Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Taking a Look at Racism - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 802 Downloads: 10 Date added: 2019/02/05 Category Society Essay Level High school Topics: Racism Essay Did you like this example? Since the beginning of time people have always been looked down on because of the color of their skin or their race. It is unfortunately in our human nature to not like people for specific traits that they have. Many will argue that we are no longer discriminating against different races but how can you be so sure? Since the early 1900s white children and families in the United States were often taught and told that they were more important than black children. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Taking a Look at Racism" essay for you Create order While racism in our country isnt as obvious and cruel as it used to be, full equality has not been met. â€Å"Racism is a struggle that, to this day, has continued to be a major issue. The color of someone’s skin alters how a person is perceived by society as a whole. Race is a social construct created by humans to catoregize the world.†-Ponds. When growing up children would see how their parents treated other races and would then start to think that their own race is more important than others. We can see this in the way schools and towns were set up and continue to be set up. In the 1900’s white families often had nicer homes and happened to be more highly educated than black children and their families. Racism happened all around these children so they often easily saw how their own water fountains were better than blacks. We see racial conflicts arise within police officers, and decision that they make. Considering the fact that we have grown up in a country with a racist background, we sometimes tend to favor our own race over others. There has been many incidents where unarmed black males have been killed. In Ferguson, Missouri, Michael Brown an unarmed 18 year old, and was shot by 28-year-old Darren Wilson a police officer at that time. Blacks, especially women, are more likely to have been unarmed when killed by police than non-blacks as More than half of African American women were killed while unarmed while white males were the least likely to have been unarmed when killed at just under 20 percent. And still that risk appears to increase in police departments with a greater presence of non-white officers, according to a new study of nationwide data from Washington University in St. Louis. A key finding of the study is that nearly 60 percent of black women killed by police were unarmed at the tim e of the interaction. Some people think that racism is no longer an issue since there have been numerous anti-discrimination laws passed. Some of these acts include the 14th amendment that states â€Å"All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws† (14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution.) They use this as an example to show that there is no more racism as they passed a law about discriminating against race. Anouther act includes the civil rights act of 1964 which ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin, and is considered one of the best legislative achievements of the civil rights movement. First proposed by President John F. Kennedy, it survived strong opposition from southern members of Congress and was then signed into law by Kennedy’s successor, Lyndon B. Johnson. But while these acts have declared that racism can’t be outright displayed against someone it can still be shown in the actions and ideologies of others. Some people may try to say that racism doesn’t exist because they see it as if it died off when all these acts were passed. They see these acts as laws that cannot and will not be ignored just because some people don’t like how others look or act. So when looking at situations where racism may be present they don’t see it happen because in their mind it was never there to begin with. Racism still is in America but we can stop racism by not using stereotypes, and by not judging people by how they look. Just because someone is different, doesnt mean they should be treated differently. There are many different lifestyles and different values. Some elses values may conflict your own, all people have a right to live the way they want to in America. All Americans have a right to their own happiness. Its their life, not yours.

Monday, December 23, 2019

Essay on African American History in America - 1064 Words

In From Slavery to Freedom (2007), it was said that â€Å"the transition from slavery to freedom represents one of the major themes in the history of African Diaspora in the Americas† (para. 1). African American history plays an important role in American history not only because the Civil Rights Movement, but because of the strength and courage of Afro-Americans struggling to live a good life in America. Afro-Americans have been present in this country since the early 1600’s, and have been making history since. We as Americans have studied American history all throughout school, and took one Month out of the year to studied African American history. Of course we learn some things about the important people and events in African American†¦show more content†¦Francis pointed out â€Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦after the infamous 1957 standoff in Little Rock, Arkansas, only 1 percent of southern black students attended school with whites† (n.d., para 5.). Upon their a rrival they were struck with the reality of how the other students wanted them out of their school. In the History of Little Rock Nine, it was stated that â€Å"Their action not only mobilized a Nation to insure that access to a quality education was granted to all Americans, but they helped to define the civil rights movement† (para. 1). Afro-American People Denmark Vesey was a household servant for Captain Joseph Vesey; which won the lottery in the year 1800. When Denmark won the lottery he paid for his freedom and started his own carpentry business. In a brief bio, Denmark Vesey, it was said that â€Å"In 1822 he was accused of being the leader of a secret plot to rebel against whites, a plot that supposedly involved 9,000 slaves or more than two years of preparation† (para. 1). After being accused in July of 1822 he was executed. Harriet Tubman was born on a plantation in Maryland in 1822. She decided to escape from enslavement and fight for her freedom after her owner, Edward Brodess died. She finally escapes using the Underground Railroad and made her way into Philadelphia. In Philadelphia she worked and savedShow MoreRelatedEssay on History of African Americans in America 1865-1960’s2986 Words   |  12 PagesHistory of African Americans in America 1865-1960’s Georgia Root HIS204: American History since 1865 Mark D. Bowles March 18, 2013 History of African Americans in America 1865-1960’s African Americans in America in history have gone through many hard times trying to just progress out of slavery and obtain freedom and have equal rights. 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Sunday, December 15, 2019

Choice Or A Good Service Health And Social Care Essay Free Essays

string(152) " NHS through a three pronged onslaught: Improve services through increased competition, Improve patients experience through better client service \( e\." In England, the successful debut of public assistance mechanism after the Second World War has dramatically changed the political, economic and social landscape. This baronial and selfless project has seen the development of services aimed at assisting undertake some of the most of import issues confronting society ( e.g. We will write a custom essay sample on Choice Or A Good Service Health And Social Care Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now wellness and safety, instruction, wellness, exigency services, and attention for the aged and handicapped ) . It has had genuinely singular success in presenting an effectual safety cyberspace for society. Although this paper will non be concentrating on the grounds for this, it is deserving observing that by the 1960 ‘ / 1970 ‘s, the pride that people took in the societal accomplishments of the public assistance province started declining. The success of capitalist economy and competition in the private sector was perceived as being in stark contrast to the inefficient and unresponsive populace sector. Consecutive authoritiess were besides progressively disquieted as to the fiscal deductions of the public assistance province and looking to increase efficiency and cut down cost. Similarly, the addition richness and consumerism of citizens raised outlooks in client service and promoted the position of the service user as a consumer instead than as a receiving system of pu blic services ( see Lowe, 2005 ; Eichengreen, 2006 ; Sorensen, 2000 ) . It is the purpose of this paper to measure the cogency of the undermentioned statement: â€Å" Patients do non desire pick, they want a good local service † . The trouble in specifying pick means that this paper will do the sensible premise that patients want high quality attention, efficient usage of resources and equity. These premises reflect the fact that the NHS is funded out of public outgo and abides by the rule of â€Å" making the right thing for those who need aid † ( Secretary of State 2010 ) . This paper will ab initio look at the alterations in authorities policy to present an component of pick before pulling on grounds and instance survey illustrations to show that pick does non needfully hold to come at the disbursal of local services when measured against the standard ‘s of high quality attention, efficient usage of resources and equity. This paper will reason by saying that pick within a little and limited field is what patients wan and what is be st for the National Health Service. Historical Background on the development of Choice in Healthcare Consecutive authoritiess have made moves to open up greater pick for users of public services. Greener and Powell ( 2009 ) have traced these developments in health care and found that it was non until 1989, in the ‘Working for Patients ‘ White Paper ( Secretary of State for Health, 1989 ) and the debut of a ‘quasimarket ‘ into health care, that the thought of patient pick began to take on a meaningful function in the planning of health care. Initially patient pick would include more freedoms in taking their GP ( who so made picks about secondary attention on their behalf ) , pick over ‘time or topographic point of intervention ‘ and a ‘wider pick of repasts ‘ provided to patients ( Le Grand et al. , 1998 ) . However, as a direct consequence of the quarrelsomeness of the internal market thoughts, patient pick was hardly mentioned for much of the following decennary ( Wainwright, 1998 ) . The start of the twenty-first Century did non see any major new developments on pick. The NHS Plan ( Secretary of State for Health, 2000 ) merely reminded patients that they had ‘the right to take a GP ‘ , provided patients with new agencies of accessing wellness services which reflected technological advancement and improved client service through the right to intervention at a clip and infirmary of the patient ‘s pick if their scheduled operation was cancelled. It is non until the 2006 White Pap er â€Å" Our Health, Our Care, Our Say † ( Department of Health, 2006 ) that patient pick of a genuinely meaningful nature is proposed. For the first clip patients would be allowed to do determinations about where they should be treated: â€Å" In the NHS, patients now have more pick of the infirmary that they go to, with resources following their penchants † ( Department of Health, 2006 p.3 ) . The NHS Constitution ( 2010 ) has enshrined the rights of patient to exercise some pick in the health care they receive. These include the right to take a GP surgery, to province whichA GP you ‘d wish to see, to take which infirmary you ‘re treated at, and to have information to back up your picks. These rights are non nevertheless cosmopolitan ( exclusions for the military, captives and mental wellness sick persons ) and exclude certain services ( where speedy diagnosing and intervention is peculiarly of import, pregnancy services and mental wellness services. In the recent Health and Social Care Bill ( 2011 ) , the current Government are suggesting to manus commissioning power to GPs and opening up the NHS to increased competition in an attempt to better NHS public presentation. Choice is seen as critical to this attempt, as without pick they can non be true market based competition. Consumer pick, based on their penchants, would find companies come ining and go outing the market. It is hoped that quality would be the cardinal determiner in consumer pick. In the White Paper ‘Equity and Excellence: Emancipating the NHS ‘ , this accent on pick was reinforced and clarified as to intending that â€Å" ..patients and carers will hold far more clout and pick in the system ; and as a consequence, the NHS will go more antiphonal to their demands and wants † ( Secretary of State 2010 ) .. This historical reappraisal demonstrates the staccato and unstructured mode in which patient pick has evolved in England. This has seen Patient-GP relationships move from associational to transactional, alterations in who exercises pick as to secondary attention suppliers from cardinal contrivers to GPs to patients, every bit good increased information to assist people do picks. This historical reappraisal on the development of patient pick in authorities policy has led the writer to pull the undermentioned decision: patient pick is being advanced as a tool to better the NHS through a three pronged onslaught: Improve services through increased competition, Improve patients experience through better client service ( e.g. pick in repasts and in method of accessing attention ) , Improve wellness results for all people through more information taking to better picks. These findings correlate closely, but are non indistinguishable to the findings of Thorlby and Turner ( 2007 ) . Thorlby and Turner identified three chief aims that the authorities has put frontward as grounds for prosecuting increased patient pick which include bettering public presentation, making a service that matches peoples desire for pick and that pick increases equity and equity. These two proposed accounts for the pick docket run into the populace and patients outlooks of the NHS. Indeed studies on people ‘s outlooks of the NHS have noted a demand for increased efficiency, better patient experience and equity in entree to interventions across the state ( Dillon, 2010 ) . However, the cogency of the claims that pick is the reply to all of the NHS ailments has non been genuinely tried and it is deserving observing that the British Social Attitudes study has found strong assurance in the quality and reactivity of the NHS since it started appraising in 1991 ( Appleby and Phillips 2009 ) . Indeed, it is still contested whether patients really want healthcare picks at all ( Fotaki et al. , 2005 ) . Patient pick to better entree Surveies of patients around the universe systematically identify entree as a cardinal concern of patients ( Grol et al, 1999 ; Davis et Al, 2007 ) . Problems of entree have long plagued the NHS. The NHS Plan asserted that ‘the populace ‘s top concern about the NHS is waiting for intervention ‘ ( NHS Plan, 2000 P 101 ) . Access to healthcare is a cardinal constituent in run intoing the premises made in what patients want, notably high quality attention and in guaranting efficient usage of resources. Choice, as proposed through the right of patients to take where they receive diagnostic and secondary attention, is being promoted as the remedy to entree by leting competition between secondary attention suppliers. It is hoped that this competition, coupled with Payment by Results, will cut down waiting times and supply patients with options as to the clip and topographic point where they receive intervention. The London patient pick pilot survey ( 2005 ) was set up to analyze the consequence of pick at the point of referral. The consequences indicated a strong desire for pick. When patients waiting for cardiac surgery were offered the pick of traveling to another infirmary with a shorter waiting list, half of them opted to make so, sometimes going long distances. Similarly, a high proportion ( 67 % ) of patients in London expecting assorted elected surgical processs opted for options to their local infirmary when given the pick ( Coulter et al, 2005 ) . This survey would propose that patient pick is desirable and popular with patients. It besides achieves the purposes of cut downing waiting times and bettering entree. This sits good with authorities policy from 2005 to 2007, centred on spread outing the capacity in the system ( Cooper et al 2009 ) . However, it must be noted that in recent old ages, there has been a important lessening in waiting times for elected attention across the NHS. Between 1997 and 2007, waiting times for elected articulatio genus replacings, hip replacings, and cataract fixs dropped significantly. These consequences can non be explained by the development of patient pick. It is of import to factor in other events go oning in the NHS at the clip. There was significant additions in NHS support from ?76.4 billion in 2005/6 to ?96.4 billion by 2009, a scope of policy steps implemented including stiff authorities marks, every bit good as increased pick and competition. It can hence be moderately assumed that pick entirely was non responsible for the additions given the figure of reforms aimed at cut downing waiting times introduced between 1997 and 2007 are all likely to hold played a function together in shortening patients ‘ delaies ( Cooper et al 2009 ) . This statement dents the cogency of the claims made that patient pick is desirable, and more crucially desired by patients, on the evidences that it improves entree. What it does non make is confute that patient pick is non desirable to patients. Indeed, recent grounds confirms the feeling that most patients are acute on holding a pick, even if they choose to stay at their local infirmary ( Dixon et al, 2010 ) . Choice to advance equality As discussed earlier, the authorities has asserted that it will seek to better equity via the mechanism of patient pick, supplying the option to take to all patients where, antecedently, such options were unfastened merely to those who could afford to pay. Equity is besides one of the premises made as to what patients want when accessing health care. Evaluations of the pilot patient pick strategies ( such as the London Patient Choice Project ) found that entree to pick was just, with no inequalities â€Å" in entree to, or consumption of alternate infirmaries by societal category, educational attainment, income or cultural group ‘ † ( Coulter et al, 2005 ) . This would bespeak that patient pick is desirable for bring forthing equity within the NHS. Equity is after all one of the foundation pillars on which the NHS is built. However, when the pilot programmes were rolled out nationally, two of import differences in design have led to inquiries over whether equity is so happening as a consequence of pick. In the pilots, all patients were eligible for free travel and all were entitled to assist from a patient attention adviser: both were found to be of import facilitators of exerting pick. However, neither is compulsory in the execution of pick at the point of GP referral ( Thorlby and Turner, 2007 ) . A figure of surveies have besides shown that information may non yet be wholly successful in acquiring to patients. PCTs are responsible for doing certain that all patients have an equal chance to take, by supplying information and support to those who might otherwise fight to exert pick. Greener found that patients are frequently incognizant of available information beginnings sing attention picks ( Greener, 2005 ) , and the first patient information brochures offered little more than the handiness of transport links and the trust ‘s overall healthcare committee evaluation ( Easington Primary Care Trust, 2006 ) . In a study of PCTs, Thorlby and Turner ( 2007 ) concluded that while it is excessively early to state whether patient pick will present fairer results for patients, equalizing the chance to take is already turn outing disputing in the NHS. The statement that pick creates equity for patients is hard to confirm. The grounds suggests that direct pick may increase unfairness as it favours patients with entree to information and conveyance and unfairness will be magnified if patients in lower socio-economic groups have lower outlooks and less ability ( existent or perceived ) to cover with the picks available ( Bate and Robert, 2005 ) . Argument There is a argument among bookmans as to where public assistance plans fit in modern, industrialised societies. The â€Å" irreversibility thesis † argues welfare plans have become lasting characteristics because their steady growing produces more and more components who benefit from the plans and strive maintain them in topographic point ( Mishra, 1990 ) . The current economic crisis has highlighted the demand for rationing in health care, as for the first clip in over a decennary ; the NHS is confronting stagnating budgets. The dramatic addition in disbursement on the wellness service, authorities precedence scene and the debut of competition and pick has delivered a figure of benefits but has non solved all the issues confronting the NHS. The underlying demand to ration services in a publically funded system is going more economically and politically ambitious ( Ham and Coulter, 2001 ) . An IPPR study found that most people expect entree to the latest drugs and interventions on the NHS, no affair what they cost or how effectual they are. Less than a 3rd of people think the NHS should take into history value for money considerations. Around one tierce ( 31 per cent ) think the NHS should supply ‘all drugs and interventions no affair what they cost ‘ ( Ranking and Allen, 2007 ) .A This would ruin the NHS really rapidly but reflects the ‘irreversibility thesis ‘ as proposed by Mishra. As this study clearly demonstrates, pick, on the future way of the NHS and its support, would take to a dislocation in rationing. The Oregon Health Plan ( OHP ) is an illustration of where pick in rationing determinations, although ideally desirable, has failed due to political concessionsA and provides no evidenceA for the given that a working system of medical serviceA prioritisation can be implemented on the footing of patient and public pick ( Klein, 1992 ) . True competition enabled through patient pick would ultimetly take to alterations in the local wellness economic system and efficiency additions. This could see the closing of unpopular infirmaries and intervention Centres. However, T.H. Marshall ( 1964 ) argues that public assistance provinces are based on societal rights, and this class of rights has been embraced by western societies with the same energy as civil and political rights. Patient pick can be viewed as the merger of societal rights ( entree to attention ) , consumer rights and civil rights ( single autonomies ) . Therefore, there will be really hard determinations to be made as a consequence of pick. Will neglecting infirmaries receive excess support to better or will they be closed? What if these infirmaries are to a great extent invested in merely to neglect subsequently? Will people object to local infirmary closings and the violation this causes on their societal rights? The political nature of infirmary closings a lready has an impact on local wellnesss economic systems. For case, clear grounds for this exists that demonstrates politically fringy constituency bask a greater figure of infirmaries than politically safe seats ( Bloom et al 2010 ) . Clinicians have besides accussed curates of assuring more than can be delivered and raising peoples outlooks ( Ham and Alberti 2002 ) . Decision This paper has demonstrated that patients want good, accessible services near to place, with wellness professionals they know and trust. Patients besides want a grade of flexibleness and pick when accessing health care, but this pick is limited to when, on occasion where ( if waiting times are significantly lower ) and what sort of intervention they would wish to have. This system is non merely good for patients, it is besides good for the wellness service as a whole. The increased capacity that pick allows for patients besides increases efficiency for the wellness service suppliers and pick in intervention leads to better wellness results for patients. There are a figure of restricting factors including geographical location and easiness of transit that prevent limitless pick and therefore competition. As all patients expect the intervention they receive on the NHS to be of the highest quality available and available to all ( equity ) , it is surprising to see pick being proposed as anything more than the basic pick described here. It is rather clear from the grounds presented that patients want limited ( suiting ) pick within a good local service. This outlook, possibly unluckily, means that patients can non be involved in existent and limitless pick as rationing determinations are tough and unpopular. It is for this ground, coupled with the predictable consequence that full competition will hold on infirmaries closings, that decision-making is volitionally passed on to elected politicians and civil retainers. How to cite Choice Or A Good Service Health And Social Care Essay, Essay examples

Friday, December 6, 2019

Echo Audits Apple Versus Microsoft Accounting Essay Example For Students

Echo Audits Apple Versus Microsoft Accounting Essay In this competitory concern environment every administrations are likely to demo their concerns for some cosmopolitan duties as a responsible member of the planet. Such duties are societal, environmental and economical. The sense of societal accounting is really non that easy to explicate precisely because the significance is different to different people. A corporation s societal duty is to do a net income ( Milton Friedman, The Economist ) . The most likely ground behind this review could be, for e.g. if the companies are making unusually good as a portion of their societal duties, it is obvious that the company will able to do good net income by acquiring positive response from stakeholders, clients concern entities etc. The construct of Social Accounting has become more of import as a consequence of industrial growing, which has brought in prosperity every bit good as jobs to society. If an organisation has to work efficaciously, it has to be accountable to the populace at big. Social Accounting is the subdivision of accounting which steps, analyse and record the society and the endeavor itself both in qualitative footings ( Ghosh, 2004 ) . Social Accounting is defined by Richard Dobbins and David Fanning as the measuring and coverage of information refering the impact of an entity and its activities on society . In the yesteryear, maximization of wealth was seen as a chief end of the companies. However, with the betterment in societal conditions and lifting criterions of life, stakeholders forced their companies to disclosure their answerability to society. The consumer s force per unit areas to promote the big corporations to act ethically and socially constructively was the construct of societal answerability emerged in Great Britain in the 70 s. Thirty old ages subsequently, several little and big, private or public companies voluntarily started to demo involvement in set uping their societal and in lucubrating a series of paperss to merely run into these demands ( Anderson, 1997 ) . Ackerman ( 1975 ) who argued that large concern was recognizing the demand to accommodate to a new societal clime of community answerability, but that the orientation of concern to fiscal consequences was suppressing societal reactivity. McDonald A ; Puxty ( 1979 ) on the other manus maintain that companies are no longer the instruments of stockholders entirely but exist within society and so hence have duties to that society, and that there is hence a displacement towards the greater answerability of companies to all participants. Implicit in this concern with the effects of the actions of an administration on its external environment is the acknowledgment that it is non merely the proprietors of the administration who have a concern with the activities of that administration. From the impression of CSR it is possible to deduce the complementary construct of answerability ( AccountAbility, 1999 ) , which means that the company is held accountable for its actions. If companies want to pull off CSR and sustainability issues and obtain the trust of their stakeholders they must non merely communicate, but besides give concrete grounds that they are committed to continual, long-run betterment. Therefore, a sustainability and responsibility-oriented company must specify appropriate systems to mensurate, control and evaluate corporate public presentation. Outline1 Cardinal indexs of good Social Accounting_ gt ;2 Inclusivity_ gt ;3 Comparability_ gt ;4 Completeness_ gt ;5 Evolution_ gt ;6 Management policies and systems_ gt ;7 Disclosure_ gt ;8 External verification_ gt ;9 Continuous improvement_ gt ;10 Global Standards for Social Accounting11 ISO 9000 SERIES OF STANDARDS ON QUALITY MANAGEMENT12 ISO 14000 SERIES OF STANDARDS ON ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT13 AA 1000 Framework_ gt ; Cardinal indexs of good Social Accounting_ gt ; As Zadek et Al ( 1997 ) introduced eight cardinal elements of good societal accounting or history. These are inclusivity, comparison, completeness, development, direction and political relations system, revelation, external confirmation, uninterrupted betterment. Cabaret Essay3. The International Standards Organisation ( ISO ) ISO has developed an extended scope of criterions. Among those that are straight related to corporate duty are those that refer to quality and the environment through the ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 series. ISO 9000 SERIES OF STANDARDS ON QUALITY MANAGEMENT The ISO 9000 household is chiefly concerned with quality direction . This means what the administration does to carry through the client s quality demands, and applicable regulative demands, while taking to heighten client satisfaction and achieve continual betterment of its public presentation in chase of these aims. More specifically, ISO 9001:2000 is used if an administration is seeking to set up a direction system that provides assurance in the conformity of their merchandise to set up or specified demands. It is now the lone criterion in the ISO 9000 household against whose demands a quality system can be certified by an external bureau. ISO 14000 SERIES OF STANDARDS ON ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT The most popular sort of environmental direction system ( EMS ) is developed in conformity with ISO 14001:2004, an international criterion which was published for the first clip in 1996 as ISO 14001:1996 by the International Organisation for Standardisation ( ISO ) and which was reviewed and published once more in 2004. ISO 14001:2004 defines an environmental direction system as that portion of the overall direction system of an administration that includes organizational construction, be aftering activities, duties, patterns, processs, procedures and resources for developing, implementing, accomplishing, reexamining and keeping the environmental policy. 4. Social Accountability International ( SAI ) In 1997, Social Accountability International ( SAI ) was established and convened an expert, international, multi-stakeholder, Advisory Board to spouse in developing criterions and systems to turn to workers rights. Representatives of trade brotherhoods, human rights administrations, academe, retail merchants, makers, contractors, every bit good as consulting, accounting, and enfranchisement houses, by consensus, co-operated to develop the SA 8000 ( SA 8000 ) Standard. Published in late 1997 and revised in 2001, the SA 8000 Standard and confirmation system is a believable, comprehensive and efficient tool for guaranting humane workplaces. Standards for describing are evidently of import as they enable comparing and benchmarking, every bit good as the trailing of alteration over clip. Indeed Robson ( 1992 ) extends this and states that one of the qualities of such coverage is that it enables action at a distance which he describes as lettering. In making so, this emphasises the function of describing criterions in enabling the transferring of best pattern. AA 1000 Framework_ gt ; In November 1999 AccountAbility ( ISEA, Institute of Social and Ethical AccountAbility ) published Accountability 1000 ( AA1000 ) ( AccountAbility, 1999 ) . AA 1000 Framework the AA 1000 Framework was developed to assist administrations construct their societal duty and a† Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ answerability through high quality accounting, a† Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ auditing and coverage. It is driven by inclusivity and requires administrations to incorporate stakeholder battle processes into their core direction activities. This included subdivisions on intent and rules, model for integrating, a† Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ confidence and stakeholder battle. The AA 1000AS is based on appraisal of studies against three rules: Materiality does the sustainability study provide an history covering all the countries of public presentation that stakeholders need to judge the administration s sustainability public presentation? Completeness is the information complete and accurate plenty to measure and understand the administration s public presentation in all these countries? Responsiveness has the administration responded coherently and systematically to stakeholders concerns and involvements?

Friday, November 29, 2019

Gender in Orlando Essay Example

Gender in Orlando Essay The character of Orlando stands in front of a mirror and we see her obviously female form reflected back.But the film Orlando, named after its main character, is more than half over, and up till now Orlando has not just portrayed a man, but has been a man.And as she, for Orlando is undoubtedly she, looks at her own reflection in the glass, she quips, Same person no difference at all.Just a different sex. This fantastical film is based on the book of the same name written in 1928 by Virginia Woolf, and it follows Orlando over four centuries.Never aging a day, Orlando is a man for the 17th and most of the 18th century.After almost two hundred years, in the mid 18th century, an aversion to war and violence, and a mans duty to partake of the two, lead Orlando to make a choice to change genders, and she continues as female into the present day.Throughout this amazing life and miraculous transformation the film shows us that there are unwritten rules for what makes a man, or woman, and th at these rules generally lie only on the surface.When she claims that she is the same person, regardless of sex, Orlando highlights [the] instability of gender and the signifiers of fashion for gender . . . are exposed and subverted (Ferriss Waites 110). The film Orlando illustrates the idea that gender identity is dictated by cultural conditioning, and that there is a kind of freedom in androgyny.Throughout the film Orlando Sally Potter, the director, focuses on gender and the search for identity through gender.Every major character within the film evokes a strong response to either their masculine or feminine traits, however, these judgements are based solely on societal clues.For example, the beginning of the film depicts Queen Elizabeth I in all her glory and finery.We know she is female because of our knowledge of her historical presence, because of the distinctly female atti

Monday, November 25, 2019

Theory Of Knowledge And Its Justification

Theory Of Knowledge And Its Justification In our fields of study such as: Natural Sciences, Human Sciences, and history, we seek to find order against the vast amount of uncertainties. To find this order, we will predict the cause, and then attempt to explain and understand the phenomena, whether physical, emotional, or mental. The direction we take to find these justifications is very different. The knowledge of natural sciences, and knowledge of history becomes encompassed by the idea that knowledge in and of itself is our beliefs supported by evidence, and justified for their certainty and truth.‚ ¡Ã‚‚ ®Justify,‚ ¡Ã‚‚ ¯ holds to prove something right, and to support our beliefs. To justify in some instances is rule out the oddity, to prove someone or something else wrong. We as the knower, and the keeper of knowledge relates it to many different fields. These fields are all connected with each other with one commonality, knowledge, and the justification of our own beliefs that hold to be true.Faculty o f Natural SciencesOlen considered the levels of certainty, and the levels of justification. Can we prove something to be truer than the other? He explained the ‚ ¡Ã‚‚ ®justification‚ ¡Ã‚‚ ¯ of thoughts through ‚ ¡Ã‚‚ ®Justification Chains‚ ¡Ã‚‚ ¯ and ‚ ¡Ã‚‚ ®Webs of Belief.‚ ¡Ã‚‚ ¯ However, there were some inconsistencies in a ‚ ¡Ã‚‚ ®justification chain.‚ ¡Ã‚‚ ¯ This chain was linear, but is all our knowledge one straight line? Our ideas stem from anywhere and everywhere, therefore, do not agree with the justification chain. One example can be stemmed form the Natural Sciences.Natural Sciences seek to find regularities across the physical phenomena. Its main goal is to explain and understand this phenomena, but it must first predict the cause. The scientist then creates the hypothesis to the problem. Without the creation of this hypothesis, in science there would be not way of proving and justifying the hypothesis. To justify in the natural sciences...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Prevention Strategy Before the Commencement of John's Chemotherapy Essay

Prevention Strategy Before the Commencement of John's Chemotherapy - Essay Example Prevention Strategy before the Commencement of John’s Chemotherapy The diagnosis and treatment of colorectal surgery requires adequate prior preparation. A well coordinated approach and agreement between the patient, nurses, surgeon, and radiation oncologist is exceptionally critical and necessary for a successful treatment. Prior to the surgery, the leading clinician ought to hold a thorough discussion with the colorectal cancer patient, the family and other health professionals to come to a consensus on the best treatment mechanism to employ in the treatment of the patient (Rankin 89). This open and interactive discussion with the key stakeholders will as well provide an avenue to examine the possible outcome of the treatment, the aim and the rationale of the surgery, likely positive and negative effect, the available treatment options, as well as possible psychological support to the family and the patient. In contemporary healthcare sector, practitioners have developed var ious strategies necessary in the commencement of any chemotherapy to prevent the occurrence of any side effect. In John’s case, the most effective strategy to prevent the prevailing side effects was the comprehensive use of primary prevention strategy (Epstein 1037). By using the primary prevention strategy, it was possible to reduce the risk of emergence sore and ulcers infections which was associated with cancer treatment. According to Epstein (1037), primary prevention strategy is relevant and effective during the pre-exposure period as well as in the initial and promotion stage of cancer treatment. This strategy was appropriate in preventing John from... The researcher of this essay states that once an individual has been diagnosed with colorectal cancer, it is of great significance that the extent of the disease be established. Once distant or regional metastases are identified, a combination of various therapies such as surgical are applied. The initial treatment intervention for the colorectal cancer is the removal of primary tumor through surgery. Approximately 20-30% of patients with colorectal cancer get diagnosed when the disease has already advanced. In such a situation, curative intervention is nearly impossible. As in the case study, John has undergone surgery. After surgery, he agrees to receive adjuvant chemotherapy which comprises of fluorouracil. After a few days, John returns for Chemotherapy third cycle. Patients undergoing such a treatment report various side effects such as temporary hair thinning or loss, dizziness and the resurfacing of painful sores inside the mouth lining and in some cases on the lips. With appr opriate interventions in place, the severity of the symptoms experienced by individuals suffering from colorectal cancer can be adequately managed as the disease advances. When the patient’s pain, distress or anxiety is well managed, there is improvement in their quality of life. Pain management plan is often developed once health care professionals assess pain. The main objective of pain management is to allow the patient to achieve maximum function and comfort. This should be accompanied with minimal analgesic therapy side effects.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

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

Solution - Essay Example 2014). Content marketing targets attracting and retaining the customers of a business through continuous creation and development of content which are focused on changing the behaviour of the consumers (What is Content Marketing? 2014). The contents for content marketing have to be in association with the particular needs of the business, which would essentially vary from one company to another. Hence in order to achieve successful content marketing, the goals of the business have to be clearly set and planned (Baer, 2014). This step involves identifying the audience to whom the content would be targeted. There should be a particular aim of the execution of a particular content. Hence in this step, the business organization needs to identify the aim or the purpose that the business wants the content to fulfil (Baer, 2014). This is the step where the business needs to identify what it is producing, when, and for whom. This is extremely important since the content will have to be based on this information. The information and the audience have to be connected through the content being developed (Baer, 2014). Atomization would involve considering a key or a major idea related to the business, and executing smaller contents from the big concept. This is a form of reinvention which would help the business to create innovative contents for its purpose of marketing (Baer, 2014). This step suggests that the content marketing needs to be marketed by the business. Contents cannot be just created and people be attracted. Content executions will have to be created such as the product, and they will be required to be launched in the market like a business would do with a product. Integrated marketing tactics need to be followed for this purpose to bring the contents in front of the public (Baer, 2014). Contents are more effective for marketing if they are measured. By this it is meant that the business needs to measure

Monday, November 18, 2019

Benefits Of Educational Programs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Benefits Of Educational Programs - Essay Example It appears that students who are unable to perform well in school feel that they are stupid or inferior and unlikely to succeed in life, which in turn leads them into drugs and a life of crime. As a result, including educational programs in prisons may be beneficial in reducing the recidivism rates by providing offenders the opportunity to improve their chances of getting a job rather than having no other option but to offend again. This research study will examine the benefits of educational programs and poses the research question: Can improvement in educational programs lead to a reduction in the tendency to take up criminal activity' Behrman and Stacey (1997) are of the view that providing training in parenting and following this up with early childhood education, school based supervision of teenagers and getting them involved in educational programs designed to promote community cohesion could be helpful in reducing crime (Behrman and Stacey, 1997:240). This implies that schools can play a significant role in reducing crime by providing education and supervision necessary to prevent young people turning to a life of crime. Another study that was carried out to examine the association between mental health disorders and offending identified four key groups of young people with emotional and behavioral difficulties as being at risk for offending. The study found that recidivism is more prevalent among young offenders with mental health problems, with young people from ethnic minorities being over represented. Since crime tends to be centred in low income, minority group neighbourhoods, this further suggests that educational programs could help to address the causes of crime such as poverty, by providing a means to less affluent members of society to be able to find a means to improve their lot and their chances of succeeding in later life. (Behrman and Stacey, 1997:240). In a study of young prison inmates, the findings suggested that criminal behaviour in juveniles could be deterred by offering solutions such as better educational opportunities through smaller classes and more individual teacher attention, sports programs, training for jobs and greater involvement by churches (De la Torre, 1997). For example, in the U.K., adolescents are being offered the opportunity to train as apprentices, in order to better prepare them and equip them with the necessary job skills to function within a competitive environment. In yet another study that was carried out by Dr. Stan Kaseno at the San Bernardino juvenile hall, the findings showed that 70 to 75% of the inmates who had problems in visual processing (www.newhopecharitablefoundation.org). Most of these inmates also demonstrated recidivism and were not in prison for the first time. Dr. Kaseno found however, that when these inmates were given educational vision development exercises to correct the problems of convergence, tracking and similar problems, the rates of recidivism of such prisoners dropped to below 16%. This provides a strong indication that the vision processing problems could well have contributed to the feelings of inferiority of the inmates, leading to low self esteem. This also places such young people experiencing feelings of low self worth at risk of dropping out of school or taking to drugs and similar activities, all of which can contribute to criminal activity and recidivism. The Long Beach community has commenced the Safe and Smart After

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Capital Structure Effect on Performance in Renewable Energy

Capital Structure Effect on Performance in Renewable Energy Sarah Sophia Hamdi â€Å"Capital Structure Effects on Firm Performance in the Renewable Energy Sector: Evidence from Germany† 1. Explanation of your dissertation topic (about 800 words) Overall motivation and objectives: The Kyoto Protocol induced a growing number of countries to establish targets for renewable energy supplies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as to increase energy security. These targets are either expressed in terms of installed capacity or as a percentage of energy consumption. These targets have served as important catalysts for increasing the share of renewable energy throughout the world. As a result of the growing share of energy generated from renewable sources such as wind, water and biomass Germany’s energy supply is becoming â€Å"greener† from year to year. As shown in graph 1 in 2014 renewables already accounted for 25.8 per cent of the gross power production in Germany. On 1 April 2000 the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) went into force and lead to a massive increase of the renewable energy production in the electricity sector, from under 40 to over 140 billion of kilowatt per hours (see graph 2). Graph 1: Gross power production in Germany in 2014 Source: AG Energiebilanzen, as of: December 2014 Graph 2: Gross electricity generation in billions of kilowatt-hours Source: BMWi based on Working Group on Renewable Energies Statistics (AGEE-Stat, August 2014; Preliminary figures) The German government wants to further expand this share by the year 2025, the aim is to produce 40 to 45 per cent of electricity from renewable sources and 55 to 60 per cent by the year 2035. These numbers indicate that renewable energy companies increasingly need to compete efficiently against existing companies generating energy through other power sources such as oil, nuclear and hard coal energy etc. As investments in renewable energy plants grow, so do the risks inherent in owning, building and operating such plants. Excluding debt, business risk is the basic risk of firms operations and one of the factors that influence a companys capital-structure decision making. The level of business risk is shaped not only by the companies’ decisions but by whats happening to the industry and the economy. The renewable energy industry is effected by numerous sector specific risks such as building and testing risk, business, environmental, financial, market, operational, political/regulatory and weather related volume risk. In such a risky industry, what otherwise would be an appropriate and safe amount of debt becomes more dangerous and unstable, so that normally equity financing is safer than through debt. However firms that are in the growth stage of their cycle typically finance that process through debt and borrow money to enable their growth. The conflict that arises with this m ethod is that the revenues of growth firms are typically unstable and unproven. Meaning that a high debt load is usually not appropriate due to the danger of financial embarrassments. Hence as companies expand their investments in renewable energy projects, funding is a particular challenge and questions about firms’ capital structure decisions are not easily answered. Theoretical background: Over the last few decades much research has been done on whether a relationship between capital structure and a firms financial performance exists. At this point I would like to include a detailed literature review. Franco Modigliani and Merton Miller formed with their theorem the foundation for modern thinking on capital structure. They developed the Capital Structure Irrelevance Proposition where they hypothesized that in perfect markets the capital structure of a firm does not influence its performance. Nevertheless the theorem is generally viewed as a highly theoretical hypothesis, since it disregards important factors such as transaction costs and uncertainty, it was often used as the basis for further research in the last decades. The pecking-order theory, the agency theory and the trade-off theory are the three main theories discussing the optimal capital structure of a firm. All of them follow different approaches which I will summarise and contrast with each other. The different theories and findings raise key questions such as whether it is possible to identify an optimal capital structure for firms operating in the important and future-oriented industry of renewable energies. Research analysis and methodology: Following to the introduction of the key theories and the literature review on this topic I would like to carry out my own quantitative study and run a regression analysis with financial data of 20 companies operating in the renewable energy sector, including wind, solar, bio and water energy in Germany. Due to the fact that non-listed firms are not required to disclose their financial accounts my data will be gained from listed companies that are obligated to share the relevant information. I would like to examine whether there exists a relationship between the implemented capital structure and the firms performance measured in return on equity and share price. Equations: (1) (2) Where: return on equity for firm i in year t. : price of a share for firm i at year t. : financial leverage for firm i at year t .: tangible assets for firm i at year t. : size of the firm i at year t. : growth of the firm i at year t. Tangible assets, size and growth serve as control variables whereas financial leverage of the firm is considered as the main variable to express the capital structure. My aim is to be able to match one of the three theories and to identify an optimal capital structure for renewable energy firms. In order to interpret the findings of the quantitative analysis I would also like to include a complementary qualitative research analysis for example through directors’ statements on their financing decisions. 2. List of References (no minimum number required, but as acceptable by your supervisor) Agnihotri, A. (2014): Impact of Strategy Capital Structure on Firms overall Financial Performance, Strategic Change, Vol. 23, No. 1-2, pp. 15-20. Ben Ayed, W. H., and Zouari, S. G. (2014): Capital Structure and Financing of SMEs: The Tunisian Case. International Journal of Economics and Finance, Vol. 6, No. 5, pp. 96-111. Bouraoui, T., and Li, T. (2014): The Impact of Adjustment in Capital Structure in Mergers Acquisitions on us Acquirers’ Business Performance. The Journal of Applied Business Research, Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 27-41. Economist Intelligence Unit (2011): Managing the risk in renewable energy. A report from the Economist Intelligence Unit Sponsored by Swiss Re. file:///C:/Users/Sarah/Downloads/Managing-The-Risk-In-Renewable-Energy.pdf Gill, A. and Biger, N. and Mathur, N. (2011): The Effect of Capital Structure on Profitability: Evidence from the United States. International Journal of Management, Vol. 28, No.4, pp. 3-. Green, J. (2010): Renewable energy projects: Risk and insurance elements. Technical feature – Construction Engineering, www.meinsurancereview.com, pp. 41-42. Hatfield, G. B. and Louis, T. W. and Davidson, W. N. (1994): The determination of optimal capital structure: The effect of firm and industry debt ratios on market value. Journal of Financial and Strategic Decisions, Vol. 7, No. 3, pp. 1-14. Holz, C. A. (2002): The Impact of the Liability-Asset Ratio on Profitability in Chinas Industrial State-Owned Enterprises. China Economic Review, Vol. 13, pp. 1-26. Majumdar, S. K. and Chhibber, P. (1999): Capital Structure and Performance: Evidence from a Transition Economy on an Aspect of Corporate Governance. Public Choice, Vol. 98, pp. 287-305. Margaritis, D., and Psillaki, M. (2007): Capital structure and firm efficiency, Journal of Business Finance and Accounting, Vol. 34, No. 9, pp. 1447-1469. Modigliani, F. and Miller, M. (1958): The Cost of Capital, Corporation Finance and The Theory of Investment, The American Economic Review, Vol. 48, No. 3, pp. 261-97. Modigliani, F. and Miller, M. (1963): Corporate Income Taxes and the Cost of Capital: a Correction. The American Economic Review, Vol. 53, pp. 443-53. Myers, S. (1984): Capital structure puzzle, The Journal of Finance, Vol. 39, Issue 3, pp. 574–592. Omondi, M. M., and Muturi, W. (2013): Factors Affecting the Financial Performance of Listed Companies at the Nairobi Securities Exchange in Kenya. Research Journal of Finance and Accounting, Vol. 4, No. 15, pp. 99-105. Onaolapo, A. and Kajola,O. (2010): Capital Structure and Firm Performance: Evidence from Nigeria. European Journal of Economics, Finance and Administrative Sciences, Vol. 25, pp. 70-82. Pathirawasam, C. (2013): Internal Factors which Determine Financial Performance of firms: With Special Reference to Ownership Concentration. pp. 62-72. Rajan, R. G., and Zingales, L. (1995): What Do We Know about Capital Structure? Some Evidence from International Data. The Journal of Finance, Vol. 50, No. 5, pp. 1421–1460. Shyam-Sunder, L. and Myers, C. (1999): Testing static trade off against pecking order models of capital structure. Journal of Financial Economics, Vol. 51, No. 2, pp. 219–244. Soumadi, M. and Hayajneh, O. (2012): Capital structure and corporate performance, Empirical study on the public Jordanian shareholding firms listed in the Amman stock market. European Scientific Journal, Vol. 8, No. 22, pp. 173-189. Stiglitz, J. E. (1969): A Re-Examination of the Modigliani-Miller Theorem. American Economic Review, Vol. 59, No. 5, pp. 784-794. Tailab, M. M. K. (2014): The Effect of Capital Structure on Profitability of Energy American Firms. Journal of Business and Management Invention, Vol. 3, No. 12, pp. 54-61. Titman, S. (1988): The Determinants of Capital Structure Choice. The Journal of Finance, Vol. 43, No. 1, pp. 1-19. Umer, U. M. (2014): Determinants of Capital Structure: Empirical Evidence from Large Taxpayer Share Companies in Ethiopia. International Journal of Economics and Finance, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 53-65. Wippern, R. (1966): Financial Structure and the Value of the Firm. The Journal of Finance, Vol. 21; No. 4, pp. 615-633. Links: Bundesministerium fà ¼r Wirtschaft und Energie (BMWi): http://www.bmwi.de/EN/Topics/Energy/Renewable-Energy/renewable-energy-at-a-glance.html

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Essay --

Affirmative Action Affirmative action in the United States is loosely defined as a policy that redresses the disadvantages of certain minority groups as a result of past discrimination, such as African Americans and Latinos, by giving them preferential treatment with respect to employment and university admissions. In particular, affirmative action has generated a great deal of controversy in university admissions, which has resulted in several Supreme Court cases. Proponents of the policy claim that affirmative action is permissible because a) certain racial groups have suffered from a long past of discrimination and b) there is evidence showing the educational benefits that result from a racially diverse student body reflective of the racial makeup of the United States. Although affirmative action may be a well-intentioned policy whose supporting arguments are based upon true historic facts, the policy as a whole is morally impermissible and only serves to perpetuate the issues it claims to address. In addition, the arguments in favor of affirmative action have several key issues, which include: a) not all groups that have suffered from discrimination benefit from the policy, b) using the two wrongs make a right fallacy to justify discrimination against nonminority groups, c) vague terms such as â€Å"critical mass,† d) assuming that an applicant is disadvantaged solely on the basis of race, e) stereotyping minority groups, and f) the contested definition of race in general. For centuries, African Americans and Native Americans have suffered from blatant discrimination, unjustified theft of land, grueling enslavement, death marches, cruel medical experiments, systematic lynchings, and genocide. Although most Hispanics never had to co... ... believe blacks can achieve in every avenue of American life without the meddling of university administrators.† Therefore, the solution to this issue of academic performance is bettering the education system in poverty stricken areas. If all racial and economic groups had access to equal educational opportunities, then they would all have the same capability to succeed in university admissions, given they are determined to do so. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: â€Å"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.† Unfortunately, Dr. King’s dream has not yet come true, since African Americans are still judged (whether it be positively or negatively is beside the point) on the basis of their skin color when it comes to college admissions.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Manage Quality Customer Service Essay

DESCRIPTION OF THE ORGANISATION Telstra Corporation Limited is a Public Company that is ranked number 9 out of the top 2000 companies in Australia stated on Ibis World a Business reporting site (World, Ibis, 2011). The company generates the majority of its income from the Telecommunication Services in Australia industry. Telstra has employed 39,790 people by June, there end of Financial Year 2011. Since 2009 its current CEO, is David Thodey. (Telstra, 2011) The name â€Å"Telstra† is derived from the word Telecommunication Australia. The (TEL) is from Telecommunication and (STRA) from Australia. The creation of this name was trading under â€Å"Telecom Australia† domestically until a constant branding of â€Å"Telstra† was introduced throughout the entire organisation in 1995. (About Telstra Fast Facts,2011). Business Operations †¢ Book and Telephone Directory Publishing in Australia Telecommunications and Other Electrical and Electronic Equipment Wholesaling in Australia Telecommunication Services in Australia Wired Telecommunications Carriers in Australia Mobile Telecommunications Carriers in Australia Internet Service Providers in Australia Online Information Services in Australia Telstra’s Business Units †¢ Telstra Consumer including Country services the metropolitan, regional, rural and remote areas of Australia. It provides telecommunications products and services, for home and mobile phones and devices, to fixed and wireless internet as well as Pay TV services. †¢ Telstra Enterprise & Government (TE&G) is the leading provider of network solutions and services to Enterprise and Governments in Australia. †¢ Telstra Business is another division responsible for serving the needs of Australia’s small to medium enterprises (SME) with fixed phone line, mobile and broadband. Data and Internet solutions can be tailored for business. IDENTIFY THE TARGET CUSTOMER Age of Customer Age Group 55+ 35-44 25-34 45-54 8-24 Customers 2008/09 9.9% 30.6% 23.9% 25.7% 9.8% 2009/10 11.1% 30.5% 24.3% 25.9% 8.2% 2010/11 12.0% 29.9% 24.4% 26.3% 7.4% Telstra provide products and services to Home and Family (residential), Businesses, Government and Wholesale customers. This also includes a Disability Equipment Program for people with a disability and Access for everyone packages for people on a low income. The chart found in a Telstra Sustainability Report (Davies, Paul; Migonneau, Bastein, 2011) shows the percentage of different aged group customers that have been connected with Telstra. Source: (Davies, Paul; Migonneau, Bastein, 2011) KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS Key performance indicators (KPIs) are ways to periodically assess the performances of organisations, business units, and their departments and employees. They measure the process through a SMART criterion by Specific – Measurable – Achievable – Relevant – Time. Monitoring KPI as a whole and through staff performance The Call Centre Activity chart shows the percentage of customers that called and counts for each action that can occur once a call has been queued to a call centre. This is one form of measuring call centre KPI. People must learn to work together, ask for help, training etc. and understand how to relate to one another otherwise the team’s output will be less than it could be. This Call Centre chart generated a report that includes statistics relating to one call centers. The chart report provides information related to how calls are handled by call centers once they have been queued. Successful leaders care for and support colleagues and employees. Treating people with respect, demonstrating integrity, and showing empathy strengthen the development of trust and confidence in the workplace. In order to make your teamwork on their set goals, performance and meet KPI you must demonstrate that you are reliable, honest, and trustworthy and that you walk your talk. They need to see your values in action and that you have their best interests at heart. They need to see that you value openness and  honesty in offering and receiving feedback. SERVICE TARGETS As technology has grown, so has the ease by which information can be generated and presented to management and stakeholders. Today, everyone seems concerned about information overload, From my thorough investigations online I can report that service targets are reported quarterly to identify opportunities for improvement and outline progress of achievement and adjustments if needed are also made at this point. The most informative reports I found online from 2010-2012 on Telstra are: †¢ Financial Results for Half Year ended 31 December 2011 †¢ Telstra Corporation Limited and controlled entities and †¢ Telstra Sustainability Report 2011 They all outline the results of Telstra’s performance, goals and statistics in achieving their customer service/product commitments. When organisations constantly review their service delivery, they gather an enormous amount of data. The data collected is important and crucial to the ongoing survival of the organisation and therefore it must be recorded, maintained and be accessible. The financial report â€Å"Financial Results for Half Year ended 31 December 2011† (Laird, Jason; McKechnie, Nicole, 2012) presented by David Thodey CEO & acting CFO Mark Hall has been published and reports that Telstra announced its strategy continues to deliver financial benefits. Report Statistics & Targets for 2012 Business revenue results discussed by the Directors from Telstra’s â€Å"Financial report half year ended 31 December’ 2011† (Laird, Jason; McKechnie, Nicole ;, 2012) are as follows: †¢ Total revenue increased by -1.1% or $136 million  to $12,419 million †¢ Net Profit After Tax increased by -22.9% or $274 million to $1,468 million In relation to the 2011 Sustainability Report (Davies, Paul; Migonneau, Bastein, 2011) Telstra believes that monitoring, measuring and reporting their progress helps them to improve on their service performance and lists this in figure 3. Figure 3 Telstra’s Values & Priorities For 2012 Source:(Davies, Paul; Migonneau, Bastein, 2011) FEEDBACK ON STAFF PERFORMANCE Telstra’s performance review process incorporates two informal quarterly reviews and a formal annual and half yearly review, targeting business results and leadership. Each team and section of Telstra has reward and recognition schemes in place to reward and encourage top performers. Telstra has a variety of incentive plans, tailored to different sectors of their workforce, which is designed to encourage high performance by rewarding employees for meeting and exceeding performance objectives. Another way of accessing performance is by collating data on customer’s feedback about the individual consultant. All results can be produced through a team email, meeting or coaching. Obtaining a 360-degree feedback will be most valuable in assessing their strengths and weaknesses. The 360degree should be performed and completed by their manager and up to five of their peers with whom they work. This assessment will let the business and employer know what people they work with think about their attitude, performance, and business ethics. Performance Appraisals Determines: †¢ Rewards and/or promotions for an individual who is meeting /exceeding performance †¢ Identify and discuss gaps in skills, knowledge and attitudes that impact on an individual’s performance †¢ Identify and discuss environmental or workplace weaknesses preventing the individual from meeting their goals and objectives and †¢ Identifies an individual’s future training and development needs Most staff members will expect that they will be  required to give feedback at the end of their appraisal. What is important is team members are made to feel that management will actually take notice of their feedback and use it to coach and make any improvements. Live Performance Monitoring I have provided a sample bar chart below from when I worked at Telstra. The chart displays how a team’s Adherence on calls is monitored by the sales teams. As you see the amount of calls answered is the first column which is then followed by the activities that one undertakes while on that call. The red highlighted boxes indicate improvement is required as the KPI target for AHT is 630min and Adherence is 88% while your wrap should be the lowest possible as this is when the call has ended and your phone is sitting in Not Ready status, the key here is finish what you are doing while customer is on the phone & be in READY status for the next call. This Report is also part of the scorecard paying system to calculate any sales bonus Figure 4 Activity Chart Sales Call Centre KPI Targets AHT: 630 Adherence: 88% Source:( Pusca, et al., 2012) Figure 4 shown in this report is my own collection of statistical results I obtained when working at Telstra in 2011/2012. The results are solely only for the purpose of this assignment. Names of Staff members have intentionally been removed for privacy STRATEGIES TO ADAPT CUSTOMER SERVICE The only measure that will connect a business with the relevance of the work a staff member is performing is to find out if customers are happy or not with their service. You need to measure how the customer judges the outcome of the product or service, through a phone or email survey at the end of each business discussion. Telstra have this process in place. The process is completed by asking the customer to stay on the line while at the end of the call while you transfer them through to a questioner/ survey about your performance today. The rating is from 1 (lowest) & 5 (highest) then next they will be ask to provide any feedback. Statistics can be taken via the login of the consultant’s phone that produces a per cent % on how many customers were transferred to the questioner /survey. Customer Survey Satisfaction Result Telstra’s Customer Support Services is also launching an initiative to revisit the handling and processing of customer requests for prompt reliable services and assistance. For the past few years, Telstra have proactively been monitoring the â€Å"First Contact Resolution† (FCR) metric as a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) of 80%. This is a ‘voice of the customer’ driven strategy – reported in a Corporate Responsibility Report (Inc, 2012) we are doing a lot more listening. We are implementing tools and processes that allow us to clearly understand and fix main points for our customers states David Thodey CEO. As well as the phone interaction customers have with staff Telstra has established a new online panel – My Telstra Experience – so that customers can regularly tell them what they think of their experiences and where they need to improve on service. 2 Figure 5 Compliance MTD1F Increase FCR Staff Must: †¢ Set the right expectation to the customer about the call (how long it takes to process the order, keep the customer in the loop) †¢ Follow the correct hold procedure (set the expectation on how long they may need to wait) †¢ To reduce repeat calls within 7 days by giving the right contact numbers to customers i.e. for any IT Support or Bigpond enquiries– please give out the correct number, that way in will not affect your FCR. †¢ When transferring, give the customer the number for the department you are transferring them to. Encourage customers to call the number provided for future reference or in case, the call drops out. SOURCE : (Dave, 2012) Remember to ask – Can you please stay on the line to answer 2 questions regarding my customer service today? FEEDBACK TO MANAGEMENT ON MEETING/EXCEEDING KPI’S Within a call center, there are common business roles. There is Centre Managers for each department, Team Leaders, and Agents. †¢ The Centre Manager will have a number of Team Leaders reporting to them. They will be responsible for the recruitment, development and coaching of those who directly report to them. The Team Leader’s role is to ensure individual agents are performing against targets, reviewing their performance and coaching/training them to do so. The Team Leaders will meet on a regular basis with the Centre Manager to provide feedback and to receive instructions or actions that need to take place. The Team Leader is responsible for keeping their agents informed of what is happening in the centre and anything that may affect the agent’s key tasks or performance targets. It is good management practice to consult and reflect on employees and other managers for feedback on a regular basis. Feedback allows one to gain input from others including, praise, criticism and suggestions for improvement. The Report Providing Performance feedback to Management when their team has achieved KPI is an extraordinary accomplishment. Feedback is backed up with reports and they can include: †¢ Documentation of expected results †¢ Standards of performance †¢ Progress toward achieving of results †¢ How well they were achieved †¢ Examples indicating achievement A report outlines the performance of team and individual staff members and how they have progressed since the last monthly/quarterly report. It will also show a comparison of whether they have improved or dropped in performance and if any training is required to fill gaps. Figure 6 shown in this report is my own collection of statistical results I obtained when working at Telstra in 2011/2012. The results are solely only for the purpose of this assignment. The names of staff members have been removed for privacy A GAP ANALYSIS ON CUSTOMER SERVICE MEASURES The following performance reporting covers the 2011 financial year for Telstra Corporation Limited (Thodey, David; Hall, Mark, 2011). In 2012, Telstra continue to focus on simplifying their business and improving their processes in order to better serve its customers. Telstra’s Primary Goals: †¢ †¢Serve the needs of its customers Improving online services & support Make Telstra a great place to work Reduce Telstra’s TIO complaints Contribute resources – people, money, technology, products, and services To support the communities Strengthen the capability of the nation’s telecommunications infrastructure, and providing a strong foundation for economic growth, productivity improvement, and global competitive advantage. Service Goals Figure 7 Gap Analysis Actual Performance 2011 6.8% Target as of June 2012 7.1% Gap Analysis Corrective Action 1. Customer Satisfaction 2. Improving online service 3. Telstra a great place to work 4. Reduce Telstra’s TIO complaints 5. To support the communities 6. Economic growth Success 0.3% Failed 13% Failed 0% Failed 6% Failed 21% Success 0.7% Listen to customers, undertake a cause analysis when issues arise, & fixing the areas that customers are not happy with i.e. pricing Improved online access for account enquiries on mobile phones & customers to easily manage their account online Launched a new reward & recognition program to recognise individuals & teams Conducted a review of system operations to ensure that privacy of customer information continues to be protected Provide communication technology training through grants, events, online content and DVDs They engage more with community organisations on issues impacting the lives of children and young people 22% 75% 24% 44,000 people $24.80 million 35% 76% 30% 80, 000 people $25,06 million Source: (CSG, Customer Service Guarantee) 1. Telstra reached a 3% per cent improvement in customer satisfaction. Their approach is to be able to connect with the customer, understand and exceed their expectations, respond to and solve customer complaints and fulfil expectations 2. Improving online services and encouraging customers to go online will help reduce call centre call queue and visiting Telstra stores. This should have enhanced the customer experience. Telstra failed by 13% of online customer interaction with staff. 3. In 2012 Telstra’s goal was to  Improved development performance by 1%, they failed 4. The Telecommunications industry Ombudsman (TIO) records complaint issues under several broad categories. Telstra had set a target to reduce TIO complaints by 30% in 2012 though failed by 6% 5. In 2010/11, the total value of Telstra’s social investment was $248 million. Increased numbers of people to be trained to know how to use mobile, internet etc. was set from 44,000 to 62,447. Telstra failed by 21 % 6. A key driver to the increase has also been the focus on improving customer service through investments made to improve the customer experience including improvements to the online Telstra portal and the implementation of the after hours customer service line. CONCLUSION Telstra is Australia’s leading full service telecommunications and information services company. It offers a wide range of fixed and mobile telecommunications, and information products and services across Australia and overseas. Telstra uses its own network infrastructure. In addition, Telstra provides wholesale services to other telecommunications retailers, who then provide services, including voice, broadband and data services, to their own end user customers. Over the past year Telstra has recorded a turnaround in operational results, with strong customer growth. While not meeting majority of their targets, this year’s 2012 achievements must demonstrate real progress against their Service Goals. Telstra still have significant improvements to make and have set targets to improve their Service. In recent years, customer satisfaction in Australian telecommunications has failed to keep up with community expectations and consumers have responded with increasing complaints to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO). Customer Service is an essential factor in maintaining an organisation’s competitive edge in the marketplace. Many organisations are placing greater emphasis on developing a customer service culture and making it a priority. At the end of the day it is the people in the center who are the real influence on customers not the technology or the processes. A company can  have great products, great services, great technology and great processes, but it’s the people that bring it together and make it happen. To establish the right service quality standards is what Telstra need to bring into place. The following points list some standards I had not come across or not been mentioned by Telstra as one of their focuses for improvement †¢ †¢Top management commitment to providing service quality Set, communicate, and reinforce customer-oriented service standards Establish challenging and realistic service quality goals Train managers to be service quality leaders Be receptive to new ways to deliver service quality Standardise repetitive tasks Telstra recorded a 3 per cent improvement in customer satisfaction in 2011/2012, with a reduction in TIO complaints however did not meet the target and failed by 6 per cent they had set out to achieve. To attract and retain customers a business needs to recognise different customers want different things, and they need to provide products, solutions and service to cater to this. To differentiate themselves from their competitors, a business will benefit if they can demonstrate that they can provide the understanding and experience customers are seeking. Overall, the company is a dominant player and for the last five fiscal (financial) years of 2007 to 2011, continued to make up around 60% of the whole Australian communications services market. The significantly improved growth in customers returning to Telstra is tribute to the value in the company’s new mobile plans as well as their network quality. Telstra will continue to roll-out new products for all our customers, from individual to Corporate and Government customers, taking into consideration the feedback of what their customers have told them. They are committed to upholding the legislated Telecommunications Customer Service Guarantee Standard 2011 (â€Å"The CSG Standard†), as amended and issued by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (Thodey, David; Hall, Mark, 2011) The objective of the Customer Service Guarantee is to impose a minimum level of performance on telecommunications carriers and service providers, for specified services, so that the quality of that service should not deteriorate in any way but will improve significantly and should enable consumers to enjoy a reasonable level of service. (ACA, 1999)

Saturday, November 9, 2019

The Misery by Anton Chekhov Essays

The Misery by Anton Chekhov Essays The Misery by Anton Chekhov Paper The Misery by Anton Chekhov Paper Name: Tutor: Course: Date: The Misery by Anton Chekhov 1. Misery is a short story written by Anton Chekhov. Constance Garnett translated it from Russian to English. Chekhov began writing with the purpose of raising funds for his medical education at Moscow University and upkeep for his family. In 1884, the author graduated from the University and began his medical practice. In 1886, he published his acclaimed work, Misery. The story in question revolves around Iona Potapov, an old sledge driver. It is set a week after Potapov’s son dies in a hospital, during 19th Century Russia. Other characters in the story are a military officer, three young men, a house porter and a sleepy cabman. Potapov’s horse also plays a role in the story’s proceedings. The characters mentioned, have a significant role in bringing forward Chekhov’s ideals. Anton Chekhov proposes that human beings have no concern for each other’s hardships. Various instances in the short story show this. The story begins with Iona seeking for a customer in the snowy town. Eventually, a military officer boards his sledge. Chekhov portrays the officer as an impatient and rude character. During the ride, he is as a cautious person just as well. When Iona attempts to inform him of his grief, the officer does not pay attention. They reach their destination and the old man gets new customers, three young men. The young men are obnoxious and rowdy. They pay Iona an unfair fare for the ride. When the old man attempts to inform them of his son’s death, one of the young men rubbishes Iona’s words. The young men impatiently get off the sledge at their destination. The old man decides to end his day by going to the yard. Unfortunately, he has not made enough money to feed his horse with oats. At the yard, he meets a young sledge driver. He wishes to share his grief with him, but the sleepy young man continues with his sleep. Chekhov’s story ends with Iona detailing the loss of his son to his horse as no one else seems concerned with his affairs. Chekhov is a brilliant writer. Several aspects of his writing are admirable. First, his introduction of Iona is impressive. He uses a highly descriptive style. Chekhov first describes the evening. He then describes how snow fell on that occasion, and its effect on the people and objects in the area. (Chekhov 168). Through this, the writer informs his readers that the story begins at the evening and ends at night. This instance also provides us with the season during which the story takes place. The writer also introduces the old man’s hardship through his stillness, in thought. Chekhov also provides the reader with a good description of the old man’s poor driving. He explains that the old man is restless. The writer compares the sledge’s seat to thorns. Chekhov also describes the old man’s difficulty in focusing on the road ahead. Iona, therefore, drives the sledge in a hazardous manner, nearly causing an accident. This situation provokes the military officer to speak to Iona. In turn, the old man sees this as the opportunity to justify his current state. Iona tells the officer of his son’s death. However, the officer interrupts the speech with his commands. The author uses a descriptive style to highlight the hunchback’s response to Iona’s hardship. He describes the manner which the hunchback licks his lips and coughs. This instance helps in showing the hunchback’s reluctance to share the old man’s grief. Anton Chekhov’s depiction of the characters is admirable. He develops them alongside the story’s argument. The military officer is a dismissive character. First, he assumes that Mr. Potapov is asleep by laying still. The officer asks the old man whether he is asleep or not (Chekhov 169). During the ride, Iona speaks to his passenger. At first, he assumes that the officer is ready to listen to the story of his son’s death. However, the officer closes his eyes and pretends to be deep in thought as the old man commences his story. The military officer portrays the notion that people lack genuine concern for each other’s affairs. Chekhov implies that people also take advantage of each other’s hardships in the story. He uses the three young men to portray this notion. The old man picks them up despite a terrible price for the sledge ride. (Chekhov 170). The writer explains that the old man has lost concern for the fare as his grief has occupied his mind. The three have an unsympathetic character. In response to the old man’s story, the hunchback cuts him off and tells him that they shall all die (Chekhov 172). The author portrays the sleepy cabman as a selfish person. He considers his sleep more important than listening to the old man. The writer explains that when Iona began to speak, the young man was fast asleep. Chekhov’s portrayal of grief in the story is admirable. He introduces the old man as a person stricken with grief to an extent that he is immobile. The author depicts Iona Potapov as a person who has separated himself from the society around him, and to an extent, reality. Chekhov describes the old man as white as a ghost, due to snow covering his body. Chekhov further highlights the old man’s stillness. This serves as a portrayal of his grief. When the military officer arrives, he thinks that the old man is asleep. However, he is simply sitting still in thought. The atmosphere in the story is described as dull and cold. This depiction is brought forward by Chekhov’s description of the weather. At the end of the story, the writer describes the old man’s lack of cash. As a result, he misses a meal, and his horse has to eat hay. This further contributes to the reader’s perception of the old man’s bad day. After finding no one to share his misery with, he switches to contemplation and watching his surroundings. Chekhov (174) writes, â€Å"Can he not find among these thousands someone who will listen to him? However, the crowds flit by heedless of him and his misery†¦His misery is immense, beyond all bounds. If Iona’s heart were to burst and his misery flow out, it would flood the whole world, it seems, but it is not seen. It has found a hiding-place in such an insignificant shell that one would not have found it with a candle by daylight†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Through this instance, Anton Chekhov depicts his theme of loneliness. His choice of words further enables the reader familiarity with Iona’s miserable situation. In the end, the old man decides to share his grief with his horse. After all, nobody else is interested in sharing his story. The writer informs us that Mr. Potapov’s horse listens to him as it feeds on hay. Chekhov’s story raises many questions in a readers mind. In the story, the author tackles the old man’s situation casually. A reader wonders whether misery and isolation is a daily phenomenon. From the text, the author depicts sadness as a matter of daily occurrence. Chekhov informs us that the old man’s sadness leaves for a short while, and then comes back heavier than before. The answer provided is unsatisfactory. This is proven when contemporary life is taken into consideration. Not every day happens to be a miserable day. The author has taken a disdainful stance towards the female gender. The writer implies that women are of minimal importance, and all they do is weep during serious situations. This is a derogatory pronouncement. In his efforts to create conversation with the young man, Iona should have thought of a different subject. The writer’s words may upset an audience consisting of the female gender. In the story, Chekhov implies that no person bothered to listen to Iona Potapov’s story of hardship, only an animal did. The author describes the anxiety the old man felt as he looked at the crowd. When it hits him that all the people he sees are strangers, and none is concerned with his bereavement, his pain intensifies. From that, readers wonder whether humans are so cold and ignorant of one another, focusing on themselves instead. Chekhov should have provided at least one instance of an understanding person. It is a reader’s opinion that strangers may not be compassionate to an individual’s suffering. It does not concern them, and they will try to maintain their distance. Furthermore, a reader may deduce that the writer’s sick state of health, at the time of writing, may have disoriented his thoughts on society’s positive aspects. However, Chekhov’s story is highly successful in showing that people have little concern for each other’s problems. 2. Towards the end of the story, Chekhov explains Iona’s desire to speak to someone by comparing his desire for a conversation with the aforementioned man’s thirst. When he discovers that the younger man is asleep, he thinks of what he can use as a conversation starter. However, he ends up talking to his white mare. He tells the horse, â€Å"That’s how it is, old girl. . . . Kuzma Ionitch is gone. . . . He said goodby to me. . . . He went and died for no reason. . .(Chekhov 174)† The writer explains that Iona’s horse eats as it listens to the old man. Chekhov tells us that this simple act carries away the old man. From this, a reader may deduce the ending as a relatively happy one. The writer has solved the conflict of the story. The old man yearns for someone to listen to what he had to say, throughout the story. Amazingly, the horse grants his wish, as he feeds it hay. However, Chekhov should have adopted a different end to the story. An ending with the man talking to the horse is unsatisfactory. A horse is incapable of providing compassion to the old man. Furthermore, the horse is unable to understand the old man’s problems. Furthermore, it is an assumption that the old man knew the horse was listening to him. After all, the writer describes that the old man was carried away as he spoke to the horse (Chekhov 175). As stated earlier, Chekhov wishes to show that people have lost compassion for each other, during times of suffering. Towards the end of his story, Chekhov contradicts his earlier proposition. The writer states that the old man had not earned enough to pay for his horse’s oats. He relates this situation to the misery he has experienced throughout that day. The old man further states that people who have enough to eat ate always happy with their situation (Chekhov 174). From that instance, the old man implies that his misery is attributable to lacking enough money, and in consequence, food. That statement discounts the old man’s earlier need to share his grief, on his son’s death, with strangers. An appropriate ending should reflect the writer’s earlier argument on the old man’s grief. The best ending would be right before the author says, â€Å"His misery is immense, beyond all bounds. If Iona’s heart were to burst and his misery to flow out, it would flood the whole world, it seems, but it is not seen. It has found a hiding-place in such an insignificant shell that one would not have found it with a candle by daylight. . . .(Chekhov 170).† In that scenario, the story ends with an aura of misery. Iona wished for a person to listen to him, which nobody did. This ending enables the story to maintain relevance to the stated theme. Scenarios such as the talk with his horse, and the young man, are cut down on. Such an ending also emphasizes the cruelty of people, as portrayed by the crowd. The story has a dull mood, as described by the weather and speech. The proposed ending will enhance the story’s mood. Furthermore, at the chosen point in the story, a reader experiences its climax. An ending at the suggested point will serve to enhance literary t ools such as suspense to the reader. In the story, Anton Chekhov presents an interesting argument. He implies that humans have lost concern for their counterparts in the society. Various instances justify this thought, in the story. This article supports the aforementioned notion. However, it also mentions differing ideals, to provide an argument to Chekhov’s views. The writer’s positive aspects receive acknowledgement in the essay. Just as well, the article raises various propositions, for the purposes of improving the story. In this light, the essay provides an appropriate alternative to the previous ending. Top of Form Chekhov, Anton P, Okla Elliott, Kyle Minor, and Constance Garnett. The Other Chekhov. Fort Collins, Colo.: New American Press, 2008. Print. 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