How Has The Global Financial Crisis Impacted Consumer Behaviour with Dissertation

How Has The Global Financial Crisis Impacted Consumer Behaviour with Reference to The UK Car Industry - Dissertation Example h 40 3.8.2 Plagiarism 40 3.9 Chapter Review 41 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS 42 Chapter 5: ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSIONS 55 5.1 Conclusions 55 5.2 Recommendations 56 5.3 Reflections 57 REFERENCES 59 List of Figures Figure 1.3.1: Factors influencing Car Buyer Behaviour 6 Figure 2.1.1: GDP Growth in the United Kingdom 13 Figure 2.1.2: Financial Conditions and Housing Price Developments in the United Kingdom 13 Figure 2.1.3: Unemployment in the United Kingdom during the Global Financial Crisis 14 Figure 2.1.4: Seasonally Adjusted Household Final Consumption Expenditure for the UK 16 Figure 2.1.5: UK Consumer Confidence 17 Figure 2.1.6: Seasonally Adjusted Durable Goods Expenditure Growth Rates for the United Kingdom 18 Figure 2.1.7: Seasonally Adjusted Transport Growth Rates for the United Kingdom 19 Figure 2.1.8: UK Mortgage Approvals 20 Figure 2.1.9: UK Investment Risk Appetite 20 Figure 2.2.1: New and Used Car Sales in the United Kingdom 23 Figure 2.2.2: New Car Market Volume and Value in the United Kingdom 24 Figure 2.2.3: Steps that Consumers Took to Offset Rising Fuel Prices 25 Figure 4.1: New Car Registrations for Ford in the United Kingdom 44 Figure 4.2: New Car Registrations for Vauxhall in the United Kingdom 44 Figure 4.3: New Car Registrations for Volkswagen in the United Kingdom 45 Figure 4.4: New Car Registrations for BMW in the United Kingdom 45 Figure 4.5: New Car Registrations for Audi in the United Kingdom 46 Figure 4.6: New Car Registrations for Nissan in the United Kingdom 46 Figure 4.7: Income Distribution Level of those Contemplating Buying a Car after the End of the Global Financial Crisis 49 Figure 4.8: Price Paid for Current Car in the United Kingdom after End of the Global Financial Crisis 50 Figure 4.9: Factors Initiating Decision to Buy a Current Car in the United Kingdom after the End of the Global Financial Crisis 51 Figure 4.10: Number of Models Considered when Buying a Current Car after the End of the Global Financial Crisis in the United Kingdom 52 Figure 4.11: Sources of Information Used when Deciding about Buying a Current Car after the End of the Global Financial Crisis in the United Kingdom 53 Figure 4.12: Trade-offs when Deciding about Buying a Current Car after the End of the Global Financial Crisis in the United Kingdom 54 List of Tables Table 4.1: New Car Registrations for Various Models of Cars during the Global Financial Crisis 43 Table 4.2: Most Popular Models of Cars Sold in the United Kingdom in the Year 2010 47 Acknowledgements Declaration of Originality MASTERS DISSERTATION SUBMISSION FORM Student’s family name: First names: Student ID No: Course: Supervisor: Dissertation Title: How has the Global

Antisemitism in Mein Kampf Essay Example for Free

Antisemitism in Mein Kampf Essay Mein Kampf is a book of two volumes authored by Adolf Hitler. The first volume was written whilst dictated to Rudolph Hess and Emile Maurice in Landsberg prison where Hitler was sentenced to following the failure of an attempted coup d’etat of the Bavarian government in 1924. Mein Kampf is significant amongst historiography as it is thought to be an insight into the mind of Adolf Hitler. This book is not only autobiographical but full of memoires and political ideologies, which have subsequently sparked debate as to whether this piece of primary historical evidence can be regarded as the blue-print for Hitler’s future ambitions. An intentionalist view by Historians’ such as Lucy Dawidowicz, argues that the Holocaust was the result of Hitler’s long term plan, whereas the functionalist perspective by Historians’ such as Christopher Browning is of the result of a competing agents within the Reich to answer the Jewish question. Chapter 11 of Mein Kampf: Nation and Race, shows to comprehend with the intentionalist interpretation that this did indeed set the foundation for Holocaust as a propaganda medium. Chapter 11 of Mein Kampf is a race rhetoric that advocates social-Darwinism in favour of the German Aryan race and even justifies war with the ‘racially lower’. This chapter refers to natural selection within humanity as the will of nature and of God. The word ‘Nature’ is emphasised being mentioned 20 times within the passage purveying it as a natural process. The mixing of genes with ‘lesser’ races are referred to as a sin against God, in which context Jews are included. Language used in this passage has been described as using metaphors to enforce racial prejudice, although evident is how the use of language has not only been used for easily digestible comparisons, but also as graphic and horrifying, such as ‘blood poisoning’ when describing breeding with a ‘weaker race’. Also described are the consequences of the integration of races and given examples of how this would be catastrophic for humanity. In regards to the book as a whole, anti-Semitism is consistent throughout Mein Kampf and is evident of Hitler’s hatred of the Jewish people, with quotes of ‘real’ Germans surviving in the war if a great number of Jews had been killed with poison gas. Mein Kampf was written at a time when Hitler was banned from public speaking. This indicates that the production of Mein Kamp as composed as a method in which Hitler could communicate with the public legitimately. Volume 2 of Mein Kamp is also said to be written in plain spoken language. This indicates it was written for all people to be able read, proving it as a propaganda tool. After Hitler’s Chancellorship in January 1933 Mein Kampf was eventually introduced into schools, placed on trains and presented to every bridal couple. The mass circulation of this book again proves only t o show it as a propaganda medium. Anti-Semitism was not unique to Mein Kampf and was a keen topic of Hitler’s in many political statements given in meetings. Hitler exclaims in September 1919 that the Jewish people are a race and not a religious community, and how this race are corrupt and disliked by a large section of ‘our people’ through emotion. A year later he states that a German citizen can only be one of German blood. As head of the Nazi party Hitler placed Joseph Goebbels as the head of Nazi propaganda, who wrote in the anti-Semitic newspaper ‘Der Angriff’ from 1926. In here is written how Jews’ are destroying the German community and how they must be removed from the community or they will ever corrupt it. Hitler’s ‘last will and testament’ written hours before his suicide tells of a hatred for Jews and also blaming the Jews for the war. These sources prove that Mein Kampf was not just a unique rant of anti-Semitism, Hitler believed in this hatred of the Jews’ evident here as early as 1919, days after his first attendance at a DAP meeting. This reinforces Mein Kampf as weapon of anti-Semitic propaganda at a time when Hitler could not address the public in person. Another element that points to this being a blue-print for the Holocaust was that Hitler wrote (or dictated) Mein Kampf with the intention of becoming a fascist style leader, but not only a leader, the chosen one and almost messiah-like. The failed Beer-Hall Putsch in Munich was directly influenced by the success of Benito Mussolini’s March on Rome which had immediately led to his appointment of Prime Minister of Italy; proving Hitler’s ambitions before he authored Mein Kampf. This shows Hitler always had the ambition of become a fascist style leader in Germany who would have had the power, with support from the nation, via propaganda, to eliminate the Jews from Germany. Although the ‘chosen one’ notion comes into play when in Mein Kampf it states that â€Å"Fate will someday gift the nation with a man endowed with the purpose of leading the nation out of a great depression and elimination of a bitter distress†. The elimination of a itter distress can only be regarded to ‘the Jewish problem’ as anti-Semitism is a recurring theme in the book, but Fate sending this man who is made for the job sounds messiah-like, which with Hitler’s proven ambition to become this leader would mean that if this propaganda was effective, he would become the ‘chosen leader’ and his book of propaganda regarding anti-Semitism and social-Darwinism would almost become a gospel. Joseph Goebbels exclaimed in 1941 that one of his notable achievements in propaganda was giving the nation complete confidence in Hitler by giving him a metaphoric halo of infallibility. An edition of Der Angriff from 1935 entitled Der Fuhrer’ by Joseph Goebbels states of how the Fuhrer is divine as â€Å"all of his actions stand under the power of a higher power† and Fate has provided the German people with Adolf Hitler. Again here it is evident of Adolf Hitler being propagandised as divine, and a divine leader would command the subordination of his subjects who would in return strive to please him. Mein Kamp is an intentional method of propaganda to be used at a time when Adolph Hitler was unable to communicate verbally with a gathering of people. Mein Kampf advocated Anti-Semitism, and Chapter 11: Nation and Race with a dramatic use of language strongly advocates social-Darwinism and justifies a war with the ‘lower races’ of peoples. Hitler always had, before and after Mein Kamp, an ambition to become a fascist style leader in which he had total control, which was propagandised during the construction of Mein Kampf as being appointed by higher powers and made out as messiah-like. This reinforces the intentionalist view of the Holocaust to be a result of Hitler’s long term plan. Historian’s in future research may want to consider the ‘divine leader’ messages propagandised by Hitler, in regards to the intentionalist/functionalist argument. This analysis of Chapter 11 of Mein Kampf has evaluated the context of the chapter within the book, the message within as well as examined the language used. The significance of the document as well as the purpose of it has been considered, as well as having reinforced a current historiographical debate.

Christianity to Japan Essay -- Religion Religious Japanese Christian E

Christianity In Japan Japan has been a home for Shinto and Buddhist religions for centuries. The Christian missionaries during the 16th, 19th and 20th centuries worked hard to evangelize the Japanese nation but could not get desired success. There efforts in past failed partly due to sanctions imposed by the local rulers. The Jesuits missionaries traveled with Spanish and Portuguese traders to many areas of America and Asia-Pacific and established their churches and religious missions. They were funded, sponsored and trained by their respective governments in order to spread Christianity. At several places they preached the Christian faith by force but the aboriginal population did not accept it wholeheartedly. Initially the Jesuits targeted the elite class of the country and a large number was converted. The rulers also forced their subject to embrace the same faith. About 300,000 Japanese were converted in the first phase. Later on, Christianity was prohibited as the rulers started seeing them as a thre at to their authority. Following a change of regime, the ban was lifted and missionaries were again allowed to enter Japan. Like many Native American tribes, the Japanese also resisted the new religion. As a result, presently Christians form only 1% of the total population in Japan. This paper is focused on how the Christian religion was introduced in Japan, the evolution of evangelism, establishment of churches, the restrictions and hurdles faced by the missionaries and priest of the new religion and the response of Japanese nation towards an alien faith. All these queries are answered in detail given as follows. Christianity in Japan spread in various phases. Like many other parts of world, it was brought by religious missionaries and the European traders and invaders. It is almost in middle of the 16th century that the Portuguese traders arrived on the â€Å"land of rising sun†. The traders, who landed at Kyushu, brought along gunpowder that was not previously known to the Japanese. The local barons cordially responded to these traders mainly because of the weapons they possessed. The traders were also accompanied by Christian missionaries who were allowed to conduct their religious preaching by the local barons. A large number of Japanese were converted by these missionaries. The formal conversion to Christianity began when Francis Xavier, the Sp... ...n the Kanto area and 23.8 percent in the Kansai region. At the very least, the fact that scores of younger Japanese are choosing Christian weddings indicates that the present environment is much more open to Christianity and that the stigma once attached to the Christian faith has declined during the past several decades†. Mullins further states that this observance of Christian rituals may not be considered as an indication of solid faith in the religion instead it could be associated with â€Å"popular movie stars and all of that†. At the turn of century, the total number of Christians living in Japan is estimated at about 1,075,000 that accounts to less than 1 % of the total residents. The Kondansha's Encyclopaedia describes that, â€Å"There were 436,000 Catholics with some 800 parishes in 16 dioceses, while Protestants numbered 639,000 with nearly 7,000 churches†. The statistics shows that overall the evangelist faith has not received the desired response in the Japanese society. No significant conversions have been witnessed during the last half century. It is still a foreign religion and the one practiced by a small minority is also more Japanized rather than Christianized.

Karl Marxs Theory of Capitalism Essay -- Papers

Karl Marx's Theory of Capitalism Marxism like functionalism is concerned with the overall picture of society. Marxism is seen as a conflict theory, Mainly because they see the primary interests of society as a whole as being made up of conflicting groups with conflicting interests or beliefs. We are a very materialistic society. A society made up of those who have, and those who have not. Marxists sociologists say that there will never be true social harmony because there are too many inequalities within our cultural society. Marx gave names to the haves and have nots, they are known as the Bourgeoise and the Proletariats. One way of assessing the power of the upper class is through the study of elites (people who fill the top positions in each of the major institutions of society); most of the sociological debates have centered on economic elites and political elites. (Sociology in focus 5th Edition, 2000, page 53) The main question asked by Marxist sociologists is how we all can benefit equally and how can we get rid of the social inequalities present in our society. They differ form functionalists in the way that they see the difference. Marxist sociologists see them as being persistent and not just as a temporary state of affairs to be overcome. Their theories state that for the superstructure to be effective, the infrastructure must function effectively, therefore any changes no matter how small, within the infrastructure will reflect in the superstructure causing severe change and possible disturbances. If production costs rise [...] Intr... ...s, but it has been used to disguise the true set of relations that undergird capitalism. Criticisms Marx has faced a number of criticisms. Most importantly, actual existing communism failed to fulfill its promise. Though these experiments may have distorted Marx's thought, Marxist theory certainly did not reflect its practice. Second, history has shown that workers have rarely been in the vanguard of revolutionary movements, and indeed have resisted communism in some places. Third, Marx failed to adequately consider gender as factor in the reproduction of labor and commodity production. Fourth, some have accused Marx of focusing far too much on production, without giving enough attention to the act of consumption. Last, Marx's historical materialist approach uncritically accepts Western notions of progress.

Rio Grande Medical Center Case Study

Case Study # 3 Rio Grande Medical Center-Cost Allocation Concepts 1) Is it fair for the Dialysis Center to suffer (in profitability) from the move even though it had nothing to do with it? I do not think that the Dialysis Center suffering in profitability from the move is fair. Being that the Dialysis Center was moved as a result of the Outpatient Clinics need for extra space, I do think that some of the costs of the new building and the relocation of the Dialysis Center should be paid through the Outpatient Center (a â€Å"buy out†).The fact that the indirect costs of the Dialysis Center are going up solely because of the fact that they were forced out to accommodate the Outpatient Center, forcing them into the red, is simply unfair and bad practice. 2) Should the Dialysis Center be charged actual facilities costs for its new location? After all, the move was forced by the Outpatient Clinic, which is being charged for facilities at the lower average allocation rate.Under the concept of charging for actual facilities costs, department heads may be better off resisting proposed moves to new (and potentially more efficient) facilities because such moves would result in increased facilities allocations. Without the expansion, the Dialysis Center was paying $300,000 in facilities costs ($15 per square foot x 20,000 square feet). With the expansion, the Dialysis Center is paying $400,000 in facilities costs, $100,000 more solely because of the move forced upon them due to the Outpatient Centers need for more space.I believe that the Dialysis Center should pay the same amount in facilities costs considering that they would have the same amount of square footage as they did before the move. All or at least a portion of the additional $100,000 in facilities costs should be absorbed by the Outpatient Center, not only did they force the Dialysis Center out, but they also have an expected 25 percent increase in volume while the Dialysis Center is expected to have n o increases at all. 3)Even if the true cost concept were applied to the Dialysis Center, is the 400,000 annual allocation amount correct? After all, the building has a useful life that is probably significantly longer than 20 years – the life of the loan used to determine the allocation amount. If the true cost concept is applied, what would be the allocation in the 21st year, after the mortgage had been paid off? 4) The revenue that the Dialysis Center â€Å"receives† from patient use of the pharmacy appears to be passed on directly to the pharmacy.That is, the Dialysis Center books $800,000 in annual revenue but then is charged $800,000 for the drugs used. Should this â€Å"revenue† be counted when general overhead allocations are made? To make this point, John discovered that the pharmacy supplies used for dialysis actually cost the pharmacy $400,000, so the pharmacy makes a profit of $400,000 on drugs that are actually â€Å"sold† by the Dialysis Cent er.

Gender and Hand-Grip Strength essays

Gender and Hand-Grip Strength essays Hand-grip strength plays an important role in assessing clinical situations, daily activities such as picking up a glass full of water, and for vocational reasons. Measurement of hand-grip strength determines the isometric strength of the muscles. Isometric strength or static, or static, strength is the muscle contraction in the joint angle that does not have a change in length but it affects the muscle tension and connective tissues. Hand-grip strength measures the muscles of the hand and the forearm. Studies have shown that the dominant hand is usually stronger than the non-dominant hand due to capability and daily use of the hand A cross-sectional study conducted by Luna-Heredia, E, Martin- Pena, G, and Ruiz-Galiana, J assessed the effects of hand-grip strength on 517 subjects with 267 of them being females and 229 being males to test out the normal reference values of hand-grip strength in men and women related to anthropometry.2 The grip-strength was measured with BASELINE and GRIP-D dynamometer on the dominant hand and non-dominant hand to find measures of each hand with the maximum of 3 trials on each hand. Results showed that males have higher grip strength in left and right hand compared to females by all age groups. The male subjects' non-dominant hand results were 21% greater in hand-grip strength compared to females and dominant being 22% greater. The average kg for male dominant hand was 39.95 kg vs. 25.72 kg in females and average male non-dominant hand was 35.1 vs. 22.8 kg in There are several determining factors that influence the hand-grip strength which are gender, age, height, weight, dominant handedness, physical activity, and occupation.2 These data are important in finding out what type of therapy is needed for the injured hand and for creating a training program that is sport specific. The purpose of this lab is to compare the gender differences in mal...

6 Things To Know About How To Buy a Telescope

6 Things To Know About How To Buy a Telescope Telescopes give skygazers a great way to see magnified views of objects in the sky. Buying that first (or second or fifth) telescope is an exciting moment, so its a great idea to be fully informed before heading out to the stores.  Theres a lot to learn and a telescope is a long-term investment, so its important to learn the terminology. In addition, its always good to know what types of objects are of interest. Some people mainly want to observe planets, while others are into deep sky objects. Those targets help determine which telescope to get. A telescope with eyepiece (lower end), finderscope,and a good mount are important for long-term enjoyment of stargazing.   Andy Crawford/Getty Images Power Is Overrated A good telescope is not JUST  about the â€Å"power†. If a telescope ad touts claims about 300X or other numbers about the â€Å"power† the scope has, watch out! High power sounds great, but, there’s a catch. High magnification makes an object appear larger, which is important. However, the light gathered by the scope is spread over a larger area which creates a fainter image in the eyepiece. So, its important to keep that in mind. Also, high-powered scopes have specific requirements for eyepieces, so its a good idea to check out what eyepieces work best with a given instrument. Sometimes, lower power provides a better viewing experience, particularly if observers are checking out objects that are spread out across the sky, such as clusters or nebulae.   Telescope Eyepieces: Power is Not the Only Object Any new telescope should have at least one eyepiece, and some sets come with two or three. An eyepiece is rated by millimeters (mm), with smaller numbers indicating higher magnification. A 25mm eyepiece is common and appropriate for most beginners. As mentioned above, a telescope’s power or magnification is not the best indicator of a good scope. As with the whole, so the parts. A higher power eyepiece does not necessarily mean better viewing. It may allow you to see details in a small cluster, for example, but if its used to look at a nebula, it will only show a part of the object. So, high- and low-power eyepieces each have their place in observing, depending on what interests the stargazer. Its also important to remember that while a higher magnification eyepiece may provide more details, it may be harder to keep an object in view. To get the steadiest seeing in such cases, its important to use a motorized mount. Remember: a lower-power eyepiece makes it easier to find objects and keep them in view. Lower magnification eyepieces require less light, so viewing dimmer objects is easier. Refractor or Reflector Telescope:  Whats the Difference? The two most common types of telescopes available to amateurs are refractors and reflectors. A refractor uses two lenses. The larger of the two is at one end; its called the objective. On the other end is the lens the observer looks through, called the ocular or the eyepiece. A reflector gathers light at the bottom of the telescope using a concave mirror, called the primary. There are many ways the primary can focus the light, and how it is done determines the type of reflecting scope. Telescope Aperture Size Determines the View The aperture of a scope refers to the diameter of either the objective lens of a refractor or objective mirror of a reflector. The aperture size is the true key to the power of a telescope. Its ability to gather light is directly proportional to the size of its aperture and the more light a scope can gather, the better the image an observer will see. At this point, many beginners just think: I’ll just buy the biggest telescope I can afford. Unless they can afford to invest in their own observatory as well, they should probably not go too big when it comes to an instrument. A small scope that can be transported easily will probably get used a lot more than a larger one that takes some effort to haul around. Typically, 2.4-inch (60-mm) and 3.1-inch (80-mm) refractors and 4.5-inch (114-mm) and 6-inch (152-mm) reflectors are popular for most amateurs. Telescope Focal Ratio. The focal ratio of a telescope is calculated by dividing aperture size into its focal length. The focal length is measured from the main lens (or mirror) to where the light converges to focus. As an example, a scope with an aperture of 4.5 inches and focal length of 45 inches, will have a focal ratio of f/10. While a higher focal ratio does not always mean a higher quality image, it often means as good an image for similar cost. However, a higher focal ratio with the same size aperture means a longer scope, which can translate into a telescope someone has to wrestle with a bit more to get into a vehicle for transport to a viewing area.   Get a Good Telescope Mount is worth the money.   The mount for a scope is just as important as the tube and optics. Most people don’t think of that when they decide to buy a scope unless theyve done their homework. The mount is a stand that holds the telescope steady. It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to view a distant object if the scope is not very steady and wobbles at the slightest touch (or worse, in the wind!). So, its important to invest in a good, solid telescope mount.   There are basically two types of mounts, altazimuth and equatorial. Altazimuth is similar to a camera tripod. It allows the telescope to move up and down (altitude) and back and forth (azimuth). The equatorial is designed to follow the movement of objects in the sky. Higher end equatorials come with a motor drive to follow the rotation of the Earth, keeping an object in the field of view longer. Many equatorial mounts come with small computers, which aim the scope automatically. Caveat Emptor, Even for a telescope. Yes, let the buyer beware. This is as true today as it ever has been in the past. It also applies to the purchase of a telescope. Just as with any other product, it is almost always true that you get what you pay for. A cheap department-store scope will almost certainly be a waste of money.   The truth is that most people do not need an expensive scope, and its better to buy the best one for the budget. However, its also important to avoid getting suckered in by cheap deals at stores that dont specialize in scopes.   Being a knowledgeable consumer is key. Read everything about scopes, both in telescope books and in articles online about what is really needed for stargazing. Go to astronomy club meetings and do a little parasitic viewing (of course, always ask permission), and ask for advice about telescopes. Most members love to give advice, and theres no better way to experiment with different models of instruments. Edited and updated by Carolyn Collins Petersen.

Understanding the Visible Learning Theory

Understanding the Visible Learning Theory Educators struggle with a number of questions regarding teaching methods, including: What educational policies have the greatest impact on students?What influences students to achieve?What are best practices for teachers yield the best results? Roughly 78 billion is the estimated dollar amount invested in education by the United States according to market analysts (2014). So, understanding how well this enormous investment in education is working requires a new kind of calculation in order to answer these questions. Developing that new kind of calculation is where Australian educator and researcher John Hattie has focused his research. In his inaugural lecture at the University of Auckland as far back as 1999, Hattie  announced the three principles that would guide his research: We need to make relative statements about what impacts on student work;We need estimates of magnitude as well as statistical significance – it is not good enough to say that this works because lots of people use it etc., but that this works because of the magnitude of impact;We need to be building a model based on these relative magnitudes of effects. The model he proposed in that lecture has grown to become a ranking system of influencers and their effects in education using meta-analyses, or groups of studies, in education. The meta-analyses he used came from all over the globe, and his method in developing the ranking system was first explained with the publication of his book Visible Learning in 2009. Hattie noted that the title of his book was selected to help teachers become evaluators of their own teaching† with the objective of giving teachers a better understanding of the positive or negative effects on student learning: Visible Teaching and Learning occurs when teachers see learning through the eyes of students and help them become their own teachers. The Method Hattie used the data from multiple meta-analyses in order to get a pooled estimate or measure of an effect on student learning. For example, he used sets of meta-analyses on the effect of vocabulary programs on student learning as well as  sets of meta-analyses on the effect of preterm birth weight on student learning. Hatties system of gathering data from multiple educational studies and reducing that data into pooled estimates allowed him to rate the different influences on student learning according to their effects in the same manner, whether they show negative  effects or positive effects. For example, Hattie ranked studies that showed the effects of classroom discussions, problem-solving, and acceleration as well as studies that showed the impact of retention, television, and summer vacation on student learning. In order to categorize these effects  by  groups, Hattie organized the influences into six areas: The studentThe homeThe schoolThe curriculaThe teacherTeaching and learning approaches Aggregating the data that was generated from these meta-analyses, Hattie determined the size of the effect each influence had on student learning. The size effect could be numerically converted for purposes of comparison, for example, an influencer’s effect size of 0 shows that the influence has no effect on student achievement. The greater the size of the effect, the greater the influence. In the 2009 edition of Visible Learning,  Hattie suggested that an effect size of 0,2 could be relatively small, while an effect size of 0,6 could be large. It was the effect size of 0,4, a numerical conversion that Hattie termed as his â€Å"hinge point,† that became the effect size average. In the 2015  Ã‚  Visible Learning,  Hattie rated influence effects by increasing the number of meta-analyses from 800 to 1200. He repeated the method of ranking influencers using the â€Å"hinge point† measurement which allowed him to rank the effects of 195 influences on a scale. T he Visible Learning website has several interactive graphics to illustrate these influences. Top Influencers The number one influencer at the top of the 2015 study is an effect labeled â€Å"teacher estimates of achievement. This category, new to the ranking list, has been given a ranking value of 1,62, calculated at four times the effect of the average influencer. This rating reflects the accuracy of an individual teachers knowledge of students in his or her classes and how that knowledge determines the kinds of classroom activities and materials as well as the difficulty of the tasks assigned. A teacher’s estimates of achievement can also influence  the questioning strategies and the student groupings used in class as well as the teaching strategies selected. It is, however, the number two influencer, collective teacher efficacy, that holds an even greater promise for improving student achievement.  This influencer means harnessing the power of the group to bring out the full potential of students and educators in schools.   It should be noted that Hattie is not the first to point out the importance of collective teacher efficacy. He is the one who rated it as having an effect ranking of 1.57, almost four times the average influence. Back in 2000, educational researchers Goddard, Hoy, and Hoy advanced this idea, stating that â€Å"collective teacher efficacy shapes the normative environment of schools† and that the â€Å"perceptions of teachers in a school that the efforts of the faculty as a whole will have a positive effect on students.† In short, they found that â€Å"teachers in[ this] school can get through to the most difficult students.† Rather than rely on the individual teacher, collective teacher efficacy is a factor that can be manipulated at a whole school level. Researcher Michael Fullen and Andy Hargreaves in their article Leaning Forward: Bringing the Profession Back In  note several factors that must be present including: Teacher autonomy to take on the specific leadership roles with opportunities to participate in making decisions on school-wide issuesTeachers are allowed to collaboratively develop and communicate mutual goals that are clear and specificTeachers are committed to the goalsTeachers work as a team transparently without judgmentTeachers work as a team to collect specific evidence to determine growthLeadership acts responsively to all stakeholders and show concern and respect for their staff. When these factors are present, one of the outcomes is that collective teacher efficacy helps all teachers understand their significant impact on student results. There is also the benefit of stopping teachers from using other factors (e.g. home life, socio-economic status, motivation) as an excuse for low achievement. Way at the other end of the Hattie ranking spectrum, the bottom, the influencer of depression is given an effect score of -,42. Sharing space at the bottom of the  Visible Learning  Ladder are the influencers mobility (-,34) home corporal punishment (-,33), television (-,18), and retention (-,17). Summer vacation, a much-beloved institution, is also negatively ranked at -,02. Conclusion In concluding his inaugural address almost twenty years ago, Hattie pledged to use the best statistical modeling, as well as to conduct meta-analyses to achieve integration, perspective, and magnitude of effects. For teachers, he pledged to provide evidence that determined the differences between experienced and expert teachers as well as to assess the teaching methods that increase the probability of impact on student learning. Two editions of Visible Learning are the product of the pledges Hattie made in determining what works in education. His research can help teachers see better how their students learn best. His work is also a guide for how to best invest in education; a review of 195 influencers that can be better targeted by  statistical significance  for billions in investment...78 billion to start.

Final Reflection Paper - Reflecting on Contemporary Social Issues Term

Final Reflection - Reflecting on Contemporary Social Issues - Term Paper Example Even during the 19th century blacks were treated as slaves in spite of several racist movements. This situation can be improved if the government adopts new strategies to improve the strata of the people. The political process has gone through a period of change and blacks are given equal opportunities when compared to the past. Though this seems to be a wise decision, this cannot resolve the other issues that prevail in the country. Regular people can certainly work towards ending the social injustice and they must work towards having a voice in the country’s political process. (Lassiter, 2007). To achieve this, people must involve themselves in the racist movements and organizations that fight against these social issues. Every citizen must become a member of a voluntary organization that deals with social problems. This in turn they will create an opportunity for them to participate in movements that emphasize the need of a government which eradicates these issues. They will also have an opportunity to voice out their opinions on the current political strategies and t his will certainly create a second thought in the government to include their ideas. This will even deal with intricate issues that lead to social problems. The biggest obstacles people face in order to achieve the equal society is the difference that prevails among the several strata of the people in the society. The Native Americans and blacks who migrate from other parts of the world are treated in a different manner. They are not given equal employment opportunities which create problems in their employment. Another problem is the incorporation of regulations that have been used for many decades. Since the social issues and racial problems are getting worse day by day, the government must include certain unique strategies that will deal with these prevailing

Ethical dilema Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ethical dilema - Research Paper Example Moral dilemmas have different origins and depend on the source, they can be classified as those from moral uncertainty, self-imposed, world imposed and those that are prohibitory in nature (Garber 29). Given the nature of the moral dilemma, one can take a position regarding the situation that will present itself to him and opt to defend the action with other morals but the fact remains that the explanation cannot be fully construed to be a justification of the action. It can only be considered just as a better explanation that can be considered the best next alternative forgone. The Moral Dilemma I have been involved in a difficult situation of ethical dilemma in which pitched me in a very precarious situation in making a decision. This was necessitated by the advent of emails that has really created new grounds for ethical dilemma regarding information access and the corresponding privacy. It is a common knowledge that accessing someone’s email without their consent is in its elf infringing on the person right to privacy and that itself is a violation of regulation in most of the places that equally prohibits illegal access to ones mails. This is the situation that I found myself in and I had to make a decision out of the tricky situation. For a brief period, one of the major Casinos hired me to be one of their data analysts and I had to work alongside others in the Casino regarding the work that I was to be doing. In the Casino, I made a friendship with some of the employees in the Casino that I use to work with, in the department of data analysis; we became friends that we did most of the things together and openly riding on the absolute trust that we have built for quite a period. One of the principal regulations that we undertook to during the acceptance of the contract is that no engaging in the gambling process as an employee of the Casino, particularly those involved in the data analysis. This was particularly such because we used to work for the data and that engaging in gambling would lead to direct conflicts of interest (Garber 31). The same Casino has a very stringent policy regarding privacy of mails and personal information and encroaching into a fellow employee’s personal information is not tolerated. Most importantly again is the fact that the management of the Casino is very strict about deadlines that if it passes you become liable for any los that might be incurred. On a certain day, I was engaged in a certain project that was very critical to the company before the 6pm and it was past normal working hours, all the employees had left. I later realized that some of the critical data I needed for the completion of the work were in Tony’s computer (Tony is a colleagues in the work place). I then decided to log into my friends computer so that I can send myself the data again into my computer and proceed with the project to completion given its criticality, though I knew that it was wrong to access an em ployee’s system without his consent. I did log into the account and sent the part of the data that I needed but before I could log out, I saw a mail that Tony has been exchanging with others over gambling process and read the email (Garber 33). After reading the message, it was clear the Tony was engaging in the gambling process against the company’s requirement as a data analyst and t would be disastrous for him to be found

International economic relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

International economic relations - Essay Example This supports its impressive economic achievements of 198.5% and -176.7% in exports and imports respectively. Previous recession, technology sector slump and disease outbreak lessons enabled it attain low rates of interests, growth in exports to achieve a great real GDP of 3.5% in 2013. Additionally, the government aims to establish a less prone to global cycles in IT products to avoid dangers of global recession. Hong Kong is a free market economy that depends on international transactions. It boosts of a big GDP per capita of 52700 and strong external trading comprising 222.6% in export and 220.9% import GDP in 2013. These are possible through its continuous integration by china mainland that offers the main trading partner. South Korea has managed a credible economic growth integrated with global economies. Its GDP real growth of 2.8%, 54.6% and -50.8% exports and imports stem from close governance, import quotas and industrious labor force. These measures promoted raw material and technology imports, investments and savings (World Fact book of CIA,

International strategic management - Case study (Emirate airline)

International strategic management - (Emirate airline) - Case Study Example The major segment of the stakeholders, the customers and their interests were overlooked by the company when they too much focused on other aspects of the operations of the company. The customer service standards have been adversely affected and the reputation of the airline has been affected badly in the few years. In an ever changing world of business, customers have attained the topmost priority and the bargaining power of the sellers is low compared to the buyers at present. Moreover, competition has been increased a lot because of the new organizations entering into the airline business which forced Emirates airlines to think strongly in terms of restructuring its business policies and strategies to suit the needs of the current business world and the stakeholders. At present Emirates airline has started to reinforce its competitive power by implementing many revised strategies to make the customers happy. Owned and administered by some of the royal family members of the Dubai administration, the major strength of Emirates airline is its immense financial capabilities. Money is not a barrier for emirates airline to try and test new strategies in its business to satisfy the customers. But this enormous financial strength, one way or other misled the company towards unwise strategies like untimely diversification overlooking the interests of the passengers. The rapid progress of Dubai towards becoming the world’s topmost business hub has provided immense scope of business for Emirates airlines. At present, tourists from all over the world selecting Dubai as their favorite destination for spending their leisure time because of the big shopping facilities it offers to the visitors and Emirates airlines can utilize these opportunities for their advantages. Major airliners like Air India, Etihad, Gulf air, British airways, Qatar airways etc are raising stiff challenges to the smooth operations of Emirates airlines. These competitors are offering cheap

Bioterrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Bioterrorism - Essay Example This primitive way of introducing deadly microorganisms in the society is now modernized by the advancement of science and technology which allows scientists to create strains of germs and viruses that can harm the society either by causing diseases or making the human immune system more susceptible to diseases. One of the most recent examples of bioterrorism attack is the 2001 case of anthrax in the United States which caused a global stir by killing five people and infecting 17 others. The adverse effects of bioterrorism can never be overstated. It should be noted that these attacks are often aimed at creating mass panic and disruption in the community. Diseases which are often incurable propagate chaos and bring in more problems in the social and political arena. Bioterrorists attacks like the foot and mouth disease in the United Kingdom did not directly harm human being but had been very detrimental to its economy particularly in the produce of livestock.

International strategic management - Case study (Emirate airline)

International strategic management - (Emirate airline) - Case Study Example The major segment of the stakeholders, the customers and their interests were overlooked by the company when they too much focused on other aspects of the operations of the company. The customer service standards have been adversely affected and the reputation of the airline has been affected badly in the few years. In an ever changing world of business, customers have attained the topmost priority and the bargaining power of the sellers is low compared to the buyers at present. Moreover, competition has been increased a lot because of the new organizations entering into the airline business which forced Emirates airlines to think strongly in terms of restructuring its business policies and strategies to suit the needs of the current business world and the stakeholders. At present Emirates airline has started to reinforce its competitive power by implementing many revised strategies to make the customers happy. Owned and administered by some of the royal family members of the Dubai administration, the major strength of Emirates airline is its immense financial capabilities. Money is not a barrier for emirates airline to try and test new strategies in its business to satisfy the customers. But this enormous financial strength, one way or other misled the company towards unwise strategies like untimely diversification overlooking the interests of the passengers. The rapid progress of Dubai towards becoming the world’s topmost business hub has provided immense scope of business for Emirates airlines. At present, tourists from all over the world selecting Dubai as their favorite destination for spending their leisure time because of the big shopping facilities it offers to the visitors and Emirates airlines can utilize these opportunities for their advantages. Major airliners like Air India, Etihad, Gulf air, British airways, Qatar airways etc are raising stiff challenges to the smooth operations of Emirates airlines. These competitors are offering cheap

Visual Arts - Peeping Tom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Visual Arts - Peeping Tom - Essay Example The reason behind such a huge criticism was the extreme of voyeurism related to private moments of people. The film included pictorial records of women, which were recorded right at the time of their deaths. The main character of the film, Mark, who was shown as a killer in the film used to capture the moments of fear while murdering young women. This was one of the main factors, which gave rise to such a huge level of criticism against the film, which eventually ended Powell’s career as a director. The critics used to give disgraceful comments about the film because of its absurd nature. Some critics even said that the whole film should be flushed down the sewer. The theme of the film revealed the psychological behaviors of different people involved in the people. The film also revealed that the nature of a person becomes stronger by time and what a person observes in the childhood never gets out of his/her mind. The film involves the audience in the shameful act of stalking and murdering young women, which was also one of the major reasons behind criticism about the film. The critics also believed that the film was a show of frustration and violence instead of a pure entertainment. The film did not give any sort of lesson to the audience rather it just made them feel involved in the shameful act of stalking women and murdering them. This aspect of the film was the most disastrous one because it tried to break the unspoken rules of the English cinema. Some critics believed that the film was portraying the elements of violence, aggression, and voyeurism by involving the audience into the acts of the killer. This was not acceptable for the critics as it was totally against the social and moral ethics. Critics believed that the role of cinema was to make people aware of social and moral ethics of the society instead of involving them into voyeur acts. The director of the film, Powell, broke the rules of the cinema by making such film but he never thought o f consequences of doing such act. â€Å"With this film, he succeeded in breaking through all boundaries and disregarding all unspoken rules of cinema† (Jacobson, n.d.). The consequences of making such a movie were very bad for the director of the movie. The director not only faced heavy loss due to failure of the film but also his career as a director ended. â€Å"It’s fifty years since Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom was released to notorious critical umbrage, a Caesar-like mass stabbing which essentially killed his career† (Robey, 2010). Today, some people consider this movie as the first modern horror movie of the century, which included the elements of sex and horror. Although the lightening and genre of the film was very outstanding, yet the story and style of the film did not come up to the expectations of the audience and the critics. The film was very unsettling in nature as the director portrayed the main role of the film as a mentally ill person. T he murdered used to trap the girls and murder them in order to fulfill his psychological frustration. The way the film was made and the way it showed the actions of Mark, who was the hero of the film, was not expected by the audience, which gave rise to such a great criticism against the film. Powell, the director of the film, was very much aware of the dark aspects of the film but even then, he went on to make this film. The film just remained in the cinemas for one

Toyota and Hilton Hotels Essay Example for Free

Toyota and Hilton Hotels Essay Preliminary Links Toyota and Hilton Hotels are the two companies chosen to answer the questions given for this assignment. The product service divide is more of a continuum in these two companies, with Toyota using large doses of intangibles to enhance its products, and all Hilton hotels offering strong product elements in their superlative service. The Internet sites of the 2 companies, including their web pages for investors have been used for this assignment, with a standard text on Services Marketing, which also covers product elements of the Marketing Mix. The web site of the New York Stock Exchange, where both companies are listed, has also been used. Marketing Comparisons   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Both companies have brands for multiple segments (Payne, 2002). Toyota has automobiles for various purposes, while Hilton has different kinds of hotels for each category of guests. However, individual product brands are subordinate to corporate brands in both cases (About Toyota, 2006 and About Hilton Hotels, 2006). Hilton remains within the premium segment space in its service category, and does not operate any budget hotels, while Toyota offers economy models and commercial vehicles apart from its luxury range. Toyota therefore has a broader product range than Hilton. Distribution channels for automobiles and hotels are distinct. Recruitment and training of front-line staff matter more for Hilton, while Toyota relies on agency and franchise personnel for most of its marketing: the People element of the Marketing Mix is therefore critical for Hilton, but incidental for Toyota.   The Process element of the Marketing Mix (Payne, 2002) also matters for a hotel business, while there is less variability in customer interaction for Toyota. Process is more important for internal efficiencies in Toyota, whereas they impact directly on service levels in the business of Hilton. Promotion is more developed in Hilton with international guest room reservations available in real time on the web site, whereas Toyota prefers to make isolated compartments of its marketing activities in various countries. This difference may be related to greater global uniformity in the decision process for reserving hotel rooms than that for investing in automobile purchases. Overall, each company has to focus on different elements on the Marketing Mix, as relevant for their respective strategies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Toyota faces a more intense competition than Hilton, as the latter has locations as advantages for many of its properties, and has significant capacity utilization guaranteed by airlines, travel agents, and similar industry associates. The numbers of brands that can challenge Hilton are fewer than the equally reputed manufacturers with which Toyota must contend. However, Hilton must contend with more brand switching opportunities, while Toyota customers are tied in for much longer periods. Toyota’s financing business ties in customers, which is a resource that Hilton lacks (Listed Company Directory, 2007). Word-of-mouth promotion matter equally for both companies, but Toyota has to make a greater effort for after-sales service. Toyota must provide customer finance amenities through arrangements with financial institutions, something which does not concern Hilton. However, the latter must provide lines of credit for major clients, whereas Toyota enjoys an immediate realization of sale proceeds convention (considering the automobile business in isolation and as distinct from the financing arm).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Physical Evidence and Preferential Customer elements (Payne, 2002) are vital ingredients of the Hilton Marketing Mix, whereas Toyota can rely more on its distribution chain to provide these values to customers. Maintenance of public areas and exteriors, even during lean season, is an additional cost burden to be borne by Hilton, but this would be significant in the pricing structure of Toyota’s products: Toyota manufacturing plants are not generally in customer views!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Both companies are free to price their products without regulation, but Hilton must contend with the deep discount norm for its industry, while Toyota is not as dependant on promotions and deals, except for occasionally unsuccessful models.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Both companies have composite and effective marketing functions as evidenced by the strengths of their brands, though they have to deploy different strategies to suit their respective business lines. Comparison of Operations   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Both companies believe in strong centralization and group control. Both Toyota and Hilton have sound and extensive headquarter organizations (About Toyota, 2006 and About Hilton Hotels, 2006), and exercise invasive degrees of standardization on their operations in various countries. However, Toyota has to contend with more ethnicity, and is more present in the third world, whereas Hilton basically caters to rather uniform business and vacation classes, with a strong focus on the developed world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Though Toyota does have manufacturing plants around the world, construction of new properties and maintenance of existing ones presents larger engineering and project management challenges for Hilton. Storage and transport of finished goods, on the other hand, must concern Toyota, whereas they would not figure in agendas at Hilton. Purchasing is more complex for Toyota, with more sophistication involved in sourcing semi-precious metals, steel, and other strategic materials. Toyota has also to implement more transparency in its operations, since it is registered under the ISOI 14001 series (About Toyota, 2006).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Toyota also has to maintain more tracks of its customers and product locations because of the possibility of recalls, whereas Hilton does not have to contend with such possibilities. Toyota also has more regulations with which to contend, while Hilton has more freedom to set its quality standards.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Toyota is strongly influenced by technology, with new models, standards, and materials causing regular discontinuities in routine operations, whereas Hilton enjoys a more stable environment in this respect. There have been some improvements in telecommunications and entertainment, which have occasioned guest room upgrades at Hilton, but these are simple and minimal compared to emission standards, engine performance, and design changes with which Toyota must deal all the time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It would appear that Hilton is in a less complex type of enterprise, while Toyota has to deal with more inter-relationships and different business atmospheres. Comparison of Human Resources Management   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The relative natures of business make people more important for Hilton than for Toyota: this is reflected in the competencies promoted in the respective web sites (About Toyota, 2006 and About Hilton Hotels, 2006). Technology and systems weigh so heavily in Toyota’s success that it can rely on smaller numbers of subject-matter specialists, whereas even one customer upset at the behavior of low-level staff, can dilute the Hilton brand. The Human Resources challenge for Hilton is to inculcate the core brand values in every employee at all its properties. The People and Preferential Customer elements of the Marketing Mix matter more for Hilton than for Toyota.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Recruitment is highly centralized in Japan for Toyota, while Hilton must retain local expertise for this purpose in all major countries and regions. Searching for quality talent is a more exhaustive task for human resources professionals in Hilton, since the process has to reach in to lower levels of the organization. Production-line jobs at Toyota are easier to specify and for induction training purposes, and the numbers and importance are on the wane in any case, because of the spread of robotics. Artificial intelligence cannot replace the human element at Hilton. Both companies are equally vulnerable to industrial relations in certain countries, which tolerate militant postures by Unions-the U.K. would be a prime example of this common concern. Toyota and Hilton are in similar situations when it comes to negotiating with external leaders for their blue-collar workers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Career planning, appraisal, and remuneration matters are probably more international at Hilton, and relatively ethnic in a Japanese sense at Toyota. Senior Executives at Hilton are more eclectic than at Toyota, so their mobility options are also greater. Diversity issue matter more at Hilton, because Toyota conforms to a more conservative and closed pattern as a clearly Japanese entity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Human Resources Management at Toyota has an additional function compared to their peers in Hilton, with respect to training of franchisee and distribution chain employees. Hilton follows the business model of strongly branding all the properties which it operates, apart from the ones which it owns, while Toyota is clear-cut in leaving customer service to associates in its distribution chain. However, disgruntled customers at show-rooms will hurt the Toyota brand, so the company has to be able to influence people who are not their own employees. Comparisons of Accounting and Finance   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Both companies are publicly listed on U.S Exchanges (About Toyota, 2006 and About Hilton Hotels, 2006). However, Toyota offers only Advance Depository Receipts, retaining equity ownership exclusively in Japan. We may therefore expect that both companies have to follow similar treasury standards. The accounting, disclosure, and governance standards of the United States, which are amongst the best in the world, would apply to both companies. Both companies have adequate investor information on the web sites, and must follow accounting practices of comparable if not the very same standards.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are however, major differences in corporate finance strategies. Toyota invests capital in entities which it does not own fully, whereas Hilton develops revenue lines from properties which it does own. Both companies are in capital intensive lines of business, and both are vulnerable to seasonal fluctuations in cash inflows.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Neither company is backward integrated in to ownership of key suppliers. Public statements about future business prospects indicate that both companies have exhaustive planning and budgetary control systems in place, though information on their internal processes is not available.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Both companies have ambitious capital expenditure plans, and exhibit high credit-worthiness and potential for leverage. The lines of business and investor environments are too different for relevant comparison, but Toyota has greater return and value appreciation potentials.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Toyota has a finance business apart from its core activity of automobiles (Listed Company Directory, 2007). This tangent is to help customers and sellers pay for the company’s products. Hilton does not require any such service for its clients and associates. One may conclude that the Toyota needs more complex accounting procedures because of the need to keep track of dues from customers. Both companies have adequate representation of the finance function in their top management groupings, and neither is known to have been cited for financial irregularities, or for audit and disclosure lapses. It is possible to conclude that the accounting and finance companies of both companies meet the best international standards. Toyota has been recognized by the New York Stock Exchange for excellence in investor relations, which is an additional and significant feather in the cap of its finance function: Hilton cannot claim any such public recognition of excellence in its finance function as yet. Comparison of Information Management   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The online reservation amenity and the reward program for loyal customers show, from the respective websites, that Information Management is more fully used by Hilton. The Toyota website lacks multi-media Information Technology use, which could have enhanced browser experiences. It may be that the company uses Information Technology more fully for secret internal processes, but such technology application is lacking in the public space for the company. Hilton also has concrete evidence of using Information Technology to enhance customer value through its express check-out facility, whereas Toyota makes no mention of such conveniences at its show rooms, or for after-sales-service alerts. Toyota has not used opportunities of newsletters and clubs for its customers, which Information Technology offers. The customer response facility on the web site is better and easier to use in the case of Hilton (About Toyota, 2006 and About Hilton Hotels, 2006). Hilton does not allow customers to feel any difference in properties which it operates without owning, whereas Toyota has no perceptible use of Information Technology to standardize customer experiences at all the show rooms and outlets where its products are retailed. Hilton does a better job of enhancing its brand through useful information on related matters, such as places of interest near its properties, whereas Toyota seems to be pre-occupied with hard product features of its models alone. However, both companies use Information Technology to build images of being attractive employers, and devote spaces on their websites for corporate and recruiting issues.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Overall, Toyota needs a superior accounting and finance function, and encounters more complex operations, while marketing is of equal importance to both companies, and while Hilton excels in Human Resources Management, and Information Technology. Comparison of and Recommendations for Productivity   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The productivity comparisons for these two companies and my recommendations in this regard, relate primarily to business definition, and to levels of integration and disengagement. Hilton suffers chronic underutilization of its competencies. Enhanced airport services, airline operation, and conducted tours, are the sorts of horizontal integration it should consider to generate more revenue from its base of fixed costs. It may be justified in staying away from actual travel work such as airline operation because it would call for large influxes of fresh commitments, but by improving retail services at airports, and by conducting packaged events for premium customers groups, it can certainly capture significant new values and high margins, without adding to the present infrastructure.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hilton should also move faster out of North America in to emerging markets and popular adventure and eco-tourism destinations, because this would leverage its expertise in constructing and operating hotels, more fully. The company must have accumulated know-how which is used only marginally in the mature markets in which it is focused now.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Finally, Hilton should copy other chains and build its culinary expertise and resources in to processed food brands, brands of alcoholic beverages, especially wines, and specialty outlets for fine dining.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Overall, Hilton’s productivity is hampered by a narrow business definition. It has acquired assets and built capabilities to support the corporate brand that have large and profitable applications outside the field of hotels.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Toyota has gone to the opposite extreme of Hilton, and spreads its resources too thinly for optimal returns. The fixed costs of design, dealer support, and after-sales-service imply that it should exit from economy-priced product and customer segments. The expansion of premium-priced segments in major markets justifies exclusive focus on them, in productivity terms. It is significant that Toyota has experienced losses through recalls of one of its cheaper models in the recent past (Listed Company Directory, 2007). Developing pressures on the environmental conservation front demand that it concentrate more on new technologies for its engines, at the cost of resources presently tied up in low value segments, even if they contribute high volumes. The company is still in the process of creating new manufacturing capacities (Listed Company Directory, 2007), so this is an opportune time for it to consider restricting its involvement in segments with relatively low returns.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Rising customer expectations and the spread of some of its hitherto proprietary technologies to competitors, also point to the need to try and serve fewer customer groups, albeit to do this with greater effectiveness for the segments in which it decides to remain. Such an approach may require that it move away from shared dealerships to owned-showrooms in star markets, while withdrawing support activities for other markets that do not yield top returns. Business contraction will improve productivity for Toyota: the company is better off than Hilton in this parameter, but needs to review some of its operations in order to sustain the edge. Comparison of and Recommendations for Quality   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Toyota is a step ahead of Hilton in terms of quality, primarily because of its ISO 14001 registrations (About Toyota, 2006). It is one of the first companies in the automotive sector to seek ISO registration. The company has reduced the amount of land it needs for manufacturing, and the quantity of paint it consumes, because of ISO procedures. The registrations have also resulted in important productivity gains in areas such as recycling and waste management. The ISO system leads to continuing improvement, so by maintaining its ISO status, Toyota can look forward to continuing quality gains. Though the company continues to suffer from occasions for model recalls (Listed Company Directory, 2007), the probabilities of such events are low.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The decentralization of Toyota’s operations is also responsible for its strong ratings in terms of quality. The company brands similar models very differently in each country, and is sensitive to ethnic needs and perceptions. The company is able to meet top quality standards by considering the views and needs of local customer groups with care. Though the ownership and top management of Toyota is centralized in Japan, the company is sensitive to the peculiarities of all customers and geographical groups which it tries to serve. It is a mark of Toyota’s excellence in quality that it has been able to garner market shares from established manufacturers of luxury automobiles, and has brands with top ranks in premium segments.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Though Hilton is a quality brand in general terms, it does not follow the ISO system, and suffers set-backs as a consequence. One of its hotels has recently been forced to suspend operations because of a virus outbreak (Listed Company Directory, 2007). The company also faces litigation from the family of a person killed inside a room-sized air-conditioning unit in one of its properties (Listed Company Directory, 2007). These are recent examples, and the company is vulnerable to more incidents of this nature at any time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Overall, company is not a matter to be left to chance, or something which can be limited to certain compartments of the business alone. Hilton will need to adopt a system which makes quality more assured in all aspects of its operations. The recent incidents reported indicate that while the company may be well versed in such quality aspects as house-keeping of its rooms, it lacks appropriate standards in other technical areas related to security and public hygiene. Every enterprise will have limits and gaps in its areas of expertise, and only a system such as ISO can raise quality standards uniformly. However, the recent incidents are exceptions and Hilton is generally associated with high quality standards. The popularity of its reward system for regular guests, and the premium rates it charges are indicators in this respect. Overall, Toyota has a more reliable quality system in place, compared to Hilton, and the latter can catch up through a systematic and concerted effort. References About Toyota, 2006, Company Website accessed January 2007 from:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.toyota.com/about/shareholder/ About Hilton Hotels, 2006, Company Website accessed January 2007 from http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/brand/about.jhtml Listed Company Directory, 2007, New York Stock Exchange Web Site, accessed January 2007 from http://www.nyse.com/about/listed/listed.html    Payne, A. 2002 The Essence of Services Marketing, Prentice-Hall

Responsibilities of the Graduate Nurse

Responsibilities of the Graduate Nurse Privacy and confidentiality are important aspects of the nursing profession. It is important for the Graduate Nurse to understand and respect the need for patient confidentiality. As healthcare professionals, the nurse’s connection to their patients and colleagues depends on it. Nurses have the ethical responsibility to safeguard the information they obtain whilst caring for a patient. When patients entrust their healthcare and personal information to a nurse, they expect it to be kept confidential (Erickson Millar 2005, p. 1). In most situations, nurses must keep information given to them by patients confidential. However, they are required to report information they receive if they have serious concerns about the clients or someone else’s safety. It is also important to realise that confidentiality is not to be broken unless it is absolutely necessary. It is not something that nurses take lightly. They want to do what is best for the patient and a decision to break confidentiality only happens after a lot of thought, and should be done in consultation with the relevant supervisor. The nurse should only tell those who absolutely need to know, and this is usually a very small number of professional or relevant authorised people. In all areas of healthcare there will be many personal things that as a nurse we will learn about the people that they care for. A nurse will be privy to information regarding a person health, family, social history, personal needs and financial affairs. All of this information is to be regarded as confidential unless consent for the disclosure of such information is given by the patient or as stated earlier the nurse deems that there is a danger to the individual or to someone else. Nurses are only permitted to talk about these things at our workplace with other healthcare professionals who care for the same patient. It is also important to note that when nurses talk about a patients personal details that it is done in a respectful way. All individuals have the right to have their details and personal information kept private. There are laws in Australia which state what nurses can and cannot do with confidential information. Discussing confidential information of a patient in your care to other people outside of the workplace may lead to legal action. When a nurse discloses personal information about their patient they are breaking their duty of care to that patient. Confidentiality is seen as an obligation to the provider of information whereas privacy is an obligation to the source of the information. Confidentiality and privacy require that all parties must ensure that information is restricted to those who genuinely need to know, and that those people should only be told as much as they need to know and no more. For example, a healthcare professional may need to know of the medical condition so that they can provide advice, but not of the identities of the patients involved. Every person has the right to equal recognition and protection before the law. Everyone is entitled to equal and effective protection against discrimination, and to enjoy human rights without discrimination. This applies regardless of a person’s age, gender, race, disability, religion, marital status and a range of other personal characteristics. Scenario- An emergency medicine technician (EMT) responded to an emergency call regarding a possible overdose. On arrival, the patient was found unresponsive and transported to the hospital. The EMT later told a friend that she had helped transport the patient to the hospital for treatment of a possible overdose. The EMT’s friend told another nurse about the medical treatment. The EMT then learned that her friend worked with the patient (a nurse at the other hospital). The patient claimed that the EMT had defamed her and violated her privacy by publicizing information regarding her medical condition and making untrue statements including that she had attempted suicide. The patient was awarded $3,000 in compensatory damages and more than $30,000 in legal fees. Casual sharing of personal and health information regarding a nurse is a failure to respect them as a person. Nurses value the keeping of confidential information between friends, colleagues and other authorised individuals. All nurses should expect that our relationships with one another will allow us to trust that particular private information will not be exposed. Exposure of confidential information can lead to low self-esteem if made public. Everyone has secrets that they don’t want to be made public. Nurses need the benefit of confidentiality when seeking health advice or assistance. In order to support confidentiality of nurses private information, there needs to be respect for an individual’s autonomy and their right to privacy, the promise of information remaining confidential and the benefit that the security of confidentially offers us. Graduate nurses have the right to work in an environment that supports and facilitates ethical practice in accordance with the Code of Ethics for Nurses in Australia (2008) and its interpretive statements. One provision of the code is ‘nurse’s value to management of information’. This statement refers to the management and communication of health information. Graduate nurses are entitled to the same moral, professional and legal safeguards as any other person in regards to their personal information. Personal information is any identifying information about a person that is verbal, written or electronic form. This information can relate to physical or mental health, including family health history. (McGowan 2012, p. 61). Factors that may influence confidential and private communication: Communication is the transfer of information between or among people. The practice of nursing utilizes constant communication between the nurse and the patient, the patient’s family, the nurse’s co-workers, supervisors, and many others. Professional relationships Graduate Nurses are required to care for and safeguard the public. They must practice autonomously and be responsible and accountable for safe, compassionate, person-centred, evidenced-based nursing that respects and maintains dignity and human rights. They must show professionalism and integrity and work within recognised professional, ethical and legal frameworks. They must work alongside other healthcare professionals, carers and families including the community. All nurses must use excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Their communication must always be safe, effective, compassionate and respectful. They must communicate effectively using a wide range of strategies and interventions including communication technologies. All nurses must practice autonomously, compassionately, skilfully and safely and must maintain dignity and promote health and wellbeing. They must assess and meet the full range of essential physical and mental health needs of people of all aged who co me into their care. Self-disclosure In nursing there are many boundaries that one must not cross. Self-disclosure is the easiest and most often crossed by nurses today. Self-disclosure refers to the nurse sharing personal information, experiences, feelings, ideas, thoughts and views with their patient. It can be comforting to the patient because it shows that the nurse has an understanding of the patient’s current situation and reinforces that their experience is not unique. Self-disclosure should only be used if it is deemed as helpful to the patient, aimed to benefit the patient and the focus will not remain on the nurse after self-disclosure has occurred. Self-disclosure can be used to promote and encourage patients to express fears, feelings and experiences. It also shows the patient that the nurse trusts them with personal information, making them feel more comfortable therefore reciprocating that trust. In deliberate self-disclosure the nurse intentionally tells the patient information about themselves. The nurse can tell personal experiences and their personal history or they can intentionally tell their feeling about the patient or the situation. This disclosure gives the patient a glimpse of the nurse’s life and likes. The patient did not ask to see these things; they were the nurse’s decision. Also information that the nurse posts online are another form of deliberate self-disclosure. Scenario- You are the nurse on a surgical unit preparing a woman who is undergoing a mastectomy. She is very upset and says that she feels alone. She is afraid she will no longer be attractive and she may even die. You are the same age as the patient and have also had a mastectomy. You are now healthy and work full time. You remember the challenges you faced when you were diagnoses and wonder if it would be helpful to share your experience with your patient. It is generally not appropriate to disclose personal information to patients. However, after careful consideration it may be appropriate for you to disclose a limited amount of information to the patient. You would firstly acknowledge the patients fears and then explore her grief and focus on her needs. It may then become apparent that it is appropriate to disclose a limited amount of information about your past experiences. The disclosure of personal information provides information, support and hope for the patient. Eg./ in relation to the patient feeling alone, the nurse may refer to a time when she also felt alone. The nurse would then offer information regarding a support group that helped the nurse and other patients in the same situation. Unavoidable self-disclosure is another type of disclosure that a nurse does not have much control over. Pregnancy is something that is disclosed at a certain point, whether the nurse wants to disclose it or not. A physical disability is also hard to hide whether it is a limp or a brace, as these are things that can be seen. A wedding ring or lack of ring show a patient if the nurse may be married. These forms of personal expression are outward expressions that are left to the patient to interpret. Another unavoidable self-disclosure is if a patient sees the nurse at an outside establishment such as a restaurant or the mall. This inadvertent disclosure sheds light on the nurse’s personal life and choices. Accidental self-disclosure occurs when the nurse discloses something by mistake. A nurse’s facial expression or subtle response to a patient is a good example of accidental self-disclosure. Emotions can be hard to control even for the most experienced clinician. Positive uses of nurse self-disclosure occur when the nurse uses the disclosure therapeutically. Always think about what you are going to use therapeutically and use good judgment at all times. A nurse talking about healthy lifestyle habits such as diet and exercise that has worked for them is a positive disclosure. The negatives of nurse self-disclosure is the fact that there is too much self-disclosure by the nurse. Therefore the roles can feel reversed and the patient can feel like they must comfort them. Nurse self-disclosure shows the patient and their family that the nurse is unable act in a professional way. Professional boundaries One thing that most nurses encounter daily is a patient asking them a personal question. Whether it is curiosity or uncomfortable silence, patients ask questions. Many nurses find it hard to redirect or reflect these questions, and end up answering them, especially if it is just casual conversation. Nurses need to practice situations like this so they know how to give a patient centered answer. It is the nurses duty and in the patients best interest to divert all conversation to the patient for a successful nurse patient relationship. Patients often ask these harmless questions not realizing that it is not in the best interest for them. Sometimes not answering the questions might make the nurse seem evasive and closed off. Nurses need to practice so their answers to the questions do not offend the patient that is making casual conversation Confidentiality When thinking about privacy and confidentially, it is important that the nurse questions themselves â€Å"what would I want if it was my personal and health information?’ Scenarios One of your nurse colleagues is expecting and its been decided that you will organize the baby shower. Not having access to co-workers addresses, you only look in the demographics portion of the electronic medical record to obtain this information. You do not look at any clinical information. Would this be OK? Answer: No, even demographic (address, phone number, etc) information is considered protected health information under the privacy regulations and should not be accessed without approval of the patient. You have a very good friend who is a nurse practitioner and is away from the hospital on vacation. While she is out, her breast biopsy results come back. Because she had told you she was having this procedure, you felt it would be the right thing to do out of concern to look up her results and call her with this information. Is this appropriate? Answer: No, just because a colleague chooses to disclose certain portions of her health information with you, it does not mean you have the right to continue and follow up on any related results or findings.

The Tragic Irony of Fahrenheit 451 :: Fahrenheit 451 Essays

The Tragic Irony of Fahrenheit 451 " 'Happiness is important. Fun is everything. And yet I kept sitting there saying to myself, I'm not happy, I'm not happy.' " (70). Fahrenheit 451 is one of the most famous of Ray Bradbury's novels. Originally published in 1953, it portrays a futuristic world in the midst of a nuclear war. The totalitarian government of this future forbids its people to read books or take part in any activity which promotes individual thought. The law against reading books is presumably fairly new, and the task of destroying the books falls to the "firemen." One of these firemen is Guy Montag, the main character of the book. Montag and his crew raid homes, burning any books they find before a crowd of onlookers. Regardless of this, happiness is of central importance in this future world. Unfortunately, Montag is unhappy with his life for most of the book. Montag's unhappiness is ironic until his self-awareness turns it tragic. The ideal of this future man is to be happy. That is all that is wanted. This idea can be exemplified by the following quotes: " 'Happiness is important. Fun is everything" (70). " 'What do we want in this country, above all? People want to be happy, isn't that right? Haven't you heard about it all your life? I want to be happy, people say. Well, aren't they? Don't we keep them moving, don't we give them fun? That's all we live for, isn't it? For pleasure, for titillation?' " (65). " 'We have mobilized a million men. Quick victory is ours if the war comes . . . .' 'Ten million men mobilized, but say one million. It's happier.' " (91). As you can see, the people of this world only want to be happy. They don't care about anything else, such as politics or the economy. They only want to be happy. At the beginning of the book, Montag appears happy. He is seen burning a house and is thoroughly enjoying himself. At one point, he thinks, "It was a pleasure to burn" (19). A little later, he thinks "he would feel the fiery smile still gripped by his face muscles, in the dark" (19). It seems now that he is completely happy with his life. After the house is burned, Montag begins to walk home and is met by a young girl named Clarisse McClellan.

Anosognosia for Hemiplegia: A Window into Self-Awareness :: Stoke Medical Essays

Anosognosia for Hemiplegia: A Window into Self-Awareness You wake up in a hospital bed, scared, confused, and attached to a network of tubes and beeping equipment. After doctors assault you with a barrage of questions and tests, your family emerges from the sea of unfamiliar faces surrounding you and explains what has happened; you have had a stroke in the right half of your brain, and you are at least temporarily paralyzed on your left side. You wiggle your left toes to test yourself; everything seems normal. You lift your left arm to show your family that you are obviously not paralyzed. However, this demonstration does not elicit the happy response you expect; it only causes your children to exchange worried glances with the doctors. No matter how many times you attempt to demonstrate movement in the left half of your body, the roomful of people insists that you are paralyzed. And you are, you just do not know it. How is this possible? You are suffering from anosognosia, a condition in which an ill patient is unaware of her own ill ness or the deficits resulting from her illness (1). Anosognosia occurs at least temporarily in over 50% of stroke victims who suffer from paralysis on the side of the body opposite the stroke, a condition known as hemiplegia (1). Patients with anosognosia for hemiplegia insist they can do things like lift both legs, touch their doctor's nose with a finger on their paralyzed side, and walk normally (2). These patients are much less likely to regain independence after their stroke than patients without anosognosia, primarily because they overestimate their own abilities in unsafe situations (3). However, the implications of the illness go far beyond those for patients who suffer from it; anosognosia brings questions of the origin of self-awareness to the forefront. How can someone lose the ability to know when she is or is not moving? Is this some type of elaborate Freudian defense mechanism, or is this person entirely unaware of her illness? How is self-awareness represented in the brain, and is this representation isolated from o r attached to awareness of others? Though none of these questions are fully answerable at this time, research into anosognosia has provided scientists and philosophers with insight into some of these ancient questions of human consciousness. The question of "denial" versus "unawareness" is at the heart of debate between psychologists and neurologists about the origin of anosognosia (3). Anosognosia for Hemiplegia: A Window into Self-Awareness :: Stoke Medical Essays Anosognosia for Hemiplegia: A Window into Self-Awareness You wake up in a hospital bed, scared, confused, and attached to a network of tubes and beeping equipment. After doctors assault you with a barrage of questions and tests, your family emerges from the sea of unfamiliar faces surrounding you and explains what has happened; you have had a stroke in the right half of your brain, and you are at least temporarily paralyzed on your left side. You wiggle your left toes to test yourself; everything seems normal. You lift your left arm to show your family that you are obviously not paralyzed. However, this demonstration does not elicit the happy response you expect; it only causes your children to exchange worried glances with the doctors. No matter how many times you attempt to demonstrate movement in the left half of your body, the roomful of people insists that you are paralyzed. And you are, you just do not know it. How is this possible? You are suffering from anosognosia, a condition in which an ill patient is unaware of her own ill ness or the deficits resulting from her illness (1). Anosognosia occurs at least temporarily in over 50% of stroke victims who suffer from paralysis on the side of the body opposite the stroke, a condition known as hemiplegia (1). Patients with anosognosia for hemiplegia insist they can do things like lift both legs, touch their doctor's nose with a finger on their paralyzed side, and walk normally (2). These patients are much less likely to regain independence after their stroke than patients without anosognosia, primarily because they overestimate their own abilities in unsafe situations (3). However, the implications of the illness go far beyond those for patients who suffer from it; anosognosia brings questions of the origin of self-awareness to the forefront. How can someone lose the ability to know when she is or is not moving? Is this some type of elaborate Freudian defense mechanism, or is this person entirely unaware of her illness? How is self-awareness represented in the brain, and is this representation isolated from o r attached to awareness of others? Though none of these questions are fully answerable at this time, research into anosognosia has provided scientists and philosophers with insight into some of these ancient questions of human consciousness. The question of "denial" versus "unawareness" is at the heart of debate between psychologists and neurologists about the origin of anosognosia (3).

Marketing and Twitter Essay

1. Is Twitter just a bright idea or a real business opportunity? To what extent does Twitter’s situation reflect the past record of its founders? I think Twitter is a bright idea but also a real business opportunity that its founder has been waiting since 1997. Evan William has developed so many different ideas and created some companies which he sold. There are so many similar social networking companies. Although the idea of Twitter is not fully original or new, but it’s a most successful one. The founder takes a unique opportunity while others don’t and he takes risks that others think is impossible. He had the vision and creativity of a true entrepreneur. 2. A). what is Twitter’s Advantages and challenges given it chosen technology configuration? Twitter is an easy-to-use broadcasting system that allows users instant to transmit short message in real time. It just need carry standard cellular phone to tapping out a message. It’s an open source platform while you can restrict the subscription lists to selected subscribers, or leave it open, which allows anyone to sign up to read your Tweets. B). what are the benefits and challenges for corporations looking to use Twitter internally and externally For internally, the employee can encouraged to participated in a group effort to post topic and join in the conversation with the followers, and the corporation is able to get instant feedback from the followers by using informal Twitter polls. For externally, Corporations are using Twitter for a web site targeting a very niche market, this is pretty impressive. There are few ways Twitter has positively impacted on corporation’s brand image. First, use Twitter can raise the visibility in the marketplace. Second, Twitter have enabled corporation to connect with their customers in a way that makes them feel like they are a part of what corporation doing. Third, many people responded that they actively seek out product on social media. Moreover, Twitter can be a promotional evangelist for the corporation. 3. What has been Twitter’s marketing approach to date, and is it sustainable? By the looks of the information from the case that looks like Twitter has reached its limits with the current marketing approach they used up to date. In order to avoid being pushed out of the market, Twitter should build relationships with potential rivals, but not trying to break them. The biggest marketing problem which Twitter faces is adapting their vision and strategy to the potential market. This can only be done if they adapt a stable structure and operating process as much as changing their values according to their users and market needs. 4. Can Twitter ever earn profits? If so, what are the best ways it can monetize? Twitter can ever earn profits if they manage their market growth and service delivering correctly. For outsider, Twitter should consider selling a part of company to a more stable company that could assist them in staying ahead of their future rivals. Selling some rights can assisted them generating income and help them adjust their marketing strategy. For themselves, Twitter can sell advertising space and adding more attractive services to keep the user excited. Also, Twitter should pay attention to some service their competitor focus but they missed.

Social Policy on Healthcare: A Comparative Analysis of Germany, Sweden and USA

Introduction This essay aims to examine healthcare policies in the countries of Germany, Sweden and USA. A discussion on how these countries differ in access to healthcare services, funding and how they address health inequalities will be done. The perspectives of convergence and path dependence will be used to examine the healthcare policies. The first part of this brief presents a brief overview of the healthcare policies present in the three countries. The second part will discuss the key concepts and models of social policy on healthcare in these countries. In the third part, the perspective of path dependency and convergence will be used to analyse healthcare policies of the three countries. A conclusion that will summarise the key concepts and issues raised in this essay will be presented at the end. Overview of the Healthcare Policies in Germany, Sweden and USA Healthcare policies in these three countries have significant differences. The World Health Organization (2014) has stressed that access to healthcare services should be equitable. This means that all individuals, regardless of their socio-economic background, religious beliefs, gender and race should receive the same type of care. Equitable distribution of healthcare services ensures that health inequality is addressed. The latter relates to the unfair distribution of healthcare services and health status between different socio-economic groups (Figueras et al., 2008). Those with higher socio-economic status tend to enjoy better health, have lower incidence of cardiovascular diseases, obesity, diabetes, hypertension and other chronic and acute conditions (Figueras et al., 2008). In contrast, those in the lower socio-economic status tend to have poorer health status and are more vulnerable to chronic diseases (World Health Organization, 2014). This disparity explains the differences in access to healthcare services in both groups (Blank and Burau, 2007). These observations should be a cause of concern since good health is viewed as a fundamental right for all individuals (Reibling, 2010). Amongst the three countries, the healthcare industry in the US is regarded as the most expensive when compared to the rest of the highly developed capitalist countries (Moody, 2011). However, in terms of child mortality, life expectancy and death due to medical errors, US fares the worst (OECD, 2011, 2009; HDR, 2011). The percent of public funding for healthcare is also the lowest in the US compared to Germany and Sweden. In recent surveys (OECD, 2009, 2008; Adema et al., 2011) public funding for healthcare in the US is only 47.7%. In contrast, the government of Germany spends 76.9% on healthcare while Sweden spends 81.5% (OECD, 2009). Amongst the three countries, the US spends the highest percent of its gross domestic product (GD) as of 2010 for healthcare (OECD, 2011). In 2010, the US spent 17.9% of its GDP on healthcare while Germany allocated 11 .6% and Sweden, 9.6% (OECD, 2011). All these countries exceeded the recommended allocation for healthcare from the country’s GDP (Adema et al., 2011). Access to healthcare service also varies in the three countries. Access to healthcare is universal in Sweden while Germany exemplifies the quasi-universal with compulsory insurance (Baldock, 2011). In contrast to these two countries, there is a low degree of universality in the US and funding is mostly through employers of individuals (Glyn, 2006). There is also a debate on the coverage of healthcare policies in the US especially during the 2008 financial crisis where the government was forced to support healthcare of many poor, unemployed individuals (Moody, 2011). Funding of healthcare service in the US is also employer-based while insurance companies fund health service in Germany (Moody, 2011). In Sweden, taxation supports healthcare service regardless of the socioeconomic background of the individuals. Hence, most hospitals are publicly funded in Sweden while Germany enjoys a private-public partnership. In the US, private hospitals and clinics mostly provide for healthcare servi ce in the country (Greve, 2013). With focus on reducing health inequalities, the US places more importance on the healthcare needs of the poor (Glyn, 2006). Using the gatekeeping model (Greve, 2013), primary healthcare practitioners in the US screen individuals before they could gain access to publicly funded healthcare services. Only those with income levels in the poverty level, have disabilities, have very young children are allowed to access Medicaid (Greve, 2013). In contrast, patients in Sweden are referred to specialists by their general practitioners (GPs) regardless of their socio-economic background (Anell, 2012). However, there is very little gatekeeping in Germany, explaining the rich supply of doctors and specialists (Reibling, 2010). This means that there is no cost-sharing between the patients and the government when accessing healthcare specialists. Social health insurance in Germany follows the concepts of shared responsibility between the individuals and the state in funding and accessing healthcare services (Wahl, 2011). For example, Statutory Health Insurance (SHI) covers majority of the population. Employers and employees share in paying for the SHI (Reibling, 2010). When patients visit GPs and specialists, they also have to pay 10 euros for each doctor visit (Reibling, 2010). Only 10% of the population pays for private health insurance. Since patients have freedom of choice when selecting their providers, this tends to create high expectations for the quality of service offered by doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals. However, this create dissatisfaction amongst doctors since their fees are regulated, unlike in the US where doctor fees vary from one state to the other. There is also an observation that doctors in most European countries earn less than their counterparts in the US, fueling dissatisfaction amon gst this group (Rechel et al., 2006). While both countries have rich supply of doctors, the payment scheme for healthcare professionals greatly varies. Similar to Germany, the US has also little gatekeeping for individuals who do not belong to the lower socio-economic status. The latter could choose healthcare providers and specialists according to their preference. Sweden also has a mix of private and publicly owned healthcare facilities. However, the government fund for most healthcare expenditures (Greve, 2011). This means that even when individuals seek care in privately owned facilities, the government pays for healthcare costs. This scheme also benefits the government since this will ease the volume of patients seen in publicly owned healthcare facilities. Since there is competition for healthcare, patients have more choice on the type of healthcare provider they want to access (Kangas and Palme, 2009). All healthcare employees in both public and private-owned healthcare facilities receive salaries while patients share in the healthcare costs (Kangas and Palme, 2009). There is also a ceiling on the costs of medications. Due to the minimal user fee and healthcare cost, healthcare is suggested to be equitable (Kangas and Palme, 2009). However, there is evidence (Brown, 2008) that the long waiting list and disparity in supply and demand derai l timely access to healthcare services in Sweden. Key Concepts and Models of Social Policy in the Three Countries The impact of health and social care policies in countries are often measured by health outcomes. These include incidence of diseases, daily adjusted life years (DALYs) for burden of disease and human development index (HDI) (World Health Organization, 2014). The HDI is a critical measurement of a country’s health status since it has been shown that positive measure of health is intricately linked with human development and economic productivity (OECD, 2011). Amongst the three countries reviewed in this essay, USA ranked the highest in terms of human development followed by Germany and Sweden. The succeeding table summarises the HDI, life expectancy at birth, mean years of schooling, expected years of schooling, gross national income (GNI), GNI per capital rank minus HDI rank and nonincome HDI value in 2011: HDI Rank Human Development Index Value Life expectancy at birth (years) Mean years of schooling (years) Expected years of schooling (years) Gross national income (GNI) per capita (Constant 2005 PPP $) GNI per capita minus HDI rank Nonincome HDI Value United States (rank 4) 0.910 78.5 12.4 16.0 43,017 6 0.931 Germany (rank 9) 0.905 80.4 12.2 15.9 34,854 8 0.940 Sweden (rank 10) 0.904 81.4 11.7 15.7 35,837 4 0.936 Source: OECD, 2011 As shown in the table above, the life expectancy at birth is lowest in the US but high in Germany and Sweden. Better life expectancy in the latter two countries could be due to earlier treatment of childhood diseases (Mackenback and Bakker, 2003). The funding scheme in the US might also account for disparities in healthcare (Mackenback and Bakker, 2003). As opposed to Sweden and Germany, two-third of the population in the US either has private insurance or is covered by their employers. Employed individuals also make personal contributions in addition to employer contribution for their health coverage (Moody, 2011). The scheme employed in the US has important implications in healthcare access. It is shown that approximately 46 million people in the US do not have public or private insurance (Moody, 2011). The number of insured individuals decreases as income also decreases (Moody, 2011). It has been shown that those in higher income quintiles tend perceive better health status as com pared to those in the lower income quintile. The cost of healthcare is also regulated in Germany and Switzerland as opposed to the US where there is very little containment of cost (Blank and Burau, 2007). The concept of equity could be used to explain why there are significant differences in health status in the US. The OECD (2009) emphasise that measurement of equity in health status is focused on mortality and morbidity rate for the individuals. Currently, the OECD determines the health status of a state through its life expectancy at age 65 for the elderly and infant mortality rate for children (OECD, 2008). Both life expectancy and infant mortality rate is generally lower in the US compared to Germany and Sweden (OECD, 2009). This would show that despite having high human development index, the US is lagging behind Germany and Switzerland in terms of healthcare for the elderly and the very young. The OECD (2009) also notes that healthcare administration costs in the US is significantly greater than other OECD countries. Sometimes, the costs are twice as high compared to Sweden and Germany. While doctors in Sweden and Germany have ceiling rates for their healthcare services, doctors in the US charge higher (Moody, 2011). While competition for healthcare services is present in Sweden, the competition in the US has a negative impact since it inflates the cost instead of driving down the cost while maintaining quality of care (Moody, 2011). At present, Medicaid only covers those with disabilities, the elderly, families living in the poverty level and those with very young children (Rosenbaum, 2011). Meanwhile, Obamacare or the Patient Protection and Affordable Act mandate employers to provide for health coverage on their respective employees (Rosenbaum, 2011). Those who are eligible for subsidies would be given government subsidies to pay for their health insurances. Since Obamac are pushes those who are not covered by Medicaid to private insurers, it is expected that this will create competition amongst insurance companies (Rosenbaum, 2011). For instance, these companies might offer more health coverage for a wide range of health conditions at a lesser cost. Companies might also compete on the healthcare providers available to deliver healthcare for the insurers. Path Dependence and Convergence Path dependence suggests that history and institutional context play crucial roles in the development of healthcare policies (Kennett, 2001). Once a healthcare policy, however, is established, it tends to be resistant to changes or when reforms are inevitable, it stays within the boundaries of the original policy. On the other hand, socio-economic changes greatly influence the direction of healthcare policies in the ‘convergence’ perspective (Starke et al., 2008). To illustrate, a number of countries in the European Union tend to follow similar paths in healthcare policies and integrate best practices from each nation. The convergence of healthcare policies is described as ‘positive integration’ (Starke et al., 2008). Since market competition for healthcare services are introduced in the welfare states in Europe, this creates ‘negative integration’ of healthcare policies (Starke et al., 2008). Germany’s healthcare policy tends to follow the path dependence amongst the countries in Europe. Healthcare policies in this country were established as early as the 19th century (Arts and Gelissen, 2010) beginning with the introduction of the social health insurance. Although the complexities of healthcare have increased, little have change on how healthcare service is funded and delivered. The long- standing tradition of corporatism still exists. For instance, governing boards that make decisions or negotiate terms with health care practitioners, the insurers and pharmaceutical industry are all composed of representative employers and employees (Starke et al., 2008). All those sitting in these boards are elected through democratic means. This has been practised for many years and little have changed on how governing boards are convened. On the other hand, subsidiarity is still practiced today Arts and Gelissen, 2002). This means that legislative framework is created or refor med by the government alone. Meanwhile, Sweden also follows the path dependency perspective. Similar to Germany, universal access to healthcare service has been practiced since the post-war period (Arts and Gelissen, 2002). The public through the city councils continue to provide funds for healthcare (Arts and Gelissen, 2010). It should be noted that this practice has been existence since the 19th century. However, there have been criticisms on the healthcare system in Sweden. Foremost amongst this is its struggle to cope up with the increasing demands for healthcare with low supply of healthcare providers (Van Kersbergen and Hemerijck, 2012). The ageing of the population coupled with the complexity of healthcare also pushes the national health services system of Sweden to look for innovations to deliver healthcare at a lesser cost (Van Kersbergen and Hemerijck, 2012). The challenge of meeting all healthcare demands with tighter financial resources might drive the country to look for alternative ways in funding healthcare of the people. Finally, the US exemplifies the ‘convergence’ perspective. Healthcare reforms have increased in the last 20 years with the culmination of Obamacare in recent years. This suggests that healthcare policies in the country are subject to change, depending on the political, economic and social context of healthcare. To illustrate this point, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act also known as Obamacare is currently driving more individuals in the country to purchase private insurance. This is a source of conflict in the country since coverage of Medicaid is very restrictive (Rosenbaum, 2011). Medicaid will continue to expand coverage in the succeeding years to include those with mean annual income of 40,000 USD. This suggests that healthcare policies could continue to change until a consensus is reached between the government and healthcare consumers. The perspective of convergence would suggest that countries tend to follow best practices and create policies that co uld respond to current needs. Basing on this perspective, the US is a good example of how it changes its healthcare policy to meet the increasing demands for healthcare. Conclusion Variations in healthcare policies are noted in the countries of Germany, Sweden and the US. While all countries have high HDI, they differ in the life expectancy at age 65 and infant mortality rate. These two indicators are cited by the OECD as measures of how a country exercises equity in healthcare. Sweden and Germany almost have similar life expectancy for the elderly. These countries also differ in public spending for healthcare and access to healthcare services. Sweden has been practicing universal health care since the post-war period while Germany has shifted to quasi-universal in the last decades. The US, through its Medicaid, provides universal access to healthcare services only for those with disabilities, families with very young children or based on need. Those not covered with Medicaid have to purchase their own healthcare insurance or are provided with insurance by their employers. Hence, the US only practices very low universal access to healthcare. Finally, the perspe ctives of ‘path dependence’ and ‘convergence’ are discussed in this essay. Sweden and Germany follow the path dependence perspective while the US demonstrates the convergence perspective. 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