It’s tough being a teenager

The life of a teenager in modern Britain is not easy. There are many different problems young people are forced to deal with in this day and age. The problems of a teenager range from pressures of school exams and completion of tedious work, up to the rapidly increasingly problem of drug abuse. The pressures of exams and schoolwork are a noticeably smaller problem for teenagers in comparison to drug abuse or committing violent street crime. Never the less it is still a problem that makes many peoples lives an unpleasant and traumatic time. The pressure that teenagers are under is due to the climax of school attendance the final G. C. S. E examination which can be either a declaration of a pupil's intelligence and will lead to university placements and an exiting career, or a crippling blow that ends a person's dream of a certain job prospect or placement in further education. Either way the pressure is the same. The most drastic source of teenage problems originates from drug abuse. Due to the common use of drugs and the availability of a vast array of mind altering substances an increasingly social problem is arising. The problems caused from the use of drugs include street crime which is becoming ever more violent in a desperate attempt to evade capture due to the high tech protection systems of homes and shops. Another common outlet which addicts feed their habit with is car theft. The most commonly used people to carry out jobs such as violent killings and car crime a part of a gang which is dependent on drug use. The problems of teenagers are widely publicised in the media and often over exaggerate things and often overlooked as well as things being overlooked. The media has a very important role in a teenagers life, it tells people what is acceptable with regards to fashion and Forces boundaries to be forged within society such as people who skate and listen to heavy metal and the people that listen to trance music and take drugs. The teenage years are also a time where many people feel they must rebel against society through dressing a certain way and acting against a typical stereotype which is in its self a contradictory term when a lot of people rebel and seek individuality by doing the same thing as the previous generations and no doubt the future generations will too feel a need to rebel against their stereotypical role in society. The teenage years are not all bad though the only reason teenagers have a negative reputation for drugs and alcohol abuse and the like is because the people who commit crime are the only ones paid attention to by the media. A Persons teen years are about discovery and freedom with the only real responsibility being school work and the need to find out what they want to do with their lives. Whatever the attitude of teen age years good or bad they are only lived through once and when they have gone they will only ever be looked back on with envois memories. A time where people can enjoy there lives before being thrust into the very difficult and serious world of war and politics and being dependant on working for a living and becoming an adult.

Health Care Utilization Paper Essay

Well it seems like community health centers expand to provide care for those with little or no income. The federal government can provide funding to develop additional access to medical communities that are struggling financially. People in the U.S. utilize health care services for many reasons, to prevent disease, prevent future illnesses, and to eliminate pain. Men have the tendency to wait until the last minute to check their health status or until they develop a symptom. Women on the other hand are different in this aspect. The factors that John’s health care utilization is that the situation he is in, his approved physician is 40 minutes away and that the appointment has to be set 2 weeks in advance. That creates a dilemma in John’s life because now he feels like he is stuck without an option. There is a solution to solve this problem if we take the information that is given in the story. With John and his daddy’s condition, that makes it more difficult to g et the appropriate care that they need because they have to wait for two weeks to get treated. I believe that with the proximity and the times that they accept patients because they don’t offer weekend and evening hours, I think John should find another option. The kind of insurance he has, the area he lives in, his level of income, his transportation issues and his health conditions are some of the factors that affect John. You can’t put your health on hold; if it needs immediate attention then you should go and seek what is nearest to you regardless of the coverage. There are local doctors and him and his father both should go before things progress further. I think that the factors that are equal, they can be mutable and immutable. Things that could be mutable can be that John could possibly get a job that already has good health insurance coverage instead of having to rely on Medicaid. He could get a higher paying job to pay for the medical expenses if he doesn’t have health coverage. John can change his living arrangements and move closer to a health care facility that accepts his form of insurance such as Medicaid and that could help him to be in the distance of getting better health care. Also John has transportation issues so to solve that, if John has doctor’s appointments,  Medicaid can pay for the ride at no charge to get him to his destination. That is an added benefit that Medicaid offers and is very useful. The things that are immutable are John’s health condition, that situation cannot be modified or changed as well as his father’s health condition. It can be with proper nutrition or change the lifestyle but probably, the condition is unlikely to change. Aside from John and his Primary Care Provider, some other stakeholders involved in receiving Medicaid can include senior Medicaid and agency leadership, the State legislature and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The reason for a stakeholder is for care management and managing expectations of the care program. The rise and cost and spending effects that many stakeholders include are things like the consumer, government, physicians, and elderly. Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP). August 2014. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/research/data/hcup/index.html

Bloodlines Chapter Twenty-One

MIXING WHAT I NEEDED TO was easy. Getting it to where I needed took a couple of days. I first had to pay attention to what kind of shampoo Laurel used in the PE showers. The school provided shampoo and conditioner, of course, but she wouldn't trust her precious hair with anything so commonplace. Once I knew her brand, I hunted it down at a local beauty supply store and emptied its expensive contents down the drain. I filled bottles with my homemade concoction instead. The next step was switching it with Laurel's own bottle. I recruited Kristin for this. Her locker was next to Laurel's in PE, and she was more than willing to help me out. Part of it was that she shared our dislike of Laurel. But also, ever since I'd saved her from the tattoo reaction, Kristin had made it clear that she was indebted to me and had my back in whatever I needed. I didn't like the idea of her owing me, but her assistance did come in handy. She found a moment when Laurel looked away from her unlocked locker and covertly made the switch. We then simply had to wait for the next time Laurel used the shampoo to see the results of my handiwork. Meanwhile, my other lab experiment wasn't receiving quite the reaction I'd expected. Ms. Terwilliger accepted my report but not the amulet. â€Å"I have no use for it,† she remarked, glancing up from the papers I'd handed her. â€Å"Well†¦ I certainly don't either, ma'am.† She set the papers down. â€Å"This is all true? You followed every step precisely? I'd certainly have no way of knowing if you'd, ah, fudged some of the details.† I shook my head. â€Å"Nope. I followed every step.† â€Å"Well, then. It looks like you have yourself a fire-making charm.† â€Å"Ma'am,† I said, by way of protest. She grinned. â€Å"What do the directions say? Throw it and recite the last incantation? Do you know it?† ‘†Into flame, into flame,'† I said promptly. After having typed the spell initially for her notes and then re-creating it, it was hard not to have picked it all up. According to the book – which was an English translation of a Latin text – the language didn't matter so long as the words' meaning was clear. â€Å"Well, there you go. Give it a try one of these days and see what happens. Just don't light any school property on fire. Because that's not safe.† I held up the amulet by the string. â€Å"But this isn't real. This is nonsense. It's a bunch of junk thrown together in a bag.† She shrugged. â€Å"Who are we to question the ancients?† I stared, trying to figure out if she was joking. I'd known she was eccentric from day one, but she'd still always come across as a serious scholar. â€Å"You can't believe that. Magic like this†¦ it's not real.† Without thinking, I added, â€Å"Even if it was, ma'am, it's not for humans to mess around with powers like that.† Ms. Terwilliger was silent for several moments. â€Å"You truly believe that?† I fingered the cross around my neck. â€Å"It's how I was raised.† â€Å"Understood. Well, then, you may do what you like with the amulet. Throw it away, donate it, experiment with it. Regardless, this report's what I need for my book. Thank you for putting in the time – as always, you've done more than was required.† I put the amulet in my purse when I left, not really sure what to do. It was useless†¦ and yet, it had also cost me a lot of time. I was disappointed it wasn't going to have a more meaningful purpose in her research. All that effort gone to waste. The last of my projects showed development the next day, however. In AP Chemistry, Greg Slade and some of his friends scurried into class just as the bell rang. Our teacher gave them a warning look, but they didn't even notice. Slade was preening over his eagle tattoo, baring it for everyone to see. The ink was gleaming silver again. Next to him, one of his friends was also proudly showing off another silver tattoo. It was a pair of stylized crossed daggers, which was only slightly less tacky than the eagle. This was the same friend who had been worrying earlier this week that he wouldn't be able to get a tattoo. Apparently, things had worked out with the supplier. Interesting. Part of holding off on reporting to the Alchemists had been to see if Nevermore would replenish what I'd stolen. â€Å"It's amazing,† Slade's friend said. â€Å"The rush.† â€Å"I know.† Slade gave him a fist bump. â€Å"Just in time for tomorrow.† Trey was watching them, his expression dark. â€Å"What's tomorrow?† I whispered to him. He eyed them contemptuously for a few more moments before turning back to me. â€Å"Do you live under a rock? It's our first home game.† â€Å"Of course,† I said. My high school experience wouldn't be complete without the quintessential football hype. â€Å"A lot of good it'll do me,† he muttered. â€Å"Your bandages are off,† I pointed out. â€Å"Yeah, but Coach is still making me take it easy. Plus, I'm kind of deadweight now.† He nodded toward Slade and his friend. â€Å"How come they don't get in trouble for those? They're not making any effort to hide them. This school has no discipline anymore. We're practically in anarchy.† I smiled. â€Å"Practically.† â€Å"Your brother should be on the team, you know. I've seen him in PE. He could be a star athlete if he bothered trying out for anything.† â€Å"He doesn't like drawing attention to himself,† I explained. â€Å"But he'll probably go watch the game.† â€Å"Are you going to go to the game?† â€Å"Probably not.† Trey arched an eyebrow. â€Å"Hot date?† â€Å"No! But I'm just†¦ well, not into watching sports. And I feel like I should stay with Jill.† â€Å"You won't even go to cheer me on?† â€Å"You don't need my cheers.† Trey gave me a disappointed look as a response. â€Å"Maybe it's just as well,† he said. â€Å"Since you really wouldn't get to see me performing to my full level of awesomeness.† â€Å"That is a shame,† I agreed. â€Å"Oh, stop with the sarcasm already.† He sighed. â€Å"My dad's going to be the most upset. There are family expectations.† Well, that was something I could relate to. â€Å"Is he a football player too?† â€Å"Nah, it's less about football itself than keeping yourself in peak physical shape. Excelling. Ready to be called upon in a moment's notice. Being the best on the team's been a way to keep him proud – until these tattoos started.† â€Å"You're good without any tattoo help. He should still be proud,† I said. â€Å"You don't know my father.† â€Å"No, but I think I know someone just like him.† I smiled. â€Å"You know, maybe I do need to go to a football game after all.† Trey simply smiled back, and class started. The day passed calmly, but Jill ran up to me as soon as I entered the locker room for PE. â€Å"I heard from Lia! She asked if I could come by tonight. She's had regular practices with the other models but thought I could use a special session of my own since I don't have any experience. Of course, the thing is, I†¦ you know, need a ride. Do you think†¦ I mean, could you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Sure,† I said. â€Å"It's what I'm here for.† â€Å"Thank you, Sydney!† She threw her arms around me, much to my astonishment. â€Å"I know you don't have any reason to help me after everything I've done, but – â€Å" â€Å"It's fine, it's fine,† I said, awkwardly patting her on the shoulder. I took a steadying breath. Think of it as Jill hugging me. Not as a vampire hugging me. â€Å"I'm glad to help.† â€Å"Would you two like to be alone?† sneered Laurel, striding in with her entourage. â€Å"I always knew there was something weird about your family.† Jill and I split apart, and she blushed, which only made them laugh more. â€Å"God, I hate them,† she said when they were out of earshot. â€Å"I really want to get them back.† â€Å"Patience,† I murmured. â€Å"They'll get what's coming to them someday.† Eyeing Laurel's locker, I thought that â€Å"someday† might come sooner rather than later. Jill shook her head in amazement. â€Å"I don't know how you can be so forgiving, Sydney. Everything just rolls right off of you.† I smiled, wondering what Jill would think if she knew the truth – that I wasn't quite as â€Å"forgiving† as I appeared. And not just when it came to Laurel. If Jill wanted to think of me that way, so be it. Of course, my facade as a kindly, turn-the-other-cheek person was shattered when Laurel's shriek's filled the locker room at the end of class an hour later. It was almost a repeat of the ice incident. Laurel came tearing out of the shower, wrapped in a towel. She ran to the mirror in horror, holding her hair up to it. â€Å"What's wrong?† asked one of her friends. â€Å"Can't you see it?† cried Laurel. â€Å"There's something wrong†¦ it doesn't feel right. It's oil†¦ or I don't know!† She took out a blow dryer and dried a section while the rest of us watched with interest. After a few minutes, the long strands were dry, but it was hard to tell. It really was like her hair was coated in oil or grease, like she hadn't washed it in weeks. That normally gleaming, bouncy hair now hung in lank, ugly coils. The color was also off a little. The bright, flaming red now had a sickly yellow hue. â€Å"It smells weird too,† she exclaimed. â€Å"Wash it again,† suggested another friend. Laurel did that, but it wasn't going to help. Even when she figured out that her shampoo was causing the problem, the stuff I'd made wasn't going to come out of her hair easily. Water would continue fueling the reaction, and it was going to take many, many scrubbings before she fixed the problem. Jill gave me astonished look. â€Å"Sydney?† she whispered, a million questions in my name. â€Å"Patience,† I assured her. â€Å"This is just the first act.† That evening, I drove Jill down to Lia DiStefano's boutique. Eddie went with us, of course. Lia was only a few years older than me and nearly a foot shorter. Despite her tiny size, there was something big and forceful about her personality as she confronted us. The shop was filled with elegant gowns and dresses, though she herself was dressed ultra-casual, in ripped jeans and an oversized peasant blouse. She flipped on the closed sign on her door and then confronted us with hands on her hips. â€Å"So, Jillian Melrose,† she began. â€Å"We have less than two weeks to turn you into a model.† Her eyes fell on me. â€Å"And you're going to help.† â€Å"Me?† I exclaimed. â€Å"I'm just the ride.† â€Å"Not if you want your sister to shine in my show.† She stared back up at Jill, the difference in their heights almost comical. â€Å"You have to eat, drink, and breathe modeling if you're going to pull this off. And you have to do it all – in these.† With a flourish, Lia grabbed a nearby shoe box and produced a pair of glittery purple shoes with heels that had to be at least five inches high. Jill and I stared. â€Å"Isn't she tall enough already?† I asked at last. Lia snorted and thrust the shoes at Jill. â€Å"These aren't for the show. But once you master these, you'll be ready for anything.† Jill took them gingerly, holding them up to study them. The heels reminded me of the silver stakes Eddie and Rose used to kill Strigoi. If Jill really wanted to be prepared for any situation, she could just keep these around. Self-conscious of our scrutiny, she finally kicked off her brown flats and fastened the many elaborate straps of the purple shoes. Once they were on, she slowly straightened up – and nearly fell over. I hastily jumped to catch her. Lia nodded in approval. â€Å"See? This is what I was talking about. Sisterly teamwork. It's up to you to make sure she doesn't fall and break her neck before my show.† Jill shot me a look of panic that I suspect was reflected on my own face. I started to suggest that Eddie be Jill's spotter, but he had discreetly moved off to the side of the shop to watch and seemed to have escaped Lia's notice. Apparently, his protective services had limits. While Jill simply attempted not to topple over, I helped Lia clear space in the store's center. Lia then spent the next hour or so demonstrating how to properly walk for fashion, with emphasis on posture and stride in order to display clothing to its best effect. Most of those fine details were lost on Jill, though, who struggled to simply walk across the room without falling. Grace and beauty weren't concerns as much as staying upright. Nonetheless, when I glanced over at Eddie, he was watching Jill with a rapt look on his face, as though every step she were taking was pure magic. Catching my eye, he immediately resumed his wary, protective guardian face. I did my best to offer Jill words of encouragement – and yes, stop her from falling and breaking her neck. Halfway through the session, we heard a knock at the glass door. Lia started to scowl and then recognized the face on the other side of the door. She brightened and went to unlock it. â€Å"Mr. Donahue,† she said, letting Lee in. â€Å"Come to see how your starlet's doing?† Lee smiled, his gray eyes instantly seeking out Jill. Jill met his gaze, grinning just as widely. Lee hadn't been around at the last feeding, and although they talked constantly on the phone and IM, I knew she had been pining to see him. A glance at Eddie's face showed me he wasn't nearly as delighted by Lee's presence. â€Å"I already know how she's doing,† said Lee. â€Å"She's perfect.† Lia snorted. â€Å"I wouldn't go that far.† â€Å"Hey,† I said, inspiration striking me. â€Å"Lee, do you want to be in charge of keeping Jill from breaking her neck? I need to run an errand.† Unsurprisingly, Lee was more than willing, and I knew I didn't need to fear for her safety with Eddie on watch. I left them, hurrying two streets over to Nevermore. Ever since I'd heard Slade and his friends confirm the tattooists were in business again, I'd wanted to pay an in-person trip. Not a covert one, though. My stolen goods had already yielded their evidence. Except for the clear liquid, I had identified all the other substances in the vials. All the metallics were exact matches for Alchemist compounds, meaning these people either had an Alchemist connection or were stealing. Either way, my case got stronger and stronger. I just hoped it'd be enough to redeem me and keep Zoe out of here, particularly since the clock was ticking on her arrival. We were almost a week away from when my father had said she'd be replacing me. My plan was to see how willing Nevermore was to give me a tattoo. I wanted to know what warnings (if any) they gave out and how easy it was in the first place. Adrian's conversation hadn't yielded much info, but probably his on-fire-biker-skelet-on-with-a-parrot tattoo request hadn't done much to help his credibility. I was armed with cash today, which I hoped would get me somewhere. As it was, I never needed to flash any. As soon as I walked in, the guy behind the counter – the same one Adrian had spoken to – looked relieved. â€Å"Thank God,† he said. â€Å"Please tell me you have more. These kids are driving me crazy. When we got into this†¦ I had no idea it was gonna get this big. The money's good, but Christ. It's crazy to keep up with.† I kept my confusion off of my face, wondering what in the world he was talking about. He was acting as though I was in on his scheme here, which made no sense. But then his eyes flashed to my cheek, and suddenly, I understood. My lily tattoo. It was uncovered, since school was over. And I knew then, with absolute certainty, that whomever he was working with to get his supplies was also an Alchemist. He'd assumed my tattoo made me an ally. â€Å"I don't have anything with me,† I said. His face fell. â€Å"But the demand – â€Å" â€Å"You lost the other batch,† I said haughtily. â€Å"You let it get stolen right out from underneath you. Do you know how much trouble we go to in order to get that?† â€Å"I already explained that to your friend!† he exclaimed. â€Å"He said he understood. He said he'd taken care of the problem and that we didn't have to worry anymore.† There was a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. â€Å"Yeah, well, he doesn't speak for all of us, and we're not sure we want to continue. You were compromised.† â€Å"We're careful,† he argued. â€Å"That theft wasn't our fault! Now, come on. You have to help us. Didn't he tell you? There's a huge demand for tomorrow because those private school kids have a game. If we can deliver, we'll make double the money.† I gave him my best icy smile. â€Å"We'll discuss it among ourselves and get back to you.† With that, I turned around and began to leave. â€Å"Wait,† he called. I spared him a haughty glance. â€Å"Can you make that person stop calling?† â€Å"What person?† I asked, wondering if he meant some persistent Amberwood student. â€Å"The one with the weird voice who keeps asking if any tall, pale people are showing up around here. Ones that look like vampires. I figured it was someone you knew.† Tall, pale people? I didn't like the sound of that but kept my face blank. â€Å"Sorry. Don't know what you're talking about. Must have been a prank.† I left, making a mental note to investigate that further. If someone was inquiring about people who looked like vampires, that was a problem. It wasn't, however, the immediate problem. My mind raced as I processed what else the tattooist had told me. There was an Alchemist supplying Nevermore. In some ways, that shouldn't be a surprise. How else were they going to get ahold of vampire blood and all the metals necessary for their tattoos? And apparently, this rogue Alchemist had â€Å"taken care of the problem† that led to the theft of their supplies. When had my father called saying I was being pulled because of Keith's reports? Right after I'd broken into Nevermore. I knew who the rogue Alchemist was. And I knew that I had been â€Å"the problem.† Keith had taken care of me, making moves to get me out of Palm Springs and bring in someone new and inexperienced who wouldn't interfere with his illicit tattoo operation. It was why he'd wanted Zoe in the first place. I was aghast. I didn't have a great opinion of Keith Darnell, not by any means. But never, never had I thought he'd stoop to this level. He was an immoral person, but he'd still been raised with the same principles I had about humans and vampires. For him to abandon those beliefs and expose innocents to the dire side effects of vampire blood for his own material gain†¦ well, it was more than a betrayal of the Alchemists. It was a betrayal of the whole human race. My hand was on my cell phone, ready to call Stanton. That's all it would take. One call with the kind of news I had, and Alchemists would swoop in on Palm Springs – and on Keith. But what if there was no hard evidence to connect Keith? It was possible another Alchemist might go in and play the same game I had, getting the tattooist to think that they were part of Keith's team. Keith was the one I wanted to bust, however. I wanted to ensure that there was no way he could slip out of this. I made my decision, and rather than the Alchemists, I called Adrian. When I arrived back at Lia's shop, I found the training session winding down. Lia was giving Jill some last-minute instructions while Eddie and Lee lingered nearby. Eddie took one look at my face and instantly knew something was wrong. â€Å"What's the matter?† â€Å"Nothing,† I said blandly. â€Å"Just a problem I'm going to fix soon. Lee, would you mind taking Jill and Eddie back to the school? I have a couple errands I need to run.† Eddie frowned. â€Å"Are you okay? Do you need someone to protect you?† â€Å"I'll have someone.† I reconsidered, seeing as I was about to meet up with Adrian. â€Å"Well, kind of. Anyway, I'm not in trouble. Your job's to keep an eye on Jill, remember? Thanks, Lee,† I added, seeing him nod. A thought suddenly struck me. â€Å"Wait†¦ I thought this was one of the days you had a night class. Are we keeping you†¦ or†¦ well, what days do you have class?† I hadn't thought much about it, only noticing that some days Lee was around and other days he was in Los Angeles. But in looking back, there was no real pattern. I saw realization light Eddie's face as well. â€Å"That's true,† he said, eyeing Lee suspiciously. â€Å"What kind of schedule are you on?† Lee opened his mouth, and I sensed a ready story coming. Then he stopped and cast an anxious look at Jill, who was still talking to Lia. His face fell. â€Å"Please don't tell her,† he whispered. â€Å"Tell her what?† I asked, keeping my voice low as well. â€Å"I'm not in college. I mean – I was. But not this semester. I wanted some time off but†¦ didn't want to disappoint my dad. So, I told him I was just going part-time, which is why I was around more.† â€Å"What do you do in LA during all that time, then?† asked Eddie. That was an excellent question, I realized. â€Å"I still have friends there, and I need to keep my cover.† Lee sighed. â€Å"It's stupid, I know. Please – let me be the one to tell her. I wanted so badly to impress her and to prove myself to her. She's wonderful. She just caught me at a bad time.† Eddie and I exchanged glances. â€Å"I won't tell,† I said. â€Å"But you really should let her know. I mean, I guess there's no harm done†¦ but you shouldn't have that kind of lie between you.† Lee looked miserable. â€Å"I know. Thank you.† When he stepped aside, Eddie shook his head at me. â€Å"I don't like him lying. Not at all.† â€Å"Lee trying to save face is the least weird thing going on here,† I said. I found out then that Jill could walk from one side of the store to the other and back without falling over. It wasn't pretty, but it was a start. She was still a long ways from looking anything like the runway models I saw on TV, but considering she hadn't been able to stand in the shoes at first, I supposed she'd made considerable progress. She started to take off the heels, but Lia stopped her. â€Å"No. I told you. You have to wear these shoes all the time. Practice, practice, practice. Wear them home. Wear them everywhere.† She turned to me. â€Å"And you – â€Å" â€Å"I know. Make sure she doesn't break her neck,† I said. â€Å"She's not going to be able to wear those all the time, though. Our school has a dress code.† â€Å"What if they were in a different color?† asked Lia. â€Å"I don't think it's just the color,† Jill said apologetically. â€Å"I think it's the stiletto part. But I promise to wear them outside of class and practice in our room.† That was good enough for Lia, and after a few more words of advice, she sent us on our way. We promised to practice and come back in two days. I told Jill I'd meet up with her later, but I don't know if she heard. She was so caught up in the idea of Lee driving her home that pretty much everything else went past her. I drove over to Clarence's and was met at the door by Adrian. â€Å"Wow,† I said, impressed at his initiative. â€Å"I didn't expect you to be ready so quickly.† â€Å"I'm not,† he said. â€Å"I need you to see something right now.† I frowned. â€Å"Okay.† Adrian led me deeper into the house, beyond where I normally went, which made me nervous. â€Å"Are you sure this can't wait? This thing we've got to do is kind of urgent†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"So is this. How did Clarence seem the last time you saw him?† â€Å"Weird.† â€Å"But health-wise?† I thought about it. â€Å"Well, I know he's been tired. But usually he seemed okay.† â€Å"Yeah, well, he's not ‘okay' now. It's gone beyond just tired. He's weak, dizzy, and confined to his bed.† We reached a closed wooden door, and Adrian stopped. â€Å"Do you know what caused it?† I asked, alarmed. I'd been worried about the complications of a sick Moroi but hadn't expected to deal with it so soon. â€Å"I have a pretty good idea,† said Adrian, with surprising fierceness. â€Å"Your boy Keith.† â€Å"Stop saying stuff like that. He's not ‘my boy,'† I exclaimed. â€Å"He's ruining my life!† Adrian opened the door, revealing a large, ornate canopied bed. Walking into a Moroi bedroom wasn't something I was comfortable with, but Adrian's commanding look was too powerful. I followed him in and gasped when I saw Clarence lying on the bed. â€Å"Not just yours,† said Adrian, pointing at the old man. Clarence's eyes fluttered at the sound of our voices and then closed again as he shifted into sleep. It wasn't his eyes that held my attention, though. It was the pale, sickly pallor of his skin – that, and the bloody wound on Clarence's neck. It was small, made with just one prick, like it had come from a surgical instrument. Adrian looked at me expectantly. â€Å"Well, Sage? Do you have any idea why Keith would be draining Clarence's blood?† I swallowed, scarcely able to believe what I was seeing. Here was the last piece. I knew that Keith had been supplying the tattooists, and now I knew where Keith was getting his â€Å"supplies.† â€Å"Yes,† I said at last, my voice small. â€Å"I have a very good idea.†

The Alcan Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Alcan - Case Study Example Lastly, the paper also identifies some other IT projects or initiatives recommended to help support any changes in governance that is believed to suit Alcan. Accenture IT Governance Model Efficient, Predictable Operators Quadrant: Undoubtedly, Alcan faces the some challenge of identifying governance priorities like any other contemporary organizations, which revolve around information technology. Accenture IT Governance Model is a useful strategic management tool that helps organizations in identifying their quadrant thus making it easy to identify governance priorities. According to Kiritsis (719), the three main factors influencing the positioning of a firm within Accenture IT Governance Model include rate of change, operational efficient, as well as product or service differentiation. From the four quadrants of Accenture IT Governance Model, Alcan falls in the first quadrant of Efficient, Predictable Operators, given the fact that it has slow rate of change while attempting to enh ance operational efficiency within the firm. Kiritsis (720) identifies the fact that organizations falling in this quadrant are likely to meet business needs through supporting low-cost orientation. In addition, such firms keep costs low through minimizing changes whilst engaging in maximization of lifecycle of information technology assets. What’s more, organizations falling in the quadrant keep costs low through leveraging cost-saving devices through sharing of devices, outsourcing, and co-sourcing amongst others (Kiritsis 720). These are the same scenarios within Alcan when the CFO believes that the firm does not and cannot spend $300 million in IT as Robert asserts. In addition, the firm’s Corporate IT function organization structure has the infrastructure shared devices group indicating that Alcan attempts to keep costs low through leveraging cost-saving devices. Weill and Ross model of IT Governance The definition of IT governance as the decisions rights coupled with accountability framework that are applied within organizations to stimulate desirable behavior in as far as the use of IT is concerned, is a perfect description of the Weill and Ross Model of IT Governance. In this perspective, Weill and Ross Model of IT Governance identifies five key decision domains that include IT principles, IT infrastructure strategies, IT architecture, business applications needs, and IT investments. Alcan uses different governance styles in these five key decision domains in a bid to achieving efficiency through information technology (Kiritsis 657). IT governance styles are determined by the inputs and decision making process within Alcan. Nonetheless, every group within the IT department is represented in terms of information technology governance in the Alcan. Leadership monarchy is a governance style applied within IT principles domain as well as the IT investment domains. This is because despite the fact that the IT investment domain uses more that it is allocated by the CFO, it is the CFO who does the decisions in as far as IT investments are concerned. On the other hand, IT monarchy is a governance style that is highly seen within IT architecture. Various groups of IT senior managers define the architecture of the information technology with respect to the requirements and functions of their respect units. With

Memorandum Law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Memorandum Law - Assignment Example Goodchild would inherit the townhouse absolutely. Mr. Andrews has subsequently attempted to revoke these gifts. The main legal issues are therefore whether or not Mr. Andrews has established trusts or absolute gifts and if so, whether or not he is at liberty to revoke these trusts/gifts. In order to determine whether or not the gifts/trusts can be revoked it will be necessary to ascertain whether or not Andrews has the power to revoke the gifts as a settlor or otherwise. Rules/Authority It is a general principle of the law of equity and trust that once an express trust is created it cannot be reversed by the settlor.1 However, in the event a settlor reserves unto himself the power to revoke a trust, and he decides to exercise that power, the trust property will revert back to the settlor.2 In addition, the doctrine of donatio mortis causa may have a role to play in the settlor’s right to revoke a gift.3 By virtue of the doctrine of mortis causa, a settlor transfers property to a donee in contemplation of his death and with the understanding that the property will be held by the donee absolutely upon the settlor’s death.4 In other words, a gift made with the intention that the donee obtains absolute title upon the donor’s death is distinguished from an inter vivos absolute gift.5 Therefore the consequence of such a gift is that the donor may revoke the gift if he does not die. There is one caveat: the gift must be made in contemplation of pending death, not in contemplation of death at some future speculative time in the future.6 Where the death is speculative the gift is â€Å"inter vivos but conditional on death†.7 Thus the only method of revocation of the intervivos gift conditional upon the death of the donor is by an express provision of revocation in the trust instrument or transfer deed or by expressly resuming possession of the property transferred.8 At its heart, the main question for determining whether or not a trust can be revoked or trust property recalled is determining whether or not the settlor intended to divest himself completely and absolutely of the trust property.9 In this regard, the doctrine of resulting trust will be significant. In general it is the common intentions of the settlor and the trustee’s of the trust. A resulting trust arises to transfer property back to the settlor when both the trustee and the settlor are aware that the settlor did not intend to transfer the property absolutely to the trustee or that the trustee treats the property in a manner that is inconsistent with the donor’s intention.10 Thus resulting trusts operates on the conscience of the parties.11 Application to the Facts The gifts of the townhouses to Andrews’ children Colleen and Brian appear to be gifts only intended to take effect upon Andrews’ death. This was expressly noted in the attorney’s letter to the children and represents the terms upon which they accepted the gift of the townhouse. However, there is no evidence that Andrews made the gift in contemplation of death as he merely said that he was at a place financially where he wanted to pass his wealth along. As such the doctrine of donatio mortis causa will not be an available ground for Mr. Andrews to force the return of the gifts to him. There is no evidenc

Business organisation policy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business organisation policy - Assignment Example Management consultant may be also viewed as lacking of familiarity with the organization and there might be lack of responsibility, accountability for results. Management consultant offers fresh perspective considering that in a certain company for instance, the CEO might be so confined with the issue that it would be hard enough to look for other fresh, new and reliable perspective. One of the ways to look at new perspective is to hire management consultant. Management consultants are known to be exposed to different perspectives considering that they try to tackle issues most often regarding business consultancy. Thus it is a fact that they have certain information that they might be able to use prior to making suggestions and explaining new perspectives. Management consultants are known as separate entities of the business. As such there is a remarkable reason to believe that they have no vested interest of the company for as long as they are paid on their service rendered. Unlike hiring those internal employees, vested interest is remarkably observed leading to more complex problem of the company in the long run. Management consultants are objective in giving their opinions and results. Management consultants have no specific time they intend to work for someone else. Thus, it is important to consider that they are of great help to managers who barely have time for management decision concerns. For legal, regulatory and ethical reasons, management consultants are more objective when it comes to giving results. Thus, it is important to understand that management consultants are paid to be objective enough in giving details and results for whatever the management wanted to find out. Hiring management consultant can be costly. This is due to the fact that the mere purpose why management consultants are rendering services is about making additional income. Thus, the management of a company must be able to provide monetary aspect in return of the services

The Trosack Family Decision Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Trosack Family Decision - Essay Example The social worker would also identify and facilitate local and community based programs such as support groups and grief counselors since depression could become an issue for both Rita and Peter. The educator would provide education on Tay-Sachs disease. This could be a physician who specializes in genetic diseases or a nurse educator with an advanced knowledge of Tay-Sachs disease. Understanding the disease, including cause, expectations, and prognosis would be of utmost importance to Rita and Peter to help them grasp their situation on and begin to cope with it (Kaback, Rimoin and O'Brien, 1977). The genetic counselor could provide information regarding the risks of subsequent pregnancies and possibly shed some light into their family history related to the development of the disease. The case manager, in collaboration with the other healthcare team members, would be responsible for designing a unique and patient specific approach to Rita’s healthcare and both Rita and Peter ’s emotional wellbeing. Nurses have knowledge and decision-making skills in health assessment, diagnosis, offer therapeutics and health care management to the patient. They provide health care services that encompassing prevention of diseases and injuries and other support services. Their integration to the team would provide access to a wide range of primary health care services (Lapham, Kozma and Weiss 1996). Teaching plan Definition Tay Sachs disease (TSD) is also referred to as Hexosaminidase or GM2 gangliosidosis. It is an autosomal recessive disorder that is genetic. Infantile Tay Sachs disease causes a persistent deterioration of physical and mental abilities that begin at six months old more often than not results to death by age four (Lapham, Kozma and Weiss 1996). Genetic diagnosis TSD is caused by a genetic defect in a single gene which has one faulty copy gene inherited from the parents. The disease arises when dangerous amounts of cell membrane gangliosides build up in the nerve cells of the brain. They finally lead to the early death of those cells. A genetic mutation in the HEXA gene on chromosome 15 is the main cause of TSD. It is a hereditary disease. TSD takes place when the body lacks hexosaminidase A. This protein assists in the breaking down of gangliosides. Gangliosides build up when the protein is missing. When both parents carry the faulty TSD gene, their child has a 25 percent chance of getting the disease (Feetham, 1999). Treatment of TSD At present, no treatment is available for TSD. However, anticonvulsant medicine may be used to control seizures initially. Supportive treatment such as proper nutrition and hydration can be applied (Lapham, Kozma and Weiss, 1996). Prognosis of Tay-Sachs disease Children with TSD die usually by age 5 due to recurring infection. This is due to the complications that arise after the child is born. Support Groups Stress of the illness may be relieved by joining support groups whose members share c ommon problems and experiences such as the National Tay-Sachs and Allied Diseases Association. Its aim is to lead the fight of treating and finding a cure for TSD. It also supports affected individuals and families to lead fuller lives. Such groups may also offer financial and emotional support. Pregnancy information Screening should be done before pregnancy and if possible before marriage. One partner can be screened and if the

Richest man in Babylon report Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Richest man in Babylon report - Assignment Example Similarly, a passive income must be pursued with the same intent [of fattening the purse- not draining it]. In The Richest Man in Babylon, Bansir and Kobbi inquire from Arkad why they were less financially fortunate, while Arkad had managed to grow rich with time. Several concepts are issued by Arkad and serve as important gems of financial wisdom. One is that no one should live beyond his means. Saving money is the genesis of wealth creation. The second important aspect of making wealth is investing. Investing the money saved should allow the investor to accrue passive income. Finally, the investment must be done wisely. In the seventh chapter, The Seven Cures for a Lean Purse, the King of Babylon, Sargon of Akkad is told of the poverty of the kingdom by his Royal Chancellor. People are subsequently told to: save a tenth of their earnings; control their expenditures; multiply their gold; guard their treasure from loss; insure a future income; and increase their earning power. Seeing that only the sixth and seventh parts are the ones that have not been delved into, it is important to appreciate them as calling for a remembrance of the days in which one will never be able to work and increasing one’s education on investing. The more one knows, the better that person will be in investing, and the more money that person will make (Clason, 17-32). In The Luckiest Man in Babylon, Arkad’s small school has blossomed into the city’s Temple of Learning. What is learned from this chapter is that there has to be a preparation for profitable opportunities, instead of waiting for luck, since luck cannot be stimulated to occur repeatedly. Procrastination in action and through indecision is also a bad practice. In The Five Laws of Gold, Kalabab asks what one would choose if offered a bag of gold or tablets whereupon are curved words of wisdom. The laws teach that: saving a fraction of

Compare Recruitment Strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Compare Recruitment Strategies - Essay Example All organizations should therefore, be cautious and selective in the selection process since any mistake at this stage may at times have a long lasting consequence including high recruitment, development, and training costs. Effective recruitment will minimize the high incidences of employee turnover, improve the employee performance, and improve employee morale. Consequently, the organization will be in a position of meeting its goals and objectives. In order to achieve this, the organizations have adopted an employee recruitment strategy, which I have discussed. According to Schuler, recruitment refers to â€Å"the set of activities and processes used to legally obtain a sufficient number of qualified people at the right place and time so that the people and the organization can select each other in their own best short and long term interests† (Schuler, 1987, p. 267). There are two main methods of employee recruitment, which are internal recruitment and external recruitment. The internal involves job promotion, the transfer of existing personnel, or referrals. This method is carried out through job posting, which is a job enrollment strategy that includes enlisting advertisements on physical and bulletin boards, corporate newssheets and via office memos. However, it is not always that the company will achieve the high quality of employees, which they were looking for in the recruitment exercise. Alternatively, the organizations can employ a second strategy known as the external recruitment strategy. The external recruitment strategi es may take various forms such as job adverts on the internet, magazines, newspapers, and journals. In addition, the organizations can use the employment agencies to recruit the best talent from other organizations publicizing on the web, or via trade fairs as well as college enrollments (Cascio, 2010). Various advantages are associated with internal recruitment. One of them is that, the potential employee is well known in advance

The Scottish Road Network Authority Research Paper

The Scottish Road Network Authority - Research Paper Example 1). Indeed, one basic hurdle to SRNA's senior management's decision to shift a long-standing and all-public service strategy of construction and maintenance to one focused on procurement and contracting out is SRNA's organisational culture. The proposed changes will inevitably lead to redundancies and an explosion in services outsourced. Expectedly, upper management's suggestions are met with great resistance as is shown in provided case. The case for change is, in fact, hard to 'sell' among staff given SRNA's senior management's practices evidenced in poor knowledge management strategies. This report argues that, in order for SRNA to diffuse and manage change effectively among staff, network-based, knowledge-sharing strategies should be put in place. Since devolution, Scotland has barely shifted away from a 'public sector mentality' (Lyall, n.d.). Resistance to propositions by upper management comes, therefore, as no surprise. Placed in a wider context, outsourcing public services - road building services included - is, in fact, a continuation of a set of policies enacted across all U.K. (Lyall). Indeed, just as outsourcing services has generated much opposition since introduction back in 1980's (Dodworth, M. & Constable, M., 2006), SRNA's staff's opposition to suggested changes is only symptomatic of such shift's main arguments: employee As a matter of fact, all three i... THE SCOTTISH ROAD NETWORK AUTHORITY: KNOWLEDGE SHARING 4 retention and rights, Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) and service quality (Dodworth, M. & Constable, M.; Hemson, 1998). As a matter of fact, all three issues are not only a U.K. concern but are spread about as much countries as can be wherever and whenever a case is made for outsourcing (Hemson). Indeed, one can hardly find a similar issue in which almost same concerns are voiced. In SRNA's case, Henry Irving's, Director General's (DG's), practice of surrounding himself with a narrow circle of senior executives adds a particular emphasis on SRNA's case for knowledge management in a wider context of an eminent change. More specifically, SRNA strongly speaks for a case of workplace power structure within which corporate culture as well as knowledge sharing strategies are defined, controlled and set by a minority cohort made up of a DG and a narrow circle of surrounding senior executives (e.g. Charles Hampden, Finance Director). Indeed, corporate culture has been increasingly emphasised as a definitive aspect of corporate style and performance (Schein, 2004; Willmott, 2003). According to McDermott and O'Dell (2001), corporate culture is the 'shared values, beliefs, and practices of the people in the organisation'. Put differently, an organisation's culture is an overarching framework within which all employees fall and are committed to (Willmott). That is, one way management holds sway over workplace power politics is to define how employees should adopt specific codes of conducts supposedly divorced THE SCOTTISH ROAD NETWORK AUTHORITY: KNOWLEDGE SHARING 5 from interpersonal, intradepartmental, and interdepartmental interactions.

Vietnam War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Vietnam War - Essay Example Between the years 1950 to 1965, a series of steps were taken by the United States, which resulted in the incremental entrance of the United States in the Vietnam War. ** A number of efforts have been made to understand and evaluate the causes and grounds of the commencement of Vietnam War, which has yet not been clearly defined. One of the reasons of this confusion is the numerous starting dates of the Vietnam War, which perplex the exact entrance of the United States into the war, and thus, the basic cause of the Vietnam War, which engulfed millions of lives and deteriorated thousands of homes in the country. (Friedman, pp. 49-56) Mainly, it has been observed that Vietnam confronted the opposition of every president that came on the seat in the United States, which has not allow the soothing of war conditions in the Vietnam. Secondly, the communism was not accepted by any of the presidency. In other words, the political leaders of the foreign powers considered the communism as the enemy of everything, and thus, Vietnam confronted a lot of criticism and opposition from the United States government. At some places, an infectious ailment was related w ith the communism by some of the major political leaders of that time. In the year 1949, when the China was influenced with the power of the Communist Party, it was felt by the American leaders that the next Asian domino would be the Vietnam. Thus, one of the causes of the American assistance to the French administration and the French Corps was the fear that was felt by the American leaders, and especially, the American President at that time. (Friedman, pp. 23-27) The Vietnam conflict was encouraged and supported by most of the U.S. presidents, but in bits. This results in the creation of a disinterest against the withdrawal from the conflict region. It was believed by the

The Microsoft Case Essay Example for Free

The Microsoft Case Essay Why was Microsoft investigated for antitrust behavior? Microsoft is a huge, established, well known computer software manufacturer. They were investigated for antitrust behavior after allegedly abusing their powerful position as the leading suppliers of computer operating systems. Microsoft developed a monopoly market structure because the software which they created was only compatible with Microsoft Windows operating systems. Back when the internet was introduced to the public, Microsoft provided Internet Explorer for free, bundled with Windows operating systems. This was a strategy to eliminate any competitors so they were obviously not perfectly competitive, therefore their case involved imperfect competition. Microsoft’s monopoly was protected by the applications barrier to entry so many competitors feared to try to enter the market. Microsoft also had the ability to increase their prices above marginal costs without losing many customers so they were the price makers, and they also had market power. With that being said, some people may say that Microsoft was a pure monopoly because they were the sole producers of the computer software market and there were no close substitutes. On the other hand, some may say that Microsoft was a natural monopoly because they earned their powerful position by over driving their free market competitors. Before Microsoft grew so big, there were some economic observers that claimed that economies of scale would give Microsoft an unassailable lead that would result in monopoly. (Economides, 2003) I agree that Microsoft was trying to gain monopoly power in the computer software industry due to all of the evidence. Microsoft totally dominated the computer software industry for which they had great strategies to do so. Monopolies can cause many negative effects on our economy such as higher prices, less jobs, it can put other companies out of business, and it can cause producers to be intimidated to enter the same industry. Monopolies can also cause productive inefficiency, allocated inefficiency, diseconomies of scale, and x inefficiency. However, a monopoly can be a good thing, especially for a business. Being the leader or the giant of a particular industry can make owners, managers, and employees feel  very secure with their company. Although a monopoly can cause overpricing, it can also cause price reduction for which would cause other companies to not be able to compete. A monopoly can also be a good thing because the high profit can be used to fund research capital investment spending. Lastly, economies of scale, international competition, and they have the power to be the price makers.

Costa Coffee Marketing Plan for China

Costa Coffee Marketing Plan for China This paper aims at outlining the strategic marketing approach of Costa Coffee for entering a new market . Costa Coffee is the British part or retail sales of Whitbread Family. Whitbread is a British Multinational Company and it has franchises worldwide. Whitbread includes Hotels, Restaurants [Household names like TGI Friday], Health and Fitness plus Other Businesses. The contents of this paper include the marketing strategy of Costa Coffee and its expansion plans in China. Introduction The Story The history of Costa Coffee began in a mountain town outside the region of Parma, where there was the house of Costa family. In the late 60s, the Italian brothers Bruno and Sergio Costa, hungry for success, traveled to England, seeking an opportunity for professional advancement. By arriving there, they found how simple the English coffee market was. Motivated by their Italian background and Sergios skills in the roasting of coffee beans, they decided to return to Milan to enrich their knowledge and technique in Italian coffee shops. In 1971, upon their return to London, they bought a three-story building in Lambeth, where they set up their own coffee shop. In the beginning, the Costa brothers worked as producers and wholesalers and were supplying high-class restaurants and specialty stores. Soon, they built their reputation for their dedication to excellent quality of their product. However, in 1978 they had to find some employment for their wives in order not to interfere in their business. Therefore, they decided to create their first coffee boutique in Vauxhall Bridge Road, London, and assigned its management to their wives. This idea experienced tremendous success, and led the brothers to the expansion of Costa coffee boutiques and award their management to relatives and friends. Since the opening day of the first store to date, the same traditional method of slow roasting (18-22 minutes) of coffee beans is used, offering the delicious and fragrant blend Mocha Italia, from 6 Arabica beans and 1 Robusta. Listen Read phonetically Dictionary View detailed dictionary Today, Costa Coffee owns 500 shops worldwide. Costa Coffee believes in its employees skills therefore, it provides intensive employee training at the Cost Coffee Academy. VISION: Costa Coffee vision is to provide the best hospitality to its customers since its range of hospitality products range includes restaurants, hotels and leisure clubs. MISSION: To serve the best coffee in the true Italian style. BUSINESS PORTFOLIO: Costa Coffee has built an unrivaled reputation for coffee excellence, and this is achieved by fully controlling the process, from harvest and selection of coffee beans, from the roasting of the Italian maestros, the choice of engines and compliance with the procedures of manufacture of beverages, ensuring this way that customers can enjoy the same excellent quality coffee at any of Costa Coffee in the world. The drinks are served in 3 different sizes Primo, Medio and Massimo, and the customer can choose between the unique blend of Mocha Italia, or decaf, whole or skim milk and add an extra dose of espresso, flavored syrup, cream, candy or chocolate. There are 15 factors that are combined and help to create the perfect Costa coffee. In addition, in every store worldwide regular controls take place, which ensure consistency and maintenance of quality. Every Costa Coffee has a Barista Maestro (coffee expert) responsible for maintaining the excellence of the drinks served. COSTA COFFEE AND STARBUCKS: Starbucks is the largest competitor of Costa Coffee. Starbucks is the leader in the coffee shop market. Its international presence is in 50 countries. On the other hand, Costa Coffee, is the third biggest coffee specialist in the market with shops in 25 countries. Both companies have an excellent financial performance up to 2005 but in 2008 there was a decrease in revenue and operating profit as a result of the global economic recession. However, in 2009. Starbucks has an improving in cost structure and therefore its liquidity is better than Costa Coffee since it has managed to pay its short term debts. A key factor for both companies is globalization since most leading players in the foodservice market expand their operations in other countries. So the future success of Costa Coffee will be based on its operations outside the UK. The same applies for Starbucks. . THE CHOICE OF CHINA: China is one of the biggest economic forces in the world. Its domestic market is larger so there is a lot of potential for multinational businesses. Its average GDP growth rate is more than 10% despite the global economic crisis (10.9% last quarter 2009) (BBC China economy 2009). International financial analysts believe that the growth of the Chinese economy will continue. Regarding the coffee industry in China, it should be noticed that competition is quite intense but sales in cafes has grown by 8% to RMB36billion (over  £3,487million). It should also be noticed that in 2009 coffee shops chains had a growth of 22% (Euromonitor International August 2009,Cafà ©s/bars China). However, the Chinese market for many international companies is considered a tough market since it is difficult to understand local culture and customeCNY. Therefore, many companies pursue joint ventures and strategic alliances in order to do business in China. In 1998, Starbucks entered China and it has 180 coffee shops. In 2006, Costa Coffee entered China in a different way i.e. through a joint venture with Yueda Group which is based in Jiangsu Province. This was done because a local partner knows the market better so market penetration for the new entrant is easier. However, this also means that Costa Coffee is heavily dependent on Yueda. Costa Coffee has a strong Italian aura that aims at attracting the Chinese market. Affluent Chinese customers want to taste a coffee that is represented by a global brand name. So far, Starbucks has been quite successful in this area. The risk is that by being a partner with Yueda, the brand will be customized too much therefore, Costa will lose its competitive advantage which is the Italian aura. Starbucks has very aggressive expansion plan in China. The crucial point is if Costa Coffee will maintain its brand essence and will not be customized. In this case, Costa Coffee will be a strong competitor to Starbucks. Future trends Strategy The main issue for chained coffee shops is to create a unique experience that cannot be easily copied. The consumers want to enjoy their coffee in a nice environment. The coffee shop space should be comfortable with an ambiente that will be inviting so the consumers will return to the shop again. People will want to live the espresso experience at home so the sales of equipment and coffee will increase as well as the demand for better and higher quality of coffee and beverages in coffee shops. Corporate social responsibility is another issue that chained coffee shops should take care on. They have to prove that they implement ethical practices. Regarding marketing, researchers predict that chained coffee shops will use mobile apps and have social networking tools in the very near future. COSTA COFFEE Financial Data Turnover:  £263.8m (2008:  £216.3m) Operating profit before exceptional items:  £22.7m (2008:  £20.8m) Number of outlets: 881 in the UK, 407 overseas Total Revenue  £ (m) Strategy Our target for Premier Inn during 2009/10 is to deliver around 2,000 new rooms in the UK and overseas. We have a strong pipeline of secured sites and will continue to develop a land bank. Internationally, our first hotel opened in Dubai during 2008 and we will build on this position, intending to open a further two hotels in the Emirates plus one in India. We plan to open around 100 new Costa outlets in the UK in 2009/10. We will capitalise on our strong Costa brand by focusing on new locations, as well as areas where we can replace existing operators, such as in supermarkets, hospitals and leisure facilities. Costa will also continue to strengthen its position across international markets, adding 100 net new stores in the year ahead. MARKETING OBJECTIVES: Enter Greek market and develop a significant market share; Increase product portfolio by new high caliber products; Bring more value to shareholders; Be a leader in its field for customer service; Develop alliances with commercial partners and the communities in which Costa Coffee shops operate. TARGET MARKET Costa Coffee offers a wide range of products suitable for all consumeCNY. So far, coffee in China is consumed in big cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou). Coffee producers have targeted young professionals since they are the most westernized, affluent and open-minded. However, they see it as something that is in fashion rather than a regular habit. Another target group for coffee consumption are returnees i.e. Chinese that studied in Western countries and come back to China. They are also affluent and they are accustomed to visiting coffee shops. Ex- pats are another target group. Chinas economic growth has attracted a lot of investments from foreign companies. Ex-pats are used to drink coffee and their number increases every year. It has been estimated that businessmen from Hong Kong and Taiwan as well as Westerners amount to 30% of customers at multinational chained coffee shops as Starbucks. The above customer base has been quite saturated so there is a need to increase customer base. However, coffee is considered a luxury good and the average Chinese cannot pay for a cup of coffee. The average Chinese annual income is RMB 8000 yuan whereas a small cup of Starbucks coffee costs RMS 12 yuan ($1.5 which is the same price as in USA). In the big cities the average annual income is higher however it is still difficult for someone to consume a cup of coffee. If coffee still goes on being considered as a luxury good, it will happen the same thing as in Japan i.e. it will take China more than 90 years to make coffee popular. Market Segmentation: Based on the above the following market segments were defined: Young / Mature professionals Returnees Ex-pats Students Middle Class Upper Middle Class Single Married Bus section and train/airplane passengers Marketing Strategy: Costa Coffee will follow Market Development strategy and the reason for choosing this strategy will be explained below: CURRENT NEW PRODUCTS PRODUCTS 1. Market Penetration Strategy 3. Product Development Strategy 2. Market Development Strategy 4. Diversification Strategy CURRENT MARKETS NEW MARKETS   Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Coffee is considered a luxury good. This misperception hinders businesses in identifying customer groups and implement marketing strategies. This misperception also hinders the majority of the population to get acquainted with coffee. The same happened in Japan, where coffee was also considered as a luxury beverage with unreasonably high prices. It has taken almost 90 years for Japan to get acquainted with coffee and still per capita coffee consumption is quite low. This makes things worse since Japan sets the trend for Taiwan and South Korea.   Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬In China coffee shops open every day in cities like Beijing and Shanghai. However, the average Chinese cannot afford a cup of coffee everyday. Multinational coffee companies have faced difficulties in developing the Chinese coffee market. Although they know how to penetrate mature markets but they see that they have difficulty in immature coffee markets. These companies need to understand better China and its people. Without understanding them all marketing campaigns will be in vain. A characteristic example is the marketing campaign of Nestle which was targeting at the young middle class Chinese although in reality this class does not exist or even if it existed they would not be heavy coffee drinkeCNY. Starbucks has increased awareness but it needs a different strategy for the Chinese market. Only KFC has been quiet successful. Starbucks success cannot be considered as sustainable since it was based on management, financial power and brand name whereas the Chinese market needs entrepreneurship to advance it and this is what Costa Coffee is planning to do. Coffee has been promoted by the Chinese government through festivals and fashion awards however these strengthened the misperception of coffee being a luxury good. Local coffee shops add too many side things such as food, spirits etc. Therefore, they dilute the idea of coffee. Coffee is a product that does not hurt health, stimulates the brain and it is addictive. Based on researches someone who has drunk coffee three times a week for two months in the row is addicted to coffee. Brain stimulation is important for personal wealth and intelligence. Coffee became popular because coffee shops were focused at making the customer accustomed with coffee. When people get accustomed then the market develops at an extremely fact pace. The coffee shop is important for this development and a coffee shop can be a seated place or coffee stands and carts. It is important to make people drink coffee and then offer them ground coffee. Many companies have found as an excuse the fact that tea is dominant in China and there is no place for coffee in a tea dominant country. However, there are no major tea companies that can compete international coffee giants nor is there a specific promotion to protect tea. On the contrary local society support the development of coffee houses and it is not negative to coffee. Costa Coffee will focus on making people drink more coffee. Its new coffee shops will be around areas where people gather such as Universities, stations and office buildings etc. This can be the best promotion since if one group of people becomes loyal to coffee then it will influence other consumer groups. Costa Coffee will focus specifically on these people and its promotions will be measurable and specific. Coffee has an unbeatable image in China and it is known to everyone. Costa Coffee will be based on the quick service restaurant (QSR) concept. QSR is based on the idea of offering cheap, clean and good food and its purpose is to sell to a wider range of population. Costa Coffee plans to adopt this concept. Coffee has a high profit margin but food is what attracts people to the coffee shop. Costa Coffee already offers more products than coffee; however it should plan to add more snacks that are better suited to local customers and a cheaper but good quality filter coffee for taking away. Many local Chinese coffee shops offer food however, they have not formulated a strategy so they cannot be considered as potential competitoCNY. So far in these shops the restaurant is separated form the coffee house something that it is not the case of Costa Coffee. In the next two years the aim is to introduce new product lines that will be offered at affordable prices for the average Chinese consume r. It should be noticed that this does not mean price cutting since this will hurt Costa Coffees brand name. The location of the new coffee shops is also an important part of Costa Coffee strategy. Up today, the coffee shops were opened at locations where population is dense and the income is high. As a result, the rental prices are quite high. Therefore, Costa Coffee is planning to open new shops at bus stations and other busy intersections where rents are lower and the traffic is big. The marketing strategy that will be followed to China is important since it influences neighboring states such as South Korea which is also a new coffee consuming country. If the model of highly expensive coffee will be followed then the consequences will be similar to Taiwan and Hong Kong where there is a negative trend in coffee growth. à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚   à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚     Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬ SWOT ANALYSIS: Strengths Weaknesses Established brand name worldwide Expensive prices for the average Chinese consumer Wide range of products Starbucks dominant position in the market Third ranked coffee shop chain in the world Coffee is considered a luxury good Know how of Yuda (local partner) Tea is the daily beverage of the average Chinese Opportunities Threats Big market potential a lot of Chinese Consumers that do not drink coffee Stagnant coffee growth due to high prices Unbeatable image of coffee Possible marketing enforcement of tea companies No competitors are located at bus intersections PESTEL ANALYSIS: Political China has a stable political environment that welcomes foreign direct investments. Economic The Chinese economic growth is impressive (10% per annum). Social Although the income of the average Chinese consumer is low, there is a growing middle class -190 million urban households, or 29%. According to McKinsey, middle class is expected to expand to 75% (372 million), by 2025 (DAltorio 2011). Technological New coffee machines are produced so making coffee at home is easier. Environmental There is a trend in producing organic coffee. Legal There are no legal issues involved. MARKET POSITIONING: The positioning strategy of Costa Coffee will be in line with its international strategy i.e. THE ITALIAN COFFEE MASTERS. The competitive advantage of Costa Coffee is the quality of their coffee. The image of the company is that is has a UNIQUE coffee. Another positioning of Costa Coffee is that this excellent coffee quality can be offered with affordable prices (launch of the new take away filter coffee). THE ITALIAN COFFEE MASTERS This is the tag line that will communicate the Italian aura of Costa Coffee to the mass audience. Since Chinese consumers perceive well the Italian atmosphere it is expected that it will attract more people to Costa Coffee. MARKETING MIX: Product: Brand Name: Costa Coffee is a well established brand that signifies luxury, perfection and excellence. Chinese consumers prefer established brand names. Image/Theme: Luxury Costa Coffee is related to luxury. The coffee shops ambiance is trendy and comfortable. Customers will have a nice time in a flashy environment. However, this luxury image should be cleverly related with the new, affordable, take away filter coffee. The message that will be transmitted is luxury can be affordable and can be taken with you. Color Scheme Costa Coffees shops are in warm tones having brown as the main color. Other colors that are used are green, black and white. The purpose of this color selection is the creation of a comfortable and trendy atmosphere. Service: Apart from coffee, Costa has a reputation of excellent service. Hiring and retaining talented employees and train them accordingly is a strategic goal of the company. Product variety: ESPRESSO A short, strong and black coffee, with no milk. ESPRESSO DOPPIO A double espresso shot. For those who like it strong. RISTRETTO An extra short coffee, even shorter than an espresso, with an even stronger flavour. MACCHIATO Espresso topped with just a dash of milk. Yum. AMERICANO Coffee, mixing shots of espresso with hot water. Add milk if you like. FLAT WHITE A rich, full-flavoured coffee with a velvety, smooth texture. Each Flat White is hand-finished with a distinctive pattern. CAPPUCCINO Coffee combining espresso with steamed, frothy milk. Chocolate on top if you have a sweet tooth. CAFFE LATTE Coffee made with steamed milk. Not as strong as a cappuccino, but just as good. MOCHA Espresso with hot chocolate, topped with steamed, frothed milk. (Source: Costa Coffee 2010) Costa Coffee products variety includes iced tea and coffees as well as cakes, pastries, Panini and sandwiches. Prices: Costa Coffee prices are generally higher than other coffee shops. High prices are related to the outstanding quality and taste of Costa Coffee. Therefore, the traditional customer groups of Costa Coffee are high and middle classes. Costa Coffee believes that a reduction in its prices will harm its brand name. However, it wants to increase its Chinese customer base so it will offer a filter coffee for takeaway at affordable prices. Chinese middle class growth rate is significant, it will reach 372 million by 2025, it is a social class that cannot be neglected. Therefore, Costa Coffee is planning in the next three years to offer its products at affordable prices for the Chinese middle class without harming its brand name. Locale / Setting: The next Costa Coffee shops will be at busy intersections e.g. bus, train stations and at areas where office buildings and Universities are located. It will focus again on the big cities like Shanghai and Beijing. The aim for the next three year is to have 30 new coffee shops at both cities. Promotion: Costa Coffee will not do a lot of advertising since its brand name is recognized. However, there will be special sales promotions at its new shops for the new filter coffee that can be taken away. Costa Coffee is based on word of mouth advertising since reputation is very important. MARKET DEMAND It is important to measure the market before launching new products and shops. It is also important to measure the market after the launch of the new products / shops so as to see their effects and gain a larger market share. Growth Share Matrix There are two factors that are important for the expansion to new markets and these are : market attractiveness and the Business Strength. Market Attractiveness Business Strength Factors Rate Factors Rate Overall Market Size 70% increase (2004-2012) Market Share 5.0 Annual Market Growth Rate 7.8 Product Quality 5 Competitive Intensity 4 Brand Reputation 4.5 Technological Requirements 2.5 Distribution Channel 3.5 Inflationary Vulnerability 4.9 Promotional Effectiveness 4.5 Productive Efficiency 4 Managerial Personnel 3.5 Market Attractiveness As it is seen above, the attractiveness of the Chinese market is very high. The annual growth rate of the coffee market is high. There are no significant technological requirements since Costa Coffee already possesses advanced technology. Inflation is quite high and it seems that it will increase in the near future, however the targeted market groups remain unaffected (growing Chinese middle class). Partnership with Yuda will protect Costa Coffee from any possible dangers. Therefore, the Chinese market is very attractive and suitable for coffee shops expansion. Business Strength Costa Coffee is part of the well-known Whitbread Family. The quality of Costa Coffee is unquestionable. Costa Coffee owns more than 500 stores worldwide. Its outlets are in Europe, UK, Middle East, India, Pakistan and China. In order to maintain its excellent reputation, Costa Coffee will continue its policy of recruiting, training and retaining the best available employees in China. Business Strength High Medium Low High Medium Low Costa Coffees Business Strength is high and the overall position is ideal for further expansion into the Chinese market. Projected Sales in CHINA Costa Coffee projected sales are expected to rise to almost 97% in 2012 and this is due to the launch of the new takeaway filter coffee and the new shops at the busy intersections. This rate is expected to slow down (87%) in 2013 and this is because the one time visitors are expected to cease to visit the coffee shops and the existing customer base is expected to remain. An extensive marketing promotion through emails, customer clubs, social media etc. is expected to increase market share. The above numbers are very impressive and expansion seems ideals. Sales forecasts per customer groups are also very promising.: Market 2012 2013 2014 Total Students Youngsters CNY. 20,000,000 CNY. 23,00,000 CNY.6,300,000 CNY 49,300,000 Ex pats and returnees CNY 7,555,000 CNY 7,000,000 CNY. 12,800,000 CNY. 27,355,000 Families CNY. 9,700,000 CNY. 9,850,000 CNY. 17,200,000 CNY. 36,750,000 Professionals CNY. 17,750,000 CNY. 32,750,000 CNY. 92,000,000 CNY. 142,500,000 Totals CNY. 55,005,000 CNY. 72,600,000 CNY. 128,300,000 CNY. 255,905,000 According to the above table it can be seen that professionals is a group that has a lot of potential. This is because the Chinese middle class is rising and the coffee culture is mounting too. Another reason for the increase in sales in professionals is due to the location of the new coffee shops. There will be located in busy intersections where there are many office buildings. Newspapers and other electronic media have approached Costa Coffee and various interviews and programs have been made which boost Costa Coffees reputation even more. BUDGET FORECASTS: The forecasted budget for the upcoming three years is as follows; TYPE 2012 2013 2014 Total Accommodation CNY. 2,000,000 CNY. 5,000,000 CNY. 7,000,000 Training CNY. 1,500,000 CNY. 500,000 CNY. 4,000,000 CNY. 6,000,000 Transportation CNY. 250,000 CNY. 350,000 CNY. 1,000,000 CNY. 1,600,000 Fixtures CNY. 2,000,000 CNY. 7,000,000 CNY. 9,000,000 Total CNY. 5,750,000 CNY. 850,000 CNY. 17,000,000 CNY. 23,600,000 Future promotion and expansion plans: Costa Coffee will be launching more coffee shops in the major cities of China (Beijing and Shangkai) but the plans are to expand all over China after having created a considerable market share in the above cities. The expansion has been planned for the next year that is 2012. In the next two years the next cities where new coffee shops will be located will include Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Costa Coffee is not in favor of extravagant launching campaigns. It supports the use of electronic and social media as well as corporate social responsibility programmes and actions. It also believes in the right location of its shops. So, the marketing activity will be low except the posters that will be in the shops, as sales promotion, advertising the new takeaway filter coffee. ANALYSIS: Costa Coffee has a lot of potential for further intensifying its expansion efforts in China. It already possesses a significant market share in the Chinese market. The reason behind it is the unbeatable image of Costa Coffee and the advertisement (word of mouth) done by people who have visited its outlets. Sales are expected to rise in the following years and they are expected to rise even more in the forthcoming years since Costa Coffee is focusing on the rising Chinese middle class. Students and youngsters in general set the new trends so their influence in increasing coffee consumption and visiting coffee shops is of outmost importance. By further using social media, Costa Coffee is expected to increase its market share in this group. Professionals always seek quiet place to do their official or unofficial meetings. Costa Coffee is an ideal place to do these meetings. Apart from that, Costa Coffees activation in social media will certainly increase its future revenue. In conclusion, it can be said that Costa Coffee has so far implemented an excellent marketing strategy and the new campaign that it will launch for the takeaway filter coffee as well as the location of its new shops will help it increase its sales and gain sustainable competitive advantage. RECOMMENDATIONS: Sales numbers are very promising however the local partner should follow all the below the line activities mentioned. Costa Coffee should continue with low promotional strategies. Apart from posters inside the outlets, Costa Coffee should consider the use of bill boards at the busy intersections.

Examining Organizational Culture In Tawam Hospital Nursing Essay

Examining Organizational Culture In Tawam Hospital Nursing Essay The assignment is about the organizational culture and the effectiveness on the organizational process and outcomes. During this assignment I will start with the culture definition, than I will identify the factors that affecting the organizational culture either internally or externally. Moreover, I will try to analyze my organizational culture and to recognize the type of my organizational culture and its appropriateness with my department plan. Before I end with the conclusion, I will speak about the main key lessons taken from the organizational culture assignment and how will apply it on my department using two effective different ways which is one of the biggest challenges in this assignment. Gudykunst and Ting-Toomey (1988) defined the culture as the learned beliefs, values, norms, symbols and traditions that are common to group of people. It is these shared qualities of group that make them unique culture in dynamic and transmitted to others. In short, culture is the way of life, customs, and script, of group of people. II Factors Affecting  the Organizational Culture: There is no single definition for organizational culture; its influenced by multifactor, like the organizational behavior or the communication of the organization, and also some people affected by the management science of the organization to analyze the organizational culture. A system of knowledge, of standards for perceiving, believing, evaluating and actingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. that serves to relate human communities to their environmental settings (Allaire Firsirotu, 1984). A set of understandings or meanings shred by a group of people that are largely tacit among members and are clearly relevant and distinctive to the particular group which are also passed on to new members (Louis, 1980). There are numbers of external and internal factors affecting any organization. External factors are beyond the control of the organization, whereas the internal factors can be controlled to an extent. (See table 1) External factors Internal factors Political legal Economic Socio/Cultural Technological Demographics Competition Suppliers Distributors Employee Wholesalers Shareholders Partners Table 1: factors affecting the organization. III- My Organizations Culture:   Analysis of My Organizations Culture:   I had analyzed my organizational culture depending on the Harrisons questionnaire (see Appendix 1) to identify the type of culture whether its power, role, task, or self culture. I have found that my organizational culture is Role culture (See table 2). I totally agreed with the result, it fits with my department and organizational culture. Culture power role task self Score 39 57 34 20 Table 2: Organizational Culture. My organization is one of the biggest hospitals in the United Arab Emirates; its called as Tawam hospital. Its a governmental facility, operated by the Health Authority of Abu Dhabi (HAAD) and managed by Johns Hopkins medicine. It provides healthcare services to the community of Alain city and referral for the emirates and other surrounding gulf countries. Its a 477 bedded tertiary centre, and also it has with polyclinics with 92 specialty clinics per day and 3 primary healthcare centers located around the city to facilitate the healthcare for the surrounding areas. The organization was established on 1979 in Alain city while I have joined the organization in 2006; its accredited by JCI since 2006. My organization is one of the biggest healthcare organizations in the country, it has a divisional structure, its composed from multidisciplinary specialties and divisions, each division work as a small organization focusing on their specific plan leading in the end to achieve the general plans and objectives of the organization under the supervision of the top manager of the organization (CEO). My culture is really a role culture , it runs by the coordination of senior managing group, all works inside the organization controlled by rules, regulations, and fixed polices that protect the employees and provides a high quality of care to all customers. The CEO is impersonal and correct, he never use his authority for his own personal issues. All leaders in the organization follow the appropriate ways/channels of communication structure directed from top to down and information flows upward within the functional pyramids which meet at the top, but the cross-communication is totally rejected. Most of the employees are competent, responsible and reliable and they meet the duties and responsibilities of their job description with strong sense of loyalty to the organization leading to provide a high quality of care to all customers. The relation between the employee and the organization is controlled by rules and regulations through clear contract between them, leading to build up strong trust and relationship. The controller of the employees activities is the responsible one for directing them with impersonal exercise of economic and political power to enforce procedures and standards performance. Due to the role culture of the organization, works run through formal rules and regulations, and that help in improving the control and managing conflicts between the staff by formal ways, also it protects the security of the employee against the external factors and enhancing the team work between them. Finally, I believe that the role culture is acting properly during this period, with the new JCIA standards and the organizational rules; there is a good environment for the employees to provide the best care for all types of customers with safe and evidence-based practice. The Appropriateness of the Culture with the Department: All cultures are good in the right place, because each culture is good for something and less good for others (Handy, 1990). Before going deeply and critically analyzing the fitness and appropriateness of the role culture with the strategic plans of my organizational/department objectives and, what are my departments mission, vision and values? The departments mission is to provide a full range of medical, surgical, and specialized services to our patients (Employee Handbook, 2007, p. 4). However, my departments vision stated that the department will provide high quality, affordable, medical services delivered in friendly, safe, and caring environment which meet JCIA standard of care (Employee Handbook, 2007, p. 4). Lastly, my departments value stated that the department believes in treating all patients, visitors and employees with respect dignity and quality and guided by UAE laws and respect for patient rights (Employee Handbook, 2007, p. 4). I believe that the role culture is the ideal one for his department which is dealing with clinical services and with high quality of care in suitable environment and all these issues controlled by accredited standards and country laws. Harrison (1972) who analyzes the organizational culture defined the role cultures as those in which behavior is governed by rules, regulations and legitimacy. Priority is given to developing appropriate policies and procedures, and thus emphasis is placed upon means rather than ends. In addition to that, there are several factors which lead the role culture to be fit with the objectives of the department starting from the formal way of communication which lead to enhance the effectiveness of work, and will provide good and suitable environment for work. Also, all the employees are aware for their rights and responsibilities which will provide safe and comfortable media for work and protect them from any external assault. On the other hand, the main problem that faces my department in the last recent years is the existence of few people still believing in the power of national culture and how they can affect and change inside the governmental organization, but by the accredited standard that applied in the organization, it was started to resolve gradually and people start to believe by rules and regulations. Finally, I believe that the role culture going with the same direction with my departments strategic plans in a very effective way to achieve the main goals and mission for his department by providing high standards of clinical services and customer services with high accredited standards and evidence-based practice. Key Lessons: During the last two years, my job was a staff nurse in my department, but a team leader responsibility was allocated to me to take care about one of the treatment rooms in the infusion center inside the oncology department, my team consists from three nurses and I am the younger staff. I learned a lot of management skills and good experience from daily activities that helped me in managing the team in a good manner, but I still missing the basic part, that will support me in all decisions and will change my way of thinking and improve my problem solving skills, which is the updated knowledge. During the analyzing of my organizational culture, I learned several useful lessons in improving the outcomes of my practice. The main two key lessons are: managing conflicts and managing team work. Managing Conflicts: The 1st lesson is how to manage conflicts; Marquis and Huston (2003) defined conflict as the internal or external discord that results from differences in ideas, values, feeling between two or more people. To be a good manager, you need to understand the personality of all your employees in your department, to clarify all the rules, standards, rights and responsibilities for the employees and to be the reference in all the problems occurs in the department. Conflicts have two different faces either positive or negative. In the positive face, conflicts will lead to more safe competitions and team work and it should be controlled by rules and regulations. Tjosvold and Tjosvold (1995) stated that conflicts also have appositive side, however for example, in the process of learning how to manage conflict, people can develop more open, cooperative ways of working together. On the other side, conflicts also having the negative face which will increase the stress and affects the team works if it kept unresolved. Lombardi (2001) found that unresolved conflicts have potentially harmful effects on people. Serious conflicts can be very stressful for the people involved. To manage and control conflicts, you need to prepare good the environment in your department, to be fair between the employees, to make sure nobody will lose from this conflict and try always to make conflicts having positive face, which will lead to reach your objectives and outcomes in good manner. The optimal goal in resolving conflict is creating a win-win solution for all involved. This outcome is not possible in every situation, and often the managers goal is to manage the conflict in manner that lessons the perceptual differences that exist between the involved parties (Marquis Huston, 2003). Managing Teamwork: The workforce or people factor is recognized as an important organization asset in contributing to performance at an individual, team or organizational level (Senior, 1997). One of the most important lessons from this assignment is how to manage teamwork, to apply this lesson in the real practice, you need to have common purposes between the manager or the team leader and the group, all rules and responsibilities should be clear for all, and tasks should be contributed equally between them, climate of trust, learning and mutual support should be inserted in the department, team must be composed from different characteristics like experience, skills and knowledgeable people, in addition to that you also need good manager who manage the team and direct them in the correct way and to solve the conflicts and problems in professional way . A managerial challenge when developing and recruiting teams is to ensure that they have necessary collective skills and competencies to deliver not only the organizations business objectives but also to establish effective teamwork (Kieran Judith, 2006). IV Conclusion: To conclude the assignment, I talked about the organizational culture and the correlation with the internal and external factors that can affect the organization, moreover, I critique my organizational culture Role culture using Harrisons questionnaire to distinguish it, then I try to approve the appropriateness of the role culture with my department strategy and finally I ended my assignment with most key lessons that he learned from my organizational culture which are managing conflicts and managing teamwork. Finally, to manage people and organization, you need to be good manager or a team leader by building good teamwork, understanding the organizational behavior and culture and putting a development plan for your department and keeping your employee motivated all the time. No manager can make a team perform well but they can create a supportive environment and ensure the right conditions are in place to encourage the development of the characteristics of effective team work (Kieran Judith, 2006). V References: Allaire, Y., Firsirotu, M.E. (1984). Theories of organizational culture. Organization Studies 5,193-226. Gudykunst, W.B., Ting -Toomey, S. (1988). Culture interpersonal communication. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Handy, C. (1990). Understanding schools as organizations. London: Penguin Books. Harrison, R. (1972). Understanding Your Organizations Character. Harvard business Review, 119 128. Human Resources Department. (2007). Employee Handbook: Tawam hospital.UAE. Kieran, W., Judith, S. (2006). Healthcare Management, U.S.A, New York: Open University Press. Lombardi, D.N. (2001). Handbook for the New Healthcare Manager. Sanfrancisco: Jossy-Bass. Louis, M.R. (1980). Organizations as culture-bearing milieu: In Organizational Symbolism. Greenwich, CT: JAI. Marquis, B. L., Huston, C. J. (2003). Leadership Roles and Management Functions in Nursing: Theory Application (4th ed.). Philadelphia PA: Lippincott Williams Wilkins. Senior, B. (1997). Team role and team performance: Is there really a link. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology 70(3), 241. Tjosvold, D., Tjosvold, M.M. (1995). Psychology for Leaders: Using Motivation, Conflict, and Power to Manage More Effectively. New York: John Wiley Son VI- Appendix 1:

Hucks Inescapable Moral Dilemma :: essays papers

Huck's Inescapable Moral Dilemma In the novel, Huck is faced with the dilemma of whether or not to return Jim, the runaway slave, back to Jim’s owner. He, at an early age, is faced with the decision that has plagued man for ages: choosing what is morally right, even though it is forbidden in society and popular culture. He goes against the fold and goes with what his heart tells him. Huck's predicament is Twain’s â€Å"inescapable dilemma.† In an essay by Roger Rosenblatt, entitled â€Å"The Bill of Rights," Rosenblatt ends his essay with a single line: â€Å"Downriver we ride together, as ever, free to go to hell.† Rosenblatt’s final line in his essay makes an important point. It is not just Huck who is faced with decisions. Huckleberry Finn represents every person who has ever had to make a decision between what they feel is morally correct and what society perceives as right. Today Huck's dilemma with whether or not it is right to help free his eventual friend Jim can be c ompared with a doctors decision on whether or not to perform an abortion. The tough decision a doctor has to make about abortion is an example of an inescapable dilemma that plagues modern man. In abortion, the doctor is faced with a difficult decision. Should he take the life of an unborn child? What if the child was deformed, or was otherwise going to be born into a possibly unhealthy environment? Is taking away the opportunity to live life morally wrong or not? There are many more questions that face the doctor as well as the mother of the fetus. As the mother and the doctor are faced with this dilemma, sometimes what they feel is morally correct is not legal- as abortion is illegal in certain states. Huck would definitely be breaking the law if he freed Jim. Jim is just a slave to most of the people. He is just property that can be sold or used until "it" wears out. Huck sees more than just the slave qualities in Jim. Huck sees life. Similarly many people see life in an unborn fetus and have real qualms with killing a developing child. Another example of an inescapable dilemma is guns. Should it be legal for man to have the power to purchase such an item whose sole purpose is to drain life in general and human life? Huck's Inescapable Moral Dilemma :: essays papers Huck's Inescapable Moral Dilemma In the novel, Huck is faced with the dilemma of whether or not to return Jim, the runaway slave, back to Jim’s owner. He, at an early age, is faced with the decision that has plagued man for ages: choosing what is morally right, even though it is forbidden in society and popular culture. He goes against the fold and goes with what his heart tells him. Huck's predicament is Twain’s â€Å"inescapable dilemma.† In an essay by Roger Rosenblatt, entitled â€Å"The Bill of Rights," Rosenblatt ends his essay with a single line: â€Å"Downriver we ride together, as ever, free to go to hell.† Rosenblatt’s final line in his essay makes an important point. It is not just Huck who is faced with decisions. Huckleberry Finn represents every person who has ever had to make a decision between what they feel is morally correct and what society perceives as right. Today Huck's dilemma with whether or not it is right to help free his eventual friend Jim can be c ompared with a doctors decision on whether or not to perform an abortion. The tough decision a doctor has to make about abortion is an example of an inescapable dilemma that plagues modern man. In abortion, the doctor is faced with a difficult decision. Should he take the life of an unborn child? What if the child was deformed, or was otherwise going to be born into a possibly unhealthy environment? Is taking away the opportunity to live life morally wrong or not? There are many more questions that face the doctor as well as the mother of the fetus. As the mother and the doctor are faced with this dilemma, sometimes what they feel is morally correct is not legal- as abortion is illegal in certain states. Huck would definitely be breaking the law if he freed Jim. Jim is just a slave to most of the people. He is just property that can be sold or used until "it" wears out. Huck sees more than just the slave qualities in Jim. Huck sees life. Similarly many people see life in an unborn fetus and have real qualms with killing a developing child. Another example of an inescapable dilemma is guns. Should it be legal for man to have the power to purchase such an item whose sole purpose is to drain life in general and human life?