case study. Write down your response to the task. Case studyCourtney is responsible for managing a team of eight customer service officers who assist customers by telephone. The procedure for providing telephone service in this organisation is: * greet the customer by name * advise customer of your name * offer to assist them * ask permission before as king them questions * use the customer’s name * do not interrupt them or speak-over them * respect their privacy * be alert to any special needs that they may have * offer additional services where appropriate * thank them for their custom * check whether their needs have been satisfied.Develop a range of key performance indicators that would be suitable to monitor and report on the performance of customer service officers. If you are currently employed you may develop key performance indicators to measure performance in your own work team. Answer D The Key Performance Indicators are used to measure the performance of the organization and its staff. They determine the success of their operations. The key management issue is not what the numbers tells us about the performance but it is what we do with those numbers to resolve the issues that avoid us from performing properly our tasks.Courtney can monitor and report on the performance of her team by implementing as key indicat ors: * Time to answer a call * A call should be answered within the first 10 seconds. * This indicator will measure the time from which the call was received and the time at which the officer answered it. * It measures the customer service center performance rather than the performance of the officers themselves. * This performance indicator depends however on the availability of the officers to answer the calls when they are meant to do so. * Voice quality service This indicator depends on the quality of the call. If the line is of poor quality, the customers and the officers have to repeat themselves continuously and this may lead to high customer frustration and call abandonment. * This indicator will help to know if the technologic equipments are good enough or need to be upgrade or change to be able to treat more efficiently the quieries and reduce customer frustration and call abandonment. * Abandon calls * This indicator will measure the number of callers who disconnect, or a re disconnected, before the calls reach the officers. It measures the customer service center performance rather than the performance of the officers themselves and is however related to Call Handling time. * Call Handling time * This indicator will be measured in seconds; it is the time that an officer will spend on the line with a customer. * The call handling time varies from call to call as it depends on the complexity of the caller’s issue. The more time an officer spend with one call, the less number of calls he/she will be able to treat during the day. * Average call handling time is also a metric for the customer center as a whole and for individuals’ teams. * First call Resolution This indicator will measure the number of issues resolved during the first call and that do not require either the customer to call back or an officer to make an outgoing call to the customer. * This indicator will be indirectly a measurement of the officer performance. The more know ledge the officer will have, more issues he/she will be able to resolve and the higher his/her FCR will be. But it is not an exact measurement because the caller could have call several times before having the right person on the line and the resolution of the call may require the action of someone else such as a supervisor or another department. FCR is difficult to accurately measure and should be evaluated with care. * Repeated calls * This indicator is to measure the number of call from customers who calls several times in order to obtain the assistance they are asking for and who did not get the answers or solutions the first time they called. * Transfer rate * In addition to FCR, this indicator will measure the percentage of calls that an officer has to transfer to someone else to complete; a supervisor or another department. * The reason for the transfer could be the officer’s fault or a request of the caller. * Redundant time/Idle time This indicator will measure the d uration of the unused time the officers will take between two calls. * The idle time should not be more than 5mins, the officer should be able to computerize the information and at the same time give the information to the customer. * The more unused time an officer spend between two calls, the more calls are abandoned. * Hold-On time * This indicator will measure in seconds, the time the officer keeps a caller on hold during a call. * It may be the time needed to look something up or to talk to someone else to find an answer to the caller's issue. The Hold-on time may not be more than 60 seconds. If after 60 seconds the officer has not yet find an answer he/she should take the line and tell the customer that he is still looking for a solution and ask politely to the customer to wait some more or tell him/she that he’s going to call him/her back. * Phone Etiquette * This will measure the quality of the officer's etiquette during the call. * It normally consists of a number of factors, sometimes weighted, that are checked off by a quality monitor listening to the call. The more factors that are checked off, the higher the officer score.These include items such as â€Å"greeted customer by name†, â€Å"spoke in a clear, calm voice†, and â€Å"repeated caller's issue to verify understanding†. * Knowledge and Professionalism * This will measure the quality of the officer's knowledge during the call. * Adherence to procedures * This will measure how well the officer followed the company’s procedures during the call i. e. : * greet the customer by name * advise customer of your name * offer to assist them * ask permission before asking them questions * use the customer’s name * do not interrupt them or speak-over them * respect their privacy * be alert to any special needs that they may have offer additional services where appropriate * thank them for their custom * check whether their needs have been satisfied. * Customer s atisfaction * This will measure how well the officer treated the call. * It is related to the: * Time to answer a call * Voice quality service * First call Resolution * Hold-On time * Phone Etiquette * Knowledge and Professionalism * Adherence to procedures Reference: http://management. about. com/od/metrics/a/Call-Center-Kpi. htm Part E E 2 PC ALL 1. Describe the method you would use to communicate with your senior manager regarding an issue you have identified with the organisation’s standards or values.Answer E. 1 Method that I would use to communicate with my senior manager regarding issues in the organization standards or values would be face to face communication. Face to face communication is the process of sending and receiving message through verbal mean. Face to face communication, both the sender and the receiver can have an interaction, so both of the senior manager and me can exchange our opinion. If we send emails or through phone, message can be misinterpreted, so with face to face communication we can pass our message without changing its meaning.Face to face communication will help me to express my ideas, opinions and making my senior manager understand what the problem is about. As organization standard and values are confidential for an organization meeting face to face the senior manager will be a good option as face to face communication is a personal method. An immediate decision can be taken with face to face communication and we can also discuss over the problem. References: http://www. change communications. htm http://www. brightface-communication 2. How would you respond if you were required to behave in a way that did not align with your personal values? Answer E. If I were required to behave in a way that is not align with my personal values, I would try to bring my own culture and values to the organization where possible and try to implement the values into the organization. I can make a group of employees sit together and identify our common values and see if these values can be implemented in the organization. We can tell the employees to come and report without fear when they see an unethical behaviour. I will try to talk with my senior manager to explain him how we can find a solution to the problem Reference: http://humanresources. about. com. /od/leadership/aleader-values. htm 3.How would you model behaviours to team members that would encourage them to contribute to developing an organisation which has integrity and credibility? Answer E. 3 I would encourage my team members to help to contribute in an organization which has integrity and credibility by adopting the work policies and procedures of the organization. Policies mean the guideline adopted by an organization to reach its long term goals and procedures is the action taken to achieve the day to day operations. Thus the employees will follow the path. When I will communicate to my team members I will talk sense and objectively that is d irectly to the point.I have to talk honestly to my team member I will work with the company code of ethics, that is, principles and values that directs behaviour of what is good and bad. Also the code of conduct what is the dress code so as to set the examples for the team members. Whenever I have made a mistake I should take my responsibility and be truth towards the organization. As a good model to my team I should not accept gifts for my own benefits. I should not talk against the company in public this will bring the company a bad image and influence the employees to do so. Part F E 3 PC ALL Read the case study.Write down your response to the task. Case study Roshani is very concerned. Jordan is the newest member of the team, having recently completed his High School Certificate. Jordan came to Roshani’s office yesterday with a serious complaint. He received an email from a colleague yesterday that included sexually inappropriate material. Jordan surprises Roshani when he tells her that it is commonplace for the team to share inappropriate email jokes and to view inappropriate material on the Internet in the workplace. Jordan wants Roshani to make this behaviour stop without telling his colleagues that he has lodged a formal complaint.Roshani is keen to try the group problem-solving techniques that she has been exploring in her frontline management course. She organises a team meeting with the objective of having the team develop its own solution to this problem. You are to prepare a short report that describes how Roshani and her team could go about resolving the problem of inappropriate use of the Internet and email by team members. Your report should address the following: * gathering and organising relevant information * helping team member to make decisions * examining options and assessing risks * making timely decisions and communicating them preparing a plan to implement their decision * gathering feedback regarding the implementation and im pact of the team’s decision. Answer F REPORT OXIDAM WINES To:| Staff members| From:| Roshani Appassamy – Frontline Manager of Oxidam Wines| Date:| 7th April 2013| Re:| Misuse of internet during working hours| Following the fact that it has been noted with much concern from last month IT analysis worksheet that certain employees share inappropriate email jokes and view sexual material on the Internet during office hours and the staff meeting held on 5th April 2013, please find below what have been discussed and agreed upon.It has been decided that the company’s computers must solely be used to: a) communicate and deliver timely information to the public b) perform research c) stay informed with current events affecting the job responsibilities d) communicate with fellow colleagues, business partners and clients e) communicate with family in case of emergency To avoid: a) misunderstandings and conflicts among the team b) colleagues feeling harassed c) computers an d network infection by viruses d) tampering of important files and clients data ) crashed of the server It has been agreed that: a) â€Å"Chat Programs† like Yahoo Messenger or Microsoft Messenger are not permitted and should be removed immediately. b) â€Å"Chat Rooms† and other types of forums unless related to company research and are company approved, are not permitted. c) Social Networking such as Twitter, Facebook, etc. sites are absolutely not allowed. d) No â€Å"Porno† or other forms of â€Å"Adult Only. † Besides being offensive to employees and customers, it could be grounds for the company to be sued.We would hate for customers to think all we do is surf garbage. This will be grounds for immediate termination. e) â€Å"Personal† anything must be kept to a minimum on company computers. Lunch breaks are not â€Å"Surfing Breaks. † Some employees confessed that they were not aware of the company’s internet use policies as the y did not read the code of ethic which was given to them. Most of them did know that the misuse of internet and sending inappropriate mails was punishable.A new copy of the code of Ethic will be given again to all members of the staff. A form will be attached to it. All employees are requested to read the policies and duly sign the form to acknowledge receipt. Should any employee infringe the company’s computer policies, this will lead to termination of employment without prior notice. A follow-up meeting is schedule for the 10th May 2013, please bring along your comments and any findings. Sources: http://www. iscnetwork. com/cutcosts/companypolicy. shtml â€Å"End of paper†

Effects of Cell Phone Essay

Small wireless device that has at least the same functions of a standard wired telephone but is smaller and more mobile. A cell phone requires a subscription to a service provider and requires either a prepaid or monthly billing setup. Generally, they have more functions than traditional land lines and need to be charged after a period of time. Also called mobile phone or mobile device.—BusinessDictionary.com A mobile phone (also known as a cellular phone, cell phone and a hand phone) is a device that can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link while moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile phone operator, allowing access to the public telephone network. By contrast, a cordless telephone is used only within the short range of a single, private base station.—Wikipedia A portable telephone that uses wireless cellular technology to send and receive phone signals. This technology works by dividing the Earth into small regions called cells. Within each cell the wireless telephone signal goes over its assigned bandwidth to a cell tower, which relays the signal to a telephone switching network, connecting the user to the desired party.—Dictionary.com Cell phone increase in the Philippines The use of mobile phones in the Philippines has brought better information access for farmers, broader citizen engagement and link to traffic data for taxi drivers, according to a new World Bank report. The country also witnessed one of the first uses of text messaging as a medium for social change during the EDSA II revolt in 2001 that led to the ouster of then President Joseph Estrada, the study cited. According to the report â€Å"Information and Communications for Development: Maximizing Mobile,† which was released on Monday, there were 101 mobile cellular subscriptions for every 100 people in the Philippines in 2011, a jump from 41 subscriptions for every 100 people in 2005. The report defined mobile cellular subscriptions as subscriptions to a public mobile telephone service using cellular technology, which provided access to the public switched telephone network. Postpaid and prepaid subscriptions were included. But it said that mobile subscriptions did not reflect actu al mobile phone ownership since there could be multiple subscriptions. Worldwide, the number of mobile subscriptions grew from one billion in 2000 to more than six billion in 2011, of which nearly five billion were in developing countries, the report said. In 2011, 96 percent of the total mobile cellular subscriptions in the Philippines were prepaid. In 2010, mobile cellular network in the Philippines covered 99 percent of the population and 80 percent of households reported ownership of a mobile telephone. The World Bank cited the Philippines as an example in using mobile’s potential to strengthen accountability and transparency in public services and processes. In particular, it said that the Department of Education has worked with the Affiliated Network for Social Accountability in East Asia and the Pacific to set up a website that allowed the citizens to view significant statistics on local schools. The site, called checkmyschool.org, is a government-to-citizen online and mobile-based interactive tool that includes information such as budget allocations, teacher and textbook information and test scores for about a fifth of the 44,000 schools in the country, the report said. It is also an avenue for teachers and parents to express areas of concern that they feel should be addressed. The site, which seeks to improve education service delivery through transparent and accountable behavior by school staff, has improved community participation and vigilance and teacher behavior, the World Bank said. â€Å"These efforts are typically innovative because they often change the delivery or management of a conventional service or process,† the report said. Commercial farmers in the Philippines also benefited from accessing price information through mobile phones, reporting income gains and increase in trust of traders, the report cited. Prior to the expansion of mobile networks, agricultural producers were often unaware about prices and had to rely on information from traders and agents, the report said. â€Å"Delays in obtaining this data or misinterpretation of second-hand pricing information has serious consequences for agricultural producers, who may end up underselling their products, delivering too little or too much of the product, or having their products w ither away,† the World Bank said. The study also mentioned Cebu City where taxi drivers use mobile phones with global positioning systems to receive traffic data and dispatch information. The report added that social media, along with messages, videos and pictures sent from mobile phones, were useful tools for organizing protests and monitoring democracy and freedom. â€Å"Mobile communications offer major opportunities to advance human and economic development—from providing basic access to health information to making cash payments, spurring job creation, and stimulating citizen involvement in democratic processes,† said World Bank vice president for sustainable development Rachel Kyte. â€Å"The challenge now is to enable people, businesses and governments in developing countries to develop their own locally relevant mobile applications so they can take full advantage of these opportunities,† Kyte added. Positive Effects of Cell Phone The Positive Effects of Cell Phones on Society Written by chris joseph Cell phone can have positive effects on society. Ever since the early 1990s when cell phone use became widespread, the devices have had a major impact on society. While some effects have been negative, such as the practice of driving while talking on cell phones, they have also had many positive effects. Cell phones can facilitate communication and help family and friends keep in close contact. They have also played a positive role in the operation of businesses. Peace of Mind Cell phones offer parents the peace of mind that they can contact their kids at any time. They can also feel better knowing that their kids can either contact them or the authorities in the event of an emergency situation. People who travel for a living can feel better knowing that if their vehicle breaks down and they become stranded, help is just a quick phone call away. Keeping in Touch Friends and family members who live far apart can easily keep in touch via cell phone. You don’t have to worry about not being at home since the cell phone can go where you go. Kids who are away at college can keep their parents informed of their progress and spouses who are separated due to a lengthy business trip can stay in frequent contact. Business Cell phones can make a difference on how business is conducted. Salespeople can get back to customers more quickly and can conduct business from virtually anywhere. A manager of a fleet of commercial vehicles can easily stay in touch with his drivers and alert them to last-minute changes in a delivery schedule, even if they are in a hotel or have stopped for a bite to eat. Social Networking Cell phones can contribute to one’s ability to network and to broadcast a message to the masses. For example, you can use your cell phone’s text message feature to send and received messages via social networking websites such as Twitter, so you can communicate with large groups of people without the need to be near a computer. Information Exchange Much like the Internet, cell phones increase the ability to exchange and spread information. People with cell phones can spread the word about an important or newsworthy incident as it occurs, giving people the sense of always being â€Å"in the loop.† Camera phones can enhance this exchange of information by adding a visual element. Texting Although text messaging is potentially disruptive, it also contributes to positive changes in organizations. Clients can send quick updates while causing minimal distractions for your employees. As a business owner, cellphones allow you to communicate with employees without spending time talking on the phone, helping you and your employees to multitask with greater efficiency. If a reminder is particularly urgent, you can send your workers text messages along with the typical emails, increasing the chance they receive your message. On-Call Availability Employees who carry cellphones can be reached faster, improving your organization’s ability to respond to short-notice events. Without cellphones, you rely on your employees to be at home to receive messages. On-call availability is important particularly for employees with strict deadlines and unpredictable work schedules. In addition, employees who are on the road often can keep you up-to-date with greater ease. If you have a last-minute change of plans, you can call your employees’ cellphones to let them know. In this way, the on-call nature of cellphones helps your workers be more prepared for their jobs. More Direct Line of Communication The direct nature of cellphone communication provides convenience for your customers. Clients prefer calling a cellphone instead of navigating a front desk or automated answering system. Cellphones help your clients feel important because your employees are easily accessible. Frustrated clients may become angrier when they are forced to navigate a phone system. When your employees have cellphones, clients can reach them quickly, allowing conflict to be resolved faster. In addition, the lack of a middleman between your employees and clients may foster a more personal feeling toward your business. Multiple Lines Organizations lacking an expensive multiple-line phone system may find cellphones invaluable. Your employees receive voice messages from customers without needing a separate phone line at your office. They also don’t have to rely on front-desk notifications. This feature frees time for your front desk employees. At the same time, it decreases the risk of misunderstandings and lost messages as co-workers forward messages to one another.

National Oilwell Varco Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

National Oilwell Varco - Research Paper Example Such regulatory risk may mandate National Oilwell Varco make changes to the segments in which NOV is operating. 1. Environmental Protection Agency: an agency created to unite the federal research, monitoring, standard-setting and enforcement activities that would provide environmental protection. As a result of the exploration and production of oil and gas in the recent tears, there appeared new norms and rules that companies should apply for drilling permits. Thus, the Environmental Protection Agency is working to curb pollution and emissions created by the oil industry. That requires National Oilwell Varco to deal with the enhanced involvement by the organization’s administration. National Oilwell Varco focuses on safety from the hazardous working conditions, it should ensure the compliance with the regulation on each of its oil platform. Refineries should require the regulations on nitrous oxide emissions, byproducts and products the company manufactures and sells (Hackett, Regoli, De Deo, Polley, 2014). Despite the oil and gas businesses questioned the need for tighter controls because of the regulation to be the most expensive in US history and have little impact on the environment and consumers, however, EPA stated that a combination of the proposed air pollution rules would assist in meeting the proposed standards of cutting smog-forming emissions from oil and gas industry and transportation.2. American Petroleum Institute: a national trade association that represent U.S. oil and natural gas industry.

Politics, the Role of Good Governance Assignment

Politics, the Role of Good Governance - Assignment Example The discussion focuses on the role of democracy in influencing the overall development of low-income countries. It also precisely outlines the performance of these countries after their independence and acceptance of a democratic system. There are various forms of governance system such as monarchy, dictatorship and democratic practiced by different nations around the world. However, since last few decades’, democratic form of governance systems has gained tremendous popularity and is widely favored by both people and experts, especially in low-income or developing countries. Most of the nations around the world have either already transformed their governance system into a democracy, or they are observed as endeavoring to transfer their governance system into a democratic structure. One of the best definitions for the term was given by U.S. President Mr. Abraham Lincoln, which states democracy as â€Å"government of the people, by the people and for the people†. It should be noted in this regard that the word ‘democracy’ primarily focuses on the people and not on the government2. The world is now more democratic than it was ever before. After the independence of many Asian and African nations, countries have adopted a democratic system of government in the face of intense poverty and relentless social as well as economic apprehensions. Nonetheless, democratization in low-income countries has resulted in positive outcomes in several fronts, especially in achieving universal primary education and eliminating gender disparities in access of basic education. The democratization in low-income countries has indeed helped them to reduce child mortality rate and a poverty rate that was likely being faced by many developing countries before democratization.  The spread of democratization along with the integration of world economy through globalization process and the dramatic technology revolution have accumulatively contributed in an increased potential of the low-income countries for improving the lifestyle of the citizens ensuring greater human freedom and well- being.

Describe and evaluate the main macroeconomic policies used by the Essay - 2

Describe and evaluate the main macroeconomic policies used by the Government and Central Bank of China over the last two years - Essay Example Resultantly, China made an agreement with the International Monetary Fund that saw it joining the World Trade Organization and from then, the country has world-record economic advancements from dominating in foreign trade and multiple influxes of extraneous nonstop investments. In the management of any economy, the state and authority have the obligation of approving the contradictory policies (especially for currency) because failure to this results to instability of currency both at home and around the globe, mostly a decrease in value. This is a nightmare for any country or market so the monetary authorities enforce all the conflicting policies to avoid such a situation. Most of the business gurus and specialists argue that it is impossible for a country or economy to have utter investment suppleness, stable exchange rate and sovereign pecuniary policy all at the same time; definitely, at a particular time, one of these three factors changes. For the last two years, they has been a steady rise of influxes of international capital into China with the above issue of having all the three factors emerging everywhere around the country; however, the core facilitator of this is the projected escalation in value of the RMB chattels after its rise (Flassbeck 20 14). As of mid-2013, China’s extraneous exchange investments were over three thousand billion dollars, which was around three quarters of the assets of the core bank in China, PBC; resultantly, the government has contributed greatly to this, especially with its increased persistence on the matter of appreciating RMB. During a period of ten years (2003-2013), China’s funds multiplied by eleven times with a greater increase margin for foreign exchange; obviously, this development over such a period is impressive for any economy. Decisively, the central bank of China (People’s Bank of China) lay out policies and initiatives for stability

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) Research Paper - 6

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) - Research Paper Example Management of risks associated with exposure to PAHS depends on the levels and the duration of exposure. If an individual is exposed to acute high doses, decontamination and other supportive measures should be the basic objectives (Feng, Sun and Song, 2014). Decontamination should be carried out by washing up the individual and cleaning up the clothes. The skin of the victim should be thoroughly scrubbed with soap and water as soon as possible. The victim should also be isolated from a polluted environment to a place with clean air (Plant et al., 2012). Other supportive care such as pulmonary functional tests should be routinely carried out. X-rays to determine the level of damage to the lungs should be carried out also. For ocular contamination, the patient should be treated by irrigating the eye (Whitacre and Ware, 2008). If an individual has been exposed to low levels of PAHS for a long time, they eventually develop toxicity. For effective care, the patient should be taught about the risks associated with exposure to PAHS and how to avoid further exposure (Friis, 2008). They should be informed of the possibility of developing bronchogenic cancer and the additive effects of exposure to cigarette smoke and other related toxic agents. The parents should be made to follow-up periodic evaluations for treatment of symptoms associated with PAHS exposure. Risk communication to individuals exposed to PAHS should take into account the challenges associated with trying to maintain a balance between concern and undue alarm to the patient. This is because PAHS are complex, and hence it is impossible to predict their carcinogenicity based only on several of the components. Effective risk communication should involve a comprehensive education programme on the dangers of PAHS exposure. Medical surveillance of workers who are at the risk of exposure to PAHS should be done to inform them of the dangers of overexposure

Animals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Animals - Essay Example climate changes, habitat destructions, diseases, natural disasters or speciation (some animals develop into totally new species) (â€Å"Extinct†). Our planet Earth, a home to wonderful diversity of living creatures, has hosted some incredibly unique species. Unfortunately, many of those weird animals that inhabited the world in the distant past are gone now. For example, Tyrannosaurus Rex became extinct around 65 million years ago (â€Å"Ten Most Amazing Extinct Animals†). As fossils of this enormous carnivore had been found, it became clear that Tyrannosaurus Rex was one of the biggest animals of all time, â€Å"measuring up to 43.3 feet long, and 16.6 ft tall, with an estimated mass that goes up to 7 tons† (â€Å"Ten Most Amazing Extinct Animals†) (Image 1). The Irish Elk (also known as Giant Deer) died out nearly 7, 700 years ago. It is believed to have been the biggest deer that ever inhabited our planet. Specifically, the Irish Elk was measured to hav e While animals became extinct due to various natural cataclysms in the past, they appear to be in danger or under threat of extinction today due to destructive human activity. These species are called endangered or threatened. According to the U.S. Endangered Species Act that was passed in 1973, two categories are distinguished as for the animals that risk becoming extinct: endangered and threatened. To specify, endangered species is defined as â€Å"... one that is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range† (â€Å"Facts about Endangered Species†). In its turn, a species is considered threatened if it is â€Å"... one that is likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range† (â€Å"Facts about Endangered Species†). A good example of an endangered species is the American Alligator. This large alligator lives in wetlands in the Southeast of the United States and is s ometimes encountered by humans (Image 3). It

Rhetorical Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Rhetorical Analysis - Essay Example This essay will judge Obama's speech according to the principles of rhetoric – ethos, pathos, logos and mythos – to show that a speech with no apparent political motive (motive as distinct from purpose) can still be worthy of rhetorical study. Ethos, the (usually introductory) part of speech which convinces the audience of the speaker's moral authority on the subject to be addressed, has been under debate for at least hundreds of years: the question is whether ethos can be established before the speech, if a speaker's moral character, if known to the audience, has some effect on the audience's reception to what they say (Hyde, ix). The debate is purely academic, however, because Obama's position as President of the United States means that he will generally be accepted as an authority wherever he chooses to speak. At the time, his great interest in the reformation of healthcare and health insurance made his appearance in front of the ANA even more relevant. Obama's etho s is, as always, evident in three parts. Firstly, his casual announcement of somewhat specious facts – â€Å"it is an honor to speak to the ANA, representing more than three million registered nurses across the country† – present phronesis, as do his declaration of personal experience with nurses (which I will discuss under pathos). However, this is jeopardized slightly by his obvious lack of specialized knowledge on nursing. Moral excellence, or arete, is mostly to be discerned from the President's work previous to this speech, but is also reinforced in the large middle section which discusses his recent achievements in the field of health insurance, in which the Democratic party and progressive Americans are portrayed as a force of good against the â€Å"abusive† insurance industry. Eunoia is a powerful force in this speech, as Obama begins with personally thanking a member of the audience and congratulating her mother on her daughter's achievements; he continues with a joke (â€Å"I don't break promises to nurses because you never know when I'm going to need a shot†), which was received with laughter by the audience. He humanizes himself by talking about himself as fallible during the birth of one daughter and the serious childhood illness of another. The speech is peppered with individuals, and Obama's thanks for these people; the ending note is one of praise for the strong women and men who endure â€Å"tough †¦ stressful †¦ exhausting and †¦ thankless† jobs to help sick people. The audience is very much brought over to Obama's side by his goodwill and even flattery. This brings me to the second aspect of rhetoric: pathos. I see great evidence of pathos in Obama's speech – his appeals to emotion are frequent and often personal, as evident in many of his public appearances (Coop, 41). The video clip of the speech shows his great passion for less discrimination in healthcare, and his words cont ribute to this emotion. The stories of Obama's family – one daughter's birth and another's bout of meningitis as a three-month-old – are calculated to flatter every member of the union for being a nurse, not to thank the small number of nurses who attended to his family in times of need. Obama refers to the nurses who

Regiment Essay Example for Free

Regiment Essay The United States thought that the Japanese were spying on us and was sent from japan just to spy. Even though no spying was recorded the United States just wanted to keep cautious. The Japanese were relocated in internment camps located in the west coast. However, in nineteen forty three president Roosevelt and the war department decided to allow these Japanese Americans to volunteer in an all American-Japanese regiment to fight for their country in World War two. In May nineteen forty three approximately one thousand five hundred volunteers from the United States and three thousand from Hawaii assembled for training camp at Shelby Mississippi. One month later they arrive in Naples, Italy. The all Japanese-American regiment group joined up with the one hundred infantry Battalion. After fighting ten days in Italy the combat groups got their first rest, dry clothes, and hot food. The battle of the lost battalion took place in October of nineteen forty four. The thirty sixth division was paired with the four hundred forty second regimental combat group to fight the German army in the battle of Bruyeres. Over two hundred of the thirty six battalion group were lost in the forest and are trapped on a steep ridge in the Vosges Mountain in France the German army surrounded them on this ridge. General John E. Dahiquist soon ordered the four hundred forty second regimental combat team to rescue the thirty six division group, this was a shock to the Japanese regiment because General Dahiquist was thought of as bias to Japanese by the Japanese. During this journey to the ridge many care packages containing food and supplies were dropped by air support but the packages would get tangled in the trees or in far distances. When the group entered the forest the forest was so dark the soldiers couldn’t see the soldier in front of them. So the soldier had to hold on to the man in front of them backpack. Finally throughout the way the combat team had to fight the German soldiers and ended up defeating the Germans. Even though they won they still sort of lost because the group lost over eight hundred soldiers just to save two hundred men. So if the Japanese Americans are C-4’s the Japanese Americans would have never sacrificed their lives to save the American soldiers. The Nisei men proved their loyalty to the United States and showed bravery. However no awards were awarded. Most people suggested that this was due to prejudice in the United States. In the year two thousand President Clinton awarded 20 medal of honors to the regiment. The Japanese-Americans helped shorten the war with a victory over the Hitler and his Germans soldiers.

Literary Criticism Quotes and Explanation Essay Example for Free

Literary Criticism Quotes and Explanation Essay â€Å"Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead. † -Gene Fowler Fowler conveys that writing is a difficult, exacting task. The purpose of writing is to put our thoughts into words, and to make our words move our readers. Many writers are frustrated by their inability to put their thoughts onto paper. I have always had a difficult time writing. I find that I have good ideas, but that putting my thoughts into words is challenging. I find this problem in all kinds of writing, even projects I enjoyed like a short story we wrote in the 7th grade. I enjoy reading science fiction; it is the most interesting to me. I have always had a hard time picturing what I am reading in my head, but science fiction is easier to visualize. I dislike non-fiction the most because I find it uninteresting. â€Å"Human speech is like a cracked kettle on which we tap crude rhythms for bears to dance to, while we long to make music that will melt the stars. † -G. Flaubert Flaubert’s message is that human speech is imperfect and inelegant. Many people strive to speak fluently but aspects of their speech like word choice and grammar are imprecise. One way to express yourself when words do not work is body language. For example, if somebody doesn’t understand that you are trying to be sarcastic you can use body language to convey your message. You can also express yourself through art, like paintings or music. Some people also try to express themselves through the way that they dress. One advantage to using these methods is that you do not have to say anything but people can simply interpret your message. This can also act as a disadvantage because they might interpret it the wrong way.

Factors Influencing Family Lifestyle

Factors Influencing Family Lifestyle The family issues can always attract public attention, because it is so close to peoples life. As Kephart claimed that the family is one of the older social institutions which could be found in almost all societies (1961:3). This report will argue that the family turned into diversity as a result of the varied demands of individual while the alterations of household could affect society in social services, government policy and social safety. There is no denying that the development of society could also influence the family lifestyle. Initially, this report will look at the history of the family. Secondly, this report will introduce the changing nature of the family and the situation of several types of household( cohabitation, lone-parent families, homosexual families ) that have appeared recently. Specifically, what family means to society will be illustrated-family is not an abstract word, but a basic part for society. Finally, this report will analyse the role of the family has played in society and the impact of changes on British society. 2. History Generally, family is categorized as two basic models: nuclear family and extended family. Nuclear family includes parents and their children while extended family is a family group with a close relationship among the members that includes parents, children and relatives (Oxford , 2005). As Eversley and Bonnerjea (1982:75) said, Victorian family (between 1830 and 1870) has played an important role in the development about the modern family: whatever forms the contemporary family takes, it is usually considered as a deviation from this supposed former norm, in other words, the Victorian family is the earliest ancestor for families of British society. Until the 1980s, it was popular within sociology to talk about the family cycle. Inherent in this notion was the idea that people typically followed a similar family pathway (Allan and Crow, 2001:2). In contemporary society, families have changed from formation and conditions over time. The average household size fell from 2.9 persons per household in 1971 to 2.4 in 2006 (ONS Focus on Families, 2007). Nowadays, there is no typical example of families, such as single-parent families, cohabiting, step-families, and so on (Harding, 1996). Actually, family could provides a wide range of functions which include socialization, social placement, material and emotional security, child rearing and economic cooperation (Morris and Winter, 1978:46 ; Allan and Crow, 2001:19-20). Families determine the outcomes for children, adults, community and society. Such as in the family, parents bring up children, give them encouragement with love and a good relationship between family members could contribute harmonious development on the community and society as well (Cabinet Office Families in Britain, 2008). So that family could be seen as valuable to the society and to individual. 3. Current Situation A recent survey showed that 80 percent of people really think that family is more important to them than their friends in British society (Ipsos MORI Real Trends, 2008). As an institution, family is altering continually. Since 1971, the proportion of all people living in traditional family households of married couples with dependent children has fallen from 52% to 37% in Britain (BBC, 2007). Today, people usually get later marriage, the one possible factor of this situation might be women paying more attention to their career. It is a common phenomenon to live together without marrying. The number of cohabiting couple families increased from 1.4 million to 2.3 million between 1996 and 2006 (ONS Focus on Family, 2007). More and more children are born outside of marriage, especially occurred among cohabiting couples families. A recent survey showed that the rate of births outside marriage has risen from about 10% in 1971 to over 40% in 2006 (ONS Population Trends No.132, 2008). Meanwh ile, married couples also have some problems. According to a statistics, there is a increased number of divorces around 26 thousand in 1950 to over 155 thousand in 2005. Compared with many other developed countries, Britain keep the higher rate in divorce until 2005 (ONS Marriage Stats 2006 (Provisional), 2008). 4. Analyse the Effect The family could be claimed as an economic and social institution (Jagger and Wright, 1999:3). No matter which form the family is, it seems that family could influence the society both in positive and negative aspect whilst be impacted by social environment. 4.1 Major institution in society In order to support the family, people have to hunt for a job. Individual plays essential role in different working areas, such as the large number of workers are employed in the services sector, a minority in industry and a little proportion in agriculture (Oakland , 2006:170). Those people create necessity for public need and make income for their family, thus there is a situation that the family workers fulfill the social demands while create wealth. Meanwhile, the family could be impacted by the external environment. For instance, financial crisis hit British families since 2008. According to research, the conflict between parents occurred frequently due to them worrying about the economic risk, therefore, a number of children suffered a hard period during the financial crisis (Hawthorne et al, 2003). Furthermore, families contribute childrens growth. The new generation is the force of the society continually developing. In order to make sure the better outcome for children, pare nts have to balance childrens state of being fully developed while make the children being a part of family and society by providing love, encouragement and guidance (Bornstein and Bornstein, 2007). 4.2 Cohabitation In contemporary society, public attitudes of sexual relationships have moved forward, thus cohabitation has been accepted by a majority of people (Allan and Crow, 2001:64). Review the recent two decades, the number of people who cohabit has rapidly raised (Oakland , 2006:190). When the divorce were difficult to achieve, people likely choose cohabitation (Kiernan, 2002:3). There are several factors enable adults to cohabit, one of the factors is decreasing the living cost. Men and women live together and share the expenses of daily necessities. Moreover, living together lead to learn more about each other. It is an opportunity to test whether the person suit to the other party (Allan and Crow, 2001:67-68). In turn, there is not any data (no data) shows that cohabitation could be helpful to marriage living, meanwhile, some statistics prove that if some people married after cohabiting, they had higher rate to divorce (Popenoe and Whitehead, ?:2 [reference: should we live together]). Peo ple in cohabitation families maintain the relationship rely on 4.3 Lone-parent families The proportion of children living in lone-parent families in Great Britain more than tripled between 1972 and spring 2006 to 24 per cent(11 _04_07_social_trends) Children living with single parents may be at higher risk of experiencing physical and sexual abuse and neglect than children living with two biological parents. Single parent households are substantially more likely to have incomes below the poverty line. Lower income, the increased stress associated with the sole burden of family responsibilities, and fewer supports are thought to contribute to the risk of single parents maltreating their children. In 1998, 23 percent of children lived in households with a single mother, and 4 percent lived in households with a single father. A strong, positive relationship between the child and the father, whether he resides in the home or not, contributes to the childs development and may lessen the risk of abuse. In addition, studies have found that compared to similar non-neglecting families, neglectful families tend to have more children or greater numbers of people living in the household. Chronically neglecting families often are characteriz ed by a chaotic household with changing constellations of adult and child figures (e.g., a mother and her children who live on and off with various others, such as the mothers mother, the mothers sister, or a boyfriend). (http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/usermanuals/foundation/foundatione.cfm) 4.4 Homosexual families 5. Recommendation As a result of what have mentioned, the government is considered that should establish reasonable policy for different type families. Trying to improve the marriage rate, create employment opportunities for lone parent, pay more attention to the mental health of single-parent children and provide help for them. Ensuring each kind of families getting equal rights include homosexual families. Honestly, family is the fundamental part of the society, making each unit running normally is one possible way to boost the development of society. 6. Conclusion In summary, under several period changing, the family developed into many forms, it all depends on individual needs, so that the changing to the family is an inevitable phenomenon. For the society, its development rely on each familys growing, such as changes to household required a development of services, domestic variety created new demands on government policy, and some of the new type families led to social crisis. Meantime, it could be found that the social environment influenced family lifestyle. Therefore, a interaction between families and society could be discovered. Allan, G. and Crow, G. (2001). Families, households and society. New York: Palgrave. BBC (2007). One-parent families on the rise. Retrieved October 7th,2010 from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6542031.stm Bornstein, L. and Bornstein, M. H. (2007). Parenting styles and child social development. Encyclopedia on early childhood development. Montreal: Centre of excellence for early childhood development. Cabinet Office/The Strategy Unit. (2008). Families in Britain: An Evidence Paper, Department for Children, Schools and Families. Elliot, F. R. (1996). Gender, family and society. London: Macmillan Press Eversley, D. and Bonnerjea, L. (1982). Social change and indicators of diversity. in Rapoport, R. N. , Fogarty, M. P. and Rapoport, R. (1982). Families in Britain.(p.75). London: Routledge Kegan Paul Harding, L. (1996). Family, State Social Policy. London: Macmillan Press Hawthorne, J., Jessop, J., Pryor, J. and Richards, M. (2003). Supporting children through family change: a review of interventions and services for children of divorcing and separating parents. London: Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Ipsos MORI Real Trends (2008) self-completion and online. Base: 2,019 British adults 16+, 9th May 5th June. Jagger, G. and Wright, C. (1999). Changing family values. London: Routledge Jenkins, DRS. , Pereira, I. and Evans, N. ( date unknown ). Families in Britain, The impact of changing family structures and what the public think. London: Ipsos MORI and Policy Exchange. Kephart, W. M. (1961). The family, society, and the individual. Cambridge: The Riberside Press Morris, E. W. and Winter, M. (1978). Housing, family, and society. Canada: John Wiley Sons Oakland, J. (2006). British civilization: an introduction. New York: Routledge Office for National Statistics (2007) Focus on Families: increase in families mainly cohabiting couples. Retrieved October 7th,2010 from:http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/fofam1007.pdf Office for National Statistics (2008) Marriage Stats 2006 (Provisional) cited in Cabinet Office/ The Strategy Unit (2008) Families in Britain: An Evidence Paper, Department for Children, Schools and Families. P26. Office for National Statistics (2007) Population Trends 132. cited in Cabinet Office/ The Strategy Unit (2008) Families in Britain: An Evidence Paper, Department for Children, Schools and Families. P28. Oxford Dictionary of English. (2005). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Rowlingson, K. and Mckay, S. (2002). Lone parent families: gender, class and state. Great Britain: Pearson Education Limited

Comapring Gardners Model to the Theory of John Dewey Essay -- Teachin

Philosophers are part of history, caught in its movement; creators perhaps in some measure of its future, but also assuredly creatures of its past.-John Dewey American philosopher, social commentator, idealist, educator, and democratic theorist, John Dewey has had a profound impact on America's educational system. Proponent of change and advocate of "hands-on" learning and interactive classrooms, Dewey accomplished a great deal in his long life, (interestingly enough, he is the only major philosopher to live beyond his ninetieth year). He is the one professional philosopher of our age whose ideas have touched the common man through institutional changes in education and social action. Born on October 20, 1859, in Burlington Vermont, John Dewey was born into a small-town middle class family. His father was a reasonably successful town grocer and tobacconist, while his mother, almost twenty years younger and "better-born", had come from a prominent Vermont family. Dewey remembered his mother as a woman of great piety, strict with her sons, and frequently questioning their "rightness with Jesus". Until he was almost thirty years old, the greater part of Dewey's intellectual life was concerned with mediating between the core of evangelicalism that his mother had given him and life as men live it, particularly the intellectual life of the later nineteenth century. Mrs. Dewey prized the principles of work, prayer, benevolence, maternity, and ambitious goals for her family. The disappointment of her marriage seems to have led her to seek an exaggerated sense of self-reliance. Due to her strong convictions, the home life of her three sons was very demanding. The teachings of his mother left Dewey with the notion that the world... ...ample is the characteristic of egoism among creative individuals. This also seems obvious, especially when dealing with the individuals he has chosen, as they are all famous and recognized worldwide for their achievements. On the whole I do not agree with Gardner's model, and I believe that it is somehow wrong to stereotype and dissect people to the extent that he has. But hey, maybe that's why I'm not an psychology or phyciatry major. Works Cited 1. Hook, Sidney. John Dewey: Philosopher of Science and Freedom. 1950. Dial Press. New York 2. Campbell, James. Understanding John Dewey. 1995. Open Court. Chicago, Illinois 3. Johnson, A.H. The Wit and Wisdom of John Dewey. 1949. The Beacon Press. Boston. 4. http://www.albany.edu/~dkw42/s2-dewey-progr.html 5. http://education.ucdavis.edu/ACADEMIC/EDU120/dewey1.html 6. http://www.fred.net/tzaka/demointr.html

The Color Purple Essay -- essays research papers

The Color Purple by Alice Walker is a very controversial novel, which many people found to be very offensive. It is basically the struggle for one woman’s independence. The main character in The Color Purple is Celie a coloured woman with little or no education at all. She is one who has been used and abused by all the men in her life, and because of these men, she has very little courage or ambition in her life. She has so little courage, that all she wants to do is just survive. Through the various women she meets throughout here life like: Shug, her sister, and Harpo’s wife, she learns how to enjoy herself, gain courage and happiness. She finally learns enough and with the final straw she could no longer bare, she leaves her husband and becomes an independent happy woman. Celie was an abused woman from all the men in her life. She was abused and raped by her stepfather and then by her own husband. This abusiveness took away all of Celie’s ambitions and drove her into a state of fear. That is why she refers to these men only known as Mister, for she had lost her feelings. She feared them so much that she would always do whatever she was told without hesitation, because she was fearful of being beaten. The first evidence comes from the opening line of the novel, You better not never tell nobody but God†¦ (P.11). That is why all her letters open with Dear God, because she fears what will happen to her if she does tell anyone. And it is because of these men, that she has ver...

Intraorganizational Conflicts Essay

In the discourse about the assessment and management of intraorganizational conflict within an organization, Jessica Katz Jameson underscores the various facets of these conflicts. These include the sources of conflict, their characteristics, the management strategies and the desired outcomes. However, of interest here is how the author characterizes the sources of these conflicts. In this presentation, an attempt to unveil the characterization of the sources of conflict without examining the attributes and the form taken by the conflicts is an effort in futility. According to Jameson (1999), conflicts arise when interdependent parties have very unlike and incompatible mindsets and interests. Intraorganizational conflicts take different forms depending on the source Sources of Informal Conflicts. Informal conflicts take the form of informal arguments or differences in points of view and opinions between co-workers, employees and supervisors, between factions within an organization or even interdepartmental Conflicts. Informal conflicts occur mainly due to differing values, beliefs, opinions as well as perception regarding to how work should be accomplished (Jameson 1999). Shapiro and Rosen (as cited in Jameson, 1999) further categorized informal conflicts as those whose sources are relational differences and those that arise from differences in opinions as to how tasks ought to be carried out. Relational differences include personal differences between members of an organization or differences in opinion regarding to leadership style. Task conflict on the hand has to do with differences in matters regarding to authority and/or responsibilities as well as differences in perception and interpretation various issues. Others[1] have utilized words such as subjective conflicts and objective conflicts in trying to categorize various forms of conflicts. Sources of formal conflicts. Formal conflicts are of a different dimension. They are characterized by formal complaints about such issues as: Contravention of human rights within an organization or policy violations. In several instances, formal conflicts result in legal action usually by an employee against an organization. Formal conflicts occur due to issues regarding to dismissal, benefits, absentee policies, safety standards, discrimination, rules and regulations of work and promotions. Employees feel that they are not being treated fairly. Formal conflicts have been a subject of much interest in recent times due to the rising number of costly court cases between the employees and organizations. Question 2. Is it important or necessary in an organization to understand the sources of conflict within an organization, as we have an autocratic structure that can impose a resolution? Understanding the sources of conflict within an organization is important because of the following reasons: a) It can help in unearthing potential conflicts before they happen. Usually conflicts do not just happen but follow a distinct pattern that can be detected by knowledgeable persons. Early detection would allow for action that would ensure that the conflict never gets out of hand. This would result in saving the parties involved time money and misery. b) It assists the disputants, managers and third parties involved in selecting the most suitable method of resolving particular conflicts. An imposed resolution may serve an important purpose in a conflict resolution but may fail to achieve the most satisfying solution for the parties involved. There are differing concerns and interests that form the conflict resolution goals for the parties and these have to be put into consideration when seeking a resolution strategy. Some of these interests include: Cost reduction, timeliness, privacy and confidentiality, fairness, maintaining relations and establishing a precedent. These concerns may not be adequately addressed if a resolution has to come from an autocratic authority with an own interest and concern. c) Autocratic Structure of conflict resolution would be of little use in formal conflicts that are likely to result in litigation. Litigation is an undesired outcome due to the costs incurred by either party (time and money); especially depending on the way the judgment goes. Litigation has served to increase the need for dispute systems within organizations. d)Â   Understanding the sources of conflict within an organization assists in the development of effective organizational conflict management. This creates a conducive work environment and reduces work related stress. This would in turn have a positive effect on employee satisfaction and productivity. Understanding sources of conflict should thus be a goal that is pursued by all members within an organization.

Learning organization Essay

Marquardt (2002, p. 211) presented 16 steps necessary to build a learning organization. A closer look at our organization revealed that there is still so much to learn and change. Using Marquardt’s metaphor, our organization is still in the caterpillar stage, â€Å"earthbound† and â€Å"nonlearning† (p. 235). The major challenge keeping our company in this status can be linked to only two things, attitude of employees and leadership style. Unfortunately, the 16 steps proposed by Marquardt boil down to these two things. Employees have negative view about change. They are not willing to leave their comfort zones, take risks or commit to transforming the company. They lack the motivation to educate, improve and develop themselves professionally. The old, tested way of doing things remains the norm. However, the more disturbing fact is the lack of effort from the leaders. Based on Marquardt’s discussion, the main effort for change should come from the top, from the leaders. Presently, the leadership style in the company does not cater to the needs of a learning organization. The organizational culture does not empower the empoyees to express their creativity or explore their potentials. In short, our organization is 16 steps away from transformation. Based on the guidelines, to effect change, the leaders need to recognize their role as the agents of change. According to Marquardt’s book, â€Å"The first step is for leadership to commit themselves to transforming the company into a learning organization† (p. 210). Before that could happen, leaders should first of all need to recognize the need to transform our caterpillar ways to that of a butterfly. This step corresponds to the creation of an organizational vision. The company needs a more dynamic, interesting, inspiring vision to keep both leaders and employees stimulated into transforming and improving the company as well as creating an environment for continious learning.

A Different History Analysis Essay

In the poem â€Å"A Different History† by Sujata Bhatt, the poet speaks about culture identity, the importance of language, and religion. Bhatt describes the history of India during the British colonization days, from her point of view – from the side of the oppressed. Her strong diction portrays her emotions clearly. The varied structure and tone between the two stanzas of the poem highlights the differences between the cultures and emotions she feels. Bhatt creates an impression of freedom and peace when she describes her country in the first stanza. The two lines, â€Å"Here, the gods roam freely,† â€Å"Every tree is sacred† describe the Indian culture. They represent the â€Å"old India†, before the British had conquered it. However, in the next line, the mood of the poem differs. The poet emphasizes how wrong it is to disrespect books (nature) with the repetition of the words â€Å"a sin†. It portrays a different side to the Indian culture – one with customs and rules that must be followed. Bhatt addresses her own culture, (ll. 9-14) as it could symbolize the importance of maintaining the firm and religious beliefs of the Indian culture. See more: Experiment on polytropic process Essay Towards the end of the first stanza, the poem’s tone changes into one that is very pleading. There is a distinct change from a very calm tone to an interrogative one. â€Å"You must learn how to turn the pages gently / without disturbing Sarasvati, / without offending the tree / from whose wood the paper was made.† She seems as though she is commanding, or rather begging the oppressors to tread lightly, to adjust slowly to her culture, and to learn how to be gentle with it. This is the difference between the previous lines – at first she was addressing her culture, but in these lines she is referring to the British. She uses the terms â€Å"books†, â€Å"paper†, and â€Å"wood† to refer to her culture. The â€Å"tree† represents her ancestors, and â€Å"the paper† represents the future generation. These comparisons have a strong effect; they make the reader think about the way he or she is treating nature. In the second stanza, Bhatt indents to highlight the difference between the two things she’s talking about. The first stanza talks about how precious books are and how they should be respected. It gives us an insight to India’s old culture. On the other hand, in the beginning of the next stanza, she speaks about language and the â€Å"new  India†. Bhatt begins the second stanza with rhetorical questions. â€Å"Which language / has not been the oppressor’s tongue? / Which language / truly meant to murder someone?† The poet is trying to point out that many languages become the language of a country because they were once the language of the people that conquered them. She is referring to the loss of her native language. It adds a tinge of humor and mockery, since she is already speaking in English. The poem ends with an ironic statement. â€Å"the unborn grandchildren / grow to love that strange language.† Bhatt refers to herself as the â€Å"unborn grandchildren†. After expressing her feelings of anger about the murder of her language, she still writes in English – she still grew to love the English language. Bhatt clearly expresses what she feels about her culture. She shows that even though her culture is being destroyed and left behind because of foreign conquerors, she still remembers her motherland and the roots that link her to it. Through the different structured sections, she was able to show the readers the difference in culture and feelings she has.

Different between secondary school and university Essay

I used to say that I could not wait until I finished secondary school and have a greater say in what do. In reflection I can say that my experience in secondary school was more fulfilling for me than the university currently is for me. As I commenced my secondary school life, I was registered. Although I registered at the beginning of my university life, I have to register every semester for the courses that I would be pursuing. In addition, at secondary school level everything was handed out to me; while at the university I have to collect my information for different courses. I believe that secondary school was easier because if I did not understand a topic, teachers were easily accessed. If I do not understand a topic at university I have to wait until the tutorial or office hours. I easily interacted with my teachers while at the university some of my lectors are not approachable. In secondary school I had three sets of vacations while at university I only have two sets of vacations. In addition, secondary school had two set of three weeks’ vacation and a ten weeks summer while university have one month in the Christmas vacation and four months for summer vacation. I found that at secondary school I was taught the fundamentals of learning, while the university teaches me the advance structure of learning. I learned subject and verb agreement and not how to write essay but at university I learn additional fundamental of English like topic sentence use of punctuation marks and structure different types of essays. I also learned basic United Kingdom accounting principle for Caribbean Examination Council level. United State accounting is taught at the university level. In addition, secondary school I did internal exam and was promoted to the year level while I do exams to earn credits towards my degree at the university. I did external exam and gain Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) certificate in several subjects but the university does an increment of courses and receive one degree. The secondary school structure is rigid while the university structure is flexible. The School year is divided into three terms while the university has semesters. In addition at secondary school the children have a long summer vacation while university students have the option of attending summer school. School class times were scheduled for a school year while at the university classes would be chosen by me and changes every semester. I remember having one break time and a fixed hour for lunch whereas for university I can have lunch at time where there is free period. There were many rules at school which were enforced. However, there are some at the university which student are not acquainted with and no one enforces them. For example, if I did not attended classes regularly, the principal would call my parents. However at university there is not anyone who checks up and realized when I am missing from lectures or tutorial sessions. Furthermore, there was a uniform at school that I wore; in fact, the principal and teachers made sure we wore our uniforms correctly. However, at university I can wear my own clothes, which my mother provide for me. I remember the principal sent me back home a last day for having on braids. Now I can wear braids, weave and even colour my hair at the university. Secondary School was small and had limited classrooms but university is bigger and have many different rooms. When I was at school I had a form room where I could eat my lunch and talk to my friends. On the other hand at the university I do not have any fixed room that I can be in. There was also small number of children in the class in contrast to the large number of students at university. Most of the teaching was done in our form room whereas I have to go different places for lectures and tutorials. I knew everyone in my class because they came from first to fifth form, and some of the other children throughout the school. However, I am unable to know everyone in the lectures and I only know a few in the tutorial since my courses changes ever semester. I was able to have a face to face teaching at school whereas I am taught different ways at the university such as lecture, tutorials and online learning. The work load at university is much heavier than at secondary school although I did eight subject at CXC level and I am only doing four course a semester. I conclude although secondary school was structure and rigid I thoroughly enjoyed my life there and those memories would remain with me forever. Even though, my university life is flexible and I have a greater say on my activities, I can now say that I prefer the structure of secondary school life.

A concept analysis of courage

A concept analysis of courage Courage is a virtue vital for good nursing, and has brought many benefits and advancements to the nursing profession, yet it has received little credit as a nursing skill. Making courage visible to nursing, can help incorporate it as part of the skills training for nurse leaders in nursing schools. This can bring further advancement to the nursing profession. Also, Having a courageous character can benefit patients since it provokes them to be more willing to take treatments and fight illnesses. The literature review identified physical courage, moral courage, psychological courage, and civil courage as different extensions of courage, and it reinforced that moral courage is the one necessary for nursing. It also identified caring, knowledge, and the ability to overcome fears as some of the defining attributes of courage. The willingness to have a courageous character can be provoke by confidence and a sense of duty, and it can lead to self esteem boosts and good learning experience s. Currently, only a few qualitative methods have been identified to study the phenomena of courage in nursing. It is harder to measure courage with quantitative methods because it is subjective in nature, and people experience it differently, depending on their values, believes, and cultures. More studies need to be done to incorporate courage as a nursing concept, and to identify tools and therapies that can entice courage in patients. Introduction The identification of nursing concepts has facilitated theory development and the growth of nursing knowledge, which has lead to many nursing advancement. Many concepts have being identified and inquired in nursing, yet there are some that still remain unexplored; one of these concepts is courage. Courage still remains undefined in nursing. Spencer and Smyth (2007) stated that courage is a concept that remains invisible in nursing, Yet it is essential to the advancement of nursing practice (Spencer, and Smythe 2007). While, Day (2010) s tated that â€Å"Courage is a virtue that is necessary to the conscientious practice of all health care providers† (Day, 2010). It is the virtue that leads nurses to develop other virtues and skills like leadership, advocacy, commitment, caring, and conflict resolution amongst others. Without courage, nursing would be a robotic job that implies following orders without any regards for the patients health care outcomes. According to Thomas (2007), courage is a requirement to be a leader. â€Å"Leaders must consistently find the courage to hold true to their beliefs and convictions† (Thomas, 2003). Today’s nursing leaders need to be courageous to face the politics of the health care systems and improve nursing for the future. Courage is a virtue that can also benefit patients in the health care. Being diagnosed with an illness often times creates fears and uncertainties that may cause loss of self esteem and dignity. This can lead to non-compliance to treatments a nd poor outcomes. Patients need to find the courage from within to fight the physical and physiological disruptions and restore their health. According to Wein (2007), having a fighting spirit can bring real benefits to the patients. Health care providers can use it as a therapeutic tool by appealing to the patient’s sense of courage, through facilitating therapies that ameliorate suffering, restore self esteem, and allow rediscovery of meaning (Wein, 2007).

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

Astronomy_Cosmo - Essay Example Faith is an excellent human trait, but having faith in something that can has been proven wrong through science and observation can hinder individual and societal growth. The Big Bang Theory is the theory that the universe came about from an immense explosion billions of years ago. Sagan raised the possibility of an oscillating universe, where the Big Bang Theory was not only the beginning of the universe, but the end of another universe. This cycle could be repeating over and over. Scientists can only speculate. However observation has shown that the universe is expanding outward from each individual point in the universe. Radio, photographic, x-ray telescopic views have shown this expansion of the universe through the Doppler Effect. The Big Bang Theory was based on observation and scientific means. It was not meant to refute religion, or to be sacrilegious. The Big Bang Theory is incompatible with religions that believe in Creationism. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are based on Creationism. The basic tenants of Creationism are the story of God creating the Earth and man in six days. This even occurred four to five thousand years ago according to the religions steeped in Creationism. The Big Bang Theory is unacceptable due to the lack of God’s involvement and the purported age of the universe being billions of years old. The story of Adam and Eve in the Old Testament has been passed down in these Judeo-Christian religions. If that cornerstone is taken away, then other Torah, Biblical, and Qur’an stories might be dismissed. This frightens the fervently faithful. If Adam and Eve were not real people, then maybe a higher power does not exist. If God, Jesus, or Allah is not real, what have humans believed and died for eons? This will cause the truly faithful to avoid astronomy and scientific finds despite the proof of obser vation or other evidence. Some

Health Disparities Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Health Disparities - Assignment Example There is a detail, analysis in the paper of the solution to the disparity and the people involved. The plan, implementation, track of the plan and assessment of the project is discussed in detail. The research paper then gives a conclusion on a wider scope of the whole country should the disparity go viral in the whole country. Atmore Community Hospital is well equipped with proper functioning structures and departments in Atmore (Baptist Health Care). However, the rate of increase in population and obesity in the community has presented a problem of lack of access to the hospital. Obesity is increasing in the community and most of the affected citizens cannot walk. The region is 8.4 square miles; this vast distance makes it difficult to patients to access services of the hospital quickly. The current development warrants this disparity to be eliminated with a possible solution. The lack of access to much needed health care services has made this fact a disparity that needs immediate attention and possible solutions. Atmore lies on an area of 22 km2, and the region has a high density of people totaling 922.5 people per square mile according to the last census p 2000. The population is growing daily, and most people have difficulties in accessing hospitals due to distance. The cost of treatment is expensive, and most people are unable to afford it, and wide area making it impossible to serve all people. The possible solutions include the introduction of mobile clinics to cater for the vast wide region. Implementation of affordable health care incentives, to accommodate the aged and the poor health care (Ungar). The incentive that includes controlling premiums of health insurance to affordable levels. The proposed solutions can only be achieved if they receive maximum cooperation from the leadership of Alabama State both financially and deliberation of laws. The leadership is charged with the responsibility of ensuring the medical department has enough

Does Dieting make you fat Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Does Dieting make you fat - Essay Example Despite people holding onto the unfortunately untrue belief that fats are the main sources of obesity, a study carried out by Swedish dietary professionals state carbohydrates are the main contributors of obesity cases globally. Therefore, many people normally avoid fats and instead consume carbohydrates in their quest to control obesity but unfortunately, this usually does such people more harm than good. Therefore, the quantity of food that one consumes is never an issue because what matters is a number of calories in the food. This, in turn, leads to an equally elevated hormone level. Insulin is the most important hormone to consider for it is directly involved with the weight loss of an individual. One role played by insulin is the controlling storage of body fats. â€Å"When one consumes large amounts of carbohydrates, these results to an increased sugar level in the bloodstream†. This results in higher levels of insulin in the body and this is directly proportional to th e amount of fats stored in the body, which eventually results in weight increase. Therefore, low consumption of carbohydrates results in less production of insulin thus little fat storage. People saying that large consumption of fat makes one fat due to its high level of calories entail imparting with adequate information on how fat storage in the body works. According to Yuhnke, weight loss can be acquired through dieting. For instance, in her research Yuhnke states that one can cut 200 calories by consuming food such as sandwich pepper.

Begin writing your funeral Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Begin writing your funeral - Essay Example I want people to be able to write notes to my family and post them in a box about what their favorite memory with me was or perhaps how we met. I want my family and friends to be able to read these thing afterwards to be consoled. Funerals are not comfortable and I would hope that mine would be something that people would want to attend and not feel comfortable. I want people to hear my favorite songs playing in the background or at least songs that are uplifting such as â€Å"Hallelujah† by Rufus Wainwright (2001). I wish for my closest friends and family members to stand up and tell funny things about me such as stories or my quirks. One thing I want read at my funeral would be something I have written so it is a personal note. Ideally, I would love to have it on video so it can be played. I also would really like for my family to compose clips of their favorite candidate photos of me so that it leaves people

Comparison of two poems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Comparison of two poems - Essay Example As a result the child misses the father even after he is dead. The child remembers her father at the time when she is thirty nine years old. This is a prime age in the life of a woman as at this time in her life she is about to enter menopause. It is at this time that the woman has lived a larger part of her life as she is increasingly becoming wiser. She becomes more understanding to her actions when she was younger as well as their consequences both to her and her loved ones. In this case she remembers how tired her father was when she was young due to his hard work. In the first poem Spike (2003, p. 15) the child that is betrayed is both defenseless and in much more need for love and care than in the second poem. However in the second poem, contrary to the lack of love in the first one there is a lot of love and understanding from the parent. This is evidence by the phrase ‘He taught me how’. This phrase explains that the child had a lot of time with the parent who took the initiative of teaching the child the virtue of honesty. The language in the first poem shows the evidence of human brutality and cruelty against the child. The actions taken by the parent killing the child who is unborn and does not even know that it exists is the evidence. On the other hand we look at the second poem which has a smooth tone evident by the care and love portrayed by the parent. From the phrase, ‘had a savings account.’ it portrays the dedication and care of the father to the future of the child. The final stance of the poem is evidence of the lack of virtue by the parents Spike (2003, p. 15)Â   . According to the context of the society parents are supposed to be the ones to protect and give care to the children. Unfortunately the parents in the poem even celebrate on the death of the unborn baby; this shows the failure of the society in actual sense. In the second poem Walkers (2005, p. 25)Â   there is evidence of the society being

Business Intelligence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business Intelligence - Essay Example In this case, the Marshfield Clinic and the Exclusive Resorts, LLC case studies will be explored based on various elements of business intelligence. From these case studies, it is evident that there must be a drive or an instigating factor to pursue BI solutions, it is important to choose the right BI software, there are barriers to the adoption of business intelligence solutions, and the system must be able to integrate all the applications in the company. However, some of the BI solutions are complex and costly. Therefore, it is important for the business to perform enough research before settling on a final BI solution. The Marshfield Clinic Case Study The Marshfield Clinic has more than 50 regional locations with over 800 physicians and 6,500 healthcare and administrative workers. The clinic efficiently manages more than 375,000 patients each year. For example, the management team made an investment in electronic patient records. To facilitate it, the clinic offered its staff wit h electronic tablets for purposes of history taking which would be automatically populated in a centralized patient data warehouse. All the clinical care and financial information of each patient is safely kept, constantly updated, and ready for reporting and analysis. The clinic constantly innovates to be in line with the industry change (Cummens and Konitzer, 2011). Recently, the clinic utilized SAP Business Objects solutions to observe the quality metrics as it implemented enhancement initiatives. The clinic has an efficient system for collecting patient care information but it requires the appropriate analytics tool to improve patient care metrics and also provide user-friendly reporting for the physicians’ desktops in order to give support to real-time decision making. Initially, the clinic used sophisticated ad hoc query tools before acquiring SAP BusinessObjects for analytics and reporting, however, this method required the users to undergo extensive training. The clin ic utilized train-the-trainer approach to train the end-user. The SAP BusinessObjects was the best fit for the clinic. This is because the management team required software that non-IT individuals (particularly the doctors) could use without any problems (Cummens and Konitzer, 2011). The rolling out and adoption process was quick and smooth. However, there were challenges such as converting the 60 Cognos catalogs of the clinic into novel semantic layers that functioned with SAP BusinessObjects software. The whole process tool close to nine months and the software has enabled the clinic to meet its goals from the perspective of reporting and analytics (Cummens and Konitzer, 2011). There are a number of lessons to be learned from this case study. First, there must be a drive or an instigating factor to pursue business intelligence solutions. Though the clinic had an efficient system, it still needed software that will keep then up to date with the ongoing healthcare industry changes. Electrosmart Ltd (2011), states that drivers of BI include rapid change, governance, stakeholder demands, expanding on ERP (enterprise resource planning) and data availability. In the case of Marshfield Clinic, data was readily available and there was need to be in line with the health care industry. Second, it is important to choose the right BI