Research Articles Base

Tutorial Work 7

Change is a vital process that every institution should be aware of and consider accordingly and such resistance to change is evident and possible along the way in the case of Soccer Association, resistance to change is present even if they are in a financial crisis but there lacks managing of change from within the SA organization and it is recommended to certainly look beyond new models for change for a possible application as indicated by Adams and Spencer (1988, p. 61 in, French and Delahaye, 1996 pp. 22–28) from within efficient and productive ways to adopt to change. -       There is a need for SA managers to utilize four-phase change model that can be continuous and cyclical in process -       Ensure gap closure approach, there has to be closure of issues and be in control of the present situation and follow such recommended strategies that overcome limitations and emphasize the positive outcomes of change, thus reducing the gap. -       Utilize gap connection approach for the need to accept change and be a part of the transition cycle that links to security, anxiety and discovery as well as integration phase from the change model wherein changes in SA have to be applied to outcome an effective decision making as there is integrating such parts of the change into a whole phase of the change process.   Adams, J.D. and Spencer S.A. (1988), “People in transition”, Training and Development Journal, Vol. 42, October, pp. 61-3, from Erica French and Brian Delahaye Individual change transition: moving in circles can be good for you Leadership & Organization Development Journal 17/7, 1996 22–28 Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Tutorial Work 7

Change is a vital process that every institution should be aware of and consider accordingly and such resistance to change is evident and...

Critical Thinking Case Study: Let It Pour – My First Assignment as Executive Assistant

Critical Thinking Case Study: Let It Pour – My First Assignment as Executive Assistant   Introduction             The case study presented to us exhibits the problems the new Executive Assistant of the Chief Executive Officer, will be trying to propose solutions with, and these problems, possible solutions, and possible actions will be discussed in this paper.             The concepts related to this case study involve Organizational Processes, Ethics Issues, and Communication Systems. Briefly, these concepts will be discussed at the latter part of the paper, which will enable us to evaluate its application on the possible solutions on the problems presented by the case study. Moreover, due to the relevance of these concepts, we will be able to fully understand the problems in the case study, and be able to propose conceivable actions and solutions.   Problems in the Case Study             In any business organization or company, problems or issues addressing a variety of functions, concepts and theories are to be encountered. Problems in any business or service organizations are inevitable, which leads many to come up with creative and substantial strategies to solve them. Likewise, certain problems of the Faith Community Hospital were presented to us, in relation to their mission statement, which states that “ With the foundation and commitment of our spiritual heritage and values, our mission is to promote the health and well-being of the people in the communities we serve through a comprehensive continuum of services provided in collaboration with the partners who share the same vision and values” (“Let It Pour: My First Assignment as Executive Assistant”, attachment).   <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Work ethics of staffs and members</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> The staffs and members of Faith Community Hospital are not doing their work in accordance to the fulfillment of their mission statement.</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Pragmatism </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Medical errors cause many incidences of deaths in the hospital</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Diversity on the part of the Board of Members, which represents a kaleidoscope of thinking and decision-making and the lack of understanding on ethics, laws, beliefs and oaths</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Conflict between the hospital staffs and patients, on administering and taking certain medical services, which will clash with their religious beliefs or personal moral convictions</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Decision-making on the provision of proper treatment, such as resuscitation</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Hospital staffs not following hospital directives</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Reliance of the hospital staffs on money and insurance policies, which create problems regarding filling of insurance prescriptions and insurance coverage</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Collaboration of the hospital with insurance companies and their regulators, in relation to the patients’ coverage, costs, and modes of payment</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Decrease in the number of patients and increase in hospital costs yearly, due to increase in the cost of hospital admission and treatment</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Lack of communication and unity or teamwork, and focus on priorities</li> </ul>   Proposal of Possible Solutions             For the proposal of solutions to the problems presented by the case study, it is essential that we identify the concepts related to the case study. These concepts include Organizational Processes, Ethics Issues, and Communication Systems. It has been reported that organizational processes serve to establish and sustain a usable set of organizational process assets, which allow consistent process performance across the organization and provide a basis for cumulative, long-term benefits to the organization (2005). From this definition, problems regarding the focus on priorities, following of hospital directives, improvement of services and facilities, and attracting more patients.             One possible solution is to propose training on all hospital staffs and members. The training must include the review of the mission and vision of the company, to remind them of their roles and responsibilities in the hospital. In addition to classroom-type discussion trainings, the hospital must be able to propose employee or staff assessment or evaluation, which will tackle the current performance of the staff or member on the basis of following hospital directives, effective administering of treatment, and efficient employee interrelations. Through these, the organization will be able to impose changes and strict adherence to hospital directives, and restrict staff and members from committing violations. These actions will somehow help the company address their aim to focus on long-term goals in improving their services and facilities.             Moreover, to address the problem regarding the decrease in the number of patients and the increase in hospital costs, hospital staffs and members must be able to have an efficient and an effective inventory of costs and instruments, to make sure that what they are using the hospital are really needed. They can also engage in research and look for alternatives for the expensive materials and instruments used in the hospital, to reduce their costs. However, the use of alternative and more affordable instruments and materials should not compensate the quality of service and provision of treatment that they can provide their patients. These actions are in response only to the aim of the hospital for cost reduction, which should not lead to the decline of the quality of services provided by hospital staffs, for their performance would largely affect the reputation of the hospital. In addition, the improvement in the training and knowledge of the staff and members of the hospital should contribute to the improvement of hospital facilities and services, so the hospital must be able to focus on providing and reviewing treatments and medical processes for the patients. However, the hospital must also allot a specific budget for the improvement of its technology, to be able to provide better services for their patients. In line with the changes and advancements of science and technology at present, the hospital must be able to adapt to these changes, and be able to use high-tech gadgets for a more effective and efficient service.             Other problems of the company involves the concept of communication system, which can be defined as a system of functions making possible the communication between different parties, the carriers of which can be biological, personal, social, or technical units, and this provides a channel for mutual information exchange ( 2006). Based on this concept, the various problems of the Faith Community Hospital regarding communication can be addressed. The hospital can implement an effective communication system, by constantly having staff and patient assessment. Through staff or member assessment, the hospital will be able to evaluate and appraise the performance of hospital staffs, which would help with their improvement, while with patient assessment; the hospital will be able to identify their needs and feedbacks from the performance of hospital staffs or members administering the treatment.             In relation to this, effective communication can also be established to be able the company to retain and make good relations with health insurance companies, which will help the hospital cater to the needs of its patients and even add to its features in providing better services. If this problem will be resolved then the hospital members and staffs will not have problems and conflicts with patients regarding health and coverage insurance. With the use of effective communication, the members and staffs will be able to establish and develop teamwork, and this teamwork will be used to resolve conflicts regarding their opposing beliefs on administering treatment and taking medical services. In this way, the staffs will be able to respond properly to the wants and needs, while the patient can also compromise on their treatment. Moreover, with effective communication, the Board of Members will be able to exhibit unity and promote collectivism. In this way, the Board of Members and the rest of the hospital staff and members can avoid pragmatism, and in turn, the whole organization will be promoting and establishing common goals towards their mission and vision.                In relation to ethics issues, the hospital and the Chief Executive Officer can promote professionalism and work ethics in the organization through work incentives and rewards. With rewards, hospital staffs and members will become motivated in working and rendering services to their patients, aside from fulfilling their responsibilities as healthcare professionals. Moreover, ethics and professionalism can also be promoted and encouraged through employee trainings and development, which can be managed by hospital Human Resource Management team.    Rationale for Proposed Solutions             The reason behind the proposed solutions is the aim of the Faith Community Hospital to promote the health and welfare of the people through the provision of adequate and efficient services, alongside the hospital’s partners who also have the same goals, and this purpose and objective of the hospital should be executed in accordance to their giving importance of the concepts and ideas regarding efficient management.               In relation to the concepts of organizational processes, the hospital can build on their long-term goals through employing continuous staff and member training and development. From this member or staff training and development, the Chief Executive Officer can emphasize on their attitudes and performance, which could contribute on more efficient and effective rendering of healthcare services. In relation to the hospital’s aim, they can also engage in research, for with in-depth research, the hospital staffs can give more importance on the preferences of their patients in relation to treatment, or find new ways to compromise with their religious beliefs and personal moral convictions. Through this, the hospital can render services and obtain customer satisfaction and loyalty.             Moreover, in relation to communication systems, the provision and development of effective and efficient communication will enable the hospital perceive the needs of their patients, becoming more intent in providing their needs and wants, and efficient in establishing interrelationships, both among the patients, hospital staff and members, and other group of individuals sharing the same goals and values. Effective communication should be established in the hospital and among the organization because with this, there would be consensus among the members and staffs, which would promote collectivism. Through collectivism, the members of the Board and the whole organization will be able to work on the realization towards a common goal, which to promote the health and well-being of the people in the community. In addition, through effective communication systems, the organization will be focused only on same idea, however, although pragmatism because of individualism is also helpful in their success, maintaining and developing the same vision and ideas, gives them the edge in functioning as a whole.             In relation to ethics issues, substantial incentives and rewards are helpful because its purpose is to influence employee behaviors, such as membership, which develops behaviors as joining the organization, remaining with the organization, and coming to work regularly and punctually, and performance, which comprises the entire range of behaviors required in the performance of a given job or role (1998). Through these, the organization can promote work ethics and motivation, which can encourage more effective and efficient performance and service of the hospital staff and members. Moreover, these are helpful measures because with incentives and rewards, most employees will be striving to perform better services, to be able to obtain the rewards and incentives they deserve.   Conclusion             From the discussed problems, proposals and rationale of the proposal, it can be deduced that in any organization, including healthcare facilities, it would be essential if the concepts and theories in management, organizational processes, communication systems, and ethics issues will be addressed. This is in relation to the aim of organizations to achieve or attain their short-term and long-term goals, and to be able to establish their reputation in the industry or field they are in. However, due to many problems being encountered and crisis to solve, many of these theories are being neglected, in their belief of resolving the problem using easier strategies. With this, it must be given importance that concepts and theories must be applied to be able to arrive at desired results and consequences.     Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Critical Thinking Case Study: Let It Pour – My First Assignment as Executive Assistant

Critical Thinking Case Study: Let It Pour – My First Assignment as Executive Assistant Introduction The case study present...

Research proposal on How can companies deal with Interpersonal problems and personality conflicts existing in organizations?

How can companies deal with Interpersonal problems and personality conflicts existing in organizations? Introduction Every successful organization realizes different opposing views and debates in creating the organizational decisions. The decisions are focused on the side of the business leaders and on the side of the employees, the conflict is also present. The conflict in workplace is healthy if there is a clashing of ideas related to the nature of business and the benefit is for the improvement, but in the matter of personal conflicts, the organization has a great dilemma that is needed to manage. Background and Problem Statement Organization is clearly describes as the collection of people working together to achieve the common goal. In the concept of organization, the people or the members working under the umbrella of the leader is considered as a team that has a harmony and creates relationship in every activities that they do. On the other hand, the conflict is an action where there is disagreement. The different behaviors of the members are sometimes subject to the conflict. Conflicts may come from the incompatible goals and interests and the results might destroy the organization. The need for the appropriate management is anticipated whenever there is a hint of conflict present in the workplace. However, what are the impacts of conflict and the conflict management that may affect the performance of the organization? Research Objectives The study is focused on determining the impact/s of conflict and conflict management in the organizational performance. In the evolution of the organization as their answer n the growing competency of globalization, it is important that the organization values the different relationships of its people. As the supporting idea on the main objective, the establishment of the appropriate conflict management is also sought after. Literature Review From the social impact theory, the explanation on the efforts of the individuals to finish the task as well as working with the teams can be explored. The theory views the individuals as the sources and target of social impact and working with groups emphasizes the idea. The great the sources and targets of social impact, the less the motivation of a member to contribute in the group. This is start of the conflict within the team or within the workplace (Furumo, 2008). Through the disagreements and loss of trust to the other members, the conflict gets bigger that in due time, like a time bomb, can destroy the team. Before the worst result may happen, the ice-breaker who is usually the leader or the person that is outside the team should help to resolve the conflict (Cottringer, 2006). The conflict management is an approach between the opposing members within the team. The management styles have been related to the quality of agreement during the negotiations and the other conflict management episodes (Friedman, Tidd, Currall, and Tsai, 2000; Jehn, 2000; Lewin, 2001). The impact of the conflict management may be much broader such creating a pervasive effect on the performance of the organizations. The amount of conflicts creates stress for the individual employees and the different dispositions and the working environment may play in positive and negative effects. The situation of the person involved in a conflict might be incorporate in greater problems. The call for the conflict management styles centered in the main objective and that is to bring the people together to bear the problems at work (Friedman, Tidd, Currall, and Tsai, 2000). The management style is made to find solution that will last for only months because the purpose they establish is not to lose any of the organization’s valuable employees.  Methodology The proposed method is through the use of survey and interview. Every employee will answer the questionnaires in a Likert Scale form to recognize their perception regarding the conflicts and the conflict management being facilitated in the organization. Through the survey, the researchers can analyze the impact of unresolved or resolved conflicts in the performance of the employees. On the other hand, the interview will in the line of the managers. The purpose of the interview is to determine if the conflict management exists and how effective it was. In addition, the interview with the managers will give an idea for the researchers to determine the effective ways in how to resolve the conflict in the organization. References: Cottringer, W., (2006) Resolving Workplace Conflict: To Overcome Disagreements and Build a Cohesive Team, a Manager Must Understand What Causes Conflicts, Security Management, 50(7). Friedman, R., Tidd, S., Currall, S., & Tsai, J., (2000) What Goes around Comes Around: The Impact of Personal Conflict Style on Work Conflict and Stress. International Journal of Conflict Management 11(1) [Online] Available at: http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~jgspaper/P_Currall00_IJCM_Conflict.PDF [Accessed 08 December 2010] Furumo, K., 2008. The Impact of Conflict and Conflict Management Style on Deadbeats and Deserters in Virtual Teams, Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. Jehn, K., 2000. Benefits and Detriments of Workplace Conflict, The Public Manager, 29(2). Lewin, D., 2001. IR and HR Perspectives on Workplace Conflict: What can each learn from the other? Human Resource Management Review, 11(4) [Online] Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com [Accessed 08 December 2010].   Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Research proposal on How can companies deal with Interpersonal problems and personality conflicts existing in organizations?

How can companies deal with Interpersonal problems and personality conflicts existing in organizations? Introduction Every successful o...

MONEY MARKETS: ESSAY INSTRUCTIONS

MONEY MARKETS: ESSAY INSTRUCTIONS

this must be word procssed, double spaced and have a well noted bibliography Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Sample Essay Splitting Water Creates Alloy

Splitting Water Creates Alloy (X-rays cause ice under pressure to form H2-O2 solid) The findings that destroying ice VII-crystalline form of water that takes place at high pressure and surrounding temperature with X-rays splits the O-H bonds and forms a novel crystalline solid that is composed of molecular hydrogen and oxygen. Wendy L. Mao a postdoctoral student led the research, together with her father Ho-Kwang Mao and Russel J. Hemley of the Carnegie Institution of Wahington and Peter J. Eng of the University of Chicago, produced the unforeseen discovery while attempting out a new high-pressure synchrotron x-ray technique that irradiates substances with moderately high energy x-rays for long periods of time.             The researchers’ first saw H2 and O2  elevates in the X-ray Raman spectra, afterwards the researchers’ released pressure from the diamond anvil cell, and perceived gas bubbling out. After further investigation, the researchers found out that at high pressure the x-rays separates H2 O and the generated atoms combines again to a previous unknown solid of H2 and O2. The new “alloy” is spectroscopically different from the simple mix of H2-O2 mix. High levels of x-ray energy input will cause the radiation to pass through the sample and lower levels of x-ray energy will cause the diamonds in the pressure apparatus to absorb the radiation. The new alloy shows unexpected stability as long as it is kept under high pressure, the researchers revealed that after six months, and after heating the new alloy up to 700 K and assaulting it with lasers and x-rays, the new alloy has not return to its former condition which is the ice VII. Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Sample Essay Splitting Water Creates Alloy

Splitting Water Creates Alloy (X-rays cause ice under pressure to form H2-O2 solid) The findings that destroying ice VII-crystalline fo...

ART

Art is the collective physical manifestation of man’s intangible aspects. Though it be dance, song, painting or sculpture; the center of it is the individual and his skills in presenting and sharing to others, his perception of himself and the world around him. In other words, the artist becomes the interpreter of his time. Thus, I agree with the proposition. First, Art is a social movement. It is common knowledge that society controls the definitions of what is acceptable and what is deviant. This is also true within the realms of art. For example, the artist Van Gogh was never appreciated during his time for the reason that his painting style was deviant to the era’s status quo. However, with the present movement against classical art, interest for Van Gogh’s work has peaked. Most artists would never consider themselves as political. Yet, from what I have learned from postcolonial discourse, everything is political. Referring to what I said earlier, art is a product of man, and man is the product of his times. So basically, art reflects to some certainty (critics abhor art that carries an obvious political tone, calling it as propaganda) a principle—may it be religious, artistic, social, etc.—that aims in undermining a contradicting principle. Finally, art mirrors the economic conditions of the era it was created. During the renaissance period, the explosion of Art having a detailed and opulent style in Italy was a reflection of the said country’s success in foreign trade and transportation.    Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

ART

Art is the collective physical manifestation of man’s intangible aspects. Though it be dance, song, painting or sculpture; the center of ...

SAFETY AND PRODUCTIVITY ISSUES

Introduction             Intelligent devices, automated applications, and wireless solutions are creating an environment in which organizations and businesses can transact anywhere, and anytime. In the general sense, computer and communications technology such as the internet, mobile phones, and emails among other things enhance productivity rather than decrease it. Today, computer and communications technology handle many processes with unerring skill. You simply type, click, or utter what you want to be done, and a program takes care of it. A touch of a button can do many things. A single call could formalize a deal. A simple click on a keyboard could send a letter thousands of miles away. One could really say that the world has in a way become smaller and individuals can do more things at a shorter time. Indeed, for sheer convenience advancing technology has given many workers an advantage. Some companies who were once slow-paced and conservative industries undergo tremendous changes at the turn of the millennium, sparked largely by the rapid changes in its environment. This is largely attributed to the increasing use of technology. However, the debate as to whether technology aids or distracts worker productivity still abounds. Numerous studies have already been done on this subject. There is also the issue of employee safety with the advent of technology use in organizations and businesses. These issues will be the topic of this paper.   Context Just like many aspects of today’s corporate world, safety and well-being at work are everyone’s responsibility. And being safe is not limited to the basics, like lifting, avoiding slips, trips, and falls, especially now that technology has changed many ways in the workplace. Safety is about overall increased awareness; it’s about helping employees focus on the task at hand so that they are working at 100 percent maximum efficiency; it’s about providing a work culture that helps employees become relaxed, focused, comfortable and injury free. Only when workers are not distracted from pain, discomfort, and even technologies can true efficiency and productivity begin (Pater, 2001). Safety and productivity are indeed bound together. Some experts say technologies such as computers have made great strides in almost every nation and economy’s productivity by automating menial tasks, letting people communicate more easily with e-mail and putting mountains of information within a mouse click of the desktop personal computer (Fernandez, 1997). Technology is now focusing on pure productivity outcomes, helping organizations work smarter, so that ultimately everyone can all work less yet produce more  (Baker, 2003). However, there are still many questions that abound at present if technologies such as computers and other communication tools really do aid in worker productivity or just simply distract them.             Statistics show that computers play an essential role in boosting productivity. For instance, all industries that use computers most intensively experienced dramatic increases in labor productivity between 1973 and 1991. Even the computer industry had substantial productivity gains in the 1980s, accounting for one-third of total factor productivity for the entire economy. In contrast, productivity growth in sectors that have not invested heavily in computers has been sluggish (Stiroh, 1998). However, technology can also affect employee’s safety. Every firm uses technology, people and the work site to generate a product or service. These factors interact when a process is undertaken. The problem happens when technology suffers wear and tear, and the physical environment becomes unstable or untidy, and infrastructure corrodes. Each time a process is carried out, deviations may occur that have the potential to introduce additional hazards. Workers also experience degradation in the form of fatigue, variable vigilance/concentration or loss of physical capacity (Mol, 2002). If the firm’s processes were standardized, its technology, infrastructure and processes have low levels of residual risk and low tendencies toward degradation in the short term. If, however, its work force is inexperienced, there is potential for suboptimal interaction between workers and other system factors. This can lead to deviations from standardized tasks, inefficient operation of technology and poor housekeeping, posing safety risks to the workers.             On the organization level, technology is now an embedded part of virtually every business and increasing affordability, driven by standardization (Baker, 2003). The introduction of increased processing power of hardware, along with complementary software and telecommunications infrastructure, facilitated the enhanced ability to store, retrieve, analyze, and communicate data and information within organizations, between organizations and their partners and suppliers, and, finally, to the ultimate consumer (Diwan et al, 2002).             Computer systems do assist organizations and companies in many ways, and one major benefit is increased productivity. However, this is easier said than done. Everyone in the company has the responsibility of doing their share. Managers on their part must understand the system themselves to be able to adequately supervise their employees. They should not only educate the employees how to use the equipment but also show them how it affects the overall work process. Understanding of the whole process of automation brought about by technology is essential.             Although this is automation, there is still a need for standards to integrate technology, a need to decide who is responsible for governance of customer information that is part of enterprise data, and a need for “resiliency” in a company’s operations and systems (Trembly, 2003). Such integration will help drive productivity.             The challenge for business owners is to identify the technologies that will drive costs down, increase sales and productivity, and help them to stay ahead of the competition. The trick is to understand which ones are right for their time; which ones are ahead of their time ; and which over-hyped technologies may never have their time (Baker, 2003). Organizations and businesses cannot just utilize any technology, they have to select that which will be beneficial for them.             Economists also agree that technology, and particularly information technology, is important in raising productivity growth an economy. The role of information technology in increasing the overall productivity of some nation’s economy is now being widely recognized (Duggal, 2003). The effect of technology on a larger scale always would start at the bottom. This increase in productivity at the top level would not have become if not for the individuals who also use technologies and are themselves productive. On the individual level like the employee, to be aided or to be distracted by the internet is a choice which is of the worker’s own. If one has the willpower to do work in spite of the many things other than work that could be done on the internet, then the internet is a tool that can speed up a worker’s performance and increase his or her productivity. On the other hand, if the worker chooses to play an online game or chat over the internet instead of doing work, then the internet is a distraction to the worker and can decrease productivity. Greater levels of productivity will be achieved with seamless integration between the input/output device and the user’s chosen office application programmes. However, the benefits brought about by computers and communication tools are not without drawbacks and problems. Even if the employee is bent on doing work, if there are safety and privacy problems regarding the technology used, then more likely the employee cannot get the work done. As already mentioned at the start of the paper, one pressing problem is the safety of employees. To solve this problem, programs have to be designed. Human resource managers can devise recruitment and selection, training and reward systems that develop worker competencies and promote a safety culture, thereby reducing risks within the human resources system factor. Environmental specialists should be involved in monitoring the physical site for residual risks such as the stability of a toxic waste tailings dam and prevention of entropy caused by such business processes (Mol, 2002). This problem on safety and privacy could occur not only on physical locations, but also over the internet. One has already heard of instances where information over the internet is stolen or a computer which has shut down because of a virus. Destructive virus attacks either front within a network or from the Web are a serious problem that can lead to computer downtime and lost worker productivity, potentially costing a company thousands of dollars per episode (Feldman, 2004). This situation is an issue of safety of using the internet which could affect the overall productivity of a company.             One effective method of protecting a business virtual private network is to set up a multilayered system consisting of virus protection software on each computer that works locally and a perimeter system that protects the network (corporate or main office and remote offices) at the edges from all incoming attacks over the Internet or from an infected disk file that is uploaded on any networked computer (Feldman, 2004).             Sometimes, the use of software can also significantly help in increasing a company’s productivity. In business today most of the serious productivity gains are being realized through the deployment of new generation business software programs, many of which necessitate a change of mindset for business managers (Baker, 2003). Companies should therefore consider purchasing software in order to significantly enhance productivity rather than using freeware alternatives. Some software provides the ability to fax and/or email work orders to any or all designated recipients within a company. During a project, users can call, create and fax or print out punch lists for a single worker, the whole project or all workers on all jobs and then follow up any punch list item with a work order. Because all data in the application is stored in a central location within the program, all technicians or other employees with access to a network computer can view schedules, work orders or contact information at any time, thus making work easier and faster for everyone in the company.             Additional software are also available to ensure safety of information. These can prevent attacks of virus or stealing of information from the company’s network of computers. Some of the software use the Internet and deploys multifaceted protection from viruses, worms and break-ins by providing firewall, URL filtering, virus screening, spare filtering and other technologies. It protects against complex viruses, also called blended threats, which package several standalone viruses into an extremely elusive attack vehicle.             With all the buzz about technology and automation, one must always remember that people are still needed. Computers and other technologies are not enough to compensate for the people who do the jobs. There are many companies and organizations would use technology to automate a certain function or to eliminate a certain job. But the most productive and highly valued companies do more than just take the hardware out of the box. They use information technology and keep their people to reinvent their business processes from top to bottom. Leaders and managers who just sit back and assume that improvement will come from technology alone are setting themselves and their organizations up for failure.   Conclusion Computer and communications technology enhance productivity rather than decrease it, both on the individual and cumulatively in the organizational level. Technologies like computers and other communication devices have revolutionized the way of work, making employees better informed, more responsive, and plain more productive. However, technology also has safety issues which could be detrimental to the employee and even the entire organization. Technologies can pose safety hazards to employees. A file stolen from the organization’s computer database or a computer infected with a virus could significantly affect the organization’s productivity. This is, however, not without a solution. Managers could design programs that help employees avoid hazards brought about by the use of technology. Softwares are also available which could help prevent virus attacks and guard online privacy. It is essential to distinguish that these technology standards don’t produce volume. It is the people that produce volumes. The process is to supply people with information and technology. They will use it and produce more with the aid of technologies. Within an organization, computers and other technologies alone cannot drive an increase in productivity. People are still irreplaceable. References Baker, G. (2003). Technology’s Vintage Harvest: Will Go Down a Treat in 2004: It’s Payback Time for Business Technology Providers – 2003 Produced a Bumper Crop of Exciting New Products and Initiatives. New Zealand Management. Champy, J.A. (2003). Is Technology Delivering on its Productivity Promise? Financial Executive. Diwan, R., Kudyba, S. & Mcginn, D. (2002). Information Technology, Corporate Productivity and the New Economy. Quorum Books. Duggal, V.G. (2003). Information Technology and Productivity: The Case of the Financial Sector. Survey of Current Business. Feldman, P. (2004). Protect and Boost your Productivity. Contractor. Fernandez, B. (1997). Computer Use and Productivity are Not Always on the Upswing. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. Hogan, M. (2003). Movin’ on Up: Is your Business Limping Along with Outdated Computers or a Network that Doesn’t Meet Your Needs Anymore? Here are Five Ways to Upgrade your Technology and Boost your Company’s Productivity. Entrepreneur. Mol, T. (2002). An Accident Theory that Ties Safety and Productivity Together. Occupational Hazards. Pater, R. (2001). Productivity, Job Satisfaction Soar for Employees with Innovative Martial-Arts-Based Safety Program. Manage. Perry, J.L. (2002). Are Computers Boosting Productivity? A Test of the Paradox in State Governments. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory. Stiroh, K.J. (1998). Computers can Accelerate Productivity Growth. Issues in Science and Technology. Trembly, A.C. (2003). Productivity is New Buzzword. National Underwriter Property & Casualty-Risk & Benefits Management. Wood, C. (2004). Watching the Clock: New Employee Tracking Technologies can Improve Corporate Productivity, But if Deployed Incorrectly They can also Create an Atmosphere of Big Brother – Style Management. Prosales. Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

SAFETY AND PRODUCTIVITY ISSUES

Introduction Intelligent devices, automated applications, and wireless solutions are creating an environment in which organi...

The Text States that Successful Leaders are those Who have an Extraordinary Tenacity in Extracting something Worthwhile from their Experience and in Seeking Experience Rich in Opportunities for Growth. Discuss how you can Apply this to your Own Leaders

LEADERSHIP BY EXPERIENCE         Companies and Organizations employed people through their experience especially among those positions that requires employees with leadership quality and potential, they may seek for employees who can show firmness and commitment at work so that they can be leaders in the future. Successful Leaders are also great followers they have the ability to adopt to the changing environment and they use their talents and intelligence to perfect their craft and to master their skills until they succeed. You probably heard of Thomas Alba Edison and how he works a thousand times to perfect his filament to create light bulb.       A person and employees with leadership quality seek opportunities to grow they never settled for less, Erin Brochovich is just an ordinary assistant employee and later found out that the community they have served is contaminated with dangerous chemical substances that trigger her interest to investigate on the case but because of her demeanor and absenteeism in her job she was then fired by her boss. During her investigation she found the causes of the contamination that have saved lives of people in the community including many businesses.       To make the story short they have filed lawsuits but lost many cases but they continue their effort to take the opportunities and won numbers of legal cases. Her boss hired him back; the court gave him at least 00 and a new car coming from the company who was the cause of pollution. She has regained justice within the community, she has saved lives of people and most of all she has protected the environment because of her never ending effort to seek the opportunities to turn away the contamination of environment. She had shown tremendous leadership quality by inspiring people about her willingness and persistence to stand with what she believed is right and later they all benefit.         Successful Leaders uses their resources of what they have without excuses, they believe that it is not what they do not have can make them successful but they focused on what they have and what they can do. They know their strengths and they are able to withstand challenges that may have come along the way, they can highly influence over others; in the Movie “Iron Man” Robert Downy Jr. was captured by the rebels and he was put on the cave but because of her ability he uses every scrap metals and chemicals to create a suit that can fly and fight over people with heavy weapons.        Although this is just a movie a person who knows how to utilize what they have is like a good economist who knows how to budget their resources, they will increase in assets and they will regain funds eventually they will be successful because it is the only path to being resourceful. They are natural leaders who can use their experience and ability to produce more than what they have, they found the power to change things using limited resources they are like cocoon turned into butterfly.       Great Leaders are goal setters, they prepared for the future and they think ahead of time they know what to do and they do what is important, they have focused on the present and they have been doing this because they have learned from their past experiences and it can be the driving forces to prepare for the challenges that may come in their business and personal life. As the saying goes experience is the best teacher so they can have set the goals and meets them in time. Definitely their experience has led them to be more careful in most of their undertakings but they never are afraid to try. They have a big vision in their company.      Experience Leaders strive for excellence and quality at work, they are passionate about their work to never really care for time, and they can work at much as 3:00 A.M. in the morning when ideas hit them to be able to fulfill their willingness to achieve their ambitions. They are good in dealings with their customers and co- employees; they are achievers not just in sales but also in customer relationship. They are innovators and risk takers to eliminate various disadvantage that is unnecessary to the growth of the company. They have used their experience to maximize production through team efforts and collective knowledge undertakings.       Good working experience creates great leaders, they strive for ethical achievement without fraud and deception but the result of their work is through honest participation and continuous effort to succeed. In spite of all odds they never usually quit they still realized their capacity to make things works. Great leaders can naturally maximize the four basic management fundamentals which is planning, organizing, directing and controlling which they have gained from their past experiences. They are the hero of the company basically they are always positive and highly motivated to success. According to Auguste Rodin – Nothing is a waste of time if you use your experience wisely.              Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

The Text States that Successful Leaders are those Who have an Extraordinary Tenacity in Extracting something Worthwhile from their Experience and in Seeking Experience Rich in Opportunities for Growth. Discuss how you can Apply this to your Own Leaders

LEADERSHIP BY EXPERIENCE Companies and Organizations employed people through their experience especially among those positions ...

THE IMPACT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIOLOGICAL FACTORS ON THE REHAILITATION OF PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES WITH A MEDICAL CONDITION

The Impact of Psychological and Sociological Factors On the Rehabilitation of Patients and their Families with a Medical Condition     PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTOR            Maintaining a well balance psychological thinking after a severe illness poses major challenges to individuals’ adaptive capabilities.  has described stress in a deficit model in which demands made upon an individual exceed the resources available at any given time. Stress can include physical, psychological or environmental factors that can cause distress. Patients are faced with multiple stressful experiences that tend to fluctuate over the course of time. After recovering initially in the physical sense, other challenges begin to surface. These include uncertainties about the ability to return to the previous occupation and handle interpersonal relationships. A severe illness can cause major disruptions to valued and essential activities. The sense of physical frailty and fatigue can also lower the perception of personal control to return to their previous lifestyle and functioning level.                          An individual recovering from a medical condition commonly experiences anxiety and depression. To achieve maximum benefits from rehabilitation, psychological counseling must be included ( 1993). Psychological adjustment problems experienced by individuals in rehabilitation affect the resumption of employment, psychosocial adaptation, and sexual functioning. ( 1991). The second purpose of psychological counseling involves providing behavioral change through identification of stressors that affect the individual ( 1994) and management of risk factors through dietary, smoking, and physical activity change (, 1993; , 1994). Psychological counseling can facilitate change in all of the above risk factors. Perceived control over recovery from disease and its possible reoccurrence is important to individual adjustment (, 1994). Following rehabilitation individuals are aware that some disease are chronic and life threatening.        Individual is advised to attend to the known risk factors of diet, weight, smoking, stress, and physical activity. Even when these behavioral changes are managed, diseases may reoccur. The uncertainty of when and if it will reoccur presents a threatening situation and places great demands on the individual’s emotional functioning (, 1990). Individuals experiencing emotional distress (depression or fatigue) also experience increased length of recovery time (, 1993).  Greater success of rehabilitation depends upon an increased awareness of psychological aspects. (, 1994).  also indicates the need for individuals to reduce levels of anxiety and depression while increasing their ability to handle stress and anger. An individual’s fears of sexual dysfunction, dependency upon others to perform physical tasks, lack of money, and sudden death are often neglected by rehabilitation and medical professionals. Many individuals recovering from illness receive little or no information about sexual activity from their attending physicians. (, 1989) Fears and lack of information experienced by individuals postoperatively can be addressed through psychological counseling. A lack of attention to the psychological aspects can affect employment opportunities (, 1981). A multidisciplinary approach to rehabilitation which includes psychological counseling will improve an individual’s quality of life and increase the probability of persons returning to work. (, 1994). Lack of psychological counseling can explain a large percentage of the individuals who do not resume work following medication (, 1982). Early in the recovery process, psychological counseling can clarify which fears of individuals recovering from rehabilitation are realistic and which are irrational (  1994). The earlier the counseling begins in the recovery process, the more likely the individual will return to work (, 1989).      .                                                       SOCIAL FACTOR          An important resource for individuals recovering from medication is the social network of family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers ( 1986). Higher levels of social support significantly helped the individual to have a better emotional status. (, 1993). Family support of the patient’s participation in a rehabilitation program increased levels of psychosocial recovery (,  1991). The patient’s family experiences are significant change. Seen as an interconnected system, a change in one family member causes the family system to adjust in some way. Issues of role strain, marital quality, and financial concerns place added physical and psychological stress upon the spouse ( 1991). The support of family members is indispensable if care is to be provided in a manner that improves meaningful life for patients (, 1999). The supportive behavior of family members who visit a patient daily and provide bedside care depends on how they perceive the patient’s illness experience through the    stage.                   A reversal of roles within the family member following recovery from the illness with the patient’s spouse (usually the wife) taking on the majority of household duties. (1988). Coping with disease was found easier for those couples that had a satisfactory relationship prior to the onset of illness ( 1986).  also found families with a happy and fulfilling marriage experienced less adverse changes in the family situation following coronary bypass surgery. Finances cause major concern for spouses, with many feeling a high level of financial strain or economic inadequacy, especially when the principle wage earner undergoes medication (, 1988). Spouses experienced more stress than the patient undergoing medication (1991). Following discharge from the hospital inclusion of significant others rehabilitation program could facilitate recovery for the patient and provide needed guidance and information. Significant others, should be informed by rehabilitation counselors regarding psychological factors, and advised to report any long-term depression or other adjustment concerns noted above to the physician. Some members of the social network may act in an overly protective manner which may hinder rehabilitation efforts (1980). Social network members should be informed of needs individuals recovering from medication have for accomplishing tasks, making decisions, and assuming control of their own lives ( 1994). Significant others may need guidance from the rehabilitation counselor regarding not placing individuals recovering from medication in a role of helplessness by providing everything they need, allowing the patient to accomplish tasks on their own. Significant others may require guidance or more information from the rehabilitation counselor regarding medical factors which include noting and informing the physician of any behaviors or activities which are contrary to the physician’s recommendations (non-compliance with; diet, exercise, quitting smoking, or medications). Thus, the psychological distress caused by illness is not only limited to the debilitating impact of the physical symptoms. Patients have a long way to go to cope with the intrusion of the illness causing disruption to various aspects of their daily functioning.  Furthermore, public fears of the illness and social prejudice can cause difficulties in these patients in getting the help when it is most needed. How did the Psychological and Sociological Factors Affect the Nursing Care of the Patient?                  Due to the rapid socioeconomic changes, the family as an institution is undergoing major change. As the family changes, its ability to continue to meet traditional roles and responsibilities so too does changes. The changing family structure is reducing the ability of the family to provide home care for its family members. The provision of care outside the family in long-term care is emerging as an important part. To meet the needs of the changing society, the legislation on Nursing Law was strengthened. Nursing care institutions provide rehabilitation as well as physical care.          Outcomes in nursing and health care system are greatly influenced by factors such as biopsychosocial functioning and patient satisfaction. Base on the reports and researches conducted in eight selected nursing homes in Taiwan. The researchers operationalized the concepts of biopsychosocial function and patient satisfaction with care as outcomes and considered the impact of individual patient and organizational factors on those care outcomes. The following key hypotheses were generated and tested: <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Individual and organizational factors have a positive effect on patients’ biopsychosocial functioning. </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Patient satisfaction with care contributes to biopsychosocial functioning. </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Nursing practice patterns have a positive effect on biopsychosocial functioning and an indirect positive effect through patient satisfaction with care. </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Patients’ physical, psychological, and social functioning are positively related.</li>          Current patient care, however, requires more than medical technology to achieve positive outcomes. The role of the nurses becomes increasingly important especially in institutions where the predominance of care managed and delivered by nursing staff.          The psychological behavior of the patient towards nursing care determines the success or the failure of rehabilitation. Psychological factors such as anxiety and depression hinders the efficacy of the rehabilitation. Patients with depression experience greater difficulties in problem solving and have reduced adherence to medical therapy, more functional impairments, and substantial increases in health care utilization. Anxiety-prone individuals gave lower ratings to the quality of information received during hospitalization compared with those patients with lower anxiety. Depression and anxiety might also become a communication barrier between the patient and the medical providers like the nurses. As a result, psychological factor may prolong the recovery of the patient. Moreover, it might also cause the early death of the patient. Medical providers will find it hard to apply the appropriate and necessary treatment for the patient. On the other hand, social factors like family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers helped the individual to have a better emotional status. The support of family members is indispensable if care is to be provided in a manner that improves meaningful life for patients ( 1999). The supportive behavior of family members who visit a patient daily and provide bedside care depends on how they perceive the patient’s illness experience through the stage. How has this informed my Approach to Care Delivery?          By studying how psychological and social factors affect care delivery. I was given a deeper understanding on the importance of psychological and social factors in delivering health and medical services for different patients. As a nurse, it is necessary for me to know first the conditions and circumstances of the patients. In knowing their conditions I can properly adapt appropriate behavior in dealing to patients with such conditions. In that, way I can develop a good communication to the patient and eventually a good nurse and patient relationship.           If this will happened, I can easily convince the patient to take his or her medication. It will also help me in determining the proper health care for the patient. Aside from that as a nurse, handling patient with depression and anxiety needs special care and attention. Part of my task is also to inform the patient’s family the real situation of the patient. As a nurse, it is not only the medical care that I should give but also emotional support for the patient. In delivering medical support, I must also provide emotional comfort. The patient must feel that I care for them, I love them and I really wanted them to recover from their illness.          I must also keep up to date with the different changes in approach in health care delivery. How the Nurse Should Support the Patient or their Family in Bereavement            Many people dying in hospitals or nursing homes have unmet needs for pain relief, physician communication, emotional support, and being treated with respect. ( 2004). According to the author, the majority of deaths in industrialized countries occur in health care institutions. The authors write that family perceptions of quality of care differed by the last place of care for the patient. “Nearly one-fourth of all respondents reported that the patient did not receive any or enough help with pain (24.2 percent) or dyspnea [difficulty breathing] (22.4 percent). Family members of persons whose last place of care was a nursing home or home with home health nursing services had a higher rate of reported unmet needs for pain compared with those persons with home hospice services. Overall, half of family members reported that the patient did not receive enough emotional support.” “Families reported more concerns with whether the patient was always treated with respect when the last place of care was a nursing home, hospital, or home with home health services, compared with persons who died at home with hospice services.” The authors note that family members of patients receiving hospice services were more satisfied with overall quality of care: 70.7 percent rate care as “excellent” compared with less than 50 percent for the other settings of care. “Key findings of our study are that bereaved family members reported high rates of unmet needs for symptom management, concerns with physician communication about medical decision making, a lack of emotional support for themselves, and a belief that their dying family member was not always treated with respect,” the authors state. “A higher rate of concerns with the quality of end-of-life care was reported for persons whose last place of care was a nursing home or hospital.” “Bereaved family members voiced significant concerns with the quality of end-of-life care, regardless of whether care was provided in a nursing home or hospital. Only bereaved family members whose loved one received home hospice services reported higher satisfaction and fewer unmet needs.          For medical providers to be able to support these family members, the extent to which family members are aware of the patient’s condition and the circumstances of his or her care must be known. A number of studies have been published related to how bereaved family members should be treated at hospices and hospitals ( 1995;  1999). Based on information gained in interviews with two bereaved families and from published research findings (, 1997;  1997).          In my experience the most essential and important thing that nurses should do to support the families in bereavement is to tell the truth. Research findings indicate that truth telling is an essential part of medical care (, 1997). Aside from that the family in bereavement must felt satisfied with the medical  services the nurse have provided with the patient. Nurses should act as mediators between doctors and patients and their families. The doctor as well as the nurses must provide the adequate information on the medical treatment given to the patient and the prognosis at the times of admission, following the exacerbation of the disease and informing when or whether the patient was dying.            The lack of information given by doctors and nurses as patients progress through the stage of the patient’s illness indicates the need for continuous updating of information. Therefore, the receipt of adequate information appears to be a determining factor in families’ perceptions of the efficacy of medical care. According to some families in bereavement “they could have adequate talks with patients when given sufficient information about the possible period of survival indicates that family members’ awareness of the prognosis is a determining factor for smooth communication between patients and families.                         REFERENCES “       Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

THE IMPACT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIOLOGICAL FACTORS ON THE REHAILITATION OF PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES WITH A MEDICAL CONDITION

The Impact of Psychological and Sociological Factors On the Rehabilitation of Patients and their Families with a Medical Condition ...

PROSPECTIVE PAYMENT SYSTEM

Prospective Payment System               The presence of prospective payment system (PPS), that caters certain health care were implemented last October of the year 2000, changing such reimbursing health care agencies on fee per service basis. Then, under the prospective payment model, such care agencies are reimburse flat rate per patient based on case mix adjusters. The change in payment system have ripple effect on how health services are provided, as there were shifts from focusing on service output to service outcomes. The payment system changes then, presents valuable opportunity for heath workers to become a more integral part of the home health team and to offer much needed psychosocial services to elderly patients. The one caveat in the covered services is that Medicare beneficiaries must need skilled nursing care and physical or speech therapy to also receive occupational therapy, services from a medical social worker, and home health aide services. In addition, only occupational therapy can be provided after the need for skilled nursing care and physical and speech therapy end (, 2000 ). Moreover, patient and family are payment system that influences how they function. Due to the system, the health providers give direct patient activities such as counseling patients and family members, crisis intervention and short-term therapy as well as provide placement services for patients after discharge that is on available services and legal rights.                   Generally, the prospective payment system in health care was a modern progression of cost-control efforts in the Medicare program since the cost containment became a priority for corporations and the federal government’s Medicare program. Aside, there indicates that the first managed health care that was tried on a large national scale was the prospective payment system through the methods being utilized by the Diagnosis Related Groups. In addition, hospitals were reimbursed for Medicare patients on a flat-rate basis, determined by the patient’s DRG. If they spent less, they gained financially; if they spent more, they lost. The theory was that gains and losses would balance out in the end. The question of case mix became crucial regarding the types of patients admitted, and social work-conducted discharge planning became central to the survival of hospitals. In today’s managed care framework, PPS is a modified version of episode of disease capitation (, 2002 ). Furthermore, under the new payment system, Medicare pays home health agencies a predetermined base payment. The payment is adjusted for the health condition and care needs of the beneficiary and geographic differences in wages for home health agencies across the country. The adjustment for health conditions, or clinical characteristics and service needs are referred to as case basis adjustment. However, the current prospective payment system situational methodology does not integrate the agency’s professional resources required for educating and supporting the caregiver and natural helping network roles. The health care payment system will then pay home health agencies for every sixty day episode of care for each beneficiary and there is no limit to the number of episodes a beneficiary can receive as long as they remain eligible for health care benefits.                   Henceforth, payment  for each episode is adjusted to reflect the beneficiaries health condition and needs, but an outlier provision exists to ensure appropriate payment the health care agency’s cost in caring for the sickest beneficiaries and to ensure beneficiaries’ access to health care services for which they are eligible. Aside, the adjustments to payments will basically be created for beneficiaries who experience a significant change in their health condition and for those who change home health agencies (, 1999 ). Furthermore, timely and appropriate social work interventions have been proven to reduce lengths of stay ( and , 1981 ). In both hospital and primary care settings, having social workers on interdisciplinary teams has been shown to improve patient outcomes (, ,  and , 2000 ). Despite the contribution of social workers to patient care, social workers still struggle to be accepted by other health care professionals (, , ,  and , 1984 ). Moreover, under the prospective payment system, the health agencies must develop an optimal mix of services that has the best chance of improving patient outcomes under the set rate. Thus, several agencies will look to an interdisciplinary model to deliver services. The integration of diverse health care professionals will be easy, but without understanding of each other’s expertise and effectiveness, the weakness then, is that such negative issues could be exacerbated under the prospective payment system. Then, the government should create an integrated health care system with seamless transition between acute and long-term care. The current payment model has emphasize certain acute care such as possible clause in the original Medicare legislation limits reimbursement to services that can demonstrate patient improvement.                 Thus, the payment system can possibly minimize the social work role and thus limited appropriate psychosocial care. There is considerable concern in the professional community that PPS, as so much else in the Medicare program, is based on a biomedical view of health care and ignores or limits social and psychosocial factors, systematic attention to which has been demonstrated to be value added to both cost containment and quality. Meanwhile, through such years of experience with prospective payment system in health care and the managed care experience, as there is health care system that reimburses prospectively or on a flat rate or capitated basis runs the risk of denial of appropriate care when the cost of such care greatly exceeds the flat or case-based reimbursement. As of the present, the PPS has begun for home care, which has become the fastest cost-growing sector of the Medicare program, because home care was the logical sequel and the outlet to such cost-contained hospital and nursing home industry. With the addition of both public and private managed care arrangements throughout the health care system as there can be danger of rationing necessary care for the most vulnerable population ( and , 1979 , , 1987 ). For instance, the health care in US has experienced progressively greater cost containment through the prospective payment systems and managed care, quality assurance has taken on new importance. The challenge is how to guarantee quality in the face of more limited or rationed resources. The home care industry must be vigilant in demonstrating quality of care under PPS and must document when limitations of PPS interfere with quality. PPS may also enhance quality, and this too needs to be codified. It is essential that social workers in HHC become proactive to make sure that the psychosocial dimensions of care are integrated into all quality assurance protocols and procedures.                 Furthermore, the home health nurse is usually the care manager and determines the need for social work services and makes the referral. Under PPS, social work services will be weighed carefully against the agency’s PPS rate for the patient and the use of these services will depend on the interdisciplinary understanding between nurses and social workers about social work’s professional role and value in health care ways. Therefore, it is critical that medical work roles in health care are clearly defined and communicated to other members of the home health care team. Thus, for effective care under prospective payment system, the health work must become a true member of the interdisciplinary team to address the psychosocial issues for many of these chronically ill patients. Furthermore, given the present payment environment in health care, knowing how to work as a team to improve patient outcomes is critical to the survival of social work in health care settings. Also, within the payment process, the advocacy for changes to include social work services can only begin with the social work profession’s ability to demonstrate their capacity to improve patient outcomes in health care settings. It is critical to demonstrate social work’s effectiveness on the traditional cost-based outcomes, such as length of stay, hospitalization and readmission, as health agencies will need to show such cost-effectiveness and efficiency related to positive patient outcomes. In addressing the psychosocial needs of home health patients appropriately, effective screening is the key to determining which patient needs social work intervention. Thus, the value of the prospective payment system as it can be critical to provide easy to use tools to help nurses identify patients in need of health work services to determine the identification and intervention are critical to address the patient’s psychosocial needs while receiving medical care and to plan for  the  discharge respectively.       REFERENCES         Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

PROSPECTIVE PAYMENT SYSTEM

Prospective Payment System The presence of prospective payment system (PPS), that caters certain health care were im...

Management of a Firm

Introduction Management of a firm needs strategy, to make sure that everything goes well in the company, through the use of strategic management everything done in the company is well organized and no detail is being left out. The company needs strategic management to make sure that the company is doing well internally. The term strategic management originates from the Greek language. The person who makes strategies is the strategist who is the leader of an army (Mintzberg & Quinn 1991).Strategic management decisions have multi-functional and multi-business consequences, this kind of decision require broad consideration of the firm’s external and internal environments, and it may affect the firm’s chance of prosperity.   The strategic management paradigm is built on the notion that strategic decision making results from intentional actions in the name of individual or collective purpose. The paradigm accords central importance to the cognitive elements of understanding and intention as basic drivers of strategic choice. Strategy is plagued by a stigma of unsystematic reasoning (1988). Strategy is a combination of the company’s objectives, policies and decisions to be done in unison or contingent upon each other. Marketing strategy thus refers to how a company’s products or services its trade is presented to consumers in an effective manner as to gain loyal costumers. Strategy can be used in different ways, one of which is through marketing. Using strategy in marketing makes it more convincing and effective. Strategy makes sure that nothing wrong happens in the marketing process in the company.   Hotels are commercial establishment that provides lodging, food, and other services to the public. The hotel business is an important industry in many countries, especially in those attracting a large tourist trade. Hotels can be classified according to location, facilities and services offered, and clientele served. The transient hotel is usually located within city boundaries and caters to people traveling for business or pleasure. Motor hotels or motels cater to the same group of persons, but are often situated near or along major highways. Both hotels and motels provide numerous amenities in addition to sleeping accommodations, including maid service, radio and television, parking space for automobiles, recreational facilities, food and beverage services, and retail shops. Conventions are the most important source of income for some hotels and motels. In the U.S., for example, it is estimated that some 10 million people attend conventions each year (1997).   The hotel industry for years was relatively complacent. The demand for hotel rooms generally exceeded the supply. Management was confronted with the problem that hotels cannot be easily remodeled to satisfy customers’ changing needs and that a product differentiation strategy was needed to make an individual hotel distinctive from the others. Many hotels had similar facilities and offered comparable services. To meet these challenges, a strategy of lifestyle market segmentation was employed (1995). Hotels carefully try to match the service offering with the desired target market. Service tangibility can be increased by emphasizing service-provider reliability. Efforts must be made to offer similar services to market segments with different demand patterns. Although hotels endeavor to standardize services, there is the danger that while these services may have more consistent quality and convenience, the personal touch may be lacking (1995).  The paper will provide an evaluation of the strategic environment of the company. The paper will also discuss the company’s process of strategy formulation.   Evaluation of the strategic environment SWOT analysis Strength Strengths are the strong points of the business. To know the strengths of the things that should be known includes the sources of the company’s revenue, the market share of the company in various product lines, the availability of strong brands of a company, the effectiveness of the advertisement of the brand or product, the availability of pool of skilled workers, the morale of the employees,   the innovativeness of the company and the ability of the company to withstood international competition. A strength of the company is its continuous and fast growth as the years pass. This gives them a distinct advantage towards their competitors. This also gives the company a distinct identity separate from its competitors. The continuous and fast growth of the company shows how well they are operating and how effective their strategy.   Another strength of the company is the employees of the company being trained well. The employees of the company are well trained. The employees were well chosen and well trained to do their respective jobs. These employees are well managed to keep them in line with the objectives and standards of the company. This is strength of a company because it brings out the best employees thus the best service can be given to the clients. If clients enjoy the service of the company they tend to return to avail again the services and products offered by the company this results to satisfaction of the goals of the company. Lastly a strength of Took Inn is the use of a website which serves as a reservation system for clients. The company’s website helps in giving clients ease in reserving a room they will use for their stay in the country. The website saves the clients some time in knowing if there are rooms available and if they can afford the use of such room.   Weakness Weaknesses are the current problems of the company. To determine the weakness of the company the things that should be known includes the products that are least profitable, areas of the company that is not able to recover cost, the weak brands, the ability of the company to raise money when it needs to, the ability of the company to stand price pressures against competitors, the ability of the company to create new ideas, the faith of employees in management and the ability to compete with other companies in the technology front. A weakness of the company is the low number of occupancy during weekends. This shows how inconsistent the company is in regards to attracting clients to avail of their services. The low level of occupancy can be because of better offers by other company or their consistent kind of service. A weakness of Took Inn is it not having an attractable website.   Having an attractable website makes client view the website and purchase the product or service they need. It increases the clients of the company and makes the client suggest it to people they know. Lastly the company’s weakness includes the lack of promotional advertisements. The company although has a strong brand name is lacking of promotional programs. The company maybe popular to those who have seen it in the internet, have availed of their services, or have come to know of the company through its other clients but to some people the company is not that known. The company needs an effective promotional advertisement that can give the company more clients.   Opportunities Opportunities are those events or situations that may arise in the future. To determine the opportunities of the company the things that should be known includes competitive position of the company, new technologies that the company can innovate for low costs, the capacity and opportunity to extend brands, the capacity to implement incentive plans to boost employee effectiveness, the ability of the company to move up the value chain, the ability of employees to be multi-skilled to reduce levels of redundancy, opportunities to cooperate with companies that are not competitors for both companies to be beneficial. An opportunity the company has is the website it has. The company can make the website more user-friendly, helpful and informative so that people will be encouraged to use it. The web can also be used as a promotional material that the company can use for more people to know the company.   Another opportunity for the company is its wide range of products and services it offers. They can use such products and services to satisfy the needs of the clients and offer these clients everything they need. This can also be used to increase the status of the company against its competitors. Lastly an opportunity for the company is the internet constantly being improved to suit the lifestyle of the people. Through the constant innovations made regarding the internet the company can increase the clients they have at the same time their profits will also increase.   Threat Threats are problems that may arise and should be avoided. To determine the threats of the company the things that should be known includes the capacity of employees to be adequately trained, the capacity of the company to withstand sudden changes in the environment, the ability of the brands to withstand price competition, the financial being on the verge of liquidity, is the company considered a good employer, and the ability of the company to cope up with technological changes. A threat to the company is its competitors. The competitors they have might find a way to equal or exceed the performance of the company in the future. This could cause them problems or major hindrances to achieve their goals. Another threat to the company includes the laws in the country they are operating in. Laws are a vital part of a country. These laws are the ones that initiate order and discipline in the country. There may be laws that can cause some delay in selling the products. These laws can hamper business transactions to be completed. These laws are enacted to protect the welfare of local sellers in that specific country.  Since there are different laws in different countries it can also cause problems for the company.   A threat to the company is its low sales during weekends. The low sales during weekends may make perspective clients move away from the company. Low sales give the company a bad image to the clients and it increases the competitor’s advantage towards the company. Lastly a threat to the company is the tariffs and taxes that the company has in different countries, each countries has its own rate of taxes and tariff. Taxes and tariffs are collected by the countries government as additional funds for their projects in that country. The taxes and tariffs collected by a country depend on what the law of the country states. The taxes and tariffs collected by a country is a threat because this causes expenditures to a company. Since its rate varies the company must be wary of the cost of the taxes and tariffs and be able to decide if having a business in that particularly country is reasonable and feasible for the company.      Strategy formulation Strategy formulation is one very important element of the Comprehensive commercial planning (CP) discipline, but certainly no more important than the others. Comprehensive planning requires management to evaluate internal and environmental business conditions, to select from alternative goals and strategies, to decide how strategy best can be implemented, and to perform these functions continuously. This is hard work; there are no shortcuts. Strategic insight in the abstract, no matter how brilliant, does not satisfy any standard for good planning or a good plan Strategy must be appropriate for prevailing and potential business conditions, as well as for an enterprise’s goals and capabilities. Reliable implementation of strategy also must be feasible. When business conditions change, strategy must change (2004).  Perpetual re planning is essential, because no plan remains viable for very long. Indeed, any single plan of business that is not modified from time to time and implemented long enough probably will lead to a firm’s eventual failure, simply because internal and external business conditions change continually (2004).  In its process of strategy formulation the company initially thinks about the things to be done to achieve its objectives. Afterwards the company considers its environment and creates environment strategies that it believes can help in achieving its objectives without causing problems to its environment. Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Management of a Firm

Introduction Management of a firm needs strategy, to make sure that everything goes well in the company, through the use of strategic ma...