A Comparative Analysis of Dell's and HP's products and services from Essay

A Comparative Analysis of Dell's and HP's products and services from the Perspective of the Firm and Customer - Essay Example These models have been employed in this paper for checking the status of two popular firms, HP and Dell, in terms of the quality of their products and services. HP is more focused on quality while Dell seems to emphasize on the market performance of their products. However, both firms have made important initiatives to ensure the high quality of their products and services. The effectiveness of their efforts are presented and analysed below using appropriate literature. Table of contents Executive Summary 2 Table of contents 3 1. Introduction 4 2. HP and Dell 7 2a. Analysis of HP’s products and services from the perspective of the firm and customer 7 2b. Analysis of Dell’s products and services from the perspective of the firm and customer 10 2c. Comparative analysis of HP and Dell in regard to their products and services 12 3. Conclusions 15 4. Recommendations 17 References 18 Appendix 19 1. Introduction The development of organizations in the international market is u sually promoted through specific strategies. Competition seems to be of key importance for strategy makers in most firms. Moreover, it has been proved that competing rivals can be a challenging effort, especially during periods of economic instability. On the other hand, firms that are already well established in the global market are more efficient in developing competitive advantage. The potential role of a specific framework, of Total Quality Management (TQM), in the growth of business activities is reviewed in this paper. The products and services of two, well-known, organizations, Hewlett-Packard and Dell, have been reviewed in order to check whether TQM can help modern firms to improve their market position and increase their customer base. The above firms have been chosen on the basis of the following criteria: a) their activation in the same industry, b) their presence in the global market and c) their efforts in regard to the promotion of TQM, as analytically explained in s ection 2 of this study. It should be noted that the involvement of TQM in the design of these firm’s products/ services is reviewed from two different perspectives: the perspective of the firm and the perspective of the customer. Quality is an element of organizational success. Indeed, firms with products/ services of high quality are expected to compete effectively their rivals even in adverse market conditions. Quality, as an element of organizational environment, has appeared after the end of WWII and has been related to ‘the ideas of Edwards Deming’ (Daft and Marcic 2010, p.33). In practice, quality became part of organizational activities due to the initiatives of Japanese firms that first emphasized on the need for ‘the involvement of employees in identifying quality problems across the organization’ (Daft and Marcic 2010, p.33). Different approaches have been used for the promotion of quality in organizations of different structure and culture . One of the most known systems for ensuring quality is the just-in-time system (see Figure 1, Appendix), which was first developed by Toyota. The specific system focuses on the elimination, as possible, of waste, emphasizing on the production only of those products that are necessary and of the amount and quality set by the customer (Ho 1999). It should be noted that the promotion of quality in the organizational environment had appeared quite early, many decades before the introduction of the just-in-time system in Toyota. In fact, it was about 1924 that the first statistical tool for quality control appeared

Integrated Occupational Therapy Practice Case Study

Integrated Occupational Therapy Practice Case Study Introduction This report will focus on the occupational therapy (OT) process for Meera (Appendix A), a 56-year-old woman with a left cerebral vascular accident (CVA). Stroke is the death of brain cells due to the lack of oxygen (Bartels et al. 2016).It can either present as haemorrhagic or ischaemic in nature. Risk factors of CVA include hypertension and hypercholesterolemia which Meera has. Stroke may lead to neurological, psychological, speech and musculoskeletal complications. Meeras symptoms of right hemiplegia, right sided neglect and speech difficulties can be attributed to the occlusion of her left middle cerebral artery (Mtui et al. 2016). A multidisciplinary inpatient stroke rehabilitation unit was involved with Meeras post-stroke rehabilitation. Stroke patients who underwent treatment inpatient stroke care were found to have improved independence (Stroke Unit Trialists Collaboration 2013). Treatment was aimed at managing vital problems through restorative and compensatory approaches in order to prepare her for discharge (Edmans 2010). Thus, this service was most appropriate for Meera due to her recent onset of stroke. The OT process was guided by recommendations from the College of Occupational Therapist, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)(2013) and Intercollegiate Stroke Working Party (ISWP)(2016)(Edmans 2010). Assessments and Problems Identified An initial assessment was gathered through an interview using the Kawa Model. It portrays a persons life as a river and various objects such as rocks, river banks and driftwood depict circumstances experienced by a person (Teoh and Iwama 2015). Younger stroke patients such as Meera may require services which cater particularly to their needs which most stroke units were found not to do so (ISWP 2016). As Kawa focuses on the view of the client, it allows the therapist to know what is important to Meera in order to formulate priorities for intervention. The assessment is shown below: Life flow and priorities (river) Past Medical History: Hypertension Hypercholesterolemia Roles and Occupations: Independent in self-care Proud Stay at home mother Took charge of matters at home such as: Cleaning Shopping Gardening Laundry Enjoys cooking for family Present Medical History: Stroke Roles and Occupations: Patient Needs assistance in most self-care tasks Loss of previous role and not engaging in occupations meaningful to her Future Meera felt afraid and pointless to talk about the future, worrying that she may have another stroke if she engaged in activity. Obstacle and Challenges (rocks) Occupational performance challenges: Right hemiplegia with increased spasticity in right arm and leg, causing difficulty in: Sitting Coordination of movement Tasks that require her hands due to being right handed Unable to feel sensations on right hand Feels she cannot remember things as easily and may not know the time and place she is at Right sided neglect with visual agnosia, resulting in difficulty : washing right side awareness of people approaching from affected side interacting with others Expressive dysphagia hinders communication with others. Feeling low mostly Feels useless Embarrassed that people are taking care of her Fatigues easily Concerns Family unable to function as she is unable to manage the household A burden to family, especially her husband who needs to manage the household together with the pressure at work now that she is in hospital Childrens studies and social life may be affected as they may be concerned about Meera and visiting her in hospital may affect their daily life Physical and Social Environment (river banks) Physical (Home) 3 room semi-detached Bathroom, toilet and bedroom on the upper storey Kitchen, combined living and dining room on ground floor Nearest bus stop and convenience store 10 minutes walk away Social Close knit family Meera usually supports family members as they will confide her during difficulties Looks forward to dinner every day where family will gather together Family is most vital source of support for Meera Frequent interaction with neighbours and will help each other with chores if needed Occasionally communicates with extended family overseas on phone Personal resources (driftwood) Personality Hardworking Afraid of trying new things Kind and caring Responsible With information from the initial assessment, the problem list was formulated in a client-centred manner (ISWP 2016). Stroke survivors felt more engaged in the therapeutic process when their perspectives were taken into account (Peoples et al. 2011). Interventions were based on Meeras perceived problems in order to increase her motivation in therapy which she lacked. However the Kawa model only shows the problems perceived by Meera but not the therapists views. In order to gather a clinical and therapeutic point of view, standardized assessments were conducted as well. The table below depicts the various assessment conducted, reasons for use, limitations and results. Assessment Reasons for use and limitations Results Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS) (Fisher and Jones 2010) AMPS evaluates motor and processing skills of clients through observation of appropriate tasks (Fisher and Jones 2010). Self-care, specifically showering, dressing and cooking tasks which was important to Meera, were used to assess. This allowed the OT to break the tasks down and acknowledge the challenges Meera faced in order to formulate an appropriate intervention. AMPS was found to be valid, reliable and standardized among cultures but results has to be computer generated in order to be valid which may make the process tedious (Fisher and Jones 2010). Less than 1 for both motor (Moderate increase in physical effort) and process (Moderate inefficiency and disorganization) skills. Loewenstein Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment (LOTCA) (Itzkovich et al. 2000) LOTCA evaluates the orientation, visual and spatial perception, visual-motor organization and thinking operations through the use of various activities included in the kit (Itzkovich et al. 2000). This allowed the OT to assess Meeras right sided neglect and to discover any underlying cognitive deficits. The LOTCA is reliable and valid for use in people with stroke but needed to be conducted in more than one sitting as assessments were long and tedious for Meera who experience fatigue (Katz et al. 2000). Meera was able to sequence tasks but was unable to complete tasks involving her right field of vision. She needed prompts to complete orientation tasks. Activities involving memory were also a challenge for her. Rivermead Motor Assessment (RMA) (Lincoln and Leadbitter 1979) The RMA consists of tests evaluating the gross, leg, trunk and arm function of a stroke patient (Lincoln and Leadbitter 1979). This was conducted together with the physiotherapist. The RMA allowed the team to know which movements Meera had difficulties in order to formulate appropriate interventions. This assessment was found to be reliable and valid but due to being strenuous and long, it had to be conducted in a few sessions due to Meera showing signs of fatigue (Kurtais 2009) Meera was not independent in transfers and mobility, she required assistance of one for transfers and used a wheelchair for mobility. She also had minimum trunk and leg control at her affected side and require assistance for movement. However, she is able to hold objects using her affected arm but cannot reach for an object far away due to scapular instability. Â  From these assessments, 3 problems Meera faced, in order of significance was developed: 1. Loss of independence in self-care affected Meera the most. From the assessments conducted, it was found that challenges in motor, cognition and perception affected her performance in self-care. Managing self-care would focus on these domains as well (NICE 2013). It was hoped that Meera would be more engaged in therapy by focusing on an issue she perceived as critical. This was evidenced by a study where patients were more motivated and engaged more in interventions when treatment was catered to their perceived needs (Combs et al. 2010). This would also help Meera to elevate her mood as low involvement in self-care was found to be a factor for post-stroke depression (Jiang et al. 2014). The psychologist in the team would be managing Meeras low mood as well (ISWP 2016). By working with Meera on her self-care would also remove some burden from Sanjay, who was assumed to be her main carer when she is discharged from hospital. 2. Problems with visual perception, specifically right side neglect and agnosia, were targeted as it was found to have an influence on self-care (Barker-Collo et. al 2010). This would help Meera in performing self-care tasks. Her visual deficits also affected her social life and transfers. Managing her perceptual problems would allow her to interact more with other patients in the ward which could provide her with social support. 3. Meeras motor challenges, specifically right side weakness and spasticity were addressed as it was one of the major challenges faced during self-care. It was hoped that through the management of motor deficits, Meera would increase her engagement in occupations. This would also have a positive effect for Meera in future as it was shown that physical function affected quality of life in stroke patients (Ellis et al. 2013). Motor challenges faced by Meera would be managed in conjunction with the physiotherapist (ISWP 2016). Skills in managing motor challenges can also be transferred to other aspects such as cooking and reinstating her role as a homemaker. Treatment Plan Client Aims: Meera wants to be more engaged in her personal care. Therapist Aims: To increase Meeras engagement in her self-care tasks. To manage Meeras right sided neglect and agnosia. To manage Meeras weakness and spasticity in her right arm, leg and trunk. Objectives: Meera should be able take charge of her own shower and dressing every morning for an hour, with assistance of one, in 4 weeks. Meera should be able to independently identify items required on her right field of vision for washing and dressing every morning in 4 weeks. Meera should be able to go from lying to sitting, and pivot transfer from bed to wheelchair as well as from wheelchair to shower chair, every morning with assistance of one in 4 weeks. Intervention Washing and dressing assessment was conducted through the use of AMPS. This allowed the OT to formulate an appropriate wash and dress plan for multi-disciplinary use through identified difficulties in motor and processing skills (Fisher and Jones 2010). Using a meaningful occupation as a basis for intervention was beneficial for Meera. This can be supported by a study where occupation based intervention was shown to be critical in improving occupational performance (Wolf et al. 2015). The intensity of the intervention would be higher than the recommended minimum frequency of 45 minutes, 5 days a week as it was included in Meeras daily routine (NICE 2013). The washing and dressing plan was adapted from Salisbury District Hospitals (2013) assessment form. The OT conducted the first session in order to teach Meera the relevant compensatory and visual scanning skills. Other sessions could be conducted by other staff with guidance from the plan. A further review after every few days would also be required in accordance to recommendations (ISWP 2016). Washing and dressing plan for Meera Transfers Bed Mobility: Meera is able to roll to her right side independently. She requires assistance from lying to sitting. Bed to wheelchair: Require assistance of one for pivot transfer Standing: Require assistance of one and grab rail in the bathroom Wheelchair to shower chair: Require assistance of one for pivot transfer Allow Meera to navigate to bathroom Washing Notes: Require the use of a shower chair in the shower Allow Meera to initiate and sequence task independently Only give Meera assistance when she asks for it Place items necessary for shower on Meeras right side If Meera seems to be searching for something, prompt her to look for it by turning her head Encourage use of right hand to wash herself Meera may require assistance to release her grip on objects Provide assistance if Meera feel fatigue Upper body: Meera is able to wash her right side independently Meera require assistance to wash above her elbows on her left side Assistance may be needed to wash hair and back thoroughly Lower Body: Meera should be able to wash her genitals and front upper thighs independently Assist Meera in standing with the grab rail with one person supporting at all times Another person will assist Meera in cleaning her bottom and her rear upper thigh Encourage Meera to wash her lower thighs but prevent her from falling from the shower chair Assist in cleaning the rest of the lower thighs Dressing Upper Body: Encourage Meera to put on the bra independently using the one arm method. Allow Meera to use the one hand method to wear her t-shirt. Prompt her by reminding her of the steps if she is struggling Lower Body: Meera requires assistance to put on her trousers while assisted in standing. Both the restorative and adaptive approach was used to guide the intervention. Restorative approach is grounded upon neuroplasticity where relearning takes place when new neural connections form in the brain during constant exposure to various stimulus (Gillen 2016). By practising various movements of her affected side during self-care, Meera should have a reduction in her impairments. This is supported by a study where patients who went through functional motor relearning therapy were found to have improved balance and performance in self-care (Chan et al. 2006). The compensatory approach is where tasks are modified to be easier for the clients to achieve (Edmans 2010). Even though this approach has been criticized for hindering motor recovery in people with stroke, it is still appropriate for Meera (Jones 2017). The compensatory method of using the one hand dressing method served as a feedback mechanism which could improve motivation as supported by Popovic et al. (2014). This would thus encourage Meera to engage in therapy. Risk Management Plan Meera might be fatigue and may not be able to do some of the tasks required. The staff in charge will assist when required and allow Meera to rest when needed. Due to the intimate nature of a wash and dress, Meera might feel embarrassed and down during the process. In order to preserve her dignity, sensitive areas would be covered whenever necessary and observation would be subtle. Environmental hazards would be checked before commencing any transfers or wash and dress in order to prevent falls. Relapse prevention In the hospital setting, encouragement for frequent engagement in occupation and usage of relevant motor and cognitive skills would prevent Meeras occupational performance from deteriorating (Brainin et al. 2015; Ullberg et al. 2015). According to NICE (2013), long-term health and social support should include education on symptoms and dysfunction relating to stroke, services available and participation in meaningful occupation. As such, Meera and her family would be briefed on these strategies. Outcome Measures Evaluation of treatment outcomes is important to conclude if the intervention was successful and used to change the treatment plan according (Mew and Ivey 2010). The outcomes were evaluated by using goals and comparing standardized assessment at baseline and outcome. Firstly, intervention was evaluated through the achievement of goals. Goal achievement was linked to client satisfaction and a significant client-centred outcome (Custer et al. 2013). Meera was able to achieve the objectives as expected. Secondly, the AMPS was conducted again, using the task of showering and dressing (Fisher and Jones 2010). Meera scored higher in these tasks but still required some assistance in achieving them. Thirdly, Meera improved on the LOTCA tasks which involved visual scanning, little to no improvement was seen on the orientation and memory tasks (Itzkovich et al. 2000). Lastly, the RMA was conducted again (Lincoln and Leadbitter 1979). Meera improved in the trunk, leg and upper limb function but there were still signs of weakness and instability involved. Further plans Other domains of concern would be managed as according to initial assessment and outcome measures. Further interventions would include management of cognitive function such as memory and orientation through cooking. Including Meera in a social group such as breakfast club in the ward would be beneficial to her as well (Venna et al. 2014). To prepare for discharge, Meera would be referred to the Early Supported Discharge team. The team would help Meera and her family by introducing appropriate adaptations at home and relevant education on stroke (ISWP 2016). A smooth transition from hospital to home was found to improve patients function in activities of daily living and service satisfaction (Fearon et al. 2012). This would thus be beneficial for both Meera and her family. References Bartels MN, Duffy CA and Beland HE (2016) Pathophysiology, Medical Management, and Acute Rehabilitation of Stroke Survivors IN: Gillen G (ed) Stroke Rehabilitation: A Function-Based Approach (4th Edition). Missouri: Elsevier 2-45 Brainin M, Tuomilehto J, Heiss WD, Bornstein NM, Bath PMW, Teuschi Y, Richard E, Guekht A and Quinn T (2015) Post-stroke cognitive decline: an update and perspectives for clinical research. European Journal of Neurology 22(2):299-e16 Chan DYL, Chan CCH and Au DKS (2006) Motor relearning programme for stroke patients: A randomized controlled trial. Clinical Rehabilitation 30(3):191-200 Combs SA, Kelly SP, Barton R, Ivaska M and Nowak K (2010) Effects of an intensive, task-specific rehabilitation program for individuals with chronic stroke: A case series. Disability and Rehabilitation 32(8):669-678 Custer MG, Huebner RA, Freudenberger L, Nichols LR (2013) Client-chosen goals in occupational therapy: Strategy and instrument pilot. Occupational Therapy in Health Care 27(1):58-70 Edmans J (ed) (2010) Occupational Therapy and Stroke (2nd Edition). Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell Ellis C, Grubaugh AL and Egede LE (2013) Factors associated with SF-12 physical and mental health quality of life scores in adults with stroke. Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases 22(4):309-317 Fearon P, Langhorne P and Early Supported Discharge Trailists (2012) Services for reducing duration of hospital care for acute stroke patients. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 7: CD000443 Fisher AG and Jones KB (2010) Assessment of Motor and Process Skills Vol. 1: Development, Standardization and Administration Manual (7th Edition). Fort Collins: Three Star Press Gillen G (2016) Stroke Rehabilitation: A Functional-Based Approach (4th Edition). Missouri: Elsevier Intercollegiate Stroke Working Party (2016) National Clinical Guideline for Stroke. Royal College of Physicians. Available from: https://www.strokeaudit.org/SupportFiles/Documents/Guidelines/2016-National-Clinical-Guideline-for-Stroke-5t-(1).aspx [Accessed 28 March 2016] Itzkovich M, Averbuch S, Elazar B and Katz N (2000) Loewenstein Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment (LOTCA) Battery (2nd Edition). New Jersey: Maddak Inc. Jiang XG, Lin Y and Li YS (2014) Correlative study on risk factor of depression among acute stroke patients. European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences 18(9):1315-1323 Jones TA (2017) Motor compensation and its effects on neural reorganization after stroke. Nature Reviews Neuroscience doi:10.1038. Available from: https://www.nature.com/nrn/journal/vaop/ncurrent/pdf/nrn.2017.26.pdf [Accessed 28 March 2017] Katz N, Hartman-Maeir A, Ring H and Soroker N (2000) Relationships of cognitive performance and daily function of clients following right hemisphere stroke: Predictive and ecological validity of the LOTCA battery. Occupation, Participation and Health 20(1):3-17 Kurtais Y, Kucukdeveci A, Elhan A, Yilmaz A, Kalli T, Tur BS and Tennant A (2009) Psychometric properties of the Rivermead Motor Assessment: Its utility in stroke. Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine 41(13):1055-1061 Lincoln N and Leadbitter D (1979) Assessment of motor function in stroke patients. Physiotherapy 65(2): 48-51 Mew M and Ivey J (2010) The Occupational Therapy Process IN: Edmans J (ed) Occupational Therapy and Stroke (2nd Edition). Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell 49-63 Mtui M, Gruener G and Docker P (2016) Fitzgeralds Clinical Neuroanatomy and Neuroscience (7th Edition). Philadelphia: Elsevier National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2013) Stroke Rehabilitation in Adults. Available from: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg162/resources/stroke-rehabilitation-in-adults-35109688408261 [Accessed 28 March 2016] Peoples H, Satink T and Steultjens (2011) Stroke surviors experiences of rehabilitation: A systematic review of qualitative studies. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy 18(3):163-171 Popovic MD, Kostic MD, Rodic SZ and Konstantinovic LM (2014) Feedback-mediated upper extremities exercise: Increasing patient motivation in poststroke rehabilitation. BioMed Research International 2014(2014): Article ID 520374. Available from: https://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2014/520374/ [Accessed 28 March 2017] Salisbury District Hospital (2013) Occupational Therapy Washing and Dressing Assessment. Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust. Available from: http://www.icid.salisbury.nhs.uk/ClinicalManagement/RecordsAndForms/Documents/12e3053a7be542cabff277c26634947aAcuteOTWashDressAssv1007091.doc [Accessed 28 March 2017] Stroke Unit Trialists Collaboration (2013). Organised inpatient (stroke unit) care for stroke. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 9:CD000197 Toeh JY and Iwama MK (2015) The Kawa Model Made Easy: A Guide to Applying the Kawa Model in Occupational Therapy Practice (2nd Edition). Available from: http://www.kawamodel.com/download/KawaMadeEasy2015.pdf [Accessed 28 March 2017] Ullberg T, Zia E, Petersson J and Norrving B (2015) Changes in functional outcome over the first year after stroke: An observational study from the Swedish Stroke Register. Stroke 46(2):389-394 Venna VR, Xu Y, Doran SJ, Patrizz A and McCullough LD (2014) Social interaction plays a critical role in neurogenesis and recovery after stroke. Translational Psychiatry 4(1):e351 Appendix A Meera CVA Meera is a 56-year-old woman who was recently admitted with a left Cerebral Vascular Accident affecting the middle cerebral artery. She has a history of hypertension and hypercholesterolemia. She was admitted via A E after being found by her husband. Her husband reports that she felt unwell and made her way upstairs to have a lie down. He went out to walk the dog and on his return found her on the floor in the bathroom. Meera presents with a right hemiplegia with increased spasticity in her right arm and leg. As a result, she has difficult with sitting balance and co-ordinating her movements in order to engage in activities such as washing and dressing. Meera also presents with right sided neglect, which results in her failing to identify objects on her right side, difficulty washing her right side and responding to others who approach her from her right. She has difficulty in articulating in a meaningful way to get her needs met and is very tearful. The Occupational Therapist under took an initial assessment with Meera, the report is detailed below. Initial assessment summary Meera appears low in mood and is reluctant to talk about the future. She is worried that she may have another stroke and consequently is reluctant to engage in activity. Meera is embarrassed that she needs help in personal activities of daily living and is reluctant to talk about activities that she finds difficult. Family Meera is married to Sanjay, a 58-year-old man who works as a plumber. They have two children, Anni aged 18 years who has just completed her A levels and will be attending a local university in one months time, and Sam aged 17 who is at secondary school. Social situation The family live in a privately owned three bedroomed semi-detached property in a small town. Sanjay describes Meera as a stay at home mum who prides herself on her family and her cookery skills. Posture Meera has a right- sided hemiplegia; her scapular is unstable and she finds it difficult to flex her arm above 90 degrees. Elbow extension is uncontrolled and there is stiffness in her forearm making supination difficult. She is able to grasp objects but finds release very difficult. Sensory assessment Meera has poor deep and light sensation in her right hand, which has a profound effect on a range of performance areas. Cognition and perception Meera has a right sided neglect which interfers with washing and dressing, and transfers. She also has difficulty socialising with other patients on the ward due to to this. Meera has some cognitive impairment which presents as poor memory and disorientation. These features are more prominent at the end of the day when Meera is tired. Mobility Meera currently uses a wheelchair but can manage a controlled transfer with one person assisting.

Stranger On A Train :: essays research papers

Stranger On A Train According to me, the model of "the classic cinema" is respected in the movie Strangers On a Train. The movie starts on a train, where we are introduced to the two main characters, having a conversation. The subject of the conversation is basically the most important part of the setup. By listening to them, we could predict the direction that the story was going towards. Throughout the rest of the introduction, we are introduced to the rest of the important characters. The first plot point, as expected, takes place when Bruno murders the protagonist's wife. After doing so, he expects the protagonist to do his part of the plan, who refuses Bruno's offer because they never had planned it. The protagonist's identity is threatened because he's accused of a crime which he never committed. We could also see the presence of oedipus complex: Bruno's hatred towards his father since his childhood. According to me, the model of "the classic cinema" is respected in the movie Strangers On a Train. The movie starts on a train, where we are introduced to the two main characters, having a conversation. The subject of the conversation is basically the most important part of the setup. By listening to them, we could predict the direction that the story was going towards. Throughout the rest of the introduction, we are introduced to the rest of the important characters. The first plot point, as expected, takes place when Bruno murders the protagonist's wife. After doing so, he expects the protagonist to do his part of the plan, who refuses Bruno's offer because they never had planned it. The protagonist's identity is threatened because he's accused of a crime which he never committed. We could also see the presence of oedipus complex: Bruno's hatred towards his father since his childhood. The object of the protagonist's and the camera's look was usually women. When Bruno was committing the murder, we could see only her (the victim) and the reflecting light on her glasses. Also by the time when Bruno was demonstrating

Benefits and Concerns of Surveillance

Many of us go about our day with little thought we are being watched. We take our privacy for granted. In some instances where we go or what we do is recorded by CCTV cameras. These little cameras housed in a black round domes seem to be everywhere hanging over our heads. Are they invading our privacy? Are they there to protect us? There is always a debate discussing the benefits and concerns of surveillance. What is surveillance? Surveillance is a French word meaning â€Å"watching over†. It is also the monitoring of activities and behaviours of people usually individuals or groups from a distance. It is used by government agencies and law enforcement to maintain social control and prevent criminal activity. Surveillance come in other forms than a CCTV camera. There is computer surveillance, Telephone surveillance, Biometric surveillance, aerial surveillance and more. With the increasing speed of computers and the internet it is not only the government and private corporations watching us it is also ourselves. Our culture has changed dramatically over the past two decades. It used to be personal hand held video cameras that recorded those family milestones such as a baby’s first step or a birthday. Now the personal video camera has now turned into the instrument to catch the unexpected, but not in our personal life but the public. So not only has surveillance invaded our privacy we have also made it a part of lives to use surveillance on others. There are many benefits and concerns to surveillance. The debate is what are the true benefits and concerns of surveillance in our society? Audio & Biometric Surveillance  Audio surveillance has been a major component in surveillance monitoring since wiretapping began on telegraph lines. Audio surveillance became more difficult with the introduction of the telephone, as the rate of information increased dramatically. Audio surveillance has become easier with the advancements in recording ability and computing power. Traditionally telephone calls had to be listened to live and transcribed to paper. Today human agents are not required to monitor calls. The first Speech-to-text machines was introduced in 1952, but was restricted to recognizing spoken numbers. Almost sixty years later software now creates readable text from intercepted audio and is then processed by automated call-analysis programs (Charles Piller, 2002). Audio surveillance provides raw information for investigations and has been successful for many law enforcement agencies. In the united states agencies have million dollar contracts that require phone companies to keep all call records easily searchable and accessible (Singel, 2007). The private sector benefits in audio surveillance by using software programs in cal centers that isolate phrases used frequently. These trends can be used by analysts to identify potential problems so actions can be taken. These early identifiers can help reduce call volumes, improve the bottom line, and greatly increase customer satisfaction (Wint). Software based audio surveillance provides a certain amount of privacy. The entirety of an audio recording might be available to listen to, but the huge amount of audio information being produced today means that software has to be used to search for key words. This helps introduce a level of privacy for the public and also gives the general public a higher level of safety. Law enforcement agencies and direct their man power to calls with repeated illegal activity instead of jeopardizing the privacy of the public. With increased power comes increased responsibility. The software searching through audio is controlled by humans, this introduces concern on privacy. Operators could use these systems for their own benefit instead of the greater good of a company or nation. Biometrics is the study of measurable biological characteristics (Random House Dictionary). Biometrics is concerned with the analysis of biological data obtained from video, audio nd even physical data. Face, fingerprint, retina, signature, veins, and voice recognition are all examples of biometric identification schemes (Random House Dictionary). Biometrics really helps to enhance current surveillance technologies. It allows for the automated identification of individuals. Automated identification is the major benefit and also the biggest concern. Currently biometrics is used to track and quickly identify targets and it’s argued that they are completely useless without a well constructed threat mode to track. (Biometrics: Who's Watching You? 2003) The biggest current threat with using biometrics is the assault on individuals to gain secured access with a biometric device (Biometrics: Who's Watching You? , 2003). For example, in 2005, Malaysian car thieves cut off the finger of a Mercedes-Benz S-Class owner when attempting to steal the car. (Kent, 2005). Video & Electronic Surveillance After taking root in the late 19th century video surveillance started as an all analog video surveillance system, also known as closed-circuit television monitoring. The transmission distance was not too far and mainly used for small scale monitoring. Today’s digital equipment has given birth to intelligent analysis technology that is able to provide more substantial results, such as motion detection, face recognition and target tracking with the capability to transmit over great distances in virtually any setting. Likewise the advancement in computer technology has opened opportunity for other means of electronic surveillance. One example is data tracking, sometimes referred to as data logging, which is the ability to capture information such as places of preferred visit, individual purchases, telephone activity, choice of TV programming and internet websites of interest to name a few. Chuck Huff writes â€Å"with technology comes knowledge and with that comes responsibility†. So is today’s surveillance responsible or are we inadvertently stepping the boundaries of acceptable supervision? Yes one could argue the whole point of surveillance is to keep us safer from those in society who could potentially hurt us. Might it be a true statement to consider the fewer cameras there are, the higher chance of crime happening. Unfortunately surveillance cameras are not able to prevent the crimes or stop the criminals. Yes, cameras can make us aware but unfortunately don’t protect us. Consider the privacy impact on both cameras and data logging. The laws that most affect the legality of using these types of surveillance are personal privacy laws that limit the collection, use and disclosure of individuals’ personal information, this law is PIPEDA (personal information protection and electronic documents act). Cameras in public areas like parks tend to make the laws outlined in PIPEDA seem opaque and unclear. If cameras are put in public areas doesn’t that now make it a private area because the whole idea of being watched is added in? This is of course if we accept public areas defined as that which is open to all persons. So if we put more surveillance in a grocery store, does it become a private venue? No, it does not. In the same way, employers using cameras, blackberry surveillance software, listening to live calls, GPS tracking, secretly reading text messages and viewing call logs in the workplace doesn’t mean that it’s an invasion of privacy or illegal; it just means that the use of surveillance in the workplace is subject to restrictions. In the end, just because people don’t like being watched doesn’t mean we sacrifice our inherent rights as a society to have safety, security and stability. Society must also consider the impact of surveillance on individual perception. There is the potential that added surveillance in a neighborhood will cause communities to lose money and possibly raise taxes, which makes the community less popular. Yet cameras and data logging violate the country’s Privacy Act, because it records the actions of thousands of people in public areas / spaces without there being any reasonable grounds that a criminal act is occurring. Society can’t help but ask, when does surveillance inadvertently switch from supervision to â€Å"snoopervision†? Ultimately the use of technology has outpaced Canada’s privacy laws, especially in a post September 11th, 2001 world where security concerns threaten individual rights. Conclusion Surveillance technology compositions such as audio, video too much more complex system such as data tracking and biometrics offer great importance to national security, public safety and overall protection of people from harm. These surveillance systems also neglect individual freedom and right to privacy. Surveillance technology protects society against child molesters, terrorist attacks and destruction. But at the same time these technology is used to neglects individual rights by tracking everyone’s actions which intern harms society because they do not protect people’s privacy. There are benefits and concerns of using surveillance system because different situation compels us to take measures that can protect or neglect society as a whole.

The Dangers of Television

SUMARY The Dangers of Television by Harriet B Fuller (USA) According to Harriet in the United States, television has played in changing American values as follows. In the 1940s, television was predicted to bring families closer together. Its influence, however, has splintered family relations. The first danger of television, as the author mentions is the lack of as family outings‚ the going of the whole family together such as family take a walk, dine out, go to the cinema are constrain when one or more family members do not go by they want watching more go out.The second danger mentioned by the author is the limitation of family time together at home. The recreational activities before TV include: games, songs, and hobbies. They will replace the time of the occasion for talking in family: debate and talk with family members. The final danger as the author claims is the â€Å"domination† of TV in our daily life. This is â€Å"dominates† the family. The family acti vity depend on TV.In conclusion, the writer gives an alarm that if children watch TV for hours; it has become a pacifier and a baby-sitter. Parents' roles as educators have been replaced by TV, preventing necessary interactions between family members Reaction paragraph According to Harriet in the United States, television it now â€Å"dominates† the family and In my opinion, the writer is completely true. Obviously,I have seen the effects of television on my family and agree with the author of this article.As a child, I can remember watching very little television. The majority of my time was spent outdoors with my family gardening, playing, caring for livestock. However, I did have a younger brother who preferred watching television to joining our family activities. and bad effect to our family. In conclusion, it is significant that we need to consider the dangers of television to our life and future because it effect to family relationship.

Modern society and Traditional soceity essays

Modern society and Traditional soceity essays There is a very simple way to define the difference between Traditional and Modern societies. The fundamental difference is that of the personal and the impersonal society. The personal or traditional society is quite formal. Peoples names are indicators of social status. The community is aware of who belongs in their given space and who doesnt. There is a strong sense of morality that is generally shared by members of the community. Even time is kept by a concrete system governed by harvests, solar or lunar cycles. The impersonal or modern society is much more abstract and informal. Names are arbitrary and can be changed at will without any significant social effect. Individuals rarely know their next door neighbors let alone who belongs in their community. Morality is left more or less to the individual although the individual must behave in accordance with agreed upon laws established by communal morality. Time is also arbitrary yet extremely important. Peoples lives, careers and even mental health are greatly affected by a system of time that has no solid basis for existence. These examples show the clear difference between Traditional and Modern societies. As we read in lecture no pure example of either exists anywhere in the world. Each example is something any given society strives for based on which example more closely represents their current social organization. 3. Puzos The Godfather reflects a traditional outlook on society and politics. Amerigo Bonasera an apparent immigrant to the United States put a great deal of faith in the American political system, in particular the judicial system when his daughter was severely beaten. Amerigo was disappointed in the ruling of the court to essentially free his daughters attackers citing their young age, clean records and fine families as reason for light punishment. If the law had more of a modern approach none of the previously ...

What to Do With Your PSAT Scores

What to Do With Your PSAT Scores SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips You’ve taken the PSAT and gotten your score report, but what’s next? This is a guide as to how to interpret and use your PSAT score to help you prepare for the SAT. Read on to make the most of your PSAT score. Interpreting Your PSAT Scores On your PSAT score report, you will get scores for each section and an overall composite score. On the â€Å"old† PSAT (any PSAT taken during the 2014-15 school year and earlier), the test is scored out of 240 total points, with Critical Reading, Writing, and Math each being worth 80 points (notice that this matches with the current 2400 SAT scoring system). The scores on the new PSAT (which will start being given during the 2015-2016 year) will be matched up with the New SAT (which is scored out of 1600) and scored between 320 and 1520 – 160-760 for Math, and 160-760 for Reading and Writing combined. Your PSAT score is designed to predict your actual SAT score, so if you get a 1300 PSAT that means you are predicted to get around a 1300 SAT. (The PSAT scale doesn't go up to a perfect 1600 since the SAT is harder than the PSAT. So even if you score very high on the PSAT you won't necessarily be set up to get a perfect 1600 on the SAT, though you will be predicted to get a very high score.) You also get subscores for Math, Reading, and Writing so you can see which subsections you are best at. You will also get score ranges on the report – these are meant to show the extent your score could change with repeated testing. Keep in mind these ranges are just estimates, so don’t think that you can’t get a higher score than the top of your score range on the real SAT. Also don’t assume that you won’t score any lower than your predicted ranges. Furthermore, your predicted SAT score is also an estimate, and certainly not set in stone. Your actual SAT score will depend on numerous factors, including how much you study and how much more difficult the real SAT is. What You Can Learn from Score Comparisons Your PSAT score report will also include a number of score comparisons to put your score in context. These comparisons are a lot more helpful than just comparing your PSAT score report with your friends' reports (as exhilarating as that can be). For all you know, your school could have PSAT scores well below or above the national average. First, the score report will show the average scores that other test-takers got nationwide per grade. According to College Board, if you’re at the average score or higher, you’re on track to develop the reading, writing, and math skills you’ll need in college. College Board also includes benchmarks for each section. These are scores you should meet or exceed to be considered on track for college. (College Board doesn’t specify what happens if the average score is lower than the benchmarks they set. Likely the benchmark should take precedent over the score average, since the average is dependent on the students who take the test. So if you score above the average but are still below the college-readiness benchmark, assume you need to put in more work to be considered on track for college.) Percentiles are also given for each section, comparing you to others in your grade. For example, if you are in the 70th percentile in the Reading section, you scored higher than 70% of other students in your grade on this section. These comparisons are a good measure of your overall progress and ability, and can help you spot any potential red flags. For example, if you’re above the 90th percentile for Reading and Writing but at the 50th percentile for Math, you know that you will have the most work to do in the Math section when you study for the SAT. It might also be a cue to work harder in math class. But keep in mind it’s more important to meet your own SAT goals (like a score high enough for your top school) than to be at the top of the percentile charts. How College Board’s Tools Can Help You Study Part of the PSAT’s purpose is to help students get introduced to the SAT in a low-stress context and learn about their skills and weaknesses on the SAT. College Board is trying to expand this by creating a more detailed online score report for the new PSAT. It will include performance summaries for each section, insights into strengths and weaknesses grouped by content area and level of difficulty, and a scanned copy of your essay so you can evaluate your performance. The old score reports had many of these elements, including breaking down sections into concepts and reporting how many questions you got right for each. But they didn't expressly analyze your strengths and weaknesses, include detailed percentile rankings, or include your essay. College Board is also adding additional resources. One of these is a partnership with Khan Academy, that will give students targeted SAT practice based on their PSAT performance. They are also adding a feature that predicts your readiness for AP courses, and even a personality profiler to help you explore college majors and careers. How You Can Go Further to Prepare for the SAT As we've discussed, your PSAT report gives you tons of valuable data about how you are shaping up to do on the SAT. But now that you have the report, you can use more than just College Board's tools. Come up with a personal target SAT score, create a plan, and study until you're positive you'll achieve your target score. By doing that, you can get an SAT score that will help you get into your top schools. Does that seem a bit ambitious? We'll take it step by step. First, Know Your Goal You can't hit the target if it doesn't exist! While College Board analyzes your PSAT score in detail, before you start studying for the real SAT, it’s important to have an end goal in mind. There is a huge difference between going from a 1300 PSAT to a 1400 SAT than a 1300 PSAT to a 1600 SAT. So how do you know your SAT target score? Based on the score ranges of the most competitive schools you want to get into. We have a detailed guide to coming up with your SAT target score based on your top colleges. You might also base your target score off scholarship score cut-offs at state schools. Once you have your goal in mind, you can determine how long you need to study and schedule your study plan. For example, if you decide you need to study 40 hours, will you study for 4 hours a week for 10 weeks or 10 hours a week for a month? Actionables from this section: set your SAT target score, determine the length of time you’ll study. Second, Analyze Your Weaknesses and Strengths Before you begin to study, you also need to know where your strong points are and where you’re weak. The PSAT does a good amount of this for you on the score report by analyzing the problems you got wrong. However, it doesn’t tell you why you got certain problems wrong – for example, you may see you missed 3 Pre-Algebra problems, but the score report can’t explain why you got them wrong. Did you completely misunderstand the questions or were you going too fast and making silly mistakes? The why is what you’ll get at as you start studying. We recommend grabbing a notebook and making an initial inventory of your strengths and weaknesses based on the PSAT score report. As you start doing SAT practice problems and tests, expand on this list and add detail as to why you’re getting problems wrong and what you need to do to fix your mistakes. The goal is to shrink your list of weaknesses as you study. Remember – don’t just study until you can get something right, study it until you’re positive you can’t get it wrong. Actionables from this section: create your â€Å"weakness† notebook based on your PSAT report. Third, Gather Resources to Study Of course, you can’t study for the SAT with your PSAT score report alone. An easy place to start is the free online resources from the SAT, like the Khan Academy program we described above. You can also check out other free, online resources we have gathered for studying, as well as SAT practice tests you can access online. We also have a study guide for the new SAT, and tips for studying vocabulary on the new SAT. But websites alone might not cut it. Check out our advice on the best SAT prep books on the market, including math-specific prep books. Remember to keep the "quality over quantity" rule in mind. Don't spend time finding 15 different resources if you're only going to use a few of them. Finally, if you're considering a formal preparation program, we highly recommend our PrepScholar program – not just because it’s ours, but because it was created by experts. We truly believe it’s the best test preparation service on the market. Actionables from this section: determine which study tools you’ll use and gather them. Remember: The PSAT Is Just Your Starting Point Your PSAT performance will give you some great data on how you are shaping up to do on the SAT. From detailed section performance breakdowns to your final predicted SAT score, the PSAT gives you a lot of info about your potential SAAT performance. However, the main reason to take the PSAT is to practice for the SAT. Just because you’ve taken the PSAT, don’t underestimate the SAT itself, which is longer and more difficult. Full practice tests should be part of your study regimen. Also, do not assume your PSAT score dictates your eventual SAT score! It’s more than possible to outscore your PSAT on the real SAT if you study. It’s also more than possible to score lower than your PSAT if you don’t study enough. Use your PSAT score as just one tool as you move into serious studying for the SAT. Used correctly, it can be a very helpful tool. What’s Next? Get a complete guide to the new 2015-16 PSAT, a practice test for the new PSAT, and a guide to the new SAT in 2016. If you’re in the class of 2017, you’re probably wondering whether you should take the old or new SAT. Get an in-depth analysis of the pros and cons of each possibility here. If you want to compare the percentiles on your PSAT report with actual SAT scores, check out our guide to SAT percentile ranks. Disappointed with your scores? Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points?We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

New SAT Scoring Advantage

New SAT Scoring Advantage SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips While the new SAT is out of 1600 and the old SAT is out of 2400, the two aren't directly proportional; you can't just multiply your old SAT score by 2/3 and expect the result to be how you'd do on the new SAT. The only way to know for sure how you'd do on the new test (besides taking the new SAT exam) is to use the College Board's data to convert your score from old to new SAT. To find out if you’d score higher on the new SAT and why that might be the case, read on! feature image credit:Aspirational/used under CC BY 2.0/Resized from original. What’s Changed About SAT Scoring? College Board premiered the new SAT March 2016, with a new out-of-1600 scoring system that now gives one out-of-800 Math score and out-of-800 Reading score. The increased importance of Math to the overall SAT score isn’t all that’s changed, however; the difficulty of the individual sections appears to have shifted as well. Based on data released by the College Board, a 700 on the old SAT Math isn’t the same as a 700 on the new SAT Math section, and a 700 on the old SAT Reading and 700 on SAT Writing isn't the same as a 700 on the new SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section. Even after adjusting for the 1600/2400 change, it’s easier to get a higher score on the new SAT than it was on the old SAT, especially if you had an average score. The amount by which you’d score higher varies with your scoring range. Old SAT Math vs. New SAT Math The comparison for this section is pretty straightforward: based on the concordance tables released this spring by the College Board, there’s an average 29 point increase on the new SAT Math section compared to scores on the old version. This average does not take into account number of people who score at each score point, however; you can’t expect score 30 points better no matter what your old SAT score was. The graph below sheds a little more light on the matter: Here's an example of how the score difference between the old and new SAT Math sections works out: If you got a 730/800 on the old SAT Math section (shown as a black vertical bar in the graph above) and took the new SAT with exactly the same preparation and skills, you’d likely score a 760/800. If you scored around the national average of 510 on the old SAT Math section, you'd similarly expect to see a new SAT Math score of 540. Old SAT Reading/Writing vs. New SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Comparing old SAT Reading Writing and new SAT Reading and Writing is a little trickier because reading and writing have been smushed into one score on the new SAT (Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, or EBRW). The College Board has kindly provided concordance charts to help out with this calculation which show that you can still expect to see higher scores on the new SAT EBRW compared to the old SAT Reading and Writing section scores. If the two tests were exactly equivalent, you’d expect that the combined old Reading and Writing section scores (a range of 400-1600) divided by two would be the same as the concorded new SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score (a range of 200-800), but this is not the case. Instead, students can expect to score between zero and sixty points better on EBRW than they would have on each of the Critical Reading and Writing sections on the old SAT. The graph below gives a more detailed look at how the score increases are distributed across old SAT combined Reading and Writing scores: To put this graph in context, consider the following example: If you took the old SAT, got Critical Reading 700 and Writing 710 (a combined score of 1410, shown as a black vertical bar in the graph above), and took the new SAT with exactly the same preparation and skills, you could expect to score a 740/800 on Evidence-Based Reading and Writing. If you got around the national average old SAT scores of 500 on Reading and 480 on Writing, you could expect to score a 550 on Evidence-Based Reading and Writing - a huge jump. How Do the Changes to SAT Scoring Affect You? The 2016-2017 school year is a unique time for college applications because colleges will be accepting both old and new SAT scores. Theoretically, schools have access to the concordance tools needed to compare old and new SAT scores and admissions officers will do their due diligence to understand that it’s easier to get higher scores on the new SAT. Schools won’t be superscoring between the old and new SAT, so it’s not like you can get a 760 Math on the new SAT and combine that with your Critical Reading and Writing scores from the old SAT for a higher superscore. In practice, however, a SAT result of 510 Math/ 650 Evidence-Based Reading and Writing makes a better impression than 470 Math/590 Reading/590 Writing (even though according to the College Board’s concordance tables and its conversion tool, these scores are equivalent). Even after the old SAT has been phased out entirely from college applications, it will take admissions officers a little while to adjust and align their unconscious, split-second assessments of student scores with the new reality that more students will be getting higher scores on the SAT, and so a 760 isn't as impressive as it used to be. Therefore, if you took the old SAT and scored in a range where you can expect to see at least a 20-point increase in nominal score, you should consider taking the new SAT to see if you can get a higher score. Add effective prep to that score increase, and you might very well be able to get a high enough score on the new SAT to step yourself over the threshold for acceptance for colleges previously just out of reach. Reach/used under CC BY-SA 2.0/Resized from original. What’s Next? How long will colleges accept old SAT scores for? We go over whether it's better for the classes of 2017-18 to submit new or old SAT scores in this article. How can you improve your SAT score? We’ve got fifteen great tips for SAT studying and score improvement here. Want to double-check a specific score for yourself? Use our old to new SAT conversion tool. Disappointed with your scores? Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points?We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Incident Action Plan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Incident Action Plan - Research Paper Example A job hazard analysis is a process that involves identifying and recognizing hazards before they happen. It focuses on the relations among the task, the worker, the tools and the environment of the work. Job hazard analysis (JHA) is considered to be an â€Å"essential safety management tool that if used correctly and consistently will increase organization’s ability to build an inventory or portfolio of hazards and risks associated with various jobs, job steps and the detailed tasks performed by its employees (Roughton & Crutchfield 2008). Evidence also suggests that conducting a job hazard analysis is â€Å"one of the best ways to determine and establish proper work procedures† (Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 2002, p.2). According to Roughton & Crutchfield (2008, p. 283), the main objective of the JAH process is to ensure that a self-sustaining process is implemented and remains effective. Swartz (2002, p. 27) explains in more details that JHA can serv e many objectives – from the need to develop safe working procedures or create uniform safety standards, to a desire to participate in OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Programs or the need to reduce costs associated with product and property damage†. Whatever the objective is pursued by an organization, JHA can be used to develop detailed written procedure for Job Incident Analysis. Job Incident Analysis mainly is comprised of jobs that involve new machines, processes or are new to the facility, jobs that have the potential to cause a high number of injuries or illnesses as well as ergonomic claims, and jobs that have produced incidents of property and product damage as well as near-hits among workers (Swartz 2002, p.28). Ideally, after identifying hazards, one has to initiate steps to eradicate or minimize them to a lesser risk level. There are a lot of injuries that can happen to people if they do not take appropriate care during a job or while performing any chore at home. However, one can reduce or prevent these injuries if he or she takes proper care and acts according to definite plans. In order to identify the potential risk present in a job, it is necessary to carry out relevant steps to eradicate the hazards. The methods safety analyst examines each step of the job or process from its very beginning with respect to the method, machine or material involved to see if any or all of these three can be responsible for the occurrence of accidents. If he finds a step that is potentially hazardous he notates the type of accident apt to be caused. He has a record, therefore, of 1) the steps of the job, 2) those steps which might be hazardous and 3) a means of reference for additional study of these steps, if necessary (Glenn 2011). Afterwards, for a job hazard analysis to be useful, the management must show its commitment to health and safety by prescribing and communicating necessary precautions. An Incident Action Plan (IAP) is fundamentally a n overall incident strategy plan with particular tactical actions that must be accomplished with the aim of meeting the goal of the emergency response. â€Å"

Information Management and a Business Environment Research Paper

Information Management and a Business Environment - Research Paper Example Ciena Corporation was founded in 1992, listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange (symbol CIEN) in 1997, and included in the S&P 500 market index in 2001. The company is headquartered in Linthicum, State of Maryland, USA, with offices located all over the US and Canada as well as Europe and Asia, totalling approximately 1500 employees. Ciena’s founding mission was to design, manufacture and sell optical transport and switching equipment. The company pioneered DWDM technology and became a world leader in the space. Following four acquisitions since 2003 and several key technology partnerships, Ciena deliberately augmented its portfolio to address the network applications with the most business value to its customers. My role as Human Resources Generalist for EMEA incorporates recruitment for the region as well as providing a fully supportive Human Resource/personnel function. There is a great need for effective Information Management within a business environment. The prime focus of the fieldwork was, therefore, the Travel Agent outlet, using a methodology designed to learn through interviews with counter staff what role the use of view data links to Tour Operators played in the servicing of customers (Feeny D. F., and Brownlee C. G. (2001). Subsequent interviews took place with management representatives of leading Tour Operators to elicit the role they saw for systems links to travel agents, and how it related to their overall strategy for competing in the industry. HR representatives interviewed were presented with a standard customer set and asked to explain how they would respond to each customer type.

Abolitionist Women in 1790-1850 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Abolitionist Women in 1790-1850 - Research Paper Example As the Victorian cultural age began to seep into the previous colonies, the rights that women previously enjoyed began to be stripped away. The history of the abolitionist movement among white women was an attempt to better than position in the newly formed United States of America. Not only did these women want to gain more political clout but also to recapture the rights that were taken away. The women who took a stand prior to 1790 became the forerunners in the women’s abolitionist movement. Immigrants came to North America to get away from persecution in Europe in hopes of being able to have the ability to live their lives how they say fit. In the new country there was the ability to make the laws they want, in the manner that benefited the community the most. Because of this the laws and regulations regarding voting and land owning were different that of Europe. Initially women held many of the same rights as their male counterparts. This was due to both a lack of populat ion as well as many of these women held positions of power in their home countries and that attitude carried over to when they immigrated to the United States. Most of the colonies before 1776 and the creation of the United States allowed women to vote in elections. When the states gained the power to rewrite their constitutions, many retracted the right and refused to allow women the freedom to vote. It was only New Jersey who maintained the right to vote for women in the 19th century when the men who held power stripped the right as well. Although women were not allowed to publically voice their opinion, many were still maintained as the head of household, and their husbands listened to what the women were saying. Women have always held a position of power inside the home, while men tended to be powerful outside the home. Because of this, many women began to meet while husband worked to talk about the political and social issues of the time. When their husbands returned home, thes e homemakers related what they learned and how they felt to their husbands who in turn responded by voting a specific way. These small groups of women also began to vocally demand change with a lot of the societal issues of the time. What began as small home based groups quickly turned into large groups of women meeting to discuss suffrage and other issues occurring in their respective areas. Due to the Victorian era of cultural ideals, women were expected to be at home, managing the home and not dealing with political or social issues.1 So when women started to come out of the houses to fight for suffrage and abolishing slavery it was considered scandalous. Due to the causes that women were fighting for, it commonly believed that there should be more black women than white women. Many of the issues these women fought against directly impacted the black populations. However during the abolitionist movements of the late 1790s and early 1800s the majority of women who were vocal were white.2 This is not to say that there were not highly vocal black women, but the majority of the abolitionist movements were white women. Soon after the United States became a country, individual states began to take away many of the rights that women held prior to 1776. This caused many women to stand up for their rights. In the beginning they were viewed as a group of women who had too much time on their hands, and could cause no real waves in both the social or political realms. In 1780 however laws started to be passed that allowed a method for slaves to become free. This led to the Northwest Ordinance of 1878 that stated all slaves northwest of the Ohio River were free, and prohibited the act of slavery.

Quantitative and Qualitative Methods of Research Assignment

Quantitative and Qualitative Methods of Research - Assignment Example Measurements of data in a big population are carried out through random sampling. Random sampling does not give an accurate measurement in people since people are different from each other as compared to elements tested in natural sciences that are always identical (Graham, 2008). The best approach to measurement that should be used in the measurement of people and society is the use of a computerized sampling method that is programmed to practice simulation. Use of computerized sampling will ensure that the whole population is well represented (Davies, 2007). Both qualitative and quantitative types of research need to be valid and reliable to enhance their use by analysts. The validity of these research methods ensures the connection of the research carried out and the theoretical ideas of the researcher (Chikkodi and Satyaprasad, 2010). Much of it refers to the generalizability of the findings in both the quantitative and qualitative research. In a bid to assess, the validity of these two types of validity in research, their credibility and transferability aspect is very important (Connaway and Powell, 2010). The credibility aspect is used to determine whether the findings in the research seem believable while the transferability aspect determines whether the findings of the research are applicable in another context. Reliability of these types of research refers to the situation in which more than one observer of the study agrees with the findings (Katsirikou and Skiadas, 2012). A good example is how an efficient apparatus in laborator y gives accurate data.

Strategic performance management. John Hackling Transport Limited Assignment

Strategic performance management. John Hackling Transport Limited - Assignment Example The study seeks to bring forth the present performance management system and its effectiveness in a haulage company called John Hackling Transport Limited based in England. The company is known for being one of the best haulage companies in England. It has strategically located its depots, traffic and warehousing facilities at lucrative positions across the major cities providing easy and quick access for its main transport routes and its customers too. Comprising of a vast portfolio of customers, comprising of the national international and local companies from different sectors of the economy, the company has successfully delivered to the demands of all its customers over the years. The project begins with the discussion as to how the company sets performance targets as per the strategic objectives of the firm, which is followed by the tools and techniques needed evaluating performances of employees. The various performance criteria which are used for measuring performances are pre sented. In this context the various ways and importance of gaining employee commitments towards desired actions are discussed. Finally the importance and use of delegation, mentoring and coaching for the attainment of organizational objectives are presented in the project too. ... Performance Management System Link between team performance and strategic objectives of the company The first step towards building an effective performance management system is to prioritise the business objectives of the firm and consequently set performance targets with regards to the company as well as individual employees. The strategic objective of the company is to emerge as the top haulage company is UK through its wide diversity of services to customers. The idea is to deliver quality services towards customers with the maximum efficiencies and help them build profitable businesses (Hackling, 2011). The importance of team performance and activities are identified by the company as it is extremely crucial to have group performances and collaboration between team members to deliver services at different locations distributed at distant places across the nation and even in overseas locations. Some of the areas which necessarily require effective team performance and productivit y are logistic services, distribution and logistics, storage and warehousing, freight forwarding, pallet line backloads as well as training and consulting. Some of the necessary links between team performance and the strategic objectives of the company are provided below (Hackling-a, 2011). Because of the existence of a wide range of hauling services which are also provided under a single proof, the company needs to ensure that there is complete reliability, flexibility and convenience in the services provide to customers. This means that in a single service delivery a number of departments come into play and this increases the necessity and possibility of group activities and team work. Team work is also needed for ensuring reliability of local deliveries

A Comprehensive Classroom Management Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A Comprehensive Classroom Management Plan - Essay Example In addition, the psychosocial transition model would also be effective approaches to helping students discern both their internal and external environments more carefully (Jones & Jones, 2010). The method of applying consequences can prove to be fair and consistent if only all the students are well aware of the consequences imposed for different types of misbehavior. In addition, I will demonstrate fairness in applying consequences by ensuring that each student faces the consequences of his or her actions without exceptions. Excluding some students from facing the consequences imposed introduces a measure of bias. Therefore, all the standards in applying consequences should be applicable to each student depending on his or her actions (Sayeski & Brown, 2014). When working with individual students in an effort to correct misbehavior, the first step I should take involves approaching the specific student and relating the specific misbehavior in a firm manner. I should also emphasize on the high expectations of proper behavior. In addition, I will stress on why it is wrong to indulge in bad behaviors. After clarifying the misbehavior, I would then impose a consequence. On the other hand, handling cultural differences in a classroom setting requires a proactive approach. As a teacher, I should introduce all my students to cultural diversity and help them appreciate diversity. I plan to help my students recognize and celebrate cultural diversity. In the case of learning ability differences, I plan to understand the potential so f each student and give more attention to those with learning challenges. When students with learning challenges receive the relevant support from the instructor, they are more likely to improve (Jones & Jones, 2010). When solving problems in the classroom, I will rely on the standard procedure that involves identifying the problem and gathering information about the

Strategic performance management. John Hackling Transport Limited Assignment

Strategic performance management. John Hackling Transport Limited - Assignment Example The study seeks to bring forth the present performance management system and its effectiveness in a haulage company called John Hackling Transport Limited based in England. The company is known for being one of the best haulage companies in England. It has strategically located its depots, traffic and warehousing facilities at lucrative positions across the major cities providing easy and quick access for its main transport routes and its customers too. Comprising of a vast portfolio of customers, comprising of the national international and local companies from different sectors of the economy, the company has successfully delivered to the demands of all its customers over the years. The project begins with the discussion as to how the company sets performance targets as per the strategic objectives of the firm, which is followed by the tools and techniques needed evaluating performances of employees. The various performance criteria which are used for measuring performances are pre sented. In this context the various ways and importance of gaining employee commitments towards desired actions are discussed. Finally the importance and use of delegation, mentoring and coaching for the attainment of organizational objectives are presented in the project too. ... Performance Management System Link between team performance and strategic objectives of the company The first step towards building an effective performance management system is to prioritise the business objectives of the firm and consequently set performance targets with regards to the company as well as individual employees. The strategic objective of the company is to emerge as the top haulage company is UK through its wide diversity of services to customers. The idea is to deliver quality services towards customers with the maximum efficiencies and help them build profitable businesses (Hackling, 2011). The importance of team performance and activities are identified by the company as it is extremely crucial to have group performances and collaboration between team members to deliver services at different locations distributed at distant places across the nation and even in overseas locations. Some of the areas which necessarily require effective team performance and productivit y are logistic services, distribution and logistics, storage and warehousing, freight forwarding, pallet line backloads as well as training and consulting. Some of the necessary links between team performance and the strategic objectives of the company are provided below (Hackling-a, 2011). Because of the existence of a wide range of hauling services which are also provided under a single proof, the company needs to ensure that there is complete reliability, flexibility and convenience in the services provide to customers. This means that in a single service delivery a number of departments come into play and this increases the necessity and possibility of group activities and team work. Team work is also needed for ensuring reliability of local deliveries

Using nanotechnology for new drug discovery Article

Using nanotechnology for new drug discovery - Article Example Drug discovery is a growing paradigm that is increasingly in need of better technologies to improve the effectiveness, efficiency and cost effectiveness of the various processes involved in the drug discovery processes. For example, it is currently estimated that the full process of new drug discovery typically takes a period of not less than 10years and costs approximately $800 million. Many researchers however agree that a number of nanotechnology applications have a potential to address some of the challenges commonly met during the drug development process. One of the potential uses of nanotechnology in new drug discovery is the analysis of signaling pathways using various nanobiotechnology techniques such as proteomics which enable researchers to gain new insights regarding the disease processes. In this regard, nanotechnologies not only help drug scientists to identify more efficient biomarkers, but such techniques can also enhance their understanding of the drug action mechanisms during their drug discovery processes. Refining the application of proteomics using nanotechnologies is particularly play a critical role in the identification of drug targets as well validation phases during the drug discovery process. For instance, nanodevices such as nanotube electronic biosensors are increasingly being used in proteomics to enhance the investigation of protein –protein and surface protein binding as well as in the development of highly accurate electronic biomolecule detectors (Lynn, 128). Consequently such devices provide effective alternatives of detecting important biomolecules such as antibodies during the drug discovery process. Another important use of nanotechnology for new drug discovery involves the application of nanoparticles such as quantum dots (QDs) in tracking single drug molecules. Although the tracking of single drug molecules has been previously been done using the old

The Role Of The Modern Spectator Theatre Essay

The Role Of The Modern Spectator Theatre Essay Society considers art as a reflection of what is happening in the world, as well as the different types of personalities that people portray. Consequently, society expects that the modern spectator go beyond merely sharing the artists experiences to interpret for him or herself the meaning of these. The cathartic role of the modern spectator has thus been reduced, as he or she is no longer the passive participant, seated in a theater hall or cinema, merely watching a piece of art. Instead, he or she has been made to take up an active role of learning from the works of art, in order to create change for him or her and the society as a whole. The discussion includes what is meant by the cathartic role of the modern spectator, how it has diminished in the new form of theater, and whether it is possible for him or her to reclaim it. 1 Eva Berczeller. The Aesthetic Feeling and Aristotles Catharsis Theory. The Journal of Psychology 65, (1967): 261-71. 2 Esta Powell. Catharsis in psychology and beyond: a historic overview. Accessed 13 January 2011 http://primal- page.com/cathar.htm Schultz and Schultzs definition of catharsis considers it as a psychic process where unconscious thoughts and feelings are made conscious, therefore, allowing the individual to express himself in manner that can be understood.3. Similarly, Szczeklik considers catharsis from as a technique by which an individual lets go of his emotions which are related to unpleasant experiences in the past.4 Aristotle considered catharsis as the process by which spectators set themselves free from the emotions that a piece of art triggers in them, such that they obtain relief and a sense of inner peace. In other words, experiencing catharsis had moral and ethical implications because it helped to moderate passions and strong emotions, therefore restoring the balance in ones life. The pleasure of releasing ones emotions resulted in a relief from disturbances such as pity and fear. He saw catharsis as aiming at creating a nice and gratifying feeling of relief to the spectator. Evidently, the word catharsis takes on different meanings in different fields of knowledge, but what these definitions have in common are the aspects of cleansing or purging, releasing of emotions brought about by a persons experiences. Esta Powell affirms this by saying that, catharsis takes different forms but its essence remains the same, since it is a release from some burden (either physical or mental) and bring s healing through its purging effect. 5 Consequently, the underlying notion of purging that has made scholars acknowledge catharsis as a healing, cleansing, and transforming experience, a technique that can be used to bring about a therapeutic change. ______________ 3 Esta Powell. Catharsis in psychology and beyond: a historic overview, Accessed 13 January 2011 http://primal- page.com/cathar.htm 4 Andrzej Szczeklik. Catharsis: on the art of medicine. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2005 5 Duane Schultz and Sydney Schultz A history of modern psychology. Belmont, ca: Wadsworth/Thompson. 2004. In the sphere of theater, catharsis is used to refer to any discharge of emotions; in this case, an audience releases his or her emotions while watching a drama in any suitable method and channel. The spectator therefore has a role to play in theater, in that; he or she is deemed to express the emotions aroused by theatric activities. How does catharsis occur in theatre? According to Esta Powell, artists use different strategies to trigger strong emotional displays in their audiences. Many artists use the effect of surprise and unexpectedness to bring about catharsis. For example, in the Greek tragedy Oedipus rex, Oedipus experiences catharsis when he feels culpable of murdering his father, marrying his mother, who later commits suicide and the loneliness he feels as a result. 7 Scheff believes that human beings strive to engage in activities that will enable them free themselves from hurtful emotional experiences, and therefore obtain a sense of calm. He gives the example of a spectator who cries about a character who dies in a play. This, he notes, is simply a reawakening of feelings of loss in the viewers life and he or she is reliving unresolved personal experiences. He explains this by saying that theater provides for the audience a safe distance from personal experiences. This is because the social environment of a theater lessens the effect of emotions arising from unpleasant events, as the audience believes that an individual is sympathizing with a play character and not with himself.9 ____________ 7 Esta Powell. Catharsis in psychology and beyond: a historic overview, accessed 13 January 2011 http://primal- page.com/cathar.htm 8 Andrzej Szczeklik, Catharsis: on the art of medicine. Chicago: (The University of Chicago Press, 2005). 9 Thomas Scheff Catharsis in healing, ritual, and drama. Lincoln, ne:( iuniverse.com, 2001). However, the cathartic role of the spectator has diminished due to modernism. The two major personalities, who have opposed the norms of traditional theater and called for a revolution in its practices, are Bertolt Brecht and Antonin Artaud. Tuirenn Hurstfield notes that theater artists Bertolt Brecht and Antonin Artaud were both frustrated by the traditional theaters illusions of imitating reality. In retaliation, they advocated for change. Artaud, feeling the idea of theatre had been lost, moved towards his theatre of cruelty while Brecht, refuting the drama of his time as still following Aristotles idea of catharsis, moved towards a non-Aristotelian mode of theater.10 In what he calls a new form of theater, that is, epic theater. Brecht argues that the spectator is no longer just an observer, but also an actor. Brecht distinguishes this situation from that of what he calls dramatic theatre, or in other words, Aristotles view of theatre, where the spectator is merely an observer, sharing the experience of the actor. He considers catharsis as a way of bringing about greater social change. Pericles Lewis affirms this by saying that Brechts idea of epic theater appealed to reason rather than the expression of emotions and sought to turn the spectator into an observer, who stands aside, separates himself from the action of the play, and studies it. In this respect, what Brecht was doing was to stand against a dominant tradition in theater, which aimed to have the spectator involved in and sharing the experience of the play. In addition, Brecht was against identification or sympathy between the spectators and the actors, which was characteristic of Aristotles idea of catharsis. _____________ 10 Hurstfield Tuirenn, Bertolt Brecht and Antonin Artauds revolutionary theatre practices, last modified Aug 28, 2008, http://www.suite101.com/content/bertolt-brecht-antonin-artaud-a66380 11 Pericles Lewis, The Cambridge Introduction to modernism Cambridge: (Cambridge Press, 2007).193- 194. Pericles Lewis notes that Brecht advocates for a separation between the spectator and the action of the play as well as its characters, so that he is able to reflect on his theatric experience in a rational manner, void of the influence of emotions. In other words, Brecht maintained that the spectators experience should not stop with the emotional reaction that the play elicits, but should cause a distanced reflection based on that emotional reaction. 12 In conclusion, it appears then, that the modern spectator cannot reclaim his or her cathartic role, since scholars place more emphasis on what moral lessons the theatric activities can offer him or her, other than the emotional relief. This is difficult for the modern spectator because we are not only rational but also emotional beings. Creating a balance between the two aspects of human existence puts the modern spectator in a dilemma, as he cannot ignore the feelings that a theatric spectacle elicits in him. At the same time, he has to reflect on the didactic intentions of the artist or the creator of the play. The modern spectator has to see beyond the feelings he has of the action as well as the characters in the play, and consider the social or political action that he is supposed to take because of his emotional reaction. In other words, the sentiments that any piece of art elicits in the spectator should serve as motivation for him to implement the lessons learnt. They should assist him in bringing about the so desired social and political changes in our world today; otherwise, art will have failed in its ultimate role. ________________ 12 Pericles Lewis, The Cambridge Introduction to modernism Cambridge: (Cambridge University Press, 2007). 191.

Reality and Illusion in Shakespeares Hamlet - Appearance versus Realit

Appearance versus Reality in Hamlet      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Appearance versus reality is one of the central themes of Shakespeare's play, Hamlet. The characters in the play assume roles for the purpose of concealment - Claudius, in reality a murderer and usurper, plays the roles of grieving brother and rightful king; the adulterous Gertrude plays the role of a 'most seeming-virtuous queen' when she is, in her son's view, a 'most pernicious woman'. Even Hamlet himself assumes the role of a madman in his attempt to establish the reality of his uncle's guilt.    In 1.2, the anxious Gertrude asks her son why he is taking the death of his father so personally...    Why seems it so particular with thee?    Hamlet indignantly asserts the sincerity of his grief....    Seems, madam? Nay, it is. I know not 'seems'. 'Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother, Nor customary suits of solemn black, Nor windy suspiration of forc'd breath, No, nor the fruitful river in the eye Nor the dejected haviour of the visage, Together with all forms, moods, shapes of grief, For they are actions that a man might play; But I have that within which passes show, These but the trappings and the suits of woe.    Here the prince may be implying that his mother's grief, unlike his own, is merely an appearance.    When the ghost of old Hamlet appears and reveals to his grieving son the horrific details of his death at the hands of his treacherous brother, the theme of appearance versus reality becomes firmly rooted in the plot as Hamlet is presented with a moral dilemma. If the ghost is in reality what he appears to be, then Claudius is merely an appearance, an arch-hypocrite. The king is not in re... ... A.C. Quote. Literary Companion to British Authors: William Shakespeare. San Diego: Greenhaven, 1996. Danson, Lawrence. "Tragic Alphabet." Modern Critical Interpretations: Hamlet. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York City: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. 65-86 Findlay, Alison. "Hamlet: A Document in Madness." New Essays on Hamlet. Ed. Mark Thornton Burnett and John Manning. New York: AMS Press, 1994. 189-205. Hopkins, Lisa. "Parison and the Impossible Comparison." New Essays on Hamlet. Ed. Mark Thornton Burnett and John Manning. New York: AMS Press, 1994. 153-164. Rose, Mark. "Reforming the Role." Modern Critical Interpretations: Hamlet. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York City: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. 117-128 Wiggins, Martin. "Hamlet Within the Prince." New Essays on Hamlet. Ed. Mark Thornton Burnett and John Manning. New York: AMS Press, 1994. 209-226.

Was Napoleon Bonaparte the Saviour or the Destroyer of the Ideals of the French Revolution? :: European Europe History

Was Napoleon Bonaparte the Saviour or the Destroyer of the Ideals of the French Revolution? With all the glory and the splendour that some countries may have experienced, never has history seen how only only one man, Napoleon, brought up his country, France, from its most tormented status, to the very pinnacle of its height in just a few years time. He was a military hero who won splendid land-based battles, which allowed him to dominate most of the European continent. He was a man with ambition, great self-control and calculation, a great strategist, a genius; whatever it was, he was simply the best. But, even though how great this person was, something about how he governed France still floats among people's minds. Did he abuse his power? Did Napoleon defeat the purpose of the ideals of the French Revolution? After all of his success in his military campaigns, did he gratify the people's needs regarding their ideals on the French Revolution? This is one of the many controversies that we have to deal with when studying Napoleon and the French Revolution. In this essay, I w ill discuss my opinion on whether or not was he a destroyer of the ideals of the French Revolution. Certain individuals approved of Napoleon's reign as the saviour of France. He finished and completed the Revolution by fulfilling the ideals the people of France demanded. A person such as one belonging to the bourgeoisie, or even a peasant would be very satisfied with the way Napoleon ruled over the country. He gave them equality, freedom, justice, and many rights. Such things never existed during the reign of the monarchs before Napoleon stepped in. A banker too would be very affirmative on how Napoleon had truly helped France in its economic problems. He made the franc the most stable currency in Europe, and the banker had witnessed that, as probably one of the bankers of the Bank of France. Another type of individual that agrees that Napoleon isn't the destroyer of the ideals of the Revolution would be his soldiers and generals. He had fought alongside with his men in many battles. Through inspiration, he gained their loyalty, to "follow him to the stars" if he asked them to. Suc h inspiration would never be gained if he never respected them, if he never treated them fairly. And then, the "Legion of Honour", which awarded to some certain citizens for their civil and military achievements.

Transitional Leadership

Transition Leadership: Managing Change In Your Organization in today’s deregulating and increasingly competitive business environment, organizational change is becoming inevitable. Today’s successful organizations are experiencing transitions in the areas of technology, process re engineering, mergers, and organizational restructuring in order to remain competitive. However, although these areas impact employees at all levels of the company, senior management often overlooks this fact.Therefore, it is imperative that company management understands the impact of organizational change on employees and manages these effects accordingly. By doing so, organizational leaders minimize the negative impact change has on productivity and performance. This paper will focus on the activity of successfully leading employees through significant changes brought about by new technologies and process changes and will focus on three areas of transition leadership. First, the discussion c onveys the impact that change has on an organization’s employees.Second, an overview and discussion of transition leadership and its role in managing organizational change is given. Finally, ways to effectively manage employees through these reactions to change is presented. By understanding the elements of organizational change and its impact on employees as well as the appropriate ways of managing people through these revolutions, organizational leaders will be better prepared to address the challenges that are inherent in major business transitions. The Impact of Change on People Frequently, information technology professionals overlook the impacts of technology changes on people.Almost any change to technology will have an impact on business processes, which will directly impact the day-to-day jobs of individual employees. As a result, changes to technology require attention to the impacts that they have on both process and people. The practice of Organizational Change Ma nagement (OCM) focuses on ensuring that the people side of change is addressed appropriately. OCM is the process of aligning the organization’s people and culture with changes in business strategy, organizational structure, technology, and business processes.OCM is important because, at the most rudimentary level, all change involves some degree of loss whether it is loss of stability, loss of expertise, loss of relationships, or loss of understanding. People often try to avoid the experience of loss by resisting change. Resistance can come in different forms and be expressed with different emotions such as anger, frustration, fear, etc. Due to the tendency for change to elicit an emotional response, any large-scale change initiative will likely remove the employees’ focus from the business to transition-related issues.This shift in focus will likely disrupt the productivity of the business. Many technology implementation/business process redesign efforts fail because they overlook the impacts that change will have on the people in the organization. An organization that ignores the importance of OCM could experience the following risks: increased resistance to new technology, decreased quality and customer service, high turnover and absenteeism, difficulty recruiting and retaining high performers, and damaged internal and external brand equity.On the other hand, an organization that implements a technology/business process transformation with integrated OCM will experience the following benefits: realization of the business transformation objectives, higher return on technology investments, retention of high performers, maintained and improved productivity, improved employee satisfaction and morale, and increased discretionary effort. Transition Leadership Given the impact that change has on employees, it is clear that managers must learn to proactively manage employees through the many changes that are inherent in most organizations.In geospatia l environments, managers and other key stakeholders often focus on technological and process changes that will make their businesses competitive in the 21st century. These issues are important, but the changes ultimately will not be implemented successfully without the cooperation of employees. Only through effective transition leadership are employees able to effectively cope with and accept the changes they are presented with. Ten Characteristics of Effective Transition Leaders The role of transition leader is an often overlooked but important aspect of management.There are several characteristics that make up a good transition leader. Here we identify the main characteristics that are needed in a successful transition leader. In general, there are 10 characteristics of effective transition leaders: †¢ Gains support from and confidence of others. Change is not accepted and work cannot be done without the buy-in of key stakeholders. For this reason, it is imperative that trans ition leaders gain the support and confidence of other key employees in the organization. †¢ Listens and collaborates effectively.No matter how good a manager is, people will not follow without a sense of ownership in the organization. One of the key ways to secure this ownership and trust in employees is through listening and collaboration. †¢ Takes accountability. As with any effective manager, successful transition leaders take accountability for their own work as well as that of the entire organization that he or she manages. †¢ Provides constructive feedback to others. Transition leaders also provide constructive feedback to employees and colleagues. This type of feedback enables employees to be more effective in adapting to and accepting change. Builds relationships with customers, peers, and project team members. Effective transition leaders are also successful in building relationships with customers, peers, and project members. This alliance building enables leaders to effectively delegate and gain the buy-in from key resources, which further enables change within the organization. †¢ Inspires and motivates. In order to manage change effectively in the organization, transition leaders need to have inspired employees and stakeholders. †¢ Communicates openly, early, and often.Since change is such a complex and fearsome idea for most people, it is important for transition leaders to open the flow of communication. This holds true on a day-to-day basis as well (and especially) during times of change. †¢ Provides clear direction. In order for the organization to get to where it needs to be, employees and stakeholders have to understand where they are and where the organization is going. With this in mind, transition leaders need to clearly communicate the organization’s vision and goals to stakeholders and clarify individual roles and responsibilities within that context. †¢ Models the way for the team.Successful t ransition leaders do more than just delegate work and build relationships. They also lead by example in order to build credibility and trust. †¢ Creates opportunities for small wins. The change involved in large scale and complex IT implementations often appears insurmountable to employees. Therefore, it is important to frequently reward and recognize team members to help boost morale and to keep change initiatives from failing due to a burned-out staff. These 10 characteristics of a good transition leader ensure that change is implemented successfully and that major obstacles and resistances to change are minimized.The Roles of Transition Leaders In addition to these characteristics, transition leaders must play a number of roles in order for organizational changes to be successful. Since transition leaders are responsible for directly influencing the outcome of IT and process change implementations, successful change requires that transition leaders assume different roles. In general, transition leaders have four primary roles: catalyst, system and process helper, solution giver/gatherer, and resource linker. The first and arguably the most difficult role that a transition leader faces is that of Catalyst.While many organizations are content with the status quo, it is the transition leader’s responsibility to create and communicate the need for change within the business. This involves instilling a sense of urgency and purpose for the change and overcoming organizational inertia. In addition, this role entails acknowledging areas of resistance and addressing them appropriately. Change will not happen successfully if key stakeholders do not realize and understand the need for change, and it is the responsibility of transition leaders to make this need evident.The second role of a transition leader is that of a System and Process Helper. Once the need for change has been recognized by the organization and change initiatives are created, it is the t ransition leader’s responsibility to ensure that the organization is assimilated into the process and IT changes that ensue. This involves understanding the process and IT changes, the impact these changes have on jobs and policies, and effectively communicating these changes to the individuals impacted. The tasks performed by the System and Process Helper helps permeate the required change throughout the organization.The third role that a transition leader plays is that of Solution Giver and Gatherer. This role is needed to identify and resolve issues that may hinder the success of the implemented change. In particular, the Solution Giver and Gatherer will promote the use of an issues resolution mechanism, provide solutions that benefit the entire organization, and assist in the development and implementation of solutions. In addition, an important element is the need for leaders to listen to suggestions and provide feedback and recognition when appropriate.As discussed abov e, effective transition leaders communicate, provide feedback, and celebrate small wins, which is important to inspiring and motivating project teams. The final role of a successful transition leader is that of Resource Linker. This role involves the more traditional management like delegating tasks, and most experienced managers are capable in this arena. In short, the Resource Linker brings people and resources together, recognizes resource constraints, leverages skills and resources across site locations, and acts as a communications link between resources.This role is important, but it is the three roles described above that most managers overlook when implementing change initiatives. How To Manage People Through Change When incorporating change in an organization, it is useful for transition leaders to understand how change impacts people and how to minimize the negative reactions to change. All successful change initiatives follow a similar pattern or sequence. The first step consists of â€Å"unfreezing† the current way of doing things. This is the phase in the project where the burning platform for change is realized and the vision for a new way of operating is created.The second phase of change begins when it is time to begin energizing the workforce by involving more and more people in the change process so as to begin building ownership over the final outcome. This is also the point where it is critical to identify and secure early project wins. Ensuring that the right resources are provided for achieving early milestones will ensure that the project is perceived as a success. The third phase of the change process consists of building the infrastructure (i. e. , job and organization designs) required to make the change successful.For example, if the technology changes are intended to automate processes that were previously done manually, changes to job designs will be required. The final phase consists of a series of activities aimed at measu ring results and identifying lingering gaps and issues that need to be addressed in order to achieve the project’s intended benefits. While the above phases outline the sequence that change initiatives normally follow, there are three corresponding phases that describe the psychological experiences that people have when affected by change. These come from William Bridges’ book Managing Transitions (1991).The first phase is called â€Å"Letting Go. † This is the time when employees will begin to understand that things are changing, and that in the near future they will be challenged with letting go of the old way of doing things. This may include letting go of old ways of working, relationships, feelings of competence, etc. The second psychological phase, the â€Å"Neutral Zone† is the difficult period when the work is done to implement change and the transition from the old way to the new way begins. Trying to handle implementation and balance the transit ions may make this period the most difficult period of change to manage.The last psychological phase is what Bridges refers to as the â€Å"New Beginning. † This occurs when changes have been fully implemented and expectations for people to change the way they work are realized. Each of the phases described above consist of many people-related challenges, and there are many specific strategies for helping to manage people through these phases. Some of the important critical success factors for managing change are the following: †¢ Identify potential barriers or risk factors that will inhibit success, and create action plans to address them appropriately. Use written and face-to-face communication to help people understand the what, why, and how of change. †¢ Identify opportunities to involve large numbers of employees in the change process; research shows that there is a correlation between involvement and commitment. †¢ Seek to understand and manage individual and team level resistance.†¢ Listen to your employees, acknowledge their losses, show empathy, strive to reduce their stress levels. †¢ Recognize and reward behaviors that support achievement of intended goals. †¢ Systematically analyze the impacts change will have on corporate policies, individual jobs, and organizational structure. Ensure that employees receive sufficient training and the other on-the-job resources necessary to raise people’s level of confidence. By addressing and incorporating these success factors into their management toolkits, effective transition leaders greatly increase the likelihood that their change initiatives will be successful. Conclusion Transition leadership, while often viewed as a â€Å"soft† or â€Å"touchy feely† issue not appropriate to geospatial managers, is clearly a relevant and critical issue to managing the changes that are inherent in organizations today.Even the most robust GIS package with the highes t benefits potential is meaningless if employees and key stakeholders do not effectively accept and adapt the changes to their everyday lives. By embracing the understanding of the impact that change has on employees, the role of transition leaders, and how to manage employees through change, managers will ensure that the changes stick and the anticipated benefits are realized.