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Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Awarness-raising and selling Investors in people Assignment

Awarness-raising and selling Investors in people - Assignment Example Advertising entails paying to ensure dissemination of information that identifies well a brand, service or product, or an organization that is promoted to massive customer base at one time. As economies grow, advertising become more important, since more consumers or buyers have the income as a result advertising can get positive results; good and efficient advertising results costs money. Advertising campaigns should have a clear defined objective. Advertisements should grow out of the investor’s overall marketing strategies and the promotion jobs assigned to the advertising agency. Advertising objective must be more precise rather than personal selling objectives. The marketing agencies’ specific objectives and well formulated budget can accomplish the following to investors: assist position the investors’ brand by persuading and informing target customers about its benefits; introduce new products and service to specific target markets; obtain desirable outlets or inform customers where they can acquire or buy a product; avail on-going contacts with targeted customers, in case when salespersons are not available; make way for salespersons by availing the company’s identity and the benefits of its products; obtain immediate buying action; assist in maintaining relationships with the satisfied customers and encouraging more purchases; and building more trust relationships with the client base (Pride and Ferrell, 2010). The advertising objectives determine the two basic types of advertising, institutional or product. The Product advertising targets selling of the product and includes competitive, reminder, and pioneering advertisement. The Institutional advertising promotes an organization’s reputation, ideas, and image instead of a particular product. Pioneering advertising is in developing primary demand for particular product category instead of the demand for a particular brand; usually at early

Monday, October 28, 2019

Managing diverse workforce Essay Example for Free

Managing diverse workforce Essay Workforce diversity includes the obvious differences we see when we look around: race, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, age, religion and ethnicity. But it’s also the less obvious traits, the subtle differences that often register with us unconsciously, such as socioeconomic status, marital status, educational background, language, accent and appearance. We all have something that makes us unique, some special talent or ability that we bring to the table that differentiates us from our colleagues. That’s diversity at its best. Sourcing and managing people from a diverse background have become a critical part of an employment and management strategy. Workers who vary in age, gender, ability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background or culture, ethnicity and language, make a positive contribution to an organization’s workforce — they’re an asset to organization culture and the bottom line as companies and managers are realizing every day that passes. There is a common belief that a diverse workforce brings innovative and creative solutions to an organization from ‘outside the box’. An effective corporate diversity program is a powerful way to gain a competitive advantage and stand apart from competition. It can’t be overstated that diverse workforce brings real bottom-line value to any organization. Diverse workforce allows organizations to break barriers, attract new customers and build customer-base and help form strategic alliances with partners across the globe by having better knowledge of the target markets and establishing better communication capabilities and having ability to communicate in a variety of languages including understanding of cultural differences. Just over half of the employers polled in Canada said they anticipate a shortage of quali? ed workers in the next ? ve years and approximately 67% believe they currently have a more diverse workforce than 5 years ago. These forward-thinking companies are not only placing an emphasis on making a positive contribution to their workforce – but on their bottom line. Source:Randstad Despite Workforce diversity is becoming common phenomenon across Canada, managers of today are increasingly facing the challenges of handling a diverse workforce and being sensitive to this diversity (Tjosvold, 1985). The rationale behind this research is to understand challenges organizations are facing as a result of managing diverse workforce. Additionally the research would try to look into various ways managers can overcome these challenges and make managing diverse workforce a real success. The concept of managing diversity originated in America following the growing need to manage cross-cultural and individual differences in an increasingly diverse demographic workforce (Cox Blake, 1991). In Canada, immigration and large numbers of women entering the workforce promoted diversity management efforts since the 1990s, although the workplace composition differs from that in the USA (Miller A. Rowney, 1999). Experts (Fernandez, 1993; Rice, 1994; Carnevale and Stone, 1994) indicate that business owners and managers who hope to create and manage an effective, harmonious multicultural workforce should remember the importance of the following: Setting a good example: This basic tool can be particularly valuable for small business owners who hope to establish a healthy environment for people of different cultural backgrounds. This is because they are generally able to wield significant control over the business basic outlook and atmosphere. The leaders must exhibit strong commitment to addressing issues like myths, stereotypes, and real cultural differences, as well as organizational barriers that interfere with the full contribution of all employees. Communicate in Writing: Organization policies that explicitly forbid prejudice and discriminatory behavior should be included in employee manual, mission statement and other written communications. Diversity should be a super-ordinate goal instead of a goal assigned to individual group. Training Programs: Awareness and skill building training programs provides information on cultural norms of different groups and how they may affect work behavior. New employee orientation programs are ideal for introducing workers to organization’s expectation regarding treatment of fellow workers irrespective of their cultural or ethnic background. Recognize individual differences: There are number of dimensions around human relationships. These include but not limited to: acceptance of power equality, desire for orderliness and structure; the need to belong to a wider group etc. Difference should not be assumed to be cultural. Other sources are personality, aptitude or competence ( Goffee, 1997). Actively seek input from Minority workers: Seeking opinions of minority groups and their involvement on important matters is beneficial not only because of the contributions they can make but also as it sends a message that they are valued by the organization. Revamp reward system: An organizations performance appraisal and reward system should encourage and reinforce effective diversity management. Flexible Work environment: Cox (1994) indicated that flexible work environment could be highly beneficial for and to people of non-traditional cultural background because their approaches to problems are more likely to be different from past norms. Continuous Monitoring: Experts recommend that business owners and managers establish and maintain systems and routines that can continually monitor the organization’s policies and practices to ensure that it continues to be a good environment for all employees. Periodic surveys should be conducted by management to understand employee’s needs (Jorgensen, 1993). Impact of Diversity on Organizational Culture: Hill and Jones defined organizational culture as those set of norms, values, and attitude that defined the way the employees of an organization behaved and interacted with each other and with others outside their organization (Hill and Jones, 2001). Organizational culture has been seen as instrumental in impacting individual employees in an organization. A positive organizational culture promotes diversity by taking advantage of diverse talent pool as well as intellectual capital whereas a negative organizational culture will stifle and discriminate against diversity and thus affect the work environment and consequently the employee productivity (Chatman and Spataro, 2005). Thomas identified that organizational culture is responsible for the systematic and planned way in which a diverse workforce is managed in an organization and their skill sets are put to use for the benefit of the business (Thomas, 1992). With dramatic adoption of diversity as a value-add across number of organizations, it’s become important to make sure organizational culture promotes workplace diversity. It means extensively analyzing a organizations current culture and changing those parts that limit cultural diversity. Also, it means recruiting new employees for the skills they can bring to the organization rather than their cultural homogeneity. Lastly, it means working with a management team to help them understand that cultural diversity is a business issue, and their own careers will benefit from enabling their employees to reach their full potential (Managing Diversity, 1999). Diversity management contains three (3) components: 1. Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action programs direct attention to laws that guide recruitment and promotion. 2. Valuing differences centers on interpersonal qualities that shape managements relationships with their employees. 3. Managing diversity focuses on the diverse quality of employees work-life needs such as childcare, family leave, and flexible holiday schedules. It requires setting policies and procedures that empowers managers to meet employees needs (Galagan, 1999; Jenner, 1994; Wilkinson, 1999). Managing diversity is managing human resource needs, says Ben Harrison. ( Jenner, 1994). Human resource personnel alone cant do the work of managing diversity. All levels of managers should implement programs designed to heighten awareness of cultural differences, foster appreciation for these differences, and identify the commonalties among the various ethnic groups. Managing diversity is an effort that will involve all members of the organization In order to reap the fruits of diversity. The process should start by including managing diversity into the overall strategy, this will promote cultural synergy and effectively integrating the better elements associated with multiple cultures. This tactic will help in aiding of identifying and implementing of new practices in companies with diverse units. Steps to be taken to begin managing diversity are: 1. Assess your organizations needs by conducting an organizational audit to determine which diversity problems exist. The audit should consist of surveys, interviews, focus groups, or a combination of these. 2. One should learn all s(he) can by exposing him/herself to different types of people, for this can reduce Stereotyping. 3. Strengthen top managements  commitment level. White males control the resources and feel most of the fear; therefore, they should be informed of the importance of their involvement, for this can reduce if not eliminate their fear. 4. Develop new selection criteria that include personality characteristics. Promote cultural synergy by effectively integrating the better elements associated with multiple cultures. 5. Invest in communication training to reduce prejudice and develop 6. Choose soluti ons that balance strategy to achieve the organizations goals. 7. Build diversity into your leadership team: You must plan for the development and promotion of your employees. 8. Look for ways to adjust your organization to your workers. This means the organizations culture should be employee oriented. Instituting flexible management systems to accommodate diverse workers can do this. This includes job sharing, flextime, and separate reward and benefit systems. (Managing Diversity, 1999,Galagan, 1999;Nelton, 2000) Conclusion At the end of the day appreciating diversity in people means recognizing, accepting, and supporting their differences. In addition, properly managing diversity means creating an environment that takes advantage of the different characteristics of everyone, which is in the best interest of the organization and the employee. The concept of managing diversity was developed as a result of the changing demographics of workforces, imperfections of Affirmative Action programs, and discrimination laws. Managing diversity involves consumption of all program and resources to building systems and a culture that unite different people in a common pursuit without undermining their diversity. It differs from solely using from Affirmative Action programs or other of its kind, because it creates an environment where all individuals can contribute to their maximum potential. Attaining support from top management is the most important implementing step in the process, which is necessary to ensure success. Additionally, it reduces the fears of the dominant group. Through the use of all valuing diversity, managing diversity and affirmative action companies create a qualified, diverse work force that appropriately reflects the demographics of its communities.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Native American Essay -- Essays Papers

Native American The story of the pilgrims and Native Americans was always taught in elementary school during the Thanksgiving holiday. The teachers frequently called Native Americans â€Å"Indians†. It never crossed my mind that the word â€Å"Indians† was the politically incorrect way of labeling Native Americans until a student shouted it out to the teacher in 5th grade. It finally clicked in my mind that Indians are people from India not America. Native Americans were always portrayed to be accepting culture when confronted with the Europeans during Thanksgiving. In elementary school, everything is happy. I don’t even remember learning American history. Columbus sailed the ocean blue, thought he was in India, and started the trend of labeling Native Americans as â€Å"Indians†. In junior high school, I learned more about the Native American’s view on the colonization of America. They were people who were forced out of their land to make room for European settlements. Most Native American tribes were at war with the incoming settlers. Native Americans are people who celebrate and wor...

Thursday, October 24, 2019

hHCS 405 WK Individual Assignment Essay

Reducing agency staff, I choose this budget cut because it leaves more positions open for the facilities own staff and this form of help is a high cost, twice as high a regular hospital staff but each open job is continually monitored to determine if that position needs to be filled. Changing the skill mix, this option allows for unlicensed assistive personnel to address economic realities. This cost cutting choice option allows for nurse to be able to delegate minor jobs in order focus on more complicated ones (University of Phoenix, 2013). Which loan option did you select? Why? Loan option 1, this loan actually allowed for a longer period of repaying the loan, even if it has 9.45% interest rate, as option 2 does not give you the ability for the three month loan closure and it needs to be repaid in six months’ time. Being that this is a facility which needs flexibility option 1 provides the best possible alternative for achieving substantial financial grounds (University of Phoenix, 2013). What was the outcome of your decision? The outcome for my decision was that it was in good health for EFC. The decision to reduce a portion of agency contract staff was good because it decreases outflow of cash through expenses without hurting or decreasing the facilities actual revenue by saving on premiums it pays to staffing agencies and their management fees so it is a huge cost saver. Changing the skill mix made for a good budget saver for Elijah Heart Center because it helps save the company money in the long haul. There will be an increase in costs in the beginning in regards to the less o hospital training, but overall workers can assist with the registered nurses with simple tasks like, feeding and the moving of patients. Licensed nurses can focus more on the more complicated task such as those directly affecting or related to patient care. As for my loan option it was the best choice for solving the hospital’s capital shortfall because EHC will receive $2,300,000 as payments from Medicare and other managed care organizations within three months. This will undoubtly solve Elijah Heart Center cash flow problem, were as option two could not be prepaid in six months (University of Phoenix, 2013). Phase II: Funding Options for Equipment Acquisition Which cost-effective equipment selections did you make? Why? High speed-CT Scanner Refurbished Equipment Loan, this option I felt was best because the technology advancement for this machine is not expected to change much and the cost is high to buy new $750,000 and its life expectancy is around 10 years if brought new. Therefore buying new can greatly affect the hospital’s finances and getting equipment that is refurbished is much more cost saving with a 30 – 50 percent cheaper sale tag and it decreases staff training costs. X-Ray Machine-Capital Lease, seems to be the best option for this equipment because the likely hood of needing to be upgraded or changed is low and it life expectancy is 15 right around years the cost of this machine is 320,000, so a capital lease just makes more sense than the rest plus this form of leasing allows the company to be able to have the option to purchase the equipment at a bargain purchase option and the; lease itself is transferred at the end of the lease automatically. & Ultrasound System-Operating Lease, this is the best option for this equipment because this can be a device equipment that can have an technical advancement or change in the long run and using other methods could make purchasing this equipment worthless in the future event of advances in technology so it would be a loss cause or investment to have reflect on the balance sheet or to buy new or refurbished. This form of obtaining the equipment is treated s a rental and is not included on the balance sheet as with a capital lease and there is no bargain purchase option either (University of Phoenix, 2013). What was the outcome of your decision? The outcome of my decision was the best possible choices for the company as the high speed CT scanner being refurbished allowed for the equipment to be purchased cheaper than being brought new. As for getting the x-ray machine on a capital lease makes this the best option because higher present value compared to the operating lease or buying refurbished equipment and the business has the option of buying the equipment at a bargain price or taking up a new lease and with the life expectancy of this machine being 15 years with little or low possibility of change it makes for a good investment and means of saving finances in the long run. Last on the list is the ultrasound system getting an operating lease is best suited for the company because it allows for an upgrade. The option of the operating lease helps in taking care of technological obsolescence (University of Phoenix, 2013). Phase III: Funding Options for Capital Expansion Which source of funding did you select? Why? HUD 242 Loan Insurance Program I choose because the hospital can payoff this loan before its time without precautions and it allows the facility to be able to do this after eight years. Although its rate were cheaper than a private bank loan and higher than the tax-exempt and revenue bonds it allowed for a year advantage of loan payoff over tax-exempt, as well as not putting a limit on the period of use for the funds interest rate is lower than both other options setting at a 3.90 percent and tax-exempt is 4.18 percent, and private bank funding is 4.50 percent (University of Phoenix, 2013). What was the outcome of your selection? The outcome for my decision was that this funding option was a healthy choice, as well as the best possible option for Elijah Heart Center (EHC). Benefits were that the option was callable after years instead of tens and that if the interest rates were to decrease it would be possible for the organization to buy back the bonds and reissue the debt making it more profitable for Elijah Heart Center (University of Phoenix, 2013). Summary and Conclusions What did you learn from this simulation? I learned that buy choosing the best options for the business I am able to better provide equipment, workers, and finances for acquiring equipment, expansion and staffing of the facility. What would you do differently if you performed the simulation again? If I were to reduce this again I would not change anything as the other options badly affected the budget and other mixtures were not good ones they decreased cost but keep dipping as months went by, which would ultimately affect the overall finances for the business thus creating issues such as down-sizing being a reality and or the reduction of benefits to staff and reducing length of stay really does not have an effect on saving or benefiting the company at all. How will you apply what you learned at your current or future job? I could apply what I have learned at my future job by keeping the result and notes for my simulation as a guide for planning and determining how to spend revenue earned or needed to keep my business operational. As well as being able to suggest possible ways and ideas for saving my current business money were equipment and loans are of use. In my future job/business I plan on running my own CMA/CNA facility this can help me with determining the best loans to get for equipment, supplies, and materials needed to run a fully functioning and profitable business. I can sue this simulation to decide on the best way to get those supplies, equipment by determining the cost for leasing or buying new or used equipment. I will be allowed to make a more clear and informed decision about my current and future business ventures. Once I get into a medical facility and staff thoughts and decisions are taken into consideration for future changes I will be able to give an realistic suggestion or idea for changes that can affect staff’s jobs, future positions, benefits, and care and treatment of patients. . Reference University of Phoenix. (2013). Analyzing Financial Indicators for Decision Making [Multimedia]. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, HCS/405 Health Care Financial Accounting website.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Religion in the Workplace Essay

Introduction Religion is a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs. Under the First Amendment, Americans enjoy two freedoms with respect to religion: the right to be free from a government-imposed religion, and the right to practice any religion. While private employers are not bound by the Constitution’s restrictions on government, they are subject to federal and state laws that ban religious discrimination in employment. Given the number of employed persons, the diversity of religious faiths in this country, and the freedom we enjoy to express our views, the subject of religious discrimination continues to pose tough questions for employers and the courts. The Workplace Because of our country’s great diversity, employers may hire employees from a great variety of countries and religious backgrounds. In an ideal work environment, the religious beliefs of a given employee, or of the employer, do not create conflicts. Either is free to believe as he or she chooses and, as long as the work gets done satisfactorily, neither will encounter difficulty on the basis of religion. Yet, in the world we live in, a number of issues can arise to create friction. An employer and employee may discuss, or even argue over, religious principles. Religion is not simply a matter of belief. The faithful practice their religion through various actions to include; styles of dress, manner of keeping or wearing one’s hair, trying to recruit others to their faith, following certain diets, praying, fasting, avoiding certain language or behavior, and observing  certain religious holidays. Put simply, the many characteristics of different religions provide ample ground for disagreement, conflict, or even harassment among employers and employees on the job. In deontology, the golden rule is to treat others as you would have the treat you. I know that if I respected someone’s beliefs to be Muslim, I expect them to have the same respect for me and my belief in God or whatever religion I choose to place my faith in. Deontologist insists that actions should not be evaluated on the basis of the action’s consequences. Utilitarianism and Discrimination A utilitarian might argue that in a given company, the majority of its members belong to a certain faith tradition. The greatest good for the greatest number would seem to allow that majority to pray and participate in religious activities in the way they desire (Mosser, 2013). Rule utilitarianism argues that participating in something that causes harm decreases the happiness of those who participate, even passively, in that harm. For example, discrimination occurs when the employer maintains (or allows) a hostile environment for employees of particular faiths. Typically, this arises where co-workers harass an employee on the basis of his or her faith, to the point of creating an abusive or intimidating work environment. The harassment must be severe or pervasive in order to constitute discrimination under a hostile work environment theory. Thus, a simple disagreement over religious principles would probably not constitute unlawful harassment. Severe insults or threats, or continuing words and actions meant to harass or intimidate an employee on the basis of religion; however, it may cross the line of lawful conduct. Relativist Relativist believe that different cultures have different attitudes towards life, as well as when it begins and ends. They say the same about religion. Many believe that God created life and God ends life. Take a survey in the workplace and you will probably get a more diverse answer. Different cultures have different religions. But who is to say which religion is right? Some companies believe that the workplace is not a place for religion. Their attitude towards life is basically work is work and your  personal life (which includes your religion) is simply that. Your personal life should not conflict with your job. Leave your religion at home. Little do they know, religion is what’s keeping majority of their employees. Accommodating Religion in the Workplace While employers have a duty to accommodate the religious beliefs of their employees, the employer does have some leeway in how it conducts its business. There is a point where the changes that are required to accommodate an employee become a burden on the employer. Most likely, a request by an employee to trade shifts when his or her faith prevents working on Saturdays is likely to be reasonable. However, less reasonable might be a request that an employee have a particular holy month off each year. Whether an employer’s policy that limits the conduct of members of a particular faith is unreasonable depends on the circumstances. For example, a restaurant owner may require its cooks to wear hairnets or short hair, even if this creates an inconvenience for members of a faith that does not allow them to cut their hair. A job may also have certain qualifications or requirements that have the effect of limiting participation by a particular religious faith. A radio station that pla yed rock and roll music, for example, would be allowed to fire a disc jockey that refused to play rock and roll because it was against his religion. Deontology Deontology tells us to act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other. All human beings deserve dignity and respect and to treat a human being solely as a means to an end, to treat a human being instrumentally is to violate the categorical imperative and, thus, to act in a fundamentally immoral way. Regarding the workplace, we should treat each other’s religion as we would want our religion treated. Someone might need their religion at their job to keep them calm and sane. Some may need their religion at their job to keep peace and love between the employer and employees. In conclusion, the law gives broad protections to employees and managers when it comes to religious beliefs, â€Å"but once an employee’s conduct in the workplace creates problems because of their beliefs, it is problematic  (Tahmincioglu, 2012). Maybe religion should be accepted at work but at a distance. Use it to the point where it is accepted and once it gets out of hand, remove it. REFERENCES Mooser, K. 2013. Ethics and Social Responsibility, Second Edition. Tahmincioglu, E. 2012. Religion at work can bring fire and brimstone. From http://www.today.com/money/religion-work-can-bring-fire-brimstone-460844

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Free Essays on E-Commerce Effects To Consumers

Electronic Commerce Security: An introduction for everyone In the 21st century, any entity that does business or maintains customer data will do it online. The 'e' in eBusiness has already become redundant. There are already well understood practices and standards in place for user authentication, data encryption, and credit card transactions. We will explain what it all means and guide you through the process of deciding which security choices are right for you, not just for selling online, but for any website that handles financial or private data. Brainstorming points What is E-Commerce B2C vs B2B B2B new definitions for the new millennium intranet headquarters design centers plants warehouses overseas locations the extended enterprise joint ventures subsidiaries strategic partners extranet suppliers dealers n-tier suppliers Supply chain management... anderson paper when is a DMZ appropriate? dedicated connections shared private network (ANX) VPNs costs B2C presenting goods allow customer inquiries credit card transactions News reports on major break-ins, credit card exposures credit card authorities example costs Storing private customer data file system encryption storing data in cookies (discuss the '97 privacy paper) Configuring a public server General Doing a security review (ACR) Risk vs. Convenience: Security FAQ Choosing a platform authentication/authorization schemes Secure Transactions setting up SSL - encryption signing authorities - which one is best for you? (shane, does this cover your RSA point?) Schneier's rule of cracking international (128 bit) Firewalls How to keep up to date (SANS, CERT) Conclusions What is E-Commerce: Electronic Commerce may include any computer mediated business process, but a common usage is to use it to describe commerce taking place using the World Wide Web as an enabling transport. For many... Free Essays on E-Commerce Effects To Consumers Free Essays on E-Commerce Effects To Consumers Electronic Commerce Security: An introduction for everyone In the 21st century, any entity that does business or maintains customer data will do it online. The 'e' in eBusiness has already become redundant. There are already well understood practices and standards in place for user authentication, data encryption, and credit card transactions. We will explain what it all means and guide you through the process of deciding which security choices are right for you, not just for selling online, but for any website that handles financial or private data. Brainstorming points What is E-Commerce B2C vs B2B B2B new definitions for the new millennium intranet headquarters design centers plants warehouses overseas locations the extended enterprise joint ventures subsidiaries strategic partners extranet suppliers dealers n-tier suppliers Supply chain management... anderson paper when is a DMZ appropriate? dedicated connections shared private network (ANX) VPNs costs B2C presenting goods allow customer inquiries credit card transactions News reports on major break-ins, credit card exposures credit card authorities example costs Storing private customer data file system encryption storing data in cookies (discuss the '97 privacy paper) Configuring a public server General Doing a security review (ACR) Risk vs. Convenience: Security FAQ Choosing a platform authentication/authorization schemes Secure Transactions setting up SSL - encryption signing authorities - which one is best for you? (shane, does this cover your RSA point?) Schneier's rule of cracking international (128 bit) Firewalls How to keep up to date (SANS, CERT) Conclusions What is E-Commerce: Electronic Commerce may include any computer mediated business process, but a common usage is to use it to describe commerce taking place using the World Wide Web as an enabling transport. For many...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Enterpreneurship Essays

Enterpreneurship Essays Enterpreneurship Essay Enterpreneurship Essay Essay Topic: The Godfather Entrepreneurship has many definitions: one who undertakes innovations, finance and business acumen in an effort to transform innovations into economic goods, one who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise but the godfather of entrepreneurship studies at HBS Professor Howard H. Stevenson coined: Entrepreneurship is the pursuit of opportunity beyond resources controlled. This definition brings the true experiences of any entrepreneur. It’s a pursuit of opportunity which needs to be perceived in the short window of existence of opportunity.In this period, considerable amount of time and energy needs to be devoted such that there is quantitative result in order to attract necessary resources. Delayed results from the actions performed may seize the opportunity and also the consumption of cash balances available for the opportunity allocated. The opportunity that may be available can be either of the following: 1. Creating a new product or business model 2. Creating a better or cheaper version of the existing product or business modelThough, many profit improvement opportunities are not noveland thus are not entrepreneurialfor example, raising a products price or, once a firm has a scalable sales strategy, hiring more reps, etc. But given an opportunity is available, it can be classified as two types: 1. Entry Opportunity 2. Entrepreneurial Opportunity Entry Opportunity implies the existence of a market. But some entrepreneurial opportunity and thus initiatives create fundamentally new markets. For these, theres no market to enter until the entrepreneur acts.Also, the Entry Opportunity is more applicable for large organizations with ample resources rather as compared to Entrepreneurship Opportunities. Thus, the more that the firm/individual entering a new market lacks relevant resources, the more entrepreneurial the entry would be. Thus a real entrepreneur may encash mostly the entrepreneur opportunity rather than entry opportunity. At a new ventures start, the entrepreneur control their own human, social, and financial capital. Many entrepreneurs bootstrap they keep expenditures to a bare minimum while investing only their own time and as necessary, their personal funds.In some cases, this is adequate to bring a new venture to the point where it becomes self-sustaining from internally generated cash fl ow. But, with most high-potential ventures founders must generate more resources than they control personally. The venture eventually will require production facilities, distribution channels, working capital, and so forth. Because they are pursuing an entrepreneur opportunity while lacking access to required resources, entrepreneurs face considerable risk, which comes in four main types: 1.Demand risk – It relates to prospective customers willingness to adopt the solution envisioned by the entrepreneur. 2. Technology risk – This relates when engineering or scientific breakthroughs are required to bring to the solution. 3. Execution risk – This relates to the entrepreneurs ability to attract future stakeholders who can implement the ventures plans. 4. Financing risk – It relates to whether external capital will be available on reasonable terms. The entrepreneurs task is to manage this uncertainty. 5. Self-belief risk – It relates to the risk of los ing self-determination, will and confidence with self.Thus, there can be a challenging situation for the entrepreneur to minimize risk without the necessary resources. This is also called Catch-22 position. For example, outside capital may be required to develop and market a product and thereby demonstrate that technical and market risks are limited. On the other hand, it can be difficult to persuade resource owners to commit to a venture when risk is still high. It is important to point out that many ideas fail in this vicious circle as the risk is high with lack or unavailability of counter measures to minimize/eliminate them.Not all entrepreneurship initiatives end up in a smile with desired results. Many a times, these initiative gets fail due to various factors. As it is said, the success is combination of various positives but just one negative can result in a failure. The learnings from the failure may be grouped as following: Quality time with family and friends may get redu ced to minimal with absolutely no focus The desire and dreams for the material world may not come true as the personal cash flow may be tight. Sometimes it’s not desired to have all the good to have’ features in the service/product.The focus must be on must have. Always be ready to start from zero with the same humbleness and dignity. Business related decisions may be taken quickly with belief and logic with whatever information available at that point of time. As with any task, there wouldn’t be all smooth ride. There can be difficulties and hurdles that may get faced during the start-ups. Some of them are listed below: 1. Market Problems – A major reason why companies fail, is that they run into the problem of their being little or no market for the product that they have built.Here are some common symptoms: a. There is not a compelling enough value proposition, or compelling event, to cause the buyer to actually commit to purchasing. b. The market timi ng is wrong. You could be ahead of your market by a few years, and they are not ready for your particular solution at this stage. c. The market size of people that have pain, and have funds is simply not large enough. 2. Business Model failure – the most common causes of failure in the startup world is that entrepreneurs are too optimistic about how easy it will be to acquire customers.They assume that because they will build an interesting web site, product, or service, that customers will beat a path to their door. That may happen with the first few customers, but after that, it rapidly becomes an expensive task to attract and win customers, and in many cases the cost of acquiring the customer is actually higher than the lifetime value of that customer 3. Poor Management Team An incredibly common problem that causes startups to fail is a weak management team. Weak management teams make mistakes in multiple areas: a.They are often weak on strategy, building a product that n o-one wants to buy as they failed to do enough work to validate the ideas before and during development. This can carry through to poorly think through go-to-market strategies. b. They are usually poor at execution, which leads to issues with the product not getting built correctly or on time, and the go-to market execution will be poorly implemented. c. They will build weak teams below them. So the rest of the company will end up as weak, and poor execution will be rampant. 4.Running Out of Cash A second major reason that startups fail is because they ran out of cash. A key job of the CEO is to understand how much cash is left and whether that will carry the company to a milestone that can lead to a successful financing, or to cash flow positive. What frequently goes wrong, and leads to a company running out of cash, and unable to raise more, is that management failed to achieve the next milestone before cash ran out. Many times it is still possible to raise cash, but the valuatio n will be significantly lower. . Product Problems – Another reason that companies fail is because they fail to develop a product that meets the market need. This can either be due to simple execution. Or it can be a far more strategic problem, which is a failure to achieve Product/Market fit. The typical personality traits of an entrepreneur may be the following (not limited to): Passion Self-Belief and Determination on the vision defined Persistence – Focused and keeping patience and ability to keep working towards the goal and be optimistic. The ability to work with a team yet follow their own instincts The creation of a success culture Have business sense and knowledge Take pride in doing any task that would make the vision converted to reality Adopting correct approach / strategy in evaluating, defining and implementing business approach including resources needed. Able to manage and handle finances Customer centric approach Art of negotiations

Sunday, October 20, 2019

How to Speak English

How to Speak English Most English learning boils down to the question of how to speak English. There are other goals as well, but learning how to speak English will help you communicate with others, and lead to better test scores on the TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS, Cambridge and other exams. In order to know how to speak English, you need to have a plan. This guide on how to speak English provides an outline that you can follow to learn to speak English. If you already speak English, this guide will help you more quickly improve your English speaking skills. Difficulty Average Time Required From Six Months to Three Years Heres How Discover Which Type Of English Learner You Are When learning how to speak English you first need to find out what type of English learner you are. Ask yourself questions such as Why do I want to speak English? Do I need to speak English for my job? Do I want to speak English for travel and hobbies, or do I have something more serious in mind? Here is an excellent worksheet What Type of English Learner? to help you find out. Understand Your Goals Once you know what type of English learner you are, you can begin to better understand your goals. Once you know your goals, youll better understand what you need to do to speak English well. This is similar to understanding what type learner you are. Write down a list of the things you would like to do with your English. Would you like to speak English fluently in two years? Would you like to have enough English to travel and order food in a restaurant? Understanding exactly what you want to do with English will help you learn how to speak English because you will work towards your goals. Find Out Your Level Before you begin to learn how to speak English, youll need to know where to begin. Taking a level test can help you understand what level you are at and then you can start using resources appropriate for your level in order to learn how to speak English well. Of course, youll not only learn how to speak English, but also how to read, write and use English in a variety of settings. These quizzes will help you find your level. Start with the beginning level test and then move on. Stop when you get less than 60% and begin at that level. Beginning TestIntermediate TestAdvanced Test Decide On Learning Strategy Now that you understand your English learning goals, style and level its time to decide on an English learning strategy. The simple answer to the question of how to speak English is that you need to speak it as often as possible. Of course, its more difficult than that. Start off by deciding which type of learning strategy you will take. Do you want to study alone? Do you want to take a class? How much time do you have to dedicate to English study? How much are you willing to pay to learn to speak English? Answer these questions and you will understand your strategy. Put Together A Plan For Learning Grammar If you want to know how to speak English, youll also have to know how to use English grammar. Here are my five top tips on how to speak English with good grammar. Learn grammar from context. Do exercises that have you identify tenses and from within a short reading or listening selection. When learning how to speak English you need to use your muscles. Read your grammar exercises aloud which will help you learn to use correct grammar when speaking. Dont do too much grammar! Understanding grammar doesnt mean you speak. Balance grammar with other English learning tasks. Do ten minutes of grammar each day. Its better to only do a little every day than a lot once a week. Use self-study resources at this site. There are lots of grammar resources you can use here on the site to help you improve. Put Together A Plan For Learning Speaking Skills If you want to know how to speak English, youll have to have a plan for speaking English every day. Here are my top five tips to make sure you speak - not just study - English every day. Do all exercises using your voice. Grammar exercises, reading exercises, everything should be read aloud. Speak to yourself. Dont worry about someone hearing you. Speak out loud in English to yourself often. Choose a topic each day and speak for one minute about that topic. Use online exercises and speak in English using Skype or other programs. Heres some practice English speaking sheets to get you started. Make lots of mistakes! Dont worry about mistakes, make many and make them often. Put Together A Plan For Learning Vocabulary To make sure you know how to speak English about a wide range of topics youll need plenty of vocabulary. Here are some suggestions and resources to get you started. Make vocabulary trees. Vocabulary trees and other fun exercises can help you group vocabulary together for faster learning. Keep track of new vocabulary youve learned in a folder. Use visual dictionaries to help you learn more vocabulary faster. Choose to learn vocabulary about subjects you like. Theres no need to study vocabulary that doesnt interest you. Study a little bit of vocabulary every day. Try to learn just two or three new words / expressions every day. Put Together A Plan For Learning Reading / Writing If you want to learn how to speak English, you may not be too concerned with reading and writing. Still, its a good idea to learn how to read and write in English, as well as learn how to speak English. Remember to use your own native language reading skills. You dont need to understand every single word. Practice writing short texts on blogs or for comments at popular English learning web sites. People expect errors at these sites and youll feel very welcome. Read for pleasure in English. Choose a subject you like and read about it. Dont translate directly from your own language when writing. Keep it simple. Put Together A Plan For Learning Pronunciation Learning how to speak English also means learning how to pronounce English. Learn about the music of English and how it can help with English pronunciation skills. Find out about typical pronunciation mistakes people speaking your native tongue make. Consider using a pronunciation program to help you learn better pronunciation through practice. Get a dictionary that has good phonetic transcriptions to help you understand the sounds of English. Use your mouth! Speak out loud every day the more you practice the better your pronunciation will become. Create Opportunities To Speak English Using English as often as possible is the key to learning how to speak English well. Join English learning communities online to practice speaking English with others using video chatting software. Join local clubs that focus on speaking English, speak to tourists and give them a helping hand. If you have friends who are learning to speak English, set aside 30 minutes every day to speak English together. Be creative and create as many opportunities as possible to speak English. Tips Be patient with yourself. It takes a while to learn how to speak English well. Remember to give yourself time and treat yourself well.Do everything everyday, but only do ten to fifteen minutes of the more boring tasks. If you want to improve listening skills, just listen to the radio fifteen minutes rather than an hour. Do ten minutes of grammar exercises. Never do too much English. Its better to do just a little bit every day rather than a lot only twice a week.Make mistakes, make more mistakes and continue to make mistakes. The only way you will learn is by making mistakes, feel free to make them and make them often.Learn how to speak English about the things you like doing. If you enjoy speaking about the topic, it will be much easier for you to learn how to speak English well in a shorter amount of time. What You Need PatienceTimeWillingness to make mistakesFriends who can speak English with youBooks or internet resources in English

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Online business Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Online business - Research Paper Example No longer is it essential for stores to be a physical entity, but a virtual one that is accessed using a personal computer, items on sale viewed, selected, and then purchased all from the comfort of a chair at home. One then has to just wait for the delivery of these items. The Online Store The online store exists in virtual reality as an URL on the World Wide Web. Getting to the store requires using the URL to present the web pages of the store on the computer screen. The experience of window shopping as practiced earlier changes in with online stores. Surfing through the web site addresses of the several online stores from the luxury of chair at home, provides the window shopping experience. In the physical retail store a sales clerk helped one identify items of need, but in the online store one would have to go through the pages of the online store, identify items of interest, and look at the promotional offers on them before finalizing the purchase. In the physical store one push ed a cart around and dropped the chosen items in a cart and took it to a sales clerk, who tallied the items and presented a bill. The bill was then paid for by cash or credit cart. One walked out of the store the proud owner of the items purchased. In an online store there is the virtual cart. Clicking on the items one wishes to purchases, puts the items virtually into the cart, with the advantage of immediately knowing the total value of the purchases at that given time. Once the purchases have been completed, the different kinds of payment options appear on the screen. One then has to choose the payment option and provide the relevant details. The online store verifies the payment and then ships the items to you. All tat one has to do is await the delivery (Lohse & Spiller, 2003). The Advantages and Disadvantages of the Online Store The quick growth of on-line stores reflects the apparent advantages of an online store over the physical stores. On-line stores are quicker to set up in that there is no need to locate and rent or build physical space, once the necessary tie-ups with suppliers are complete. It is much easier and faster to set up the web site with the requisite number of pages containing the details of the business. In addition to the speed with which an online store can be set up, it is also less expensive to set it up. Building or rental costs are avoided, along with the need to buy and stock the goods. The products move out from the manufacturer or whole seller, with a limited investment in them. In addition to cost advantages in setting up an online store, there is the advantage of low operating costs, with added benefit of keeping the online store open 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. There are also several competitive advantages, particularly from the perspective of customer. The foremost of these is convenience and flexibility in the actual purchase processes and the delivery of the purchased goods (Chakrabarti & Kardile, 2 002). Furthermore, the lower costs in setting up an online store and running it in comparison to a physical store translates into lower costs of the items, which is an attraction for customers (Keen Web Templates, 2011). It is not all hunky-dory for online stores. There are disadvantages too. Poor imagery on the websites leads to bad impressions of the products and the online store. In addition customers

Friday, October 18, 2019

What movie and answer questions and your personal reactions Review

What and answer questions and your personal reactions - Movie Review Example The similarities in all the children is the undying love that they receive from their parents and the parents’ desire to raise healthy and happy children. All these children live in an environment where raising children is focused on making sure that they get enough sleep, that they get enough amount of food to eat, and that they fit in with the older siblings. In all the scenarios, it is clear that babies learn from their surrounding environment. They learn from what they see, for example, a baby seeing people eating from one communal pot or seeing people slaughtering a goat from the dirt gets to learn how life works in his surroundings. In all the scenarios mothers are seen to be primarily in charge of child care. For example, the documentary shows the US mother busy in the kitchen and the Mongolian mother milking. The documentary also shows the mothers engage more with their offsprings while doing something else. When looking at the four children, they are raised in very different social-cultural environment where in the case of Ponijao, he is raised in a dirsty village. His family lives in log hut that has clay roofs. They do not have any carpets of any form of barrier between bare bottoms and the dirt. He lives in an environment where people sit on the ground. The culture in this community is where women have the primary role of taking care of the children and doing the daily chores of the homes. The women tie their babies on the side or on their back as they do their work. Men do not play a big role in rearing children on a day to day basis as it is seen in this documentary. Older children are the once who take the responsibilities of acting like the role models and teach them on how they can fit in the society. This is clearly seen in the opening scene of the documentary where an older Ponijao is seen seated next to an infant grinding rocks on a

Apply Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs to your every day interactions Essay

Apply Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs to your every day interactions - Essay Example Maslow suggested that there exists a hierarchy of needs and motives that is the main determinant of human behavior. It has been argued that if the existence of unsatisfied needs drives for higher motivation, then people need to understand and identify those needs which are more important for their successful behavior. In this context, Abraham Maslow proposed a model of human motivation and suggested that the higher-level needs can be satisfied and achieved only after satisfying or achieving the lower-level needs. In this regard, Maslow used a pyramid of needs with five levels, each level depicting each need. In the lowest level there are Psychological needs, such as need for air, water, sleep, and nourishment, which are required for the sustainability of life. In the next level there are Safety needs, such as need for safe area to live, job and financial security, need for medical insurance etc., which are required for safe, secure, and harmless life. In the next level there are Soci al needs, such as need for friends and belongings, need to give as well as receive love, which are required to interact with other people. In the forth level there are esteem needs, such as needs for self-respect, attention, achievement, recognition, reputation etc., which are needed for a person to feel the sense of â€Å"belonging†. In the upper-most level there are Self-actualization needs, such as needs for truth, justice, wisdom etc., which are needed for a person to achieve his full potential in life. The figure below shows the Hierarchy of Needs (Slater and Bremner, 2003, pp. 57-58; Maslows Hierarchy of Needs, n.d., p. 1-3). In my life the need for friends and family is the most. They played most crucial role in motivating me to achieve successes in every sphere of my life. In my life both friendship and love are highly important to achieve potential performances in every section of my life. These needs give me enough strength and

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Analysis of the Pepsis and Bacardi Limons Advertisement Essay

Analysis of the Pepsis and Bacardi Limons Advertisement - Essay Example This "Analysis of the Pepsi’s and Bacardi Limon’s Advertisement" essay outlines differences between two drinks' ads. The first advertisement carefully projects the image of Pepsi as a fun drink that all members and all age groups enjoy. The men hold Pepsi bottles, as also the girls. The pepsi bottles in the picnic box further heighten the impression that it’s a drink meant for outings and is even better than beer. Another significant detail is the Pepsi icon in the shape of a ball, where the text states: â€Å"it’s the cola†, further reinforced by the football nearby on the picnic table, which further heightens the impression that this is a drink associated with fun and games. The heart shaped carving on the tree with â€Å"Pepsi and BBQ† engraved within it is a useful little detail that implies Pepsi is made for such outdoor occasions. The second advertisement is set in a bar/disco/party setting, which conveys an impression that the drink be longs in a more adult, sensual setting. The words in the advertisement convey the mood: â€Å"Mischievous, mixable, magical†. This is substantiated by the image of the sexy woman reflected in the glass of the man who holds it, implying that it’s the drink that has brought her into the palm of his hand – a magical experience. The use of mirrors, the shiny clean bar, the sparkling crystal bottles and glasses, all contribute to the impression of a magical kind of dating environment, where the drink appears to be the prop that aids the man in capturing the woman he desires.

A History of Hesbulla Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

A History of Hesbulla - Essay Example The paper "A History of Hesbulla" has four parts. Part one is about the origins of Hesbulla. Part two outlines and explains the ideologies that led to the creation, development, and the current state of Hesbulla. Part three reports on its major developments since foundation to the present. Part four is an assessment of how to situate the organization and its plans in current international and domestic affairs. Trouble in the Middle East has been going on for centuries as Arabs and Jews fought over land that both claimed to be theirs. During the time of the Roman Empire some two thousand years ago, the countries that are now known as Israel, Palestine, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon have been a battleground among conquering and conquered peoples and nations. These conflicts reached a major flashpoint after the Second World War when the State of Israel was created in 1948 (Owen, 1992). Recounting this brief historical background is important to realize that the Middle East conflict is not r ooted in Islamic ideology, but something that is perhaps deeper and that goes farther back in time. However, Islam was a strong factor that provided a cultural and religious bond for differing Middle Eastern Arabic tribes to unite against a common enemy, the Jews, although Islam was not a guarantee of peace in itself as it too was racked by different streams of thought: Shi’a, Sunni, Salafi, Kurds, etc. For centuries and even before Israel was created in 1948, these Arabic tribes fought each other as vehemently as they now fight against Israel (Tarrow, 1994; Owen, 1992). Lebanon, which shares a southern border with the northern tip of Israel, received Palestinian refugees who were driven out by the newly created Israeli state in 1948. When these refugees, who were understandable in thinking that their lands were "stolen" from them by the newly erected Jewish state, attempted to regain those lands by committing acts of aggression and violence as a Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), the Israeli armed forces retaliated by attacking the PLO and expelling them from Jordan. The PLO settled in the southern part of Lebanon, where their guerillas were trained and from where they continued to mount attacks against Israel (Norton, 2007; Qassem, 2005; Shapira, 1988). In 1982, Israel began to attack PLO strongholds in southern Lebanon, where it remained until 1985. It was during this three-year period that Hesbulla was born as a resistance movement against Israeli occupation.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Analysis of the Pepsis and Bacardi Limons Advertisement Essay

Analysis of the Pepsis and Bacardi Limons Advertisement - Essay Example This "Analysis of the Pepsi’s and Bacardi Limon’s Advertisement" essay outlines differences between two drinks' ads. The first advertisement carefully projects the image of Pepsi as a fun drink that all members and all age groups enjoy. The men hold Pepsi bottles, as also the girls. The pepsi bottles in the picnic box further heighten the impression that it’s a drink meant for outings and is even better than beer. Another significant detail is the Pepsi icon in the shape of a ball, where the text states: â€Å"it’s the cola†, further reinforced by the football nearby on the picnic table, which further heightens the impression that this is a drink associated with fun and games. The heart shaped carving on the tree with â€Å"Pepsi and BBQ† engraved within it is a useful little detail that implies Pepsi is made for such outdoor occasions. The second advertisement is set in a bar/disco/party setting, which conveys an impression that the drink be longs in a more adult, sensual setting. The words in the advertisement convey the mood: â€Å"Mischievous, mixable, magical†. This is substantiated by the image of the sexy woman reflected in the glass of the man who holds it, implying that it’s the drink that has brought her into the palm of his hand – a magical experience. The use of mirrors, the shiny clean bar, the sparkling crystal bottles and glasses, all contribute to the impression of a magical kind of dating environment, where the drink appears to be the prop that aids the man in capturing the woman he desires.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Emirates Airline Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Emirates Airline - Essay Example The main strength of the company is its well established brand name and financial robustness. The company is a part of the Emirates Group that is owned by the government of Dubai which is very oil rich, and therefore the company is never short of investment. This is also a reason why the airline has grown to great heights in such a short period of time. The company has also successfully developed a positive image in the industry and is well known for its luxurious services. The airline also enjoys cost advantages over other airlines (Horth & Alwyn, 2). Â  The organizational behavior in Emirates Airline is aimed at improving the skill level of employees. The human resource management of the company is extremely popular as Emirates is known to use innovative recruitment system. The airline also offers training to employees of superior quality which is another important strength of the company. This reflects how the company invests in employees. This also throws light on the organizati on behavior of the company.The organizational culture of the company is also very flexible. The airline has a flat organizational structure (Knorr & Eisenkopf, 2) and there are no strict rules and regulations. The organization is run as a family and decision making process is very informal (Sull, Ghoshal, & Monteiro, 37). This allows the airline to make decisions relatively quickly than western organizations. Also an open door policy is practiced in the company and a friendly environment is maintained in the organization.

Monday, October 14, 2019

How Global Corporations Affect National Economies Essay Example for Free

How Global Corporations Affect National Economies Essay The growing size of the Multinational Companies around the world; their global operations and financial practices pose some serious questions about the implementation of best practices that do justice to everyone, including the countries with less developed economies, where many of these corporations operate. Global Corporations may create problems regarding the national balance of accounts. Every company operates globally, to maximize its profits and pay less tax. To gain the optimum advantage, they follow accounting practices that contravene the domestic ones, used within the countries where they operate. For example, corporations charge their own internal transactions and present them as expenditure. This matter has evolved in such a way, that today, global corporations are the winners, and most of the times the countries where they operate are the losers. Multinational Corporations and the Distribution of Income There is an increasing tendency among multinational corporations to transfer their intangible assets to non-domestic associates. These foreign affiliates are created for a unique purpose: to gain a larger share of their profits, by reducing operational costs. Many international businesses transfer their operations like production and services to the countries where the tax rates are lower, compared to their mother country, where the parent company has its headquarters. According to OECD Statistics, that researchers have performed, there is a remarkable growth in the transfer of all these intangible assets from 13 percent to 37 percent in a period of 28 years, from 1983 to 2011. Corporations continuously pursue the policy of getting tax benefits and find different means to get benefited by lower tax rates in the countries where the affiliates are located. They keep their main focus on increasing their profits and showing incomes in the countries where there are lower tax rates applied. They do this by transferring their intangible assets, interposing their operations, producing more in the countries where they pay lower taxes. They also tend to shift their manufacturing units to offshore locations, in low tax and cheap labor countries. They also make changes and make an affiliate into an owner and an owner into an affiliate. Naturally, an affiliate in the low tax country becomes the parent company leading to many structural changes in the entire organization and therefore, influencing business in their host countries. According to authors such as John Dunning, the ultimate result of all these activities reflects in showing a recorded low Gross Domestic Product where the tax rates are high and making the recorded Gross Domestic Product higher in the low tax countries. The raise in the lower tax countries is shown as a relative growth.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

The effects of comorbid psychopathy

The effects of comorbid psychopathy Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatments Criminal Behavior and Cognitive Processing in Male Offenders With Antisocial Personality Disorder With and Without Comorbid Psychopathy Topic: Effects of Comorbid Psychopathy Introduction Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and psychopathy are two syndromes which are effective in predicting antisocial behavior and identifying dangerous subsets of criminal offenders (Serin, 1991). The distinction between both disorders is often blurred, with DSM-IV–TR suggesting that ASPD and psychopathy can be used interchangeably (American Psychiatric Association, 2006). The two syndromes share important correlates, which does raise the distinct possibility that both ASPD and psychopathy may reflect the same underlying disorder. Conversely, there is evidence that suggests that both syndromes contrast with regards to cognitive and affective correlates. Individuals with psychopathy display adequate cognitive functioning under normal conditions but performance suffers on a variety of cognitive tasks when heavy demand is placed on the brain’s Left Hemisphere (LH); deficits not associated with ASPD (Llanes Kosson, 2006). Prior research has also revealed that individuals with both ASPD and psychopathy exhibit greater criminal activity and weaker affective facilitation than those with ASPD only, suggesting the notion that a qualitative distinction exists between ASPD and psychopathy (Kosson, Lorenz, Newman, 2006). Consequently, it is uncertain if the two disorders reflect the same underlying pathophysiologies, whether they are two distinct syndromes, or whether one is simply a more severe expression of the other. The current study was carried out to address this issue and it does so by measuring the variance in criminal behavior and cognitive processing in an independent sample with regards to the presence of ASPD with versus without comorbid psychopathy. The study, which utilized six-hundred-and-seventy-four [674] male inmates of an Illinois county jail as its sample, was subdivided into two portions; the first which measured criminal behavior based on participant’s prior criminal records and the second which utilized data from a global-local processing task (conducted on a prior occasion) as a laboratory measure of cognitive processing. Participants exhibited either ASPD and comorbid psychopathy, ASPD but not psychopathy, or neither ASPD nor psychopathy. Associated Theories The criminal behavior analysis was conducted under the supposition that the presence of ASPD with comorbid psychopathy in participants would exhibit more severe and varied criminal histories when compared to control or participants with ASPD only. For the cognitive processing portion of the study, the LHA hypothesis was utilized. This theory predicts that psychopaths will display general cognitive ineptness and will respond more slowly than non-psychopaths when primary LH processing systems, specifically the attention, motor, language, and perceptual systems, are substantially and differentially activated. Hypotheses The study evaluates three perspectives. The primary hypothesis of the experiment (H1: ASPD with and without comorbid psychopathy are disorders characterized by distinctly different underlying mechanisms) would be proven if ASPD with and without psychopathy reveal different patterns of performance in cognitive processing and show differences in criminal behavior. If both groups manifest similar measures of both criminal behavior and cognitive processing, it provides evidence for the null hypothesis (H0: ASPD with and without comorbid psychopathy are disorders that reflect the same underlying mechanism). The study also specifies a co-primary hypothesis (H2: ASPD with and without comorbid psychopathy are disorders that are distinct only in their severity) where criminal behavior and cognitive task performance impairments differ only in degree. Sample and Selection Procedure A stringent criterion was utilized in the selection of the six-hundred-and-seventy-four [674] detainees of an Illinois county jail whom comprised the primary sample used for the study. One-hundred-and-fifty-six [156] men from this primary sample, all whom had previously completed the global-local task, further comprised a secondary sub-sample which was used in the analyses of cognitive processing. In accordance to the inclusion criteria, all subjects were eighteen [18] – forty-five [45] year old males who had estimated IQ levels above seventy [70], could read English, were informed about their prior criminal histories, did not currently take medication that displayed neurocognitive side effects, did not exhibit psychotic symptoms, and were right handed (for analyses of cognitive processing task). Before being classified into groups, the primary sample was subject to a series of interviews and evaluations in order for diagnosis of the relevant disorders. Following an in-depth i nterview and review of available files, the Hare Psychopathy Checklist – Revised (PCL-R) was used to assess the presence of psychopathy in the participants. Inmates had to score at least 30/40 to be diagnosed with the disorder. PCL-R scores were slightly modified in order to avoid overlap between psychopathy scores and antisocial behavior The DSM-IV diagnostic criterion was used to assess ASPD. Following an interview and a review of available file material, inmates had to display at least 3 of 7 symptoms be diagnosed with the disorder. Inmates were then subdivided into one of three groups: ASPD with comorbid psychopathy (ASPD + PSY; n = 145), ASPD without comorbid psychopathy (ASPD-only; n = 201), and neither ASPD nor psychopathy (controls; n = 328). Outliers in both portions of the study were identified and dealt with accordingly, resulting in a final sample of one-hundred-and-fifty-three [153] inmates for cognitive analyses with no change to the primary sample (where extrem ities were not excluded but modified). Procedure For the criminal history analysis, the ASPD-only, ASPD+PSY and control groups were evaluated based on three distinctions of criminal behavior: violent crime (murder, sexual assault, armed robbery), nonviolent crime (theft, forgery, arson), and criminal versatility (the variety of offences the inmates were charged with). The Independent variable (IV) in this case would be the grouping of inmates based on their disorders, and the Dependent variable (DV) would be their corresponding criminal charges. The global-local processing task was utilized for the measurement of cognitive processing. This task is designed in such a way that the frequency of presented stimuli on global or local levels could be varied to differentially activate the relevant hemisphere-specific perceptual system. Each participant was provided a computer which displayed stimuli in the form of alphabet letters on the screen; specifically the target stimulus (S or H) presented on a local or global level, and a distraction stimulus (A or E) at the opposite level. Each stimulus was presented for a duration of one-hundred-and-fifty [150] milliseconds and participants responded by pressing the corresponding key (S or H) on the keyboard. Target frequency, the Independent Variable (IV), was fluctuated to manipulate LH versus RH processing while response latency and accuracy of the inmates, the Dependent Variable (DV), was calculated. Under Local Bias conditions (L) the targets had an appearance rate of 80% at the local level and 20% at the global level. The opposite occurred in Global Bias conditions (G). In the Neutral condition (N), the target had chance to appear equally as often at either global or local levels. Participants completed eight [8] practice runs and sixty-four [64] trials per condition. Results A variety of statistical tests were utilized throughout the current study. Chi-square (X2) distribution was used to show that no relationship existed between ethnicity and group membership, and Welch F’ and t’ tests were used to demonstrate that demographic variables such as IQ, and age were not associated with any indices of criminal behavior or cognitive processing in any condition. Analyses of variance (ANOVAs) and complement t’ tests were the primary means of comparing groups on both the criminal behavior and cognitive processing portions. Cohen’s measure of effect size was used throughout to measure the impacts of the IV in both portions of the study. All the obtained results had very low p values, suggesting that they were not due to simple chance. Primary analyses of criminal behavior expressed that both ASPD-only and ASPD+PSY groups were charged with more violent, more nonviolent, and more types of criminal offences than control groups with a relatively small effect size. Furthermore, ASPD+PSY inmates showed more severity on all three distinctions of measured criminal conduct compared to ASPD-only inmates with small to medium effects. Additionally, the above analyses was repeated but this time involving a much more stringent criteria to diagnose ASPD (5 of 7 symptoms or 71.4%) to make it more comparable to the strict selection criteria for psychopathy (PCL-R score of 30/40 or 75%). The new analyses which involved the updated ‘severe’ ASPD inmates did not bring about any significant change to the results. Primary analyses of cognitive processing illustrated that, for local targets in local bias conditions, the response latencies of ASPD+PSY inmates were greater than both control and ASPD-only inmates to a large effect. However, the ASPD-only group did not differ from the control. The groups also differed in response latencies for global targets in local bias conditions with ASPD+PSY inmates responding more slowly than the ASPD-only group, but not slower than the control group (to a small effect). There were no significant group differences in response latencies for local or global targets under both neutral and global bias conditions. Discussion Dear Dr. Neo Cortex Over the course of writing this paper, I have learnt quite a few things about these two particular personality disorders. Rarely have the relationships between ASPD and psychopathy been explored within the same study, so this particular research provides plenty of new evidence and perspectives into the nature of both syndromes. I would like to discuss with you the end results of the study, which of the observed hypotheses are substantiated, and the implications it might have. Both before and after the stringent criteria was utilized to re-diagnose ASPD, inmates with ASPD with comorbid psychopathy averaged more violent charges and a greater variety of charges than ASPD only inmates. From this, it can be inferred that criminal behavior does not indeed correlate to the severity of the criteria used to diagnose psychopathy. This invalidates the co-primary hypothesis H2 that psychopathy is merely a severe form of ASPD. Also, the results from the cognitive processing analyses are inconsistent with the null hypothesis H0 which states that ASPD with and without comorbid psychopathy are disorders that reflect the same underlying mechanism. Under local bias conditions (L), the ASPD+PSY group demonstrated poor response latencies in accordance to LHA hypothesis. However, not only did the ASPD-only group not show similar deficits in cognitive processing, they performed on par with the controls and even better than the ASPD+PSY group in responding to global and local targets under local bias conditions (L). This demonstrates that individuals with psychopathy may host a neurocognitive defect that is not shared by those with antisocial personality disorder only. These results obtained from both the criminal behavior and cognitive processing analyses provide validation for the primary hypothesis H1, that ASPD with and without comorbid psychopathy are not two syndromes which reflect the same underlying pathophysiology but are disorders characterized by distinct mechanisms. The implications of this study are worthy of note, as such findings are inconsistent with the personality disorder revisions in Section II of DSM –V, which continues to categorize psychopathy and ASPD as a singular diagnosis. This would undoubtedly lead to a reduction of diagnostic specificity, especially since this and other studies have (somewhat) established that ASPD with and without comorbid psychopathy are different on the neural, cognitive, and emotional levels. Having said that, this study is not in any way without its flaws and limitations, despite the numerous precautions taken by the researchers. The biggest limitation that I find in this study is that it is restricted within a male population. The study could have greatly benefited from including female participants, or have held separate analyses for women. I assume that females with ASPD and psychopathy would behave in ways different enough (due to social roles, etc.) to warrant study. Understandably, this first limitation is a direct result of the next one; the sample was restricted to one country jail in Illinois. A felony conviction is required for a sentence into such state prisons, making the sample less representative of criminal offenders as a whole (as most convicts with nonviolent or minor offences don’t get sent to maximum security prisons). Also, Illinois is hardly representative of the entire United States, so studies that set out to replicate this one should look i nto collecting samples from correctional facilities across state lines. This sort of study would also be aided if samples (mostly control groups) are obtained from outside of correctional settings. Finding nonclinical participants could help set baseline readings with regards to criminal behavior and cognitive processing. I would also suggest that future studies try to test other variables between ASPD and psychopathy, such as the level of self-esteem, age of onset of criminal behavior, or perhaps something physiological such as structural differences in the brain. I believe that this is just the beginning of research into this topic and would like to see where researchers such as yourself would take the field with the information you have today. Best of luck on your next scheme to rule the world References American Psychiatric Association. (2006). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorder: Test revisions (4th ed.). Washington, DC. Kosson, D. S., Lorenz, A. R., Newman, J. P. (2006, November). Effects of comorbid psychopathy on criminal offending and emotion processing in male offenders with antisocial personality disorder. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 115(4), 798-806. doi:10.1037/0021-843X.115.4.798 Llanes, S., Kosson, D. S. (2006). Divided visual attention and left hemisphere activation among psychopathic and non-psychopathic offenders. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 28, 9-18. doi:10.1007/s10862-006-4533-2 Riser, R. E., Kosson, D. S. (2013). Criminal behavior and cognitive processing in male offenders with antisocial personality disorder with and without comorbid psychopathy. Personality Disorders:Theory, Research, and Treatment, 4(4), 332-340. doi:10.1037/a0033303 Serin, R. C. (1991). Psychopathy and violence in criminals. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 6, 423-431. doi:10.1177/0886260910060040021991

Saturday, October 12, 2019

First Impressions about George and Lennies Relationship in Of Mice and Men :: essays research papers

Our first impressions of George are that he is fairly normal. He is quite small but still broad and strong. ‘He is small and quick with sharp strong features’. We also get the impression that he is smart as well because ‘quick’ suggests that he is quick thinking as well as fast. He is a lot more sensible than Lennie and has a lot more self discipline. It must be very frustrating for a man with such good physical and mental health to be dragged down by a friend like he is but he is so kind and therefore he would never let Lennie get into trouble and a couple of times he even risks his life to help him out. Steinbeck makes is obvious from the first moment that Lennie is mentally retarded. Many times he is referred to as animal like and having animal like features. He is like a big baby, he is huge and clearly very strong but he has the mind of a small child. Lennie's personality and life seem based on three things: soft things, devotion to George and his dream of one day owning a farm. It is quite sad and Steinbeck makes you feel really sorry for him be exaggerating his simplicity and his innocence. Lennie is absent-minded for a good portion of the novel. He is unaware of what he's doing sometimes until he has done it. For example, he enjoyed to pet soft objects. But we find out that while living in Weed, he decided to ’pet’ a woman’s dress but she thought that he was raping her so she screamed and he almost got himself killed. He is greatly forgetful and needs a lot of looking after otherwise he would never be able so survive and quite often this can come between his relationship with George. Lennie is completely incapable of living on his own because of his disability but because George is such a good man, he has almost given up his life and devoted it to helping Lennie. He mentions that he made a promise to Lennie’s auntie but it is also because he is such a good man and he would never let such an innocent man go just because of a disability. Their relationship is very similar to that of a parent and a child, the child (Lennie) needs the parent (George) to look after them otherwise they wouldn’t be able to survive.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Computational Multibody Model Elbow Joint Health And Social Care Essay

Abstraction: Computational multibody mold can be used as a various tool to analyze joint mechanics, joint hurt, examine ligament map, and to foretell joint contact force per unit area. This paper describes a fresh method for the development and rating of a computational multibody theoretical account that represents human elbow flexion- extension associated with forearm pronation-supination. An expeditiously developed theoretical account can help sawboness and other research workers in the design and rating of interventions for cubitus hurts, and contribute to the improvement of patient attention. Therefore, it is really much necessary to analyze biomechanical technology to develop and formalize an effectual cubitus theoretical account for the optimum intervention of cubitus upsets prior to their application in patients. The computational theoretical account accurately predicted flexion-extension gesture bounds, and relationships between coronoid procedure remotion, flexure angle, and varus constraining forces. The theoretical account was besides able to calculate parametric quantities that the experimental probes could non, such as forces within ligaments and contact forces between castanetss [ 1 ] . Introduction: The cubitus articulation is the 2nd most normally dislocated joint in grownups [ 2 ] . Relative to hurts and upsets of the lower limb, there is relatively small grounds to direct intervention of many elbow hurts [ 3 ] . Computational theoretical accounts of the cubitus could profit our apprehension and intervention of upper appendage upsets. Multibody mold is an effectual and powerful tool in biomechanics. The multibody patterning attack has been used by research workers for patient-specific preoperative planning, computer-aided surgery, and computer-aided rehabilitation. Biomechanical computational theoretical accounts of the cubitus have been developed, but all limited their pertinence by presuming fixed joint axes of rotary motion, ordering specific kinematics, simplifying ligament features or disregarding gristle consequence [ 2, 4-6 ] . Therefore, the cardinal aim of this survey was to develop and formalize a multibody theoretical account of the cubitus articulatio n that includes representation of articular gristle and ligaments as non-linear viscoelastic springs. The topic specific theoretical account was validated by comparing predicted bone kinematics to mensurate gesture of the identically loaded corpse cubitus utilizing a bi-axial mechanical examiner. The overall end of the undertaking is to put capable specific articulation theoretical accounts within musculus driven musculoskeletal motion simulations of the upper-extremities. Methods and Materials: The experimental and multibody patterning methods were similar to that described by Stylianou et Al. [ 7 ] and Bloemker et al. [ 8 ] . One fresh frozen corpse cubitus ( 44 old ages old, female, left cubitus, 152cm tallness, 41 kg mass ) was used for this survey. The humerus caput was cemented with a cylinder that was attached by a flexible joint articulation to a Bose 3510 bi-axial mechanical examiner. The triceps musculuss sinews was sutured and tightly connected to a burden cell that was stiffly attached to the top cylinder of the testing machine. The elbow bone was besides fixed to a cup connected to the mechanical examiner via a cosmopolitan articulation ( Fig 1 ) .The radius was free to revolve. For each simulation kinematics of the humerus and ulna were obtained utilizing stiff organic structure markers and a 3-camera Optotrak Certus system ( Northern Digital, Inc. , Waterloo, ON, Canada ) and the forces on triceps sinews were recorded by a burden cell ( Model SBO-100, Temecula, CA 92590 ) . The initial place and orientation of cadaverous bone geometries relative to the dynamic simulator were recorded utilizing a examining tip with the Optotrak system. After proving, the cubitus was dis-articulated and the median collateral ligament ( MCL ) , sidelong collateral ligament ( LCL ) , triceps insertion/origin sites were measured with an Optotrak digitizing investigation.3omega ten Y Load Cell Ired Localizer21C: UsersmmrhwbDesktoppictureElbow # 2 # 3 proving images & A ; videos100_0183.jpg C: UsersmmrhwbDesktopReportpictureabs_model_pic.jpgFig 1: Experimental Setup Fig 2: Model ApparatusComputed Tomography ( CT ) scan images of the cubitus castanetss and localizers were taken to do 3D bone geometries. The plan 3D Slicer ( www.slicer.org ) was used to make the bone and localizer geometries from the CT images by utilizing car cleavage. Geomagic Studio ( Geomagic, Inc. Research Triangle Park, NC ) was used for file transition and post-process filtering of the cubitus geometries including smoothing, taking spikes, and cut downing noise. The bone geometries and ligament insertion/origin points were aligned in MSC.ADAMS ( MSC Software Corporation, Santa Ana, CA ) by utilizing the initial place points and point clouds of each bone ( Fig 2 ) . The ligaments and musculus sinews were modeled as nonlinear springs utilizing a piecewise map depicting the force-length relationship for each p ackage [ 9 ] . A subprogram was written in ADAMS to depict this relationship. This subprogram was derived from the ligament force as a map of strain, the length of each ligament in the place it was constructed, the measured zero-load length and the ligament stiffness. The zero-load length of each package was determined by ciphering the maximal straight-line distance between interpolation and beginning sites throughout the by experimentation measured full scope of gesture and so using a rectification per centum of 80 % [ 8 ] . The gristles geometries were modeled as stiff organic structures of 0.5 millimeters unvarying thickness by squeeze outing cartilage country of bone surface by utilizing Geomagic shell map. Soft contacts were applied between gristle geometries utilizing a contact map in MSC.ADAMS that allows for interpenetration of the geometries to imitate soft tissue [ 7 ] . Consequence: The theoretical account is validated by comparing the kinematics and RMS mistake of each bone and triceps tendon force obtained from the theoretical account versus the experimental information. The comparing of kinematics graphs demonstrates that the theoretical account replicates the experiment.AA Degree centigrade: UsersmmrhwbDesktopReportpicture3_y_abs.jpgCCalciferol FoC: UsersmmrhwbDesktopReportpicture6_y.jpgFigure 3: Comparison of Movement in y-direction of Humerus ( A ) , Ulna ( B ) and Radius ( C ) . Motion informations are taken from Marker 1, 2 & A ; 3 shown in Figure 2.Degree centigrades: UsersmmrhwbDesktopReportpicture ricep_force.jpgC: UsersmmrhwbDesktopReportpicture7_y_abs.jpgFigure 4: Comparison of triceps tendon forceBMarker No.Marker 1 ( millimeter )Marker 2 ( millimeter )Marker 3 ( millimeter )Tricep sinew force ( N )RMS mistaketen 2.40 ten 5.90 ten 10.0 6.5 Y 1.96 Y 2.54 Y 6.20 omega 1.27 omega 4.80 omega 9.37Table 1: RMS Mistake in x, y & A ; z way for marker 1,2 & A ; 3 and tricep sinewDiscussion: The chief purpose of this survey was to make and formalize a topic specific computational multibody theoretical account of the elbow articulation composite to foretell joint behaviour. Model cogency was successfully demonstrated through comparings of fake kinematics and triceps tendon tenseness informations obtained from cadaver experiment. The chief advantages of this theoretical account are the ability to foretell ligament and contact forces which are really hard to capture by experimentation [ 1 ] . Future work includes utilizing non-uniform distinct gristle, adding more ligament packages, annulate ligaments, and patterning soft tissue wrapper. The developed techniques will so be used for capable specific musculoskeletal motion simulations of the upper-extremity that include anatomical theoretical accounts of the cubitus. Recognitions: This research is funded by the School of Medicine, University of Missouri-Kansas City. Mentions: [ 1 ] J. P. Fisk and J. S. Wayne, â€Å" Development and Validation of a Computational Musculoskeletal Model of the Elbow and Forearm † , Ann. Biomed. Eng. , Vol. 37, No. 4, pp. 803-812, April 2009, [ 2 ] J. de Haan, N.W.L. Schep, D. Eygendaal, G-J. Kleinrensink, W.E. Tuinebreijer and D. den Hartog â€Å" Stability of the Elbow Joint: Relevant Anatomy and Clinical Implications of In Vitro Biomechanical Studies † The Open Orthop. J. Vol.5, pp.168-176, May 2011. [ 3 ] L. M. Ferreira, J. A. Johnson, Graham J.W. King, â€Å" Development of an active cubitus gesture simulator to measure kinematics with the humerus in the multiple places † , J Biomech. Vol. 43, No.11, pp. 2112-2119, August 2010 [ 4 ] F.C. Anderson, M.G. Pandy. â€Å" Dynamic optimisation of human walking † . J. Biomech Eng. Vol.123, No.5, pp.381-390, October 2001. [ 5 ] . A.S. Arnold, S.L. Delp. â€Å" Rotational minute weaponries of the median hamstrings and adductors vary with femoral geometry and limb place: deductions for the intervention of internally rotated pace † , J. Biomech, Vol. 34, No.4, pp.437-447, April 2001. [ 6 ] . T.M. Barker, C. Kirtley, J. Ratanapinunchai, â€Å" Calculation of multi-segment stiff organic structure joint kineticss utilizing MATLAB † , Proc. Inst. Mech. Eng. [ H ] , Vol.211, No.6, pp.483-487, 1997. [ 7 ] A. P. Stylianou, T. M. Guess, J. L. Cook, â€Å" Development and proof of a multi-body theoretical account of the eyetooth knee articulation † , Comp. Meth. Biomech. Biomed. Eng. , DOI: 10.1080/10225842.2012.684243, pp. 1-8, May 2012. [ 8 ] K. H. Bloemker, T. M. Guess, L. Maletsky, K. Dodd, † Computational Knee Ligament Modeling Using Experimentally Determined Zero-Load Lengths † , The Open Biomed. Eng. , Vol.6, pp.33-41, April 2012 [ 9 ] G. Li, J. Gil, A. Kanamori, S. L. Woo. â€Å" A validated 3-dimensional computational theoretical account of a human articulatio genus articulation † , J. Biomech. Eng. Vol.121, No.6, pp.657-662, December 1999

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Pediatric Recommended Core Measures Health And Social Care Essay

After run intoing Stage 1 for the two old ages, Fletcher Allen Partners will necessitate to run into meaningful usage Phase 2 standards get downing in 2014 ( Figure 1 ) . With this following phase, EHRs will farther salvage Fletcher Allen Partners money, save clip for physicians and infirmaries, and salvage lives.The Stage 2 standards includes new aims to better patient attention through better clinical determination support, attention coordination and patient battle ( cms.com ) . The phase 2 ends would spread out the Phase 1 standards and concentrate on the meaningful usage of electronic wellness records ( EHRs ) to back up the purposes and precedences of the National Quality Strategy ( NQS ) . The Phase 2 standards encourages the usage of wellness IT for uninterrupted attention and information quality betterment. The proposed Phase 2 meaningful usage demands include strict outlooks for wellness information exchange and include: more demanding demands for eprescribing ; integrating structured laboratory consequences ; and the outlook that suppliers will electronically convey patient attention sum-ups with each other and with the patient to back up passages in attention. Phase 2 focal points on existent usage instances of electronic information exchange and requires that a supplier direct a sum-up of attention record for more than 50 % of passages of attention and referrals. The regulation besides requires that a supplier electronically transmit a sum-up of attention for more than 10 % of passages of attention and referrals. Increasingly robust outlooks for wellness information exchange in Stage 2 and Stage 3 would back up the end that information follows the patient ( Federal Register, 2012 ) . To let suppliers clip to follow 2014 certified EHR engineering and fix for Stage 2, all participants will hold a three-month coverage period in 2014. Figure 1: Phases of Meaningful Use Beginning: NeHC University ( 2012 )REQUIREMENTS FOR STAGE 2 IMPLEMENTATIONCore Aims and Menu Aims Fletcher Allen Partners must run into certain demands for a successful Phase 2 execution. The figure of Stage 1 and Stage 2 entire aims remains the same, EPs are must run into the the step of 20 entire aims and CAHs must run into the step of 19 entire aims. However, the combination of aims has changed. Under Phase 2, eligible professionals ( EPs ) must run into the step or measure up for an exclusion to 17 nucleus aims and 3 of 6 bill of fare aims and eligible infirmaries ( EHs ) and CAHs must run into the step or measure up for an exclusion to 16 nucleus aims and 3 of 6 bill of fare aims ( Figure 2 ) . This is a alteration from EP ‘s holding to run into 15 nucleus aims and EHs holding 14 nucleus aims and 5 bill of fare aims severally. About all of the Stage 1 nucleus and bill of fare aims are retained for Stage 2. Figure 2: Changes from Phase 1 to Stage 2 Phase 1 Phase 2 Eligible Professionals 15 nucleus aims 17 nucleus aims 5 of 10 bill of fare aims 3 of 6 bill of fare aims 20 entire aims 20 entire aims Eligible Hospitals & A ; CAHs 14 nucleus aims 16 nucleus aims 5 of 10 bill of fare aims 3 of 6 bill of fare aims 19 entire aims 19 entire aims Clinical Quality Measures needed to be captured by FAP In add-on to run intoing the nucleus and bill of fare aims, eligible professionals, eligible infirmaries and CAHs are besides required to describe clinical quality measures.The clinical quality steps ( CQMs ) are tools used to mensurate and track the quality of health care services by eligible professionals ( EPs ) , eligible infirmaries ( EHs ) and critical entree infirmaries ( CAHs ) within the health care system. The CQMs step many facets of patient attention to include wellness results, clinical procedures, patient safety, efficient usage of healthcare resources, attention coordination, patient battles, population and public wellness, and clinical guidelines.The measuring and coverage of the CQMs guarantee that Fletcher Allen Partners deliver efficient, patient-centered, and safe quality care.A Eligible professionals must describe on 6 entire clinical quality steps: 3 required nucleus steps ( or 3 surrogate nucleus steps ) and 3 extra steps ( selected from a set of 38 clinical qu ality steps ) . Eligible infirmaries and CAHs must describe on all 15 of their clinical quality steps ( CQMS, cms.gov ) . Centers for Medicare & A ; Medicaid Services ( CMS ) selected the recommended nucleus set of CQMs for EPs based on analysis of several factors: Conditionss that contribute to the morbidity and mortality of the most Medicare and Medicaid donees Conditionss that represent national public wellness precedences Conditionss that are common to wellness disparities Conditionss that disproportionately drive health care costs and could better with better quality measuring Measures that would enable CMS, States, and the supplier community to mensurate quality of attention in new dimensions, with a stronger focal point on penurious measuring Measures that include patient and/or health professional battle Get downing in 2014, all Medicare-eligible suppliers in their 2nd twelvemonth and beyond of showing meaningful usage must electronically describe their CQM information to CMS. Medicaid suppliers will electronically describe their CQM information to their province. As Figure 3 shows, EPs must describe on 9 of the 64 approved CQMs. Selected CQMs must cover at least 3 of the National Quality Strategy domains Eligible Hospitals and CAHs must describe on 16 of 29 approved CQMs Selected CQMs must cover at least 3 of the National Quality Strategy domains. Get downing in 2014, all Medicare-eligible suppliers beyond their first twelvemonth of showing meaningful usage must electronically describe their CQM information to CMS informations to CMS. Figure 3: Clinical Quality Measures ( CQMs )SupplierPrior to 20142014 and Beyond*EPs Complete 6 out of 44 Complete 9 out of 64 aˆ?3 nucleus or 3 elevation. nucleus Choose at least 1 step in 3 NQS spheres aˆ?3 bill of fare Recommended nucleus CQMs include:Aaˆ?9 CQMs for the grownup population aˆ?9 CQMs for the paediatric population aˆ?Prioritize NQS spheresAEligible Hospitals and CAHs Complete 15 out of 15 Complete 16 out of 29 aˆ?Choose at least 1 step in 3 NQS spheresAFor 2014, CMS is non necessitating the entry of a nucleus set of CQMs. A Alternatively we identify two recommended nucleus sets of CQMs, one for grownups and one for kids. A We encourage eligible professionals to describe from the recommended nucleus set to the extent those CQMs are applicable to your range of pattern and patient population. Figure 4 shows the recommended nucleus steps: Figure 4: Recommended Core MeasuresAdult Recommended Core MeasuresPediatric Recommended Core MeasuresControling High Blood Pressure Appropriate Testing for Children with Pharyngitis Use of High-Risk Medications in the Aged Weight Assessment and Counseling for Nutrition and Physical Activity for Children and Adolescents Preventive Care and Screening: A Tobacco Use: A Screening and Cessation Intervention Chlamydia Screening for Women Use of Imaging Studies for Low Back Pain Use of Appropriate Medications for Asthma Preventive Care and Screening: A Screening for Clinical Depression and Follow-Up Plan Childhood Immunization Status Documentation of Current Medications in the Medical Record Appropriate Treatment for Children with Upper Respiratory Infection ( URI ) Preventive Care and Screening: A Body Mass Index ( BMI ) Screening and Follow-Up Attention deficit disorder: A Follow-Up Care for Children Prescribed Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder ( ADHD ) Medicine Closing the referral cringle: reception of specialist study Preventive Care and Screening: A Screening for Clinical Depression and Follow-Up PlanAAChilds who have dental decay or pits Patient Care Improvements Patient entree to their wellness information is an of import facet of patient attention and battle, and the capablenesss of CEHRT in 2014 and beyond will enable suppliers to do this information available online in a manner that does non enforce a important load on suppliers. Patient engagement – battle is an of import focal point of Stage 2. There are 26 Requirements for Patient Action: More than 5 % of patients must direct secure messages to their EP. More than 5 % of patients must entree their wellness information online. Loss of future gross through authorities inducements Changes to Medicare EHR Incentive Programs The Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs provide incentive payments to eligible professionals, eligible infirmaries and critical entree infirmaries ( CAHs ) as they adopt, implement, upgrade or show meaningful usage of certified EHR engineering. Eligible professionals can have up to $ 44,000 through the Medicare EHR Incentive Program and up to $ 63,750 through the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program. The Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs provide fiscal inducements for the â€Å" meaningful usage † of certified EHR engineering to better patient attention. To have an EHR incentive payment, suppliers have to demo that they are â€Å" meaningfully utilizing † their EHRs by run intoing thresholds for a figure of aims. CMS has established the aims for â€Å" meaningful usage † that eligible professionals, eligible infirmaries, and critical entree infirmaries ( CAHs ) must run into in order to have an incentive payment. A The Medicare and Medicaid EHR Ince ntive Programs are staged in three stairss with increasing demands for engagement. All suppliers begin take parting by run intoing the Phase 1 demands for a 90-day period in their first twelvemonth of meaningful usage and a full twelvemonth in their 2nd twelvemonth of meaningful usage. After run intoing the Phase 1 demands, suppliers will so hold to run into Stage 2 demands for two full old ages. Eligible professionals participate in the plan on the calendar old ages, while eligible infirmaries and CAHs take part harmonizing to the federal financial twelvemonth beginnning on October 1st. ( EHR Incentive Program, cms.gov ) In order to successfully take part in the plan, EPs, EHs, and CAHs are required to subject CQMs to in order to have an incentive payment in the EHR Incentive Program.Beginning in 2014, the coverage of clinical quality steps ( CQMs ) will alter for all suppliers. EHR engineering that has been certified to the 2014 Edition criterions and enfranchisement standards will hold been tested for enhanced CQM-related capabilities.ELECTRONIC Coverage: In order to let participants to successfully describe CQMs electronically for 2014, CMS is supplying a set of electronic specifications for clinical quality steps ( eCQMs ) for eligible professionals and eligible infirmaries for usage in the EHR Incentive plan for electronic coverage. A These electronic specifications contain multiple parts which allow certified EHR engineering systems to be plan to accurately capture, calculate, and describe clinical quality steps electronically for the 2014 CQMs. A Each eCQM can be described in 3 different ways depending on the intended usage: HTML A – A This is a human clear format so that the user can understand both how the elements are defined and the implicit in logic used to cipher the step. XML – This is a computing machine clear format which enables the machine-controlled creative activity of questions against an EHR or other operational informations shop for quality coverage. Value Sets – Value sets are the specific codifications used by developers to plan the system to accurately capture patient informations in the EHR system. A ATo have the maximal EHR inducement payment, Medicare eligible professionals must get down engagement by 2012.Eligible professionals who demonstrate meaningful usage of certified EHR engineering can have up to $ 44,000 over 5 uninterrupted old ages under the Medicare EHR Incentive Program Incentive payments for eligible professionals are higher under the Medicaid EHR Incentive Payments- up to $ 63,750 over 6 old ages under the Medicaid EHR inducement plan Get downing in 2015, Medicare eligible professionals who do non successfully show meaningful usage will be capable to a payment accommodation. The payment decrease starts at 1 % and increases each twelvemonth that a Medicare eligible professional does non show meaningful usage, to a upper limit of 5 % . The eligibility for the EHR inducement plan is determined by the HITECH Act. The lone eligibility alterations under Phase 2 are under the Medicaid EHR incentive plan. The Phase 2 eligibility. Meaningful usage way for Medicare eligible doctors ( EPs ) : Meaningful usage way for Medicare infirmaries: *Payments will diminish for infirmaries that start having payments in 2014 and subsequently. The alterations from Phase 1 to Stage 2 are as follow: Reporting Period Reduced to Three Months – to let suppliers clip to follow 2014 certified EHR engineering and fix for Stage 2, all participants will hold a three-month coverage period in 2014. â€Å" Phase 2 ends, consistent with other commissariats of Medicare and Medicaid jurisprudence, would spread out upon the Phase 1 standards with a focal point on guaranting that the meaningful usage of EHRs supports the purposes and precedences of the National Quality Strategy. Specifically, Stage 2 meaningful usage standards would promote the usage of wellness IT for uninterrupted quality betterment at the point of attention and the exchange of information in the most structured format possible. Our proposed Phase 2 meaningful usage demands included strict outlooks for wellness information exchange including: more demanding demands for eprescribing ; integrating structured laboratory consequences ; and the outlook that suppliers will electronically convey patient attention sum-ups with each other and with the patient to back up passages in attention. Increasingly robust outlooks for wellness information exchange in Stage 2 and Stage 3 would back up the end that information follows the patient. † Hospitals- FY14 ) Providers-Jan 2014