The Pros and Cons and Military Draft Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Pros and Cons and Military Draft - Essay Example The pros and cons and military draft – within different political and social conditions – are presented and analyzed in this paper. Emphasis is given on the identification of the characteristics of the relevant decision – i.e. whether it promotes freedom or not. The examination of the existing literature led to the assumption that military draft is not necessarily an indication of freedom; it is rather related with the political framework of each country reflecting the thoughts of the governors rather than the willingness of the citizens to participate in military initiatives. In other words, it has been proved that freedom can cost; moreover, it is made clear that citizens are not free to decide on their participation in initiatives that aim to protect the freedom of their nation. This fact does not necessarily indicate the lack of their willingness for participating in the relevant schemes. In any case, the terms under which the military draft is currently deve loped lead to a series of positive and negative effects – as analytically explained below. The Military Draft has been developed in order to serve specific needs: the number of the citizens participating in the military corps had to be estimated and evaluated – taking into consideration the military needs of each country – at least this is the initial role of the Military Draft as part of a country’s political framework. At the next level, the Military Draft can serve a series of additional needs, for instance, the need of a country to improve its position in the international community – by showing a well structured and highly populated army.  

Port of Rotterdam Essay Example for Free

Port of Rotterdam Essay Particularly, our intention is to focus in the way the Port Authority manages all the issues that come up and how they could improve the functionality of the port. We are greatly aware that the world of freight transport is growing rapidly and to grow with it, a port needs to be in continuous development. The Port of Rotterdam is one of the most important ports all over the world. It is situated on the Dutch coast and its main channel extends along 40 km offshore. Its a huge infrastructure that handles more than 400 million tons per year. Thus, every year more than 4 million containers go through this port, this means 400 per hour and more than 3000 daily. 1 The economic importance of the Port of Rotterdam becomes apparent from quantitative indicators such as the direct and indirect value added and employment. Its industrial character is reflected by the number and range of industries located in the Port of Rotterdam related to logistics (transport, storage and distribution), production (such as maritime and transport equipment, petroleum, chemicals and food) and (commercial) services. All these activities are taking place in a relatively limited area2: Despite of this figures, currently the PoR is losing a big market share, especially in the container market, on behalf mainly of the ports of Antwerp and Hamburg. Hamburg’s port has very good rail connections and also it is really well located to distribute Eastern Europe. Besides, the port of Antwerp enjoys a strategic central position with immediate access to Europes road, rail, and water transportation networks and direct connections to Europes major consumption and production centers. Therefore, our aim is to implement solutions to the problems that currently exist in the PoR. We want to make this port the most competitive, innovative and sustainable in the world and to do that we will focus in three main goals: 1CM55 – Port of Rotterdam Authority Handle the lack of capacity until Maasvlakte 2 is finished. If we want this port to grow, we should manage this issue correctly. Manage the congestion of the highway infrastructure. Solve the problem of the loss of market share due to the growth of ports like Hamburg or Antwerp. 3 First of all, we would like to analyze the current situation of the port. We think that the most important way to do so is with a SWOT analysis, so we are able to identify both the internal and the external factors which are favorable or unfavorable to achieve our goals. 2. SWOT Analysis Strengths ? Geographical Location ? Vast Knowledge of the market ? Great Experience ? Large Influence ? Intermodal Network ? Competitive pricing ? Width and large draft ? Cheap Transport possibilities Opportunities ? Growth expected with Maasvlakte 2 ? Automation of several processes ? Possibility of implement biofuels flow Weaknesses ? Capacity Shortage ? Saturation of the port ? Both rail and roadways connections are not enough ? Environmental problems ? Delays due to failures in the distribution management ? Susceptible to storm surges Threats ? Constant growth of the containers ? Administrative regulations due to pollution ? Competition in the Le Havre-Hamburg range Strengths: We could subdivide the strengths into two groups: Characteristics of the Port: Its privileged situation allows the best distribution through the hinterland. Reaching the major industrial and economic centre’s of Western Europe within 24 hours is feasible due to this fact. Besides, its great width and large draft allows the biggest ships to load and unload in it. 1CM55 – Port of Rotterdam Authority Experience: The Port Authority has a wide knowledge in ports management: handling of shipping in the port of Rotterdam and the offshore approaches to the port. Opportunities: The future expansion of the PoR is extremely needed in the future. It is known that the container market is growing exponentially and the current terminals of the port (Maasvlakte and Eem/Waalhaven) are about to saturate. With Maasvlakte 2 they will be able to handle a bigger amount of ships and therefore obtain a bigger profit. Weaknesses: The problem of being one of the most important ports worldwide is that you need to have the best distribution channels in order to be able to make the shipping as efficient as possible. The PoR needs new ways of shipping because railways and highways are already congested. Threats: To overcome the recent growth of its neighbors’ market share, the PoR should try to fortify its strengths and to take advantage of its opportunities. Otherwise they will keep losing benefits because of them. The port should also be aware of the regulations, because nowadays the â€Å"green mind† is getting more and more important. 3. Alternatives 3. 1 Rail Transport Rail transport consists of long merchandise train with a lot of wagons circulating on dedicated way or on common way with the civil transport trains. This mean of transport is the cheapest one for a relatively fast, reliable and frequent transport of huge quantity on long distance. That is why it is used to transport bulky product, container and raw materials on distances higher than 200km. The typical capacity of a train is actually about 120 TEU, equivalent to 60 trucks. The network of railroad is already well installed but this mode of transport meet some limits. Indeed, the passenger trains are priority on the railroad and when a section of the way is not reserved for the freight, the train has to make way for passenger trains. This problem is growing up 1CM55 – Port of Rotterdam Authority with the passenger traffic figures. The best solution is to create special railroad only for the freight transport in order to avoid sharing the passenger railroad. This solution has already started to be implemented in the Netherlands with the creation of the Betuweroute. This railway is design to allow freight train to go straight to Germany through the country. We think this route should be used more than it is nowadays. We are greatly aware of its importance due to the fact that it makes possible the just in time delivery between the PoR and any point connected with it. Results of using this route could be seen: One of the most important problems of the port, the capacity shortage, is reduced thanks to the reduction of freight stock due to this route. . 2 Intermodal Transport This way of transport aims to avoid the transfer of the merchandise from on transport mode to another. For example, if a container needs to be first charged on a truck, then continue on a train to finish on again on a truck, the intermodal transport gives solution to avoid the lost of time during the transfers. Thus, the container is lay once on a truck and then the truck itself goes on the train till the destination. At the end, still the same truck finishes the transport by road. This technique is called piggyback and reduces a lot the roblem of congestion due to the charging time. This also permits to reduce the road congestion by moving the trucks on the railroads when it’s possible. This method reduces cargo handling; therefore security is improved by reducing both damages and losses. Besides, with this way of transport the time of delivering is significantly decreased. A reduced cost versus over road trucking is the key benefit for intra-continental use. Actually, we are not going to focus that much on this part, because we think the other ones are more interesting than t his one and more benefit could be obtained. 3. 3 Barge Transport Barge transport was traditionally used for bulk cargo (this means ore, coal or oil products). Nowadays, however, barges carry a wide range of finished products including chemicals, palletised goods and bigbags. Barge transport is suitable for carrying all types of freight, in dry or liquid form. 1CM55 – Port of Rotterdam Authority Even containers are highly suitable for transport by inland waterway. The barge transport sector is well equipped to meet the trend for more and more goods to be sent by container: container barges have a capacity of 20 to 500 TEU, while pusher convoys can take even more. The importance of large, modern container barges cannot be over-emphasised. 5 Although it is a really cheap transport, the main problem it has is that it is slow and therefore the delivery times are higher than with other ways of transport. Currently, the concentration in barge operations is low due to this issue. However it is increasing not only because highways are getting congested, but also because people are looking forward to cleaner ways of transport and everybody knows that trucks and trains are note efficient ways of transport at all. Thus, we have come up with an idea that we think could be very profitable if implemented. Nowadays, the existing way in which the freight is delivered using barge transport is with small vessels. It would be better if instead of small vessels the PoR, through the barge companies, uses larger barges so they can carry more containers. Furthermore, this larger barges could be used to replace some trucks so the number of them is reduced and with it the congestion of the highways. Hence, using this enhancement, we reduce both the barge and road traffic. 4. Conclusion It is known that hinterland transport could improve its productivity if the number if terminal visits in the port is reduced. To do this that it could be useful to re-organize small containers which come from different terminals with some kind of specific distribution services. Cost improvement could be obtained depending always on the distances and other significant factors. The most promising solution for such a reduction can be found in the transhipment costs of containers. If transhipment between the trunk line section and the collection distribution section can be achieved by one move (i. . board-to-board transhipment) this would substantially improve the competitiveness of these split services. 6 From our point of view it would be very interesting if larger vessels are used, as we explained above, in order to make every single trip more efficient and therefore save some costs.

Challenges And Opportunities During Handover Nursing Essay

Challenges And Opportunities During Handover Nursing Essay Variations in communication during staff handover cause a significant number of errors and near misses to occur, leading to adverse outcome In medical care, a hand over (also known as hand off, sign-out or end of shift report in the USA) refers to information about a patient that is transferred by one professional or a team to another. The primary objective of a hand over is to provide accurate information about a patients care, treatment and services, current condition and any recent or anticipated changes. The number and types of handovers for any given hospital patient can vary and may involve physicians, nurses, pharmacists, transport and other services Handovers are not simply a mechanical means for transmitting and receiving information. In medical care, a hand over requires that the sender consider a patients present condition and his/her likely future over the next 8-12 hours. Likewise the receiver must comprehend what is being transmitted and feel confident about the clarity and reliability of the message. In addition handover also involves the transfer of rights, duties and obligations as they relate to the meaning and interpretation of communication between one professional and another. Interest in handovers has grown steadily over the past decade and researchers, hospital administrators, educators and policy makers have learned that variations in communication during handovers cause a significant number of errors and near misses to occur leading to adverse outcome According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) USA, up to 98000 patients die and another 15 million are harmed in US hospitals annually due to medical errors, and two-thirds of these errors are due to communication failure. Question 1 Read the case study 1, and based on the information given; write an essay to include the answers to the following questions Analyse the methods of internal communication you would recommend to ensure that hand over process in hospital wards is made efficiently A patient can be cared for by five different units during one hospital stay the operating room, postanesthesia care unit, critical care unit, step-down unit and medical/surgical unit which makes effective communication between the units all the more important. Hand offs help staff members process information, plan care and build the health care team. The five strategies for effective hand-off communication include (a) the usage of clear language healthcare professionals should avoid and refrain from using unclear or potentially confusing terms ( such as she is a little unstable, he is doing fine, she is lethargic). Define the terms being used and never use abbreviations or jargons that could be misinterpreted. (b) Healthcare professionals should incorporate effective communication techniques such as limit interruptions, focus on the information being exchanged, and allocate sufficient time to this important task. There is a need to implement read-back or check back techniques to make sure there is a common understanding about expectations. There is a need to encourage interactive questioning to allow for better information absorption. Keep the report patient centered and avoid irrelevant details, (c) there is a need for standardized shift-to-shift and unit-to-unit reporting. Using a consistent format increases the amount of info rmation staff members accurately record and recall and improves their ability to plan patient care. Organize the data with a sign-out checklist, a script or an at a glance status display. Make sure you can provide cues of important information to pass on that is otherwise likely to be forgotten in the chaos of shift or unit changes. Keep the report concise and accurate. What is included in hand-off communication varies by setting and discipline but can also include a summary of the patients current medical status, resuscitation status, recent lab values, allergies, a problem list and a to-do list for the covering physician or nurse. Get input from frontline staff to identify what should be included in the report. Smooth hand offs between settings is possible through the transition between the settings of care such as from the hospital to home, community or long term care can be undependable. To prevent problems, communicate with the physician when a patient is admitted and update him or her whenever the patients status changes significant. On discharge, provide the patient with information about discharge medications, discharge diagnoses and results of procedures and labs. A simple follow up call to the patient by a physician, nurse or pharmacist can prevent many postdischarge errors. Assess the impacts of barriers of internal communication within the hospital to achieve effective handover Hand off communication provides a forum for the exchange of ideas, opportunities to express concerns and a pace for offering peer support. Hand off can be a time when health care workers may find it permissible to express and communicate emotions such as grief, anxiety, loathing or amusement that must be suppressed outside the health care arena and can be particularly important for hospital staff members who are caring for terminal patients in hospital acute medical wards. Communications among care providers, responsibility for the patient, shift-change handovers, coordination among providers and different areas of the hospital and physician- nurse interaction are just some of the problems evident in the case. According to Anderson and Helms (1995), continuity of care is a series of interconnected patient care events within a health care institution and among multiple settings that requires coordination across time, settings and providers of health care. In the health care setting, hand offs include nursing shift changes, temporary relief or coverage, nursing and physician hand offs from an emergency department, various transfers of information in inpatient settings and transfers to different hospitals, nursing homes and home care or community health care. In addition to causing emotional harm such as anxiety and confusion to patients and their family members during already stressful situations, poor transition can cause physical harm to patients in which poor hand off communication lead to patient harm. Proper communication between nurses at all points during a patients hospital stay can be difficult because of high patient turnover, lack of overlap between shifts and time constrains. Adding to the problem is the increasing use of agency nurses and the large number of nurses involved in each patient care4. For a number of other reason, there may be gaps in information that is handed from one nurse to the other like new admissions just prior to shift change, fragmentation of communication between physicians and nurses, time available to conduct hand offs and the lack of knowledge about an individual patients condition as well. Due to these barriers to effective hands off there are certain things to improve communication, (a) increase consistency in assigning nurses to the same patients over a number of shifts, (b) structure hand offs to focus on patient progress rather than on tasks (c) include physicians in the hand-off process when feasible and (d) combine the strengths from the di fferent styles of hand-off communications strategy that meets the needs of the individual patient and the organization or unit. Identify how to create an effective communication structure which is standardised within the hospital to improve compliance with effective handover As part of the transition in care, hand offs transfer knowledge as well as responsibility and authority. Failures in adequate hand-off communication may result from the inability of staff members to construct a shared picture of what is going on with the patient at the time of transition, as well as expectations and plans. Standardizing hands off communication can help health care workers avoid common causes for communication failures during hand offs such as the following : (a) physicians and nurses consistently perform their rounds separately, (b) no formal tools are used to support the transition, (c) hand off communications vary greatly, with some occurring one-on-one and some in groups, (d) some sites have standard orders for handling off patients, (e) exchanges are more transactional than interactional, (f) interruptions are frequent during hand offs. There are multiple venues on how to create an effective communication structure which is standardised can be done through the following steps: (a) physician hand offs including resident-to-resident hand off should include information about code status for all patients, ( b) effective implementation of information technology can improve the availability of advance directive information, (c) health care organizations should have a procedure for reporting critical tests and critical results in a timely manner to the responsible licensed caregiver who ordered the test or an authorized agent of the responsible licensed caregiver, (d) physicians are responsible for tracking the results on laboratory tests they order. Checklists and other interventions aimed at decreasing lapses in concentration can prevent forgetting about ordered tests, (e) hospitals should strive for a communication environment where care team members are free to question each others knowledge. Actively engage patients and their families about their care. Use effective and active communication with members of a surgical team when planning procedures based on contingencies. Healthcare worker should engage in formal mechanisms for communicating changes in patient plans such as orders, checklists and briefings including notification of relevant providers. Using checklists, hand off cards and computerized hand offs can increase the quality, reliability and accuracy of information obtained. Verbal techniques such as read-backs where listeners repeats back salient issues, should be instituted as a standard part of the hand off process. Standard information transfer protocols, such as reminder systems to cue providers to check tests, mandates that laboratories or radiology departments contact providers about critical lab values and read -backs of key verbal information, should be adopted by health care organization to prevent transitional errors. ( Word count :1200 ) Case study 2 Redevelopment of the Kings College Hospital Emergency Department Kings College Hospital Foundation Trust was investing significant resources to completely redesign its Emergency Department. The aim was to improve facilities for all its patients, in particular mental health service users, following the closure of the local mental health emergency mental health facility A formal consultation process was necessary to gather the view of local people on its proposals. Despite this being a redevelopment which affected the whole local community, there was a risk that not all voices would be heard and that only those who had been campaigning against the closure of the dedicated mental health facility would engage. There was a need to give all sections of the community the opportunity to contribute Question 2 Read the case study 2, and based on the information given write an essay to include the answers to the following questions Analyze the methods of external communication you would use for the most effective dissemination of the information about the redevelopment at the Kings College Hospital, to all section of the community The improvements needed for the Emergency Department by the Kings College Hospital Foundation Trust relies so much on the contribution and support of the community. Since the entire hospital would require a full gear shift in order to accommodate the influx of mental patients since a mental health facility has been brought to a closure. There is a need to gather the consensus and consult the community since it will affect the entire population with the changes in the hospital itself. There will be changes in the allocation of budget, staffing and availability of healthcare professionals. Thus, there is a need to solicit the opinion and support of the local community. Sources of information outside the organization can provide an understanding of opportunities and challenges that the organization needs to anticipate or that it has encountered in the past. Important types of external information includes publics who come in contact with the organization, information networks linking individuals inside and outside of the healthcare organization, portrayals of the organization by key individuals and the media and information about social, economic and environmental issues related to the redevelopment of the entire Emergency Room of the hospital. It should be the goal of the entire hospital administration to ensure the effective and full redevelopment of the Emergency department to be responsive to the dynamic local needs. There is a need to conduct a thorough consultation process in order to facilitate the proper solicitation of the opinion from the entire community. This will allow consultation initiatives which will allow the local community to air out their sentiments and opinions with regards to site analysis, opportunities and constraints related to the building form, landscape and heritage. The attitude of the community towards the redevelopment of the health facility can be examined through consultation initiatives. The hospital should ensure that the community feedback was solicited at key project milestones and can be done through the utilization of newsletters, websites, site open day, community walks or even open forums. Further consultation will facilitate the understanding of the community regarding the final plans with the redesigning of the Emergency department. There should be a report related to the environmental assessment for public scrutiny and exhibition. This will allow the local community to have informed decisions about the proposal for the redesigning of the Emergency department. In this way, it will ensure the support from the various sectors of the community. It will facilitate the smooth operations of the hospital in its aim to cater the needs of mentally inflicted patients within the community. Assess the impact of external communication barriers on relationships with various community groups Since there is a need for the redevelopment of the Emergency Department of the Kings College Hospital, a thorough community consultation should be done. Effective engagement and relationship with the local community can lead to better assessment and effective planning. It will ensure better and sensible decisions and more excellent outcomes which can help in the avoidance of delay in the planning and implementation of the redevelopment of the emergency room. Through the consultation with the community, it will lead to an improvement of the confidence in the fairness and credibility of the plan to redesign and develop the Emergency room into a facility which can cater the needs of the clients suffering from mental affliction. The hospital administration expects the consultation and external communication with various community groups to be effective in order to find meaning from the planning process to enable the various groups to be reflected in the development of the proposal to redevelop the facility. There should be a consensus from various community groups to eliminate resistance and foster acceptance of the project. Early engagement with the community groups will ensure that the views and interests of the entire group into the proposed redevelopment. Barriers to effective external communication would be the failure of involvement in the identification and involvement of the people and the organization who are interested to focus on the engagement to further consult each other. Failure of the healthcare facility to fulfil the requirements of the statutory community consultation. The submission of a proposal to various community groups and stakeholders will provide an avenue for the community to contribute regarding the development of the project and its planning phase. The stakeholders are those with some stake or opinion in the decisions to be made in the entire community. These community groups provide the voice in behalf of the people who are affected by the decisions made. Various community groups which can be affected by the change in health care facility are the local government, families and support groups of mentally challenged individuals, healthcare professional alliances, environmental groups and even the neighbourhood where the facility is supposed to be built. The involvement of these stakeholders should include direct access to facilitate consultative process. The involvement of many stakeholders as possible is very important to make sure that there is effective communication to prevent resistance among the locals. Through the face-to-face dialogue there will be an increase in the likelihood that all opinions and views are taken into consideration. This is very important since the silent majority is fully involved in the process of consulting with the entire community. Identify how to create an effective external communication structure in the hospital based on the experience of the above case study The redevelopment of the Emergency room of the Kings College Hospital will definitely involved the entire community. Since this reorganization of the physical arrangement of the hospital is caused by the closure of a mental health institution located within the vicinity of the community. Consulting with the community will truly evoke the sentiments and opinions of the entire population. In order to thoroughly and completely gather the insights of various community groups, information dissemination regarding the proposed organizational redevelopment. This is to make sure that the public has been informed of the plans to reorganize the hospital to further accommodate the mental health needs of the entire community. These can be done through publication of newsletters in local community papers in circulation. Local television programs and radio stations can help in informing the public for such plans related to an existing health facility. This will allow the entire community to get a birds eye view of what to expect and how the redevelopment of the Emergency Room should affect them. A community dialogue can be organized by the external affairs department of the hospital in order to provide a venue for the community and the hospital administration to discuss the significance, the importance and the plans on how to make such changes in the healthcare institution. Walk in and open house events can be done to allow community members to personally witness and assess the necessity of a redevelopment. It should include the necessary information and facts for the need to accommodate mental health patients. In this way, it will magnify the positive responses from the community itself. There is a need for the hospital administration to ensure that they make the most comprehensive information regarding the need for such redevelopment. It will ensure a favourable response and an informed decision from the entire community. After the first touch base with the community, the hospital administration can start planning out a proposal on how to carry out the plans for the redevelopment of the emergency room. The hospital administration should provide a proposal involving the finances to support, the needed manpower, funds and machineries for the plans to be executed. There should be proper coordination with the various departments of the hospitals to thoroughly cover staffing needs of various areas of the hospital that would be affected by the changes, budget allocations and the resettlement area for the emergency department while the redevelopment is ongoing. ( Word count :1200 ) Case study 3 Reputation audit and communication support for NHS Milton Keynes Issue NHS Milton Keynes wanted to improve its communication with all stake holders (GPs, patients, voluntary groups, partner organisations and politicians), and raise its profile in the local media to enable it to deliver on challenging issues such as the national 18 weeks wait and public health objectives and priorities. A strategic plan need to be implemented to achieve this objective Read the case study 3, and based on the information given write an essay to include the answers to the following questions Question 3 Plan an effective communications strategy to communicate with the stakeholders of the NHS Milton Keynes to raise its profile and communicate its strategic objectives Although the benefits of having a good reputation are many and varied, they come down to one thing: a strong reputation creates a strategic advantage. Since companies are constantly competing for the support of the stakeholders, clients, local communities and employees. A good reputation creates an intangible obstacle that lesser rivals will have a tough time overcoming. A good reputation enhances profitability because it attracts customers to the companys product, clients and employees to its jobs. In turn, esteem inflates the price at which a public companys securities trade. The economic value of corporate reputation can therefore be gauged by the excess market value of its securities. To successfully manage reputation, a company must establish the programs necessary for actively relating and communicating to the stakeholders of a hospital or healthcare institution. The company must regularly audit or check into its reputational profile. There is a need to fully execute reputational auditing which would allow thorough diagnostic review of the hospitals current identity. Images and reputation. A reputation audit can help manage and analyse the gaps between the desired reputation, aims, roles and values of the healthcare institute. A research or survey can be conducted to effectively communicate what the stakeholders, community members regarding their priorities and perceptions in the impact and significance of the institution itself. At the end of the reputation audit, the hospital will know which are working and what organizational changes should be done to further reach out to its target population. There should be a leadership consensus about the significant issues as well as collective dialogue. There should be thorough evaluation of the internal capabilities and available resources to support the necessary changes to improve image and reputation. Media monitoring can be one of the ways to effectively identify the essential understanding of the concurrent reputation of the hospital. It will give a warning on the development of issues and will give you the ability to determine if news coverage is negative or positive. There should be a positive relationship with media through media training for the key players of the organization who have credibility on the issues on hand. Measuring the reputation of a company is a dynamic and complex process. A range of issues can be assessed and evaluated. Good reputation management is about developing high sensitivity to the concerns and expectations of all stakeholders and establishing a mature dialogue with them so that actions taken that principally affect one stakeholder group recognize the concerns and expectations of all the others. Reputation management is synonymous to risk management which involves anticipating the downside risks to the companys reputation from losing support from any stakeholder whose personal interest might diverge from those of the institution. Communications among organizations should be monitored in order to ensure marketing and branding activities will align with other efforts to build a better reputation for the hospital. The key point to maintain the alignment of a reputation audit. In this way, it can help the organization to determine the effectiveness in a driving engagement and achieving favourable results with external stakeholders such as the media, clients, customers and various community groups. Discuss how you would implement your communication strategy. Corporate communication has in recent times evolved into a full field of study, both in practice and in scientific theory. Grant (1996) has in my opinion tackled the most important issues in the area of coordination of all forms of communication. He argues that there are four mechanisms within an organization that integrate specialist knowledge (such as communication knowledge). These are: (a) rules and instructions, procedures, rules, standardized information and communication systems, (b) sequencing the organization of the primary process in a sequential can be improved is the extent to which the story can be characterized as sustainable. Consistency in communication is one of the crucial factors in increasing success with corporate communication. This implies the necessity of ensuring the clarity about who is responsible for what and especially about what. Reputation acts like a resource to the company- one that is difficult to gain and difficult to imitate, and that enables the company to achieve superior levels of performance. Companies with better corporate reputations are better able to improve their operating performance over time. The higher levels of operating performance that result from a good reputation virtually guarantee that a company will receive favourable endorsements from stakeholders and the media. Charles Fombrun and Mark Shanley showed that reputations measured by Fortunes most admired company ratings were heavily influenced by a health institutions performance, media visibility and significance to the community, strategic behaviour heavily intertwined.(C. J. Fombrun V. Rindova 2001). Organizations are increasingly aware of the fact that the joint communication efforts by all specialists in this field in an organization are not always effective. Communication is sometimes fragmented or even contradictory. The magic phrase by which solutions to this problem are often looked for seems to be integration of communication. The hospital should be able to identify which organizational activities related to external stakeholders should be analyzed. The perspectives of higher-level functional categories within the organizations communication strategy. There should be an analysis on the branding, advertising, public relations and even maintaining online presence through a website or webpage, community management or social media strategy through facebook or twitter. Afterwards, you can start rating your current level of effectiveness for the various categories of communicating with external stakeholders. A target audience should be consulted for each of the areas of external communication strategy, determine what you want to accomplish and if you have achieved the goals you have to improve the reputation of the health institution. The ratings will help you identify the areas by which you are supposed to concentrate and improve and develop strategies to realign them with the goals of the healthcare institution. Corporate reputation is the entire expectations and perceptions of the stakeholders about the hospital in reference to the personal ideals of the stakeholders. Reputation of the hospital is not necessarily informed by any form of actual knowledge, form of communication or mere interaction within the company which can be communicated by various stakeholders outside the institution. Management of reputation must include managing and monitoring perceptions in order to achieve favourable response from the community, patients and other members of the community. How would you evaluate the effectiveness of your communications strategy? A communication strategy is a model or guide of which you can follow to help create effective messages for specific purposes. Health care communication strategies offer advice or suggestions about gaining insights into a patients background and health care beliefs. Strategies are also valuable in helping overcome barriers to effective communication between hospital, stakeholders, caregivers and patients. Communicating effectively and often during a reputation improvement process is essential. Crises create unsettling ambiguities. Companies facing crisis are usually under siege from the media, the financial community, disgruntled employee, online and offline critics and in some cases the hospital administrators. Rescuing reputation and taking the first steps on the path to long term recovery require a greater level of communications than is typical in less stressful times. Communications from the top are needed in heave doses to steady the employees who may e reeling from bad news or uncertainty. It is the leaders job to choose the most effective channels and the right words, and then give communications their most meaning during challenging times. In professional organizations, developing external communication strategies that emphasize consistency and stability is very important. Internally, induction and training procedures can be usefully employed to encourage professionals to behave in standardized ways when dealing with clients. However, the need to be carefully monitored to ensure that a balance between individual creativity and firm goals is struck. The study by Covaleski et al. (1998) highlighted the problems with two such induction strategies: MBO (management by objectives) and mentoring. Opinions research rely on polls to gauge public opinion. We may well want to construct reputational profiles and rankings of companies in quite similar ways. To determine the effectiveness of the communication strategy by the healthcare institution, there should be careful identification of each members of the constituent groups. The effectiveness of the communication strategy can be measured with the proper solicitation of feedbacks and ratings from relevant areas of the institution to specific target audience. The better represented are all of the companys constituents in the reputational audit, the more valid is the reputational profiles that it can generate. The main concern is with the constructing samples of constituents that will not have bias results. To achieve a representation of the population at large, political pollsters advocate random sampling- respondents are not selected because of their typicality or of their representatives. Insofar as corporate ratings accurately reflect the multiple images of a company that are being disseminated, they provide a useful tool for assessing the companys overall performance. For some companies, the fragmented images will converge, producing strong reputations. Communication is used to determine who needs to know something, what they need to know and how best to interact with them. A strategic public relations program will address the audience that is relevant to the public relations and reputation improvement campaign. Research initiatives should link this understanding to the reputation improvement endeavours of the hospital. In the process, it must provide a benchmark from which to judge the impact and effectiveness of the public relations strategy utilized by the healthcare institution. Word count :1500 )

Russias Fight for Identity Essay -- Geopolitics, History

In 1829, Petr Chaadeav began to write his Philosophical letters. He initiated Russia’s search for national identity. He was a major figure in the development of Russian intellectual history. The impact of the letter shook and changed the thinking of Russia. It argued that Russia was worthless and socially behind. Chaadeav was very harsh in his letter and appears to be bias. He made valid points but they are not entirely true. The evidence shows that Russia was indeed a bit imitative but they were not the only country in search for national identity. Though Chaadeav’s letter was very harsh, it gave Russia a sense of originality. Russia established their identity and is distinguished by their culture. Russia’s literature and art was big contribution to the world’s progress though they were seen to be unoriginal. Petr Chaadeav summarized his nation’s history as â€Å"a brutal barbarism to begin with, followed by an age of gross superstition, then by a ferocious and humiliating foreign domination. † He continued by sayong â€Å"we are alone in the world, we have given nothing to the world, we have taught it nothing. We have not added a single idea to the sum total of human ideas; we have not contributed to the progress of the human spirit. † The Letter electrified Russian creativity: Many called Chaadeav insane, but he was very intellectual. Chaadeav’s statement about law codes â€Å"No one has a fixed sphere of existence; there are no proper habits, no rules that govern anything † insisted that Russia’s law codes were non-existent. This is not entirely true. As stated in the previous paragraphs, the Table of Ranks is a prime example implemented by Peter the Great. Laws made by Catherine and the â€Å"Russkaia Pravda † are also great examples of law... ... country in history is truly original. Every country has taken ideas from another. Whether its religion, law codes, slaves, etc.no idea truly belongs to on country. Works Cited Kaiser, Daniel H., and Gary Marker. Reinterpreting Russian history: readings, 860-1860's. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994. Print. (tags: none | edit tags) Kaiser, Daniel H., and Gary Marker. "Society: The Lowere and Middling Estates." Reinterpreting Russian history: readings, 860-1860's. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994. 295. Print. (tags: none | edit tags) "Polnoe sobranie sochinenii i izbrannye pis'ma,." Russian Intellectual History: An Anthology.. Moscow: Nathaniel Knight , 1991. 90, 92-93. Print. (tags: none | edit tags) Turgenev, Ivan Sergeevich. Sketches from a hunter's album. Complete ed. London, England: Penguin Books, 1990. Print. (tags: none | edit tags)

A Meeting of Giants

Imagine that you are a participant in a panel discussion with Sigmund Freud, Carl Rogers, Albert Bandura, and Albert Ellis.The discussion is facilitated by a moderator who asks questions for each of you to answer according to your different theories of personality development and change. How would you and each of the other four panel members answer the following questions? (Note: Construct the answers for the other panel members based on your understanding of their theories. Your own answers will reflect your personal opinions and beliefs, and may include â€Å"bits and pieces† of other theories).The panel was finally assembled on that wet cold day in December.   I was feeling a bit sheepish to be in the company of such great scholars.   Sigmund Freud, Carl Rogers, Albert Bandura, and Albert Ellis were mighty powerful company for me to lock wits with.   However, I believed that my opinion was just as important and plausible as there own.   I was just reaching for my wa ter glass when the moderator called us to order and begin immediately with the first question.Question 1How would you explain the differences in persons regarding their reactions to authority? Why do some persons appear to follow all the rules of others, while other persons appear intent on living by their own sets of rules?Dr. Freud:The human being is essentially a sophisticated energy system.   That energy is channeled, flows, or is blocked by a number or different behaviors.   The goal of all these behaviors is of course pleasure.   Energy will always find the path of least resistance that leads to pleasure.When this energy is constrained or rerouted by societal demands, such as rules and taboos, that energy must be vented in some way.   Some individuals are more apt at releasing this energy in a positive manner, while others are more confounded by it.Some individuals forfeit there pursuit of pleasure and lead guilt ridden and often miserable lives although they appear to be socially compliant.   Others allow their natural propensity to pursue pleasure to guide their lives and are normally much happier, although society may feel they are living by their own rules.Dr. Rogers:I beg to disagree with what my colleague Dr. Freud has stated.   His theories are often rooted in sexual drives and motivations.   However, the greatest human drive is the single goal towards self-actualization.   It is not necessary to postulate on which particular pleasure principle an individual is seeking to understand why they buck authority.Those individuals that resist authority have simply grown from a less complex being into a more complex one.   The less complex we are, the more authority we may feel we need.As an individual matures and develops, they become more complex and may seek to break the bond of authority for a greater life experience.   Those who go along with the status quo perhaps see their lives in the light that they have achieved what they can and there is no need to push further.   We all simply seek to maintain and improve who we believe we are and the live experience in general. (Pervin, Cervon, & Oliver, 2005)Dr. Bandura:Self-efficacy has a great affect in self-development, perseverance in the face of resistance, resilience to trauma, and decision choices at crucial junctures in life.  Ã‚   The rejection of authority is no greater than it is seen among adolescents and young adults.The ability to control and regulate self-efficacy is core to the ability to self-manage ones motivations, desires, and responses.   Beliefs of personal efficacy are what cause an individual to adopt certain self regulatory standards (Bandura, Caprara, Barbaranelli, Gerbino, & Pastorelli, 2003) If a person believes that they are useful in society they are apt to be more law abiding and compliant of authority (Bandura et al., 2003).   When other individuals feel as if their self-worth is low they are less likely to respect authority a nd will live as they see fit because of their standing in society. (Pervin et al., 2005)Dr. Ellis:Self-evaluation leads to depression and repression, and avoidance of change.   The best thing for human health is that we should stop evaluating ourselves altogether.   There is often concern for individuals because of their self image and societal pressures.These two are more likely to be in agreement than in conflict.   The key is to see behaviors for what they are.   Is there anyone who likes authority?   Of course not we all have some disagreement with being told what to do by someone else.   However true this may be it is not the authority that causes problems for most individuals it is the irrational beliefs that adherence or rejection of this authority will lead to some dire consequence.This in itself may cause individuals to have one reaction or the other to the rule makers.   Some may choose total compliance in hopes that life remains stable, or what appears to be total anarchy and disrespect for any authority because it has no affect.

How to Read Literature Like a Professor (Study Questions) Essays

How to Read Literature Like a Professor (Study Questions) Essays How to Read Literature Like a Professor (Study Questions) Paper How to Read Literature Like a Professor (Study Questions) Paper Essay Topic: Literature *Introduction* *Introduction* 1. What is a Faustian bargain? Where did that phrase originate? The hero is offered something he wants in exchange for his soul (deal with the devil); Dr Faustist 2. What does Foster mean by the phrase language of reading? grammar 3. How does a literature professor read differently from a lay reader? Memory, symbols, patterns 4. What are the three items that separate the professorial reader from the rest of the crowd? Memory, symbols, patterns *Chapter 1: Every Trip is a Quest (Except When Its Not)* *Chapter 1: Every Trip is a Quest (Except When Its Not)* 1. What five things does a quest consist of? Quester, place to go, started reason, trials, real reason 2. What is the real reason for a quest (always)? Self knowledge 3. What is Fosters overall point about journeys or trips in literature? Everything is a quest *Chapter 2: Nice to Eat With You: Acts of Communion* *Chapter 2: Nice to Eat With You: Acts of Communion* 1. What does communion mean? Whenever people eat or drink together 2. For what reason does Foster suggest that authors often include meal scenes? Act of sharing and peace 3. What does a failed meal suggest in literature? Bad sign *Chapter 3: Nice to Eat You: Acts of Vampires* *Chapter 3: Nice to Eat You: Acts of Vampires* 1. What is literal vampirism? nasty old man (steals innocence) 2. What is symbolic vampirism? sucks life out of a person 3. What are the essentials of the vampire story and what do they represent? Older figure, young female/innocent, continuance of life force *Chapter 4: Now, Where Have I Seen Her Before?* *Chapter 4: Now, Where Have I Seen Her Before?* 1. What does Foster mean when he says that theres no such thing as a wholly original work of literature? Everything is inspired 2. What does Foster mean by the term intertextuality? Borrowing from other works of literature 3. What is the benefit, or value, of picking up on the parallels between works of literature? Structure meaning *Chapter 5: When in Doubt, Its from Shakespeare* *Chapter 5: When in Doubt, Its from Shakespeare* 1. Why do so many writers allude to Shakespeare? Easy way to find good stories 2. What are some of the ways that Shakespeare influences writers? It provides plot and language *Chapter 6:Or the Bible* *Chapter 6:Or the Bible* 1. Why is the Bible so often alluded to in literature? Everyone knows Bible stories 2. What are some of the ways that writers allude to the Bible? Plot, titles, motifs, characters, themes 3. Whats the benefit of knowing/understanding Bible allusions in literature? You can find the deeper meanings *Chapter 7: Hanseldee and Greteldum* *Chapter 7: Hanseldee and Greteldum* 1. Why do writers borrow from kiddie lit in their works? Readers can always relate 2. What are some of the ways writers allude to kiddie lit in their writings? Small known details *Chapter 8: Its Greek to Me* *Chapter 8: Its Greek to Me* 1. What does Foster mean by the term myth? Body of a story that matters 2. Why do writers allude to mythology? Stories are ingrained in society 3. What are some of the ways that writers allude to mythology? Components that parallel or represent a myth *Chapter 9: Its More Than Just Rain or Snow* *Chapter 9: Its More Than Just Rain or Snow* 1. How can weather be symbolic in literature? It could be shown as a new awakening (rain) or as a feeling of nothingness 2. How can weather serve as a plot device in literature? It can be used to force two characters together 3. What are some of the common meanings of various types of weather? Rain- Rainbow- Fog- Snow- Rain- cleansing; spring; new awakening Rainbow- divine promise; peace between heaven and earth Fog- misery; ability to not see clearly Snow- a blanket of cleansing; cozy; nothingness *Chapter 10: Never Stand Next To The Hero* *Chapter 10: Never Stand Next To The Hero* 1. What is the problem with being best pals with the hero? The hero always needs to learn some kind of lesson through the death of another character 2. What purpose does the death of a friend serve? to teach the hero a lesson they need to learn 3. Why are not all characters created equal? too much time, too long of a book, might get the wrong idea of a character *Chapter 11: More Than Its Gonna Hurt You: Concerning Violence* *Chapter 11: More Than Its Gonna Hurt You: Concerning Violence* 1. Why does violence occur in literature? basis of plot, interested, plot complications 2. What are the two categories of violence in literature? situational and authorial 3. What questions should a reader ask about the violence found in a piece of literature? misfortune represents famous / mythical resemble, why? 4. What are the four reasons that authors kill of characters in literature? make action, plot complications, end plot complications, put characters under stress *Chapter 12: Is That a Symbol?* *Chapter 12: Is That a Symbol?* 1. Whats the difference between symbolism and allegory? mean different thing / one thing 2. What impacts a readers understanding of symbolic meaning? better understanding 3. What, besides objects, can be symbolic? gesters, movements, emotions 4. How should a reader approach symbolism in a text? What questions should the reader ask of the text when trying to determine symbolic meaning? being aware, assumptions are good, recap/reread, remember *Chapter 13: Its All Political* *Chapter 13: Its All Political* 1. Foster asserts that, Nearly all writing is __________. political 2. In what ways do authors include social criticism in their writings? an underlying theme to get at political views the author may have 3. Why do authors include social criticism in their writings? to oppress the government not publicly 4. What are some of the common political issues that writers tackle? problems government is facing *Chapter 14: Yes, Shes a Christ Figure, Too* *Chapter 14: Yes, Shes a Christ Figure, Too* 1. What are the characteristics of a Christ figure? good with children, self-serving 2. Does a character need to resemble Christ in all ways to be considered a Christ figure? no 3. Why do writers use Christ figures? Jesus is iconic-> he has become a symbol *Chapter 15: Flights of Fancy* *Chapter 15: Flights of Fancy* 1. Why do so many writers toy with flight in their works? it is a culture shared fantasy 2. In what ways might flight be symbolic in literature? escape from reality / freedom 3. What is the symbolic deal with interrupted or failed flight? fear failure / actually failure 4. Does a character always have to actually fly in order for there to be flying in a piece of literature? Explain no, they may love or imagine *Chapter 16: Its All About Sex* *Chapter 16: Its All About Sex* 1. What are some of the things that symbolize sex and / or gender? chalice, swords, building, rolling hills 2. Why does sexual symbolism exist / occur in literature? because they could not right about it *Chapter 17: Except Sex* *Chapter 17: Except Sex* 1. Foster writes When theyre writing about other things, they really mean sex, and when they write about sex, they really mean something else. What are some of the other things that this scene means? freedom, sacrifice, domination / submission, birth, pleasure, espionage, enlightenment 2. Why dont writers usually write actual sex scenes? boring / more meaning *Chapter 18: If She Comes Up, Its Baptism* *Chapter 18: If She Comes Up, Its Baptism* 1. When and how is water symbolic of baptism in literature? start fresh and new 2. What does it mean when a character drowns? rebirth, revelation, violence / guilt, plot complication, being cleansed *Chapter 19: Geography Matters* *Chapter 19: Geography Matters* 1. How can geography reinforce theme? proving the proper tools for interactions with characters 2. How can geography define / develop character? the characters views can change 3. How can geography be character? by giving insight with discribtions 4. How can geography play an important plot role? by setting up an environment 5. What are some patterns of symbolism with regard to geography? going south- bad fog- unknown dark- evil 6. What does it mean when an author sends a character south? bad stuffs, encounters with subconsiance 7. How can a writers personal geography inform his / her work? geography surrounding the author effect his writing *Chapter 20: So Does Season* *Chapter 20: So Does Season* 1. What are the symbolic implications of each major season: spring, summer, fall, winter? spring- youth summer- adulthood fall- decline winter- death 2. What is the symbolic implication of the progression of season (from spring through winter)? circle of life *Chapter 21: Marked for Greatness* *Chapter 21: Marked for Greatness* 1. What might physical marks or imperfections symbolize? moral, psychological, emotional, and imperfections 2. How can landscapes be marked as well? What might it mean physical / spiritual setting have a role 3. Beyond the individual, what can imperfection or deformity indicate? foreshadow setting event and tell about past 4. What are some of the symbolic indications of monsters in literature? extreme physical markings or imperfections *Chapter 22: Hes Blind for a Reason, You Know* *Chapter 22: Hes Blind for a Reason, You Know* 1. What can physical blindness mirror? moral / intertextuality to love 2. What is often the irony behind a blind character? they can see truth 3. How are darkness and lightness related to sight? darkness- no truth lightness- truth *Chapter 23: Its Never Just Heart Disease And Rarely Just Illness* *Chapter 23: Its Never Just Heart Disease And Rarely Just Illness* 1. What are some of the symbolic possibilities associated with the heart? Why? heart attacks or a broken heart 2. What things make a prime literary disease? 1. picturesque 2. mysterious orgin 3. symbolic reason 3. What are some of the conventional symbolic meanings of various illnesses? Tuberculosis- a wasting disease Physical paralysis can mirror moral, social, spiritual, intellectual, political paralysis Malaria: means literally bad air with the attendant metaphorical possibilities. *Chapter 24: Dont Read with Your Eyes* *Chapter 24: Dont Read with Your Eyes* 1. Why did I italicize your in the chapter title, above to emphasize that youre supposed ot read through characters eyes 2. What is Fosters main point in this chapter? to put yourself in the storys setting 3. Do we have to accept the values of another culture to accept the impact those values had on the writing yes *Chapter 25: Its My Symbol and Ill Cry If I Want To* *Chapter 25: Its My Symbol and Ill Cry If I Want To* 1. What are symbols and how do they form? something with a second meaning 2. Symbols do not mean the same thing for everyone, so how do you figure out symbolism? some symbols are personal to a writer to readers can interpret what it means to them self *Chapter 26: Is He Serious? And Other Ironies* *Chapter 26: Is He Serious? And Other Ironies* 1. What does Foster mean when he says, Irony trumps everything? Irony changes everything -> the reader can no longer trust their instincts on what they think is supposed to happen 2. How can you tell if something is ironic? If you realize something didnt happen the way it was intended, you can consider it likely being ironic especially if the result is humorous or tragic 3. What does Foster mean when he says, Irony doesnt work for everyone? Irony only works if a reader can see if something is ironic or else the whole point of the writer making something ironic is pointless 4. There are three types of Irony in literature. verbal, situational / structural, dramatic Verbal irony- character says opposite of what is expected Situational / Structural irony- situation or event plays out in an opposite or abnormal way-not like expected Dramatic irony- audience / reader knows more than the character knows