Research Korner

A Brief Literature Review on Positive Ageing

A Brief Literature Review on Positive Ageing   Active ageing is an emerging global policy that refers to the process of facilitating opportunities for the participation, health and security of people in order that the quality of their lives will be enhanced as they age. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Active Ageing Framework that was launched in 2002 has generated various policy  interpretations and implementations by member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the U.S.A. The broad determinants of this approach include culture, gender and economic determinants, and allied to this is “The Solid Facts” WHO publication in 2003 which touches on the social determinants of health across a lifespan including social gradient, stress and work.[1]   Canada and Mexico developed the document “A Guide for the Development of a Comprehensive System of Support to Promote Active Ageing” (2003), which focuses on a comprehensive system of support to promote active ageing. The Policy Research Initiative’s (PRI) report, “Encouraging Choice in Work and Retirement Project Report” (2005), seeks to find out the social and economic implications of ageing in the Canadian labor market. The OECD report, “Ageing and Employment Policies: Canada 2005”, calls for increased workforce participation by older workers and combining pensions with work income.[2]   The “New Zealand Positive Ageing Strategy” (2001) seeks to provide policy and service in broad areas and form a positive ageing society, where people 65 years and older are given opportunities to participate as they desire in society.[3] Sweden’s public health policy in 2003 calls for the improvement of public health equally across the entire population. The public health report, “A Healthier Elderly Population in Sweden” (2004), suggests creating strong social networks among the elderly to reduce isolation, encouraging older people to participate in social and cultural activities and providing them safe housing and communities.[4]   The white paper, “Our Health, Our Care, Our Say: A New Direction for Community Services”, in the United Kingdom, holds that reforms will enable the creation of a framework for the rapid delivery of health and social care services to the people who need them. The briefing, “Life Long Learning” (2002), stresses the commitment of the Better Government for Older People (BGOP) committee to establishing links between learning and policies, while the “Older and Bolder” government measure works for making education programs relevant and accessible to older people.[5]   The “Older American Act” (OAA) created by the U.S.A. in 1965 which remain relevant today have the objectives of providing the elderly with adequate income in retirement, the best physical and mental health in all economic groups, and suitable and affordable housing, among others. The U.S.A. also launched the ten year health promotion program, “Healthy People 2010”, in 2000, which seeks to eliminate health disparities based on such factors as gender, race and income and education. It also recognizes that the way people have led their whole lives impacts the quality of their life as they age.[6]   The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) issued its “Health Action Plan” in 2002, which calls for a broad, cross-sectoral approach to address the social determinants of health and wellbeing including the social gradient, stress, early life, work and social support. The “Healthy and Meaningful Ageing: Strategic Plan 2006-2008” of 2006 identifies priority areas for action and research including community recognition of the dignity and worth of older people, the providing of programs for the enhancement of the physical and mental health of the elderly and the facilitation of affordable housing and safe living for them. The “Improving with Age: Our Ageing Plan for South Australia” issued by the government of South Australia (SA) in 2006 concentrates on allowing seniors choice and independence on where they live, staying healthy and linking with the community, and on recognizing their work contributions as grandparents, care-givers and volunteers.[7]   The “Tasmanian Plan for Positive Ageing 2000-2005” issued by Tasmania in 1999 addresses such issues as promoting more positive attitudes toward ageing and older people in the community, and increasing seniors’ participation in community employment, voluntary service and recreation.[8] 	   	 	 		 		 		 		 		[1] Terese Hutchison et al, “A 		Review of the Literature on Active Ageing”, University of Canberra, 		pdf, 		 		September 2006, <http://www.canberra.edu.au/centres/healthpact/attachments/pdf/active-ageing.pdf> 		 		[accessed 10 June 2011] 	 		 		 		 		 		[2] ibid 	 		 		 		 		 		[3] ibid 	 		 		 		 		 		[4] ibid 	 		 		 		 		 		[5] ibid 	 		 		 		 		 		[6] ibid 	 		 		 		 		 		[7] ibid 	 		 		 		 		 		[8] ibid

A Brief Literature Review on Positive Ageing

A Brief Literature Review on Positive Ageing Active ageing is an emerging global policy that refers to the process of facilitating ...

Core Marketing Plan - Walkers Krisps

Core Marketing PlanProduct Feasibility and StrategyAs stated, the product that Walkers offers are excellent food potato snacks items. Since Walkers are offering potato snacks, it is then suggested to introduce new product innovations as well as its presentation to supermarkets and consumers. It is suggested that the name of innovated potato snacks are unique, so that customers may know that the products are uniquely from Walkers. Before the potato snacks were formally included in the official list of the business’ offerings, there were taste tests conducted in local supermarkets, and those that passed initial testing were given official names to establish identification. In the production plants, the materials and machines which would be used are manufacturer-guaranteed to be environment-friendly and safe for human use. The machines and equipment to be used are likewise tested in order to bring only the best-tasting and healthy potato snack that is worth every dollar. Pricing StrategyThe price will depend on the type and flavour of potato snack. Since the current pricing model of is effective, Walkers needs to make sure that the prices would be in par with those existing potato snack brand. Using all the available information in this business plan, the pricing objective of Walkers would be to offer the best-tasting and healthy potato snack in UK at relatively affordable price ranges. With that in mind, the pricing strategy included the cost of providing potato snack to the customer (manufacturing costs, labour costs, raw materials cost, etc.)The management team should believe that the potato snack products of Walkers have unique and defensible attributes which could support a high price. However, since a sector of the target market involves young people, who commonly do not have a source of income of their own, Walkers will strive to keep costs at the lowest level in order to maintain a cheap price offering for all their potato snack products. Also, since the Walkers aims to promote an image of affordability and quality all rolled into one, this pricing strategy would definitely help build and sustain that target image. Channels of Distribution and Promotion and AdvertisingThe main promotion and advertising objective of the business is to be able to spread the Walkers Crisp word without allotting too much on marketing costs. After all, what works well and what does not work at will depend mostly on the business, the product and service accompanying it, the community, the competition and the skills in how the marketing director will promote the business. When the employment ads are posted in the local papers, the business will make sure to include Walkers Crisp’ name and location, as this inexpensive classified advertising will help aggressive promotion of the business. Aside from this, it is suggested to have a card awarded free to the regular consumer of potato food/snack products. This card will serve as their Walkers Crisp Advantage Card and will avail them of all the benefits of being a Walkers Crisp Advantage Card holder. Discounts and freebies will be given on designated periods to all cardholders. However, those who were not able to avail of the card for free could still own one given a minimum amount membership fee. The advertising part of marketing will consist only of a free taste booth in front of the supermarkets during the first week, half dozen streamers around the area and a hundred flyers to be given away at supermarket doors. Also, one hundred business cards will be at hand, as they are a great way of advertising. The management believes that this is sufficient to advertise the business, and the rest will be left to word-of-mouth.  Project Auditing and Completion With regards to the project auditing and completion, Walkers Crisp should do some evaluation regarding the completion of the whole project. The auditor should consider the implications of non-compliance in relation to other aspects of the audit, particularly the reliability of management representations (Abbott, P. & Sheldon, I. 1996). In this regard, the auditor reconsiders the risk assessment and the validity of management representations, in case of non-compliance not detected by the entity’s internal controls or not included in management representations. The implications of particular instances of non-compliance discovered by the auditor will depend on the relationship of the perpetration and concealment, if any, of the act to specific control activities and the level of management or employees involved (Arter, 2002). The auditor should, as soon as practicable, either communicate with those charged with governance, or obtain audit evidence that they are appropriately informed, regarding non-compliance that comes to the auditor’s attention. However, the auditor need not do so for matters that are clearly inconsequential or trivial and may reach agreement in advance on the nature of such matters to be communicated. If in the auditor’s judgment the non-compliance is believed to be intentional and material, the auditor should communicate the finding without delay. The auditor may conclude that withdrawal from the engagement is necessary when the entity does not take the remedial action that the auditor considers necessary in the circumstances, even when the non-compliance is not to the financial statements.

Core Marketing Plan - Walkers Krisps

Core Marketing Plan Product Feasibility and Strategy As stated, the product that Walkers offers are excellent food potato snacks items. Sinc...

Sample Required Reading

Required       * Dowling, P and Welch, E (2004) International Human Resource Management: Managing People in a Multinational Context, 4th Edition, London, Thompson Learning.         * Scullion, H and Linehan, M (2005) International Human Resource Management: A Critical Text, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan.       * Yukl, G. (2001) Leadership in Organizations, 5th edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ, Prentice Hall.       * Goldsmith, M., Greenberg, C., Robertson, A. and Hu-Chan, M. (2003) Global Leadership: The Next Generation. London, Pearson Education.       Recommended       * Bartlett, C. and Ghoshal, S. (1999). Managing Across Borders: The Transnational Solution. 2nd edition, London, Ramsden House.       * Black, J., Gregersen, H., and Mendenall, M. (1992). Global assignments: Successfully expatriating and repatriating international managers. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass.       * Black, J.S. et al. (1999). Globalizing People through International Assignments, Reading, M.A., Addison Wesley.       * Brewster, C. and Harris, H. (1999). International HRM: Contemporary Issues in Europe. Routledge, UK.       * Brewster, C., Dowling, P. Grobler P. (2000) Contemporary Issues in Human Resource Management, Oxford, Oxford University Press.       * Bryman, A. (1992) Charisma and Leadership in Organizations, Newbury Park, CA, Sage.       * Hofstede, G. (1992). "Cultural dimensions in people management: The socialization perspective" In Pucik et al. (eds.), Globalizing management: Creating and leading the global organization New York, John Wiley and Sons.       * House, R.J., Hanges, P.J., Javidan, M., Dorfman, P.W. and Gupta, V. (2004) Culture, Leadership and Organizations: The Globe Study of 62 Societies, Newbury Park, CA, Sage.       * Kakabadse, A. and Kakabadse, N. (1999) Essence of leadership London, International Thomson Business.       * Kouzes, J. and Posner, B (1995) The Leadership Challenge, 3rd edition. San Francisco, Jossey Bass.       * Linehan, M. (1999). Senior Female International Managers Aldershot, Ashgate Publishing Company.       * McCauley C.D. and Van Velsor, E. (2003) The Center for Creative Leadership Handbook of Leadership Development, 2nd edition. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass.       * Roche, W., Monks, K. and Walsh, J. (1998). Human Resource Management. Policy and Practice in Ireland. Dublin, Oaktree Press.       * Storey, J., (2001) Human Resource Management: A Critical Text London, International Thomson Business

Sample Required Reading

Required * Dowling, P and Welch, E (2004) International Human Resource Management: Managing People in a Multinational Context,...

QUALITY AND CLINICAL GOVERNANCE

QUALITY AND CLINICAL GOVERNANCE   Contents   Abstract          ………………………………………………………………………….1 Introduction   …………………………………………………………………………..2 Analysis         …………………………………………………………………………..4 Plan                …………………………………………………………………………..5 Change         …………………………………………………………………………..10 Conclusion   …………………………………………………………………………..12     Abstract             There is an increasing incidence of medication errors in our area of practice. This is due to incompetent staff and management. This is unavoidable yet it is important that health care organizations should focus on how to completely eliminate or decrease this incidence. Thus a plan is made up to further educate health care professionals within the organization regarding the correct administration of specific medications. Additionally, management has to adopt new techniques that will contribute to the decrease in medication errors. This change has to be completely supported by all health care staff and management in the health care organization so that there will be effective change that will take place. Introduction The healthcare professions all involve life and death situations. In these situations, quality is crucial and quantity is irrelevant. In my place of employment, there are increasing medication errors happening in my hospital which may due to many possible causes. But as we know that patient safety and quality care is very important. The blame is placed on aspects of manpower (labor), management, money (finances), and materials. It is time to seriously rethink, redesign, redevelop and reinvigorate the way governance is practiced in my current place of employment. There is a need for better quality and care governance. Clinical governance provides a framework for a coherent, local program of quality improvement and an opportunity to share best practice. For healthcare professionals, clinical governance will be about building upon and linking together many of the activities that they are already involved in, which help to promote and improve standards of patient care (2002). Medication errors that occur in many healthcare organizations mirror the increasing problem worldwide of deterioration of health care. The deterioration of healthcare work and its environment is a major problem of concern to the healthcare leaders or managers. A healthy work environment is necessary to bring about quality healthcare service to the population. An unhealthy work environment would create a devastating impact not only to the healthcare professionals and the clients but most importantly on the effectiveness of the entire healthcare system.             The possible root causes for this apparent deterioration of healthcare work are outlined in the succeeding sentences. (1) Healthcare professionals are placed in leadership positions even if they are not adequately prepared and without adequate support for their roles. (2) Healthcare professionals, especially in the case of nurses are assigned to handle many clients than they can handle. (3) Decision-making within the work environment is done only by one department, without consultation of all the other parties that are involved. Many medical-surgical nurses experience difficulty when calculating drug dosages. One study revealed that 56% of nurses could not calculate medication dosages to a 90% proficiency rate. In addition, nurses made significantly more errors in calculating intravenous drug dosages as compared to oral, intramuscular, or subcutaneous drug dosages (2004). The nurse should double-check the six rights of safe medication administration and know the desired action and side effects ( 2004). If the medication has an antidote, it must be available during administration. When administering potent medications, the nurse must assess vital signs before, during, and after infusion. The resulting environment created by these situations brings about many negative results in the working environment. When inadequate leaders are placed in positions, there will be dissatisfaction and high turnover for healthcare leaders and the staff as well. For example, when each nurse is assigned to handle many clients, this would result in confusion and the clients are placed at risk for errors and injury. The nurses are also frustrated, angry and stressed out. Decisions that are made without consulting all the parties involved places everyone involved – doctors, clients, nurses, managers and other staff - at risk. The overall quality of care offered by the healthcare service would be diminished.   Analysis   Strengths (internal) Weaknesses (internal) Competent staff Good clinical facilities Lack of education and qualifications of some staff Opportunities (external) Threats (external) Health authority support Staff support Shortage of qualified staff               The SWOT analysis table shows that although the hospital is equipped with the most advanced materials and funded with more than enough financial resources, there is still an increase in medical errors resulting to unsafe practice. Hong Kong’s healthcare profession is challenged by the shortage of healthcare professionals. This presents a threat to many areas of health care practice. Not only that, this is a threat to patient care. It seems that there is also an apparent poor quality of management and leadership in this case resulting to the poor quality of service. Management is necessary to make labor and capital productive and requires converting economic principles into rules of behavior that can be clearly communicated to employees, bosses, clients, and other partners. Management in health care is not simple. In management it is people, not things that have to be managed, and because decisions must be made under uncertainty, based on expectations, without ever really knowing the entire facts one would like to have, it makes it all the more complicated. Applying the four key components of clinical governance to the problem is helpful. The activities involved in clinical effectiveness will include finding out what is the best known practice a specific medication administration, appraising the available evidence, changing the practice by educating the health care staff, and confirming through monitoring or clinical audit that actual practice is consistent with best practice. The human resources component of the clinical governance framework would aim to ensure that the health care staff has the right education, adequate training and development, skills and competencies to provide quality care to patients which include the proper medication administration. The expected outcome of the recommendations should be a decrease in the incidence of medication errors.   Plan             Coming up with recommendations and implementing them at the place of employment is the most logical thing to do. An improvement for the increase in medication errors is expected as health authorities and the staff supports the programs that are designed for improvement of health care services and quality of patient care. Improvements are geared towards the management and individual health care staff. To improve quality, organizations have to apply 'Total Quality Management' (TQM) to their organizations to help them plan their efforts. The promise of superior performance through continuous quality improvement has attracted a wide spectrum of business to TQM, with applications reported in many domains including healthcare ( 2002). Total Quality Management or TQM is defined as an integrative management philosophy aimed at continuously improving the performance of products, processes and services to achieve and surpass customer or patients expectations (Tsang and Antony, 2001). Actually, it was a management approach originally developed for improving manufacturing. However, it has recently shown its significance in service industries like healthcare services for improving the quality of service and satisfaction which has resulted in increased competitive advantage (2001). One of the service industries for example that have already joined the TQM bandwagon is the clinical healthcare sector. The surveyed clinical healthcare sector already applied the principles of TQM in their operations. They have shifted from efficiency to quality in order to attain the needs of their patients. But the implementation of TQM is not as “easy as one two three”.             There are some advantages that clinical healthcare services sector guided by the principles of TQM. Basically, the Total Quality Management philosophy of management within clinical healthcare services sector is customer-oriented. All members of a total quality management (control) organization strive to systematically manage the improvement of the organization through the ongoing participation of all staff in problem solving efforts across functional and hierarchical boundaries.  TQM incorporates the concepts of product quality, process control, quality assurance, and quality improvement. Consequently, it is the control of all transformation processes of an organization to better satisfy customer needs in the most economical way. Total quality management is based on internal or self-control, which is embedded in each unit of the work system (technology and people). Pushing problem solving and decision-making down in the organization allows people who do the work to both measure and take corrective action in order to deliver a service that meets the needs of their patients. Healthcare providers are able to make the most of their participation in the quality movement because of the learning provided by the various patients training sessions, especially when these are relevant and highly accessible. As this survey revealed, most surveyed healthcare industries were doing a relatively good job in making sure that their healthcare staff were all keeping on improving their skills and knowledge through relevant and accessible training activities. However, the time needed to attend to these trainings seemed to be a problem for most healthcare workers. The feasibility and sustainability of these quality management movements were also sometimes being doubted by the healthcare workers. With these things under consideration, the government must be able to find ways to make these quality management movements even more advantageous and beneficial so workers and staff can do their jobs effectively. The leadership training program in the health institution should be an innovative, team-based approach to learning which supports the institution’s mission of providing responsive and cost-effective services by developing a highly skilled work force. Additionally, the program should to support the organizational values. Its dual focus on process improvement and team development enables health staff to learn in an outcome-driven environment, where they can directly apply learned skills to improve a specific process. Moreover, leadership training interventions help cross-functional work teams analyze existing processes, identify possible improvements, implement changes, and evaluate results. Sometimes, situations call for a time to shift the responsibility for leadership away from management and toward the employees. One way to do this is to allow each of the employees to run a weekly staff meeting--its structure, delineation of responsibilities to others and follow-up. Placing future leaders into management development roles is probably the most important benefit that management has to offer the people (2002). In addition, management should keep an eye out for other ways to give the employees more responsibility to test their leadership skills. Respect and recognition are two proven ways to retain employees. The dramatic increase in the number of new medications, including biotechnology products, makes it difficult to keep current on their proper use, and can overwhelm the best intentions of all health care practitioners, including nurses. Administration of the wrong drug is the most common error that occurs. Factors that contribute to wrong drug error include similar labeling and packaging of products, medications with very similar names and storage of these similar products together. In addition, poor communication is a common cause of administering the wrong drug.             To administer medication safely to patients, certain cognitive skills are essential. The nurse accepts full responsibility and accountability for all actions that are taken; this includes the administration of medications, whether it is intravenous, oral, or something else. When a nurse administers an intravenous medication to a patient, the nurse accepts the responsibility that the medication or the nursing actions in administering it will not harm the patient in any way. The nurse does not assume that the medication that is ordered for the patient is the correct medication or the correct dose.             The nurse or any health care professional could be held accountable for administering an ordered intravenous medication that is knowingly inappropriate for the patient. Because of this, the nurse should be familiar with the therapeutic effect, usual dosage, laboratory interferences, and side effects of all medications that are administered (2004). Demonstrating accountability and acting responsibly in professional practice means that the nurse acknowledges when errors in professional practice occur. Most of the errors that are made by nurses are medication errors (2004), and this includes intravenous medication administration. Once all the health care staff are thoroughly educated and properly equipped with the knowledge of the recommended practice regarding medication administration, their performance has to be monitored every now and then. They will be assessed on how they administer medications and evaluated if there is a change on how they perform it. It is not enough that after the initial educating sessions they will then be left to do the procedure. Monitoring has to be done in order to ensure that there is a demonstration of safe and proper practice of care.             The period of monitoring would be the longer period in my recommended strategy. This would include assessing how each health care professional performs medication administration and also observations on the incidence of patients’ reactions to administration. To effectively carry out all of these, strategic planning has to be developed. Strategic planning is crucial in the management of healthcare organizations, even when the characteristics of the healthcare systems vary (2003).             The health care professional is the essential link in the prevention of medication errors. Unfortunately, many medication errors are never identified. When an error occurs, it should be acknowledged immediately and reported to the appropriate hospital personnel. This is necessary since measures to counteract the effects of the error may be necessary.   Change There is no right way of effective change. According to  (1996), there is “No Best way to manage change”. An organizational change comes in different shapes, sizes and forms. Thus it is difficult to establish an accurate picture of a successful change management (1996). However, According to(2002) there are three main components for organizational change that collectively lead to improve organizations performance: (1) creating a shared mindset; (2) building competencies and capabilities; and (3) changing organizational culture.             Moreover, change must be effectively managed to enable the competitive position of the organization to be refocused. At this instance, change becomes a fundamental need not an option (2002).  Nevertheless, organizational change requires a clear vision of the clinical healthcare sector’s new strategy and the shared values needed to make it work by managing it from the top down. Leadership by example is combined with organizational adaptations and changes e.g. systems, structure etc. Changes in medical care and management needed to be a representation of all affected by the healthcare. This would mean that an experts approach might not be as successful as a case conference approach which would involve physicians, mental health professionals (clinical and organizational psychologists, specialty and organizational psychiatrists), social workers, church leaders, family members, and family support system members. Although the process might seem unwieldy, the reality was that differing ways of knowing and differing world views would expand the options and capacities needed to craft strategies that fostered harmony, bonding, trusting, and honoring of the client and the healthcare system (2002).   Conclusion Medication errors can be a source of significant morbidity and mortality in the health care setting. Thus in our health care setting, this problem is not being taken lightly. Providing care to a patient is a complex health care technology and patients are at risk of experiencing adverse events such as medication errors. Increasingly, human error theory is used to investigate adverse events such as these. In our health care area, medication errors could be largely attributed to lack of knowledge, skills, and education of the health care staff; and an incompetent management. A plan is therefore proposed to rectify this problem. It is important that medication errors be monitored so that similar incidents can be prevented in the future. Problems associated with devices that lead to medication errors should also be reported to health care authorities.

QUALITY AND CLINICAL GOVERNANCE

QUALITY AND CLINICAL GOVERNANCE Contents Abstract ………………………………………………………………………….1 Introduction ……………………………………………...

General Motors

General Motors Multidivisional Structure             The multidivisional structure represents an opposite structure to functional structure. In a multidivisional structure organizational activities are grouped on the basis of products, services, customers, programs, technical process, or geography. All or most of the resources necessary for the accomplishment of specific objectives are set up as a self-contained unit headed by a product or division manager (Sims 2002).             General Motors chose the multidivisional structure because it supports diversification of products. Each product line has its own divisional hierarchy complete with support functions.             The advantages that General Motors can reap from adopting a multidivisional structure are: 1. Increased Effectiveness – because of the division of labor between divisional managers and corporate managers. Divisional managers are responsible for day-to-day operations while corporate managers are responsible for long-term planning. 2. Increased Control – managers can monitor the performance of divisional managers. 3. Profitable Growth – allocation of corporate resources can be strategically planned since each division can be viewed as its own profit center. 4. Internal Labor Market – corporate managers can be hired from the pool of divisional managers, providing an incentive for effective behavior among divisional managers (Riahi-Belkaoui 1995; Volberda 1999).   Matrix Structure             A matrix design is based on multiple support systems and authority relationships, whereby some employees report on two supervisors rather that one. Every matrix organization contains three unique and critical roles: the top manager who heads and balances the dual chains of command; the matrix bosses (functional, product, or area) who share subordinates; and the two-boss managers who report to two different matrix bosses. Each of these roles has it own unique requirements (Sims 2002).   The matrix structure is used by General Motors in areas where there is string environmental pressure and  there are large amounts of information to be processed. The benefits that General Motors can gain from Matrix structure are: 1. Enhanced organizational flexibility 2. High motivation and increased organizational commitment 3. Team members have opportunity to learn new skills 4. Promotes decentralization (Riahi-Belkaoui 1995; Volberda 1999)   Potential Communication Problems Multidivisional Structure             Communication problems occur in tall hierarchies. Multidivisional structure is considered the tallest hierarchy. There are a number of potential communication problems. 1. Distortion of Information by Divisions – each division does not communicate with others because they are concerned with the hierarchy of their own division. As the hierarchy gets taller, the chance for unintentional information distortion is greater. 2. Possibility for Conflict and Misinformation – since divisions compete for resources, they may not cooperate cause coordination problems. Also, divisional managers may not always present a true picture of the sate of their division in a bid to attract more resources. 3. Transfer Pricing – problems between divisions often revolve around the transfer price such as the price at which one division sells a product or information about innovations to another rdivision. Matrix Structure 1. Unclear Roles – due to the lack of a clear control structure, expectations are not stable across teams. People resist change and they avoid conflict, or role ambiguity. 2. Group Behavior – the dynamics of group behavior may lead to slower decision-making, one-person domination, compromise decisions, or a loss of focus. The lack of a clearly defined hierarchy of authority can lead to conflict between functions and product teams. 3. Relationships – Employees are uncertain about reporting relationships. The member so the team are called ‘two-boss employees because they report to two superiors.   Degree of Centralization Multidivisional Structure             The multidivisional structure is partly centralized and partly decentralized. Although each division manager is allowed to decide for day-to-day activities, strategic and long-term planning remains the role of the top management. Matrix Structure             The matrix structure is highly decentralized. There is no clear control structure.     References   Riahi-Belkaoui, A. (1995). The Nature and Consequences of the Multidivisional Structure. Westport CT: Quorum Books.   Sims, R. (2002). Managing Organizational Behavior. Westport CT: Quorum Books.   Volberda, H. W. (1999). Building the Flexible Firm: How to Remain Competitive. Oxford England: Oxford University Press.

General Motors

General Motors Multidivisional Structure The multidivisional structure represents an opposite structure to functional stru...

The building blocks to a database management system research proposal paper

Research problem Typically, the reach of a database management system (DBMS) extends beyond the individual file management systems, such as inventory files and accounts receivable files of the past, to an entire database or databases, consisting of corporate planning, marketing, manufacturing, finance, human resources, and other data elements. Furthermore, a DBMS allows procedure independence of the database for a large number of data elements. Currently, there are several directions in corporate databases that have and will continue to impact the typical company. They include relational databases, object-oriented databases, and multidimensional databases. Each of these types should be an integral part of a company’s total database infrastructure (Huerta & Koslow 2000). Consideration should be given to consolidating storage management under an enterprise management platform that provides centralized access to the control mechanisms for managing not only storage but also data, systems, networks, security, and output. These mechanisms existed in the computer mainframe world and were largely overlooked as corporate computing moved out of the glasshouse. They need to be added to distributed computing environments. From a different perspective, companies may find that building a data warehouse may be more than they are able to undertake at the present time. A vendor allows companies to migrate to storage-focused and subject-area databases as needed. The end product is just-in-time data warehousing that is a rapid approach to providing infrastructure transparency for companies while enabling immediate end user access to enterprise information and knowledge (Thierauf 1999). This proposed paper is a research into the building blocks to a database management system. Importance of research The proposed research will assist in understanding the concept of database management system. The proposed research will give some idea on how a successful database management system is built. The proposed research will help in analyzing the blocks to a successful database management system.   Literature review A most important factor in an effective Smart Business Systems (SBS) framework is the development of a data infrastructure. Because the ability to get at vast amounts of data and its results provides that all-important competitive edge, a company needs to share these results across the organization. The bottom line is that layers of management can be eliminated and the organizational structure can be flattened. These flattened organizations can make and implement decisions quickly. Moreover, sharing data, information, and knowledge, along with the resulting business intelligence with customers and suppliers, helps break down the organizational boundaries. When people share and work together, teamwork is enhanced, and when employees are empowered to deal directly with their customers, the quality of service improves, thereby cementing relationships with the customers. Capturing an organization’s data and making it accessible to users across the company requires an investment of time and money. Not only must the right systems be put in place and the right applications chosen for accessing the data, but also the company’s employees must learn how to use the appropriate database tools. The issues involved in providing the right technology are complex. The centralized information systems organizations are no longer the clearing houses, but rather provide guidance and standards while the line organizations of individual business units own the systems. Thus, the development of an appropriate data infrastructure within a smart business system environment must take this important fact into account (Chu 2004). Essentially, the development of an appropriate data infrastructure for an SBS operating mode can reduce costs and increase profit margins. It enables the reorganization of business processes and functions. Moreover, the new data infrastructure should facilitate the development of strategic alliances, whereby companies and their suppliers form long-term relationships, or companies join together to provide a wider range of services than any one of them can provide on its own. To assist in the development of an appropriate infrastructure, there may be a need to develop very large databases, knowledge-bases, corporate-wide knowledge bases, data marts, data warehouses, and data federation systems. In turn, these approaches can be related to the need for backing data and guarding against its loss. All of these important areas recognize that there is a need to go outside the organization itself since the Internet has emerged as the central point where supply chain partners of all sizes and locations come together to exchange data (Hoctor & Thierauf 2003). Methodology Qualitative method will be used in the study. Qualitative method thrives on understanding data through giving emphasis on determining people’s words and actions.  Qualitative method has an orientation that it should gather data that can be acquired through quantitative methods. The tasks of understanding and presenting qualitative research can be very demanding.   References Chu, MY 2004, Blissful data: Wisdom and strategies for providing meaningful, useful, and accessible data for all employees, AMACOM, New York.   Hoctor, JJ & Thierauf, RJ 2003, Smart business systems for the optimized organization, Praeger, Westport, CT.   Huerta, ME & Koslow, SH (eds.) 2000, Electronic collaboration in science, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, NJ.   Thierauf, RJ 1999, Knowledge management systems for business, Quorum Books, Westport, CT.

The building blocks to a database management system research proposal paper

Research problem Typically, the reach of a database management system (DBMS) extends beyond the individual file management systems, suc...

Airport Security Committee

Executive Summary             This is an essay that tackles the important issue of airport security. In relation to this, it is therefore essential to consider the members of an airport security committee who would ensure the safety of the planes, the crew members, and of course, its passengers. Included in this essay is a discussion of the possible members of an airport security committee and their role and responsibility in airport safety. Also discussed in this paper is the crisis situation faced by Air France Flight 8969, as well as how the proposed airport security committee members would enact their roles and responsibilities in such a crisis situation.  Airport Security: An Introduction             In a society copious with violence and conflict, people and the authority could not afford to be vulnerable to acts of terrorism. Anywhere in the world, disagreements among nations are tangibly displayed through numerous hostage situations, bombings, hijack situations and the like. Hence, at a specific level, it is the responsibility of the members of the airport security to employ ways and methods in order to protect airports from acts of terrorism and other forms of crime.             More particularly, members of the airport security present a first line of defense by making every effort to stop probable attackers from transporting with them bombs or weaponry into the airport. If they can succeed in such endeavors, then the chances of these weapons getting on to aircraft are significantly lessened, and acts of violence and crime are likewise reduced. With these, airport security has two fundamental objectives—to defend the airport from attacks and crime, and to defend the aircraft from such assaults; hence, protecting the welfare of the passengers and crew members as well.  Possible Airport Security Members             Logically, the primary members of the airport security could include security officers, a police force, members of the military, members of the airport protection service, a crisis management team, and a negotiation team.  Security Guards. These individuals are typically privately employed individuals who have the responsibility to protect property as well as people in airports. Furthermore, these security officers are normally in uniform so as to maintain high visibility presence and to prevent inappropriate and illegal deeds; to monitor signs disorder through alarm systems, patrols, and video cameras; and to take action and report suspicious occurrences to the airport’s authority (“Security Guard,” 2006), so as to be able to immediately take the necessary precautionary actions.             In connection to this, the security personnel are also trained to enforce the security measures of the airport; to do so, they are trained to perform arrests as well as control procedures, perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and first aid, manage emergency equipments, and enact other responsibilities as required by the airport they are protecting (“Security Guard,” 2006). Furthermore, security guards could also be trained to be efficient in carrying weapons such as pepper spray, batons, and some forms of firearms. Moreover, recently, due to dangers of hijacking and other forms of terrorism, the security personnel are now required to have emergency crisis as well as bomb threat trainings (“Security Guard,” 2006).   Police Force. It is necessary to hire efficient members of a police force that would be dedicate their services to the airport. Moreover, it is vital to deploy a police force to ensure effective airport security. For one, their mere visibility could already pose as a threat to probable terrorists; without them, airplanes are practically sitting ducks—terrorists could easily approach the plane and take hold of its passengers.             Moreover, the police force is also allowed to carry firearms as part of their duty to protect the safety of the airport, its planes, and most especially, the passengers. For example, the police have the right to carry equipments for radio communications so as to share information with each other so as coordinate their responsibilities and, if necessary, to get help easily. Furthermore, in the past years, computers could now be installed in their vehicles and these enable the police to immediately run criminal background checks on suspicions passengers, as well as to dispatch calls quickly. These are only some examples of equipments and purposes of the police force which are all necessary in the security of airports.  Members of the Military. During emergency and extreme situations, the police force could ask for assistance from the military, since military aid to the civil power is the responsibility of a number of armed forces. For example, there are instances wherein dangerous and sensitive situations could happen which the police could not handle on their own. The military then, with their training, could collaborate with the police force to assure efficient airport security. One example of a terrorist situation that was effectively handled by the military has happened in 1980, when the Metropolitan Police passed on the control of the siege of the Iranian Embassy to the Special Air Service (SAS). The terrorist blockade of London’s Iranian Embassy was effectively resolved when SAS, the special forces of United Kingdom, stormed the building in Operation Nimrod (“Iranian Embassy Siege,” 2006). Members of the Airport Protection Service. Evidently, the airport management should also hire trained individuals that would protect the airport and the welfare of its customers. Basically, the responsibilities of the airport’s protection service are similar to those of the aforementioned. The only difference is that the airport protection team is trained to focus only on the airport’s security, while the police and the members of the military have other accountabilities to the country they reside in.  Crisis Management Team. There are circumstances wherein precautionary measures employed in the airport fail and terrorists or hijackers get the chance to board the plane and hold its passengers hostage. This is the instance wherein the crisis management team enters. The main responsibility of such group is to assemble its best members to be able to plan and perform feasible, if not the best, options and alternatives so as to resolve the given crisis situation with minimal or no casualties and destruction of property. Moreover, the crisis management team normally collaborates and coordinates with the government as well as with the military and the police, since in such hostage and hijack situations, frequent changes to seemingly foolproof plans have to be made, in accordance to recent developments of the given circumstances. Negotiation Team. From the name itself, one would know the responsibility of such group—to be effective in communicating and collaborating with the terrorists This team has a very important and sensitive responsibility, because they literally hold the lives of the hostage and the airplane’s crew in their hands—one wrong move hundreds of people could die. Members of the negotiation team, as much as possible, should also try to gain the trust of the terrorists because if the hijackers sense that they are being fooled or stalled, they would not hesitate to commit crime and kill their hostages. Lastly, members of the negotiation group also coordinate with the government and the other teams involved in airport crisis situations so that everything they would convey to the terrorists are in accordance to the plan of the government and of the airport’s security members. This ways, the safety of the planes, the crews, and the passengers are still assured. The Hijack of Air France Flight 8969             On December 24, 1994, Air France Flight 8969 was hijacked by four men at the Houari Boumedienne Airport in the Algiers. The flight was supposed to travel to the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris but the terrorists instantly got hold of the plane. Immediately, Abdul Abdullah Yahia and the other three members of the Armed Islamic Group or Groupe Islamique Arme (GIA) commanded that the 12 flight crews and 220 passengers cooperate with them (“Air France Flight 8969,” 2006). After a few minutes, the terrorists got in touch with the control tower of Houari Bourmedienne Airport and required that the plane be allowed to take off. The people in the control tower refused and the four men instantly released the dead Algerian Police officer into the runway, along with a chilling statement that if their requirements were not met immediately, they would kill another hostage (“Air France Flight 8969,” 2006).             Such demand of the terrorists was met by great defiance from the Algerian Army; they refused to remove the tire chocks and the mobile stairway that would allow the plane to take off, in spite of the threat of the hijackers. In fact, after intense negotiations, the Algerian Colonel still refused to give in to the demands of the terrorists. With this, on Christmas night, the hijackers said that they would execute one person every half hour if the authorities still refuse to allow the plane to take off and go to Paris (“Air France Flight 8969,” 2006). After the loss of three lives in spite of the forty hour negotiations, the Algerian Colonel finally removed the wheel chocks and the staircase at 2:00 in the morning of December 26, 1994. The negotiation team has decided that it would be wise to divert the flight to Marseille International Airport, five hundred miles south of Paris. The crew of Air France Flight 8969, after secret communications with the air traffic controllers of the tower, told the terrorists that the plane did not have enough fuel to make it to Paris. The French forces have already landed minutes before Flight 8969 landed at the Marseille-Marignane Airport. And here, at 17:08, day after Christmas, the raid successfully ensued, with the help of GIGN as well as the assistance of Air France Flight 8969. Airport Security Committee in Action             What is questionable in the above situation with the Air France Flight 8969 is how the terrorists got past the security of the airport, especially during holidays, a time when numerous people plan to travel to see their relatives and loved ones. It could therefore be assumed that not enough security measures are employed in the airport. Hence, with this, it could be concluded that for terrorist acts in airplanes to be lessened or completely eradicated, air operators should assure that security in the airport is tight and effective. This, then, is the responsibility of the security guards, the members of the airport protection service, and even the police force.             First, the visibility of the security officers, members of the police force  and of the airport protection service should already serve as threat to the terrorists who plan to hijack the plane. It is therefore necessary for these individuals to be physically commanding and even forbidding—their heights and body built should already serve as indications that they could overpower the hijackers when circumstances call for it. Moreover, the equipments and weapons they carry could also serve as visible warnings to the terrorists; they should be able to project an image that they would not hesitate to use these weapons in necessary situations.             Next, during circumstances wherein the terrorists already got hold of the plane, its crew, and its passengers, the members of the military could then be called on. These people could make use of their training to analyze the hostage situation, specifically the demands of the terrorists and what, or who, are at stake. Moreover, they could also orient the members of the other airport security teams so as to be able to perform their own responsibilities with utmost efficiency.             The crisis management team and the negotiation team would then work together and form ad hoc committees, in accordance to the needs of the given situation. For example, one team would be in constant watch of the plane to observe even the slightest movement from it. Also, another committee would be in continuous contact with the terrorists and also the government so as to convey the important messages, such as the demands and what would be given in exchange of compliance. Another team, should also be in close contact with the military, the police, and the airport’s security group so as to update each other with what is currently occurring during the hijack situation. This way, every individual concerned and responsible with the terrorist act would be act in accordance to a unified plan that would ensure the safe and effective resolution of the terrorist act.  Conclusion             The hijack situation faced by the Air France Flight 8969 is only one example of an instance that shows the importance of the members of an airport security committee. Every individual involved in such group are therefore expected to fulfill their responsibilities, no matter how challenging and intense, for the sake of the airport they are accountable for and for the welfare of the crew, the passengers, and the public in general.

Airport Security Committee

Executive Summary This is an essay that tackles the important issue of airport security. In relation to this, it is therefore...

Media Studies Essay

Media Studies Essay   To what extend have Hindu values and ideologies dominated the representational agenda of Indian cinema?               Cinema was first introduced in India in July 7, 1896, when the Lumiere Brother’s Cinematographe showed six soundless short films in the Watson Hotel in Bombay.             Indian cinema is named Bollywood. This name is conflation of Bombay, the old name of Mumbai, and Hollywood, the center of the United State film industry. Bollywood is also commonly referred to as Hindi cinema. The Bollywood industry is usually tha largest in terms of films produced and office receipts.             The first Indian film concerned with honor, sacrifice and mighty deeds. For in that period many "mythologicals" were made and took India by storm.             In the 1930’s, Indian films adopted a modernist outlook essentially converging of society, addressing social differences of caste, class and the relations between the sexes. The most important film in the period, (1935), the director created a tale of love frustrated by social distinction and masculine ineffectuality. This film focused on indecision, frustration and a focus on failure and longing rather than on achievement.             Indian cinema has made a unique contribution towards evolving a new popular culture by reconstructing the traditional performative themes and idioms, using western narrative forms and positioning implicitly in the narrative many contemporary tensions and encoded messages of social change. It provided an intimate cinematic interpretation of Indian identity in its sentiments, outlook and diversity. Indian Cinema has built its narrative around the notion of enlightenment, taking up a well-informed discourse on the human connection with the metaphysical, at the same time presenting a sound critique of the orthodox worldview, age-old social hierarchy and the social tensions and suffering. Some of the major concerns of Indian literature were also incorporated in their films. During the classical period when film-making was at its highest artistic peak, it fulfilled an important social function by translating the main agenda of Indian society at that time by interpreting human suffering in an inequitable society, and to release and reinstate the cultural traditions from the influences of the recent colonial past. The basic emotional basis or structure of Indian films has its roots in living a life in the puritan, sublime love through a cycle of union and separation. The protagonist was presented essentially as an introvert, a restless soul in search of his identity in love and suffering. But the large part of the cinema is characterized by the reflection of internal suffering of a nation at large. The film-makers submerge the nation’s pain in highly appealing story-telling, which interpreted the uprootment and loss in different ways and help people incoming terms with it. Hindu films act as the interface between the traditions of Indian society and of the disturbing Western intrusions. The function of Hindu film is to externalize an inner psychological conflict and handle the inner passion generated by social and political processes as problems created by events and persons.

Media Studies Essay

Media Studies Essay To what extend have Hindu values and ideologies dominated the representational agenda of Indian cinema? ...