Ups vs Fedex free essay sample

In 1975, UPS promised package delivery to every address in the United States; FedEx was not able to guarantee delivery in every area. When deregulation of the domestic airline industry and trucking industry occurred, the operating landscape changed, and FedEx became the beneficiary by expanding its delivery fleet. The just-in-time supply movement enabled FedEx to grow as well by creating a larger demand for express delivery. Technological innovations, such as its package tracker, assisted FedEx in improved customer service; UPS was able to keep pace with technological innovations of its own, such as its own package tracker. UPS’s key to success was and remains efficiency, timing all delivery routes to traffic signal patterns for example. UPS also expanded into Canada and Germany before FedEx. In recent years UPS has invested heavily in information technology, aircraft and other facilities. Competitor Comparison UPS went public in 1999, starting direct stock competition with FedEx UPSFedEx Offered package delivery services to the entire US and over 200 countries, delivered over 13 million packages and achieved profits of $3 billion, and AAA bond rating in 1983Operational leader reached $1 billion in revenues during 1983 and was poised to own the market for express delivery Restructured by becoming an aggressive company and expanding through acquisitionsNo unions Acquired Miami based carrier with operations in Latin AmericaAchieved $15 billion in assets, net income of $830 million on revenues of . We will write a custom essay sample on Ups vs Fedex or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page billion in 2003 Opened Mail Boxes Etc. franchise stores, providing packing, shipping and mail service Invested in IT, aircraft and facilities to support service innovations, quality and reduce cost Became involved with all aspects of supply chain logistics to offer another service to its customers By 2003, UPS and FedEx were in very similar business positions, providing express service in the US and abroad. Express Segment: 1999 2003 UPSFedEx Focus on customer serviceFocus on customer service Started price war, but later settled on regular price increasesSettled on regular price increases Cut costs through economies of scale, investments in IT and business process reengineeringCut costs through economies of scale, investments in IT and business process reengineering IT: UPS employs on DIADs for drivers to scan package barcodes during pickupIT: COSMOS transmits data from package movements, customer pickups, invoices and deliveries to central database in Memphis, TN UPS installed drop off boxes, 165 drive through and 371 express delivery stores, Saturday pickups to expand services and match FedExPurchased ground vehicles worth $200 million to match UPS delivery fleet Offered integrated logistics service to large corporate clients with total inventory controlCompeted for large corporate clients providing integrated logistics service In the international package-delivery market, UPS exceeded and had more success and dollar investment marked for international growth than FedEx . International Package-Delivery Market European entry in 1988 with acquisition of 10 continental courier services Lost estimated $1 billion in Europe since entry in 1984 and eventually sold European hub to DHL Spent an additional $1 billion in 1995 to expand it European operationsExpanded routes in Latin America, Caribbean and introduced AsiaOne next business day service between Asia and US in 1995 Begins direct flights to China in 2001Establishes Chinese Headquarters in 2003 Contracts with Yangtze River Express for package delivery within China in 2003 FedEx owned the largest foreign presence in China, with almost double the amount of daily flights to China than UPS, serving 220 Chinese cities with direct flights to Beijing, Shenzhen and Shanghai. FedEx volumes in China grew by more than 50% between 2003 and 2004. UPS was active in China beginning in 1988, and was the first carrier to offer nonstop service from America. By 2003, UPS had 6 weekly flights to China with direct service to Beijing and Shanghai, serving about 200 cities with expected growth of about 60% on its main route. UPS also predicted peak-season demand to exceed capacity. Financial Analysis UPS appears to be the better bet for the long-term because its historical financial results are superior to and more consistent when compared to FedEx. If we consider EVA (Economic Value Added) as the key gauge for evaluating both firms, UPS is clearly the better performer. In the twelve year period of 1992 through 1993, UPS created $4. 33 billion in cumulative economic value, while FedEx destroyed $2. 25 billion. Because of its superior profitability and cash generating capabilities, UPS has better prospects for funding growth through internal and external sources. Even if we weaken the assumption of past history as a good indicator for the course of future financial performance and management, the data still indicates UPS is in a better financial position for taking on future growth. Decomposing EVA UPS outperformed FedEx on profitability in the twelve year period with an average RONA of 13. 78% compared to 8. 31% for FedEx. This profitability disparity accounts for most of the differences in their EVA histories. The twelve year average cost of capital/WACC for each firm was virtually the same (11. 97% for UPS, 11. 5% for FedEx); FedEx failed to generate enough RONA to cover its cost of capital in eleven years of the twelve year period, while UPS generated positive economic returns in seven of those years. The economic profit margin or spread between RONA and WACC for UPS averaged about 1. 8 % compared to -3. 14% for FedEx. For the last year of the period, 2003, UPS’s spread was 5. 11% and FedEx’s was 1. 10%. Given these statistics, UPS is obviously the better value creator and more profitable firm. Funding Future Growth (Cash and Debt) UPS is in a better position to fund its future growth because it generates more cash through superior profitability and its bigger size NOPAT for UPS in 2003 was at $3. 31 billion versus FedEx at $1. 42 billion. Thus, UPS can fund a larger percentage of its growth through internally generated funds. UPS can also take on additional debt at a lower cost than FedEx. The two firms have very similar debt/equity ratios but different bond ratings, with UPS rated higher. Therefore, even with similar relative debt levels, UPS can choose to supplement its funding needs with debt at a lower interest expense than FedEx. As of 2003, UPS‘s interest coverage ratio is three times that of FedEx, so UPS has a bigger cushion for handling additional debt (which partially explains UPS’s higher debt rating). In summary, from a cash perspective and in the context of each firm’s debt load, UPS is clearly in a better financial position to compete than FedEx. Operational Analysis While UPS and FedEx operate with similar business practices and offer almost identical services to their respective customers, UPS is more diversified both in operational revenue and global market service. Virtually all of FedEx’s business is derived from air-express sector in the package delivery; that segment is only 44% of UPS’s revenues. Both companies compete fiercely, often copying the other’s moves. For instance, FedEx has started to poach clients from UPS by offering volume discounts and excellent delivery services. UPS has countered by matching FedEx’s customer interaction by installing drop boxes and offering Saturday delivery to equal FedEx’s delivery schedule. Annualized capital expenditures are almost identical between the two companies for the period of 1992 to 2003 was 34. 64% for FedEx and 36. 78% for UPS. The main difference between the two is the markets each company serves and how they serve it. FedEx utilizes an independent contractor model, while UPS has unionized employees. FedEx attempted to develop its European capabilities until 1992, when it sold its operations to DHL, and now relies on local partners. By comparison, UPS acquired multiple courier services and announced in 1995 it would spend $1 billion over the next five years to continue its European expansion. The following table provides the comparison of worldwide facts between FedEx and UPS: FedExUPS Main HubMemphis, TennesseeLouisville, Kentucky Packages handled per day5. 4 million13. 6 million Air deliveries per day3. 1 million2 million Service AreaMore than 220 countries and territories, including every address in the United StatesMore than 200 countries and territories; every address in North America and Europe WorkforceMore than 216,500 employees worldwide360,000 Worldwide Delivery FleetMore than 50,000 motorized vehicles and 625 aircraft88,000 ground vehicles; 583 aircraft. In the ground package-delivery business, UPS is approximately five times larger than FedEx, delivering 11 million packages per day. However, there are signs that FedEx is gaining market share for ground delivery. FedEx dominates with the world’s largest air-delivery service, delivering 50% more per day than UPS. The battleground has shifted from Europe to China, which is projected to become the second largest economy by 2011 and the largest by 2039. Because China’s export volume increased by 101% in 2004, both companies have focused on the import/export package market valued at nearly $1 billion, instead of the intra-domestic market, valued at approximately $800 million. Although it entered the Chinese market after FedEx, UPS is aggressively expanding its services within the market. While FedEx flies almost twice as many daily routes to China than UPS, the new service agreement between the US and China will alter the landscape; it is uncertain how the newly acquired routes will be distributed to FedEx, UPS and their other competitors. Conclusion UPS will achieve better long-term performance relative to FedEx because of its bigger size, more diversified revenue and business, superior financial and operational efficiency and a better capital position.

DEVELOPING COUNTRY QATAR essays

DEVELOPING COUNTRY QATAR essays The developing country of Qatar is located near the Persian Gulf, and surrounded by it on three sides (Crystal, 263). Located in the Middle East, Qatar is also bordered by Saudi Arabia (Crystal, 264). It is one of the 15 states that are generally considered to be in what is termed the "Cradle of Humanity" (Qatar, 2004). It is technically in a peninsula in the east of Arabia (Crystal, 264). Qatar makes up 11,437 square kilometers and has no large lakes or rivers to speak of (Qatar, 2004). Five hundred and sixty-three kilometers of Qatar are coastline and 60 kilometers border Saudi Arabia (Qatar, 2004). It is generally a desert climate. It is very hot and dry in most regions of the country and in the summer it turns into a very sultry and humid place. Most of the terrain of Qatar is flat and much of it is barren desert (Qatar, 2004). This is generally covered with gravel or loose sand and there are no forests or other densely planted areas. The lowest point in Qatar is where it meets the Persian Gulf and the highest point is Qurayn Abu al Bawl, which is 103 meters high (Qatar, The main natural resources of Qatar are fish, natural gas, and petroleum (Al-Haj, 561). Only 5 percent of the land is used for permanent pastures and there are no permanent crops (Qatar, 2004). Eighty square kilometers of the land is irrigated but Qatar must deal with many natural hazards such as dust storms, haze, and sandstorms, which are very common (Qatar, 2004). There are many large-scale facilities in Qatar for removing salt from the water and there is increasing dependence on these since Qatar has very few freshwater resources (Al-Haj, 568). These natural resources are extremely limited. In order to preserve much of its environment, Qatar belongs to several international agreements including those dealing with the proper way to handle hazardous wastes, biodiversity, and protection o...

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

Biometrics - Essay Example As Jain, Bolle and Pankanti (n.d) point out, biometrics will gradually become a prime appurtenance in identification technology especially for the following reasons: repeatedly falling prices of biometric sensors, advancement in the underlying technology, increasing awareness among the public regarding the merits and demerits of the technology as such. But a strong voice had been rising against the implementation of biometrics especially regarding the threat posed by it to privacy of persons. Biometric scanners which were in use in some airports in the U.S. were greatly criticized for the reason that security officers could observe the naked figures of the passengers through the scanner, and it is said that biometric scanners can even detect if a woman is pregnant. And this in fact is the biggest challenge the technology has to overcome in order to be globally practical. Privacy is clearly a fundamental right of an individual. Hence, anything that invades ones privacy cannot be suppo rted. Biometric methods have both positive and negative impacts on the privacy of a person. It enhances the control of the individual over his/her personal information thus reducing the likeliness of identifying theft.

Independent study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 8000 words

Independent study - Essay Example In today’s intensely competitive business environment, the competitive advantage lies in how successful an organisation is in linking its strategic intent and direction to its overall operations. In order to steer an organisation in its intended direction and be successful in achieving its overall objectives, correct evaluation of organisational performance is critical. Evaluating organisational performance not only provides an assessment of the current situation but also provides information for corrective action if the performance is deviating from desired levels. However the effectiveness of performance evaluation depends on whether the right things have been evaluated. If a company has focused on evaluating the wrong aspects or neglected evaluating key aspects, which has significant implications on its performance, then results from the evaluation process will not be complete. The intention of this independent study is to gain valuable first hand insight in to how theoreti cal knowledge on management practices can be applied in practical settings. Balanced Score Card concept being a fairly recent management concept holds vocational value for the future career purposes, as it is set within the background of strategic management.

Approaches to Standard Setting in Accounting Essay - 1

Approaches to Standard Setting in Accounting - Essay Example Financial statements are prepared and presented through observation of relevant accounting standards and procedures. Users of these statements, therefore, need to derive assessments that are realistic in regard to any given entity’s financial status. These users are spread across the economic context, based on the interest of each of them in the financial positions of different entities. To act in the satisfaction of these stakeholders, accounting standards are crucial in ensuring that financial reporting is effective enough. In this regard, capital markets operations are assessed for their efficacy in the context of accounting standards integration. The impacts of accounting standards on different entities can take more than one way. The impacts can be individual-entity-based or even broader to encompass several sectors of the economy or the entire economy at large, including capital and other markets. On a smaller scale, accounting standards enhance individual entity account ability and further provide strong basis upon which investors, creditors and other stakeholders are managed. In general, corporate governance is improved prior to business arrangements of different entities. ... Literature Review McLeay and Merkl (2004, p.341) notes that accounting standards operate by setting out general rules to be followed in financial statements’ preparation and financial reporting. These rules are practical prior to the accounting work in question. Entities differ in financial reporting methods through similar or close accounting standards are observed. This is due to the fact that there are a number of setters of accounting standards around the world. According to Bennett & Loucks (2008, p.407-419), major accounting standard setting bodies around the world include: Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS), Committee on the Global Financial Systems (CGFS), Committee on Payment and Settlement System (CPSS), Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF), Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), Financial Stability Board (FSB), International Association of Deposit Insurers (IADI), International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS), Internati onal Accounting Standards Board (IASB), International Monetary Board (IMF), World Bank (WB), among others. In the UK, GAAP is responsible for setting accounting standards and regulating observance of company law. Accounting standards have three basic concepts that they account for. The first concept is to present the underlying problem. In this case, an intensive description of the underlying problem is presented. Upon the realization of a problem, there is the need to get a solution to the problem. The second concept is therefore that of fixing the problem highlighted in the first concept. Fundamental accounting theory is explored in pursuit of finding a viable solution to the

Models Of Strategic Change That Is Appropriate Management Essay

Models Of Strategic Change That Is Appropriate Management Essay Lewins change model is the appropriate model for the British Airways strategic change. According to this model, the initial step of any change process it to unfreeze the current pattern of behaviour as a way of managing opposition to the change. On the basis of the organizational level of change needed, such unfreezing may involve on the individual level by selectively promoting or terminating the employees and on the structural level- by developing highly experiential training, providing data based feedback on how employees feel about certain management practices. Each of these interventions is planned to make organizational members address that levels need for change. The next step, movement, involves making the definite changes that will shift the organization to any other level of response. On the individual level, we would anticipate to see people behaving in a different way, possibly representing new skills. At last, on the interpersonal- style level, we would anticipate to see behavior patterns that indicate better interpersonal trust and less dysfunctional interactions. The final stage of the change process which is refreezing involves stabilizing these This stage may involve redesigning the organizations employment process in order to increase the likelihood of hiring applicants who share the organizations new management style. LO1.2 Discuss how your chosen strategic change model is relevance British Airways in the Current economy Markov models and Monte Carlo simulations staff replacements can be employed along with the Delphi technique, for strategizing change. The application of Kurt Lewin is a wide-ranging plan of approach to hit issues governing the British Airways. Kurt Lewins three steps of change in British Airways had both the positive as well as the negative impacts on organisational employees and its structure. The existing pattern of behaviour, which is Unfreeze to cease resistance to change was ordained and was effecting a persons behaviour. It includes the downsizing of workforce policy and shortened employees incumbency and also reduced the hierarchical levels. It also empowered functioning people and made the decisions to spread fast which resulted in a better performance. Lewins second models bring forth highlight of top management to bottom-line. Obviously, it transformed the internal structure and system of the British Airways. It was also complemented with the incentives to absorb shock and a new performance appraisal was introduced in order to alleviate the change by placing the above systems in a behavioral pattern. It emphasized on customer pleasure and amalgamation of the entire team of people in the hierarchy. LO1.3 Discuss the benefits of your chosen strategic change models as intervention Techniques in British Airways British Airways today is the worlds most important airline. Because of the internal and external pressures, BA was forced to adapt to as corporate culture, value and company mission in order to improve the organisations performance. Lewins model is the most important strategic change model for BA. The Unfreezing Stage reduces the hierarchical levels and gives more independence to working people and also allows work to get done without any difficulty as a result the organisations performance is improved. In the past, retirement which is a policy to reduce employees was introduced in this stage. It was got a good response from many employees. There were major changes in British airways top management. The Movement Stage is the second stage of Lewins Model. In this stage, the company involved in building any change to be real which BA developed strategy and plans to bring the idea of the top management-level to the bottom-line employees. For supporting this stage, a number of internal British Airways structures and systems were altered like new bonus system and opening of Terminal 4 at Heathrow airport etc. The final stage is Refreezing in which the company had to alleviate changes by establishing systems which can make behavioral pattern in BA. For example, a new performance appraisal system was created to highlight customer service and subordinate development. BAs symbols were introduced to carry those changes. LO2: Understand issues relating to strategic change in an organisation LO2.1Based on the case study discuss why you think British Airways need change In the 90s, that British Airways was well-known as the worlds number one airline when it came to quality and customer satisfaction. Today the above mentioned statement would have obscurity in itself as British Airways strategy seems to have changed from a service focused business to one competing on value that the British Airways have implemented in an attempt to deal with low profits and the high operating costs. Today all the organisations are being all the time more challenged by change. Subsequently, they have to to be aware of the issues that force the need for change which means that the organisations call for a proactive approach to the strategic change management. A cooperative and peaceful work environment is a key need in every organisation and strikes in the organisations also affects the good will and brand of the organisation. Strikes in any organisation imply that there is lack of proper communication between employees and the managers which ultimately leads to growth of tension in the organisation climate. BA now need to adopt a strategy to ensure that strikes wont occur and for this over-communication need to be done to check nothing gets missed and the project manager and the employees must understand the value of compromise and work actively together in order to avoid any risk of bitter relationship which may give birth to a strike in the future. LO2.2 Assess the factors that are driving the need for strategic change at British Airways Strategic management is a set of managerial decisions and activities that determines the long-run performance of an organisation. It includes aspects such as strategy formulation on the basis of the current environment of the organisation, implementation of formulated strategy, and its evaluation and control. The organizational development tradition is an approach to carry out organizational change with a view to increase efficiency. A variety of employee involvement strategies are taken in to account, but there is minor confirmation for their effectiveness as a means of securing commitment and improved performance. Due to the incidents like the global slowdown in the travel industry and lower demand for bookings, that fuel costs rise sharply, costs of insurance going up in the BA saw the need for strategic changes in attracting the market. Strategic change is imperative for every business because it determines its success in the market. A major strategy of airlines is alliances or merges. Alliances or merges are a part of strategic management plan. Alliances are useful for any airlines to manage and preserve the business. This strategy was also adopted by the British Airways for better service and customer satisfaction. The motivating factor behind alliances is long-term profitability. Their formation is for strategic reasons like accessing larger markets and building hub-to-hub traffic etc. LO2.3 Assess the resource implications of British Airways not responding to strategic change British airways have been affected by the change in technology, business trends, and economic trends. They have been slow to adapt to the changes according to the changing world and this has become a major setback in the British Airways where they have lagged behind. The key problem for British Airways is the poor management strategies. Earlier, the company was doing amazingly well with high profits. The companys reliability had grown enormously in the transport industry as well and therefore it was termed as a company with class. Later on the troubles for the company led to its financial catastrophe due to lack of managerial strategies or we can say due to resistance to change. The change in the business trends is one of the main causes of the poor management strategies as the customers have been varying their behaviours from the conventional habits they were used to. Another main problem that is the root cause of the poor management strategies is the rise in fuel costs. Earlier in the past, the fuel prices were low and easily quantifiable. The times have passed by and the prices of the fuel today have sky rocketed which means that the income have diminished and have now transformed to losses. Because of this reason, the management of British Airways is having management crisis due to resistance to change. Another problem is the competitors of the company. There were no competitors in the past to compete with British airways. Earlier, the company did not have any struggle but this all changed with the formation of new rivals in the industry for example- Easy Jet due to which BA faced a huge loss of customers and they started making losses. Technology is also a problem which has affected British Airways leading to its huge poor management strategies. The organization strategic change management has been not efficient in solving all these entire problems. LO3 Stakeholders in developing a strategy for change LO3.1 Identify a system involving stakeholders in the planning of change at British For Creating a stakeholder aware culture in the organisation a structured approach is needed, skilful management is also essential. A structured process which is focussed on identifying the stakeholders, understanding their expectations and managing their expectations, monitoring the efficiency of the stakeholder activities and continual review of stakeholder community can be used to achieve success in managing stakeholder relationships. A stakeholder has a stake in the activities of the organisation. That stake may be an interest in the result or product, an individual or group influenced by the work or the product which may be direct or indirect. As an unremitting upgrading process, stakeholder administration requires understanding support from everyone in the organisation ranging from the CEO to the employee to the short-term contractor. This ensures the concepts of effective stakeholder relationship management in the organisation. Management should have to recognise that success criteria of its organisation must be broader than the bottom line considerations: -The only business driver is not only shareholder value. -Organisations today need to think about socially valuable behaviours such as sustainability and corporate social liability as an important part of their mission and goals. Many organisations followed the management ideologies of the bottom line. Above all, the CEO should be a hero and the shareholder value is supreme. Any kind of activity that an organisation undertakes, whether it be operational, strategic or tactical, the activity can only be unbeaten with the input, obligation and support of people- stakeholders. Attainment of and maintaining the support and loyalty of stakeholders requires a constant process of appealing the right stakeholders at the right time and obviously to understand and manage their expectations. LO3.2 Analyse the change management strategy of British Airways with stakeholders STAKEHOLDERS Stakeholders are the persons or groups who are impacted by or can influence the success or failure of an organisations actions. They are the groups or individuals who supply important resources. The Stakeholder Circle methodology The Stakeholder Circle is a five step methodology which provides a flexible and structured approach to understand and manage relationships within and around the organisationsactivity. It is based on the concept that the success of any organisations activities depend on the participation of the stakeholder community. With each of the activity a team is associated, often unobserved in many stakeholder engagement processes like it appeared to be known as being imperative to the success of that activity. The outmost circle references possible stakeholders:, those who may be important to the victory of the activity at the later stage. The methodology defines a concept that any activity of the organisation can only exist with the informed approval of its stakeholder community. Managing the relationships between the stakeholders community and the activity will augment the chances of the success. The community of stakeholders consists of individuals and groups having a different potential to influence the activitys result either positively or negatively. The team associated with the activity must develop knowledge about this stakeholder community. This information will help to define the suitable level and substance of communication required to affect stakeholders expectations and actions. The five steps are: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Identification of all the stakeholders. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Prioritisation to determine who among the stakeholders is crucial. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Visualisation in order to determine the overall stakeholder community. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Engagement through effectual communications. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Monitoring the outcome of the engagement. LO3.3Evaluate the systems used by British Airways to involve stakeholders in the planning of change Key stakeholder are the stakeholders with major impact on or considerably influenced by the work and where these interests and influence must be accepted if the work is to be thriving. The British Airways stakeholders consist of the groups who are concerned in the British Airways business and that would be: -British Airways Workers who want BA to do well as the company pays their mortgages. -BA shareholders who want BA to do well because they have possession of the company and want their investments to increase. -BA suppliers as they make money by supplying the BA with goods and services. -BA customers as they want BA to do well so they can continue to use their service. STAKEHOLDER CIRCLE METHODOLOGY It is based on the concept that the success of any organisations activities to achieve its objectives depend upon the involvement of the stakeholder community. All decisions of the relationships are made from the point of view of the project manager. Team surrounds the activity which at times is overlooked in many stakeholder engagement processes. Surrounding the team there is stakeholder community that, at present time, is identified as the important factor for the victory of any activity. The outermost circle is of potential stakeholders those who are/will be crucial for the projects success at later stages. LO3.4 Were there any resistance to change? If so explain The CEO, Willie Walsh of British Airways, has faced major industrial action when he implements a change programme intended to develop the competitiveness of the BA. British Airways illustrates the unfreezing-moving-refreezing procedure of change. The changes at the BA faced the increased competition for example from the Virgin Atlantic Airways. Organisational change hence can be critical for the performance and the survival as well. BA is the largest UK airline. BA is the market leader but instead the low cost airlines can influence the decisions that BA makes. Boeing and airbus are the core BA suppliers. BA tries to keep a healthy relationship with the media in order to have good relation with the public. Stakeholder engagement British Airways has been important for many years. Networks of stakeholder relations exist within the Airways. In the BA change process, the time and attention change leaders spent on the unfreezing face is of particular note. When change leaders fail to see the unfreezing phase as a crucial and separate phase they often encounter problems. Resistance to change is likely to be strong without any explicit attention on the unfreezing phase and this ignorance towards the unfreezing phase is also the reason behind the failure of change efforts. There are two additional and crucial points. First is that the managers should not suppose all the change activities to occur in succession. Activities necessary in the one phase of the process may overlap with that of the next phase. For example- The change leaders may be engaged in the activity of the moving phase while continuing to convince people to the requirement of change which is an activity associated with the unfreezing phase. Second is that instead of an individual a team of the change leaders should guide the organisation through a important c hange effort. The team can work more efficiently than a single person as there is too much work like deciding how to better unfreeze people, vision development and its communication, generation of small wins, overseeing many change projects. Individuals of the team must possess knowledge related to all the problems needed for the change efforts and must have different point of view for various solutions. Leadership is also crucial in the context. The team needs individuals who are capable to lead the team efficiently and confidently. The team size is also a concern. Six may be enough for a smaller organisation while fifteen or more may be needed in a larger one. LO4 Planning to implement models for ensuring ongoing change LO4.1 How would you develop appropriate model for change for British Airways Lewins change model, according to me, is the appropriate model for change for the British Airways. It is outlined as below:- Lewins Change Model Organizations tend to always work in order to maintain a steady state and this may help us to understand that why do organizations require external force to initiate alteration and why that change will be opposed. Organizational change can occur at three levels and the patterns in each level need different change strategies. The levels involve: Changing the persons who are employees in the organization which includes changing their r skills, values, attitudes, and behaviour. Changing the organizational environment or interpersonal style which means that how open people are with one another, how the conflicts are managed and how decisions are taken, and so on. According to Lewin, the initial step of any change process it to unfreeze the current pattern of behavior as a way of managing opposition to the change. On the basis of the organizational level of change needed, such unfreezing may involve on the individual level by selectively promoting or terminating the employees and on the structural level- by developing highly experiential training, providing data based feedback on how employees feel about certain management practices. Each of these interventions is planned to make organizational members address that levels need for change. The next step, movement, involves making the definite changes that will shift the organization to any other level of response. On the individual level, we would anticipate to see people behaving in a different way, possibly representing new skills. At last, on the interpersonal- style level, we would anticipate to see behavior patterns that indicate better interpersonal trust and less dysfunctional interactions. The final stage of the change process which is refreezing involves stabilizing these This stage may involve redesigning the organizations employment process in order to increase the likelihood of hiring applicants who share the organizations new management style. LO4.2 Based on the case explain how you would plan and implement a model for change for British Airways British Airways used the same tools and faced the similar thing which others faced for their revival. They chose for manpower management and strategic movement. Future requirements of manpower were compared to that of the existing human resource. It identified skills and competencies. On the basis of the, the organization prepared a plan for developing the human resource strategy for preservation and removal with compensation. A process driven mechanism ensued to collect competencies that are vital in the organization. In order to achieve its goals the British Airways undertook strategic functions based on enterprise and the objectives were to make the organization competitive. In the British Airways, skill obsolesce are a major factor in the organisation. It needs deep-seated actions to be performed. Any organization has two categories its knowledge set, smart people and skill-sets that are ensured with job definitions. Overstaffing increase training cost and production cost. It also affects values, morale and productivity. If an organisation wants to create an optimised manpower planning designs then the following points are salient: 1. Delivery and allocation of manpower and Balancing of demand supply. 2. Human resource controlling. 3. Introducing policies on succession, transfers and repositioning of manpower. Internal/External Changes in the Organization Internal/external changes in the organisation are fairly natural. They add to innovations of competitive strategy. External changes include change in the customer need and taste, amendments in government policy while internal change is related to product and service design innovation, appointment of well-informed senior managers for fresh ideas in order to deliver better services. Amidst a set of fiscal problems, the only alternative that British Airways could take resort to was a privatization program. It had to sale government owned stakes to the private players. It influenced and improved the organizational performance; which was subjected to fierce competition. Lewins Model The model to be engaged for managing change is the Lewins model having three stages. The step one includes unfreezing which reduces the forces of change which maintains behaviour, identifies the need for change and the points that required enhancement. The step two consists of adopting movement for development of new attitude for the execution of the change and in the step three re-freezing is to be adopted in order to alleviate the change at new level. LO4.3How would you develop appropriate measures to monitor progress at British Airways Key Performance Indicators: KPIs or Key performance indicators are the financial and non-financial measures which are used to assist an organisation to measure its progress headed for a settled organisational objective. A key measure of companys success is customer recommendation. An onboard customer survey, British Airways Global Performance Monitor (GPM) survey and a follow up online survey on the arrivals process which provides monthly insights into the views of the customer. British Airways expect big things of everybody working for it. It invests in new leadership training; implementing comprehensible communication programmes and recuperating the way company supervise presentation in all the business areas by training and systems solutions. British Airways must attain a constantly strong financial performance to keep on investing for the future success of the business and provide enough shareholder returns. The main way for measuring financial performance is Operating margin. http://thanabut.blogspot.in/2007/05/1-introduction-this-report-is-written.html http://www.zeepedia.com/read.php?the_nature_of_planned_change_lewins_change_model_case_example_british_airways_organization_developmentb=52c=7 (function() { var scribd = document.createElement("script"); scribd.type = "text/javascript"; scribd.async = true; scribd.src = "https://www.scribd.com/javascripts/embed_code/inject.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(scribd, s); })() http://www.google.co.in/url?sa=trct=jq=the%20benefits%20of%20lewin%27s%20strategic%20change%20models%20as%20intervention%20techniques%20in%20british%20airwayssource=webcd=10ved=0CGkQFjAJurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fbooks%2FNBK43742%2Fei=RlMEUf7zC9DyrQfJpYDYDQusg=AFQjCNGFjP5000WlUvCFVexZLiT6ILiQNgcad=rja http://www.google.co.in/#hl=entbo=dsclient=psy-abq=the+benefits+of+lewin%27s+strategic+change+models+as+intervention+techniques+in+British+Airwaysoq=the+benefits+of+lewin%27s+strategic+change+models+as+intervention+techniques+in+British+Airwaysgs_l=serp.34565.14668.0.15522.10.10.0.0.0.2.2517.4891.9-2.2.0.les%3B..0.01c.1.1E8XqHvQoJkpbx=1bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.fp=39ca3a13ecaabac5biw=1024bih=637 www.mcqueens.ie/modules/189/strategic-change-management.html www.studymode.com/subjects/strategic-change-for-ba-page2.html www.britishairways.com/careers/strategyandplanning.shtml http://www.studymode.com/subjects/factors-driving-the-change-in-security-check-system-in-british-airways-page6.html www.ukessays.com à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º Essays à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º Business www.britishairways.com/cms/global/microsites/ba/ceo3.html http://www.projecttimes.com/articles/6-strategies-for-better-pm-ba-relationships.html www.guardian.co.uk à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º Business à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º British Airways

The Joy of Overcoming Pain :: Personal Narrative Essay Example

The Joy of Overcoming Pain Propelled forward by my surging leg muscles, sweat gushing down my face, the harsh reality of this 50-mile bike race has begun to invade my body. My eyes remain intensely focused straight ahead: Grinding away along the racecourse, I see five girls from a different team about 200 yards ahead of me. My team needs a contribution from me, I realize, and I make the decision to pass all three of them. Through the heat rising off the asphalt I can finally see the distant white line proclaiming the finish. My mind propels my legs to their maximum ability. In these last few seconds of exertion, the years of hard work are paying off. Soaring through the finish, I have achieved flight. Biking is a pure sport, requiring little more than a brain ready to conquer pain. It is a sport that calls for commitment and mental toughness. Through testing myself, I increase my resilience and grow stronger. I unleash the power of my mind, and I bike. Some people are born with great biking ability, and others, like myself, are born with the desire to excel at every challenge. I've become the best biker I can through hard work and dedication. Challenging myself with new goals every day, I bike against the forces of gravity and inertia. I love the thrill of competition -- the euphoric feeling I get when mind overcomes pain. As a four-year member of my high school biking team, I have experienced just about every physical infirmity that comes from biking. I have dealt with shin splints, biker's knee, broken toes, and pulled calf mussels. My orthopedic surgeon took one look at my legs and admitted that I'm "not built to be a biker." Yet, I chose to continue biking because of its daily challenges and rewards. I've learned from this sport that by focusing single-mindedly on achieving a goal, I can make any obstacle trivial. I still hear my coach's voice in my head: "If you sacrifice yourself, good things will happen." As much as a bike race requires individual strength physically and mentally, it also requires a team effort to succeed. Like sisters in a family, the girls I bike with understand and respect one another. We remind each other to work harder, eat right, and to accomplish the most we can.

An Information Communications Technology Solutions Essay

Unified communications (UC) is a commonly used term for the integration of disparate communications systems, media, devices and applications. This potentially includes the integration of fixed and mobile voice, e-mail, instant messaging, desktop and advanced business applications, Internet Protocol (IP)-PBX, voice over IP (VoIP), presence, voice-mail, fax, audio video and web conferencing, unified messaging, unified voicemail, and whiteboarding into a single environment offering the user a more complete but simpler and more effective experience. Gartner states â€Å"The largest single value of UC is its ability to reduce â€Å"human latency† in business processes. † Unified Messaging (or UM) is the integration of different streams of communication (e-mail, SMS, Fax, voice, video, etc. ) into a single, or, unified ‘message store’, accessible from a variety of different devices. Unified Messaging was expected by many in the consumer telecommunications industry to be a popular product, first augmenting and eventually replacing voicemail. However, UM was slow to gain consumer acceptance, and UM vendors such as Comverse were badly hit when the slowdown in the telecommunications industry in 2001 made carriers wary of spending large amounts of money on technology with little proven consumer demand. Role of UM in Present Scenario Today, UM solutions are increasingly accepted in the corporate environment. The aim of deploying UM solutions generally is to enhance and improve business processes as well as services. UM solutions targeting professional end-user customers integrate communications processes into the existing IT infrastructure, i. e. into CRM, ERP and mail systems (e. g. Phoenixnet PH, Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Notes, SAP, etc. ) Unified communications is sometimes confused with unified messaging, but it is distinct. Unified communications refers to a real-time delivery of communications based on the preferred method and location of the recipient; unified messaging systems culls messages from several sources (such as email, voice mail etc. ), but holds those messages for retrieval at a later time. Unified messaging focuses on allowing users to access voice, e-mail, fax and other mixed media from a single mailbox independent of the access device. Multimedia services include messages of mixed media types such as video, sound clips, and pictures, and include communication via short message services (SMS). Components of unified communications Unified communications can include a variety of elements, such as instant messaging, telephony, video, email, voicemail, and short message services, all of which could be brought into real time and coordinated. The concept of presence is also a factor – knowing where one’s intended recipients are and if they are available, in real time – and is itself a key component of unified communications. To put it simply, unified communications integrates all the systems that a user might already be using and helps those systems work together in real time. For example, unified communications technology could allow a user to seamlessly collaborate with another person on a project, even if the two users are in separate locations. The user could quickly locate the necessary person by accessing an interactive directory, engage in a text messaging session, and then escalate the session to a voice call, or even a video call – all within minutes. In another example, an employee receives a call from a customer who wants answers. Unified communications could enable that worker to access a real-time list of available expert colleagues, then make a call that would reach the necessary person, enabling the employee to answer the customer faster, and eliminating rounds of back-and-forth emails and phone-tag. The examples in the previous paragraph primarily describe â€Å"personal productivity† enhancements that tend to benefit the individual user. While such benefits can be important, enterprises are finding that they can achieve even greater impact by using unified communications capabilities to transform business processes. This is achieved by integrating UC functionality directly into the business applications using development tools provided by many of the suppliers. Instead of the individual user invoking the UC functionality to, say, find an appropriate resource, the workflow or process application automatically identifies the resource at the point in the business activity where one is needed. When used in this manner, the concept of â€Å"presence† often changes. Most people associate presence with IM â€Å"buddy lists† — the status of individuals is identified. But, in many business process applications, what is important is finding someone with a certain skill. In these environments, presence will identify available skills or capabilities. This â€Å"business process† approach to integrating UC functionality can result in bottom line benefits that are an order of magnitude greater than those achievable by personal productivity methods alone. According to the International Engineering Consortium, unified communications is an industry term used to describe all forms of call and multimedia/cross-media message-management functions controlled by an individual user for both business and social purposes. This includes any enterprise informational or transactional application process that emulates a human user and uses a single, content-independent personal messaging channel (mailbox) for contact access. The essence of communication is breaking down barriers. In its simplest form, the telephone breaks distance and time barriers so that people can communicate in real time or near real time when they are not together. There are now many other barriers to be overcome. People can use many different devices to communicate (wireless phones, personal digital assistants [PDA], personal computers [PC], thin clients, etc. ), and there are now new forms of communication as well, such as instant messaging. The goal of unified communications involves breaking down these barriers so that people using different modes of communication, different media, and different devices can still communicate to anyone, anywhere, at any time. Unified communications (UC) encompasses several communication systems or models including unified messaging, collaboration, and interaction systems; real-time and near real-time communications; and transactional applications.

When I visited my local dental surgery Essays

When I visited my local dental surgery Essays When I visited my local dental surgery Essay When I visited my local dental surgery Essay CD-ROM Drive * 56K Modem * 3.5 Floppy Disk Drive * Keyboard , Mouse 3 years parts and labour return to manufacturer. Supplied with original Microsoft XP installation CD and all drivers for Windows 95/98/ME/2000 and XP Price: à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 475 including VAT Laptop Supplier: thelaptopsite.com Reference LAP03-829021 Manufacturer Hewlett Packard Model Evo NX9005 Processor AMD Athlon 2000 Memory 256mb HDD 30gb FDD 1.44 FDD CDROM/DVD DVD/CDRW Operating System Windows XP Professional Display 14.1 tft Condition New Manufacturers Warranty Price: à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 799 including VAT I have decided to recommend a desktop tower computer rather then a lap top because: Desktop comes with a larger screen size, it can be placed on the floor under the desk and out of sight; it is much cheaper then a similar spec laptop. The price of the desktop recommended will be approximately à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1200. DESIGN All forms will be designed in this style. This will ensure everything looks similar for the user. Item Text details Text Position Colour Background Main Heading Font:20:Italic:Bold Centered Blue Form colour Labels Font: 14: Bold Left aligned Black Form colour Buttons Font:12:Bold Centre Black grey Forms N/A N/A N/A Dark Cyan background Compulsory data Font:12: Left Black Light orange Optional data Font:12 Left Black Light green Diagram showing the major components of the inputs and outputs User FORMS Design: Query1. Purpose: View patients belonging to a specified surgeon. Input: Surgeon name Process: Query database to look all patients against name given. Output: shows gender, forename, surname, contact numbers for all patients found. Query 2. View patient details. Input: Patient forename and surname Process: Query database to look for all patients against forename and surname. Output: Show full record details about the patient Pressing new patient Button brings up this form Database design New patient record Field Name Type Length Required Indexed Validation Duplicates Record ID Auto Number Primary key Yes No No No Medical No text 20 chars Yes No No No Gender text 1 char Yes No M/F Yes Forename text 20chars Yes No Type Check (cap first letter) Yes Surname text 20 char Yes Yes Type Check (cap first letter) Yes House No text 10 char Yes No No Yes Address1 text 50 chars Yes No Type Check (cap first letter) Yes Address2 text 20 char Yes No Type Check (cap first letter) Yes Address3 text 20 char Yes No Type Check (cap first letter) Yes Address 4 text 20 char Yes No Type Check (cap first letter) Yes Post code text 9 char Yes No Type Check (ccnn ccnn) yes Day time No text 12 char Yes No Character check Yes Mobile No text 12 char Yes No Character Check Yes DOB Date 10 char Yes No Type Check Yes Last appointment Date 10 char Yes No Type Check Yes Expiry date date 10 Char Yes No Type Check Yes Reminder status Text 1 char Yes No Y/N Yes Payment status Text 10 chars Yes No Paid, Defer, Free Yes Amount due Currency Integer No Yes Type Check Yes Surgeons table Field Name Type Length Required Indexed Validation Duplicates Surgeon ID Auto Number Primary key Yes No N/A No Title Text 4 char Yes No Dr, Mr, Mrs, Miss Yes Forename Text 20 Char Yes No Type Check (cap first letter) Yes Surname Text 20 Char Yes Yes Type Check (cap first letter) Yes Address1 Text 50 Char Yes No Type Check (cap first letter) Yes Address2 Text 20 Char Yes No Type Check (cap first letter) Yes Address3 Text 20 Char Yes No Type Check (cap first letter) Yes Address4 Text 20 Char Yes No Type Check (cap first letter) Yes Post Code Text 9 Char Yes No Type Check (ccnn ccnn) Yes Home No Text 12 char Yes No Character Check Yes Mob No Text 12 char Yes No Character Check Yes Surgery Table Field Name Type Length Required Indexed Validation Duplicates Patient ID Number Long Integer Yes Yes field key No Surgeon ID Number Long Integer Yes Yes field key No Diagram showing how the tables are linked together by key fields. Appendix A Questions for the interview 1. When patients joins the clinic what information do you record.? 2. When patient makes an appointment what information do you take down? 3. When patient arrives for his treatment, how do you note who is waiting for which surgeon? 4. When a person needs a follow-up appointment what do you record? 5. What additional tasks do you perform for a follow-up appointment? 6. How do you record information about patient payments of treatment? 7. What difficulties do you experience when you become very busy? 8. What happens to patients that you cannot deal with? 9. How do you track patients for different surgeons? 10. How many people are there working at the surgery? 11. How do you know how much to charge for different treatments? 12. Do patients cancel appoints? 13. What happens when they do this? Appendix B Answers given at interview A.1 When a new patients comes to register with us, we know the number of new patients that each surgeon will take. If they can take on new patients, then, we ask them to fill in a form about their medical details otherwise we refer them to another dental surgery. We then check the form and ask them to sign their declaration. We ask for their medical card and record the number as well as their names and address details. We also ask for details about their family members and their details. A.2 We take down their first name and surname and record it in our appointment planner against the surgeons name and time of appointment. The planner allows us to make appointments every 15 mins. A3. Yes, when a patient arrives, they usually say the time of their appointment and their name. We write a tick against their name, which indicates they are wait in reception. A4. We do the same as we did before as if the patient is making a new appointment but we know their name and surgeons name so simply agree on suitable time? A5. When we agree on the appointment time and day, we fill in a appoint card with the date and time details and hand it to the patient. We also ask about them to see if they wish to pay today or pay for everything at the end of the treatment. Most patients prefer to pay as treatment is being carried out. Some do decide they will pay the total amount at the end. We also have patients that dont have to pay if they are on job seeker allowance or social security benefit. A6. We make a note on the treatment card, if they have paid or deferred payment or no charge. If they pay we write out a receipt for them. A7. I find it very frustrating when we have people making queries and we have to wait for the appointment planner to be freed up before we can deal with the patient. We sometimes spend time looking for patient sheets in the filing cabinet which one of us has not filed and may be lying on the desk. Sometimes we dont get the treatment sheet and have to ask the dental nurse to look for it the surgeons treatment room and the customer is kept waiting. A8. The dental surgeon refers the patient to the specialist clinic. This involves writing to the clinic and requesting an appointment. It can three to four weeks for the appointment to come. A9. We file each patient records in different filing cabinet and on the planner we write down the name of the surgeon so that his patients are under his named column. A10. There are the three surgeons, three medical nurse and two of us at reception. A11. We have a list of treatments and prices against them. The surgeon writes down what treatment he has carried out and calculates the total. A12/13. Yes, quite often, all we do is put a diagonal line across it and make a new appointment. If they cancel before 48 hours, we do not charge them, otherwise we charge them à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½20. Appendix C Notes taken during observation Observing the surgeon: Receptionist takes the notes from the filing cabinet and passes it to the nurse. The surgeon checks his last notes. The nurse calls the patient in. The treatment is carried out and the surgeon writes, the treatment he carried out and indicates if follow-up appointment is needed, he makes a brief notes about what he needs to do next time. The patient leaves the treatment room and the nurse returns the patient file to the receptionist desk. The next patient is the called in. Observing the Dental Nurse: Dental nurses are only involved in fetching and returning the patients records to and from the surgeon and assisting the surgeon. They do not write anything on the patients notes. Observing the Receptionist: Confirmed what the receptionist said she did with customer handling process. All information given during the interview was correct. Also observed the time wasted when the clinic becomes busy and how frustrated they become having to share a single appointment planner. The times they take to write out the receipt and appointment card is quite effective, but it takes a lower priority to ensuring surgeons receives the patients records and are not waiting. This means keeping the customer waiting longer then is necessary. Customer are frequently kept waiting as they try to pay for treatment or make follow-up appointments. New people arriving are given higher priority.

Biography of Kerry James Marshall, Contemporary Artist

Biography of Kerry James Marshall, Contemporary Artist Kerry James Marshall (born October 17, 1955) is a prominent contemporary African-American artist. He broke ground for black artists by rising to the upper echelon of the art world while remaining steadfastly dedicated to presenting work that explores the black experience in America. His experience growing up in the Watts neighborhood of South Central Los Angeles profoundly influenced his art. Fast Facts: Kerry James Marshall Occupation: ArtistBorn: October 17, 1955 in Birmingham, AlabamaEducation: Otis College of Art and DesignSelected Works: Voyager (1992), Many Mansions (1994), Portrait of Nat Turner with the Head of His Master (2011)Notable Quote: One of the reasons I paint black people is because I am a black person. Early Life and Career Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Kerry James Marshall moved with his family to the Watts neighborhood of South Central Los Angeles as a young child. He grew up surrounded by the Civil Rights and Black Power movements of the 1960s. He was an eyewitness to the Watts riots that occurred in August 1965. As a teenager, Kerry James Marshall took part in a summer drawing class at the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles after a teacher nominated him for inclusion. There, he was shown the studio of artist Charles White who later became his instructor and mentor. Kerry James Marshall enrolled as a full-time student at the Otis Art Institute in 1977 and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1978. He moved to Chicago in 1987 after completing a residency at the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York City. Marshall began teaching at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1993, and he earned a genius grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in 1997. History as Subject Matter Many of Kerry James Marshalls works reference events from American history as primary subject matter. One of the most prominent is 1992s Voyager. The boat featured in the painting is named Wanderer. It references the story of the former yacht that was the last ship to bring a large number of African slaves to America. In violation of a 50-year-old law prohibiting the importation of slaves, the Wanderer arrived at Jekyll Island in Georgia in 1858 with over 400 slaves on board. It was the final event in the history of the African slave trade in America. In 2011, Marshall painted Portrait of Nat Turner with the Head of His Master. It is a nearly full-length portrait in the manner of traditional portraiture, but the grisly image of a man slaughtered in his sleep lying behind Nat Turner is chilling. The historical event referenced is the two-day slave rebellion led by Nat Turner in 1831. Housing Projects In 1994, Kerry James Marshall painted a series titled The Garden Project. He depicts life in public housing projects in the U.S. inspired by his own experience living in Nickerson Gardens, a 1,066-unit apartment complex in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. His paintings in the series explore the dichotomy between the imagery evoked by the names of the projects using the word Gardens and the reality of harsh life in public housing. It is a metaphor for the lives of African-Americans in contemporary America. One of the key pieces is 1994s Many Mansions. It shows three black men in formal clothing performing the manual labor of planting flowers for a housing project. Their depiction is at the center of Marshalls juxtaposition of the ideal evoked by the concept of a public housing project with the reality of the residents experiences. Another painting in the series, Better Homes, Better Gardens, shows an idyllic young black couple strolling through a brick housing project. The inspiration for this piece is Chicagos Wentworth Gardens. It is notorious for a history of gang violence and drug problems. Concept of Beauty Another frequent subject of Kerry James Marshalls work is the concept of beauty. The people depicted in Marshalls paintings usually have very dark, almost flat black, skin. He explained to interviewers that he created the extreme to specifically draw attention to the distinctive appearance of black Americans. In a series of 1994 paintings of models, Marshall depicts male and female black models. The male model is shown against a mostly white background that emphasizes the blackness of his skin. He is lifting his shirt to presumably share the power of his physique with viewers. He painted a topless female black model with the names Linda, Cindy, and Naomi inscribed in the upper right. They are the iconic supermodels Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, and Naomi Campbell. In another model painting, Marshall juxtaposed the image of the female black models face with those of blonde white models. Mastry In 2016, Kerry James Marshalls work was the subject of the historically significant retrospective Mastry at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. The exhibition covered 35 years of Marshalls work with nearly 80 pieces displayed. It was an unprecedented celebration of the work of an African-American artist. In addition to its overt celebration of the black experience in America, many observers saw Kerry James Marshalls work as a reaction to the movement of much of the art establishment away from traditional painting. Unlike celebrated experiments in minimalist and conceptual art, Marshall creates his works with an eye toward arranging his subject matter in ways that stretch back to the traditions of art from the Renaissance era. Kerry James Marshall has explained that he is more interested in being a painter than creating art. When the Mastry exhibition traveled to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, Kerry James Marshall selected 40 works from the museums permanent collection that he particularly valued as inspiration. The exhibit within an exhibit was titled Kerry James Marshall Selects. Public Works Controversy In 2018, Kerry James Marshalls paintings made headlines in two controversies over the value of public art contrasted with the benefit of public services that could be provided with money earned from sales of the art. In May, the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority of Chicago sold the monumental piece Past Times to rap artist and entrepreneur Sean Combs for $21 million. The original purchase price was $25,000. The piece previously hung in the McCormick Place convention center on public display. The money earned from the auction provided a windfall to the budget of the public agency. Even more controversial was the announcement by Chicago mayor Rahm Emmanuel that the city would sell the 1995 Kerry James Marshall painting Knowledge and Wonder. It hung on the wall in one of the citys public library branches. Commissioned for $10,000, experts pegged the value of the painting at somewhere near $10 million. Emmanuel planned to use the funds from the sale to expand and upgrade a branch of the library on the citys west side. After intense criticism from the public and the artist himself, the city withdrew plans to sell the work in November 2018. Source Tate, Greg, Charles Gaines, and Laurence Rassel. Kerry James Marshall. Phaidon, 2017.

Health Care Informatics Implication for Advanced Practice Nursing Essay

Health Care Informatics Implication for Advanced Practice Nursing - Essay Example Typically, the foundation of a CIS is the electronic medical record or computerized patient record, which is a digital record of the care delivery episode. Building on this electronic record, a comprehensive clinical information system also incorporates computerized order entry and results reporting, as well as integration with information systems in the laboratory, radiology and other diagnostic services, and the pharmacy. A CIS frequently also includes elements of expert systems that perform quality functions such as alerting physicians to potential drug interactions or dose errors. The CIS also provides for data collection and analysis for administrative and quality processes. All nurses have a role in informatics because nurses are primarily responsible for maintaining patients' records and helping doctors and their supervisors by providing relative information about the patients under their care. That is why nurses must embrace the clinical information system to facilitate and improve patients' healthcare related issues. Most of the time nurses practice informatics without prerequisite education. However, it is the need of time that all nurses must be fully aware of the healthcare informatics and well conversant with the use of computers software and equipments so they put their full potencies to facilitate timely delivery of healthcare to the much needing patients under their direct supervision. ... r this may be the lack of understanding on the part of nurses about how they can utilize information technology to improve the patient care services and how they can save time and generate vitally useful information in shortest time span. Nursing Informatics Nursing informatics is composed of theory and skills and it is a combination of nursing science, information science, and computers in which a nurse stands in the forefront duly supported by informatics and computers (Figure 1). According to the American Nurses Association (ANA), nursing informatics is "a specialty that integrates nursing science, computer science, and information science to manage and communicate data, information, and knowledge in nursing practice . . . to support patients, nurses, and other providers in their decision-making . . . using information structures, information processes and information technology" (ANA, 2001, p. 46). FIGURE 1: The relationship of information technology, computer science and nursing. The main purpose of nursing informatics is to improve the health of individuals, families, and communities. This can be done by optimizing the management and communication of information to enhance the availability of patients' medical history and medicine records, promptly responding to any emergency and utilizing information system to deliver in time service to the healthcare management and patients. In this direction, computers can be used to manage and communicate data, information, and knowledge. It is very important that nurses are able to interpret data, utilize the information generated through the collection of data and put their knowledge to make the data meaningful and helpful for timely decision-making process which would enhance the healthcare services. The

The Effects of Social Media in Todays Society Annotated Bibliography

The Effects of Social Media in Todays Society - Annotated Bibliography Example The author refers to usability as how well a system supports the needs of users and the ability of the system to accomplish a task. Greiter acknowledges that, even though usability testing is a common practice, the software of usability of security requires more consideration. My team could use this article to examine why computer users often circumvent the security mechanisms in places or why common users of computer may lack confidence in the security system that they use. This book explores the events surrounding the scandal of WikiLeaks and the issues concerning security. Brenner examines the legal challenges that were presented by the incident. My team could use this source in our report on security issues associated with collaborative online tools. Some of the recommendations made in this paper may be used for our conclusion. This paper examines privacy as a key aspect of the experience of computer user when online as well as on computing devices by reviewing the perspective that the users of computers have on computer system in order to aid in improving privacy through Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). My team could use this source to explain privacy as a process through which computer users can control personal data effectively. This article reports a survey of 115 information technology companies that was conducted in India and the United States jointly by the US trade association ITAA and the Indian trade association NASSCOM. The paper reports that companies are more concerned with security than ever before. 75% of the companies showed that information security is a vital differentiator in the provided services. My team could use this paper to cite background information on security case that involved Geometric Software Solutions, which included virus and spam problems. This article addresses security risk concerns to clients from the vendor workers from who