Healthy Work Environment

A Healthy Work Environment: Essential in Providing Quality Health Care Kimberly Lett DeVry University ENGL135: Advanced Composition Fall term 2010 A Healthy Work Environment: Essential in Providing Quality Health Care The delivery of healthcare has evolved and changed over the years and with the advances in science and technology, the ability to provide safe, quality care to all patients has been impacted by the changes. With the rising healthcare costs and decrease in reimbursement for care provided, organizations must look for ways of cost containment to maintain viability for the future. Fabre (2005) noted that administrators are struggling to maintain financial stability and retain competent nurses during these difficult financial times. Organizations are being evaluated and reimbursed based on their patient care outcomes; as such the nurse’s role is critical in helping to identify potential safety risks to patients and the prevention of medical errors. As hospitals have responded to financial pressure from Medicare, managed care , and other private payers, registered nurses have become increasingly dissatisfied with the working conditions in hospitals† (Fabre, 2005, p. 20). One of the many challenges in healthcare today, is the need for organizations to recognize and facilitate the improvement of the work environment. The need for competent, qualified nurses in any organization is i mperative for providing safe, quality care to the clients. For this reason the critical role that nurses have in providing patient safety should not be underestimated. The Institute of Medicine (2004) reported â€Å" research is now beginning to document what physicians, patients, other healthcare providers, and nurses themselves have long known: how well we are cared for by nurses affects our health, and sometimes can be a matter of life or death† (p. 2). The importance of a healthy work environment has been recognized as a key component in maximizing organizational performance, contributing to a decrease in the nursing shortage within an organization and is vital in providing quality care to the clients they serve. The growing concern for the nursing shortage continues to be a major issue affecting the profession and attention is being given to the stressful nature of the work environment. Several national surveys were completed in 2002 and 2004, identifying reasons for the ongoing nursing shortage, one of the major concerns centered on the work environment (Florida Center of Nursing, 2006). Organizations are looking at ways of restructuring the work environment, enabling staff nurses the opportunity to participate in decisions that impact their ability to practice. McDonald, Tullai-McGuinness, Madigan, and Shively (2010) remarked that workplaces that have a supportive work environment have noted success in recruitment and retention of their work force, citing an increase in job satisfaction and improved patient outcomes. With nurses making up the largest percentage of professionals working in a hospital setting, organizations now recognize the importance of the nurses’ role and measures to improve the workplace are being developed. Lowe (2002) noted â€Å" diagnosing the extent of work environment problems in healthcare is the first step in designing strategies to improve the quality of healthcare workplaces† (p. 49). Hospitals looking to improve on the work environment must first have an understanding of the nurses’ perception of their workplace environment. Kramer and Schmalenberg (2008) noted â€Å"the perspective of clinical nurses at the front line as to what constitutes a healthy work environment is essential if interventions to improve practice environments in hospitals are to be implemented† (p. 57). Once an organization is able to identify distinctive characteristics that have an impact on staff and their environment, they are then able to proceed in developing strategies to improve the work culture. All members of the healthcare team, including staff, management, and administrators, must be committed to the development of a healthy work environment as well as sustaining the culture through modeled behavior. Practical techniques to assist in the development of staff friendly cultures are clearly identified, with long term strategies implemented rather than short term fixes, for all members of the organization. To help facilitate and guide organizations, professional groups have designed several programs available for their use in fostering a healthy work environment (Florida Center of Nursing, 2006). The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ACNN) sponsors the Magnet Recognition Program, which focuses on the development of nursing practices and evaluates the environment where nursing is practiced. This program is well recognized by organizations throughout the country, as the Magnet Journey and is considered to be one of the highest achievements that organizations can obtain (Broom, & Tilbury, 2007). Organizations that strive to achieve the Magnet designation, acknowledge the link between a healthy work environment and the development of an organization of nursing excellence. Hospitals utilizing the Magnet concept demonstrate the following characteristics; (a) authentic leadership, (b) skilled communication, (c) effective decision making, (d) quality patient care processes, (e) collaboration and teamwork among all healthcare workers, (f) professional growth and accountability, (g) clinically competent staff and (h) adequate staffing levels (Shirey, 2006). All the above components are essential and linked to the effectiveness of a quality work culture. An online survey of clinical nurses, conducted by the AACN, were asked to identify factors that had an impact on their satisfaction with nursing as well as potential reasons that might cause them to leave the profession ( Ulrich et al. , 2006). Leadership style was identified as a key component affecting nurses’ satisfaction with their job. Nursing leadership is a crucial element to the work environment of nurses, as it is the leaders who can bring about positive changes to the environment (Florida Center of Nursing, 2006). The importance of effective leadership from all levels of management in any organization is essential in developing and promoting collaboration with their employees. A manager’s ability to foster leadership growth, and recognize the importance and expertise of the nursing staff will have a major advantage in retention of competent nurses in their units. In essence, leaders who can motivate and provide opportunities for their staff, and demonstrate a high level of role model behavior, have higher levels of staff participation and commitment to the organization. Authentic leadership is characterized as one that establishes relationships which are based on trust, respect, and can be considered genuine and believable (Shirey, 2006). Leaders that demonstrate excellent management styles are participatory, coaching and mentoring, they encourage and value staff members and support staff involvement in decision making that has an impact on their work environment (Tomey, 2008). The importance of effective leadership, with staff and management working together, is noted by their ability to create a shared vision for the organization through collaboration and continuous improvement of the work environment. Shirey (2006) noted â€Å"authentic leadership was described as the glue needed to hold together a healthy work environment† (p. 256). Another influential factor in the workplace is skilled communication among all levels of the healthcare team. Key components when utilizing one’s communication skills include verbal and nonverbal interactions and enhanced listening skills, all are vital in ensuring effective communication. Because communication happens continuously in the workplace between employees, managers and customers, it plays a vital role in the development of healthy relationships. Fabre (2005) noted that nursing staff expect sincerity, trust and good communication from all levels of leadership within the organization. Communicating openly and honestly allows for individuals to deal with one another in a respectful manner, build trust and have an appreciation for each other. A healthy relationship among co-workers enhances the communication process, allowing collaboration and teamwork, which in turn leads to a decrease in medical errors and fosters a safe environment for patient care. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) remarked that the 80% of medication errors and 70% of sentinel events that occurred in delivery of patient care were directly related to ineffective communication among the care providers (Florida Center of Nursing, 2006). Interactions among nurses, physicians, patients and managers, all have a direct impact on the quality of care delivered. In order to provide optimal patient care, it becomes crucial for all members of the healthcare team to communicate effectively with one another. Interpersonal relationships and collaborative teamwork among nurses, physicians and other members of the healthcare team are crucial to the delivery of quality care to the patients (Parsons, & Cornett, 2005). Another important aspect of a healthy work environment is one where nurses are supported and feel empowered to participate in decision making. Ulrich et al. (2006) reported the Institute of Medicine advocates for frontline staff to be involved and entrusted in the decision making and delivery of the patient care provided. When nurses are given the opportunity to participate in clinical and organizational decisions and receive support for their efforts, it fosters personal accountability and autonomy for all staff involved. Empowerment of the nursing staff establishes the groundwork for a positive workplace with collaboration and meaningful communication, enabling professional development and growth within the organization (Parsons, & Cornett, 2005). Organizations that promote staff involvement in the development of policies and procedures, fosters support for the nurses’ ability to use their critical thinking skills in determining what is the best plan of care for their patients. Nurses need to feel safe and secure in their work environment to be effective in utilizing their critical thinking skills. Kouzes (as cited by Fabre, 2005) remarked â€Å"the key to unleashing the organization’s potential to excel is putting that power in the hands of the people who perform the work (p. 7). When staff members are engaged and feel valued as member of the team, a true sense of autonomy is present in their daily care of patients. Fabre (2005) remarked it is extremely important for nurses to be autonomous, allowing them the ability to make decisions about direct patient care in their daily practice. One such method for getting staff members involved is through the use of shared governance committees within their units. Direct care nurses participating on these councils, are involved with decision making regarding positive patient care models as well as nursing satisfaction and retention (Florida Center of Nursing, 2006). Nurses working in positive work environments demonstrate mutual respect for one another, show consistent professional collaboration among all team members and function as high performance team members in their organizations. Vollers, Hill, Roberts, Dambaugh, and Brenner (2009) noted â€Å"nurses affect patients’ outcomes by their direct actions and their influence over the actions of other† (p. 24). It becomes easier for employees to recognize and accept the need for change, problem solve and decrease stress in their workplace. Another important aspect relating to nursing satisfaction is the importance of professional development. Organizations that are recognized for their high standard of patient care acknowledge the importance of their nursing staff and provide opportunities for personal and professional growth. Successful organizations offer various learning avenues for their employees. Emphasis is placed on orientation for new staff members, in-service education, continuing education as well as formal education and career development (Tomey, 2008). Nurses recognize that continuing education and competency go hand and hand and is imperative for professional development as well as patient safety. Individuals, who are given the opportunity to grow and develop their skills and abilities within an organization, will be happier and more productive at work. Another avenue of development for nursing is certification in their specialty. A certified nurse provides a level of expertise at the bedside when caring for his/her patients. Ulrich et al. (2006) noted the correlation between certified nurses and improved patient care; nurses were able to quickly identify the problem and intervene appropriately to the issue at hand. Nurses who embrace the idea of lifelong learning are able to adjust to the ever changing needs in healthcare and are much more satisfied in their job roles. Personal and professional growth is valued in organizations, where managers are committed to providing time and resources for staff learning and educational opportunities (Institute of Medicine, 2004). A shift in management thinking, from controlling to guiding staff, becomes an important step for staff development which in turn improves quality of nursing care. A common concern that nurses have with their current work environment is one of inadequate staffing levels. Hospitals that employ the concepts of magnet empower their nurses to make decisions about appropriate staffing levels. Management and staff nurses work together to build safe staffing strategies to meet the needs of the individual units. This collaboration between staff and management, builds trust, empowers the nursing staff and enables nurses to feel they have personal accountability for the success of their organization (Fabre, 2005). Organizations have struggled with trying to determine the number of nurses needed to provide safe, quality patient care and do so in a cost effective manner. The Institute of Medicine (2004) remarked that experts have recognized that healthcare organizations need to be aware, that overemphasis on efficiency and productivity may have a negative impact on patient safety. With the added stress of providing care for sicker patients with fewer nurses at the bedside, less time is available for nurses to meet all the physical, mental and psychosocial needs of the patients. Morgan and Lynn (2009) remarked â€Å"being pressed for time and energy, nurses describe their work in terms of survival; the luxuries of meaningful care interactions with patients are forgone† (p. 07). Often nurses feel they have time to only perform the minimum amount of basic care; and patient education, basic comforting and advocating for the patient is omitted. The lack of resources in staffing as well as a poor working environment is extremely dissatisfying to the nursing staff and impacts patient outcomes. â€Å"Research indicates that nurse staffing has a defin ite and measurable impact on patient outcomes, medical errors, length of stay, nurse turnover, and organizational outcomes† (Florida Center of Nursing, 2006, p. 5). There is no single action that guarantees a foolproof solution to patient safety during one’s hospitalization, but consideration of staffing levels has played a critical role in providing that safe care. Buchan and Aiken (2008) noted an association between higher nurse staffing ratios and a decrease in medical complications and patient mortality. Staff nurses recognize high risk situations and patient safety concerns, when understaffed they are often times unable to prevent these catastrophic incidents. Safety is a patient’s right and they deserve the nurse’s best efforts. Fabre (2005) noted that the success of nurses as well the healthcare organization is dependent on a positive healthy work environment. Patient safety needs to be the most important goal for any organization. Culture does matters and a healthy work environment makes the difference in an organization’s performance. The importance of promoting health, through the use of wellness programs, as well as prevention of illness for employees in an organization should not be overlooked. Staff should be supported and encouraged to participate in their own health management. Burton (2008) remarked â€Å"it is intuitively obvious that unhealthy, stressed employees will cost a company something in terms of absenteeism and decreased productivity† (p. 3). A positive work environment fosters healthy lifestyles, behaviors and enables individuals to develop coping skills to deal with stress on a daily basis. The financial benefits versus the cost of creating a healthy work environment can be cost neutral. Many of the magnet concepts, if developed in the workplace, are done with no direct costs to the hospitals. Changes in leadership styles, supportive and respectful behavior towards staff and empowering nurses in the decision making does not cost the organization money (Burton, 2008). All these factors will have a significant impact on the work environment; improving the physical and mental wellbeing of staff members. Patients trust and recommend hospitals because of the nursing care they receive. Fabre (2005) noted an important reminder to hospitals; patients tell their family, friends and neighbors about the care, good or bad, they received while a patient in their organization. Excellent patient care coupled with patient satisfaction is what attracts people to an organization. Healthcare organizations that demonstrate and promote healthy work environments will become the employer of choice in their communities. Burton (2008) noted that administrators of an organization cannot argue the fact that their reputation is extremely important in the community in relation to the success of their facility. Patients do notice the difference and when hospitals are able to recruit and retain the best nurses in the community; this nursing excellence has the ability to drive the success of the organization. Whether an organization chooses to seek Magnet designation or not, the concepts can still be utilized in any organization towards the development of a healthy work environment. It is important that organizations recognize the need for development of strategies that foster a healthy work environment, where staff are valued and acknowledged for their contributions and have a desire to work in their facilities. The association between a healthy work environment and the health and wellbeing of the nursing staff correlates to the impact on the quality of care provided to the patients they serve. It is evident that the continuity of patient care, recruitment and retention of competent nursing staff and organizational viability are all greatly impacted by the nurses’ work environment. Maintaining a healthy workplace remains a challenge in healthcare and must be seen as an ongoing process. Healthcare organizations that are able to develop and sustain quality workplaces will be able to meet the demands of healthcare in the future by retaining competent nursing staff and meeting the health needs of their communities. . References Broom, C. , & Tilbury, M. S. (2007). Magnet Status: A journey, not a destination. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 22(2), 113-118 Buchan, J. , & Aiken, L. (2008). Solving nursing shortages: a common priority. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 17, 3262-3268. Burton, J. (2008). The business case for a healthy workplace. Retrieved January 24, 2011 from: http://www. iapa. ca/pdf/fd_business_case_healthy_workplace. pdf Fabre, J. (2005). Smart nursing: How to create a positive work environment that empowers and retains nurses. New York, New York: Springer Publishing Company, Inc. Florida Center of Nursing. (2006). The value of a healthy work environment. 1-20. Retrieved January 28, 2011 from http://www. flcenterfornursing. org/files/healthworkenv. pdf Institute of Medicine of the Nation Academies. (2004). Keeping patients safe: Transforming the work environment. Washington, D. C. : The National Academies Press. Kramer, M. , & Schmalenberg, C. (2008). Confirmation of a healthy work environment. Critical Care Nurse, 28(2), 56-64. Lowe, G. S. (2002). High-Quality Healthcare Workplaces: A vision and action plan. Hospital Quarterly Summer, 49-56. McDonald, S. F. , Tullai-McGuinness, S. , Madigan, E. A. , & Shively, M. (2010). Relationships between staff nurse involvement in organizational structures and perception of empowerment. Critical Care Nursing Quarterly, 33(2), 148-162. Morgan, J. C. , & Lynn, M. R. (2007). Satisfaction in nursing in the context of shortage. Journal of Nursing Management, 17, 401-410. References Parsons, M. L. , & Cornett, P. A. (2005). A healthy emergency department workplace; the staff describe it. Topics in Emergency Medicine, 27(3), 198-205. Shirey, M. R. (2006). Authentic leaders creating healthy work environments for nursing practice. American Journal of Critical Care, 15(3), 256-267. Tomey, A. M. (2009). Nursing leadership and management effects work environments. Journal of Nursing Management, 17, 15-25. Ulrich, B. T. , Lavandero, R. , Hart, K. A. , Woods, D. , Leggett, J. , & Taylor, D. (2006). Critical care nurses’ work environments: a baseline status report. Critical Care Nurse, 26(5), 46-57. Vollers, D. , Hill, E. , Roberts, C. , Dambaugh, L. , & Brenner, Z. R. (2009). AACN’s healthy work environment standards and empowering nurse advancement system. Critical Care Nurse, 26(6), 20-27.

Management Accounting Case Assignment Essays

Management Accounting Case Assignment Essays Management Accounting Case Assignment Essay Management Accounting Case Assignment Essay Management Accounting Case Assignment BY Allele Case 8-28. Evaluating a Companys Budget Procedures. 1 . Identify the problems that exist in Ferguson Sons Manufacturing Companys budgetary control system and explain how the problems are likely to reduce the effectiveness of the system. The overall companys strategy is not well defined by executives and communicated to the management. There is no goal other the cost reduction at total company level as well as at departmental level. Managers dont see connection between expenses, revenues and overall companys profitability. As a result managers are frustrated because instead of help that budget is suppose to bring it creates problems. Managers dont participate in budgets development; it is purely a task of an accounting department which sets up performance goals for the company as a whole and all its divisions. Accounting department also controls the execution; other departments managers are completely removed from that process, they are only informed about their departments performance at the monthly meeting. It turns out that department managers are accountable for the results that they never truly omitted to. This approach would lower companys performance on the long run, when managers loose motivation they are not interested to deliver good results. Accounting departments has a very distant relationship with other operational departments; they concentrate on evaluating only financial goals, looking strictly at the numbers. They are only concerned with the cost reduction and continue to tighten the individual budgets once performance goal is met. At the same time it looks like budget tightening strategy may become unreasonable because at some mint the only way the department can meet the budget is by sacrificing its quality for quantity. If quality becomes an issue, it may lose customers and potentials profits. The way the managers performance is being evaluated does not seem to be fair. Managers are not recognized well enough if they met the budget or even saved more than expected. They are being rewarded with the tighter budget every time they achieve the goal. However if expenses end up to be higher than predicted, managers get a low rating during their monthly performance evaluation. The only motivation for managers to meet the budget is trying to avoid the low performance rating. With the current strategy managers are not rewarded for the good performance instead they are punished in both cases when they meet the budget and get the tighter goal or when they dont deliver expected savings and given lower performance rating which also affect their income. In this circumstance some managers may decide to leave the company and it may be hard to replace them, especially the most experienced ones. Company will incur the additional costs related to hiring the replacements. Operational processes are not well coordinated when special orders are given analysis being done to investigate the cause and no recommendations are made on how to avoid certain costs and improve the performance. The work between departments is not well coordinated either because all departments are over concerned with meeting their monthly budgets. The maintenance department chooses not to help machine shop to fix their broken equipment Just to save time they need to meet their own department budget. However at the total companys level expenses are higher because of idle time that loud be avoided if the maintenance department reacted to the problem on a timely manner. When departments can, they choose to first perform the Jobs that could be done with less time than budgeted; as a result the more important Jobs are being postponed. As a result the whole companys performance may suffer. Company would have to pay additional costs for idle time or for delaying Jobs that are more critical but require more time to complete then allowed by the budget. 2. Explain how Ferguson Sons Manufacturing Companys budgetary control system could be revised to improve its effectiveness. To be more efficient the companys budget has to be done for the whole company. Departmental budgets should not be separately developed and evaluated since they are all part of the same company. In addition to setting cost reducing goals, it also has to set up revenue and profitability targets. In addition to financial, it should have non financial measurements against which performance should be evaluated. The overall companys strategy has to be reflected in the budget goals. Budgeting has to become a common effort for all level of managers when every manager participates n the goal setting discussions, agrees on the goal and feels accountability for the result. While developing budget, a set of clear and specific expectations has to be prepared which will help managers to compare actual and budgeted results. Accounting department role has to change, instead of setting goals and controlling the performance it has to provide support to managers to help them to set up their own goals and provide with data supported by analysis to help managers to understand where the potential problems can be and make a decision on how to improve the performance. Variance analysis has to be done on a regular basis, all variances to the plan have to be investigated and explained, and then appropriate action should be taken to avoid the potential variance in the future. Variance investigation should be a common effort for managers and accountants because while accountants are responsible for the financial part, managers provide expertise into other operational processes that they are responsible for in their departments. All the internal processes and expenses have to be analyses, especially ones that affect two or more departments. This would help to avoid some costs. To achieve companys efficiency, all its internal Once budget is set it has to be reviewed and adjusted during every budgeting cycle. The tightening of the budget would only make sense if it does not sacrifice quality and does not lower motivation. Companys goals have to be realistic and could be revised if internal or external conditions change. Executives should also revise their performance recognition system and to tie individual managers clear goals to the results. Once manager understands the goals and feels his accountability he would be better motivated to meet these goals. Company should develop effective rewards and recognitions system other then budget tightening to increase managers involvement in companys performance and to retain its best employees. Case 108-5. Ethics and the Manager; Rigging Standards. 1 . How did Preston Lansing probably rig the standard costs are the standards set too high or too low? Explain. Since Lansing rigged the standards so that they were always large favorable variances it means that he was setting standard costs too high because positive variance appears when goods produced at the lower costs then standards. That is he way to artificially overestimate Costs of Goods Sold and underestimate Operating Income up until the positive variance is recognized. The way the costs are manipulated is when the positive variances are gradually recognized throughout a year showing increasing performance in second and third quarter and demonstrating the highest performance in the forth quarter. 2. Should Preston Lansing be permitted to continue his practice of managing reported earnings? This is an example of earnings manipulation and it should not be permitted. First of all Preston is being rewarded based on last quarter/year end results. The bonus would not be as high if the earnings were not manipulated. This creates an ethical issue for the company. Manipulation should not be rewarded. Income Statement does not represent a true picture of companys performance which may hide the existing problems. This is not acceptable from the external reporting prospective, when external users of the information are being misguided on companys true performance. 3. What should Stacy Cummins do in this situation? Stacy was concerned about her findings and notified the president of the situation, but did not receive his support. She could go further and bring it to the attention of the Board of Directors, particularly the audit committee, and outline problems that it may create for the company. It may not have desirable results since Board of Directors may already be aware about the issue but does not want to change anything in the current situation. If Stacks actions have no results and she feels insecure in the current situation she may choose to leave the company to avoid potential problems if any controversy arises as a result of companys unacceptable accosting practices and she may be liable for the professional misconduct.

Nora And Torvalds Deception essays

Nora And Torvald's Deception essays how does Ibsen present deception in 'A Dolls House?' Deception is one of the most important themes within A Dolls House. It brings out the plot, outlines the characters, and shows what Ibsen was trying to show us about women and society. Without deception there would be no play. Two of the most interesting things about it are the decision that the audience must make. When is deceiving someone wrong and when is it necessity? And the fact that as the audience witnesses the deception they do not realise that they are being deceived themselves. The character of Nora is the most deceptive within the play, and so it is through her character I have decided to explore Ibsens portrayal of deception. Nora lies in one way or another to all of the main characters in the play. The biggest victim of her treachery is her loving husband Torvald. Even from the start we see her lying about the most ridiculous things like how much money she spends and whether she has been eating macaroons. Then later we see her lie about the crimes that she has committed against her dead father, her family, and herself. So why is that we still see her as a sweet and innocent child. The character of Nora has many guises, which she uses in front of people to get her own way and protect herself. One of the most obvious and consistent is that of a child. The first we see of this is right at the beginning of the first act as she crosses quietly to Torvalds door after sneakily eating a few macaroons and hiding them in her pocket. This is normally portrayed in a very childish manner on stage and normally has Nora tiptoeing about the stage. Shortly after we see another example of Noras regressive qualities after she has been told off by Torvald for being a spendthrift. We know that he is right for we have just...

Individual Project 3 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Individual Project 3 - Research Paper Example This technical lapse has in many instances been attributed to use of outdated tender award techniques that fail to take into account the principle of equal opportunity for all. As such, it became necessary for the government to outline clear guidelines to address injustices committed to bidders, and also ensure clear methodologies of sealed bidding, competitive acquisitions and strategic planning are followed at all times. The Government Accountability Office has hence become essential in reviewing tender award complaints and consequently curbing Organizational Conflicts of Interest (Koprince, 2007). In this case, the GAO Air Tanker contract decision will be critically reviewed. Owing to the many contract standoffs that were constantly rocking the US economy, it was deemed right to develop clear-cut procedures to govern contract advertisement and awards. These legislations, commonly referred to as the FAR Part 15 model are aimed at governing the source selection process, information exchange and proposal evaluation processes. One fundamental factor in FAR Part 15 model stipulates that all competitors must submit complete proposals which will consequently enable the selection panel to asses all the bidders on the basis of all the requirements, thus ensuring that the best, more experienced bidder has higher chances of winning the contract. In many instances, it is observable that a contractor may be best suited in one area of requirement of the contract, but may at the same time be poorly placed to handle other technical areas of the same contract. Therefore, the overall best bidder should be selected. The guidelines also advocate for contract negotiations with multiple bidders. This allows the evaluation panel to asses a wider range of information, which will be essential in decision making process. Following the award of a contract to a firm, competitors are mandated to challenge the decision if they feel the contract was not awarded

Low Cost Airlines Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Low Cost Airlines - Essay Example The emergence of budget airlines is directly attributed to the transformation of the global business environment. The major drivers which facilitated this trend are: the deregulation of the European air travel sector; the establishment of the European Union; the 9/11 tragedy; the rapid technological advancement; and change in customers' lifestyle and preferences. It is irrefutable that the deregulation of the European airline industry primarily contributed to the rise of low cost carriers. It can be recalled that deregulation has lowered the barrier to entry in the industry as well as enhanced the competitiveness of the players which are previously receiving subsidy from the government. This, in turn, largely contributes to the cost efficiency of airline operators allowing them to charge lower prices to passengers. The establishment of the European Union affects the airline industry has the same effect like the deregulation of the sector. This has opened up markets and lowered operat ing costs, encouraging the proliferation of low cost carriers (Sorensen 2006). ... Lastly, technological advancement has significantly enhanced company's efficiency. It can be recalled that the internet technology has lowered the airline's costs in terms of booking and servicing customers by eliminating travel agent costs. This has paved way for huge costs savings which cut down the cost of airline operations (Sorensen 2006). It can be seen that all of the aforementioned factors which paved the way for the emergence and wide acceptance for low cost air travel have altogether pushed the prices of airline operation down allowing the fast entry of prospective players and allowing industry participants to price more competitively. It can be seen that the business model employed by a typical budget airline is primarily affected by these changes in the external environment of companies. A low cost carrier which competes in the European airline industry typically a business model which offers only a single passenger class and a single type of airplane which is usually an Airbus320 or Boeing737 which allows the company to cut on training and servicing costs. Budget airlines also typically employ a very simple fare scheme which rewards early reservation by increasing the fare charged as the plane fills up. There is usually no reserved seating in order to allow customers to choose their own seats thereby encouraging early and quick boarding. In order to drive down operation costs, technological innovation particularly the internet is used in order to eliminate the huge commission usually passed on to travel agencies. Budget airlines also prefer flying on secondary and simplified routes as well as having relatively shorter flights and faster turnaround times. Budget airlines, unlike

Principles of Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Principles of Economics - Essay Example For example, this figure is equivalent to 9% of the German and 8% of the United States’ per capita GDP. Furthermore, in terms of nature of resources, China has somewhat a small holds of resources based on per capita criteria, which is not even comparable to a developed country of a modest character. These facts reveal the extent of the economic gap between China and the developed countries, which sets it trailing behind (Wolf, 2005). To sustain the country on an economic growth path, the Chinese Government has the responsibility of making significant policy adjustments. These policies should be aimed at transitioning the country from middle-income to high-income status. This includes finding measures to address the social and environment imbalances, improving the access to healthcare and education, setting targets to reduce pollution, expanding social protection, and increasing the country’s energy efficiency (Wolf, 2005). The government should also make efforts to disc over a new road to industrialization, and modify the approach of economic development by developing a circular economy, changing the industrial structure, improving the traditional industries and supporting the strategic and emerging industries. The government of China should also promote use of information technology to support industrialization, which in turn can spur the country’s competitive advantage especially in respect to its expansive manufacturing industry. It would also be extremely important for the government of China to continue focusing on its regional development strategies, including turning around the tendency of widening regional economic gap such as supporting the development of the western regions. The idea of supporting development on certain priority zones can be achieved by setting the national spatial development in an orderly and coordinated manner, which should also include coordinating between urban and rural areas development (Sun, 2003). Question 2 When we say that we are engaged in a ‘global economy’, we mean that we are engaged in economic activities that are beyond a particular country’s borders. This includes a situation where international corporations stop relying on production within the mother country and extend their activities to many countries around the world. The global economy is concerned with globalization of production in areas such as finance, markets, labor force and communications (Ernst & Ozawa, 2002). When we talk of free trade, we are referring to a situation where the government of a certain nation eliminates all the artificial barriers to trade, which are usually established to protect the domestic producers from competition from the international market, particularly originating from the trading nations. Free trade is known to increase production because nations are given an opportunity to concentrate in production of those products that they have a competitive advantage. This e nables countries to enjoy efficiencies that come from increased output and economies of scale. Free trade also promotes the efficiency of resource allocation hence spurring production efficiency. This is because individual countries are able to exercise efficient use of resources, which potentially results to higher output (Ernst & Ozawa, 2002). On the other hand, despite the many benefits, there a number of disadvantages associated with free trade. This includes creation of structural unemployment as a result of removal of trade

Dream Is A Work Essay Example for Free

Dream Is A Work Essay A dream is a work of art which requires of the dreamer no particular talent, special training, or technical competence. Dreaming is a creative enterprise in which all may and most do participate. – Clark S. Hall Dreams Nightmares I.introduction I. Dreams are the touchstones of our characters. Henry David Thoreau Have you ever been curious about what your dreams and nightmares actually mean? Dreams can be mysterious, but understanding the meaning of our dreams can be downright baffling. The content of our dreams can shift suddenly, feature bizarre elements or frighten us with terrifying imagery. The fact that dreams can be so rich and compelling is what causes many to believe that there must be some meaning to our dreams. People have always been fascinated by their secret night-time journeys. Over the years there have been many theories as to why we dream and the function dreams serve. II. What is a dream? – What is a nightmare Nightmare’s distinction is its frightening and emotional content. People wake up in fear in the middle of a nightmare. Because of this, you are more likely to remember your nightmares than your good dream. Studies have said that sensiive people are more prone to nightmares because of of their empathetic surroundings. Dream is a series of images, thoughts, or emotions passing through the mind during sleep. We all experience dreams while we sleep III. Facts about Dreams Dreams can be fascinating, exciting, terrifying or just plain weird. 1. Everybody Dreams 2. But You Forget Most of Your Dreams We forget most of our dreams just right after waking up because of our brain condition while were asleep. Although most dreams vanish, certain ones tend to remain. These dreams were so beautiful or bizarre, they captured our attention and increased activity in our DLPFC. Thus, the more impressive your dream or thought, the more likely you are to remember it. How to understand what your dreams mean The symbolism in dreams is often simply borrowed from recent events. The first time the above dream occurred was after the woman had been watching a television programme about sailing. The symbols are rather arbitrary; it is the feelings in the dream which hold the key to unlocking dreams and what they mean. The feelings in the dream are usually an exaggeration of feelings from the real-life issue which caused the dream. If you feel terror in the dream think of when recently, in your waking life, you felt a little frightened. Or if you laugh hysterically during a dream look for a recent time when you found something funny but were maybe constrained from laughing too uproariously. When you find the dreams match it often feels like a clicking into place like a perception rather than an intellectualisation. When you astral project, your astral self is leaving your physical, corporeal body and roaming around on the astral plane. If that’s happening to you, you are extremely aware that it’s happening. It’s not something that happens unconsciously. So, a true astral projection is when you leave your body and you maintain your awareness in your astral body while your physical body stays prone and asleep. So, that being said, however, what happens at night is your astral body becomes aware, it sort of wakes up, but it doesn’t necessarily leave your body. In that way, I could see why you’re asking â€Å"Does the astral body hover over the body while sleeping?† I can tell you that during the times that I have astral projected and gone to visit friends I can see their astral bodies moving out of phase with their physical bodies. So, usually I see a person’s head coming out of their physical head. So, I kind of see their incorporeal head here – their astral head – and their physical head just underneath them. And they usually look pretty shocked. I don’t know if that’s because they’re sensing my presence or that’s how it looks normally. I would have no way to tell, but I can tell you that the astral self does move out of phase a little bit from the physical body while we sleep. At least from what I have seen. This would make sense to me, because when we sleep our bodies are going into sort of a hibernation that allows our astral self – our astral body – to separate and explore if it wants to. If we want to. Always remember that you are attached to your corporeal body with your astral cord, which is what helps you get back into your body after you’ve been out for a while. You don’t want that to get severed . That’s the end of the show if that happens. So, yes, I would say it’s true that every time you sleep your astral body becomes aware, that it is free to move around, but a true astral separation you would be very, very aware of. It would not be something that you’d forget. So I would say that yes, there is some astral activity every night when you sleep, but probably not a full separation. Good question. If you liked this article, sign up to receive free updates. - Top of Form The difference would depend on how you feel about the dream upon waking and what you see as a nightmare. A nightmare is more typically something dreamt where you may well have a conscious recollection of a specific terror. Being pursued by a relentless creature or thing that would harm you, for instance. What you describe may have more to do with a bad dream that is based on some conflict in your life. You dont name any particular thing that you recall of the dream, so the dreams may be more to do with a waking issue almost literally fighting wakefulness. We pass through an odd world of twighlight as we emerge from sleep. Dreams happen mostly just before waking and in a way we often drag them with us. The waking experience itself can be disturbing enough to a pleasant dream to generate the response you describe in some people. As we awaken we can go through a semi-waking awareness of sleep paralysis and some can fight that, lash out as if they are restrained by something unwanted. As the mind comes awake the muscles release this and begin to work on command and we lose our grip on the dream: perhaps even a nice one. Stuff to fight over? Depends on how you feel. If nightmares it is odd that you dont mention specific details. This really sound more related to a waking issue as sleep is released a combination of physical and mental influences driving an agitated response. In the past, when we didnt know the importance of the meaning of dreams, they were undervalued by everyone. Today we know that our dreams are very important not only because they show us a live map of what is happening inside our psyche, but because they give us objective information and guidance about everything that happens in our lives. How can your dreams help you? You have to start keeping a dream journal and a diary where youll take notes of the most important events of the day to begin receiving the help you require. Study the dream language according to the scientific method of dream interpretation the same way you study any foreign language, so that you may easily learn how to translate the dream images into words that make sense to your conscious mind. Your dreams usually talk about you and your life, especially in the beginning of your occupation with dream translation. Later they will give you information about other people and everything else you care about. This is why your diary will help you understand the dream messages. The unconscious mind that produces your dreams sends you answers to your questions in dream messages, information about the things that most worry you, and explanations about what is happening in your life. When you are worried about the results of your tests, the unconscious mind will relieve your anxiety by showi ng you that everything will be fine. When you are making mistakes, the unconscious mind will send you dream images about the past. You will see yourself as you were when you were younger, because you will be repeating a maladaptive behavior that characterized your personality when you were still immature. For example, in the previous day if you were thinking about quitting your job youll understand that the unconscious mind is sending you a warning. You must not be irresponsible like you were when you were a teen. You need this job and you should forget the idea about abandoning it. The unconscious mind will help you find a better job if this is the case, but you should be patient. Work where you are now, and learn everything you can. Tomorrow you may need the experience youll acquire for working in this job, or the good references youll have from there in order to work in a higher position there or somewhere else. You will see dream symbols that have a positive meaning in your dreams after making some progress in dream interpretation, and after transforming your personality to a degree. The personality change is a positive result of dream therapy. Then you may see that you have found a key in a dream. This dream symbol shows you that you have finally found the solution you needed in order to solve a difficult problem. You only need to learn the meaning of the most important dream symbols and understand how the information contained in your dreams helps you correct mistakes in your behavior or eliminate illogical concepts and bad ideas you have formulated to effectively change your life in a positive and rewarding way. In the beginning you should write all your dreams down and compare one dream to another, analyzing an entire dream collection, so that you may really learn the dream language. Once you get used with it, youll automatically translate all dream images into words, immediately understanding the dream messages. Christina Sponias continued Carl Jungs research into the human psyche, discovering the cure for all mental illnesses, and simplifying the scientific method of dream interpretation that teaches you how to exactly translate the meaning of your dreams, so that you can find health, wisdom and happiness.