Category: Writing

Ethics and social justice Term Paper

Ethics and social justice
Ethics and social justice

Ethics and social justice

Order Instructions:

For the Final Project for this course, select any government or nonprofit organization for which there is sufficient information to allow a thorough analysis of ethical or social justice issues. You may select your own organization if it is a government or nonprofit organization, but be aware of the need for scholarly objectivity and the need to protect confidentiality. Ethical researchers never begin any project with a hidden agenda or predetermined conclusion. If you do choose your own organization, do not identify it by name or precise location.
Your Final Project should include the following:

1) An introduction that describes the government or nonprofit organization, the setting, and any other information about the organization or related background that readers need in order to understand the organization and its ethical and social justice issues; a description of the ethical issues facing the organization and public administrators within the organization
2) An explanation of the ethical issues related to two or more of the philosophical theories that this course introduces
3) A summary of the major ethical challenges and conflicts of responsibility presented to individuals in the organization and to the organization as a whole
4) A summary of the strategies that the organization uses to maintain responsible conduct
5) An explanation of your recommendations for addressing the issues, including a rationale for your recommendations and an explanation of why they might be effective in addressing the issues, with consideration given to the possible involvement of guerrilla government employees
6) An analysis of the factors that would affect the implementation of the recommendations by using the ethical decision-making model
7) A description of the outcomes you would expect if the organization implemented your recommendations
8) An explanation of how the issues you raised are related to at least two of the four social justice themes (human rights, equality, liberty, and justice)

Your Final Project must demonstrate both breadth and depth of knowledge and critical thinking appropriate to graduate-level scholarship.

It must follow APA Publication Manual guidelines and be free of typographical, spelling, and grammatical errors.

The project should be 13–15 pages in length (double-spaced), not including the title page, abstract, and at least 8–10 scholarly resources, excluding any organizational brochures or other nonacademic sources.

Support your Final Project with specific references to all resources used in its preparation.

SAMPLE ANSWER

Ethics and social justice

Abstract

The National Education Association is the largest professional organization, and as well as labor union within the United States. It represents the public school teachers as well as many other support staff working in colleges and universities, including students who are studying to become teachers and the retired individuals. It is a volunteer based organization established in 1857, and was previously known as the National Teachers Association. It has undergone significant changes over the years such as including women as members, changing the name and generally improving its function. Unfortunately, there have also been negative changes, with the organization loosing focus of what is supposed to be its main function or reason for existence. This paper analyses the various ethical issues facing this volunteer organization which include oppressing the philosophical theories of republican and negative liberty, it is not for the good of all in terms of “equality”, and violating the rights of Libertarians.

Introduction

Within the United States, the National Education Association is the largest professional organization, as well as labor union, as it represents public school teachers alongside other support personnel, the faculty and staff from colleges and universities, students who are studying to become teachers, as well as the already retired members. This volunteer based organization was established back in 1857, during which it was known as National Teachers Association. However, in 1870, the name was reformed to National Education Association. Initially, women were not members, however before the change in name, the rule was changed and they were now allowed to also become members. The organization mainly relies on its members to finance the Association’s work. After this incorporation, the NEA has played a major role in ensuring many positive changes for teachers and students. The purpose of the union supporting these changes was so they could grant people human and civil rights. For example, they advocated against American Indians’ forced assimilation and child labor. They were able to stop these by using research to prove to the states’ legislatures that such institutions were negatively impacting children’s education (NEA, 2011). At this era, the NEA was indeed a true advocate for children.

In the 1920s, the United States experienced a period of teacher shortage, and since this was part of the organization’s role, NEA researched on the possible reasons for such an outcome. The results of their research showed that being overloaded with work, poor wages, and having many students of different ages, some of whom could not speak English, were the main reasons for many abandoning the teaching sector. Therefore, NEA recommended to the government that the situation may be salvaged when a Department of Education is put in place. This department would have a role of regulating school curriculum, training teachers, and hence improving the quality of education offered to the students. For almost ten years after this situation, This organization tried to increase the salaries of teachers so as to ensure they were comfortable with their work. Soon, the Depression came into full force, and the organization signed for membership into the Federal Advisory Committee on the Emergency in Education section. The main purpose of this committee was to ensure that schools received assistance since it routed federal aid towards them (NEA, 2011).

Later, in 1926, NEA formed yet another committee with the American Teachers Association (ATA), previously known as National Association of Teachers in Colored Schools (NATCS). This Joint Committee was aimed towards justice. Its primary goal was to improve the quality of education offered for blacks. This would be achieved through various objectives such as accrediting and acknowledging black schools. This was not all, the NEA also made a brave step by taking a stance against the Japanese/ American internment camps. During this time, soldiers were prohibited from leaving their camps in search of further education. However, after the NEA greatly supported the G.I Bill of Rights, soldiers who wanted to further their education were enabled to do so after the war. According to statistics, this Bill of rights paved room for more individuals to attend college, a number that had never been witnessed before (NEA, 2011). Higher education became for all, and not just for the wealthy people. As a result of the organization’s continued advocacy for the minorities, a Bilingual Education Act of 1968 was passed. In 1984, NEA also triggered the creation of a federal retirement equity law (NEA, 2011).

Ever since the inception of the NEA, ethical and social justices have been the major drivers. This is still the case, as noted by how the organization supports Minority Community Outreach, Priority Schools Campaign, and how they encourage the reform of Social Security Offsets. However, it has recently been on the spotlight for various reasons. They are discouraging merit pay, are against the No Child Left Behind Act, and are also opposing the charter schools. The National Education Association seems to have changed from what was its earlier stance regarding the educational excellence and advocacy. It is now turning into a powerful political union.

The ethical and social justice issues facing this organization include educational reform and access to education. Improving the quality of education is a major concern for most individuals. However, for this to happen, an educational reform must take place. Ever since this organization lost focus, its role in the education department has also become confusing. They are no longer advocating for children to get education, or to improve the quality of education. As a matter of fact, all the three Acts mentioned above, that NEA is against, are all reform ideas supposed to improve the quality of education for all children. The NEA is a liberal organization; however the same cannot be justified for its members. This is because they are being influenced by the conservative thoughts. The NEA, therefore, is against education reform, and so are the members. Unfortunately some of the members are not aware of what the organization’s views are. They have not yet realized that the union leaders, who are mainly said to be liberal, are at the fore front in making biased decisions.

Issues Related to Philosophical Theories

No Child Left Behind

The No Child Left Behind Act is one that will ensure schools become accountable. It is relative to the Theory of Action, one which enhanced educational reform in Texas, while the leader was Governor George W. Bush. This theory strictly requires accountability, transparency, and choice. The No Child Left Behind Act involves a plan which expects any member within the education field to be accountable. It also requires any data and information about schools, test results, performance analysis and others, to be availed to anyone who needs it, including parents (Bland, 2014). In this plan, parents should be given more choice in determining their child’s education. By implementing this Act, the National Education Association became worried that the government would get an opportunity to shame or embarrass them by harassing them. Additionally, they disagreed with the government on empowering parents as they felt that it would inhibit their roles as teachers. The Act is designed to decrease some of National Education Association abilities of controlling education and politics, thus the organization’s aim was to restrain accountability and parental involvement. Hence, propaganda to misinform the public was developed. The organization sabotaged the supporters of the No Child Left Behind Act at town hall meetings by planting their leaders amongst them to interrupt speakers with aggressive comments and then denounce the idea (Smyth, 2008).

Merit Pay

A poll was prepared by the Democratic Leadership Council to take statistics on the number of democrats, republicans, and independents who would support the merit pay for teachers. The results were overwhelming with 60% democrats, 65% republicans, and 73% independents (Hoff, 2008). This is proof that the country indeed has a great desire to make the change However; this is a threat to unions because membership enrollments will be affected if teachers quit the sector as the union will lose money. An issue to be noted is how most of the teachers who are members of the union are actually being forced to pay up the union dues, and more of them do not even want to be member’s anymore. The union subjects teachers from different states to unfair conditions. For instance, they are all expected to pay a uniform amount, despite the fact that their payments may differ from one state to the other. The performances of teachers also differ, and thus they cannot all be subjected to the same payments. Some are way better and more experienced than others. Therefore, having a uniform payment will hinder teachers from wanting to aim for higher levels since there will be no distinction (Wright, 2003). In this field, there are many excellent teachers who are working alongside the ineffective and those who do not care. This, however, does not affect their payments as it is still the same for all of them.

Charter Schools

In the present environment, the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), do not pay great attention to the under-performing traditional schools. This is because by doing so, they will not be getting any benefits and they also do not want the public to see what is happening. However, if the under performing institution is a charter school, all focus will be on it (Prothero, 2014). This is a very unfortunate situation because the country needs diverse schools to ensure that the needs of diverse students are also met fully. As a matter of fact, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data pointed that the learning of minorities has increased far more in private and religious schools, compared to the situation in traditional schools (Shober, Manna & Witte, 2006). This is because there are more minority enrollments in charter schools than in traditional schools. There is also proof that charter schools thrive because they are not controlled by unions, while traditional schools controlled by unions do not last. It has also been noted that charter schools empower teachers and principals, while unions are against such an action. To effectively hinder the action of charter schools in the states, the union tagged on some political strings so they could get funding for the high priced smear campaigns meant to undermine charter schools (Antonucci, 2010).

Ethical or Social Justice Issues in Terms of Philosophical Theories

By resisting the No Child Left Behind Act, the NEA is also oppressing the philosophical theories of republican and negative liberty. There is a violation of the republican liberty of the institution of schools since there is a greater chance that the NEA will keep on interfering and taking steps to mitigate the progress of the NCLB. The negative liberty will always be in jeopardy since the institution of education will never be free to make any choices without being influenced by the NEA in the name of “equality” (Wright, 2003).

This union formed by teachers is supposed to benefit all the people involved, including the children. The idea of teachers being given an equal pay can be related to the positive theory of value and action, therefore it can also be given a utilitarian thought. However, since it does not consider children, it is not for the good of all in terms of “equality”.

The Union’s opposition to charter schools may be viewed by Libertarians as a violation to their rights. Parents must always have the freedom of choice, especially when it comes to deciding what may be best for their children, including deciding which schools to take their children (Wright, 2003). Therefore, the NEA has a moral obligation of ensuring this right is upheld, especially since it is basically an education association. Hence, parents literally own the schools and should choose according to their preference in what is known as “libertarianism”.

Major Ethical Challenges and Conflicts of Responsibility

Ethical behavior, within an organization culture can only be instilled through internal and external controls. Internal controls are achieved by promoting ethical conduct through encouraging professional development within the members. It is important for all members of an organization to be informed of the new ways of being ethic, and also teaching them to identify what is right from wrong. Professional development is one way of achieving this outcome since members of the organization will improve their skills as well the general knowledge of ethics. External control focuses on policies and laws. These formed policies and laws show the members of an organization what is right and expected of them, and what is wrong that they should avoid at all costs. If an organization can achieve a balance of these two controls, then a positive outcome should be expected. It is important to first look at the individuals involved as well as the organization as a whole. This consideration defines the policies formed within an organization. Policies are basically a definition of what one can do and cannot do. Hence, the leaders of the organization should be elected to create and uphold these policies (Prothero, 2014). This means that they should be individuals who can model the appropriate behaviors in members. The organizational culture affects the policy making process, and at times it can be more effective than the internal and external controls, as well as the organization’s accountability structure. Hence, the leader is the most influential individual and has the capability of impacting the culture, which is very powerful on its own and can instill ethical behavior amongst members (Shober, Manna & Witte, 2006).

            Therefore, this organization is greatly challenged by the fact that its leaders are not actually the most appropriate individuals for the position. They are confused about what their true responsibility to the organization is all about. This is why the union can presently be misinterpreted for a political organization. The leaders are misdirecting the members, forcefully expecting money from them, but still the actions are not for the benefits of all involved. Another major ethical challenge is that the organization has lost focus of what is ethical and unethical. Instead of advocating for things that will benefit the children, avoid their discrimination, and ensure teachers are providing quality education; the union is focused on prohibiting anything that will not benefit teachers positively. As a matter of fact, they are against acts that are supposed to promote education for children and improve quality. Since the union is supposed to promote such acts, it is clear that they are being unethical in their actions.

Summary of Strategies Used by NEA to Maintain Responsible Conduct

            This organization uses many strategies to maintain responsible conduct, despite the fact that it has many ethical and social justice issues. First, it has leaders to take control of the various activities involved within the organization. Without leaders, members of an organization would not be capable of staying together especially since they would be disagreeing, there would be no one to have the final say and so on (NEA, 2011). Thus, the organization has appointed different leaders for all sections to ensure that everything runs smoothly. These leaders are also supposed to lead others in the right way. Second, this organization has for long depended on research projects to support its advocacy. If it needs to oppose or support a certain act, it conducts research and uses the results as presentation to the government, showing why they should or should not implement the change given (NEA, 2011). This makes their argument to be stronger as it proves that they are using the right path by being ethical and thus doing the right thing for all involved.

Recommendations for Addressing the Issue

The National Education Association is opposing educational reform, a factor that is greatly affecting many children in many ways. First, exposure to high quality schools is being limited since their action is advocating for the continued mediocre schools. Therefore, children will never get the opportunity of enjoying high quality education in case their opposition succeeds. Their opposition also discourages more children to get enrolled in schools, therefore it also impacts the education of many more. The reason for this negative action by the NEA is that most of its members are unaware of what is going on and they also do not really know the truth behind the existence of this organization. Therefore, my first recommendation is that the Department of Education should make great effort in designing programs that will enlighten the members of the National Education Association (Wong, Wong & Ngo, 2012). This effort should be designed in a similar way to the No Child Left Behind, by applying the Theory of Action (Bland, 2014). This recommendation is very important as everything will change about the organization once the members have a clear idea of what they are supporting. Currently, only a few members know what the organization leaders have been trying to do. The second recommendation is that NEA should finally own up and start being transparent with its data. By hiding things from the people, the organization is not helping the trust situation that it has with the public. This will be a step towards curbing the claims that members are being misled. Transparency is the first step towards accepting mistakes and fixing the situation. This is because the organization’s leaders will not be tempted to act unethically as they will know that eventually they will have to answer for their mistakes.

Third, the NEA leaders should start being accountable for the organizations actions, and ensuring that teachers have a choice of whether they want to become members or not. By being accountable, leaders will know that any negative impressions given by the organization will be linked to them. Therefore, they will be more careful in preparing their activities, and will not only focus on selfish topics that are aimed towards benefiting them solely. Every individual has a freedom of choice, including teachers. Hence, it is immoral to force teachers to join the union just for the sake of getting finances from them. Fourth, school board members and parents should also get involved with the National Education Association. Without them, schools would be nowhere today, thus it shows they have power over the NEA. Teachers may always be tempted to favor their section only, which is why it is always important to have another group who will be representing the children.

If teachers had a clear view of the benefits they could receive as a result of merit pay, the importance of the data that encouraged the development of the NCLB, the many possibilities of charter schools, and also the reasons why NEA is opposing these changes, then the educational reform would start internally (Hoff, 2008). The recommendations above are all targeting the improvement of knowledge that many people have about the NEA. Therefore, once implemented, they are all expected to be effective in handling the ethical and social justice issues experienced by the National Education Association.

Factors Affecting the Implementation of the Recommendations mentioned

Just as with many business proposals, these recommendations will also require a lot of financing. This is why it may be difficult for the implementation of the first recommendation by the Department of Education. Currently, the organization is already supporting many people financially and politically, therefore it will be very complicated for it to still be able to find leaders who can develop a similar effort (NEA, 2011). As a result of a poor economy, the department may be forced to focus on issues that are more urgent and give this recommendation lesser priority. Another factor is how the NEA is already a powerhouse; hence, it means that the implementation of these recommendations may be hindered at various points, especially since they are supposed to create changes. Therefore, it will be very important for these reformers to be courageous; otherwise they will not make it. Parental attitudes may also threaten the implementation of the recommendation unless they are encouraged to meaningfully take part in the education of their children.

Outcomes

If these recommendations were implemented, the teachers will be given the power to make reformations on their own. As a result of this power, they will feel encouraged to be better professionals as they will hope for better payments and other benefits. This step, in turn, will also influence the quality of education offered in schools and students will feel more comfortable in the environment. Teachers will also gain relief after they understand that the NCLB is indeed a positive act, and it is not the government’s way of going against them as they had been initially made to believe. After their implementation, professional development will turn out to be a positive event and not how it previously was a negative event. Student learning will also be increased for the diverse students, as these implementations will encourage the development of many more charter schools.

NEA’s Opposition to Education Reform Threatens Equality, Liberty, and Justice

Justice is related to the actions of an individual as well as their moral implications. Hence, the decisive factor here is to even out the level of welfare to all individuals involved (Wong, Wong & Ngo, 2012). Distributive justice refers to how even the outcomes are while considering the organizational decisions and processes. Some individuals see that expectations and perceptions of fairness are parallel to the outcomes. This justice can be noted in the No Child Left Behind educational improvement act. It comes as a result of the actions of individual, that are designed to equalize the learning field and hence lead to the wellbeing of students. This action, however, is being threatened by the NEA.

Liberty is often considered to be a state of freedom, whereby one has the ability to act and think independently, as well as the capability of coming and leaving at one’s pleasure. It can also be considered as freedom to leave an unjust union, and be able to participate in more privileged activities without being intruded. The NEA is also opposing this by forcefully expecting teachers to become members of the organization.

Political liberalism is basically an idea that humans are indeed good and have the capability of governing themselves, however they still pick a government to lead them. This connection between liberty and political liberalism supports freedom of an individual, most specifically the individual liberty, human rights and many others. Political liberals are usually more focused on autonomy, equality, and neutrality. Therefore, all these should be used together to end up with an effective union.

Conclusion

The National Education Association has indeed deferred from its main purpose of existence. Its focus currently is very different from what it used to focus on many years ago. The people’s reaction to it previously and currently is also very different. Today, many people have lost hope in this organization as they now feel like it is a political organization and not the voluntary organization aimed towards fighting for the human rights of the members of the society. This organization has an opportunity of once again becoming what the people need. All it needs to do is to change its course, and finally focus on its purpose for existence. This should involve fighting for the rights of children to access education, fight for a high quality education system, and also to fight for the teachers so they can receive better salaries in future.

References

Antonucci, M. (2010). The long reach of teachers unions, using money to win friends influence policy. Education Next,10(4), Retrieved from http://educationnext.org/the-  long-reach-of-teachers-unions/

Bland, A. (2014). No Child Left Behind: Why Race based Achievement Goals Violate The Equal Protection Clause. Berkeley La Raza Law Journal, 2459-80.

Hoff, D. J. (2008). Obama Slips Merit Pay Into Larger Plan on Schools. Education Week, 28(5), 23-25.

NEA, Initials. (2011). Our history. Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/

Prothero, A. (2014). In Calif. and Elsewhere, Unions Seek Inroads Into Charter Schools. Education Week, 34(3), 6.

Shober, A. F., Manna, P., & Witte, J. F. (2006). Flexibility Meets Accountability: State Charter School Laws and Their Influence on the Formation of Charter Schools in the United States. Policy Studies Journal, 34(4), 563-587. doi:10.1111/j.1541-0072.2006.00191.x

Smyth, T. (2008). Who Is No Child Left Behind Leaving Behind?. Clearing House, 81(3), 133-137.

Wong, Y., Wong, C., & Ngo, H. (2012). The effects of trust in organisation and perceived organisational support on organisational citizenship behaviour: a test of three competing models. International Journal Of Human Resource Management, 23(2), 278-293. doi:10.1080/09585192.2011.610966

Wright, R. E. (2003). Difficulties in Marketing the Concept of Merit Pay for Primary and Secondary Teachers. Research For Educational Reform, 8(3), 38-45.

We can write this or a similar paper for you! Simply fill the order form!

Crisis in a business organisation Term Paper

Crisis in a business organisation; Brookside Dairy Company
Crisis in a business organisation; Brookside Dairy Company

Crisis in a business organisation; Brookside Dairy Company

Order Instructions:

Organizational leaders often see crisis as a uniformly negative event that should be avoided at all costs. They often focus crisis management efforts on trying to predict every negative situation that could possibly occur and developing a plan to avoid them. Such an approach is impractical according to researchers Antonacopoulou and Sheafer (2011) because unexpected crises are an inevitable part of business. Moreover, they propose “a dynamic view of learning and crisis as central to manage­ment and organization practices” (p. 4). Crises, they say, not only happen during large-scale disasters but also occur on a smaller scale each time someone is pressured to make a decision for which prior solutions are inadequate. These situations force people to “make new connections” among existing knowledge to arrive at novel solutions. Research such as this suggests that crises can be learning opportunities.

To prepare, identify a crisis the organization that you chose for your SSP (Brookside Dairy Company ) has faced in the past, a crisis that it is currently facing (Brookside Dairy Company ), or a crisis that a competitor in that industry has faced that your selected organization may face in the future (Brookside Dairy Company ).

By Day 3 of Week 7, post a two page explanation of the crisis that you selected and a crisis management response recommendation.(Brookside Dairy Company ) Include an analysis of the ethical implications of that recommendation. Reference at least one scholarly peer-reviewed resource in your recommendation.

*******please take note all these questions and requirement has to be answered on Brookside Dairy Company . That is the company I chose to do my SSP on. Please follow instructions carefully !!!

SAMPLE ANSWER

Business

Crises are inevitable in organizations, even though many managers see them as uniformly negative events.  Focus should not be on management of these crises,  but should be used to develop a suitable plan to avoid them. The author uses Brookside Dairy Company as a case study in deliberating on aspects concerning crisis, recommends a crisis management response, and includes an analysis of ethical implications of the recommendation.

Brookside Dairy Company is one of the major dairy producing companies in East Africa with operations in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. It deals in fresh milk as well as dairy products; some exported to other countries such as Rwanda, Egypt, Middle East, Burundi and Indian Ocean islands (Brookside Dairy Limited, 2014). The company’s competitors have faced a number of crises that Brookside Dairy Company should develop plans to avoid experiencing the same in future. One of the crises is employee go-slows because of low salaries that jeopardizes the operations of the company.

Employees have a right to better working environment and to engage in go-slows and strikes if their rights are beached. The management, on the other hand, has the responsibility of ensuring that their employees work in a conducive environment as this enhances job satisfaction translating into higher productivity. Therefore, many entities in Milk production have faced such crisis that has had negative impacts on their operations and profitability. Advance planning on how to manage such crises helps to avoid the consequences that negatively impacts on an entity. A lot of time is normally wasted during such periods that could have otherwise put into valuable use.

Understanding appropriate crisis management strategies contributes to successful management of a crisis. The appropriate crisis management recommendation to handle such a crisis is to engage in effective communication (Gupta, 2011). A communication plan is required to allow the management of the company and the leadership of employees to come to a consensus. Through communication, the two parties will create an understanding and will forge an appropriate way of solving their issues. The company is required to appreciate the contribution of their workers and ensure that it honors its promises on salary increments and on working conditions of workers. Similarly, the leadership of employees should also allow negotiation and provide appropriate direction to their fellow workers. These steps will help to avoid go-slows and, therefore, the operations of the company with continue normally without having to jeopardize the company profitability.

A crisis management option should also consider its ethical implications to the various stakeholders.  The recommend response has ethical implications as it promotes or exemplifies care. By engaging all the stakeholders in the communication process to secure, a tangible solution is an indication of fairness and justice to all the parties (Tase, 2012).  Employees have a right to ask for better pay and working terms. Likewise, the organization’s leadership has a right to be listened to and respected by employers. Therefore, through this relationship and open communications, both parties will be satisfied and will remain committed to the achievement of the entities goals and objectives (Veil, 2011). Workers through this agreement will not consider going on a go-slow hence, the company will not have to incur huge losses. The workers plights and complaints will also be considered in a better way helping reach an amicable solution.

Therefore, it is apparent that crisis is inevitable. This crisis may develop over duration of time or may arise instantly affecting the operations of an entity. Managers should, therefore, learn from crises that face their counterparts to be in a potion to develop appropriate strategies to counter such crisis when they happen in their entities. Crisis therefore, should be an opportunity to learn and to gain more experience on better preventive measures. Any decisions taken should consider ethical consequences to ensure that conflicts of interest do not happen.

References

Brookside Dairy Limited. (2014). About the company. Retrieved from:             http://www.abraaj.com/images/uploads/newspdfs/BROOKISDE.PDF

Gupta, R. (2011). Corporate Communication: A Strategic Tool for Crisis Management.   Journal of Economic Development, Management, IT, Finance & Marketing, 3(2): 55-67.

Tase, D. (2012). Procedural and Systematic Crisis Approach and Crisis Management.   Theoretical & Applied Economics, 19(5):177-184.

Veil, S. (2011). Mindful Learning in Crisis Management. Journal of Business Communication,      48(2):116-147.

We can write this or a similar paper for you! Simply fill the order form!

Evidence based practice paper Assignment

Evidence based practice paper
Evidence based practice paper

Evidence based practice paper: Hand Hygiene in Healthcare setting

Order Instructions:

Describe a Clinical Problem that you see or have seen in practice. You will then revise or develop a policy, protocol, algorithm, or standardized guideline to be used in your practice site that is based on current research evidence. You are proposing the implementation of an intervention that is supported by research; thus you are proposing an evidence-based practice (EBP) project. You are not proposing a
study to be conducted in your agency.
Your final paper should be no more than 10 pages but your protocol, policy, or algorithm, and references for your project can be extra pages. This assignment is worth 100 points

Identify an area of interest: Is there a better way of doing something? Would another intervention based on research be more effective and improve patient outcomes? Is a policy, protocol, or algorithm in your agency out of date and in need of revision based on current research?

2. Provide some information (incidence of problem, morbidity and mortality rates, cost, etc.) from the healthcare literature and your agency that supports the fact that this is a patient care problem.
3. Review recent research and practice literature and select a specific intervention that might
address this patient care issue. The research-based intervention may be implemented in the form of a policy, protocol, algorithm, or standardized guideline that you could use to change patient care.

4. Identify what evidence-based intervention exists to improve current care in terms of patient, provider, or healthcare agency outcomes? Try to identify something for which you really
want an answer. You might get ideas from your unit nursing leader, other nurses, or patients
and families. Search current research journals online for interventions that have been studied.
5. Review a variety of evidence-based practice (EBP) Websites such as:

Professional Organization Websites Evidence-Based Guidelines

See Chapter 19 in Grove, Burns, and Gray (2013) textbook for more details on conducting EBP Projects and EBP websites.

6. Summarize what is known and not known about the problem area selected.
7. Revise or develop a policy, protocol, algorithm, or standardized guideline to be used in your practice site.
8. Provide a copy of the policy, protocol, algorithm, or standardized guideline with its references.

9. The steps of the protocol, policy, algorithm, or standardized guideline must be documented with current studies.
10. If a previous agency protocol or policy is revised, specify the changes made in the document.
11. Provide a reference list for your paper.

12. The references should include 7-10 quality research sources that support the intervention you have selected to implement in your practice site.

Grading Rubric
Introduction
Rubric
(0 – 10 Points)
Identifies problem in practice and the intervention to be used to address problem. Identifies the audience who will use the protocol, algorithm, or policy revised or developed.
Documents introduction.
Review of sources: What is known
(0 – 30 Points)
Summarizes or synthesizes current research knowledge that identifies what is known about the selected intervention.
Summary must be documented with studies from published sources.
Summary provides the knowledge base or research evidence for making a change in practice.
Review of sources: What is not known
(0 – 15 Points)
Summarizes or synthesizes what is not known in the area of the selected intervention.

Summary must be documented.
Section identifies the areas for further research.
Protocol, Algorithm, Policy, or Standardized
Guideline for Evidence-Based Project
(0 – 20 Points)
Provide a copy of the documented protocol, algorithm, policy, or standardized guideline. The steps of the protocol, algorithm, or policy are documented with current research sources.
Discuss your development of your protocol, algorithm, policy, or standardized guideline. If revised from previous agency protocol, identify the changes made.
(0 – 10 Points)
Indicate whether protocol or algorithm was developed; revised from an agency document; or obtained from a publication or website.
If based on existing document, include a copy of this document.
Briefly identifies any revisions you might have made to the existing document.
Format and Writing style is clear, complete, and concise. No grammar, sentence structure, or spelling errors. References APA (2010) Format. Limit the paper to 10 pages
(0 – 15 Points) The references need to include 7-10 published research sources. All sections of the paper must be documented with research sources. Include headings based on the paper guidelines.
Total Points Possible: 100

 

SAMPLE ANSWER

Evidence based practice paper: Hand Hygiene in Healthcare setting

Hand hygiene (HH) is known to prevent cross-infection in health care organizations, but there is poor adherence of health care workers to hand hygiene guidelines. Timely, easy access to both skin protection and hand hygiene is essential for satisfactory hand hygiene behavior. The use of alcohol-based hand rubs is necessary given that they are less irritating, they act faster, and require less time than traditional hand washing, and they also contribute to sustained improvement in compliance related to reduced rates of infection (Pittet, 2011). It is disquieting that the hospitalization of a patient may result in Hospital Acquired Infection (HAI), also known as nosocomial infection, and that poor hand hygiene is considered as a contributory factor. This paper provides an exhaustive description of hand hygiene; a Clinical Problem that I have actually seen in practice. Moreover, a standardized guideline is developed in this paper that would be used in my practice site and this standardized guideline is based on current literature evidence. In essence, I am proposing the implementation of an intervention that is supported by research; hence I am proposing an evidence-based practice (EBP) project.

The Clinical Problem of Hand Hygiene in Healthcare setting  

Hand hygiene (HH) is the most effective and simplest measure for the prevention of nosocomial infections. In spite of advances in infection control as well as hospital epidemiology, the adherence of healthcare workers (HCWs) to the recommended HH practices is unacceptably low and patients remain susceptible to unintentional harm in health care settings (Maxfield & Dull, 2011). It is of note that the average adherence to HH recommendations varies amongst professional categories of HCWs, between hospital wards, according to working conditions, and according to the definitions utilized in various studies. In most instances, compliance to HH practices by HCWs is estimated as less than 50% (Boyce, 2014). In the United States, poor adherence has led to high mortality and morbidity considering that there are between 1.7 million and 2 million persons who get Hospital Acquired Infections every year, and 88,000 to 99,000 deaths are attributed to Hospital Acquired Infections every year (Al-Busaidi, 2013). Moreover, Hospital Acquired Infection affects almost 10 percent of hospitalized patients and it presents great challenges in hospitals. As a result, yearly medical expenditures have risen to roughly $4.5 billion in the United States (Al-Busaidi, 2013).

The practice of Hand Hygiene amongst health care workers is regarded as the single most clinical and cost effective measure for preventing nosocomial infection, a view that is recognized all over the world (Canham, 2011). The World Health Organization strongly stresses the vital need for HH during health care delivery in order to avoid possible infection as well as the consequent health problems; hence, the WHO’s Clean Care is Safe Care initiative launched in the year 2005. It is of note that this initiative provides new guidelines on HH training, observation, as well as performance reporting in health care settings (Kukanich et al., 2013).

The hands of nurses come in close contact with patients and they are usually contaminated through patient care, for instance while touching surfaces, materials or devices that are contaminated, or auscultation and palpation. As such, HH is seen as a cheap, vital, and most effective way to prevent cross infection (Cambell, 2010). This method is essentially aimed at saving lives and provides a safe treatment atmosphere for every health care worker and patient, irrespective of the setting. Bischoff (2000) stated that HH has to be considered after contact with high risk, infectious patients, and with contaminated materials or devices, as well as prior to invasive procedures. In essence, HH has to be advocated before a HCW begins work, at the end of her work, and after visiting the toilet/rest room. Even when nursing staffs spend a longer duration of time on HH, there hand hygiene technique is usually poor relative to other health care workers in terms of leaving large areas of the hand unwashed properly, including between fingers, nail beds, thumbs, as well as wrists (Maxfield & Dull, 2011).

Hand hygiene, in essence, is not just the responsibility of the nurses. Hand hygiene is a shared responsibility between patients, main leaders of the hospital, hospital administration, and other stakeholders. Boyce (2014) observed that patient involvement generally increases adherence to HH practice by 50 percent if, for instance, a straightforward question is asked of the HCW, like: have you washed your hands? Most patients think that asking health care workers to clean their hands before health care delivery is a disloyalty of trust. Moreover, some of them actually believe that they could be labeled as a troublemaker; hence, they choose not to ask. Patients typically feel reassured if they observe health care workers practice effective hand hygiene within the health care setting (Al-Busaidi, 2013).

Barriers to Hand Hygiene Practice in Health Care Settings

A lot of factors lie behind poor HH compliance amongst health care workers. Nursing staff members are ethically and professionally responsible for their actions. Nonetheless, some nursing staffs display low compliance since they perceive hand hygiene as not their problem; that it is instead something to do with the staffs of infection control. Moreover, nursing staffs usually fail to practice HH since they are very busy and they think that hand hygiene will take up their precious time (Canham, 2011). Additionally, they usually believe that gloves can be utilized as an alternative to HH, and this is a major misconception that contributes to poor adherence. Nurses often have the tendency of removing gloves without washing their hands. They also tend to use the gloves in delivering intended care to many patients. Even when nurses remove their gloves, just 20 percent of them actually wash their hands (Pittet, 2011).

Furthermore, nursing staff member usually avoid HH practice because they have the fear that skin problems for instance dermatitis might develop, particularly when alcohol hand-rubs are used in the hand hygiene practice – another misconception. They think that skin irritation occurs as a result of frequent HH practice (Whitby, 2006). Moreover, limited time, lack of organizational pledge to proper HH practice, increased workloads, lack of motivation, lack of role models amongst seniors or colleagues, under-staffing,  and disagreement with protocols and guidelines all contribute to poor adherence to hand hygiene and infection control measures in health care settings. Maxfield and Dull (2011) observed that the dearth of hand hygiene facilities and products, for instance hand paper towels, non-antiseptic and antiseptic soaps, sinks, alcohol hand-rubs, and running water can also contribute to bad hand hygiene practice.

Another noteworthy barrier is a lack of awareness and scientific knowledge with regard to hand hygiene. Bischoff (2000) stated that the lack of appropriate infection control in training programs, where students watch their colleagues with patients, might actually result in bad HH practice. Otto and French (2009) in their study learned that the cultures and attitudes of nurses at work have a significant influence in clinical development of students, and for the students to be accepted in that culture, they have a tendency to follow their mentors and other health care workers. A case in point is that for a student to be perceived as being an effective team member, she/he tends to perform hand hygiene poorly and improperly, since this student wants to appear as busy as her mentors and believes that she does not have enough time to wash her hands (Al-Busaidi, 2013).

The behavior and attitudes of HCWs toward HH practice is an intricate issue that involves the perception of its efficacy, existing barriers, as well as beliefs and values of staffs. To attain high rates of compliance with hand hygiene practice, Otto and French (2009) suggested that those who default have to be disciplined as if they have breached hospital policy, and this should start with personal counseling to verbal warning, and at last to a written warning placed in the files of the defaulters.

Effective Hand Hygiene

Effective HH basically involves removing the visible soiling as well as the reduction of microbial colonization of the skin. The hands of HCWs could be contaminated by 2 sorts of pathogens: (i) resident – colonizing or normal – microorganisms, and (ii) transient – contaminating – microorganisms. Resident flora microorganisms are known to colonize the deeper layers of the skin, and unlike transient flora, they are not easy to remove mechanically; that is, through washing hands (Smith & Lokhorst, 2009). Luckily though, resident flora is less aggressive compared to transient flora, and is less likely to lead to serious infection. Examples of resident flora include negative staphylococci and Corynebacteria. It is of note that these bacteria are inclined to grow within the hair follicles and remain moderately dormant over time (Smith & Lokhorst, 2009).

Conversely, transient flora colonize the superficial layers of the skin for a short period of time. The nurses’ hands are frequently contaminated with transient flora through direct contact during every day patient care activities, equipment or environments. Nonetheless, transient flora can be removed easily through the use of mechanical methods, for instance friction in hand washing. Examples of transient flora include Candida species and Staphylococcus aurous. Transient flora are able to induce nosocomial infection amongst health care workers and patients (Al-Busaidi, 2013). Considering this information as regards resident and transient bacteria, effective hand hygiene practice either with the use of alcohol-based hand-rub or hand washing using antimicrobial soap, is clearly the way to reduce the risk of cross infection.

Research-Based Intervention in the form of a Standardized Guideline

Promotion of HH practices in health care settings is a significant challenge for infection control experts. Lectures and workshops, distribution of information flyers, performance feedback on adherence rates, and in-service education have all been linked to transient improvement. There is really not a single intervention that has repeatedly improved adherence to HH practices (Smith & Lokhorst, 2009). Given that nursing staff members are present twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week within the health care setting, it is of major importance to stick to HH standardized guideline and maintain patient safety. The following guideline should be followed by health care facilities.

  1. Encourage effective hand washing

Effective hand washing, according to Pittet (2011), is the application of antimicrobial/antiseptic or non-antimicrobial/plain soap onto wet hands. The individual should then rub together both hands vigorously to form lather, and should cover base of the fingers, tops of the hands, all the surface of the palms, fingernails, wrists, thumbs, back of the fingers, and between fingers for a 60 seconds. The health care worker should ensure that his/her fingernails are short. Boyce (2014) reported that artificial fingernails are possible traps for bacteria and thus have to be avoided. Although chipped nail polish has the capacity of harboring bacteria, new nail polish on natural nails in fact does not worsen the microbial load. It is of note that wearing jewellery, for instance hand watches or rings, may actually bring about bacterial colonization on the skin beneath them. After the HCW has soaped and rubbed, she should rinse her hands thoroughly to remove all the lather on the hands. Hot water should not be used in rinsing given that it may lead to dryness of the skin (Al-Busaidi, 2013).

Hand drying is also of major importance in the prevention of cross infection in the health care setting since microorganisms are known to thrive in damp environments. Hand drying should be done before the HCW wears her gloves, as trapped moisture in the gloves may lead to irritation of the skin and increase the harboring of microorganisms (Whitby, 2006). Paper towels are very efficient in drying hands and the friction created whenever they are used actually improves the removal of microorganisms from the skin. The HCW must not touch the tap again after she has just washed her hands; she should use a paper towel in turning the water off. Even though hand driers are just as good as hand towels, paper disposable hand towels are generally more effective and are quicker. In essence, the friction that is produced through hand rubbing with soap vigorously and then hand drying using paper towels actually removes all the dirt as well as any loosely adherent flora; that is, small portion of resident flora and nearly all transient flora from hands (Smith & Lokhorst, 2009).

  1. Encourage the use of alcohol hand-rub

There is sufficient evidence to recommend the alcohol hand-rub owing to its cost effectiveness and clinical benefits. Pittet (2011) pointed out that the likelihood of hand washing to wash away the skin’s fats and oils that are vital for healthy skin is less with the usage of hand-rub. Simply put, alcohol hand-rub will redistribute the lipids in the layers of the skin. In addition, alcohol hand-rub can dispense with paper towels. In his study, Cambell (2010) found that alcohol hand-rub actually consists of several emollients that are better tolerated by health care workers compared to hand washing. Cambell (2010) also found that quite a few factors including consistency, odor, and color of alcohol hand-rub products can influence health care workers’ acceptance of this product. Alcohol hand-rub dispensers could be positioned readily and accessed easily: at the bedside of patients, outside and inside of the rooms of patients, in waiting areas, next to computers, and even inside the nursing stations (Kukanich et el., 2013).

Effective usage of alcohol hand-rub basically implies that health care workers have to strictly comply with the manufacturer’s instructions, particularly with regard to the quantity used as well as the time required to completely fade away from the hands. In essence, the availability of alcohol hand-rub products at the point of care has to be supplemented by the availability of gloves in suitable sizes. From his study, Bischoff (2000) observed that hospitals that made clean gloves and alcohol-based hand rub readily available to HCWs saw improved compliance with hand hygiene.

  • Clarify misconceptions about the usage of gloves

To improve healthcare workers compliance with HH practice, it is of major importance to take into account the hindering factors and then turn them into factors that enhance compliance. The misconceptions of nurses regarding the use of gloves and skin complications should be clarified so as to attain a better compliance with HH practice. In essence, failure to remove gloves following contact with patient or between clean and dirty body site care for the same patient actually amounts to poor adherence to hand hygiene recommendations (Boyce, 2014). The nursing staffs need to be informed that it is ineffective to wash and reuse gloves between patient contact. Disinfection or hand washing has to be strongly encouraged following removal of gloves (Canham, 2011).

  1. Provide Training and Education on Hand Hygiene

Proper education as well as follow-up training is key to identify situations in which HH is reasonable. Important educational materials that the hospital should use include the following: computer-assisted, interactive learning that is made available to the clinicians through the hospital’s intranet; and PowerPoint presentations and videotapes that illustrate the significance of good HH techniques in hospitals and other health care facilities. Hospitals should conduct educational programmes for employees that comprise instructions for appropriate method when using an alcohol-based hand-rub, or washing hands using water and soap. The hospital should make sure that health care workers comprehend the underlying principle for gloves and hand hygiene and can follow the best practices and enhance patient outcomes (Pittet, 2011).

  1. Place promotional materials in noticeable areas

In essence, hand hygiene promotion posters should be placed in locations that are highly visible throughout the healthcare facility and a multi-modal campaign for improving performance should be initiated. Whitby (2006) pointed out that promotional material, for instance posters, could be placed in noticeable areas of the health care facility and they will be aimed at reminding patients, health care worker, as well as visitors about the significance of HH practice. In addition, the hospital can also place videos on the wards in order to show patients the importance of HH in the prevention of cross infection and to remind or ask health care workers to practice HH before health care delivery. In their study, Kukanich (2013) found that placing appropriate HH technique illustrations close to alcohol hand-rub dispensers or above sinks helped in improving compliance to hand hygiene. Moreover, Kukanich (2013) found that posters with pictures of renowned hospital physicians/personnel recommending hand hygiene also helped to improve compliance with hand hygiene in the health care facility. To motivate computer user to comply with hand hygiene practice, Smith and Lokhorst (2009) pointed out that messages on the subject of hand hygiene practice can be set on computer screensavers.

  1. Hand Hygiene products should be always available, and in right places

The ward or unit manager should ensure that hand hygiene products are at all times available, and are actually in the right places. Some of these places include offices, nursing station, as well as outside and inside of all patient rooms. Studies have revealed that compliance by HCWs was substantially greater when alcohol-based rub dispensers were placed adjacent to the bed of patients compared to when they was just a single dispenser for every 4 beds (Al Busaidi, 2013). Moreover, in critical care settings, studies have indicated that the availability of alcohol-based hand-rub at the point of care actually minimized the time constraint related to HH during patient care and it predicted better adherence to HH practice. Pittet (2011) in a study of hand hygiene amongst doctors, learned that easy access to an alcohol-based hand rub was in fact an independent predictor of improved compliance to HH practice.

  • Recognize clinicians with good hand hygiene practice and create a culture of proper hand hygiene

It is of major importance for the health care organization to recognize nursing staff members with proper hand hygiene. This can be done, for instance, though announcement in the hospital’s newsletter. This will serve as a vital accolade that can actually encourage other nurses and health care workers to do likewise. The hospital should also create a culture that encourages staff members to remind each other as regards proper hand hygiene (Otto & French, 2009). In their study, Cambell (2010) found that when health care workers reminded each other and other health care workers to practice hand hygiene, there was a considerable increase in compliance to hand hygiene practice at the health care facility. All in all, the hospital should monitor compliance by HCWs with the recommended indications for HH, including real-time feedback to staff members.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the practice of Hand Hygiene amongst health care workers is regarded as the single most clinical and cost effective measure for preventing nosocomial infection. However, notwithstanding advances in infection control as well as hospital epidemiology, the compliance of clinicians with the recommended hand hygiene practices is unacceptably low and patients are very susceptible to inadvertent harm in health care settings. Hand hygiene is fundamentally aimed at saving lives and to provide a safe treatment atmosphere for every health care worker and patient, no matter the setting. In America, improper compliance with hand hygiene practices has led to high mortality and morbidity bearing in mind that there are more than 1.7 million persons who catch HAI every year, and over 90,000 deaths are attributed to HAI every year. Several factors actually contribute to poor hand hygiene compliance amongst clinicians. These include limited time, lack of organizational pledge to proper HH practice, increased workloads, lack of motivation, lack of role models, and under-staffing.

The proposed intervention as described in the guideline entails the following: making hand hygiene products always available and in the right places such as in nurse stations and at patient bedsides; and to recognize clinicians with effective hand hygiene practice and creating a culture of proper hand hygiene in the hospital. Moreover, the hospital should place promotional materials in noticeable areas, and provide education and training programs on the significance of proper and hand hygiene and how to actually practice effective hand hygiene.

References

Al-Busaidi, S. (2013). Healthcare Workers and Hand Hygiene Practice: A Literature Review. Diffusion, 6(1): 81-89

Bischoff, W. E. (2000). Handwashing compliance by health care workers: the impact of introducing an accessible, alcohol-based hand antiseptic. Arch Intern Med. 160(7):1017-21

Boyce, J. M. (2014). Preventing Infections: It’s in Your Hands. Medscape Infectious Disease.

Cambell, R. (2010). Hand-washing compliance goes from 33% to 95% steering team of key players drives process, Healthcare Benchmarks and Quality Improvement 17:1, 5-6.

Canham, L. (2011). The first step in infection control is hand hygiene, The Dental Assistant, 42-46.

Kukanich, K. S., Kaur, R., Freeman, L. C., & Powell, D. A. (2013). Original Research: Evaluation of a Hand Hygiene Campaign in Outpatient Health Care Clinics. American Journal of Nursing, 113(3):36-42

Maxfield, D. & Dull, D. (2011). Influencing hand hygiene at spectrum health, Physician Executive Journal 37:3, 30-34.

Otto, M. & French, R. (2009). Hand hygiene compliance among healthcare staff and student nurses in a mental health setting, Mental Health Nursing 30, 702-704.

Pittet, D. (2011). Improving Adherence to Hand Hygiene Practice: A Multidisciplinary Approach. Emerging Infection Disease Journal, 7(2): 32-8

Smith, J.M. & Lokhorst, D.B. (2009). Infection control: can nurses improve hand hygiene practice?, Journal of Undergraduate Nursing Scholarship 11:1, 1-6.

Whitby M. (2006). Why healthcare workers don’t wash their hands: a behavioral explanation Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol; 27(5):484-92.

We can write this or a similar paper for you! Simply fill the order form!

Domestic Terrorism Essay Paper Available

Domestic Terrorism
Domestic Terrorism

Domestic Terrorism

Order Instructions:

Background:
1. You are the Principal the local Shining Star Elementary School. Your school contains 400 students and is part of a four-school cluster. Your cluster is part of a school district that contains over 100 schools from all levels.

2. You are the emergency manager for this county of over 300,000 people. Your position is to prepare the county for disasters in an area where the worst expected disaster is fire from storms or drought. Wind storms are the next worst expected disaster. Your county is surrounded by counties of equal or larger sizes in a larger city with a population of five million persons. Shining Star Elementary School is in your county.

3. You are the Mayor of a town within the county that contains the Shining Star Elementary School. The city police and fire department work for you.

4. You are the Chairman of the County Supervisors in the county that contains the Shining Star Elementary School. The county sheriff, fire department, health department, and county support offices work for you.

For the four positions you should have: Notified all local Law Enforcement agencies for assistance; established an Incident Command System; and isolated the area.

Scenario:
1. Fires have broken out in twenty-five (25) schools of the district.

2. The City Police and County Sheriff offices are destroyed by explosions.

3. The National Press demands immediate access to the Shining Path Elementary School and whoever is in charge.

4. The group in the Shining Path Elementary School demands all prisoners held in Guantanamo be released within twelve (12) hours or more students and teachers will be killed.

For each of the four positions explain what you would do and expect to happen in the scenario. Consider the following in each of your answers:
1. WHAT ASSETS DO YOU HAVE?
2. WHAT AGENCIES NEED TO BE INVOLVED?
3. WHO DO YOU NEED TO COORDINATE WITH?
4. WHAT ACTIONS CAN YOU TAKE?
5. WHAT NATIONAL AGENCIES SHOULD BE INVOLVED? WHO NOTIFIED THEM? WHAT ARE THEY DOING?

Length: This SLP Assignment should be at least 3 pages not counting the title page and references.

References: At least two references should be included from academic sources listed below(e.g. peer-reviewed journal articles). Required readings are included. Quoted material should not exceed 10% of the total paper (since the focus of these assignments is critical thinking).

Organization: Subheadings should be used to organize your paper according to question.

Required readings:

ATF Home Page, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives website: Retrieved November 15, 2012, from: http://www.atf.gov/

Brinkerhoff, J.R. (2009). The role of Federal military forces in domestic law enforcement title. US Army Combined Arms Center, Newsletter 10(16), Ch. 11. Retrieved November 16, 2012, from: http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/call/docs/10-16/ch_11.asp

Cook, T. (2008). The Posse Comitatus Act: An act in need of a regulatory update. Retrieved November 15, 2012, from: http://www.hsdl.org/?view&doc=137185&coll=limited

Haddal, C. C. (2010). Border security: The role of the U.S. Border Patrol. Congressional Research Office. Retrieved November 15, 2012, from: http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/RL32562.pdf

Vision, mission, core values, and pledge: CDC vision for the 21st Century (2010). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved November 15, 2012, from: http://www.cdc.gov/about/organization/mission.htm

SAMPLE ANSWER

Domestic Terrorism

Scenario One: Fires have broken out in twenty-five (25) schools of the district

The Shining Star Elementary School, being part of a four-school cluster, is relatively well prepared to deal with emergencies that could arise.  The same is true for all schools in the district since the standard set in the cluster is the same throughout the district.  All schools are equipped with fire fighting equipments including fire extinguishers and hydrants.  Additionally, each school has a fire marshal stationed in each school whose primary responsibility it to maintain fire disaster preparedness at all times, assess equipment adequacy and usability state and conduct emergency drills twice every school term.  With the reports coming from the respective Fire Marshalls, the disaster preparedness plan is activated immediately.  The plan indicates that in the case of a fire, all students after evacuating the premises are to meet at pre designated points for roll-call to determine who is missing.

As the Principal of one of the schools facing a fire disaster, one has to place a call to the local fire department.  It will be the responsibility of the local Fire Chief to escalate the incidence after determining its dynamics.  It is expected that among the agencies that will respond to this disaster will include, the National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA).  Given the multiple locations of the fire disasters, the district fire marshal will take overall responsibility of coordinating all activities and thus becomes the go-to person in case of a need.

As a principal, the immediate action to engage in is to have all students evacuate the premises and assemble at the assembly points for roll call.  It is at this point that medical needs will be identified and addressed, while missing students will be known and sort.  Given the scale and spread of the fire, NEMA should be involved.  Forensic scientists should be involved in order to determine the causes of the fire.  The national agencies will be notified and invited by the person in-charge of emergencies in the district (Schmid, 2011).

Scenario Two: The City Police and County Sheriff offices are destroyed by explosions

As the emergency manager of the county, the destruction of the City Police and the County Sherriff office makes this an invasion that affects the core of emergency response in the county.  As a result, county resources cannot longer be relied upon to attend to the emerging emergency.  Given that the cause of the explosion is not immediately evident; the emergency manager places a call to the State Governor requesting for federal assistance.  The Governor will place a call to the President of the Country for federal assistance.  This calls set the ground for the deployment of the National Guard – to take care of the enforcement of Law and Order, allocation of Federal resources to assist with the local emergency, deployment of the FBI whose explosives experts should help the cause of the explosive (Haddal, 2010).  This revelation will determine the next cause of action.  Should it be determined to have been caused by deliberate human action, then criminal investigation will commence immediately.  Should the explosion have been caused by natural causes, the reconstruction will commence immediately.

Scenario Three: The National Press demands immediate access to the Shining Star Elementary School and whoever is in charge

The Mayor of a town within the county that contains the Shining Star Elementary School and with command of both the police and fire department, has a responsibility to shield both  forces from the prying eyes of the National Press, who can be uncivil in their quest to get the story.  This being the case, all information will be shared from one central source – the mayor’s office.  Since there are different disaster locations, instructions will be issued to seal-off all the locations and no one apart from authorized personnel should access the sites (Ciment, 2011).  Additionally, no emergency worker should talk to the press and all press interactions will be left to the mayor or to whoever the responsibility is designated.  As the mayor, a call will be placed to the State Governor for assistance and it is expected that the Governor will in turn place a call to the President seeking Federal aid.

Scenario One: The group in the Shining Path Elementary School demands all prisoners held in Guantanamo be released within twelve (12) hours or more students and teachers will be killed

With the demand coming from the Shining Star Elementary School, it is clear that this is no longer a local problem but has taken on an international dimension.  Despite being the Chairman of the County Supervisors with the power to command all the county emergency resources, the situation at Shining Star Elementary School is much bigger and complicated that the local resources are designed to cope with.  Given that the situation has clearly degenerated to a terrorism stand-off with demands that border the life or death of the hostages – who include student and teachers, immediately, both the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) will be called to the scene and left to determine between the two federal agencies, who will take the lead role (Brinkerhoff, 2009).  Additionally, depending on the lead agency, Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) teams will be brought into the scene with the clear instruction to prepare for both soft and hard assault of the target and what each plan will entail – both in terms of personnel and possible casualties.  Given the epicenter of the action will be at the Shining Elementary School and the publicity generated nationally, after sealing off the school building where the terrorists are, the National Press, will be set up in the playing field with regular briefing being held in pavilion.  This should keep the national press and briefing personnel safe while keeping them within the vicinity of the epicenter.  Before the federal agencies arrive to take over the situation, the local hostage negotiator will be in-charge off all communication with the captors in an effort to ensure no life is lost while the scene is still under the command of the local agencies.

References        

Brinkerhoff, J.R. (2009). The role of Federal military forces in domestic law enforcement title. US Army Combined Arms Center, Newsletter 10(16), Ch. 11 Retrieved November 16, 2012, from: http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/call/docs/10-16/ch_11.asp

Ciment, J (2011).  World Terrorism: An Encyclopedia of Political Violence from Ancient Times to the Post 9/11 Era, 2nd Ed, Sharpe Publishers, Armonk, NY.

Haddal, C. C. (2010). Border security: The role of the U.S. Border Patrol.  Congressional Research Office.  Retrieved November 15, 2012, from http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/RL32562.pdf

Schmid, A. P (2011).  The Routledge Handbook of Terrorism Research, Routledge Publishing, New York, NY.

We can write this or a similar paper for you! Simply fill the order form!

Cyber terrorism Term Paper Available

Cyber terrorism
Cyber terrorism

Cyber terrorism

Order Instructions:

The student is required to cover the required readings and apply the information provided combined with the student’s research to answer the following questions:

1. Explain the advent of Cyber terrorism? What is it? How has it been combated since September 2001? What are the current policies? And, what is being done at a national and international level to combat it?

2. Review McNeal, G. S. (2008) Cyber Embargo: Countering the Internet Jihad. Explain the interface of domestic and international terrorism through the Internet Jihad, its potential impact on domestic security (vis-a-vis the controversy over surveillance within the Patriot Act), and why this is domestic terrorism.
The following items will be assessed in particular:

1. Your ability to apply your understanding past modules into critical thinking concerning Cyber terrorism.
2. Your ability to understand past domestic and international (domestic in their countries) terror groups and relate current capabilities to combat their tactics, vision and goals.
3. In-text references to the modular background readings (APA formatting recommended) and a reference page. Outside background reading sources encouraged and expected.

Length: This Case Assignment should be at least 3 pages not counting the title page and references.

References: At least two references should be included from academic sources (e.g. peer-reviewed journal articles). Required readings are included. Quoted material should not exceed 10% of the total paper (since the focus of these assignments is critical thinking).

Organization: Subheadings should be used to organize your paper according to question

Required readings:

Cyberterrorism: The invisible threat stealth cyber predators in a climate of escalating risk (2010). Foreign Affairs, 89(6), 24A. Retrieved November 15, 2012, from ProQuest.

McNeal, G. S. (2008). Cyber embargo: Countering the internet Jihad. Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law; 2007/2008, 39(3), 789. Retrieved November 15, 2012, from ProQuest

National Strategy for Combating Terrorism (2006). The White House. Retrieved November 15, 2012, from: http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/nsc/nsct/2006/

National Security Strategy (2010). Homeland Security Digital Library, Naval Postgraduate School. Retrieved November 15, 2012, from: http://www.hsdl.org/?view&doc=123246&coll=limited

O’Rourke, M. (2010). The real enemy, Risk Management. 57(3), 80. Retrieved November 15, 2012, from ProQuest

Theohary, C. A. and Rollins, J. (2011). Terrorist use of the internet: Information operations in cyberspace. Congressional Research Service. Retrieved November 15, 2012, from: http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/terror/R41674.pdf

SAMPLE ANSWER

Domestic Terrorism: Cyber terrorism

Cyber terrorism is the act of using computers as weapons or as targets by the politically motivated sub-national or international groups, who end up threatening and causing fear and violence among the people so as to influence them or make the government change its current policies (Arquilla, 2013).

Advent of Cyber terrorism

The public interest in cyber terrorism began in the late 1980’s (Arquilla, 2013). The fear about the millennium bug finely tuned in the year 2000. This is when the potential cyber terrorist attacks also increased. The millennium bug was however not a terrorist attack or a plot against the United States. Instead, it acted as a catalyst to spark the fears of a large-scale devastating cyber attack. On September 11, 2001 there was a high profile terrorist attack in the United States. The states ensuing war on terror led to further media coverage of the possible threats of cyber terrorism in the following years.

How Cyber terrorism has been Combated

Since September 2001, the mainstream media coverage discusses often any possibility of a large attack making good use of the networked computers to damage dangerous infrastructures with the purpose of putting the lives of people in jeopardy or causing distraction on a national scale. Since 2002, security improved following the private sector sharing information with the government regarding the terrorist’s attacks in their private companies. There was an establishment of a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) which attempted to improve the sharing of information (Ferraro, 2014).

Current Policies Regarding Cyber terrorism

Policy makers that face the assessment and targeting of the future cyber threats should address the current and key issues from the multiple perspectives. The policy dimensions of the cyber terrorism include the possibility to discourage other people from resorting to it. Preparedness and prevention is another aspect whereby the sharing of information and establishment of good practices should be of primary importance. This involves the partnerships between the public and the private sectors. At the same time, threats should be detected and responded to via an alert system. This would dramatically increase the timely targeting of attacks. There should also be contigent plans and disaster recoveries in order to mitigate the attacks. Lastly, there should also be a placement of international cooperation and the establishment of active defenses (McCrisken, 2011).

National and International Level to Combat Cyber terrorism

The America’s National Strategy for combating terrorism recognizes that they are at war and that it is their solemn obligation to protect and defend their homeland and the American people. The National Strategy also recognizes that the war on terror is different kind of war since it is both a battle of arms and ideas. They do not only fight the terrorists on the battlefield but also promote freedom and the dignity of the people as an alternative to the terrorists’ wicked vision of oppression and totalitarian rule. Their paradigm to combat terrorism involves the application of all elements of the national power and influence. They do not only employ the military power but also use the diplomatic, intelligence, financial and law enforcement activities for the homeland protection. They also extend their defenses, disrupt the operations of terrorists and deny their enemies what they need in their operation and to survive.

Interface of Domestic and International Terrorism through the Internet Jihad

According to the article, Cyber Embargo, terrorists are occupied in an online jihad. This is characterized by the use of the internet in fundraising, distribution of messages and directives, recruitment and proselytization. It is, however, possible to limit the terrorists’ websites to a particular region, then a modification of current laws can allow the cyber embargo on the jihadists’ websites and their group. Together with the diplomatic cooperation, they are able to curb the impact of the jihadist websites while at the same time increasing the governments’ ability to monitor those websites and shut them down when necessary (McNeal, 2007).

Potential Impact on Domestic Security

Since the internet can be accessed very easily, the number of potential recruits by the terrorists has risen. Websites have provided an instant connection between the terrorists’ recruiters and the most interested sympathizers. Terrorists can then broadcast strong messages to a large audience of viewers. Apart from that, they can use browsers to check language settings and direct viewers to the required site which is customized for language and culture.

Why it is categorized as Domestic Terrorism

Cyber jihad, unlike cyber terrorism, is the information presented on behalf of the terrorist organizations. It can also be used on several activities that support war directly. For example, an expert in cyber terrorism called Joseph Shahda explains that ‘media jihad,’ which is the internet is as important as the battlefield of jihad. Through the internet, terrorist groups set up centers for operation, raise money, spread propaganda and at the same time communicate with ideologies. It provides an inexpensive recruiting tool for the terrorists to win their supporters and members from all over the world.

References

Arquilla, J. (2013). Twenty years of cyberwar. Journal Of Military Ethics, 12(1), 80-87.

Ferraro, M. F. (2014). “Groundbreaking” or broken? an analysis of sec cybersecurity disclosure guidance, its effectiveness, and implications. Albany Law Review, 77(2), 297-347.

McCrisken, T. (2011). Ten years on: Obama’s war on terrorism in rhetoric and practice. International Affairs, 87(4), 781-801.

McNeal, G. S. (2007). Cyber embargo: countering the internet Jihad. (German). Case Western Reserve Journal Of International Law, 39(3), 789-826.

We can write this or a similar paper for you! Simply fill the order form!

Terrorism and radicalisation Term Paper

Terrorism and radicalisation
Terrorism and radicalisation

Terrorism and radicalisation

Order Instructions:

Cilluffo, Cozzens, and Ranstorp (2010) outline potential problems areas associated with the trend of western nationals going into troubled areas and becoming radicalized. Read this paper and using it with the many sources contained within, answer the following questions:

1. How are terrorist recruiters using target assessment and vulnerability analysis in their selection?

2. What tools do the recruiters use to select targets?

3. Based on the reading, how vulnerable does the U.S and Western Europe remain today to this type of recruitment and utilization? Explain your position.

4. Using the Boyd loop, how would you prepare the steps for counter activities prior to the ACT phase?

Length: This Case Assignment should be at least 3 pages not counting the title page and references.

References: At least two references should be included from academic sources (e.g. peer-reviewed journal articles). Required readings are included. Quoted material should not exceed 10% of the total paper.

Organization: Subheadings should be used to organize your paper according to question.

Required readings:

Brandt, P. T. and Sandler, T. (2009). What do transnational terrorists target? Has it changed? Are we safer? Journal of Conflict Resolution. Retrieved November 20, 2012, from: http://www.utdallas.edu/~tms063000/website/TargetSubstitution-20091003.pdf

Cilluffo, F. J., Cozzens, J. B., and Ranstorp, M. (2010). Foreign fighters: Trends, trajectories, and conflict zones. The George Washington University, Homeland Security Policy Institute. Retrieved November 20,

2012, from: http://www.gwumc.edu/hspi/policy/report_foreignfighters501.pdf

SAMPLE ANSWER

Terrorism is the premeditated use of threat by subnational groups or even individuals to use violence against noncombatants with an aim to obtain social or political objectives trough the intimidation of a large audience. Terrorism can be categorized as transnational or even domestic events, whereby domestic terrorism involves homegrown terrorists, who in most cases are trained at home and even financed there. On the other side transnational terrorism occurs when victims, governments, institutions, perpetrators of more than two countries are involved example the hijacking incidences. Investigations have been conducted to be able to discern the cumulative aggregate patterns of the terrorists over a long period whereby terrorist threats have changed over time (Brandt & Snadler, 2009). Along the perimeters of the government buildings, improved barriers were placed in order to minimize damage from the car and truck bombs thus; bomb sniffing devices were also installed at airports after on-board bombs brought down planes.

According to Brandt and Sandler (2009), terrorists are known to use the target assessment and vulnerability analysis in their selection process to improve their chances of success during their strikes. In addition, Hoffman (2006) supports that most of the latest terrorist attacks have been more successful than the past attacks due to initial target assessment that is designed to eliminate any possible errors. Moreover, the terrorist are likely to strike the most vulnerable groups with more a valuable price. With this regard, attacks on private parties have increased over time since they provide soft targets that favor their vulnerability analysis (Cilluffo, Cozzens, & Ranstorp, 2010). Terrorists are known to choose among their targeted groups to maximize their expected utility or even payoff since the average cost per incidence is constant and not dependent on the number of attacks. A state should not favor one type of target since this will increase the incidences against the target class and terrorists may take advantage of this. Terrorists who pose high political demands to the government, they become more publicly known for their cause of actions. If granted their political demands the terrorists may reduce the number of attacks against their target group and in turn they increase the number of attacks on a relatively cheaper other types of targets.

According to Brandt and Sandler (2009), there are many types of tools used by the terrorists such as bombs, non-aerial hijackings, skyjackings, hostage seizures, barricade and kidnappings which are regarded as the best weapons by the terrorists to their target groups. Nature of victim is a tool that terrorists use to select their targets and it helps them identify whether the attack only involves property or involves people alone. More missions against people rather than property are being completed as planned for all target types owing to relative considerations since their vulnerability is always high. Logistical success is another tool used by terrorists in selecting their target and this is done by securing one or more hostages in a kidnapping or even they may decide to plant a bomb that will later explode (Hoffman, 2006). Target classes, especially military and the officials are now allocated more security as we also anticipate to see a reduction in terrorist attacks on them. There are various media tools used by the terrorists in selecting their targets and these tools include: YouTube, Facebook, blogs, twitter, message boards, audio recording, DVDs and websites (Brandt & Sandler, 2009). These tools are known to provide figures that can bridge and relate to social subgroups in a comfortable medium that is well understood by the targeted audience.

The United States and Western Europe are vulnerable to the terrorist recruitment and utilization due to their deployment of their fighters in the Middle East regions which is the bedrock of terrorists.  In addition, the stationing of their troops in Islamic countries has greatly fueled the mobilization of Muslim fundamentalist that are determined to advance the terrorism ideals. The western military involvement while tackling terrorists also continue to award them more sympathy, especially from the Muslim community who feel that they are being targeted with by the west. Moreover, there is a very high presence of social media in the west and the terrorist use such media to source for cheap recruits to advance their ideals (Cilluffo, Cozzens, & Ranstorp, 2009). Therefore, the United States and other western countries are highly vulnerable to terrorist activities.

In order to counter the terrorist activities, the western countries first need to fully understand the operations of the terrorism threats, both at the tactical and strategic level. The law enforcement and the intelligence services should be properly equipped with tools and technologies that can help them deal with the terrorists. Moreover, the western countries should heavily invest in counter-radicalization efforts that are effective enough to destabilize all the radicalization threats (Brandt & Sandler, 2009). Moreover, the west should not overlook the opportunities to infiltrate the jihadist networks and pay a close attention on how such networks utilize homogenous groups of foreign fighters.

References

Brandt, Patrick T., and Todd Sandler. 2009. Hostage taking: Understanding terrorism event dynamics. Journal of Policy Modelling 31 (5):758-778.

Brandt, P. T. and Sandler, T. (2009). What do transnational terrorists target? Has it changed? Are we safer? Journal of Conflict Resolution. Retrieved November 20, 2012, from: http://www.utdallas.edu/~tms063000/website/TargetSubstitution-20091003.pdf

Cilluffo, F. J., Cozzens, J. B., and Ranstorp, M. (2010). Foreign fighters: Trends, trajectories, and conflict zones. The George Washington University, Homeland Security Policy Institute. Retrieved November 20, 2012, from: http://www.gwumc.edu/hspi/policy/report_foreignfighters501.pdf

Hoffman, Bruce. 2006. Inside terrorism: Revised and expanded Ed. New York: Columbia University Press.

We can write this or a similar paper for you! Simply fill the order form!

Meaningful Use for Nurses Research Paper

Meaningful Use for Nurses
Meaningful Use for Nurses

Meaningful Use for Nurses

Order Instructions:

Meaningful Use for Nurses:
Implications and Recommendations
Guidelines with Scoring Rubric
Purpose
This assignment is designed to help students
• understand the implications for nurses, nursing, national health policy-making, patient outcomes, and population health associated with the collection and use of Meaningful Use core criteria.

Course Outcomes
Through this assignment, the student will demonstrate the following ability.
(CO 3) Examine the ethical/legal issues arising in NI practice while using, designing, managing, upgrading, and building information systems. (POs 4, 6)

Total Points Possible: 325
Requirements:
Provide an overview of the Meaningful Use program and an analysis of the implications for nurses, nursing, national health policy, patient outcomes, and population health associated with the collection and use of Meaningful Use core criteria. Recommend additional core criteria not presently identified for Meaningful Use collection in Stages 1 or 2 (lists of criteria may be found at cms.gov) that you feel would be beneficial for nurses, nursing, monitoring population health, setting national health policies, and/or improvements in patient outcomes or population health, providing your evidence for your recommendations. If you feel that no additional criteria are necessary, provide your evidence-based rationale for your argument. Conclude with insights gained from this assignment. A minimum of three outside scholarly resources are required—texts may be cited but are NOT included among the minimum of three outside scholarly resources.
PREPARING THE PAPER
1. Required texts may be used as references, but a minimum of three sources must be from outside course readings. No older than 5 years (preferably Scholarly Journals and peer reviewed)
2. All aspects of the paper must be in APA format as expressed in the 6th edition.
3. The paper (excluding the title page and reference page) is 5–7 pages in length.
4. Ideas and information from professional sources must be cited correctly.
5. Grammar, spelling, punctuation, and citations are consistent with formal academic writing.

SAMPLE ANSWER

Meaningful Use for Nurses

The healthcare system has been marred with several human errors that have led to the blame game within the system. Efforts have been made to achieve a culture of safety that protects patients from harm that has been caused by the care givers. Attempts such as patient centered care have been developed to the global goal of safety in health care. As such, exhaustive research of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) 2009 guaranteed that no high-quality health care will be realized without proper documentation of health records of patients (Chesnay & Anderson, 2012). Together with other institution of health care such as Health and Human Services attempts have been put to realize the goal of safety culture in health care is achieved. Therefore, by July 2010, these organizations issued Meaningful Use that is mandated to improve safety, quality, coordination, efficiency as well as engaging families and patients in electronic communication and recording of patients’ status. Therefore, the implementation of Electronic Health Recording (ERH) is one of the core factors of realizing the safety of individuals. A presentation of this paper gives an overview of Meaningful Use through HER and the implication it has on the health care system. The paper also identifies some of the recommendations for its full implementation.

Technology is the core factor that keeps individuals connected irrespective of where they are; hence, its usage in health care system becomes very important. Transferring health records and communication between the medical officers has been done using fax, emails, and phones (Chesnay & Anderson, 2012). However, through technology and serious concern of safety health care, there has been an attempt to use the electronic health records that is believed to be very efficient hence will reduce the occasional errors in health care system. The meaningful use is the set of standard that is developed by the center for Medicare and Medicaid services (CMC) which is mandated on paying providers who  have achieved set criteria that are related to the meaningful use of technology to improve safety culture that finally improve patient care. ARRA act of 2009 signed this act into law that included funding the health information technology with $17 billion to physicians who have already adopted the use of EHRs (Chesnay & Anderson, 2012). The issue of funding this program aims at motivating institutions that have already employed the use of EHRs and encourage those who have not used the program.

The use of electronic health recording was aimed at achieving five goals according to health information technology and ARRA. First, it aimed at improving the quality, efficiency and safety of care as well as reducing the preventable disparities. Secondly, to engage both the patients and families in the process of health care. Third, is to facilitate and promote population and public health and improve the outcomes within the institution (Narcisse et. al., 2013). Additionally, it aimed at improving the coordination of medical officers and nurses within the health care. Lastly, this program is to promote the security and privacy of electronic health records since it is more secure than the old methods.

The meaningful use criteria were set to evolve over the next five years in three stages. The first stage is known as the data capture and sharing stage. It involves: capturing health information electronically and in a standardized method; using the information captured to track the key clinical conditions; communicating the found information for coordination processes; initiating clinical quality measures and health information; and using that information to engage the family and the patients in their care. The second stage, which was set to start in 2014, is known as advanced clinical process, which deals with health information exchange and increased need for e- prescribing and incorporation of lab results. The stage also deals with electronic transmission of summaries across several settings and more patient data. The final stage of the program, which is set to begin on 2016, is known as improved outcomes. Its main objective is to improve quality, efficiency, and safety that lead to improved outcomes.

From doctors to patients and everyone in between, the meaningful use will be of importance to change the way individuals’ documents materials. In order to meet the criteria developed by the CMS serious documentation is needed for everybody involved in patient care. The implication of meaningful use includes:

Impact of meaningful use on patient outcome will be very positive. The patients will have access to their health information through enhanced collaboration and engagement with their providers. This will also make the patient receive electronic reminders on follow up care of their health information. At the end, the patients experience the positive changes on how they interact with the system. According to CMS, about 190 million prescriptions have been done by electronic prescribing eRx, and 13 million patients receive reminders through electronic reminders (Halimi & Bassi, 2012).

Meaningful use are focused on helping nurses and doctors to make informed decisions, deliver good care, and create great efficiencies. These tools have prevented duplicative tasting, elimination, drug reactions, and have enhanced provider collaboration. Therefore through the use of the meaningful use the nurses and doctors have performed extremely well with minimal errors. For example in clinical lab results, about 458 million were entered into the system by 111,954 Eps and about 4.3 million transitions of care summaries were seen(Narcisse et. al., 2013). Because many lab results were entered into EHRs, millions of reconciliations were done, and millions of transitions of care sums were created, providers across the countries were also able to access much of the information about their patients, enabling them to give the right care at the correct time.

For national agency and public health, Stage 1 meaningful use menu objectives have encouraged providers to send several data to public agencies and numerous immunization registries. Stage 2 is believed continue to motivate the transmission of data to public health agencies and registries to inform care policy decisions making, drive perfect practices, and motivate the nation’s public health care. According to CMC Immunization registries received as a minimum of one test data compliance from 69,474 EPs. This information is transferred to the national health agency which can be used to manufacture some vaccines and know the trend of some diseases such as polio. Additionally, Syndromic Surveillance Data Submission also received a minimum of one test data compliance from 12,298 EPs (Halimi & Bassi, 2012). This shows that the system improves the care of patient even in places that they are not present hence their effects is really shaping the health care system from a blame system to a safety culture system.

For nursing, the system will help to make the public and patients believe that the nursing system and the entire health care system have improved by nurturing the safety culture. As such, that lost trust of continuous error will be regained. Thus, the entire health population will have the faith to believe that nursing sector is no longer a home to harm patients rather a place that foster the life of the sick. Halimi and Bassi (2012) note that when the trust is built, the entire population will believe on the nursing system.

One of the recommendations is that there should be a delay of stage two so that stage one is implemented fully. According to American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) the members cannot be able to handle the key factors that are needed for complying with stage two of the program by given deadline as at now. The factors include implementation, product services, training, and support. Therefore, it is important for the ARRA to extent the time frame of the initiation of the second stage so that the first stage is implemented fully using the required key components.

To implement this program fully until the final stage, there should be ease of meaningful requirements. Narcisse et al. (2013) say that the requirement of the system is over burdensome.  He suggests that the possible way to move the program forward is to ensure that all providers are not left behind; especially, the small ones and the rural ones should participate too. The American hospital association suggested that the providers to meet the stage one by using 2011-certified or the 2014-certified, establishing a reporting period of 90-day in the first year of new stage for all providers, offering flexibility of the implementation for all providers, and extend each stage by at least 3 years since the program is not an easy one to employ.

The associations and ARRA should reconsider the penalties imposed on the physician when they happen to fail to perform their duties of implementing the program. Physicians are already having difficulties meeting the core and noncompulsory meaningful use measures in stage 1. Therefore, they will experience much difficulties in the proceeding phases especially the third phase of this program. According to organized medicine groups associations, the proposal would closely double the number of actions that the practices must meet for eligible patient happenstance to prevent Medicare penalties (Halimi & Bassi, 2012). Any failure even to meet one of the measures by about 1% would make physicians ineligible for enticements and experience the similar financial penalties at the penalty phase as the physicians who had not made any effort to practice EHRs.

Following the discussion herein, the push towards a safety culture in health care system has been the goal for the institution. Following research by various health care organizations, it was found that patient history recording and other documentation are vital factors to ensuring a healthy culture and safety in the health care. Therefore, the center for Medicare and Medicaid services (CMC) proposed use of EHRs to record information of the patients. The main aim of this program is to improve quality, efficiency, and safety that lead to improved outcomes. The program has three stages that were started in the year 2012 and are set to end in the year 2016. This system has impacted the outcome of patient by making the patient part of the care making them engage and contribute about their condition. It has also made the nurses and the providers to have informed decision-making since the system is accurate. Having known that the nurses are performing relatively well, the public have also gained a lot of trust on the nursing institution as a whole. The public and health care agencies have also received the information and the data have been used for immunization. However, there are some recommendations that should be looked at for proper implementation of the program. There should be low penalties on physicians who have not cooperated, the requirements too should be relatively easy, and there should be extension period before the second stage starts.

References

Chesnay, M., & Anderson, B. A. (2012). Caring for the vulnerable: perspectives in nursing theory, practice, and research (3rd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Halimi, M., & Bassi, S. (2012). What does “meaningful use” mean for perioperative nurses?. OR Nurse, 6(4), 8-11.

Narcisse, M., Kippenbrock, T. A., Odell, E., & Buron, B. (2013). Advanced Practice Nurses’ Meaningful use of electronic health records. Applied Nursing Research, 26(3), 127-132.

We can write this or a similar paper for you! Simply fill the order form!

Price Waterhouse Coopers Supply Side Report Paper

Price Waterhouse Coopers Supply Side Report
Price Waterhouse Coopers Supply Side Report

Price Waterhouse Coopers Supply Side Report

Order Instructions:

Hey,

I need this report to be edited and about 1000 words added on.

The maximum word limit is 2200 words. (Not including title page and references).

Most of the information provided is correct but can be re-worded/edited.

i will upload documents for your reference. REFER TO POWERPOINT SLIDES in regards to what to include.

Progress Report/Information Report.

Weighting: 20%

Each member will be allocated a phase of the Marketing Project and will provide a progress report on that particular phase.

The assignment acts as a progress report of the final project to demonstrate understanding of the relevant Phase of the Group Marketing Project and as such detailed feedback will be provided by tutors.

You are required to complete an analysis of the marketing strategy of our Client Partner – Price Waterhouse Coopers, focusing on the particular marketing issue (what does PWC look like in 2-5 years?) related to the organisation. Blue Ocean Strategy (BOS) will be applied to the marketing issue and the framework provided by BOS used to formulate a marketing solution supported by other marketing concepts and analytical tools.

The analysis must demonstrate:
(a) understanding of the predominant marketing systems in the Client Partner industry
(b) the potential to develop ‘blue-ocean’ strategies for the Client Partner
(c) application of the analysis to the Client Partner.

Report Phase 3 – Supply Conditions and Intermediaries, Environment and Observers

Supply Conditions including for example:
• What are the conditions for supplying the product? Number, type, size and location of direct and indirect competitors supplying the product or service (including both domestic based and international import suppliers) i.e. What are the supplier alternatives?
• What is the concentration or lack of concentration of ownership and trends in supply. Use Supplier Power analysis from Porter’s 5 Forces.
• Nature of value creation and delivery system linking producers and consumers for this type of product or service (including channels of distribution, key input suppliers, key complimentors and other relevant intermediaries that impact on the cost of the product)
• Government actors involved and their role
• Environmental Impacts on Supply – contraints and enablers: Including, socio-cultural, economic and material environment, regulations, technology, and relevant infrastructure (transport, communication, finance etc)
• Any marketing models or frameworks applied to the supply conditions you consider appropriate.
• Use appropriate Blue Ocean Strategy theory and models to evaluate the supply conditions. (See Appendix 3 for Model and Chapter Table)

Intermediaries, Environment and Observers
• Nature of Intermediaries (e.g. distributors, transportation, logistics, warehousing, retailers) predominant in the industry and their role.
• Industry Observers Outside the Firm and Service Organisations and their influence/role such as: Industry Studies, Unions, Business Press (BRW), Local Org. Chambers of Commerce, State Governments, Federal Government, Domestic Trade Bodies/Statistics and International Organisations, e.g. OECD; World Bank, etc. Service organisations such as trade associations, investment banks, consultants, advertising agencies, etc

Suppliers and Intermediaries
(Supply Side) Other Marketing Frameworks
– Relevant macro level impacts on industry competition (PESTL)
– Porter’s 5 Forces: Supplier Power
– Porter’s Value Chain

SAMPLE ANSWER

Price Waterhouse Coopers Supply Side Report

In this paper, I propose an analysis of the marketing strategy of Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) that focuses on the particular marketing issue – that is, what PwC would like in the next 2 to 5 years – related to the organization. The supply conditions, intermediaries, the environment and observers are analyzed exhaustively. PESTL and Porter’s Supplier Power are described pertaining to PwC’s supply side. The Blue Ocean Strategy (BOS) will be employed to the marketing issue and the framework provided by BOS used in formulating a marketing solution supported by other concepts and analytical tools.

1.0       Supply Conditions and Intermediaries, Environment and Observers

PwC is an international professional services network, and it is currently the second largest professional services network in the world as measured by its revenues of the year 2014. Along with Ernst & Young, KPMG, and Deloitte, PwC is one of the Big 4 auditors worldwide (PwC 2014). With regard to the conditions for supplying the service – auditing, tax, advisory, and consulting services –, the main competitors to PwC include KPMG, Deloitte, and Ernst & Young. Out of four biggest auditors in the world, Deloitte is the largest. In the year 2012, the world revenue of Deloitte was $32.4 billion; PwC had aggregated gross revenues of $32.09 billion; Ernst & Young had combined revenue of $25.83 billion; and in the fourth place was KPMG with worldwide revenue of $23.42 billion (Saito & Takeda 2014, p. 205).

Deloitte, KPMG, and Ernst & Young are each a network of firms, and they are managed and owned independently. They have entered into accords with other member companies in the network to share common quality standards, brand and name. Each of these networks has created an entity for co-coordinating the network’s activities. In most instances, these 3 major competitors to PwC have member firms in countries all over the world. Deloitte, KPMG, and Ernst & Young have separate legal entities in India, Europe, Americas, Africa, the Middle East, as well as the Asia-Pacific region in countries such as Japan and Australia. (Strahler 2013, p. 19). As such, Deloitte, KPMG, and Ernst & Young are the main direct competitors to PwC not only nationally in Australia, but also internationally. Besides these three main competitors, PwC also faces direct competition from many small auditing firms nationally and this impacts on PwC’s financial bottom-line.

Effectual value creation and delivery is marketing that PwC requires considering highly towards achieving the set 2-5 years development policy. For a lengthy period of time there has existed a disconnection between ways in which PwC creates services value along with ways in which the consumers receive the same value. The company needs to bridge the gap between value creations through a number of strategies: firstly, PwC must ensure the attainment of the brand promise at all times, that is, matching the marketing slogans to the firm’s service delivery (Voima & Grönroos, 2011. Secondly, the proposition price, this regards what the consumers have to pay to acquire the service. Thus, PwC should ensure that the service provided is equal if not better than the pay: this is an effectual marketing strategy.

The 4P marketing strategy is an additional aspect that PwC requires to adopt, that is product, promotion, place and price. Certainly, 4P marketing has been able to impact positively when used along with other marketing methods. PwC by recognizing the information asymmetry within the value creation channel will enable it market its services in an efficient manner. Giving the consumer value for their money must remain core to the firm’s marketing policies: this is because consumers are known to be best in comparing notes, ultimately promoting the best services provider between the many  (Voima & Grönroos, 2011.  Additionally, PwC must move with the evolving marketing strategies work towards adopting and investing heavily internet advertising. Internet advertising should involve ad placement on the trendy business corporate sites to capture and market the services online.

There many fairs organized by companies in Australia and other nations, addressing issues from sustainability to corporate investments. These form some of the mostly important avenues that a company such as PwC has to participate in to sell its services and smartly outdo its competitors.

Increasingly, individuals are looking out for companies that are sustainable in their operations. This includes companies that offer services and who for long have done little in addressing the sustainability subject and practice: PwC as a marketing and promotional strategy needs to participate and lead in promoting a sustainable environment. This can be done through procuring sustainable equipment and materials that are used within the firm as well as participating in community environmental sustainability projects: this presently forms a major marketing strategy (Chimhanzi & Morgan, 2005). Additionally, suppliers have been known to affect the company’s reputation therefore PwC require partnering with ethical suppliers and who are certified as a way to maintain and promote the firm’s reputation. In so doing the supplied material and equipment utilized in offices will be sustainable, durable and dependable to enable efficient service delivery, which will market the company.

Competition in every industry is inevitable. Despite the fact that PwC rates second in terms profitability, it enjoys presence diversity in many nations. In the approaching 2-5 years period the firm should aim penetrating other markets within the globe, bettering the services in the available markets and clients (Chimhanzi & Morgan, 2005. The existence of the company in numerous nations indicates its strength, which requires to be used as a marketing channel to clients within those nations’ economies’ as well as the regional economies.

Government is the major regulator in all the activities concerning every firm. The state has put in place laws requiring companies to deliver quality services to the end consumer. In order for PwC to maintain the good relations with the regulator it requires adopting measures pointed towards self regulation: self regulation to the authority places the firm at highly esteemed position. This is a wonderful position to take geared towards preparations for the approaching expansion period. In addition conforming to the rules and regulations, is a marketing strategy since when the ratings of the best firms that conform to the state’s standards are produced PwC will rank among the highest.

The main environmental impacts on supply consist of regulations, economic, socio-cultural environments. Accounting firms and auditors face market discipline that works towards a decreased likelihood of future accounting scandals. The Auditing and Assurance Standards Board develops guidance and standards for auditors and accountants. The regulations set by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission must be observed which are intended to ensure that Australia’s fiscal markets are transparent and fair, supported by informed and confident consumers and investors (Francis, Michas & Yu 2013, p. 1629).

Technology and especially the mass media have been a great enabler and platform towards attaining marketing aspirations. PwC has wide range of prospective channels that can be used to channel marketing messages from the internet to the mass media. Mass media forms one of the mainly popular avenues of advertising, this is because it reaches numerous individuals inclusive of corporate members. Presenting the firms strategies and achievements on mass media is a great strategy to the catch the eye of the prospective clients (Chimhanzi & Morgan, 2005. The company within its planned expansion and growth plan requires preparing towards conforming to the socio-cultural environments in various parts of nation and the globe as a whole. Some of the firms within the nation originate from diverse nations which observe their cultures even within the company operations. As marketing strategy PwC should market its capability towards observing and respecting cultural components of the firms whilst delivering its services. Taking into account the firm will require to penetrate other global markets, preserving the local cross cultural perspective’s is good marketing strategy which will guarantee continued existence within the said nations.

Blue Ocean Strategy (BOS) theory

This theory postulates that there are unexploited markets as well as the opportunity for higher growth without having to eat away at the competitors’ profits. Competition is not relevant according to the Blue Ocean Strategy, since the rules of the game are yet to be laid down. With supply being more than the demand in many industries, to compete for contracting markets would not be adequate in sustaining high performance (Kim & Mauborgne, 2005). With the use of BOS, PwC can be able to succeed not by fighting with the competitors in the marketplace, but through the creation of blue oceans of uncontested market space. Such strategic moves would lead to a leap in value for Price Waterhouse Coopers, its staffs, and clients, whilst unlocking new demand and rendering the competitors irrelevant.

Blue Ocean Strategy eliminates the customary corporate fights regarding particular clients. For an advanced company like PwC, marketing should be more responsible and innovative, BOS extends this provision. The back and forth wars results in wastage of resources which could be used effectively in exploiting the untapped areas or industries. Further, in order to ensure a national presence and extend a considerable impact PwC can exploit the lower end firms and offer attractive and competitive services. The lower end firms are a sector that has been disregarded by numerous multinational auditing firms such as the PwC’s competitors making a valuable strategy for consideration. The BOS theory can aid the firm in identifying areas of opportunities in the developing markets especially in Africa and Asia. PwC’s can use this as growth strategy towards penetrating these markets to offer the ever increasing demand for audit services (Kim & Mauborgne, 2005). It is true that particularly African market has been underutilized and PwC could take this advantage and make its way to the inadequately serviced nations.

2.0       Intermediaries, Environment and Observers

Nature of Intermediaries

The role of the intermediaries in marketing strategies and maintaining marketing strategies is enormous. The employees of the firm are the distributors of the PwC’s services: distributors play an important role in marketing the service in question. The staffs are able to market the firm through portrayal of ethical and responsible auditing practices. For PwC to ensure the staffs are good marketers they require to be equipped through necessary training to instill the required conduct as well as enlightening them with issues regarding ethical auditing regulations. Logistics would involve delivering the service to the client in most satisfying and timely manner. Despite the fact that these are services, the delivery channel needs to show vigilance and efficiency. The service must be delivered at the agreed upon period and price. This is a good marketing strategy which will retain the current clients and induce the prospective ones.

Industry Observers Outside the firm

There are several organizations that have a considerable influence to the auditing industry in Australia. The Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) administers the requirements of the Corporations Act as it pertains to auditor independence as well as audit quality. ASIC’s audit oversight activities assist with maintaining and raising the standard of conduct in the profession of auditing. It is of note that whilst these activities have both a compliance and educational focus, enforcement action could be taken when considerable non-compliance is identified (Australian Securities & Investments Commission 2014).

The other industry observers are the Australian and Assurance Standards Board and Australian Auditing Standards, which set the requirements and offer application on other explanatory material regarding: (i) the form as well as content of the auditor’s report. (ii) The responsibilities and duties of an auditor when engaged to carry out an audit of a fiscal report, or complete set of fiscal statements, or any other historical fiscal information (Auditing and Assurance Standards Board 2014). Another industry observer is the Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB), a statutory, independent agency with the responsibility of creating standards and guidance for auditors as well as providers of other assurance services. The Australian Financial Security Authority (AFSA) administers and regulates the proceeds of crime, personal insolvency system, and trustee services. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) provides board oversight of the process for establishing standards of accounting in Australia (Australian Government 2014).

PESTL

A scan of an organization’s external macro-environment may be described in terms of Legal, Political, Economic, Technological, Environmental, and Social factors (Porter 1998).

  • Political: at present, there is political stability in Australia and in a lot of other countries in which PwC operates in, and this is favorable to PwC and other auditors.
  • Economic factors: the economic growth in Australia was 2.8% in 2013 and the rate of inflation is 3% (World Bank 2014). This is favorable to PwC and other auditors since it illustrates that there is a growing market and opportunity of the services offered by PwC.
  • Social factors:  in terms of demographics, Australia has a population of about 23.13 million, with 89 percent living in suburbs, cities and other urban areas as of the year 2014. The rate of population growth is currently 1.4 percent, and the education level in the Australia is very high (World Bank 2014).
  • Technological factors: technology has a substantial influence and impact on auditing. The incessant evolution of software and hardware provides auditors with the capacity to do more complex calculations with greater accuracy, speed, ease and mobility. Now, auditors can speedily collect data, produce reports, and explicitly communicate the results (Montgomery 2010, p. 50). Some of the new technology available to auditors includes IDEA from CaseWare IDEA Inc., and ACL from ACL Services Ltd, which are software programs for data mining and data extraction.
  • Legal factors: these include consumer protection, rules on monopolies and mergers, international trade regulations and restriction, as well as national employment laws in Australia and in other nations around the world wherein PwC operates in. In Australia, PwC must pay its workers no less than the stipulated minimum wage of $16.87 per hour or $640.90 per week as mandated by the Fair Work Commission (Montgomery 2010, p. 42). Auditors must also comply with the regulations established by the government and government bodies such as the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, and the Australian Accounting Standards on auditing quality, standards, and integrity.

Porter’s 5 Forces: Supplier Power – Low

In Porter’s 5 Forces, the supplier power is understood as the pressure that suppliers can exert on business organizations by raising the prices (Gurau 2007, p. 380). At present, the bargaining power of suppliers is not a significant force in such a fragmented industry. Essentially, universities are suppliers considering that nearly all employees in this market come out of business schools. The auditing firms can obtain workers from the many universities and business schools across Australia, and therefore this makes the supplier power to remain low.

Cooperative strategies

The three top competitors of PwC have established cooperation with customers and suppliers in Australia and in many other nations the world over. Ernst & Young, KPMG and Deloitte all work with various universities and business schools, which supply the firm with employees.

Environmental factors affecting competitive and cooperative strategies

The key environmental factors that affect competitive as well as cooperative strategies include state and national governments and regulations considering that policies established by the government can enhance or impede competition strategies and cooperation strategies. All the competitors in this industry must observe the ASIC, and AASB standards, rules and regulations. The companies in this industry take into account the Blue Ocean Strategy and understand that there are unexploited markets as well as the opportunity for higher growth without having to eat into the profits of other players in the industry. KPMG, Deloitte, Ernst & Young have been able to succeed not by fighting with each other and other auditors in the marketplace, but through the creation of blue oceans of uncontested market space (Kim & Mauborgne 2005).

5.0       Conclusion

In conclusion, regarding the conditions for supplying the service – auditing, tax, advisory, and consulting services –, the main competitors to PwC include KPMG, Deloitte, and Ernst & Young. Each of these networks has created an entity for co-coordinating the network’s activities both in the Australia and in more than 150 nations globally hence they are PwC’s competitors both nationally and globally. The main industry observers are Australian Accounting Standards Board, Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, and Australian Securities and Investments Commission. The competitors have partnered with suppliers and clients including universities and business schools across Australia. By using Blue Ocean Strategy, PwC can be able to succeed not by fighting with the competitors in the marketplace, but through the creation of blue oceans of uncontested market space.

References

Auditing and Assurance Standards Board 2014, Australian Auditing Standards. Available at http://www.auasb.gov.au/Pronouncements/Australian-Auditing-Standards.aspx (Accessed October 14, 2014).

Australian Government 2014, Financial Regulation. Available at http://australia.gov.au/topics/economy-money-and-tax/financial-regulation (Accessed October 14, 2014)

Australian Securities & Investments Commission 2014. Financial Reports & Audit: For Auditors. Available at http://asic.gov.au/auditors (Accessed October 14, 2014).

Chimhanzi, J., & Morgan, R. E. 2005, Explanations from the marketing/human resources dyad for marketing strategy implementation effectiveness in service firms. Journal of Business Research. doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2003.11.003

Francis, J, Michas, P, & Yu, M 2013, ‘Office Size of Big 4 Auditors and Client Restatements’, Contemporary Accounting Research, 30, 4, pp. 1626-1661, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 12 October 2014.

Gurǎu, C 2007, ‘Porter’s generic strategies: a re-interpretation from a relationship marketing perspective’, Marketing Review, 7, 4, pp. 369-383, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 12 October 2014.

Kim, W, & Mauborgne, R 2005, Blue Ocean Strategy : How To Create Uncontested Market Space And Make The Competition Irrelevant, Boston, Mass: Harvard Business School Press, Discovery eBooks, EBSCOhost, viewed 12 October 2014.

Kim, C., & Mauborgne, R. 2005, How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant. Retrieved from http://www.motahar.ac.ir/Files/CourseFiles/89.pdf

Montgomery, A 2010, ‘Price Waterhouse Coopers shrinks to PwC’, Design Week Online, 2010, Business Insights: Essentials, EBSCOhost, viewed 12 October 2014.

Murray, AI 2008, ‘A Contingency View of Porter’s “Generic Strategies”‘, Academy Of Management Review, 13, 3, pp. 390-400, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 12 October 2014.

Porter, M 1998, Competitive Strategy. New York: Free Press.

PWC 2014, About Us. Available at http://www.pwc.com/gx/en/about-pwc/index.jhtml (Accessed October 12, 2014).

Robson, GS., & Roseman, GH 2009, Is Government Regulation of Auditors Redundant? Boca Raton, FL: Penguin Publishers.

Saito, Y, & Takeda, F 2014, ‘Global Audit Firm Networks and Their Reputation Risk’, Journal Of Accounting, Auditing & Finance, 29, 3, pp. 203-237, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 12 October 2014.

Strahler, SR 2013, The Big Four’s New Math, Crain’s Chicago Business, 36, 40, p. 0019, Regional Business News, EBSCOhost, viewed 12 October 2014.

Voima, P., & Grönroos, C. 2011, Making Sense of Value and Value Co-Creation in Service Logic. Retrieved from https://helda.helsinki.fi/bitstream/handle/10138/29218/559_978-952-232-157-2.pdf?sequence=1

World Bank 2014, Country Profile: Australia. The World Bank

We can write this or a similar paper for you! Simply fill the order form!

Key HRM Issues at UniCall Assignment

Key HRM Issues at UniCall
Key HRM Issues at UniCall

Key HRM Issues at UniCall

Order Instructions:

the Case Study title is ‘Call centres in the financial services sector—just putting you on hold…’.

After reviewing your assigned reading and the information presented in the case study, answer the following questions:

1. Identify and assess the key HRM issues at UniCall.
2. Recommend and justify HRM interventions that would improve business performance.

SAMPLE ANSWER

UniCall

Key HRM Issues at UniCall

Human resource professionals are often involved in making key personnel decisions/resolutions in organizations of all sizes. These individuals are in charge of implementing ongoing trainings of workers in different areas within companies. Since human resource professional are always in the management of employees with various qualifications and from various backgrounds, they often face several issues that need their attention (Marie, 2012). In relation to this, UniCall happens to be faced with several HRM issues. These issues are related to personnel and training issues.

One of the personnel-related issues that often present significant problems to HR professionals is the need to identify and recruit qualified and competent workers. Some of the organization’s employees seem to be incompetent, thereby highlighting the fact the firm’s HR has not been active in the identification and recruitment or appropriate workers (Ferndale, Paauwe & Boselie, 2010). For instance, consumers have been noted to present complaints concerning the aspect of rudeness on the part of the company’s staff. This rudeness is linked to issue of inflexibility of the firm’s staff when handling complex account-related matters. In addition, the aspect of incompetency on the part of the firm’s employees is evidenced by all of them giving similar responses to consumers when called upon. As such, it is clear that UNiCall’s HR department lack suitable mechanisms of identifying and hiring competent workers who can address consumers’ problems in various ways. Moreover, UniCall’s HR department also faces the problem of

UniCall’s HR department also faces training-related issues. Prior to the opening of UniCall, UniBank focused on the provision of financial and personal banking services to small businesses and individual consumers. UniBank decided to venture into the telephone banking sector following the increasing commercial success of organizations that operate in the field of direct line banking. As a result, UniBank opened UniCall, and redeployed some its works to the new business, UniCall. Employees that were redeployed in UniCall lacked skills that were required to handle issues in this business, thereby subjecting the firm to its current problems. For instance, some of the company’s staff members face problems using the computer system. These employees cannot manage to retrieve accurate information concerning simple enquiries. Besides, they cannot retrieve accurate information concerning the durations taken by interrogations. Moreover, these workers face problems handling the firm’s monitoring systems, which measure the duration and number of various types of call. As such, the inquiries that are related to direct debit arrangements and standing orders take an extra of 50% of the time required for them to be completed. In addition, some of the redeployed workers are not satisfied with their job as they argue that it is too impersonal.

It is also clear that the management of UniCall’s HR department is facing issues handling their employees in that they seem to embrace the transactional form of leadership. This form of leadership seems to emphasize on intense supervision and directive measures as seen in the case of UniCall. As result, most employees in this organization are not empowered to execute even simple operation on their own as they have to receive directives from the call center. Moreover, the aspect of constant surveillance has led to resentment on the part of employees, which in turn has made them develop informal ways of executing their duties (Anca-Ioana, 2013). Moreover, the firm’s management has not established appropriate systems that can be employed in motivating employees and recognizing workers’ skills. This deficiency has led to discontentment on the part of younger employees who are inclined towards seeking employment in other firms in the industry. In addition, these employees argue that the firm’s pay structure does not take their skills into consideration, thereby subjecting the company’s HR to compensation issues.

HRM Interventions for Improvement of Business Performance

Addressing HRM issues is significant in ensuring that businesses lay robust foundations for organizational growth. UniCall’s HR department should focus on suitable ways of addressing the personnel, training, compensation challenges that it is facing.

The Company’s HR department should engage in active search of sources of potential employees. This undertaking will help the HR department end the problem of incompetency on the part of its employees. Some of the sources of potential workers are employee referrals, recruiters, networks and associations, headhunters, and temporary agencies (Armstrong, 2009). Moreover, the company’s HR department should involve in an active running of advertisements on job websites and newspapers in order to attract competent workers. The firm’s HR should also focus on developing a suitable action plan, which is aimed at attracting competent workers.

UniCall’s HR should implement reward-based programmes, which should be directed to employees and managers. Reward-based trainings have been noted to be suitable motivators to employees. These training should focus on equipping workers with adequate technological skills that are required to handle the company’s computer systems and other technology-based activities. Furthermore, the HR should also conduct a separate training on its supervisors and managers on aspects of good leadership, which is vital in creating suitable leader-employee relationships (Shaw, Park & Kem, 2013). This undertaking is significant in ensuring that employees and managers/supervisor communicate in a suitable way. As a result, employees can manage to present issues affecting them to the management, which in turn can end issues such as informal execution of operations on the part of workers with the aim of pleasing the management.

The company’s HR should also ensure that its managers are trained on the aspect of reward-based management, which will ensure that they implement a performance appraisal system in the firm (Shaw, Park & Kem, 2013). As a result, this undertaking will help identify the skills of all workers. Lastly, the company’s HR department should review its payment structure to provide for benefits and allowance for certain talents.

Reference List

Anca-Ioana, M., 2013. “New Approaches of the Concepts of Human Resources, Human Resource Management and Strategic Human Resource Management,” Annals of the University of Oradea Economic Science, 22(1), pp. 1520-1525.

Armstrong, M 2009, Armstrong’s Handbook Of Human Resource Management Practice, London: Kogan Page.

Ferndale, E., Paauwe, J & Boselie, P. 2010. “An Exploratory Study of Governance in the Intra-Firm Human Resources Supply Chain,” Human Resource Management, 49(5), pp. 849-868.

Shaw, D., Park, T & Kem, E. 2013. “A Resource-Based Perspective on Human Capital Losses, HRM Investments and Organizational Performance,” Strategic Management Journal, 34(5), pp. 572-589.

Marie, H. 2012. “Strategic Human Resource Management in Context: A Historical and Global Perspective,” Academy of Management.

We can write this or a similar paper for you! Simply fill the order form!

Policy Change in the Provision of Contraceptive Services

Policy Change in the Provision of Contraceptive Services
Policy Change in the Provision of Contraceptive Services

Policy Change in the Provision of Contraceptive Services

Order Instructions:

Remember that is a continues paper and I have listed reference number for my previous paper under this topic to help understand this paper. This is my policy change paper and the writer must refer back to other papers base on the references provided to be able to understand how to respond to this paper. Hear below are detail instructions on how to go about this paper and its critical that the writer follow strictly the instructions. Take note that no reference can be before 2010 , they most all be from 2010 and above as the affordable care act was pass in 2010. Also remember that they are 2 SECTIONS A and B, and both sections must have separate reference list 4 in each section , listed at the end of that section.

SECTION A (1 pages)

Remember to include a minimum of 4 references at the end of each section.
To complete this paper correctly, the writer must look take a look at 111521,111489, 111623 and 111582 (section B), 111623, and 111542. To be exact any of my past papers regarding policy change proposal as I had mentioned at the beginning that this paper will be a continues assignment.

Explain the three cost-effective recommendations for the policy change proposal below which you plan to implement in your proposed policy change. Be sure the recommendations include a way to reach a global market.
Hear below are some guidelines from the Prof on how to respond to this section and also an example to follow.

Fellow students,

This week we are developing commendations that you will use in your Unit 9 policy change proposal to implement your policy change. Remember you are trying to develop relationships to understand & support your proposed change and will help to convince others to do the same. And we are using an expository style writing 🙂

For example:

Engaging in public health social media campaign to educate the public about the use of and need for APNs in health care, focusing on filling the disparity gaps
Utilize lobbying groups and professional organizations to educate the public that employing nurse practitioners improves xxxxxx
Apply the amendment change utilizing the Incremental Change option, because this will allow for not only time for stake holders to buy into the proposed change but it will also provide for evaluation of any positive or negative changes that can be reevaluated and redesigned along the way to complete implementation of the proposed change.

CW

Take note that you have to write in an expository style and Remember that the propose amendment is

The public policy problem is that section 2713 requires organizations to provide their workers with birth control as part of their insurance coverage. The public policy question is: should the federal government mandate that organizations can choose whether or not to provide contraceptive services to employees as part of their insurance coverage? The public policy resolution is an amendment to section 2713(a) (4) of PL 111-148 that would say: organizations – both for-profit and non-profit organizations – have the option of either offering their employees birth control as part of their insurance coverage or not to offer contraceptive services (Cauchi, 2014).

SECTION B (1 pages minimum).

Remember to also include 4 reference at the end of this section.

Since the implementation of a policy change proposal requires that it be communicated to a large number of stakeholders, do you think that there are drawbacks or advantages to the use of social media for this purpose?

Resources

American Nurses Association (ANA). (2011). Short definitions of ethical principles and theories. Familiar words, what do they mean? Retrieved from http://www.nursingworld.org/mainmenucategories/ethicsstandards/resources/ethics-definitions.pdf

American Nurses Association (ANA). (2012). The Supreme Court decision matters for registered nurses, their families, and their patients. Retrieved from http://www.anacalifornia.org/healthcarereform/SCOTUS-ToplevelanalysisJune292012-FINALwtag.pdf

Cauchi, R. (2014). State laws and actions challenging certain health reforms. Retrieved from http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/state-laws-and-actions-challenging-ppaca.aspx

Govtrack.us. (2012). Text of the repeal of Obamacare act. Retrieved from https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/112/hr6079/text

Public Law 111-148. (2010). An Act. Retrieved from http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-111publ148/pdf/PLAW-111publ148.pdf

The Staff of the Washington Post. (2010). Landmark: The inside story of America’s new health care law and what it mean for all of us. New Your, NY: Public Affair.

United States Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). (2013). Health workforce. Retrieved from http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/healthworkforce/supplydemand/usworkforce/primarycare/
SAMPLE ANSWER

Policy Change in the Provision of Contraceptive Services

SECTION A

The public policy (section 2713) has a problem since it requires all organizations to provide their employees with birth control measures as part of their insurance coverage. Due to this challenge, the public resolved to amend section 2713(a) (4) of PL 111-148 in order to allow nongovernmental organizations to have an option of either providing their employees with birth control as part of their insurance coverage or not to offer contraceptive (Cauchi, 2014). This article will basically address ways in which this public policy change could be implemented since policy change implementation requires that it be communicated to a large number of stakeholders.

One of the ways of implementing this public policy change is by carrying out campaigns in the public especially through the social media. Public social media campaigns are very necessary since they educate the public and the organization on the pros and cons of providing birth control as part of insurance coverage. This would therefore allow the public to debate comprehensively on the issue and eventually make informed. Therefore, policy implementation has to address organizational, professional and social affairs around which that policy has to be implemented. The recommendations for the implementation process of the policy change therefore have to be cost-effective (Holly, Salmond & Saimbert, 2012).

According to Shi & Singh (2012), adoption of this policy would mean employing practitioners that are more public. In order to ensure that the public appreciates the need and urgency of this move, lobbying groups and professional organizations would be mobilised to educate the public on the need to have these reforms

Afifi et al., (2013) states that, since the organizations are the ones mandated to adopt this policy change, the amendment change would be applied through use of the incremental change option. This option will allow the organizations and any other stakeholder’s time to digest the reforms by weighing the advantages and disadvantages of the reforms

References

Afifi, A. A., Rice, T. H., Andersen, R. M., Rosenstock, L., & Kominski, G. F. (2013). Changing the u.s. health care system: Key issues in health services policy and management. San Francisco, Calif: Jossey-Bass.

Cauchi, R. (2014). State laws and actions challenging certain health reforms. Retrieved from
http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/state-laws-and-actions-challenging-

Holly, C., Salmond, S. W., & Saimbert, M. K. (2012). Comprehensive systematic review for advanced nursing practice. New York: Springer Pub.

Shi, L., & Singh, D. A. (2012). Delivering health care in America: A systems approach. Sudbury, Mass: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Shoniregun, C. A., Dube, K., & Mtenzi, F. (2010). Electronic healthcare information security. New York: Springer.

SECTION B

Since the implementation of a policy change proposal requires that it
be communicated to a large number of stakeholders, there are so many challenges and opportunities by this change in technology. First and foremost, privacy is a key factor in any health care system. Therefore, inappropriate sharing of information, and limits pertaining professionals has to be adhered to. How much that should be disclosed in relation to provision of contraceptives as a health care insurance cover is a factor that requires limits. According to Grol, Wensing, Eccles & Davis (2013), social media is still very young hence privacy is a feature that would be incorporated as this technology advances.

Marks (2012) states that the privacy of the patients, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations, and patient-professional boundaries has to be the guiding principles on what should be channeled through the social media. This is not an assurance at the moment for anyone using the social media for any form of campaign.

The social media also posses the challenge of evaluating the applications hence very few organizations are adopting them. However, more reports establish that the application is very easy to adopt only that it needs more labor in terms of human availability. Therefore in order to adopt this process more effectively, there need to be development of guidelines on how to use this social media by the organizations (Blas, Kurup  & Światowa 2010).

However, according to Buse, Mays & Walt (2012), the social media is very effective since it reaches many people hence can be able to address a specific group of people especially those who use the social applications although some form of controlled analysis of social media is very necessary before establishing whether the approach is very effective . This would enable the campaign for implementation of the public policy change to reach a huge population of people.

References

Top of FormBottom of Form

Blas, E., Kurup, A. S., & Światowa Organizacja Zdrowia. (2010). Equity, social determinants and public health programmes. Geneva: World Health Organization.

Buse, K., Mays, N., & Walt, G. (2012). Making health policy. Maidenhead: McGraw Hill/Open University Press.

Holly, C., Salmond, S. W., & Saimbert, M. K. (2012). Comprehensive systematic review for advanced nursing practice. New York: Springer Pub.

In Grol, R., In Wensing, M., In Eccles, M., & In Davis, D. (2013). Improving patient care: The implementation of change in health care. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell/BMJ Books.

Kawachi, I., Takao, S., & Subramanian, S. V. (2013). Global perspectives on social capital and health. New York, NY: Springer

Marks, R. (2012). Health literacy and school-based health education

We can write this or a similar paper for you! Simply fill the order form!