Financial Risk Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Financial Risk Management - Essay Example The paper would be reflecting the financial risk rising from various perspectives i.e. personal level, institutional level followed by financial risk from the perspective of Islamic religion. Risk management is an essential activity for controlling and eliminating the financial risks in the aforementioned viewpoints. The paper would be discussing the risk management procedures found effective in each of these perspectives. Table of Contents Abstract 2 Table of Contents 3 Personal Risk Management 4 Financial Risk management in Financial Institutions 6 Financial Risk Management: An Islamic View 9 Is the Financial Risk Management Applied 11 Conclusion 12 References 13 Personal Risk Management Risk management should be the main focus point of the financial plan of the investors. There are some investors who do not focus on this aspect of the investment procedure. There are various risks associated with the investment procedure. The first risk is referred as the performance risk. The inve stors need to have diversified portfolio for reducing the performance risk. The second risk involves the volatility risk. The asset classes such as equity and gold tend to give high return on investment in the context of long term period. But it becomes necessary to reduce the volatility risk in the short term and medium term period. The third risk is associated with risk of inflation. This is one of the biggest risks for any long term investor. The asset allocation should be done in such manner that it would be able to beat the inflation over any period of time. In today’s world, making investment has become one of the most important activities in life for every individual. In such case, it is pertinent that all the investors should possess knowledge to certain extent related to the investment risk management. Financial risk management can be explained as a procedure of dealing with uncertainties arising in the financial markets. While the financial institutes handle very co mplex series of procedures for managing the risk, the individuals are required to have knowledge about risk management as well. The individuals need to: 1) Understand the risk tolerance in both emotional and financial terms. 2) Understand personal level of the risk tolerance. 3) Assess and compare the personal risk capacity with the risk tolerance. 4) Identify an effective asset allocation investment portfolio. The aforementioned framework provides a guideline of the understanding of risks, managing them and making effective investment decisions. Risk capacity and risk tolerance are two important attributes associated highly with the risk factor. Risk tolerance can be described as the psychological or emotional attribute and risk capacity can be defined as the financial attribute of the risk factor. Risk Tolerance The fundamental explanation of the term ‘risk’ is the chance of losing something. In investment decision, there remain chances of losing money as well. With g reater probability of big profits, prospect of the losses to take place remains higher. Thus it becomes important to carefully consider the risk tolerance while planning for an investment strategy. Risk tolerance determines the psychological receptiveness of an individual associated with the risk and level of anxiety experienced in various situations where the risk factor is evident. It

Community and Population Health Essay Example for Free

Community and Population Health Essay Introduction I currently reside in Denver County, Colorado. I have chosen to assess and analyze this community for this assignment. Denver, Colorado is located east of the Eastern Foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Denver County is centrally located within the city of Denver, Colorado and includes the Denver International Airport located north-east of the city. The elevation of this county is 5,277 feet and therefore is nicknamed the â€Å"Mile-High City†. Denver County contains 154.9 square miles of land with a large amount of parks and rivers, of which 1. 4 miles is water. (City and County of Denver, 2011). Population Economic Status According to the 2010 census, Denver County has a population of 600,158 people with a median age of 33.7 years old (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010a). Denver County’s population is approximately 50% male and 50% female (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010a). The ethnicity of Denver County is predominately White (52.2%), with Hispanic (31.8%) and Black (9.8%) ethnic groups comprising the next largest population groups (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010a). The median household income in Denver County from 2008-2012 was is $49,091; compared to $58,244 for the entire state of Colorado (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010b). From2008-2012, 18.9% of households were at or below poverty; compared to an average of 12.9% for the entire state of Colorado (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010b). The average reported unemployment rate for persons ages 16 + in Denver County was 8.6% (with a +/- 0.4% margin of error) (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010a). Denver County has a high percentage of educated workforce. In 2008-2012, 36.7% of the population age 25 + had obtained their Bachelor’s Degree, or a higher level of education; compared 28.5% for the entire US (U.S. Census  Bureau, 2010b). Although Denver County has a large percentage of educated residents, it also has a high number of homeless residents. In a survey taken in January 2013, an estimated 11,167 people were homeless in Denver (including employed homeless) (Metro Denver Homeless Initiative, 2013). Of those individuals, 43% were women and 62% were adults with children (Metro Denver Homeless Initiative, 2013). The birth rate in Denver County in 2012 was 9,236 (Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, 2012). This was average compared to the previous two years – in 2011 there were 9,431 births compared to 2010 where there were 9,584 births (Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, 2012). Denver County’s death rate in 2012 was 4,220 (Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, 2012). This number was average compared to the previous two years as well – in 2011 there were 4,156 deaths and in 2010 there were 4,210 deaths. The number one cause of death in Denver County from 2010 – 2012 was cardiovascular disease (Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, 2012). The majority of deaths related to population was individuals age 85+ (Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, 2012). Denver County offers two primary basic food assistance programs. These programs are called SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and WIC (Women, Infants, and Children). For the fiscal year of 2013, Colorado had an average of 47,636,090 persons from a total of 23,052,396 households were signed up for SNAP benefits (USDA, 2014a). This number had increased by approximately 1,027,016 persons from 2012 fiscal year (USDA, 2014a). For the fiscal year of 2013, Colorado had an average of 8,662,591 persons (including women, infants, and children) were receiving supplemental nutrition from the WIC program (USDA, 2014b). This number decreased by 245,249 persons from 2012 fiscal year (USDA, 2014b). Cultural Assessment The population size and sex of the cultural group I interviewed was of twenty white women. Out of the twenty women I interviewed, ten women were between the ages of 20-29 years old and ten women were between the ages of  30-49 years old. All twenty women are currently registered nurses on the internal medicine/oncology floor at the hospital I am currently employed at. The amount of nursing experience these individuals have ranges from two years to 29 years of experience. All twenty individuals interviewed have health insurance. The attitudes toward age and aging of the twenty individuals surveyed varied with a similar goal of staying healthy to prevent the onset of diseases. The younger group interviewed felt it was important to eat healthy and exercise to promote internal health and longevity of life in general. The older group interviewed were more specific with their answers and felt it was important to maintain low stress lifestyles to promote good mental and physical health, to exercise to promote strong bones/balance, to perform mental exercises to help prevent the onset of dementia, and to regularly attend appointments. Both groups agreed that positive vs. negative attitudes directly affect physical health and one’s quality of life. When I asked both groups of their opinions regarding what age adolescents are considered adults, I received drastically different answers. The younger group felt as if ages 18-19 years old are considered adults related to society’s description of an adult, the independency promoted with high school graduation, and the onset of college. The older group felt as if ages 22-23 years old are considered adults primarily related to maturity, life experiences, and the beginning of an entry level career after completion of a college degree. Both groups felt as if college education was an expectation. All of the individuals interviewed currently have their degree in nursing with an active nursing license. Approximately one-third of those interviewed have their Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing and several of those interviewed possess recognizable specialty healthcare certifications. As an entirety, the group interviewed is healthy. Over half of those interviewed have no prior diagnoses regarding their state physical of health. The most obvious physical characteristic that both groups share is being overweight with eleven out of the twenty women interviewed currently being overweight according to their projected BMI. The entire population interviewed shared the mental challenge of overcoming the stress presented at work regarding difficult/challenging patients and all women interviewed believed they have compromised their safety while caring for a patient at one time or another in their career. When I asked this group what the usual sources of stress are, work was number one for all twenty women interviewed. The younger population interviewed stated that children/family and educational goals are some of their secondary sources of stress. The older population interviewed stated that aging/retirement and the health of other family members are their secondary sources of stress. Both groups primarily use the mountains/nature and outdoor activities, such as skiing and hiking, to cope with stress. Five of the individuals drive nearly sixty miles to work (one-way) daily, related to owning a home in the mountains to escape the â€Å"rush and chaos† of the city and helping to find a â€Å"balance in life†. Out of all twenty individuals interviewed, over 3/4 of the woman are married and/or have a significant other. When asked what their number one priority in life was, family was consistently number one. Most all other interests and goals were related to benefiting or bettering the family. Some of the answers named were continuing educational goals, buying a new home, having a baby, planning retirement, and helping their parents with activities of daily life. Of the cultural group identified, all of them share a team attitude while still exhibiting individualist perspectives unique to personal preferences and opinions. Neighborhood/Community Safety Denver is divided into about 80 different official neighborhoods within Denver County (City and County of Denver, 2011). Those 80 different neighborhoods have been divided into seven police and fire districts; including Denver International Airport with has its own district (Denver Police Department, 2014; Denver Fire Department, 2014). The average response time for the Denver Police Department varied in 2013 from 14.9 minutes to respond to urgent, emergency calls (from the time a 911 call was received to the time an officer arrived on the scene) to 16.9 minutes for an officer to respond to a non-emergency call (Maass, 2013). According to Lt. Matt Murray from the Denver Police Department, these slow response times  have been directly correlated with a lack of officers (Maass, 2013). According to Murray, the Denver Police Department can have as many as 1,426 officers and as of October 3, 2013, the Denver Police Department had only 1,350 officers (Maass, 2013). A new class of 70 recr uits are currently in training in hopes to decrease the department’s response times in 2014 (Maass, 2013). The Denver Fire Department maintains 34 different fire stations that are strategically split into seven districts (Denver Fire Department, 2014). Firefighter’s each work an average of three 24-hour shift with an average of 180 firefighter’s on-duty per shift (Denver Fire Department, 2014). The Denver Fire Department responds to a variety of calls including Fire Suppression, Rescue Operations, Hazardous Materials Response, Technical Rescue, Urban Search and Rescue, Water and Ice Rescue, High Angle Rope Rescue, Confined Space and Trench Rescue, Wildland Firefighting, and Emergency Medical Services. They also perform thousands of building inspections annually, daily training and certifications, public and community education, school fire drills, and organize other special events (Denver Fire Department, 2014). According to the Denver Fire Department 2012 Annual Report, there were a total of 101,531 alarms/calls made in 2012 that required the response of the fire department team (Maass, 2013). Out of those 101,531 calls made to the fire department, 54,350 were for medical calls, 8,103 were for auto accidents, 2,248 were for fires, and approximately 37,000 calls required other services or rescues (Maass, 2013). Denver County has a significant amount of violence, crime, and gang activity within the community. In January/February 2014 there were a total of 7,268 crimes captured by the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) (Denver Police Department, 2014). According to this reporting system, the crimes are broken down into four categories; (1) crimes against persons, (2) crimes against property, (3) crimes against society, and (4) all other offenses (Denver Police Department, 2014). The top two offenses in Denver County per category included (1) simple assault and aggravated assault, (2) larceny and criminal mischief/damaged property, (3) drug/narcotic violations and prostitution, and (4) disorderly conduct/disturbing the peace and  criminal trespassing (Denver Police Department, 2014). These figures are slightly elevated from a total of 6,822 crimes in January/February 2013 (Denver Police Department, 2014). There is a variety of different gang activity in Denver County. In 2003, Denver police estimated that there were 14,000 gang members in Denver who were affiliated with 220 different gangs (Gang activity in Denver, 2013). The Denver Police Department has since created gang prevention programs including education, a gang hotline, outreach programs for former gang members, crime stoppers anonymous tips hotline, and the Denver Police Department Gang Bureau (Denver Police Department, 2014). Even with gang prevention involvement in the community and with these prevention programs in place, from January-September 2013 there was a total of 143 total crimes that could be directly related to gang activity (Gurman, 2013). These crimes included homicides, sexual assault, robberies, and aggravated assault (Gurman, 2013). Denver County is also populated with a high level of alcohol and drug abuse. The availability of marijuana with the recent legalization of recreational marijuana makes marijuana the most widely abused drug in Denver County (Mendelson, 2014). Alcohol, methamphetamines, heroin, cocaine, and prescription drugs are all found within the city limits of Denver as well (Mendelson, 2014). Denver County is centrally located between two interstates; I-25 and I-70. These interstates have many different entry and exit points to and from the city that provide easier access for drug trafficking and other illegal activities. Denver County has many different programs protecting its air and water quality. The Environmental Quality Division (EQD) is responsible for a variety of measures including conducting compliance inspections of air emissions, monitoring pollutant levels, issuing permits, and constructing models of air pollutant levels in the Denver area (Department of Environmental Health, 2014a). In February 2014 Colorado became the first state to regulate methane emissions from hydraulic fracking (Kroh, 2014). This new regulation will directly increase water quality and decrease smog in the Denver area. The Department of Environmental Health (DEH) is responsible for monitoring the quality of water in Denver’s lakes and  streams. The DEH collects an average of 13,000+ water samples and conducts more than 50,000 tests annually to ensure that Denver’s drinking water is clean and safe (Department of Environmental Health, 2014c). The goal is for the city of Denver to have fishable and swim mable waters in all the lakes and streams by 2020 (Department of Environmental Health, 2014c). Denver’s Departments of Environmental Health, Public Works, and Parks and Recreation are all work together to ensure that the City meets this goal (Department of Environmental Health, 2014c). Denver’s current number one pollutant is trash and litter. Urban Drainage and Flood control district alone collects approximately 100 tons of trash from the streams and rivers in Denver annually (Department of Environmental Health, 2014b). There are several health risks living within Denver County. These risks include earthquakes, hazardous materials, winter storms, and severe thunderstorms with hail, lightening, tornados, and/or flooding (Office of Emergency Management, 2014b). Hit and run injuries have become an epidemic in Denver County with an increase in fatal crashes in Denver County. Denver police reported 18,662 hit-and-run accidents, both sustaining injuries and sustaining no injuries, during 2011-2013 (Hubbard, 2014). At least one person in Denver metro area is injured every day by a hit-and-run driver and nearly three times a month a pedestrian is fatally injured by a motorist who flees the scene (Hubbard, 2014). Colorado legislators have recently increased the potential prison sentence for hit-and-run cases resulting in bodily injury and/or death. They have also formalized an alert program to inform the public on suspects, vehicles, and/or license plate numbers in an attempt to help in track down perpetrators (Hubbard, 2014). Disaster Assessment and Planning The state of Colorado and city of Denver has worked hard to organize a variety of disaster and emergency preparedness plans within the community. One source of information, READYColorado, offers a variety of data sources for the community. Their website, READYColorado.com, offers awareness and disaster preparedness for a variety of natural disasters, technological disasters, and human caused disasters. The website also contains statistics, facts, and a calendar list of current events and training exercises. It offers links for volunteer opportunities regarding community involvement and educational classes and it also lists ways to stay informed of emergencies  from such sources such as radio, television, text, live twitter feeds, and blogs. Three critical facilities in Denver County include three specific venues; Coors Field with 50K capacity, The Pepsi Center with 19K capacity, and Sports Authority at Mile High Stadium with 76K capacity (City and County of Denver, 2011). The most vulnerable populations to these disasters are the 22.3% of households with children less than 18 years of age, the approximately 23,000 individuals 65+ that live independently, and the residents in 51 long term care facilities within Denver County (City and County of Denver, 2011). The primary disaster of concern for the Denver County is winter weather. Winter weather is an expectation living in Colorado. READYColorado contains information for home and vehicle preparation, emergency communications planning, proper dress for indoors and outdoors to protect the body from hypothermia, and hypothermia/frostbite warning signs. One can also find more information at Ready.gov, Colorado Department of Transportation, NOAA watch, and the American Red Cross regarding winter weather and the risks involved. Avalanches are of great threat to the mountainous regions of Colorado but do not pose a threat within Denver County. The risk of earthquakes is low in Denver County. However if an earthquake was to occur, the city would be very susceptible to extensive damage. Residencies and some of the older buildings in Denver are not made to withstand earthquakes and would most likely suffer damage to their structures (Office of Emergency Management, 2014b). Severe thunderstorms bringing hail, lightening, and tornados pose threats to the Denver County annually. Residents of the Colorado’s Front Range area are located in the heart of â€Å"Hail Alley† which begins mid-April and lasts through mid-August. The Front Range and Denver County receives a high frequency of large hail annually, averaging three to four hailstorms a year, and costing at least 25 million dollars in insured damage for each event (READYColorado and the State of Colorado, 2014b). Lightening poses the greatest threat to areas where the mountains and plains intersect (READYColorado and the State of Colorado, 2014b). Three deaths related to  lightning strikes have known to occur in Denver since 2001 (National Weather Service, 2011). Tornados pose a threat to all areas of Colorado; however tornados to not typically get high intensity ratings within Denver County (City and County of Denver, 2011). Flying debris from high winds cause most injuries. NOAA weathe r radio, telephone alerts, and television sources provide alerts severe thunderstorms and the destructive events that they bring. Denver County also has an outdoor warning siren system consisting of 76 electro-mechanical sirens that sound when there are tornado alerts and warnings (Office of Emergency Management, 2014a). Wildfire ignition by lightning is a bigger concern rural Colorado areas compared to the city. Respiratory problems can still result from the inhalation of smoke spread by wind. Wildfires burn thousands of acres and destroy hundreds of structures annually in Colorado. These fires are generally ignited by lightening or human causes and can easily be fueled by drought conditions, insect infestations, and heat. READYColorado offers information on risk assessment, home preparation, evacuation plans, and shelter information. More information regarding wildfires can be found at Ready.gov, Ready, Set, Go!, Surviving Wildfire, The Red Cross, US Fire Administration – FEMA, and Colorado State Forest Service websites. Colorado Wildfire Risk Assessment Portal is also a useful tool in determining fire risks. Currently, Denver’s fire risk is between lowest intensity and moderate intensity risk (Colorado State Forest Service, 2014). Flooding has a big impact on Colorado and in 2013 challenged many residents in the Denver area. NOAA Weather Radio, commercial radio, television, and internet sources provide information on flood watches and warnings, including flash floods in Denver County. Flash flooding along streams such as Cherry Creek, Clear Creek, and Harvard Gulch pose the greatest threats within the Denver area. The Corps of Engineers, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and the Urban Drainage and Flood Control District websites provide 2013 flood information, current projects, and resources for flooding preparation and damage control in Colorado. Health risks involved from flooding include contamination from bacteria (ie. E.coli), parasites (ie. giaria), and viruses (ie. Hepatitis A), respiratory infections from mold and other irritants, and bodily injury from swiftly moving currents, electricity hazards, and hypothermia. It is very important for all Denver County residents to be up to date with Tetanus  vaccinations. Terrorism poses a rather unpredictable threat to Denver County. Denver County has a large metropolis population and houses both government buildings and military installations, contains large sports stadiums and an international airport. It is known that failure of the Cherry Creek Dam would cause catastrophic damage to both life and property within Denver County (City and County of Denver, 2011). There have been known international and domestic terrorist groups identified in Colorado during previous years (City and County of Denver, 2011). Education regarding the â€Å"eight signs of terrorism† can be found at multiple terrorism related websites including READYColorado.com. Denver also has specialized units including Denver Police Department Mounted Patrol, S.W.A.T.(Special Weapons And Tactics) who’s primary objective deals with hostage negotiation, drug busts and counterterrorism (City and County of Denver, 2011). Hazardous material spill have an increase potential in Denver County related to the many different companies storing hazardous materials within city limits. There are approximately 400 facilities storing reportable quantities of hazardous materials on properties located throughout the county (Office of Emergency Management, 2014). Each company is regulated by law to hold emergency plans that would go into effect if an accidental release of substance was to occur. The interstates bring added risk to Denver County related to the traffic along I-25 and I-70. These two interstates pass through densely populated areas of Denver County Denver fire and police have Hazardous Materials Response teams in place that are trained to respond to such an event(s). Denver County has nearly a dozen different hospitals with a vast amount of public transportation options such as bicycle, RTD bus and light rail services, taxi cabs, car2go, and Lyft services. Denver County has excellent communications and response teams in the event of a disaster with a vast amount of online education; however this information is published mostly in the English language. With such a large population of homeless in Denver County and 18.9% of all households at or below poverty level (U.S. Census  Bureau, 2010), the internet is not a good primary option for learning. Also, approximately 28% of all households speak a language other than English (City and County of Denver, 2011). Community Diagnosis Denver County is a very strong community regarding the number of educated workforce, median household income, number of hospitals, amount of public ground transportation, the protection of air and water quality, and the number of fire and police with specialty training teams and programs operating within the community. There is a very small percentage of residents 65+ who live independently and slightly over 1/5 of all households have children less than 18 years of age. The primary language is English and the community culture has a good overall team mentality. Denver County’s birth rate double the death rate with the leading cause of death cardiovascular disease in a primary death rate existing in the population 85+ (Colorado Department of Public Health, 2012). Denver County has many open avenues regarding opportunities and readiness attitudes within community. The population of Denver County is approximately 50% male and 50% female with a median age of 33.7 years old (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010a). This provides the community with the opportunity to explore young ideas and diversity among sexes. Denver County has a large number of homeless population with approximately 1/5 of the total population at or below poverty. These numbers exceed the national average. Denver County has two specific food programs being utilized greatly; SNAP and WIC benefits. There is a high number of crime, violence, and gangs within Denver County. There is a high level of alcohol and drug abuse within the community as well. Specialized police teams and community resources/programs assist with deterring these types of activities and assist in recovery efforts for those individuals. Colorado has recently legalized recreational marijuana which could be positive in terms of tax revenue for the state and future funding of programs and resources for the community. There could also be negative consequences regarding adolescent drug use and the increase of impaired drivers on the streets; however these statistics have not yet been measured and studied. Denver County is  contains a 100% urban population. This is both a strength and weakness to the city in terms of emergency evacuation. There are three critical facilities that exist in Denver County at specific venues with a capacity between 19K and 76K (City and County of Denver, 2011). Denver County is centrally located between I-25 and I-70 which can be an opportunity for evacuation or a barrier regarding avenues for drug trafficking and other illegal activities. There is a high ratio of hit-and-run injuries and fatalities within Denver County. Colorado legislators have recently increased potential prison sentences for hit-and-run cases resulting bodily injury and/or death. They have also formalized an alert program to inform and involve the public as an attempt to help track down perpetrators. The formulation of a city-wide educational program focusing on the prevention of hit-and-run occurrences may be beneficial in reducing these numbers as well. It is important for the Denver Police Department to have quicker response times to both emergent and non-emergent calls. Hopefully with the addition of new recruits for the force who are currently in training, Denver County will see quicker response time to all calls made. This will also hopefully decrease the amount of gang-related crimes and deter community activity in general. It is evident that Denver County has a large trash and litter problem. The initiation of more trash cans and recycle containers parallel with city-wide education would be beneficial in decreasing this problem. It would also be of benefit to the community and the court systems to enact a community service program that revolved around helping clean up the neighborhoods and streets. Denver County has good disaster and emergency preparedness plans within the community; however educational resources to the public need to be explored with a variety of different materials and other languages for maximum effectiveness. The primary educational method is by internet with most of the materials written in the English language only. Nearly 1/3 of all households in Denver County speak a language other than English. References City and County of Denver. (2011, Oct). Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment. Retrieved March 8, 2014, fromhttp://www.google.com/url?sa=trct=jq=esrc=ssource =webcd=1ved=0CCUQFjAAurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.denvergov.org%2FPortals%2F428%2Fdocuments%2FDenver%2520Hazard%2520Identification%2520and%2520Risk%2520Assessment.pdfei=AvEtU6etF8OJogSh5oDwDwusg=AFQjCNEEQhg_2-JDt_OVeX3pIyYSKGcx9gbvm=bv.62922401,d.cGU Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. (n.d.). Health Statistics: 2012. Retrieved March 10, 2014, from http://www.google.com/url?sa=trct=jq=esrc=s source=webcd=1ved=0CCUQFjAAurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.chd.dphe.state.co .us%2FResources%2Fvs%2F2012%2FDenver.pdfei+I14tU9zPA-SNygGZ-IDYBwus G=AFQjCNH_VbyYxdRvmxNekgRu-y0LhIgrzwbvm=bv.62922401,d.aWc Colorado State Forest Service. (2014). Colorado Wildfire Risk Assessment Portal. Retrieved March 10, 2014, from http://www.coloradowildfirerisk.com/map Denver Fire Department. (2014, January 7). In Wikipedia. Retrieved March 9, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denver_Fire_Department Denver Police Department. (2014, January 6). Reported Offenses In The City And County Of Denver By Month. Retrieved March 8, 2014, from http://www.denvergov.org/police/ PoliceDepartment/CrimeInformation/CrimeStatisticsMaps/tabid/441370/Default.aspx Denver’s Water Quality Program. (2014, February 14). Sampling Results. Retrieved March 9, 2014, from https://www.facebook.com/DenversWaterQualityProgram?sk=app_190322 544333196app_data Department of Environmental Health. (2014a). Air Quality Program: Our Role In Protecting Air Quality. Retrieved March 9, 2014, from http://wwwdenvergov.org/environmental Health/EnvironmentalHealth/EnvironmentalQuality/EnvironmenatlAssessmentPolicy AirQuality/tabid/444649/Default.aspx Department of Environmental Health. (2014b). Water Quality Program: Trash and Litter. Retrieved March 9, 2014, from http://wwwdenvergov.org/environmentalhealth/ EnvironmentalHealth/EnvironmentalQuality/WaterQuality/tabid/444650/Default.aspx Department of Environmental Health. (2014c). Water Quality Program: Water Quality In Lakes and Streams. Retreived March 9, 2014, from https://wwwdenver.gov.org/environmental health/EnvironmentalHealth/EnvironmentalQuality/WaterQuality/tabid/444650/Default. Aspx Gang activity in Denver. (2013, August 17). In Wikipedia. Retrieved March 9, 2014, from http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gang_activity_in_Denver Gurman, Sadie. (2013, October 15). The Denver Post. Denver Police: Gang violence rises this year, involves more victims. Retrieved March 9, 2014, from http://www.denverpost.com /breakingnews/ci_24309448/denver-police-gang-violence-rises-this-year?source=rss Hubbard, Brent. (2014, Feburary 17). Rocky Mountain PBS. Hit-and-run fatal crashes rising in Colorado. Retrieved March 10, 2014, from http://www.coloradoan.com/article/201 40217/WINDSORBEACON01/302170069/Hit-run-fatal-crashes-rising-Colorado Kroh, Kiley. (2014, February 24). Climate Progress: Colorado Become The First State To Regulate Methane Emissions from Fracking. Retrieved March 9, 2014, from http:// thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/02/24/3322651/Colorado-methane-fracking/ Maass, Brian. (2013, October 3). CBS Denver. Denver Police Response Times Worsen, Complaints Rising. Retrieved March 9, 2014, from http://denver.cbslocal.com/2013/ 10/03/denver-police-response-times-worsen-complaints-rising/ Mendelson, Bruce. (2014, Feburary). National Institute on Drug Abuse. Drug Abuse Patterns and Trends in Colorado and the Denver/Boulder Metropolitan Area – Update: Jan 2014. Retrieved March 9, 2014, from http://www.drugabuse.gov/about-nida/organization/work groups-interest-groups-consortia/community-epidemiology-work-group-cewg/meeting- reports/highlights-summaries-january-2014-4 Metro Denver Homeless Initiative and National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty. (2013, January). The Gathering Place – Homelessness and Poverty Statistics. Retrieved On March 8, 2014, from http://www.tgpdenver.org/homelessnessfaq?printable National Weather Service. (2011, June 21). Colorado and National Lightning Casualty Statistics. Retrieved March 10, 2014, from http://www.crh.noaa.gov/pub/?n=/Itg/Itg_stats_index. php Office of Emergency Management. (2014a). Alert and Warning Systems. Retrieved March 10, 2014, https://www.denvergov.org/AlertandWarning/tabid/391430/default.aspx Office of Emergency Management. (2014b). Potential Threats. Retrieved March 9, 2014, from http://www.denvergov.org/Redirect_404/tabid/391429/Default.aspx? READYColorado and the State of Colorado. (2014a). Retrieved March 10, 2014, from https:// www.readycolorado.com/ READYColorado and the State of Colorado. (2014b). Severe Weather/Thunderstorm. Retrieved March 10, 2014, from https://www.readycolorado.com/hazard/severe-weatherthunder storm READYColorado and the State of Colorado. (2014c). Tornado. Retrieved March 10, 2014, from https://www.readycolorado.com/hazard/tornado READYColorado and the State of Colorado. (2014d). Wildfire. Retrieved March 10, 2014, from https://www.readycolorado.com/hazard/wildfire

Fall of the House of Usher :: essays research papers

The Fall of the House of Usher is definitely a piece written in Poe's usual style; a dark foreboding tale of death and insanity filled with imagery, allusion, and hidden meaning. It uses secondary meanings and underlying themes to show his beliefs and theories without actually addressing them. It convinces us without letting us know we're being convinced, and at the same time makes his complex thoughts relatively clear.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On the literal level the story is about a man (the narrator) visiting his boyhood friend who is suffering from â€Å"acuteness of the senses†. His friend, Roderick Usher, sent for him in hopes that his friend might afford him solace. Though his mental problems were a large part of his sorrow, most of it was due to his sister's illness. Much of the narrator's time at The House of Usher was spent reading philosophical books with Usher, apparently a great hobby of them both. One evening Usher came to the narrator and informed him â€Å"that the lady Madeline [Usher's sister] was no more.† He also informed him of his intentions of keeping her corpse for a fortnight in one of the many vaults in the house. Having no wish to oppose his wishes, the narrator helps him entomb the body at Usher's request. The mood in the house has worsened, and Usher is no longer himself. The narrator finds him ranting about the storm, and he explains to him its only a natural phenomenon, and turns to their earlier hobby of reading to distract him. He chooses the Mad Trist, which is apparently a story completely created by Poe (and is definitely in his style). It is a story of a Hero, Ethelred, who forcibly enters the home of a hermit and finds a dragon in his place. During his telling of the story, the narrator hears noises but dismisses them as coincidence. As he continued the sounds began to get louder, and eventually Usher speaks , â€Å"yes, I hear it, and have heard it ... We have put her living in the tomb!† At this point the reader still thinks Usher is mad and is hearing his sister in death (as did the character in The Tell Tale Heart), but soon that theory is disproven when the lady Madeline does indeed still live and enters the room killing her brother. The narrator flees at the sight of this and soon after the House of Usher collapses.

Love and Hatred of a not so different kind :: essays research papers

Tossed into the lockers Michael slides to the linoleum in pain. Not so much in his body, but in his heart. Foot, boots, shoes, all a blur jab into his stomach and groin, causing bright flashes to erupt in his head. His towel, ripped from around his body, he lay there naked. Vulnerability and shame paint his face along with silent tears that refuse to give his nemesis the satisfaction that they want. Closing his eyes he comes to the realization that no one will rescue him from his torment. Everyone in the locker room is involved. Fellow peers he had once known, shared confidences with, participated in the beating or stood watching from each side of him, cheering on Michael's attackers. Leaving their friend to suffer the blows. Michael looks up. Each boy stares evilly at him, hatred pouring from their eyes and dripping on to him, burning him, scolding his tender flesh. The words, more powerful then any knives and guns they could've used. Fag, queer, and other names are hurled at him like stones. How the others had found out he was gay was beyond his knowledge. He had been so secretive and eluded all the so-called gestures and behavior that would have made him the target of others, yet they had found out his secret. Nothing hurt him more then the words. Being deaf would have been easier than to face this. He longed for Travis, his boyfriend, to be here with him then the barrage of blows. I'm glad he's not here to witness this, he thinks to himself, giving him joy and satisfaction in a time like this. Saying a prayer to God he relaxes, preparing to be taken soon by His arms to a place far away from here, a place where he could be himself and not pretend anymore. Letting go would be so easy. Then I can finally rest. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the beating was over. Unbelieving he looked up into the eyes of his attackers, begging them silently. "You fag. We don't like your kind here." The boy pulled Michael to his feet, supporting him for he could no longer do it himself. His icy blue eyes pierced into Michael's soul. "Don't ever let me catch you in here. You need to go into the girl's locker room you queer. I don't want you looking at us.

Is Justified True Belief Knowledge Essay

â€Å"Is Justified True Belief Knowledge? † (The Gettier Problem) Background Epistemology: A theory of _____________ What do we mean when we claim to know something? What kinds of conditions must be satisfied in order for a claim to become knowledge? Note: we are interested in __________________ knowledge here (S knows that p), not knowledge of how to do things (e. g. , knowing how to ride a bike) The tripartite theory of knowledge – knowledge as justified true belief (JTB) The truth condition We can’t know something that is false. We may think that we know, but it would simply be a mistake. The belief condition If we claim to know that p, we must believe that p. We cannot â€Å"know† something and yet do not â€Å"believe† in it. (Even though we can still believe in a claim that we don’t know about†¦) In other words, believing is a _____________ condition for knowing, while knowing is a ______________ condition for believing. The Justification condition Simply holding a true belief is not enough; we must also be able to give support to our belief. Example of a true belief that we don’t consider knowledge: But why is a ___________ true belief more valuable than a __________ true belief? Traditionally, philosophers have been pretty satisfied with the tripartite theory of knowledge. The three conditions set out above are individually necessary, and jointly sufficient, for knowledge claims. Now, this tripartite theory of knowledge is precisely the target of Edmund Gettier’s 1963 paper â€Å"Is Justified True Belief Knowledge? † Recall the pragmatic purpose of an argument: to persuade your audience of a proposition that they don’t already believe. Gettier’s argument serves this purpose by challenging a commonly accepted notion of knowledge (knowledge as JTB). First, Gettier lays out two assumptions of his argument Justification is ____________________One can be justified in believing something that is in fact ___________________. One is justified in believing a proposition that one has been validly deduced from another statement, i. e. , if one is justified in believing P, and if P entails Q, then one is justified in believing Q. Method of _____________ examples: Gettier has produced two examples that 1) satisfy the tripartite conditions of knowledge; yet 2) we are not inclined to consider them knowledge. Case 1: â€Å"The man who will get the job has 10 coins in his pocket† Case 2: â€Å"Either Jones owns a Ford, or Brown is in Barcelona† In both examples, the â€Å"knowers† have a justified true belief, but __________ plays an important role in both examples†¦ Constructing a Gettier case: Case 3: You see your professor passed out at the Corner Pub. So, you believe in the following proposition P: Prof. S was drinking at the Corner Pub tonight. Suppose you are justified in believing in proposition P: your professor told you that she was going to the Corner Pub; you know that your professor is a lightweight; the person you saw passed out has a stack of quizzes on the chair next to her. Now, it is in fact true that Prof. S was drinking at the Corner Pub tonight. However, the person you saw was actually her identical twin sister. She came to visit your professor, and the two of them went to the Corner Pub for drinks. You saw your prof’s sister passed out while your prof was getting a taxi outside. 1 / 2 So, even though you have a justified true belief, do you have knowledge? Two possible solutions to the Gettier problem: Strengthen justification – a claim that is truly justified cannot be false (denying Gettier’s first assumption) Find the fourth condition! Knowledge is justified true belief + something else POWERED BY TCPDF (WWW. TCPDF. ORG).

Free Essays on GIs And Frauleins

In this book, Hohn takes a look at various aspects of the personal and social interactions between the American GI’s and the German civilian population. In the end she comes to the conclusion that then Germans assessed these changes in their lives as a process of Americanization rather than that of Westernization or furthermore modernization. One can say that she substantiated this thesis entirely based upon a number of points. First and foremost, the Germans adapted the American social views on sexuality. This was much to the contrary of even their neighbours to the West France, who were much opposed to this ideology. Second, was the Germans adaptation of America’s role for women in the work place. Many of the German women found great paying jobs working in the U.S. military base. This was much to the opposition of the German Conservatives, and to the views of many throughout Europe who felt the woman’s job was at home. Third, was the implantation of American se gregation of the blacks from the whites that became introduced later in the fifties. This was quite the contrary to what was the case prior to this Americanization. For as General Colin Powell once said of his service in Germany in 1958 that, â€Å"for blacks, especially those out of the South, Germany was a breath of freedom. For as this Americanization took place Germany went from the number one requested spot for black soldiers to one of the least.† Take those examples along with the Germans assimilations of American fashion, music, and overall lifestyle one can easily say that Hohn substantiated her Thesis. The basis for Hohn’s research is quite extensive, actually she went well beyond extensive almost to the point of being absurd. The bibliography section of her book is twenty-six pages long, which goes to prove her research was quite extensive. One would have to say that she made extensive use of archival material, for a lot of the things she used she called prim... Free Essays on GI's And Frauleins Free Essays on GI's And Frauleins In this book, Hohn takes a look at various aspects of the personal and social interactions between the American GI’s and the German civilian population. In the end she comes to the conclusion that then Germans assessed these changes in their lives as a process of Americanization rather than that of Westernization or furthermore modernization. One can say that she substantiated this thesis entirely based upon a number of points. First and foremost, the Germans adapted the American social views on sexuality. This was much to the contrary of even their neighbours to the West France, who were much opposed to this ideology. Second, was the Germans adaptation of America’s role for women in the work place. Many of the German women found great paying jobs working in the U.S. military base. This was much to the opposition of the German Conservatives, and to the views of many throughout Europe who felt the woman’s job was at home. Third, was the implantation of American se gregation of the blacks from the whites that became introduced later in the fifties. This was quite the contrary to what was the case prior to this Americanization. For as General Colin Powell once said of his service in Germany in 1958 that, â€Å"for blacks, especially those out of the South, Germany was a breath of freedom. For as this Americanization took place Germany went from the number one requested spot for black soldiers to one of the least.† Take those examples along with the Germans assimilations of American fashion, music, and overall lifestyle one can easily say that Hohn substantiated her Thesis. The basis for Hohn’s research is quite extensive, actually she went well beyond extensive almost to the point of being absurd. The bibliography section of her book is twenty-six pages long, which goes to prove her research was quite extensive. One would have to say that she made extensive use of archival material, for a lot of the things she used she called prim...

Marilyn Manson essays

Marilyn Manson essays This band is a twist of Iggy Pop, KISS, and Alice Coopper. Starting in South Florida as a small industrial Goth band, Marilyn Manson has changed the mainstream music of today. They have come to be a leader and paved the way for other shock-rock bands. Just coming out with his fifth album this week, he will continue reaching out to rebellious teenagers that need some support. Marilyn Manson has been hitting charts because of their songs and lyrics, show performances, and public attention. One of the reasons why Marilyn Manson is famous today is because of their undefined musically talents. They are a five piece band which includes singer Marilyn Manson, lead guitarist Twiggy Ramirez, bassist John5, drummer Ginger Fish, and on keyboards M.W. Gacy. Each member has been playing music since childhood. Putting these musician's talents and creative minds together, they have accomplished more than most bands around. Unlike many artists today Manson with help from Ramarize writes and produces all songs that go onto their albums. Their lyrics are very skillfully written so that they will attract public attention and listeners. Manson gets lyrics from his personal thoughts and tragedies that happen to him. On their bands fourth album, he wrote about his girlfriends drug addiction in a song called Coma White, "A pill to make you numb, A pill to make you dumb, A pill to make you anybody else, But all the drugs in this world won't save her from herself." In this new album calle d Holywood, Manson was inspired by the violence he sees in entertainment and how it is affecting children and the world. Touring the world, visiting countries across the globe, and selling out concerts have been the role of Marilyn Manson since they became popular with the public in the mid-nineties. The band works hard to entertain their fans with new and outrageous performances. Most of their earnings from touring and album sales go into the performances and live sh...

Teaching the Functional Skill of Tooth Brushing

Teaching the Functional Skill of Tooth Brushing Tooth brushing is both an important functional life skill and an appropriate skill for school intervention.   Other functional life skills like showering may be appropriate in residential settings, but its necessary to remember that only a small minority of students are in residential placements   In that way, tooth brushing is a pivotal skill in a way  that will lead to success in other task analysis based skill programs.  Once a student understands how completing one step leads to the next, they will more quickly acquire new skills.   Tooth Brushing Task Analysis First, you need to start with a task analysis, which lays out the discrete steps that a child must complete in order to complete the entire task. These need to be operationalized or described in a clear way that any two observers would see the behavior and identify it in the same way.  Below is a straightforward task analysis. Remove toothpaste and toothbrush from the drawerTurn on cold waterWet toothbrush     Ã‚  Ã‚     Remove cap from toothpaste     Ã‚  Ã‚  Squeeze 3/4 inch of  toothpaste on bristles   Ã‚  Ã‚     Place brush with toothpaste into the top right side of the mouthBrush up and downPlace brush into the left top sideBrush up and downRepeat on right bottomRepeat on left bottomBrush front top and bottom teethRinse mouth with water from water glass  Ã‚  Rinse your brush in the sinkReplace brush and toothpasteTurn off water Instructional Strategy Once you have a task analysis that fits your students need, you have to choose how you will teach it.   Students with a significantly disabling disability may need either forward or backward chaining, teaching one or two steps at a time, mastering each before moving on, or  your student may be able to learn the whole task, using visual prompts, or even a list, for students with strong language skills. Forward Chaining:  Forward chaining  is recommended for a student who is capable of learning multiple steps quickly, over a short span of time.  A student with good receptive language may respond quickly to modeling and some verbal prompting. You will want to be sure that the student exhibits mastery of the first two or three steps without prompting before moving on, but you will be able to expand the steps quickly.   Ã‚   Backward Chaining:  Backward chaining  is recommended for students who do not have strong language.  By performing the early steps hand over hand while naming them, you will be giving your student repeated practice in the steps for tooth brushing while building receptive vocabulary, and as you get closer to the end, you will withdraw prompting for the last steps, while keeping the reinforcement for completion closest to successful completion of the task.   Complete Task: This is the most successful with children with high functional skills. They may even be able to complete the task with a written checklist.   Visual Schedule In each of these strategies, a visual schedule would be helpful. Creating a picture schedule with the student completing each step (heavily edited, of course,) is a very effective way to support student success. The visual schedule can be reviewed before you brush teeth or can be placed on the counter. Try using laminated pictures with a hole punched in the corner, bound with a binder ring. You could also make a flip book using two rings at the top of the pictures, having the students lift and flip each page.   Evaluating Success In order to determine whether your student is making progress, youll want to be sure you are not over prompting which may easily lead to prompt dependence.

Problematical Aspects Encountered When Using The English Language Essay

Problematical Aspects Encountered When Using The English Language - Essay Example English grammar also recognizes the importance of the â€Å"aspect†, which is considered to be â€Å"a cover term for those properties of a sequence that constitute the temporal structure of the event denoted by the verb and its arguments† (ibid.). In his â€Å"Translating English Perfect Tenses into Arabic† study, Hassan A.H. Gadalla develops the idea of Kerstens, Ruys & Zwarts (1996–2001), that the English language contains four tense forms (past, present, future, future-in-the-past or conditional) and that for every one of these tenses there exist four â€Å"aspectual references† (simple, progressive, perfect and perfect progressive). Either one of the verbal tenses can, therefore, admit an aspect, in order to express a certain idea regarding the moment in which the presented action occurs. According to the previous definitions and ideas, the use of the English tenses and aspects is primarily influenced by the speaker’s intention regarding the framing of time that he wishes to offer to his communicational sentence. Furthermore, this essay will develop the appropriate theories and real situations in order to exemplify the usage of the English Perfect Tenses, in both English native communication and in translation. Considering these aspects regarding time value in an action and discussing the issues that may occur is vital for the appropriate transmission of the message, since English grammar offers a wide range of examples and situations in which the knowledge, and therefore the correct usage of aspects and tenses tends to have a great impact on the communication activity. Moreover, when translating from English to other languages, an adequate understanding of the linguistic phenomena such as transferring the modal aspects or perfect expressions into a language with different grammar and tenses usage probably is the most important part of the process.

Patient Teaching Plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Patient Teaching Plan - Assignment Example Diabetes is a chronic disease which necessitates changes in lifestyle, particularly in the field of nutrition and exercise. The overall objective of this lesson is to assist the patient i.e. Mr. Don Jones with a proper course of action to deal with diabetes and to make self-governed behavioral changes. The study materials for understanding the basic information about diabetes can be found in several websites (Northshore University, 2009). Fundamental and complex thoughts about diabetes are identified and explained completely. Furthermore, connection between different perceptions of diabetes are recognized. 2. Understand the symptoms of diabetes Identification of indications and symptoms which helps to recognize the existence of diabetes among individuals. This lesson requires providing education on the aspects of monitoring blood glucose as well as urine. The patient i.e. Mr. Jones will be reminded about recording information with proper date and time so that he can understand any si gns and symptoms such as urinary band and renal disease among others (Northshore University, 2009). Learning objectives are identified and are fulfilled appropriately. 3. ... He needs to understand how different food products can have a harmful effect on his health as they might increase his blood sugar level. Thus, the patient will be taught about the direction of gathering proper blood samples. Researches have depicted that patients having proper education on comprehending the information about blood sugar level can make better analysis of information (Nadeau, Koski, Strychar & Yale, 2001). The teaching materials are prearranged with brief explanations and finalized in a proper manner. 4. Prepare, combine and vaccinate insulin when required Demonstration of drawing up and injecting insulin to the patients The diabetes patient i.e. Mr. Jones must be prompted about different treatments so that he can manage diabetes as well as can maintain proper diet. Several patients with diabetes frequently become disheartened or despondent while taking medications or insulin. Thus, the teaching session would comprise an appraisal of different types of insulin and the process of blending insulin. This session would also help to clarify the patients regarding management of insulin and medications, and also about the significance of taking therapies as recommended with proper dosage. He will be provided books on diabetes as a part of education material. However, keeping in view that Mr. Jones has a 6th grade reading level and poor eyesight, his diabetes education material would comprise a number of images related to Do’s and Don’ts so that it is easier for him to understand (Northshore University, 2009). The patient is capable of implementing the knowledge appropriately for managing diabetes. 5. Understand risk of side effects from food or medicines Recognition of possible known risks with respect to side effects for medicine and foods

Is the EU's Application of Its Emissions Trading Scheme to Aviation Article

Is the EU's Application of Its Emissions Trading Scheme to Aviation Illegal - Article Example The review to this literature is comprehensive. The authors give outlines of the ETS and further elaborate on each with recent research and literature findings where applicable. There is a perceptual sense of lack of fully detailed accounts regarding the cases involved despite the fact the necessary references carry weight (Bisset & Crowhurst, 2011). The authors try to explain the different outlines regarding ETS of which include the overview of the ETS, aviation in ETS, relevant EU legislation, procedural route, and lastly the case of the claimants. This last overview of the case of the claimants is further subdivided into four sub-categories namely, international customary law, convention of Chicago 1944; 16, the Kyoto protocol; 17 and finally the EU-US agreement on open skies 2007.18. The writers gave a better understanding of legalities both legally and illegally in a run-up to understanding the case studies involved. This is case study project is qualitative, and the authors use given cases to accomplish their studies. Usage of this method is evident in that the specifically mentioned cases are presented in the document to some detailed degree (Bisset & Crowhurst, 2011). The feeling here is that the authors have given a good account of the legalities. Hence making the objectives of the case study appropriate. The authors begin their case studies by providing cause of a dispute concerning why the EU wants to apply its emissions trading plan to aviation and what the repercussions could be. The authors use documentation gathered from the Internet while presenting these case studies.  

International Business Operations Management Essay - 1

International Business Operations Management - Essay Example And production tends to be variable across the range of products which are usually made 'to-order'. Further, there may be a lapse in time between orders and delivery, due a 'bottle-neck' in the change-over of production methods (Perison, Brown, Easton, & Howard, 2002). Thus, with this traditional form of operations management, the process is labour intensive and idle time is much more likely. Organizations are making the switch from batch production to a more linear and continuous form of operations. This paper will review the effects of the switch from batch to line processing for a fictional Company. Firstly, a definition of line processing will be given. Secondly, an evaluation of the effect the change will have on five core areas of operations will be provided (marketing, accounting, finance, human resources and information systems). Finally, a conclusion shall synthesize the main points and support the use of line processing for the Company. A definition of line processing is a method of mass production that is high volume and extremely cost efficient because it is not labour intensive (Shim & Siegel, 1999). There is minimum changeover of equipment, processes and staff when products are being manufactured, due to the standardization and minimization of a product range (Horngren, Foster, Datar, & Srikant, 2000). Higher profit margins are expected because of higher sales. Costs are saved across the whole management system and there are better quality products and improved delivery service, making the Company more cost competitive.Looking to Accounting systems of the Company, this department would have contributed to team discussions by using linear programming to forecast which product/s were to be deleted from the range, or which to be outsourced to smaller manufacturers if they were profitable (Pizzey, 1989). Accounting would also have been responsible for input as to the potential sales increases expected from the oper ations change-over. Also, the department would have advised on the positive changes to inventory systems with line processing, as the method would allow for 'just-in-time' production. Cost savings and the ability to order stock more consistently rather than rely on storage, would make the Company more cost efficient (Horngren et al., 2000). The savings would be passed onto staff in the form of simplifying bookkeeping management, and increasing wages. Turning now to Finance, this department would need to have provided simulations and forecasts of the process selection of production methods to achieve increased sales and profits (Mayle, Bettley, & Tantoush, 2005). As sensitivity analyzers, the Finance staff would have determined the pessimistic, actual or optimistic volume expected from making the switch. Estimates of time, costs and cash inflows contribute to predicting the economic life of an organization, and help determine when the proposed changes will come into effect. The net present value and future capital investments of the switch as established by simulations would indicate whether the change be financed internally or externally (i.e., through investors or loans) (Horngren et al., 2000). This establishes the product life cycle in the global market at the moment.The Marketing department would have involved themselves in potential advertising costs. It is unlikely that branding would have been effected with the

Please describe how you interprete the notion of underserved and at Essay

Please describe how you interprete the notion of underserved and at risk populations and communities. Please provide specific examples of how you have worked with underserved and at risk populations - Essay Example Although I did not have a background in teaching, I volunteered to teach French and Math to elementary school children living in the camp. I consider the refugee children living in the camp both underserved and at risk because they had little or no access to vital services and amenities including education and sanitation among others, and yet faced greater risk of suffering malnutrition and certain diseases than the general public. There were no books; just pencils, paper, chalk, and a blackboard. Access to education for these refugee children had a significantly impact their lives and gave them the hope of having many opportunities in life. Currently, I volunteer at Emergency Community Health and Outreach (ECHO) to increase awareness about health and safety issues to recent refugees who immigrated to Minnesota. In March 2013, I collaborated with the Hopkins Fire Department to develop and implement courses on fire safety for these recent immigrants. I consider the refugees that I attended to as being underserved and at risk considering that they had little access to education and other services and yet were more prone to suffering malnutrition, fire disasters, and diseases compared to the general public. Most of the participants in this program had no previous knowledge of fire safety and what to do in the event of a fire, which put this population in potential danger in the wake of a fire emergency. However, having language barrier was a major challenge for them as they were unable to communicate in English. Having interpreters present during the lessons significantly helped some of the refugees. However, there were ma ny participants who had to contend with learning without interpreters. Without interpreters, many of the participants faced a lot of difficulties trying to understand and grasp what taught. Regardless, we successfully educated the refugees. In conclusion, an underserved population is basically a group of

International Business Operations Management Essay - 1

International Business Operations Management - Essay Example And production tends to be variable across the range of products which are usually made 'to-order'. Further, there may be a lapse in time between orders and delivery, due a 'bottle-neck' in the change-over of production methods (Perison, Brown, Easton, & Howard, 2002). Thus, with this traditional form of operations management, the process is labour intensive and idle time is much more likely. Organizations are making the switch from batch production to a more linear and continuous form of operations. This paper will review the effects of the switch from batch to line processing for a fictional Company. Firstly, a definition of line processing will be given. Secondly, an evaluation of the effect the change will have on five core areas of operations will be provided (marketing, accounting, finance, human resources and information systems). Finally, a conclusion shall synthesize the main points and support the use of line processing for the Company. A definition of line processing is a method of mass production that is high volume and extremely cost efficient because it is not labour intensive (Shim & Siegel, 1999). There is minimum changeover of equipment, processes and staff when products are being manufactured, due to the standardization and minimization of a product range (Horngren, Foster, Datar, & Srikant, 2000). Higher profit margins are expected because of higher sales. Costs are saved across the whole management system and there are better quality products and improved delivery service, making the Company more cost competitive.Looking to Accounting systems of the Company, this department would have contributed to team discussions by using linear programming to forecast which product/s were to be deleted from the range, or which to be outsourced to smaller manufacturers if they were profitable (Pizzey, 1989). Accounting would also have been responsible for input as to the potential sales increases expected from the oper ations change-over. Also, the department would have advised on the positive changes to inventory systems with line processing, as the method would allow for 'just-in-time' production. Cost savings and the ability to order stock more consistently rather than rely on storage, would make the Company more cost efficient (Horngren et al., 2000). The savings would be passed onto staff in the form of simplifying bookkeeping management, and increasing wages. Turning now to Finance, this department would need to have provided simulations and forecasts of the process selection of production methods to achieve increased sales and profits (Mayle, Bettley, & Tantoush, 2005). As sensitivity analyzers, the Finance staff would have determined the pessimistic, actual or optimistic volume expected from making the switch. Estimates of time, costs and cash inflows contribute to predicting the economic life of an organization, and help determine when the proposed changes will come into effect. The net present value and future capital investments of the switch as established by simulations would indicate whether the change be financed internally or externally (i.e., through investors or loans) (Horngren et al., 2000). This establishes the product life cycle in the global market at the moment.The Marketing department would have involved themselves in potential advertising costs. It is unlikely that branding would have been effected with the

Week 4 b-3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Week 4 b-3 - Essay Example It also arises from the alternating schedules of the respective patients. Additionally, patients commonly have busy schedules and end up missing doses. Patients usually exhibit this form of non-adherence, comprehend their prescription, and they like to adhere appropriately in most situations. However, it is challenging to comply because the level of complexity existing in their lives interferes with their efforts of adherence or because they do not prioritize the management of their medical conditions. Patients, who have changing schedules of work or disorganized lifestyles, may use the plan to ease the difficulty in establishing their habit of a new medication regimen. The strategy that practitioners must consider is the plan for emphasizing on patients adherence during the weekends as most individuals adhere during the weekdays. Within the plan, they can incorporate the strategies to develop an erratic adherence centre on the simplification of the regimen, for instance, initiating a once-a-day dosing (Kocurek, 2009). The plan must establish new habits by linking, for instance, keeping the drugs next to the toothpaste or toothbrush. Additionally, they can encourage the use of memory aids and cues such as pill organizers to assist in the enforcement of adherence (McCall, Dunbar-Jacob & Puskar,

Religion as a Synonym of Ignorance Essay Example for Free

Religion as a Synonym of Ignorance Essay Is the church as solid and strong as it seems? In â€Å"The Very Old Man with Enormous Wings†, Garcia Marquez uses magical realism to challenge religious beliefs; hence, proving religion is not what is seems. To begin with, when the old man with enormous wings lands in Elisenda and Pelayo’s courtyard and after concluding that the man must be someone who survived a shipwreck they call their neighbor to see him. Their neighbor proclaims right away that he must be an angel. Her reaction to the man with wings is purely influenced by faith. She blindly assumes things based on what she has been taught her whole life: Hes an angel, she told them. He must have been coming for the child, but the poor fellow is so old that the rain knocked him down. (Garcia Marquez 1) This shows how religion influences the interpretation of various events; hence, limiting them to find a deeper or more meaningful significance to any situation. Pelayo’s reaction is guided by fear and insecurity, which somehow is portrayed in the story to symbolize that the Church institution, generates fear instead of preaching God’s word. How Garcia Marquez describes the angel is a critique to the Church due to the fact that it is described as a ragpicker in a pitiful condition and extremely old. Pelayo judges the angel on his appearance. Wasn’t the angel supposed to look all white, attractive and divine such as church says? If he was this way, then Pelayo would most likely honor and respect him rather than treat him like an animal; this doesn’t only ruin the idea the Church has about an angel, but also results very disappointing, meaning that after all, religion results to be a disappointment. Garcia Marquez clearly describes how Colombian society is, and how ignorant they are due to religion. The town expresses hope and expectations are the angel’s visit. Many had big dreams and had relied on this angel to put an end to all their problems as if he was sent down from God. These expectations however are not rational; they are based on their beliefs and the emotions that this angel had generated. Humans in general are always looking for the easy way out and the simplest way to put their problems to an end. This angel served as the answer they had all hoped for; likewise, religion does this in a daily basis. Religious people rely the blame on God for what happens around them, whether its good or bad, it is the easiest way to justify life’s actions limiting human’s chance of thinking for themselves; therefore, they are ignorant. As we go further, critiques towards religion and ignorance continue. One of the strongest is probably when Father Gonzaga, gives his verdict about if the visitor was an angel or not. He tells people the Old Man is not an angel in view of his appearance, and when he tries to communicate with him in Latin he gets no response; that being the case, ignorance takes over again and people believe churchmen simply because of the position they have in society. Catholics often believe the Church knows everything about life, and so they must believe everything they say as if they could not think for themselves. Father Gonzaga felt somehow threatened by the angel’s presence because he could no longer be in the position he was and the angel would be seen as superior to him due to his divinity. â€Å"The parish priest had his first suspicion of an imposter when he saw that he did not understand the language of God or know how to greet His ministers. † (Garcia Marquez 2). He takes advantage of the situation when the Old Man does not answer in the language of jesus, ridiculing him and making himself look once again closer to God rather than the Old man. In addition, the final conclusion about that the old man is a norwegian sailor once again ridicules the Church showing such absurd assumptions; nevertheless, he dares to create comparisons to argument his final word about the impostor the angel was, â€Å"He argued that if wings were not the essential element in determining the difference between a hawk and an airplane, they were even less so in the recognition of angels. † (Garcia Marquez 2). Furthermore, taking the whole Church as a character compared with the angel himself we can see the contrast of true religion and the human representation of it. Meaning that the angel symbolizes religion itself, and the church represents the institution that has corrupted this divine word. Church manipulates everything to be more powerful. In contrast, the angel is extremely patient, he isn’t affected by what people were doing to him and through magical realism, Garcia Marquez manages to create a situation in which church and humans can be looked upon ridiculously because the angel uses all of the things against him to grow strong and flee; wherefore, religion is a bigger authority and more valuable than church as an institution. To conclude, throughout the whole story we can witness how Garcia Marquez uses magical realism fusing the reality of Colombian society and the divinity and fiction of an angel. He generates a critique towards religion stating that religion acts as a blindfold and limits humans to think beyond what they are taught to believe in; hence, we can understand that religion in the story can perfectly fit as a synonym for ignorance.

Marketing plan and strategic options of Whitbread

Marketing plan and strategic options of Whitbread Introduction Strategic planning is the core of the work of an organisation. Without a strategic framework you dont know where you are going or why you are going there. So, then, it doesnt really matter how you get there! A strategy is an overall approach and plan. So, strategic planning is the overall planning that facilitates the good management of a process. Strategic planning takes you outside the day-to- day activities of your organisation or project. It provides you with the big picture of what you are doing and where you are going. Strategic planning gives you clarity about what you actually want to achieve and how to go about achieving it, rather than a plan of action for day-to-day operations This is all that we are going to learn from this. Task 1 About Whitbread Whitbread PLC is the UKs largest hotel and Restaurant Company operating market-leading businesses in the budget hotels and restaurant sectors. Its brands include Premier Inn, Beefeater, Table Table, Brewers Fayre, Taybarns and Costa Coffee. Whitbread PLC employs 35,000 people and serves 9 million customers every month in its 2,000 outlets across the UK. Whitbread PLC is a FTSE 100 company, listed on the London Stock Exchange. It is also a member of the FTSE4Good Index External Factors affecting Whitbread Whitbread is a family of brands, all of which are in the business of providing hospitality in one shape or form. The major external factors affecting the Whitbread are as below: Globalization: The main reason globalization affects hotel industry is through economy and transportation. Economically countries depend on one another; if one countries economy recesses it can in turn make many other countries economies suffer. Therefore there will be less money spent on luxury activities in both countries. Another affect of globalization on Whitbread is the many different cultures represented in cities and communities across the UK. These different cultures bring different food and recreational activities to their communities Economic conditions: In economic recession people lose jobs or tend to save their money because they do not know when things are going to get better. When people curtail spending due to an economic recession, the first thing they stop spending money on is luxury items. These items include: going out to eat at restaurants, going on trips, and basic recreation. These three activities are part of Whitbread Company; therefore, the Whitbread is one of the first industries to get hurt when the economy recesses. In economic expansion people have more money and tend to spend more money on things like vacations, going to eat at restaurants, and recreation. Political conditions: Political power can be defined as the ability to persuade lawmakers, society, or regulators to take steps that influence a firms actions or performance. For example, a politically strong customer group might influence government to enact legislation to protect its rights, or a politically strong media participant may be able to influence people to avoid certain restaurants or hotels. Weather: Weather has a major affect on hotel industry, for example a tropical resort may lose customers when it rains or is really windy, so these resorts might have a policy that states if you leave early because of weather there will be no refunded money. An example of weather affecting Whitbread is snow. This year the winter is already started with a big chill across the UK and people really dont wish to go out is such a frosty and snowy weather as there are more chances of having difficulties and injuries by slipping. Analysis of Major changes in external environment The major changes that are happening in the external environment that are going to affect the strategy are as below: Change of economic conditions: As we all know that the economy is still going down despite of the various possible alternatives tried by the UK government. There is no relief from the job redundancy and inflation which is going up every day. This is definitely having an effect on the pocket of the normal man and thus the strategy of handing a business will surely change. Political Factors: We just had a new government and is trying to bring in lot many changes in various policies like visa policy, taxes and many more. These changes will definitely bring change in the number of people visiting UK for holidays etc. And this will have a major impact on the hotel industry. Environmental factors: The environment is changing day by day with a high speed and the organizations have to change their strategy of work accordingly. Whitbread like all other organizations has to go with an environmental and energy policy that should make sure that the environment is protected and the energy is saved. Needs and Expectations of stakeholders People including employees, customers, share holders are all the stakeholders in the organization. A key part is to understand the needs and demands of the stakeholders. The stakeholders of the Whitbread have some expectations and demands from the organization and they are described as below: Focusing investment Growth in expanding sectors Outstanding performance Good quality Service Efficient Management Value for money Excellent logistics Reliability Security Task 2 Tools to analyse current business plan SWOT Analysis: In the world of business, conducting a SWOT analysis can be a useful tool when trying to assess the companys current situation as well as the surrounding marketplace. The results of a SWOT analysis often are used by companies to plan future strategies and make internal changes that are deemed necessary. Its a project or business planning tool used by companies to evaluate the feasibility of the business venture or project against competition and against external business conditions beyond their control Strengths and weaknesses of Whitbread business strategy Strengths Big Chain of Hospitality industry Globally diverse Tourists visiting UK Demand supply gap of rooms due to Olympics in 2012 Cultural Diversity Increase in Market Share Eco friendly Good Together Programme Brand Name Weaknesses Susceptible to Political Conditions Position of Whitbread in Market Marketplace covers a wide range of consumer and business issues. For Whitbread, the key areas include healthier lifestyles, food safety, environment, sustainability, outlet accessibility for all customers, listening to their customers needs and developing mutually beneficial relationships with suppliers and contractors. Whitbread are extremely proud of the high operational standards they set, but they are never complacent and are always looking for new ways to improve their business offer. Recent successes include: Big Tick Award for its Skills for Life Programme Bronze Award in Business in the Communitys 7th Corporate Responsibility Index Hotel Report Awards 2009 Alan Parker Named Individual of the Year PubChef Food Excellence Awards, Food Operator of the Year (branded) Top 20 Most Admired Companies 2008 [Whitbread, Dec 2010] Task 3 Modelling Tool to develop strategic options SWOT or TOWS analysis helps you get a better understanding of the strategic choices that you face. (Remember that strategy is the art of determining how youll win in business and life.) It helps you ask, and answer, the following questions: How do you: Make the most of your strengths? Circumvent your weaknesses? Capitalize on your opportunities? Manage your threats? A next step of analysis, usually associated with the externally-focused TOWS Matrix, helps you think about the options that you could pursue. To do this you match external opportunities and threats with your internal strengths and weaknesses, as illustrated in the matrix below: This helps you identify strategic alternatives that address the following additional questions: Strengths and Opportunities (SO) How can you use your strengths to take advantage of the opportunities? Strengths and Threats (ST) How can you take advantage of your strengths to avoid real and potential threats? Weaknesses and Opportunities (WO) How can you use your opportunities to overcome the weaknesses you are experiencing? Weaknesses and Threats (WT) How can you minimize your weaknesses and avoid threats? The options you identify are your strategic alternatives, and these can be listed in the appropriate quadrant of the TOWS worksheet. [Mind tools, Dec 2010] Understanding of activity in Market Whitbread Group, the UKs largest hospitality firm, is undergoing an IT-enabled transformation program to drive international expansion and operational improvements. Over the past few years, the firm sold many non-core businesses, which has brought a fundamental change in the technology function. The new plan means that Whitbreads IT is more focused on making the firm competitive than it was five years ago, when the main concern was cost and managing complexity. Few roles have also changed, taking on responsibility for IT and international business. IT is crucial to Whitbreads hotel business, through applications such as room inventory, as well as revenue management and self-service kiosks. Whitbreads IT programme, dubbed Simply Better, aims to make applications and infrastructure simpler to use and cheaper to operate, so the firm uses mainly off-the-shelf software apart from in areas such as the web. Driving the adoption of tech investment is probably the hardest part of the job. Their aim is to achieve simpler use and have people understand the purpose of the innovation -Â ­ for the guest, profitability and guest experience [Computing, Dec 2010] Future Organizational strategy Whitbreads aim is to build the best large-scale hospitality brands in the world by becoming the most customer focused organisation there is. Anywhere. Theyll do this by providing outstanding value and making everyday experiences feel special so that their customers come back time and time again. Whitbread should have high standards of corporate governance to have good relations with share holders. Target employee turnover and stability in order to gain competitive edge over its rival companies They should have commitment to food safety Good partnership with suppliers Respecting the law and treating workforce fairly Healthier life styles and eating as well Better environment and energy saving First class service to customers Committed and genuine service Task 4 Strategy Plan to ensure Stakeholders Participation In the past years, Whitbread has carried out a detailed evaluation of its corporate responsibility strategy in order to attain the maximum engagement from its stakeholders. The stakeholders have a high level of awareness and concern for environmental issues with most of them are making lifestyle changes as a result of their concerns. For the stakeholders, the primary drivers of choice are still quality, service, and value for money and convenience. However, these are closely followed by corporate responsibility drivers, such as healthy eating and the environment. The stakeholders think that it is important to care about the environment and the majority agreed that Whitbreads environmental performance mattered to them. Following are the issues that are important to these stakeholders and appropriate to Whitbread, namely: Energy efficiency; Recycling; Water management; Takeaway packaging; and Sustainable buildings. The views from their stakeholders should be used to develop their new corporate responsibility strategy. The key focus areas of the new strategy should be as below: People Culture and Values; Environment; Community Charity; Governance, International Standards; Supply Chain; Health Well Being; and Guest Perceptions and brand. Criteria for reviewing potential options Whitbread has been reviewing its corporate responsibility strategy and found that stakeholders e.g. customers, employees and all other interested want that despite being adding new things for the stakeholders we still need to review our strategy in order to give the best. Whitbread should involve and hire some external sources that could do some survey with their customers, team members, directors and board members. The Whitbread should also go for a comprehensive peer and market analysis to understand the consumer and macro trends relating to the sustainability that would be relevant for their business and their customers. The potential options for reviewing strategy plan should be as below: Environmental changes Greener choices Social values Guest engagement Healthier food Agreed Strategy The agreed strategy of the Whitbread should have the following key points that include resource implications: Environment: The Whitbread should continuously work together to improve its environmental foot print and promote good environmental practices. People: Whitbread should at all times respect fundamental human rights of all people. Whitbread would create employment opportunity, facilitate learning and development opportunities for its employees and engage employees in the agree strategy and the Whitbread Way Forward Sourcing: Whitbread will source its goods and services and do business with other organisations in a way that supports sustainable development. It will engage its suppliers and business partners in the agreed strategy. Brand: When dealing with consumers, Whitbread will act in accordance with honest business, marketing and advertising practices and take all reasonable steps to ensure the safety and quality of the goods or services it provides. Whitbread will engage its customers in the new strategy and sustainable business issues Health: Whitbread will enable its customers to make informed choices about how they eat and drink Community: Whitbread will work to be a positive part of the communities in which it operates. Whitbread will also energetically support its chosen charities Task 5 Core Organizational values The core values of Whitbread are: Genuine really caring about customers Confident striving to be the best at what we do Committed working hard for each other Social values Whitbread has been actively involved in the community for over 30 years. Through this time weve initiated, joined, funded or supported a huge range of leading and award winning programs. Whitbreads current community program focuses on delivering initiatives that engage our team members and impact the communities in which they live and work. By investing in our people we can unlock the potential of thousands of team members and encourage them to make a real difference in their local communities Business Values Their aim is to build the best large-scale hospitality brands in the world by becoming the most customer focused organisation there is. Anywhere. They plan to do this by providing outstanding value and making everyday experiences feel special so that their customers come back time and time again Ethical Values Whitbread is very much aware of the importance of the rights of its employees and its responsibilities for good citizenship and high ethical conduct. Accordingly, they aim to ensure that all of its employees are treated fairly and with dignity throughout employment. They similarly expect their suppliers, wherever they are located, to respect and support these principles. If at any time an issue arises that their employees believe may go against these principles, they would raise it initially with their line manager and then if the matter cannot be resolved, raise a formal grievance under the Companys internal procedures Environmental Values Their approach to the environment is guided by their Environment policy and their Energy policy, which contain a number of principles with which all Whitbread businesses are required to comply Vision and Mission Statements of Whitbread Vision Statement To become the leading independent 4* hotel in London providing excellent products and services at reasonable prices to every customer, every time Mission Statement Our customers are our priority and we will provide them with a quality experience which is second to none. We recognize the importance of our employees in achieving this and we will create a positive working environment which encourages their loyalty, commitment and hard work. We strive to be excellent leaders and will undertake all our business activities in an honest and ethical manner to provide a fair return on our investment Future Management Strategy Whitbread aims to be a leader in sustainable hospitality in UK market sector. To realise this vision, it has developed its Good Together Commitments that define its overall approach to corporate responsibility and provides with a vision for the Good Together programme. Operational responsibility for driving forward the Good Together elements is allocated at Operational Director level with in the Business Units within the relevant functions, including commercial, property, HR, marketing, food and beverage and operations. Cross-functional and cross-Business Unit Working groups are set up as needed to project manage and implement the programs and to make sure that there is appropriate coordination and shared insight between different parts of the business in cross-cutting issues and projects. It is the role of the Corporate Responsibility Director to coordinate activity across the business, support the CR Steering Committee in its purpose and to provide technical expertise and support to the working groups and project leaders. All their Good Together Steering Committee Members have set personal objectives related to the delivery of Good Together. In 2010/11 all their operational Directors (the top 40 leaders in the business) and Heads of Department will also be required to set personal objectives relating to delivery of Good Together as part of their development plan. Measures to Evaluate Strategy Plan There could be many different measures that can be sued to evaluate the strategy plan but few important ones of them are mentioned as below: Market Performance of the organization Costs involved Profits generated Brand Standards Health and Safety Team turnover Customer recommendation Energy Saving Sales growth Team engagement Keeping all this in mind, the Whitbread uses a balance card approach named as WINcard to measure their performance across all key performance indicators. The WINcard measures their performance around their key stakeholders: the customers, the people, the shareholders and a more recent stakeholder addition, the community which is better known as their Good Together strategy. The WINcard aligns the day-to-day activities to the overall vision and strategy of the Company and helps to measure the progress. The WINcard has enabled a performance culture to thrive across all levels of the organization and mobilizes their people to act around shared goals. The WINcard measures are used as key indicators in personal development planning, for recognizing excellent performance, in coaching and performance management, supporting talent management and succession planning. It is a core component of their incentive framework at all levels. The WINcard educates, motivates and engages their leaders and teams across the business to focus, prioritize and deliver what is required to achieve success [Whitbread, Dec 2010] Task 6 Schedule for implementing strategy plan Strategic planning implementation is at the heart of how to make change of any kind happen in your organization. Keys to Strategic Planning Implementation Success These are the keys to effective strategic planning implementation for your business. Full and active executive support, Effective communication, Employee involvement, Thorough organizational planning and competitive analysis, and Widespread perceived need for the strategic planning. Time table for implementation The strategy that is being agreed upon is achievable but not in short span of time. Proper planning has to be done for this and a scheduled has to be prepared. Phase 1 Value enhancement Cost Reduction Operational Effectiveness July 2011 Phase 2 Growth opportunities Customer satisfaction Value added services Dec 2011 Phase 3 End to End Services Execute in emerging markets Strengthen the capital Dec 2012 Dissemination processes Activities designed to ensure that the results of the organization and its predecessors are appropriately recognised, demonstrated and implemented on a wide scale. Dissemination is also often described as a process that involves a share of results and experiences with the aim of influencing the way other people think and act, or of making them aware of a new idea, product or service. Following are some key points that should be achieved: Raise awareness in the intended target group Generate understanding and obtain the support of others in disseminating information Involve others outside your own organisation Bring about a change in attitudes and ways of thinking Bring about a change in attitudes towards customers visitors, suppliers or team members. New patterns of conduct in the target group the end users of the strategy To gain the commitment of stakeholders, the following processes need to be followed: Consider stakeholders First No matter how beneficial the change, it will take your stakeholders to implement it. Helping them understands the change and, further, gaining their support for the change will be the key. First, identify all key groups of people or individuals who will be impacted Stakeholders who feel they have helped plan the change will be more likely to help make the change because they understand how and why it will occur. Identify ways you can involve stakeholders in the implementation process. Ask them to share with the organization in full staff meeting or via a company intranet how they have successfully implemented the change. Show Upper-level Commitment Stakeholders will not support a change they feel is not fully supported by upper management. Instead, they will wait out the change, knowing that it will eventually go away to be replaced by the next change [suite101, Dec 2010] Monitoring and Evaluation systems The strategic plan document should specify who is responsible for the overall implementation of the plan, and also who is responsible for achieving each goal and objective. The following questions need to be asked while monitoring the implementation: 1. Are goals and objectives being achieved or not? If they are, then acknowledge, reward and communicate the progress. If not, then consider the following questions. 2. Will the goals be achieved according to the timelines specified in the plan? If not, then why? 3. Should the deadlines for completion be changed (be careful about making these changes know why efforts are behind schedule before times are changed)? 4. Do personnel have adequate resources (money, equipment, facilities, training, etc.) to achieve the goals? 5. Are the goals and objectives still realistic? 6. Should priorities be changed to put more focus on achieving the goals? 7. Should the goals be changed (be careful about making these changes know why efforts are not achieving the goals before changing the goals)? 8. What can be learned from our monitoring and evaluation in order to improve future planning activities and also to improve future monitoring and evaluation efforts? The frequency of reviews depends on the nature of the organization and the environment in which its operating. Organizations experiencing rapid change from inside and/or outside the organization may want to monitor implementation of the plan at least on a monthly basis. Boards of directors should see status of implementation at least on a quarterly basis. Chief executives should see status at least on a monthly basis [Management help, Dec 2010]