Sunday, May 24, 2020

Women Are Human Beings, Too - 1514 Words

Women Are Human Beings, Too In early 2015, Mona Eltahawy stepped into one of the women’s carriages of a Cairo metro. Then she felt a hand grab her hard between the legs. It was a hand of a man who had no legs and swung through the women’s carriage to beg from the passengers. He and some of other women laughed and others just turned their faces; however, Mona was frozen by the ugliness of the situation (Aspden). Mona’s story is a common story of the majority of Egyptian women, who are exposed to sexual harassment on a daily basis in public places, such as streets, markets, and public transportations or private places, such as colleges, sports clubs, and workplaces. According to a U.N.Women report in 2013, 99.3 percent of Egyptian women have†¦show more content†¦They are taught that they have the right to control women in their lives, such as their sisters, daughters, wives, and even mothers. As a lot of Egyptian men accustom to violate the rights for the women in their lives, they v iolate the rights of any woman they can take advantage of by harassing her in any way verbally or physically. Results of a study by The Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights in 2013, show that 62.4 percent of the male surveyed admitted committing one or more act of women sexual harassment, such as molesting women, using obscene language, shouting sexually explicit comments, and touching women’s bodies (11). Secondly, a lot of Egyptian males look at a woman as a body, an object, or a tool for pleasure not as a human being who has emotions, intelligence, and privilege. Results also show that 41.8 percent of the male surveyed believe that the harassing acts accrue to satisfy their sexual desire and to feel more confident (Hassan, Shoukry, and Abul Komsan 11). These results emphasize how harassers look to women as just bodies controlled or owned by another man either father, brother, or husband, and they are not as equal as men in human rights. Finally, Egyptian youth try to imitate harassment acts to prove that they become adults. The same scenario happens almost every holiday or huge gathering, groups of youth break through crowded streets and public areas seeking to harass

Sunday, May 17, 2020

An Overview of Municipal Waste and Landfills

Municipal waste, commonly known as trash or garbage, is a combination of all of a citys solid and semisolid waste. It includes mainly household or domestic waste, but it can also contain commercial and industrial waste with the exception of industrial hazardous waste (waste from industrial practices that causes a threat to human or environmental health). Industrial hazardous waste is excluded from municipal waste because it is typically dealt with separately based on environmental regulations. Five Categories of Municipal Waste The second category of municipal waste is recyclable materials. Paper is also included in this category but non-biodegradable items like glass, plastic bottles, other plastics, metals and aluminum cans fall into this section as well. Inert waste is the third category of municipal waste. For reference, when discussed with municipal waste, inert materials are those that are not necessarily toxic to all species but can be harmful or toxic to humans. Therefore, construction and demolition waste is often categorized as inert waste. Composite waste is the fourth category of municipal waste and includes items that are composed of more than one material. For example, clothing and plastics such as childrens toys are composite waste. Household hazardous waste is the final category of municipal waste. This includes medicines, paint, batteries, light bulbs, fertilizer and pesticide containers and e-waste like old computers, printers, and cellular phones. Household hazardous waste cannot be recycled or disposed of with other waste categories so many cities offer residents other options for hazardous waste disposal. Municipal Waste Disposal and Landfills Today, landfills are engineered to protect the environment and prevent pollutants from entering the soil and possibly polluting ground water in one of two ways. The first of these is with the use of a clay liner to block pollutants from leaving the landfill. These are called sanitary landfills while the second type is called a municipal solid waste landfill. These types of landfills use synthetic liners like plastic to separate the landfills trash from the land below it. Once trash is put into these landfills, it is compacted until the areas is full, at which time the trash is buried. This is done to prevent the trash from contacting the environment but also to keep it dry and out of contact with air so it will not quickly decompose. About 55% of the waste generated in the United States goes to landfills while around 90% of waste created in the United Kingdom is disposed in this manner. In addition to landfills, waste can also be disposed using waste combustors. This involves the burning of municipal waste at extremely high temperatures to reduce waste volume, control bacteria, and sometimes generate electricity. Air pollution from the combustion is sometimes a concern with this type of waste disposal but governments have regulations to reduce pollution. Scrubbers (devices that spray liquids on smoke to reduce pollution) and filters (screens to remove ash and pollutant particles) are commonly used today. Finally, transfer stations are the third type of municipal waste disposal currently in use. These are facilities that where municipal waste is unloaded and sorted to remove recyclables and hazardous materials. The remaining waste is then reloaded onto trucks and taken to landfills while the waste that can be recycled for example, is sent to recycling centers. Municipal Waste Reduction Composting is another way cities can promote municipal waste reduction. This type of waste is comprised solely of biodegradable organic waste like food scraps and yard trimmings. Composting is generally done on the individual level and involves the combination of organic waste with microorganisms like bacteria and fungi that break down the waste and create compost. This can then be recycled and used as a natural and chemical free fertilizer for personal plants. Along with recycling programs and composting, municipal waste can be reduced via source reduction. This involves the reduction of waste through the alteration of manufacturing practices to reduce the creation excess materials which get turned into waste. The Future of Municipal Waste To further reduce waste, some cities are currently promoting policies of zero waste. Zero waste itself means reduced waste generation and the 100% diversion of the remainder of waste from landfills to productive uses via materials reuse, recycling, repair and composting. Zero waste products should also have minimal negative environmental impacts over their lifecycles.

Thursday, May 14, 2020

Training Methods (Management) - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1332 Downloads: 9 Date added: 2018/12/19 Category Management Essay Type Research paper Level High school Tags: Customer Satisfaction Essay Organization Essay Did you like this example? Purpose of the company Today, due to the increased number of educated people who do not have a job, the employees have to show their worth in the company to remain relevant. The allowances that are offered in the workplace depend on the ability of the employees to attract more customers or make more sales. Some companies give the workers commission for every good or service offered to the customer. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Training Methods (Management)" essay for you Create order Just like any other person, the employees have been taking advantage of the situation and if they have a way of showing the made a sale of good or service to the customer even if they did not (Valentine et al. 2015). This shows how business culture can affect the company to a point for employees can be deceptive just to have an additional income. In this case, we will look at the Sunshine Bank and how training can help to grow and achieve the goals and objective of the company without being deceptive. The bank mission is To develop a good culture which will ensure trust and satisfaction to the customers. Size of the company Sunshine company is made up of 200 employees who need to be trained to prevent unethical behavior which can affect or taint the reputation of the company. Training the entire staff member can be expensive but can help to ensure efficiency in the workplace to satisfy the needs of the customers. Training 200 employees cannot be difficult because the number is still small compared to that other company that has more than 2000 employees. Sunshine is just a small bank located in Florida in the United States whose vision states To offer the same quality services to our customer using ethical employees. The needs of the customer should always be met to make the bank reliable and trustable. Handling the finance of people and keeping it safe in a manner that they can retrieve it as they like is not easy. It would be a shame for a customer to go to the bank to withdraw some cash only to find that the bank does not have the money. The reason why banks can lack finances is mismanagement and em ployee mistakes or fraud. When the customer learns about such problem from a bank, they withdraw their finances which can result in bankruptcy. The trigger event that started the training session Every time a company gets the need to train the employees is to prevent unwanted circumstance in future. The triggering event for the training session for sunshine banks was the case of Wells Fargo where employees were opening fake accounts for the company to get the allowances. Sunshine bank is a business which can face the same problem, and the employees need to understand the effect of such behavior as well as the consequences if a staff member is caught in such activities. For instance, in September 2016, Wells Fargo was charged $185 million for the illegal practices which saw the employees create an account for people without their consent. The mission of sunshine bank seeks to protect the integrity of the bank as well as ensure the customers are satisfied. Although the employees did that to protect their jobs by achieving quotas, the bank had to pay the consequences of their action. Such unethical behaviors do not only happen in Wells Fargo, and other companies in the same industry need to train the employees to prevent such behavior. The manager of the sunshine bank wants to examine the training behavior of all the employees in the company and ensure they follow the ethical standards. The target population of the company Sunshine seeks to train all the employees irrespective of their hierarchy in the company. Most of the time, training session leads to changes in the company and therefore, it is important to conduct a change management. According to Kotters eight principles of change management, it is important for the manager to create a powerful coalition in the business which will convince the rest of the staff members the importance of the training session. The coalition can only be made through depth training to the employees who are high in the hierarchy and work with them to implement and lead change (Mayet al. 2014). Training the entire staff is important and helps to create a culture in a company that employees can follow. If need be, the manager of the sunshine bank can decide to shuffle the employees according to the findings of the training session. The ethicalcode in the workplace can be developed in the company to help guide the employees of the ethical behavior. The manager can discu ss with the employees on the importance of having a written code of conduct in the company (Mayet al. 2014). The written code of conduct can be placed in an area in the company where employees can see what they should or should not do in the workplace. The assessment method The best method to use for a company that has approximately 200 employees is instruction design. The design must consider the characteristics and behavior of the leaner and implement a strategy which helps them to have enough courage to handle difficult issues in the company. The company can also contribute to the problem of unethical behavior in the workplace (Itani et al. 2017). For instance, in the case of Wells Fargo, the employees might have feared to lose their jobs for not delivering in the jobs as required. Today, banks have been affected greatly by the advanced technology which people use to keep their money. For example, the network service provider companies have been providing people with an account where they can keep, transfer, save and even get short-term loans. Therefore, people do not need to open banks accounts and keep their money, which exerts pressure on the sales personnel in the banking institution to lie on the system. However, with a good communication s trategy in the company, people can gain the courage to address their problems as well as report unethicalbehavior in the workplace. The manager should also understand that it is important to retain employees. Although in the management career one has to replace employees, the cost of training a new employee is higher than a worker who already understands the culture of the company. The cost of training new employeesincludes recruitment and administrative cost, cost of teaching variable skills among others (Itani et al. 2017). However, the training cost depends on the position of the employees in the company. For instance, for an employee earning $8 per hour, the cost would increase to $9 per hour. Therefore, for the sunshine company, the cost of training all the employees can be estimated at $ 200 per hour. The company can prevent such cases by teaching the people in the organization the importance of ethics and teamwork. The company is not mainly made up of the premises and c apital but the human resource which workstogether to reach the companys goals and objectives (Mayet al. 2014). Unethical behavior in the workplace such as ignorance of professional ethics can affect the image and reputation of the company which resultsin loss of customers and reduced profits which affect the company leading retrenchment of employees. Cases like that of Wells Fargo shows that the reason for unethical behavior in an organization can lead to penalties and loss of employment if the behavioris known.. The employees are very important part of the organization, and it is their responsibility to uphold and build ethical selling skills. References Valentine, S., Fleischman, G., Godkin, L. (2015). Rogues in the ranks of selling organizations: Using corporate ethics to manage workplace bullying and job satisfaction. Journal of Personal Selling Sales Management, 35(2), 143-163. Itani, O. S., Jaramillo, F., Chonko, L. (2017). Achieving Top Performance While Building Collegiality in Sales: It All Starts with Ethics. Journal of Business Ethics, 1-22. May, D. R., Luth, M. T., Schwoerer, C. E. (2014). The influence of business ethics education on moral efficacy, moral meaningfulness, and moral courage: A quasi-experimental study. Journal of Business Ethics, 124(1), 67-80.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Descartes Dreaming Argument - 1420 Words

The topic of this essay is Descartes’ First Meditations and I will be discussing in detail the Dreaming argument and the Evil Demon argument. According to Descartes’, â€Å"As I think about this more carefully, I see plainly that there are never any sure signs by means of which being awake can be distinguished from being asleep.† This is the fundamental principle of the Dreaming Argument. The scenarios in which we experience whilst we are asleep are comparable to the scenarios we experience whilst we are awake. Often, we struggle to tell from our own perspective where our experiences are derived from; it is difficult to differentiate whether our experiences stem from reality or our dreams. The issue with this is that our unconscious†¦show more content†¦This can be challenged as to sit in a lecture you must be certain that you’re sitting in a lecture, but you cannot be certain that you are not actually dreaming, therefore you cannot be certain that you’re sitting in a lecture. P2 – there is no way to be certain that the experiences we perceive to be reality are our reality. Desc artes’ argues that there is no way that we can be completely certain that such experiences are not unconscious experiences, â€Å"Any experience that strikes me as waking experiences such that I am perceiving the environment in a normal way are indistinguishable from possible dreaming experiences.† An objection to this argument is that we can distinguish being awake and being asleep. If we can remember our dreams once we are awake, we can recognise them as dreams as they generally don’t make sense which differs from our logical conscious experiences. Dreams are usually only coherent for a short period of time which is a distinct difference from being awake. Once we are conscious, even our most vivid unconscious experiences can be recognised as dreams. Your waking experiences can be intensely recalled whereas you do not always remember your unconscious experiences. I believe that this is a weak argument because sometime struggle to fully distinguish between reality and our dreams as our unconscious experiences are overwhelmingly intense and life-like. A counterargumentShow MoreRelatedDescartes Dreaming Argument And The Demon Argument1112 Words   |  5 PagesIn this essay, I will explore and analyse Descartes’ dreaming argument and his evil demon argument. I will assess both arguments taking into account their validity and soundness whilst also considering the objections that one may have. In order to weigh up these arguments, it is important to understand Descartes’ reasons for formulating them: Descartes’ believes that it is important to be certain of the things that one believes to be true which, in turn, causes him to question the things that heRead MoreAnalysis Of Descartes Dreaming Argument812 Words   |  4 PagesDescartes dreaming argument suggests that perhaps our senses cannot be fully trusted because we cannot be certain we are not dreaming, and this means we therefore cannot be certain of anything. His evil demon argument is similar but uses the idea of an evil demon deceiving you instead of your senses. These sceptical arguments mean that we cannot be certain of anything at all for it may be happening whilst we are dreaming, or we are being tricked into thinking it is happening. I do not agree withRead MoreAn Analysis Of Descartes And The Dreaming Argument1390 Words   |  6 PagesThis essay will take a look at Descartes Dreaming argument a nd Evil Demon argument. As well as discussing their weaknesses and strengths to later decide which argument is the best. Despite my belief of subjective truths, the reason for doing this is to establish both arguments on an equal basis and to determine which would be best in an argument. The Dreaming argument first showed up in Descartes First Meditation, where he focusses on the task to educate himself on his own doubt. When meditatingRead MoreThe Strengths And Weaknesses Of Descartes Dreaming Argument And Evil Demon Argument1430 Words   |  6 PagesThis essay will attempt to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of Descartes’ dreaming argument and evil demon argument. Through discussion, I will show why the evil demon argument is more plausible than the dreaming argument. The essay will give a brief definition of the two arguments and explain why these arguments are important. Then I will discuss the two arguments, considering both sides and referencing previous work by other philosophers. I will conclude with a short summary of the topics coveredRead MoreDescartesArgument For Skepticism1120 Words   |  5 PagesIn Descartes’ first meditation, he proposes an argument for skepticism about the external world based on the possibility of dreaming. I wi ll argue that Descartes’ argument for skepticism is flawed. In this essay I will explain Descartes’ argument, explain why Descartes’ argument is flawed, and consider an objection to my own argument. 1. Descartes’ Argument In order for Descartes to doubt the existence of the external world, he has to establish that he could be dreaming. In Descartes’ first meditationRead MoreCritique of Descartes Dream Argument Essay examples1527 Words   |  7 PagesPhilosophy 101 14 November 2008 Critique of Descartes’ Dream Argument Descartes has written a set of six meditations on the first philosophy. In these meditations he analyzes his beliefs and questions where those beliefs were derived from. The first mediation of Descartes discusses his skeptical hypotheses; questioning the validity of the influences of his knowledge. He has a few main goals that are expressed through the first meditation. First off, Descartes wants to build a firm foundation of knowledgeRead MoreThe Dream Argument by Rene Descartes Essay1008 Words   |  5 Pagesfamous arguments, from his not only from his first meditation but all of the meditations, is his Dream Argument. Descartes believes that there is no way to be able to distinguish being in awake from being in a state of dreaming. In fact you could actually be in a dream right now. Rene Descartes’s theory that one is unable distinguish being awake from dreaming, as interesting as it is, can be at times a little farfetched, along with a few contradictions to himself, Descartes’s dream argument does notRead MoreDream Argument Essay893 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿Jacob Sebert November 13, 2013 Descartes Dream Theory Descartes arguments in meditation I can be proven wrong through discrepancies and contradictions. Authors Peter Simpson and Ludwig Wittgensteins have similar points on skepticism where they have found specific inconsistencies. When primarily looking at Descartes’ dream argument we can see a contradiction in his statements. He sets out to demonstrate the similarity between â€Å"waking† and â€Å"dreaming†. His intention was to prove that there is noRead MoreEssay on Descartes Dream Argument - Philosophy1406 Words   |  6 Pagesdo we know we are not dreaming some particular experience we are having, or we are not dreaming all our experience of this world? When we dream we imagine things happening often with the same sense of reality as we do when we are awake. In Descartes dream argument, he states there are no reliable signs distinguishing sleeping from waking. In his dream argument, he is not saying we are merely dreaming all of what we experience, nor, is he saying we can distinguish dreaming from being awake. I thinkRead MoreThe Dreaming Argument And The Evil Demon Argument1271 Words   |  6 PagesDescartes organised his ideas on knowledge and skepticism to establish two main arguments, the dreaming argument and the evil demon argument. The dreaming argument suggests that it is not possible to distinguish between having a waking experience and dreaming an experience. Whereas, the evil demon argument suggests that we are deceived in all areas of our experiences by an evil demon. This essay will investigate the validity of the arguments and to what extent the conclusion of these arguments is

Definitions of Film Response Essay Samples Ib

Definitions of Film Response Essay Samples Ib So, it's important to entertain yourself from every facet of entertainment. Bear in mind that if you analyze your paper, your principal task is to make certain your audience understands the key points without a lot of difficulty. A small change can begin an enormous chain reaction in the proper direction to solving many issues involving our environment. Social media might be noisy location, and just in focusing on your work and content can you find some type of peace in the middle of attempting to be heard. School Response Essay Writing isn't a breeze. You may have a look at our Sample College Essays for more information. Academic papers need you to identify a specific angle to pursue in writing, which is going to be the basis of the paper. If your school isn't one already, learn to develop into an IB World School as a way to implement the DP. After the first couple of weeks of the semester, you're expected to produce your own writing topics. As a way to excel in an elongated essay, the student must strategize to be able to comprehensively compose a topic. Many students decide to use essay samples to compose their papers but it's not always an excellent idea. You will have the ability to review a sample essay. To make it simpler for you to compose a crucial analysis essay, we've got a valuable analysis writing template that will direct you through the most vital points. A reading response essay pursues the purpose of summarizing a text below your consideration and demonstrating your reaction to the bit of writing. Developing a summary and response essay can be a difficult task. The other facet of Computer Science involves being in a position to program. Give a concise illustration of what's going to be discussed in the review and proceed to the thesis. Be certain that the thesis is original and at the exact same time dependent on the analysis. It's possible to download totally free essay example papers on the Internet. It's a good idea to remember that in the event that you do not write clearly, it will be quite tricky to come up with your arguments. As a way to understand that you're working with a crucial analysis, you've got to try to remember that analysis means breaking down and studying of the parts. As stated in my preceding post defining artificial intelligence is notoriously challenging. You have to reveal your critical thinking abilities and make judgments about the subject as you analyze a report, so it's possible to produce clear opinion and conclusions. A completed movie is similar to a puzzle. Illustrate both the message of the film and the way the film connects to a person. Construct a narrative overview of how you intend to talk about your films. Written By Nicole Goldstein One of the absolute most important elements in a film is the vital expression of the film that you're making. First of all, you've got to observe the movie. Movies are among the most affordable, but, at precisely the same time one of the most enjoyable and all-inclusive entertainment. Therefore, they mean entertainment as well as a medium of a message to change the perception. The movie thus is among the great must watch on account of the above stated reasons. A movie review writing guide provides the writer instructions on the best way to compose a movie review. On the last part, you may also compare the documentary with others in the exact same genre or subject in order to produce readers have more thorough understanding of the review. The introduction is easily the most appealing method of the way to begin a movie review, and contains the overview of the film and opinion which will be stated. The introduction for a movie review needs to be appealing, so the reader can find the feel of wanting to read more.

Change Management in Dynamic Health Care Systems Implementing the Str

Question: Discuss about theChange Management in Dynamic Health Care Systemsfor Implementing the Strategies. Answer: Introduction Change occurs continuously, it may be that we are indifferent to it, support it or be passive to it. The complexity in these changing surroundings is managing the change efficiently. It is all about planning, evaluation and implementing the strategies, tactics and operations that make sure that the changes are relevant and worthwhile. According to Kotter, change is both situational and emotional and therefore he proposed a multi step model. The model has 3 phases that can be used to change a technology that ensures the provision of efficient, safe and high quality care for the patients. Kotter change management model involves why the organisation needs the change, why the changed state would be better for the patients and the hospital, what changes are necessary, what new skills will be required along with the technology, and how the staff will be trained regarding these new skills (Chappell,et al.,2016). Managing change in any setting is a challenging, complex and dynamic process. C hange is never a choice between people oriented solutions or technology but it is a combination of all. Healthcare organisations around the world have a continuous and sustained push to implement electronic records based on the promise that the technology will improve productivity, function and quality of the healthcare organisations and for the patients(Al-Abri RK, 2007). One of the main concerns in the health care sector is the management of change. It is difficult to ensure that the health care professionals acquire and maintain the change. Reform driven changes or disruptions; continue to impact the healthcare industry in cost control efforts and its transparency. Changes in health care sector are moving at a fast pace, as practices strive to implement policy requirements and regulatory requirements. (Menachemi N, 2011),( Stewart, et al.,2007) Understanding new models like PCMHs that is patient centered Medical Homes and EMR electronic medical record deployments are not only about technology. They are about equipping the organisation to reach business objectives by enabling people with technical knowledge and capability that make things possible (Reed, et al.,2012). In Maryland State University the change that is going to take place is the implementation of the certified electronic health record technology or CEHRT. This is an academic medical centre that has hospitals, 2 campuses, and 40 outpatients sites that are located on the campus of the university. EMR implementation is beginning this year with the introduction of the ambulatory EMR. This will be followed by implementation phases which will include outpatient sites and lastly will be followed by a BIG BANG implementation process all across the campus. We will replace the numerous systems for revenue cycle management, scheduling, registration, and orders and compile all of them in a single record for ambulatory and inpatient documentation. This year in October we started the meaningful use reporting for professionals that are eligible for supporting the change. This change will happen simultaneously when providers are attending to patients and are trying to maintain a work life balance. Electronic medical record keeping create a lot of oppurtunities for the healthcare sector as they transform the way in which the care is delivered. Medical errors are reduced therefore increasing internal efficiency for administrative and clinical users. This in turn increases the revenue along with other critical benefits (Rouette, et al., 2016). Times like these can be stressful for the staff and the providers as electronic medical record implementation can be disruptive. Therefore to oversee a smooth transformation in the organisation it is crucial that the change management process is well developed. In the case of Maryland State University there are several reasons why switching to EMR will be quite useful. Some of these reasons are paper records are limited and it cannot be shared or stored. In spite of the fact that the hospital has a template for the clinicians the handwriting does not allows for the documents to be shared(Rodriguez-Vera FJ, 2002). Hardcopy of each record is quite expensive to copy by the photo copier machine when the numbers are quite high(Menachemi N F. E., 2007). The records are not private as files can be seen by someone who has access to the storage. Electronic medical records in Maryland State University will add to the organised way that is needed to record details of the patients. Through the use of EMRs the clinicians will be able to navigate through the history of the patient easily which will help in reducing time that is wasted in finding a specific detail about the patient(Blumenthal D, 2010). Another goal that the management is aiming for is increase in productivity and efficiency which EMRs will be able to provide. Through the use of EMRs redundant paper work will be decreased but it could be achieved only when the templates provided are used judiciously. (Erstad,2003),( Attieh, et al.,2013) The approach that we would use in Maryland State University is a gradual rollout which is followed out with a BIG BANG approach that is for all the locations. Each approach has its own advantages and disadvantages. As for some it would be easier to implement and install everything at one place, which works best for hardware. However if we thing about the user perspective a physician wants the same workflow at any location. Same goes for the patient who wants that his records should be shared with all providers and locations. For us the physicians preference was the top priority therefore we choose the specialty focused rollout for each location keeping in mind the specific need for that location (Kokkonen et al., 2013). This enabled us to meet the needs of all locations and our planning involved representatives leaders from all the locations. This approach will also help the medical record department as they have to choose dates for orders and documentation for the transition from ha rd copy (Paper) to electronic format. (DHuyvetter, 2014) The key elements that we have to manage during the change process are ensuring leadership support. Leadership communication and support is a key factor for successful implementation therefore leaders have to be identified at each level whether it is division, system, department, hospital or unit. In this we would also include the medical school as it is also associated with the organisation. The areas of compliance that would be closely monitored are patient safety, privacy, legal, and security. For this we would implement a scorecard system for feedbacks, this system will enable the leaders to identify areas that are lagging in compliance and are addressed easily. We appointed a physician leader in each location who was trained in the use of the application and would encourage the staff to accept the electronic records and its implementation (Noble, et al.,2011). Another key element that we have to manage during the change is the training. Training would be provided at regular inter vals during the implementation process (Bossen et al.,2013). We had already decided that training will be continuously provided till two months after the go-live. Training is necessary for the users to learn about the system and to practice the relevant components. It is crucial that the training should not be done beforehand as we want that the material should be fresh in users mind at the time for go live. This also maintains a sense of impending activity and urgency. We would train similar users and would tailor content accordingly as it is more effective (Sung, Choi, 2013). Users are found to be more attentive when the training material is tailored specifically for their needs. Training can only provide a preparation for the EMR use but it in the go-live phase that the users actually interact with the system in their daily work environment. Therefore it is critical to provide well planned support at the go-live phase. The most important part in this planning is deciding the pro portion for support personnel per user which determines the timing the intense support will go on. We would take the ratio of 1:1 for providers and 1:3 for the remaining staff (Campbell, 2012). The length of the timing after the go live is taken as 4-6 weeks which will depend on how frequently the user interacts with the system. Initially we would provide at the elbow intense and active support which will allow the user to use the maximum tools in the EMR application. This will also allow them to explore options for the patient care which will only enhance the system use. Through this the users will gain confidence which will allow us to taper the support gradually. The gradual removal of trust will reduce the feelings of being deserted . Therefore the transition will be from direct support to calling the helpdesk if they need any help. We are prepared that implementation process will be overwhelming even after the prework and training. A plan is also needed to ensure that support s taff and trainers are able to return regularly in order to help users. Therefore it was decided that trainers would return in intervals of 2-3 months in the first year after go live and then in six months the next year. We need to keep in mind that there is a people side of any change management and same goes for implementing electronic medical records. The main issue during transition is the messiness of it and when in case of a hospital the staff can have issues with numerous factors. Some of these factors are their comfort with use of computers, fear from change and commitment to the hospital. The enhancements and the new system are determined by the users who have different backgrounds, experiences with technology and references. Therefore managing the change needs an adoption plan that ties workflow harmonization, reinforcement, sponsorship, communication and training with the business part of the organisation. The key elements that have to manage during this change process are changing the way how the people work, the technology, and the processes. Changes create uncertainty in the minds of the people even when they are not happy with the current state. This is due to the fear of loss which in this case could be fear of losing their jobs, social position and loss of self esteem. Team pressure is another element the staff has to deal with as, not all would be happy with the change. These people would try to influence other to not accept the change as well. These people will resist the change as they think that change is not in their best interest especially when they would have heard negative stories about IT implementations in health sector. The only remedy to overcome these issues is to involve the staff in all planning and implementation at all levels. Just as people have to change their way to work because of the EMR addition, many existing organisational processes and practices would also be changed. This would require that the staff responsible for these processes is able to implement the changes that are required to deal with the organisational changes taking place. They are experts in their respective processes therefore they can recommend and head changes that ar e needed for desired outcomes. The best move is to rely on your staff as they are able to pilot changes to achieve desired goals. The transition from paper to EMRs will be tough as many practices will not transition from paper to electronic record. This would require implementing other initiative to improve patient care. This stage cannot be understated. Technology is another key element that has to be managed as the staff has to meet the patient engagement measures simultaneously with the change taking place. This means that many factors such as security measures for patients personal data, additional storage, patient portal access and secure messaging application have to be taken care of. It is also crucial that the patients are informed about the new technology and the implications associated to it. This could be attained by developing a one page poster or handout in the office that explains the changes and the planned benefits from the change. This implementation would engage th e patients into discussing about their quality of health with the care they are achieving. Keeping track of the progress is equally important to fix problems throughout the implementation process. Implementing change can be hard and stressful for everyone in the hospital but identifying some success factors is a strategy that can help in determining which management interventions are needed (Chaudhry et al.,2006). Measurement of the success of change process has to be planned during the planning of the change process. This measurement serves numerous purposes as it guides towards the goal achievement and also alerts the managers about the mid course correction. There are many ways in which the success of the change process can be measured. Some of these ways that are applicable in case of a hospital are individual employee assessments which include how the staff is handling the change and how it is progressing. This can be done with the help of utilization and usage reports, proficiency measures, adoption metrics, employee or staff feedback, observations of the behavior ch ange, surveys for employee satisfaction, error logs, issue and compliance logs(Walker et al.2005). These ways also measure the performance of the change by checking the business and change readiness, checking if the change is adhering to the timeline, and how it has improved the performance of the organisation. It is also important to measure the effectiveness and success of change process. To measure this we would check for trainings effectiveness. This could be easily tracked by checking for training participation and through skill tests. Another way to measure change process success is by knowing that how many stakeholders approve and understand the reason for change. A project can be unsuccessful if it has project delays due to decision delays and low commitment from the stakeholders. The approach that we would follow to incorporate the learnings from this change management would be an empowerment approach for any future change management. This approach enables collaboration between the staff, managers and leaders in the implementation of any new system or technology. High staff involvement is primary to this approach that involves the staff in decision making at levels (Farnham, 2003). Sharing of responsibilities and power is practiced in this approach. The core of this approach is empowerment which provides the employees with control, redistributed authority, adaptability, increased organisational flexibility and shared decision making and all of these are required for successful change whether it be in IT industry, manufacturing or any other sector or industry. EMRs have tremendous potential to improve productivity, outcomes in patient care, and quality but they also require a major change in the healthcare sector (Hillestad et al.,2005). A well planned change process and implementation of the process requires leadership support and involvement from the staff. With the help of effective training along with optimization the process of transitioning can be made smooth and can reduce the effects on the organisation productivity. References Al-Abri RK, Al-Hashmi, IM (2007). The Learning organization and healthcare education. SQUMJ , 89-96. Attieh, R., Gagnon, M.-P., Estabrooks, C. A., Lgar, F., Ouimet, M., Roch, G., Grimshaw, J. (2013). Organizational readiness for knowledge translation in chronic care: A review of theoretical components.Implementation Science,8(1), 1119 Blumenthal D, Tavenner M (2010). The meaningful use regulation for electronic health records. N Engl J Med , 501504. Bossen, C., Jensen, L. G., Udsen, F. W. (2013). Evaluation of a comprehensive EHR based on the DeLone and McLean model for IS success: Approach, results, and success factors.International Journal of Medical Informatics,82(10), 940953. Campbell, B. W. (2012). Effective change management in a regional sub-acute ambulatory care services setting.Australian Health Review,36(1), 39 Chaudhry B, Wang J, Wu S, et al.(2006). Systematic review: impact of health information technology on quality, efficiency, and costs of medical care.Ann Intern Med, 144(10), 742752 Chappell, S., Pescud, M., Waterworth, P., Shilton, T., Roche, D., Ledger, M., Rosenberg, M. (2016). Exploring the process of implementing healthy workplace initiatives.Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine,58(10), e341e348 DHuyvetter, C., Lang, A. M., Heimer, D. M., Cogbill, T. H. (2014). Efficiencies gained by using electronic medical record and reports in trauma documentation.Journal of Trauma Nursing,21(2), 6871. Erstad T.(2003). Analyzing computer based patient records: a review of literature.J Healthc Inf Manag.17(4):5157 Farnham, D., Horton, S., White, G. (2003). Organisational change and staff participation and involvement in Britains public services.International Journal of Public Sector Management,16(6), 434445. Hillestad R., Bigelow J., Bower A., Girosi F., Meili R., Scoville R., Taylor R.(2005). Can Electronic Medical Record Systems Transform Health Care? Potential Health Benefits, Savings, and Costs.Health Affairs.24(5),110317 Kokkonen Erik W., Davis Scott A., Hsien-Chang Lin, Dabade Tushar S., Feldman Steven R., Alan B., Fleischer Jr (2013). Use of Electronic Medical Records Differs by Specialty and Office Settings.Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association.20, e33e38 Menachemi N, Ford EW, Beitsch LM, Brooks RG (2007). Incomplete EHR adoption: late uptake of patient safety and cost control functions. Am J Med Qual , 319326. Menachemi N, Prickett C, Brooks R (2011). The use of physician-patient email in Florida 20052008: a follow-up examination of adoption and best practice adherence. J Med Internet Res , 23-36. Noble, D. J., Lemer, C., Stanton, E. (2011). What has change management in industry got to do with improving patient safety?Postgraduate Medical Journal,87(1027), 345348 Reed, P., Conrad, D. A., Hernandez, S. E., Watts, C., Marcus-Smith, M. (2012). Innovation in patient-centered care: Lessons from a qualitative study of innovative health care organizations in Washington state.BMC Family Practice,13(1), 5669 Rodriguez-Vera FJ, Marin Y, Sanchez A, et al (2002). Illegible handwriting in medical records. J R Soc Med , 545546. Rouette, J., Gutierrez, E., ODonnell, J., Reddeman, L., Hart, M., Foxcroft, S., Brundage, M. (2016). Directly improving the quality of radiation treatment through peer review: A cross-sectional analysis of cancer Centres across A provincial cancer program.International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics,(10),28-32. Sung, S. Y., Choi, J. N. (2013). Do organizations spend wisely on employees? Effects of training and development investments on learning and innovation in organizations.Journal of Organizational Behavior,35(3), 393412 Stewart, J., ODonnell, M. (2007). Implementing change in a public agency.International Journal of Public Sector Management,20(3), 239251 Walker J, Pan E, Johnston D, et al.(2005). The value of health care information exchange and interoperability. Health Aff, (10), 15-18.

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Profitability of Commercial Banks in the UK-Samples for Students

Question: Discuss about the Determinants of profitability of Commercial banks in the United Kingdom. Answer: Introduction A literature review is a significant part of research study as it shows viewpoints of previous research scholars on the current topic. The present study is based on the factors which affect the profitability of commercial banks in the United Kingdom by considering banks earning capacity and various aspects of banks operating performance. Several studies of research scholars are evaluated to know the factors that change the profits of commercial banks. Literature Review According to the study of Saeed (2014) factors that affect the profitability of banks can be categorized into two parts which are internal and external. The first one i.e. internal factor refers to the organization objectives, policies and decision which are in control of management. It is one of the reasons which create a difference in the profitability of different banks. In this aspect, Boria and co-authors (2017) had stated that Banks performance largely depends on the management efforts, qualification and experience of employees which include a decision regarding loan portfolio concentration. Efforts, awareness and control over the decision of senior officials of banks are required for good bank performance. Study of Alessandri and Nelson (2015) control over the expenses is considering the main factor of banks profitability. Through proper analysis of the expense management can increase the chances for improvement in the profitability department. This fact is supported by the study of Culpepper and Reinke (2014) which states that behind the success of every big organization whether it is banks or other businesses is man power. The senior officer, management and labour give their best to their work. If management can manage the staff expenses, then they can reduce the cost. There is no problem to give staff good salary if banks performance is continuously growing. Gibson and Thirlwall (2016) believes that there are some external factors which are beyond the control of management decisions and policies but have significant influence over the profitability of banks. It is included in the performance report which helps to identify the reasons behind performance separately. To support this statement, the study of Saghi-Zedek and Tarazi (2015) shows the relationship between market structure and profitability. Banks performance is measured by the traditional structure conduct performance (SCP) hypothesis and the efficiency structure (EFS) hypothesis. Some economist using several free variables which are linked to the feature of both external and internal factors for explaining banks profitability. The traditional structure conduct performance (SCP) says that bank can increase their profit margin by lowering their deposits interest rate and increasing their loan interest rates, but relative market power hypothesis (RMP) says that only those firms who have different product and have big market capital can earn super normal profit (Apergis, 2014). If performance structure relation is characterized by dichotomous relationship then monopoly profits can be earned by the bank that operates above the critical level of concentration while competitive profits can be earned by the banks that operate below the breakeven point. According to Campiglio (2016), the second approach of efficient structure (EFS) hypothesis is challenging traditional structure conduct performance (SCP) hypothesis. In this approach, some firms in the industry have superior efficiency, so market concentration depends on them. EFS hypothesis refers to the big firms which generate huge profits which result increase in market concentration (De Jonghe and ztekin, 2015). Many researchers want to differentiate between these two hypotheses, so they take market share as an independent variable with a positive coefficient which supports EFS hypothesis. There are some other variables in banking sectors like the scale of regulation. After giving permission to state wide banking operating cost and not performing asset is reduced which lead bank to grow faster as a comparison to their rivals. Many researchers say that ownership may influence the profitability of banks. In this aspect, Hall and Co-authors (2016) had stated that the solvency and stability of the financial institution are affected by inflation. Inflation can change the profitability of banks according to the level of inflation. The effect of inflation can be clearly seen on the customers of financial institutions because of change in demands. Inflation can lead to increase in nonperforming assets because there are difficulties in cash flow. Factors which affect profitability can be considered as demand factor. Study of Fredriksson and Moro (2014) shows that it is generally believed that change in population and income is an important demand factor. Per capita income is no t directly affecting the earning capacity of banks. For example oil crisis and commercial real estate crashes. If there is a downward slope in real estate, then it can affect banks earning but did not effect on per capita income. Some of the researchers say that profitability of banks is not affected by the locations of banks, on the other hand, some of the researchers say that location can have a big impact on banks earning (Cohen and Scatigna, 2016). Conclusion On the basis of this part of the study, the conclusion can be drawn that profitability of the banks can be primarily affected by management policies and decisions. It can be controlled because it is an internal factor, but there are some external factors which are not in the control of management such as inflation, market economic condition. To maintain the performance, management must check or modify their policies according to outside environment References Alessandri, P. and Nelson, B.D., 2015. Simple banking: profitability and the yield curve.Journal of Money, Credit and Banking,47(1), pp.143-175. Apergis, N., 2014. The long-term role of non-traditional banking in profitability and risk profiles: Evidence from a panel of US banking institutions.Journal of International Money and Finance,45, pp.61-73. Borio, C., Gambacorta, L. and Hofmann, B., 2017. The influence of monetary policy on bank profitability.International Finance,20(1), pp.48-63. Campiglio, E., 2016. Beyond carbon pricing: The role of banking and monetary policy in financing the transition to a low-carbon economy.Ecological Economics,121, pp.220-230. Cohen, B.H. and Scatigna, M., 2016. Banks and capital requirements: channels of adjustment.Journal of Banking Finance,69, pp.S56-S69. Culpepper, P.D. and Reinke, R., 2014. Structural power and bank bailouts in the United Kingdom and the United States.Politics Society,42(4), pp.427-454. De Jonghe, O. and ztekin, ., 2015. Bank capital management: International evidence.Journal of Financial Intermediation,24(2), pp.154-177. Fredriksson, A. and Moro, A., 2014. BankSMEs relationships and banks risk-adjusted profitability.Journal of Banking Finance,41, pp.67-77. Gibson, H.D. and Thirlwall, A.P., 2016.Balance-of-payments theory and the United Kingdom experience. Springer. Hall, S., Foxon, T.J. and Bolton, R., 2016. Financing the civic energy sector: How financial institutions affect ownership models in Germany and the United Kingdom.Energy Research Social Science,12, pp.5-15. Saeed, M.S., 2014. Bank-related, industry-related and macroeconomic factors affecting bank profitability: a case of the United Kingdom.Research journal of finance and accounting,5(2), pp.42-50. Saghi-Zedek, N. and Tarazi, A., 2015. Excess control rights, financial crisis and bank profitability and risk.Journal of Banking Finance,55, pp.361-379