Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Shouldice Hospital Analysis Essay Example

Shouldice Hospital Analysis Essay Example Shouldice Hospital Analysis Essay Shouldice Hospital Analysis Essay Benefits purchased by the consumer: Shouldice Value Proposition as compared to other hospitals Value is added into every aspect of Shouldice Hospitals sensible service culture. The service offered is the expertise of the doctors, the dedication of the staff, and the overall feel of the atmosphere which, in turn, makes customers feel comfortable and helps in the patients speedy recovery. Shouldice Hospitals biggest value proposition is quality through experience. For over 60 years Shouldice Hospital has been repairing hernias for hundreds of thousands of patients (with over a 99% success rate) and the number is rising daily. This value proposition is definitely being utilized. On their surgical team is Dr. Casim Degani, an internationally recognized authority. The surgeons that work there make a lifetime commitment to the company because after they have been away from other disciplines for so long they loose touch with them. There is no alternative to experience, and since the doctors stay and at Shouldice for countless years, their value proposition is far exceeding what is promised. The procedure itself is one of the many unique aspects the hospital offers. With the use of a local anesthetic combined with the nature of the procedure itself, allows early recovery following surgery. Recovery time is practically cut in half when compared to other hospitals. Also, the local anesthetic is administered in the operating room, compared to other hospitals completely sedating you before you even enter the operating room. After the operation patients are encouraged to step off of the operating table and walk to the post-operating room, allowing the exercising needed for full recovery to begin immediately. This procedure would never be carried out at other hospitals. The simple fact that patient is awake and is fully aware of what is happening around them is also not the norm for most hospitals. The atmosphere of the Shouldice hospital is one of their value adding features with two different facilities (the hospital and a clinic) in the 17,000 square foot building sitting on 130 acres. The entire hospital is carpeted to give it a comforting feeling, as opposed to a cold hospital floor feel. It is equipped with a large open lounge area, the admissions office, patient rooms, and a spacious glass-covered Florida room. It also contains recreational facilities ranging from exercising equipment to a pool table. Balancing low cost with high quality Shouldice is able to balance low cost with high quality in several different ways. The low cost of the operation room furnishings ($30,000) is one reason. The cost of operating rooms in other hospitals is quadruple that because the equipment needed is much more extensive. They are able to reduce costs with only having one â€Å"crash cart† per floor of the hospital, compared with hundreds. Turnover is low, so there is another cost-cutting measure. They pay their employees over average than most hospitals, which raises their budget more. This is how their quality remains at a high level, while being low cost competitors at the same time. Their full utilization of their time also helps in cost cutting measures. Target Group of Customers: Commonalities Production Process Shouldice Hospital has created a niche service in the medical field that targets only external abdominal hernias or hernias from patients suffering from recurrences. They also partner patients with similar backgrounds, jobs, or interests into the same room to further add to their value proposition. To further add to the delivery of their value proposition, Shouldice Hospital’s service process is unique in its own right. From being kind enough to wake patients in the same room for surgery within minutes (a procedure I have never seen another hospital perform) to almost immediately after surgery administering counseling activities. When patients arrive at the facility, they are immediately able to mingle with other patients who had their operation on that same day. This is a psychological procedure to make the patients feel comfortable about their operation, again, not a practice that is done by other hospitals. A simple blueprint of their production process is attached to this essay to further demonstrate their unique service delivery. The service delivery far exceeds the expectations of patients and perfectly matches their value proposition. Five Dimensions of Service Quality Reliability: Delivery on Promises oReliability is defined as the ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately. Throughout this paper I have stated how Shouldice Hospital is living up to their service value proposition in many different dimensions. Shouldice maintains promises made with regards to pricing, delivery, and problem resolution. They are always on the same schedule Monday through Friday, and make careful diagnoses from the start. Responsiveness: Being Willing to Help oResponsiveness is the willingness to help customers and to provide prompt service. Shouldice’s accessibility, willingness to listen to every patient individually, and immediate attention as soon as the patient enters the door shows their proficiency in responsiveness. Assurance: Inspiring Trust and Confidence oAssurance is defined as employees’ knowledge and courtesy and the ability of the firm and its employees to inspire trust and confidence. In the medical field it is extremely important to achieve assurance because of the high risk factor. Trust and confidence are apparent when you enter the doors, when you receive your first examination, when you go to your first counseling session with patients that have just had the operation, to when you leave the hospital. The patients have a great amount of assurance when they discover the experience and skill level of the doctors, and when they hear about the good reputation that they hold. With no advertising in place, their customer base is highly reliant upon word-of-mouth and reputation is everything. Empathy: Treating Customers as Individuals oEmpathy is defined as the caring, individualized attention that the firm provides its customers. Since Shouldice hospital positioned itself as specialist in hernia surgery they are able to compete with larger hospitals in this area. The specialized attention they give to each patient also shows there successfulness with regards to empathy. With all of the counseling sessions the patients endure throughout their stay, each patient is treated like family members of a huge group. Each patient is understood by their peers, and the experienced staff is empathetic and knowledgeable about what they are going through also. Tangibles: Representing the Service Physically oTangibles are defined as the appearance of physical facilities, equipment, personnel, and communication materials. From the moment that you decide that Shouldice is the facility that you want to operate on you, they send you an informative brochure detailing the facility and procedure you will endure. I mentioned above some of the amenities that Shouldice offers for their patients that makes them proficient in delivering tangibles. Employment at Shouldice Hospital Compared to Other Hospitals Nurses: The nurse to patient ratio in other hospitals in the Ontario is 1:4, compared to Shouldice’s ratio of 1:15. Their unique service delivery process can be attributed to these differences. Most of their time is spent in counseling activities for the patients, instead of the grueling activities nurses do at other hospitals such as paperwork and changing bed pans. There are no bed pans at Shouldice. The waiting list to be employed as a nurse in this facility is endless, while hospitals in the area are extremely short staffed. Doctors: This position appeals to experienced doctors who â€Å"want to watch their children grow up. † Their typical day only lasts from 7 a. m. to 4 p. m. which are very attractive hours for me. They are only on call one weekday night in ten and one weekend in ten. Compared to other hospitals where doctors work long strenuous hours and are on call all of the time. They are paid 15% more than a surgeon in Ontario. The only downside, if you could call it a downside, for doctors is that they loose touch with other medical surgical disciples since they are always performing the same surgery with the same disciplines. There are a very small percentage of doctors that elect to leave the organization once they have started, which results in low turnover. Administration and Support Staff: The administration and support staff are non-union individuals because their pay is higher than comparable jobs in the area. There is very low turnover because they have a â€Å"no one fired† policy. One characteristic that I found interesting was that there is no organization chart because, â€Å"A chart tends to make people think they are boxed in jobs. † The administration staff is cross-trained to do every other administration and support staff job, so if the situation arises where they are needed else where, there is no problem in doing so. Growth Alternatives Dr. Shouldice seeks a desire to find ways of increasing the hospitals capacity. There are a few proposals on the table that help make this happen. oStart performing operations on Saturday which would increase capacity by 20%. There are currently no operations performed on Saturdays and Sundays. Patients who have their operation late in the week still stay at the facility during the weekend. This is frowned upon by all of the current Shouldice employees. oThey could expand their number of beds by 50%, and schedule the operating rooms more heavily. This would require an investment of $4 million dollars. oThey could expand into Toronto, or even in the United States. oOffer more specialties such as eye surgery, varicose veins, or diagnostic services. My Alternatives Expand the capacity of the current hospital to meet demand Advertising Campaign Hire more surgeons staff Operate on Saturday Expand into the United States Solution Rationale With one hundred and thirty acres to build on, I believe that Shouldice should expand the capacity of the hospital to meet the rising demand. If they proceed in this direction then they would be able to begin a marketing campaign that would tremendously attract new patients into the operating room. In order to meet the increased workload of the new expansion new staff would need to be hired to make sure company morale remains high. With the hiring of the new staff, it will be easy to maintain the same working relationships and attitudes they have with their patients. The current staff can empower incoming new staff to maintain the same business culture and learn the specialized way of Shouldice Hospital. Expansion in the United States would be a great move after my first alternative is assessed, completed, and begins to earn profits. This will not happen overnight. It will be a long process with many trials and tribulations. The Shouldice Method is very unique and does not need to be copied in anyway. The current threat of other hospitals stealing this unique technique and performing it in the wrong way can prove to be disastrous for Shouldice. Immediate attention needs to be given to this problem. A thought on what to do includes getting negative media attention towards the hospitals who are trying to reproduce the technique. I believe that the marketing campaign that will be launched could prove to be beneficial instead of hazardous to Shouldice Hospital in this respect. By implementing my alternatives, I believe, that Shouldice Hospital will continue to remain successful in their specialization and offer a superior value proposition, all while remaining to balance low cost with high quality.

Friday, November 22, 2019

Informative Essay Writing

Informative Essay Writing Informative Essay Writing Informative Essay Writing: How to Deal with Informative essay writing is a kind of writing, which aims to inform a reader about some specific matter with which he or she is not acquainted yet. While writing your informative essays you have to remember that your task is just to inform the readers objectively about some matter, without evaluating it or without inserting your own point of view at the subject. You have to be impartial during your informative essay writing: Writing Good Informative Essay In order to write good informative essays you have to ask yourself five journalistic questions before any word of informative essay writing. These journalistic questions help you to look at the problem from all the possible angles and to reveal the topic for 100 percent. If you are not acquainted with these journalistic questions, it is a high time for you to correct this mistake. Thus, the journalistic questions are as follow: Who? What? When? Where? Why? If you answer to all of them in your informative essay writing, you will manage to write excellent informative essays. Make these very journalistic questions to be a structure for your informative essay writing and you will present informative essays, which meet all the requirements from them and get the highest grade for your labour. Educate Your Readers Through Informative Essay While being engaged into informative essay writing, do not forget that your mission is to educate your readers somehow by presenting some interesting facts. That is why while dealing with the topic in your informative essay writing, remember that far not everyone is already acquainted with the matter of your informative essays. Try to explain the whole deepness of problem you are dealing with in your informative essay writing, before going into details and specifications in order the readers to be able to understand everything you write. Key Points To Include These are the main points your informative essay writing should reveal, do not neglect any of them as they will really help you to achieve a great result in your informative essay writing: explain something the majority of readers are not acquainted with; include the latest approaches to the topic you are dealing with in your informative essay writing; present all the existing approaches at the subject; present the problem of informative essays in general and after that fall into details; present several opposing points of view; cause-effect relations should be also analyzed within your informative essay writing. teach your audience how to use the knowledge it has received from you informative essay writing. Read more: Editing Essay Service Deforestation Essay Professional Editing Service Essay Example on Cause of Crime Stress Management Essay

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 30

Philosophy - Essay Example In many countries global warming and climate changes are considered as a political issue rather than an ethical or moral issue. It is difficult to blame such countries beyond certain limits. The sincerity of the countries in tackling with global warming problems is questioned by many countries. For example, America usually speaks volumes about the importance of protecting the environment. However, they do less to reduce greenhouse gas emission or CFC emission. Developed countries such as America have more industrial units and automobiles compared to developing or underdeveloped countries. Such countries are causing more environmental problems than other countries. Instead of taking necessary steps to reduce environmental problems, these countries have the habit of forcing developing countries to contribute more towards environmental protection. These countries do believe that developed countries have some privileges over developing countries and they can continue with the environment damaging activities. Developed countries like America are asking underdeveloped and developing countries to control greenhouse gas emission. This is because of the fact that pollution and global warming problems in one country can affect other countries as well. America and other developed countries argue that developing world has more responsibility to protect the environment whereas the developed world has less responsibility in doing so. It should be noted that economic progress in developing countries will be reduced considerably if these countries implement strict environment protection activities. Therefore, they are not much interested in protecting the environment very much. They see political and economic reasons behind the demands of American and other developed countries. They believe that America and its allies are trying to prevent developing countries from achieving

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Improving Student Learning When Budgets Are Tight (Ch. 3 Summary) Essay

Improving Student Learning When Budgets Are Tight (Ch. 3 Summary) - Essay Example Thus the author’s major argument is that schools and districts should develop strategic plans to successfully cope with tightening budgets. According to the author there are four major reasons why schools are facing problems with cost increases, namely, smaller classes, more electives, automatic pay increases, and growing benefit costs (Odden, 2012, 47-49). First, some schools and districts reduce class sizes in the belief that it will improve student performance. Such belief is supported by several studies which reported improvements in the academic achievement of students who belong in smaller classes. However, these smaller class sizes are only effective in early grades. Second, more elective courses demand greater costs because they are usually made up of smaller classes. Third, as expected, automatic pay increases boost costs. Teachers and administrators are automatically given salary increase every time they acquire more experience or move up to a higher qualification le vel. Unfortunately, this salary system is not associated with greater academic performance and better teaching; it merely increases costs. And lastly, pension and health benefits, especially for those currently employed, also add pressure to education resources. All of these four factors undoubtedly increase education costs, but with little or no positive impact on student learning or academic performance. The author provides several strategic methods to resolve the dilemma of increasing costs and flat performance, such as definite objectives, a plan of action, and a clear strategic budgeting plan. Those schools with adequate resources but experiencing budget cutbacks must only consider strategies that will have the least effect on academic performance, such as a smaller number of administrators and instructional aides. On the other hand, those schools with insufficient funding must leave out small class sizes and consider more instructional coaches to enhance core classroom instruc tion (Odden, 2012, 50-52). In essence, a general plan of action can offer guidance to both sufficiently and insufficiently funded schools. The Midwestern middle school example shows how a substantially funded school can improve student learning without having to increase costs or demand additional resources. The problems with the school are that it has too many staff, but no instructional coaches and tutors, and lacking in collaborative work which could promote student learning. According to the analysis, the school can in fact afford all the staffing needed to significantly enhance student learning (Odden, 2012, 54). Numerous staff positions and electives can be reallocated to areas that have greater impact on student performance, such as those for struggling students (e.g. poor, disabled, etc). The analysis shows that the suggested staffing allocation could drastically enhance academic performance without additional staffing and/or funding. One of the main suggestions given to suc cessfully address the issue of tightening budget in education is increasing class sizes in order to reallocate resources to other more important areas, like programs for struggling students. As mentioned previously, studies have found that smaller class sizes positively impact student learning in early grades, but nothing has been

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Article Rebuttal Essay Example for Free

Article Rebuttal Essay The author stated that, â€Å"There is a difference between a married couple and a same-sex couple in a long-term relationship. The difference is between the duties that marriage imposes on married peoplenot rights, but rather onerous obligationswhich do not apply to same-sex love. † This statement, in my opinion, is completely untrue. All relationships can be difficult and time consuming, the statement would have more truth if the author of was talking about all relationships or marriages. When reading the article, I took every word as people that are in a same sex relationship can’t have a normal marriage or a normal family and normal life and that is why same sex marriage will ultimately fail. The only thing that is different about same sex marriage is that the genders of both people are the same. This doesn’t mean that the two people can’t have children, it just means they can‘t have them in the traditional way. Homosexuals that are married can have a normal life; they just might have to face other judgmental people, which they face even without being married. This author had no credibility, no fact or anything to back up his argument. There were not any reliable sources in this argument which makes me believe that everything about this article was just the opinion of the author. While I believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinions, I believe one should have reliable sources and make valid points before writing an article and making it public especially on such a controversial topic. Reference; http://www. weeklystandard. com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/016/533narty. asp

Thursday, November 14, 2019

pitch perception :: essays research papers

page References Baharloo, S., Johnston, P. A., Service, S. K., Gitshcier, J., Freimer, N. B. (1998). Absolute pitch: An approach for identification of genetic and nongenetic components. American Journal of Human Genetics, 62, 224-231. Retrieved 11/16/2004. Deutsch, D. (1985). Dichotic listening to melodic patterns and its relationship to hemispheric specialization of function. Music Perception, 3, (2), 127-154. Gregersen, P.K. (1998). Instant recognition: The gentics of pitch perception. American Journal of Human Genetics, 62, 221-223. Retrieved 11/16/2004. Heaton, P., Hermelin, B., Pring, L. (1998). Autism and pitch processing: a precursor for savant musical ability? Music Perception, 15, (3), 291-305. Lenhoff, H., M., Perales, O., Hickok, G. (2001). Absolute pitch in Williams syndrome. Music perception, 18, (4), 491-503. Levitin, D., J., Bellugi, U. (1998). Musical abilities in individuals with Williams Syndrome, Music Perception, 15, (4), 357-389. Pechstedt, P., H., Kershner, J., Kinsbourne, M. (1989). Musical Training improves processing of tonality in the left hemisphere. Music Perception, 6, (3), 275-298. Simpson, J., Huron, D. (1994). Absolute pitch as a learned phenomenon: Evidence consistent with the Hick-Hyman law. Music Perception, 12, (2), 267-270. Sloboda, J. A. (1985). An exceptional music memory. Music Perception, 3, (2), 155- 170. Nature or Nurture: The origins of pitch Perception For most of us, quick and accurate perception of the visual world is essential for getting around in life; we take for granted our instant recognition of color, shape, distance, and the physical relationships between objects. Many aspects of the auditory world are also apprehended in an effortless manner: a nighttime whistle is easily identified as a distant train, without any deliberation. However, identifying the pitch of an isolated whistle is beyond the abilities of most people. This is also the case for most musicians, despite the fact that they spend every day working in the context of a standardized system of pitch relationships. Those rare individuals who can instantly recognize the pitch of a random piano tone or passing car horn, without the use of a reference pitch, possess a cognitive ability that is termed "absolute pitch." The range of useful musical pitches is 20-5,000 Hz, which is, roughly the range of a piano keyboard Pitch is a one-dimensional attribute defined by the number of vibrations, per second, emanating from a sound source, such as a plucked string The peripheral auditory organs are designed specifically for frequency analysis. The cochlear basilar membrane vibrates, at each point along its length, with an optimal resonant frequency. The fact that all humans are quick to appreciate the differences in timbre between instruments illustrates the extreme sensitivity of this organ to complex frequency spectra.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Discrimination of Micronesians in Hawaii Essay

Since the COFA (Compact of Free Association) Act was formalized between the Pacific Island nations of Micronesia and the United States in 1986, there have been rising influxes of Micronesian citizens that have the privilege of entering the U. S. without the need for a visa or time limit. These FAS (Freely Associated States) include the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia. While there is no obligation to immigrate to a specific state within the U. S. , many choose to settle on Hawai’i. Due to its proximity to their home islands and tropical environment, the Micronesian population in Hawai’i has been steadily increasing during recent years. It is estimated that around 15,000 COFA migrants are currently residing in Hawai’i, where they subsequently face many barriers as new immigrants, including language, social and cultural barriers. Specifically, there is an ever-growing presence of Micronesian stereotyping and marginalization that is frequently exhibited by other ethnic populations in Hawai’i. Because they are seen as the â€Å"newest† population to arrive on the islands and the fastest growing, Micronesians are subject to many forms of discrimination. In recent years, our local community has been ill-equipped and misinformed about the Micronesian population. Consequently, our unfamiliarity has contributed to their isolation and discrimination within the Hawai’ian Islands. It is important for us as residents of Hawai’i to bridge the gap that exists between Micronesians and what we perceive as our own â€Å"local society†. Due to our society being misinformed and social control factors at work, we perceive Micronesians as being inept, destitute and imprudent. There are several barriers that hinder Micronesian assimilation within the islands. One such barrier is within the health care system. In Dr. Yamada’s article titled, â€Å"Discrimination in Hawaii and the Health of Micronesians†, he says Micronesians are often victims of â€Å"inferior care or denial of services†. There are instances of Micronesian patients that are denied services and being referred to another clinic, or being discriminated against due to their perceived lack of adherence to treatment plans. Personally, I believe that there is a kind of â€Å"ignorance† that health care providers bestow upon Micronesian patients. In 2006, I began working as a volunteer for the Kaka’ako homeless shelter and clinic started by Dr. Jill Omori that included inhabitants comprised mostly of Micronesian ethnicity. Many of them were unable to find a job and help themselves financially. Those individuals who lacked the means to support their family also sought refuge at the shelter. I observed that a lot of the older Micronesian shelter inhabitants could not speak English, and those who did only had limited basic knowledge and phrases that they used. What was surprising, however, was that most of the doctors and medical students who treated these patients did not having a working knowledge of the Chuukese language, which is spoken by the majority of the Micronesians. Many of these patients used the help of their children who were fortunate to attend public schools. Thus, a language barrier had existed, and still to this day, is continually a major factor in the fair treatment of health care delivery among Micronesians. In the health care system, it can be challenging to relay medical information from English into Chuukese. Pobutsky et. al. uggests having health education materials translated and readily available for Micronesian patients. Pobutsky also notes that having interpreters fluent in Chuukese is essential. Regarding denial of health services, Yamada talks about how COFA migrants were denied MED-QUEST (a Medicaid program) benefits in July 2010 by the Hawai’i State Administration. It was reinstated 4 months later because the denial was in direct violation of the Equal Protection clause of the 14th Amendment of the U. S. Constitution. Such discrimination is not only seen in our health care system, but also within the confines of social and economic settings. Yamada suggests that examining and countering â€Å"prevailing social forces† will help eliminate discrimination. By my personal interpretation, he is saying we must realize that social forces – such as the criminal justice system and the government – are shared by all of us as one single community in Hawai’i. By being responsible and looking out for one another regardless of race or ethnicity, we can close the social bridge that divide us. In other words, we must be proactive and bring to light the issues that face Micronesian immigrants who are treated unfairly. Another brief policy report from the Hawai’i Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice (HACLEJ) provides accounts of stigmatization by governmental leaders towards COFA migrants. The report further goes on to explain how there is an absence of interpreters available to help COFA migrants within labor, housing and court disputes. Within the context of the court system, it can be a challenge for someone convicted who does not have a working knowledge of the English language. HACLEJ emphasizes the need to â€Å"stimulate awareness, advocacy and action† in order to better address Micronesians living in Hawai’i. Several paths can be taken to address discrimination issues against Micronesians. Already, there are many advocates and groups that support Micronesians and other at-risk migrants. Some of these groups do not receive funding from the state of Hawai’i, and must rely on private funds to continue their work. There are also few research projects that involve Micronesians living in Hawai’i and thus there is little information in regards to ethnographic and qualitative studies. Additionally, surveys measuring Micronesians’ health needs and risk factors should be included within the context of how to better deliver health care. Within the political system, our lawmakers should be better informed and take more consideration into immigration affairs. Pobutsky et. al. gives several examples of health service programs that are currently in the process of addressing the language barriers and health concerns of Micronesians, but there is much more work to be done in order to achieve long-term success. Allocation of state and government funds should be directed towards creating more educational and social programs that can help better address disparities quite often seen with newly arrived immigrants. Based in part by my own personal experiences and also through research, many Micronesians are illiterate and lack a good work ethic to succeed in future endeavors. Because Micronesians are discriminated both in the job market and in school, they may perceive themselves as being unable to achieve success that is often seen with other ethnicities. Consequently many of them, especially Micronesian youths, engage in criminal behavior and illicit activities. My worry is that this cycle will manifest itself unchecked among these youths well into adulthood and create more harm than good within the criminal justice system of Hawai’i. As citizens of a diverse society in Hawai’i, we need to be more proactive and open-minded on issues that deal with the Micronesian population as a whole. Local perspectives that Micronesians are a kind of â€Å"deviance† on the islands and a â€Å"burden† to our society are obstructive to our continuous theme of the â€Å"Aloha spirit†. We must come together as a society and be more considerate and helpful to those who we might think less highly of. As long as institutions of power continue to ignore the problem of discrimination and disparity, then recent immigrants who include Micronesians will continue to face hardship. In our study of social control theory, there is the idea of â€Å"strain† that is frequently seen in societies that stress hard work and having a good education. More research efforts and studies must be done in order to better assess disparities present within the Micronesian population in Hawai’i, as well as having adequate funding by the state to support programs that meet the needs of the Micronesian community.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Techniques and Study Skills

| Identify and describe techniques and study skills that may enhance your own learning| | 856 words | Effective study skills must be practiced in order to improve. It is not enough to simply â€Å"think about† studying; we have to actually do it, and in the process use information from what we do to get better. In this essay we will identify and describe study skills and techniques which may enhance the learning ability of the person. The essay will include a description of study habits and preferred learning styles.And finally identification and description of techniques and study skills that may be helpful for a tertiary student’s study plan. Better study skills lead to better test-taking skill and of course better grades. The study habits and skills, that personally help me succeed are many. Before starting, there should always be an appropriate study environment. Personally that includes limited noise, a lot of sunlight, hard surface to write and a comfortable furni ture. The first step is to make summary notes, choosing the most important ideas from my text book or lecture notes.Then organize these ideas in to a summary. Divide the information in to ideas, spreading them all over the page and then finding the relationship between them, to achieve this flashcards, mind maps, flow charts or tables. Studding by using summary notes can help you memorize, develop problem solving strategies and acquire more knowledge. Having quiet music playing in the background is very useful for memorizing information to me. Physically touching objects helps me focus my state of mind when performing a task e. g. spinning the pen. Each of us is an individual, and we all learn and think in different ways.There are few learning styles that fit every personality and benefit in their own way. There are many ways that an individual can approach and find which style works best for them. According to Ward and Daley (1993, p. 59) V. A. R. K. is a simple test that consists of many question, which at the end can determine which learning style best suits your personality. V. A. R. K. simply stands for Visual, Auditory, Read/Write and Kinaesthetic. The one learning style that mostly stands out and best suits me is kinaesthetic. Ward and Daley state hat kinaesthetic learners, learn best by doing hands on activities, in which they can physically manipulate something in order to learn about it. For example to teach someone something kinaesthetic people will demonstrate then let them have a go or when listening to a band they move in time with the music. According to Gilakjani (2012)people who use this style tend to lose concentration if there is little or no movement. When listening to lectures they may want to take notes for the sake of moving their hands. When reading, they like to scan the material first, and then focus in on the details.They take notes by drawing pictures, diagrams, or doodling. Although kinaesthetic is my main learning style, there are other styles that benefit me in remembering and understanding things. Visual and Interpersonal are the second and third highest styles that help with my learning process. Visual learners remember best when colour, charts, diagrams or mind maps are involved in the study session. While interpersonal learners are highly social and love to be around people and participate in group activities. Interpersonal learners can understand someone by their mood, the way they stand or their intentions.Every person has different study skills and techniques that they use to help them with processing and learning new information. The amount of study skills is immense from hand writing to setting goals. The following techniques and study skills are useful to my learning: 1. Do something while studying: Tap a pencil or do something that occupies my hands without decoming distracted. 2. Play music, when appropriate, during activities: Tend to be less distracted by music while studying than other people . 3. Give frequent stretch breaks (brain breaks): break my study up into shorter periods, but also take shorter breaks.Regular 5 minute breaks can often be helpful to study far more, because by getting enough rest helps my concentration and thinking quality to improve. 4. Use flashcard: simply write a question or topic suggestion on one side of a card, and the answer or a list of details they should remember on the other side 5. Study with other people: enjoy discussion, talking with others is often a great way to consolidate what is learnt. In conclusion the learning style is the way we tend to learn best. It involves our preferred method of taking in, organizing, and making sense of information. Learning styles do not tell us bout a person's abilities or intelligence, but they can help us understand why some tasks seem easier for us than others. There are several benefits of thinking about and trying to understand the learning preferences: learning most effectively when the strate gies used are closely matched with the preferred learning style; we can improve learning by knowing what strengths and weaknesses are and then doing more of what is needed to achieve the goal; different situations and learning environments require different learning strategies, so it's best to have a large variety of techniques and study skills.REFERENCE: Gilakjani, A. (2012, Vol. 2, No. 1). Visual, auditory, kinaesthetic learning styles and their impacts on English language teaching. Journal of Studies and Education. Ward, C. W. Daley, J. D. (1993), pp. 59. Learning to learn. Christchurch, New Zealand: A & H Consultants Ltd.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Wells Fargo Company

Wells Fargo Company This article is going to discuss different ways and situations of analyzing a company’s, profitability, sustainability and its moving forward.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Wells Fargo Company, Its Profitability, Sustainability and Moving Forward specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The article is also going to highlight different types of analysis and how they differ from one another in relation to purpose and profitability. The article is going to have a look at Well Fargo’s analysis. There are different situations, which lead to the companys analysis. The company might choose to assess various sections that constitute to the whole company for various purposes. One of the main purposes of conducting an analysis on a company is to determine its position in relation to profitability. A company’s profitability is never stagnant; a company is moving either forward or backwards. A company will never b e at the same position in relation to profitability. There are different types of analysis; they differ from one another in regards to purpose and methodology. A research will always have a unique way through which it looks at the details presented in the aim of research. The SWOT system of analysis is one of the most effective methods of analyzing a business organization. The SWOT analysis highlights strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Through this analysis an organization is evaluated into the fine details. The company’s strengths can be seen in the ranking it has received from world renowned financial analysts. The company is listed as the best small business lender, best agricultural lender, second best debt card issuer, second best prime home-equity lender, third best mutual fund provider among the U.S. Banks. For instance, the company is the 18th most respected company in the world. This was a ranking established by Barrons. Wells Fargo has been ranked as the 17th most profitable company all over the United States. The organization has received the â€Å"Aaa† credit rating from Moody. The company has a good relation with the community, the customers, and the team members. The company has been ranked as the 41st in relation to revenue in the United States. This ranking was given by the Fortune 500. Another area where the company’s strength is displayed is in relation to organization. The company’s organization structure is set up in a manner that helps various departments and branches to work as a single body. The Wells Fargo Bank has been established as the first bank in the United States as of 2008 (Fradkin, 2002).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The company has two major weaknesses. These weaknesses are presented in bad mortgages and low debit card market share. One of the major areas where ot her competitors beat this company is in relation to debit cards. Whereas other financial institutions are focused on providing debit cards for their customers, this company has been left behind. For this cause, Wells Fargo has been constantly loosing customers. The market share that the company continues to lose every other day where debit cards are being used in the market is a loophole through which competitors continue to enjoy other benefits. The other weakness of the company is in relation to bad mortgages. As a lender, there are mortgage problems that the company continues to face every day as the credit market continues to experience problems (Navarro, 2006). The opportunities the company is presented with, include reduced competition, cross-selling options, consolidating industry, international expansion, and Wachovia. In relation to international expansion, the company is looking to establish a strong presence in the international market as well as increasing the growth and profits. In the event the company is to venture out into international markets, it would experience improved synergies and the customer base would increase. The opportunities would also improve the company’s financial stability as well as enhancing the individual economies in the countries where it has been established. Innovation will increase the company’s profitability (Ferrell Hartline, 2010). The threats that the company faces include mortgage issues, credit market crisis, slow expansion of mortgages, credit cards write offs, housing crisis, and government intervention. The credit market is perceived as a threat mainly because of the effect it has on cost of borrowing. Shareholders fail to benefit mainly because the free cash flow is interrupted. This also affects margins adversely. The housing crisis has two major effects that qualify it as a threat to the operations of Wells Fargo. The housing crisis is responsible for the decrease in value of equity and compa ny assets as well. This has the effect of making business slow and reducing its profitability. The pressure also affects the growth of equity and cash flow. Although the government is a big customer for the company, there is always some pressure on the intervention it provides. In the event the company intervenes, the effect is felt on stock. The stock is usually under pressure in the event such intervention is launched. The government involvement in business also comes with its adverse effects.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Wells Fargo Company, Its Profitability, Sustainability and Moving Forward specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For instance, the government has been associated with past problems and these have led businesses to experience huge losses. In the event the company ventures into a market where the industry is regulated by the government, there are adverse effects that the company is set to experience. These adverse effects are usually rooted in the manner the government makes its decisions. In the light of the fact that the government makes decisions, various businesses are set to flourish. Taking into consideration that these decisions are not based on the welfare of the citizens, the businesses will suffer, too. The involvement of government in business is also a risky affair as it brings it political risks. Credit card write offs also decrease the profitability of Wells Fargo (Fradkin, 2002). References Ferrell, O.C. and Hartline, M. (2010). Marketing Strategy. Ohio: South-Western Cengage Learning. Fradkin, P.L. (2002). Stagecoach: Wells Fargo and the American West. New York: Simon Schuster Publishers. Hume, J.B. and Thacker, J.N. and Wilson, R.M. (2010). Wells, Fargo Co. stagecoach and train robberies, 1870-1884: the corporate report of 1885 with additional facts about the crimes and their perpetrators. North Carolina: McFarland Co. Navarro, P. (2006). The Well-timed Strat egy: Managing the Business Cycle for Competitive Advantage. New York: Wharton School Publishing. Paul, R. Elder, L. (2006). Critical thinking: Tools for taking charge of your learning and your life (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River: NJ: Prentice Hall.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Three ways to make an impact with numbers

Three ways to make an impact with numbers How to make an impact with numbers Numbers can play a crucial role in many of your documents at work. But beware of the trap of thinking that data can speak for itself. You need to do that part. Figures can back up your claims with evidence and help draw attention to your most important facts, trends and comparisons. If what youre writing about is quite dry, theres usually a statistic that will grab your readers attention. Unfortunately, numbers can also have the opposite effect. If they’re poorly explained, they’ll slow your reader to a crawl as they try to work out exactly what youre saying. You risk losing the reader altogether in a sea of context-free figures – and statistics that arent related to their concerns will be no sooner read than forgotten. But there are ways that you can make the most of your figures – and your research – that were going to explore here. Remember these three things and youll be sure to give your numbers real impact. 1. Frame your statistics to show their significance A well-written statistic can capture your reader’s attention by itself. Heres a widely quoted example that dates back to 2007: One in every  £7 spent in retail (in the UK) is spent in Tesco. Its an arresting statistic. But what made it so popular? Lets start with some alternative ways of saying the same thing. Simply talking about the raw numbers of Tescos sales figures wouldnt have had nearly the same effect: Tescos retail sales totalled  £35.6 billion. This won’t mean anything to the average person – you could change the number to  £350.6 billion or  £3.56 billion and many people would accept it as true. (And, more than that, not really know how much they should care.) In other words, without any context, 35.6 billion is just a very large number. Putting the number in context is what starts to give it meaning: Tesco accounted for  £35.6 billion of the  £303.6 billion spent in retail sales in the UK. This gives you a sense of Tesco being a major player in the market. We understand this better now because we have a frame of reference – the overall size of the retail market. But, the numbers are still not framed in a way that most people will directly relate to. After all, most of us dont deal with the retail market – its an abstraction. On top of that, extremely large numbers are hard to understand intuitively. The majority of us do, however, spend money on products and fuel. Saying One in every  £7 spent in retail is spent in Tesco turns this statistic into the very familiar context of the coins and notes in our wallets. At the same time, the problem of talking about big, difficult-to-grasp numbers disappears. Finding your winning examples So how do you do the same thing? As ever, the most important person to consider is your reader. So profile them. By asking what your reader knows and wants, you can more easily set numbers into the appropriate context. For example, lets take these basic statistics: According to data from the Land Registry, house prices in East Sussex rose by over  £18,000 between February 2015 and February 2016. This means that the average home in East Sussex now sells for over  £214,000. The same statistics have different implications depending on whom youre writing for. If you were writing for someone interested in buying a house, you might compare this to the national average house prices. Whereas, if you were writing a report on the cost of living, you could compare this to the median wage in East Sussex. 2. Watch out for unfamiliar units of measurement It’s easy to think of numbers as somehow fundamentally different from words. Of course, in your work documents, they’re alike in one key respect: they both have to make sense to your readers. Whatever specialist area you work in and write about, you always need to be aware of what technical language and jargon might need explaining along the way – and numbers are a magnet for specialist terms. Each domain has its own measures that are widely understood within the field, but widely unintelligible to anyone outside it – from economists measuring Terms of Trade to consultants looking at Net Promoter Score feedback. You can reduce the chances of confusing your readers by thinking about them before you start writing. Do they work in the same field? Do they share your terminology? Are they likely to understand the significance of the measurements? Again, profiling your reader is vital. Youll probably find that, with a little thought, you already have a pretty good idea of what your readers will and wont understand. And if youre still uncertain, try giving a draft of your document to your reader – or to someone you think is similar to them in terms of background knowledge. See if they can understand your technical terms and measurements. If they have trouble, youll either need to explain your terms more clearly or think of a way of rewriting what youre saying in a way that doesnt involve them. 3. Work smart with tables and charts There are three main ways of presenting numbers in your documents: text, tables and charts. These options can complement each other, rather than being strict alternatives. However, in most situations, you will only need either a chart or a table – both is usually overkill. So which should you use? If you need to report lots of precise figures for reference, its better to put them in a table. This saves you from having to write long, hard-to-follow sentences containing all of your values. (Remember too that if most of your readers wont need access to your data, you can always put tables in an appendix rather than in your main document.) Charts and graphs are usually better for showing detailed relationships, relative proportions and trends – but remember that your readers wont be able to read off precise figures. Whichever you use, just including charts, graphs and tables isnt enough. Its very important to interpret them in your text. So always remember to draw out the main implications that are relevant to your reader. For tables, draw out typical values if you want to show a general relationship, or exceptional values if you want to draw attention to a particular figure. For example: Every year, fewer people are using Internet Explorer. Table 1 shows how Internet Explorers usage share has plummeted from 66 per cent in 2009, to just 16 per cent in 2016. For graphs and charts, describe the size and kind of overall trend that youre showing. For example, a graph might show a trough in sales over Christmas or a fluctuating number of support tickets. (For more ways to describe trends, click here.) When youve interpreted graphs and tables well, your reader should be able to understand what they show – and the significance of it – just by reading the text. Putting your interpretation of the graphs or charts data into the body of your text also means you can bring your readers attention to the figures at the relevant point in your argument. Your reader can then test your conclusions by looking at the data for themselves. Keeping your numbers working Although you might think of words and numbers as different languages, in business writing success lies in seeing what the two have in common. Theyre both there to help you achieve the aims and objectives you have for your document – and, ultimately, to meet the needs of your reader. As with all writing, the key to getting your message across is keeping the needs and knowledge of your reader in mind as you write. Do that, and you can be confident that you’ll be making your numbers and research count. Image credit: Jason Salmon / Shutterstock

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Health and safety in construction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Health and safety in construction - Essay Example The introductory section of the discussion give general information concerning the application of occupational health and safety rules in the contemporary society. The discussion is extended in the second section which describes of the statute laws applicable in occupational health and safety, its key requirements as well as the strategies that were applied to gather the information. The third section of the discussion discusses a legislation that has been applied in the United States of America to guide issues of occupational health and safety; modes of information retrieval are also described in this section. Moreover, examples of case laws are provided in the fourth section of the discussion together with the modes of information retrieval. Consequently, the second last section comprehensively discusses the strategies that were applied by the group to solve conflicts that might have emerged in the group. Meanwhile, the last provides a conclusion of the overall discussion. Key Word s Statute Law Occupational Health and Safety Conflicts Introduction The concept of occupational health and safety is usually overlooked especially in the construction