My Bondage And My Freedom By Frederick Douglass - 1885 Words

The autobiography My Bondage and My Freedom, by Frederick Douglass, illustrates the life and the journey of a born slave in Maryland, into liberation and the gradual understanding of slavery’s inconsistencies in general. He tell his story the public sphere, white non slaveholders, in hopes of helping them gain a better understanding of what slavery truly is from a first hand perspective. It starts off with a realization that he, his grandmother, and everyone around him belonged to someone named â€Å"old master† at a very young age. Growing up, he witnesses the violent lashings of his acquaintances, the horrific working conditions that was to be his future and the overall social status between him, an African man, and the white slave holders.†¦show more content†¦They only turned to the enslavement of Africans because it more desireable financially rather than the color of their skin. However, since the land was founded based on the natural rights of humans, th ey came up the the theory that Africans were biologically inferior; therefore, creating this false consciousness that it was a white man’s right to capture, enslave, control, and torture Africans since God created them different for a reason and they unable to live on their own. In the scene where Douglass narrates his early days of slavery, it is apparent that all the slave owner care for is their own profitable gain. For example, Douglass explains, â€Å"The man who now wields the lash is irresponsible. He may, if he pleases, cripple or kill, without fear of consequences; except in so far as it may concern profit or loss† (Douglass, p. 175). Profit is held on such a high pedestal that even the torture and murder of Africans is less of a concern than the loss of earnings. Since this concept of racial superiority originally came from the justification of profit, it has been stretched out for generations and eventually implemented in everyday life. Under the common sense that she lays out, slave owners consents to this theory that people of color are inferior and it was his natural born right to take their hard earned profits. It is also apparents that Douglass also consents toShow MoreRelatedMy Bondage And My Freedom By Frederick Douglass1846 Words   |  8 PagesFrederick Douglass was born in Talbot County, Maryland in 1817 as a slave due to his mother’s status. During his life he had faced many cruelties by his masters and failures escaping slavery. When he finally escaped slavery, he wrote an autobiography called My Bondage and My Freedom, which was published in 1855. This book impacted society by bringing realization on how slavery was inhumane, and needed to be abolished. Also, this book was so inspiring and successful, it had an abundant of reprintedRead MoreMy Bondage And My Freedom And Frederick Douglass Analysis1701 Words   |  7 Pageswithout compromising the authenticity of the plot. One can see this in The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, along with his, My Bondage and My Freedom. Both novels are accounts of Douglass’ troublesome journey from a slave to a freeman. These heroic accounts served as prominent and respected propaganda upon entering the abolitionist crusade. Despite the critic ism garnered during Douglass’ lifetime, the work was remarkably popular and inspiring. However, through analyzing both documentsRead MoreFrederick Douglass, An American Slave1114 Words   |  5 Pages Frederick Douglass is well known for many of his literary achievements. He is best known, now, as a writer. As a writer, Frederick Douglass shined. As a speaker, he was the best. There was no abolitionist, black or white, that was more for his speaking skills. (McFeely, 206) So impressive were Frederick Douglass’s oratorical and intellectual abilities that opponents refused to believe that he had been a slave and alleged that he was a impostor brought up on the public byRead MoreEssay Frederick Douglass and Slavery1448 Words   |  6 PagesFrederick Douglass and Slavery Frederick Douglass the most successful abolitionist who changed America’s views of slavery through his writings and actions. Frederick Douglass had many achievements throughout his life. His Life as a slave had a great impact on his writings. His great oratory skills left the largest impact on Civil War time period literature. All in all he was the best black speaker and writer ever. Douglass was born a slave in 1817, in Maryland. He educatedRead MoreFrederick Douglass And Slavery.1438 Words   |  6 PagesFrederick Douglass and Slavery Frederick Douglass the most successful abolitionist who changed America’s views of slavery through his writings and actions. Frederick Douglass had many achievements throughout his life. His Life as a slave had a great impact on his writings. His great oratory skills left the largest impact on Civil War time period literature. All in all he was the best black speaker and writer ever. Douglass was born a slave in 1817, in Maryland. He educatedRead MoreMy Bondage And My Freedom1393 Words   |  6 PagesIn 1855, My Bondage and My Freedom, was published by Fredrick Douglass. Douglass was a slave, but he was much more than just someone’s property. He was born in Talbot County, Maryland in 1818. Slavery during this time was in full effect. Families were being separated and ripped apart from one another, and sold to masters. My Bondage and My Freedom was an autobiography written by Douglass after he was free from slavery. This book is more than just a summary of a historian’s explanation of slavery;Read More Frederick Douglass Essay1140 Words   |  5 Pages In his autobiography Frederick Douglass details the daily horrors slaves faced. In Narrative of The Life of Frederick Douglass An American Slave he depicts the plight of slavery with such eloquence that only one having suffered through it could do. Douglass writes on many key topics in slave life such as separation of families, punishment, and the truth that would lead him to freedom, and how these things work to keep slavery intact. In the words of Frederick Douglass, â€Å"My mother and I were separatedRead MoreTranscendentalism In Emersons The Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass1735 Words   |  7 Pagesalacrity; after all, vague ideals seem easy enough to adopt when merely on paper. We experience difficulties, however, when forced to translate these beliefs into actions. In Frederick Douglass’s 1845 The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, the self-agency Douglass utilizes to escape the bondage of slavery seems similar to the actualization that comes through trusting one’s own interior instincts Ralph Waldo Emerson urges readers to cultivate in his 1841 essay on â€Å"Self-Reliance†;Read MoreSlaves Narratives: Frederick Douglass, Olaudah Equiano Essay1477 Words   |  6 PagesSojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, and Olaudah Equiano all have extremely interesting slave narratives. During their lives, they faced plenty of racist discrimination and trou bling moments. They were all forced into slavery at an awfully young age and they all had to fight for their freedom. In 1797, Truth was born into slavery in New York with the name of Isabella Van Wagener. She was a slave for most of her life and eventually got emancipated. Truth was an immense women’s suffrage activist. SheRead MoreNarrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave1552 Words   |  7 PagesNarrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself Theme: False versus True Christianity In this theme, Fredrick Douglass contrasts the both forms of Christianity to show the underlying hypocrisy in slavery. The results show that slavery is not religious as it exposes the evils in human bondage. These ideals however can be distorted so as to fit in the society. Two forms of Christianity are presented in â€Å"The Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass and each of them describes

The Fall Of The Roman Empire - 987 Words

When starting my research I wanted to look into what influences I found important in the fall of Rome. After reading the fall of the Roman Empire by Peter Heather I found the relationship between the Britain and Roman Empire filled with several issues that started the fall of Rome in my opinion. I had difficulty in the beginning of my research exploring what dealings in ancient Rome I found problematic for leadership in Britain and culture change that evidence directly affects the fall of Roman control in Britain. After reading many sources from academic journals two books from the library the question kept popping up what process led to the outcome of the fall of Rome in Britain. At first to answer these questions I had to find evidence relating to the connection between roams fall and Britain s essential reason in helping speed up the process. But for my first research paper on this topic I had problems when approaching the essential question and finding support to my thesis. At first locating information on ancient Rome that had to do with British involvement was difficult because of my lack of knowledge and also lack of primary sources on the study of Rome and the British relationship however I only went off of arguments I found interesting brought up in Peter Heather s book and readings I did outside of class book the end of Roman Britain by Michael Jones. These books help me narrow down my topic into something more in depth and show isolated reasons between the fallShow MoreRelatedFall of the Roman Empire1288 Words   |  6 PagesThe Pax Romana was a two hundred year time period where the Romans had peace and prosperity under Augustus. The Roman empire started to decline at the end of the prevail of the last five emperors, Marcus Aurelius in 161-180 A.D. The rulers in the next century had no idea how to deal with the problems the empire was having. There was many reasons to the fall of the Roman Empire but three stood out the most. The preliminary re ason was the economy begins to decline. The alternative reasoning was RomeRead MoreThe Fall Of The Roman Empire1537 Words   |  7 PagesAncient Rome was an empire so dominant, wealthy and economically- stable which came to a dramatic fall in the period of 250AD- 500AD. Ancient Rome faced unexplained unfortunate events which crumbled the Great Empire from the affluent empire to a impoverished society. For centuries historians have timelessly theorised and analysed many debates and research in relation to the Fall of the Roman Empire. What really caused the predominate Roman Empire to fall? Did Rome fall naturally? Was disease, suchRead MoreFall of the Roman Empire758 Words   |  4 PagesTaylor Davino Professor Horsley HIS 126 3 March 2010 The fall of the Roman Empire Political, economic and social aspects were all involved in the fall of the Roman Empire. In 395 A.D., Rome was divided into two empires, with one capital in Rome and the other in Constantinople. During that time, the western Roman Empire was being invaded by barbarian tribes from the North. In 410, the Visigoth tribe succeeded in conquering the western capital in Rome. In 476, the western EmperorRead MoreThe Fall Of The Roman Empire1419 Words   |  6 PagesThe Roman Empire was a powerful governing body of extensive political and social structures throughout western civilization. How did this empire fall and were internal factories responsible? Slow occurrences in succession to one another led to the fall of the empire rather than one single event. The fall of the Roman Empire was a combination of both internal and external pressures, not just one, leading up to the complete decay of the cities—Rome and Constantinople. However, one could argue how oneRead MoreThe Fall Of Ro man Empire1185 Words   |  5 PagesThe Fall of Roman Empire Roman Empire was considered as one of the most influential and dominant Empire in the history that has ever existed. â€Å"The Roman Empire at its zenith in the period of the Principate (roughly, 27 BC to AD 235) covered vast tracts of three continents, Europe, Africa, and Asia† (Garnsey). It was an ancient, modern Empire, and it supported anyone who made discoveries and technological improvements. The Empire was the strongest governing body in the Mediterranean. If the RomanRead MoreThe Fall Of The Roman Empire1440 Words   |  6 PagesSophie Loren Plays a Leading Role in the Fall of the Roman Empire? The reason for the fall of the Roman Empire is a controversial topic under much historical debate. How did such a great empire, known for being one of the largest that lasted over a millennium, fall? The Roman Empire transitioned from a republic to an empire in 31 BCE. Augustus Caesar was the first emperor. He created harmony in Rome, but not in calendars as he added August as the eighth month to follow July, which was named afterRead MoreFall of Roman Empire1175 Words   |  5 PagesThe Fall of the Roman Empire The Ancient Roman empire was one of the most prominent and successful societies of its time period. By the end of their reign, the Romans had conquered almost all of the Mediterranean including parts of present day Europe, Asia, and Africa. Rome was at its strongest during the rule of Augustus Caesar, this time was known as the â€Å"Pax Romana† or Roman peace. It wasn’t until later, when Emperor Trajan took over in about 98 C.E. that the Empire reached its peak. AfterRead MoreThe Fall of the Roman Empire609 Words   |  3 PagesThe Fall of the Roman Empire There are adherents to single factors, but more people think Rome fell because of a combination of such factors as Christianity, and economy, and military problems. Even the rise of Islam is proposed as the reason for Romes fall, by some who think the Fall of Rome happened at Constantinople in the 15th Century. Most people think it occurred during the fifth century, after the western division of the empire. There were several reasons for the fall of the Roman EmpireRead MoreThe Fall Of The Roman Empire1438 Words   |  6 PagesThe Roman Empire was one of the most powerful empires in the history of mankind. In 476 CE Odoacer defeated Romulus Augustus to capture Rome; most historians agree that this was the official end of the Western Roman Empire. There is much debate on how exactly Rome declined and eventually fell. The fall of Rome was a long process that took place over many centuries. There are five main schools of thought on why Rome fell. First, Christianity, offered by Edward Gibbons; He suggests that ChristianityRead MoreThe Fall Of The Roman Empire1495 Words   |  6 PagesFor a long period of time, the debate about the cause of the fall of the Roman Empire has been a popular topic amongst historians. Most of these historians look at the issue from a standpoint that accepts that there were most likely several causes. The main root of the issue is whether or not these causes were internal or external. Some historians even go more in depth and try to hypothesize what the internal or external causes were. In fact, Adrian Goldsworthy and Peter Heather do just this when

Lack Of Standards For Ehr Health And Social Care Essay Free Essays

string(49) " the footing of likert graduated table from 1-5\." In 21st century Information Technology played an sole function in upper limit of the Fieldss ; nevertheless, health care is one noticeable exclusion. Harmonizing to surveies, U.S. We will write a custom essay sample on Lack Of Standards For Ehr Health And Social Care Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now infirmaries and multiple-facility wellness systems are â€Å" merely get downing to round out their clinical webs, but are much farther along than physician patterns. † ( David B. Meinert ) While many inmate or infirmary installations migrating from paper charts to electronic records, but a small advancement has been made in the ambulatory or outpatient scene. Vast bulk medical professionals including doctors have been loath to utilize electronic medical records and go on to trust on paper records. Paper medical records are informations rich by nature, but information is hapless as doctors and other wellness attention suppliers have limited clip to delve through volumes of paper to recover information, use it in decision-making and/or portion it with patients. EMR/EHR systems hold enormous promise for non merely bettering the measure and quality of clinical informations that can be recorded, but more significantly the ability to entree wellness attention informations to bette r quality of attention. This survey will seek to see the perceptual experience of medical professionals towards Electronic medical record. Study has been done as a comparative survey among two different types of scenes that is hospital which are utilizing EMR ( paperless infirmaries that is category A ) and infirmaries which are holding their ain information system where the paper-based medical records are scanned and used ( Category B infirmaries ) . Electronic Medical Record ( EMR ) Harmonizing to the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society ( HIMSS ) , an EMR is a constituent of an electronic wellness record which is owned by the health care supplier. ( Dr. Chris Hobson ) This engineering, when to the full developed, meets provider demands for real-time informations entree and rating in medical attention. EMR besides provides the mechanism for longitudinal informations storage and entree. The content of an EMR is correspondent to the paper record, but the electronic format creates useable informations in medical result surveies, improves the efficiency of attention, and makes for more efficient communicating among suppliers and easier direction of wellness programs. ( Electronic Medical Record: The Link to a Better Future, Texas Medical Association ) Electronic Health Record ( EHR ) is an electronic version of a patient ‘s medical history, that is maintained by the supplier over clip, These have been used extensively by general practicians in many developed states and include patient designation inside informations, medicines and prescription coevals, laboratory consequences and in some instances all healthcare information recorded by the physician during each visit by the patient. ( Electronic wellness records: manual for developing states. WHO ) EHRs are the following measure in the continued advancement of health care that can beef up the relationship between patients and clinicians.A The informations, seasonableness and handiness of it, will enable suppliers to take better determinations and provide quality attention. For illustration, the EHR can better patient attention by: Reducing the incidence of medical mistake by bettering the truth and lucidity of medical records. Making the wellness information available, cut downing duplicate of trials, cut downing holds in intervention, and patients good informed to take better determinations. Reducing medical mistake by bettering the truth and lucidity of medical records. Background: Hospital information systems ( HIS ) and Electronic Medical Records ( EMRs ) are considered requirements for the efficient bringing of high quality wellness attention in infirmaries. However, a big figure of legal and practical restraints influence on the design and debut of such systems ( Dick RS, Steen EB ) Hence, many EMR execution undertakings do non take at presenting the EMR and extinguishing the paper-based opposite number in one measure ( Laerum H ) . As a start, the EMR is introduced along with its paper-based opposite number, and both are kept updated. In such environments, wellness attention workers have to cover with a intercrossed electronic and paper-based solution. This likely limits the usage of EMR ( Laerum H ) . Furthermore, mistakes are prone to develop due to cumbersome care of the medical record information in double storage media. In many states, most hospital EMR undertakings have non passed beyond this stage ( Dick RS, Steen EB ) Electronic Medical Records- the altering tendency: aˆ? Paper based records are being bit by bit replaced by computing machine based records ( which is in being in the West since 2 decennaries ) aˆ? It has non achieved the same incursion in health care as in finance or other industry. Deployment varies in states Aims: To reexamine already bing information system of both class of infirmaries To happen out existent versus perceptual troubles while utilizing EMR both classs infirmaries To analyze the overall perceptual experience of infirmaries about EMR To mensurate satisfaction from EMR in class A infirmary To bring forth a checklist for betterment Methodology: Overview: Assorted surveies which has been done globally has been surveies to happen out statement of job, since no such survey has been found in Indian context, so all premises from other states has been considered as relevant. Sing the less version of EMR usage, this survey tries to happen out existent versus perceptual advantages, disadvantages and functionality etc to acquire the clear image. Sample: entire four infirmaries have been selected under two different scenes for comparing. Each scene has two infirmaries of same sort. For easiness both scenes have been given name class A and class B. Class A infirmary are EMR user infirmary while class B infirmary are holding their ain infirmary information system in topographic point along with the paper record. For easiness footings category A and B in whole papers alternatively of EMR user and EMR nonuser infirmaries Sample size: Excluding 4 IT caputs, entire 120 responses has been collected form clinical staffs, which includes physicians, occupants, caputs of sections and nurses etc. Thirty responses from each infirmary have been collected. Questionnaire: questionnaires had been used for roll uping informations from both category infirmaries. Questions are of near ended, rated on the footing of likert graduated table from 1-5. You read "Lack Of Standards For Ehr Health And Social Care Essay" in category "Essay examples" Response recording has besides been done for happening out the jobs, so that better suggestions can be made. Interviewing: in deepness interviews has been taken by IT caputs of all the four infirmaries to understand all the factors from their point of position, and to understand their return on different jobs addressed by their clinical staff. Since none of the infirmary is utilizing EHR, so complete survey had been done about EMR merely. Data aggregation had been done as follows- Questionnaires have been used for roll uping informations from medical staff. In depth interview with IT caputs of all the four sections Reappraisal of literature related to EMR Reappraisal of the literature to understand perceptual experience of medical professionals sing EMR usage. Inclusion standards: to guarantee cogency of sample, two inquiries were set in questionnaire. Harmonizing to that who were working in infirmary for more than three months ; were eligible. Another inclusion standard was straight related to patient attention. Those who were utilizing computing machine for come ining patient information/ recovering patient information/ trial consequence retrieval etc ; were eligible. Literature reappraisal There are many maps associated with patient wellness records. This record is non merely used to document patient attention, but it besides used for entering fiscal and legal information and research and quality betterment intents. ( Young, Kathleen M. ) The conventional paper-based medical record has several restrictions. Though this traditional method is utile for entering patient ‘s inside informations for work outing medical issues, tracking down patients and for organizing in health care procedure, but it has so many disadvantages. These types of records are frequently ailing indexed and sometimes illegible, fragmented, because these records are manus written. The most disadvantageous factor of utilizing this method is that the medical record would be accessible to merely one individual at a clip. These medical records can non be made available to everyone at the same clip. Last but non least there is the job of storage of paper record, most of the times these are non stored decently, which in bend cause failure in retrieval of information, whenever required. Medical record is systematic certification of a individual patient ‘s medical history and attention across clip within one peculiar wellness attention supplier. The medical record includes a assortment of types of â€Å" notes † entered over clip by wellness attention professionals, entering observations and disposal of drugs and therapies, orders for the disposal of drugs and therapies, trial consequences, x-rays, studies, etc. The electronic wellness record ( EHR ) provides the chance for healthcare organisations to better quality of attention and patient safety. â€Å" The greatest challenge in the new universe of incorporate health care bringing is to supply comprehensive, dependable, relevant, accessible, and seasonably patient information to each member of the health care squad, whether in primary or secondary attention and whether a physician, nurse, allied wellness professional, or patient/consumer † ( Schloeffel ) An electronic medical record ( EMR ) is a computerized medical created in an organisation that delivers care, such as a infirmary or doctor ‘s office. Electronic medical records tend to be a portion of a local stand-alone wellness information system that allows storage, retrieval and alteration of records. Some definitions: Harmonizing to National Alliance for Health Information Technology ( NAHIT ) EMR: The electronic record of health-related information on an person that is created, gathered, managed, and consulted by accredited clinicians and staff from a individual organisation who are involved in the person ‘s wellness and attention. EHR: The aggregative electronic record of health-related information on an person that is created and gathered cumulatively across more than one wellness attention organisation and is managed and consulted by accredited clinicians and staff involved in the person ‘s wellness and attention. Purpose of medical record: The chief intent of medical records and medical notes is to record and pass on information about patients and their attention. If notes are non organised and completed decently, it can take to defeat, argument, clinical mishap and judicial proceeding. medical records are now used non merely as a comprehensive record of attention but besides as a beginning of informations for hospital service activity coverage, supervising the public presentation of infirmaries and for audit and research. Many of the causes of inaccurate clinical cryptography of this secondary informations are rooted in the quality of medical notes History of Electronic Medical Records: Doctors are expected to document brushs they have with patients to guarantee important information for decision-making is recorded and actions taken are besides recorded. Documentation is besides required as an archival record of what happened in instances of difference. To a great extent, physicians resent the undertaking of certification, as it detracts from their primary undertaking: taking attention of patients. Doctors besides resent the duplicate of attempt required with certification, as every medicine that is written on a prescription tablet, every lab trial ordered, every X ray ordered has to be re-written in the chart to keep a good record. Communication between practicians is hard as in many instances the information collected is fragmented, often excess and voluminous. Finally, doctors are invariably inundated with new information and have no tools to assist them integrate new techniques and interventions into their daily activities, other than utilizing their memories or holding to tote around big text editions. The thought of entering patient information electronically alternatively of on paper -the Electronic Medical Record ( EMR ) -has been around since the late 1960 ‘s, when Larry Weed introduced the construct of the Problem Oriented Medical Record into medical pattern. Until so, physician ‘s normally recorded merely their diagnosings and the intervention they provided. Weed ‘s invention was to bring forth a record that would let a 3rd party to independently verify the diagnosing. In 1972, the Regenstreif Institute developed the first medical records system. Although the construct was widely hailed as a major progress in medical pattern, doctors did non flock to the engineering. In 1991, the Institute of Medicine, a extremely respected think armored combat vehicle in the US recommended that by the twelvemonth 2000, every doctor should be utilizing computing machines in their pattern to better patient attention and made policy recommendations on how to accomplish that end. Advantages OF THE EHR: advantages of EHR can be divided as following- 1 ) Clinical results a ) Quality of attention: Improving quality of attention is one of the chief focal points of many EHR surveies. Quality of attention has been defined as â€Å" making the right thing at the right clip in the right manner to the right individual and holding the best possible consequences † , in short â€Å" a procedure for doing strategic picks in wellness systems † .A Quality of attention includes six dimensions, effectivity, efficiency, patient safety, handiness or seasonableness, just entree, and patient-centeredness or acceptableness, but most EHR research has focused on the first three. Last three constituents needed more research in their corresponding Fieldss. Erstwhile patients may non adhere to outdo pattern guidelines ; even the suppliers have best purpose. This sort of state of affairs can originate due to assorted factors like- Clinicians are non cognizant with the guidelines. Clinicians may non recognize that a peculiar guideline applies to a given patient. Lack of clip during the patient visit. EHR systems proved rather effectual in managing such sort of issues and improved attachment rates. For illustration, research workers found that computerized physician reminders increased the usage of grippe and pneumococcal inoculations from practically 0 % to 35 % and 50 % , severally, for hospitalized patients ( exter PR, Perkins S, Overhage JM, et al. ) . Similarity other surveies with computerized reminders on inoculation rates, shows important better attachment to immunisation guidelines. Lower berths the hazard of disease eruptions in communities: There are many other researches have conducted that focused on other preventative services and studied consequence of EHRs on different results to better attention efficaciously. Willson et Al found in his survey on hospitalized patients that after implementing computerized reminders targeted to hospital nurses, there is 5 % decrease in the development of force per unit area ulcer after 6 months. It proves a important association between computerized reminders and hazard of disease. Effective wellness attention bringing: Research workers have besides found that there is a profound relation between EHRs and efficiency in wellness attention bringing. Here efficiency refers to the turning away of blowing resources, including supplies, medical equipment, money, thoughts, and energy. One such signifier of waste involves excess diagnostic testing. Performing excess trials is dearly-won and may take to more false-positive consequences, which will so take to even more costs. Tierney et Al found a 14.3 % lessening in the figure of diagnostic trials ordered per visit and a 12.9 % lessening in diagnostic trial costs per visit when utilizing an EHR with CDS and CPOE constituents. Other, unrelated surveies found an 18 % lessening in trials ordered for medical visits in the exigency section, a 27 % lessening in excess research lab trials of antiepileptic medicine degrees in hospitalized patients, and a 24 % decrease in excess research lab trials in a infirmary. Reduced medicine mistakes: A well-known survey group found in their survey that merely presenting CPOE system reduced serious medicine mistake by 55 % in the infirmary scene. Whereas subsequently in followup survey the same group expert found that, these medicine mistakes can be reduced every bit much as 86 % by adding CDS system together with CPOE system. A similar, more recent survey in the outpatient puting found that cybernation resulted in an mistake rate decrease from 18.2 % to 8.2 % . ( Devine EB, Hansen RN, Wilson-Norton JL, et al. ) . On the other manus many other surveies have concluded that by presenting computerised system, the figure of appropriate medicine orders affecting dosing degrees or dosing frequence can be increased. Better clinical result: Many of the surveies besides focused on clinical results. Randomized test research design used for carry oning these surveies in a clinical scene. An extra organic structure of literature has examined, observationally, comparing of public presentation in between infirmaries that implemented EHRs and other computerized capablenesss with its opposite numbers that have non. For illustration, Menachemi et Al found that Florida infirmaries with greater investings in EHR engineerings had more desirable rates on a assortment of normally used quality indexs. Patient Safety: The challenge of reading handwritten notes, orders, and prescriptions has been eliminated with the EHR. Patients ‘ chart information is clear and legible. Reports and letters to other specializers and patients are comprehensive, professional, and easy to make. Chart information is ever accessible and found in the same topographic point. Paper charts, on the other manus, can go littered with a batch of necessary but misplaced information. 2 ) Organisational results: Surveies analyzing organisational results have focused on EHR usage in both the inmate and outpatient scenes. Such results have often included increased gross, averted costs, and other benefits that are less touchable, such as improved legal and regulative conformity, improved ability to carry on research, and increased job/career satisfaction among doctors. Increased gross comes from multiple beginnings, including improved charge capture/decrease in charge mistakes, improved hard currency flow, and enhanced gross. Several writers have asserted that EHRs aid suppliers in accurately capturing patient charges in a timely mode ( Schmitt KF, Wofford DA ) Electronically available patient information generated so many efficiencies, which straight help in debaring cost. Some of these efficiency includes increased use of trials, reduced staff needed for patient direction, decreased written text costs, reduced costs associating to supplies needed to keep paper files, and the costs associating to chart pulls. EHRs besides cut down the redundant usage of trial or the demand to get off difficult transcripts of trial study to all suppliers that save money and clip of organisation. ( Chen P, Tanasijevic MJ, Schoenenberger RA, et Al ) . Surveies have besides shown that holding an EHR can cut down written text costs through electronically available structured certification processs instead than a paper file. ( Agrawal A. ) In add-on, research workers in Massachusetts have found that doctors utilizing an EHR had fewer paid malpractice claims. They found a doctor without EHR have much higher ( 10.6 % ) history of paid malpractice claims compared to those doctors with EHRs ( 6.1 % ) . This decrease is potentially the consequence of better communicating among health professionals, increased discernability and completeness of patient records, and increased attachment to clinical guidelines. 3 ) Social results: Another less touchable benefit associated with EHRs is an improved ability to carry on research. As patient informations stored electronically that makes handiness of informations much easier which leads excessively many quantitative analyses to place evidence-based best patterns more easy ( A Aspden P.A ) . Furthermore, public wellness and other interdisciplinary research workers are actively utilizing electronic clinical informations that are existent informations aggregated across populations to bring forth good research determination, which is good to society. Till today handiness of clinical informations is much limited but as suppliers will get down utilizing EHRs, this dataset will besides get down turning. Subsequently by uniting this clinical information with more informations from other beginnings like nonprescription medicine purchases and school absenteeism rates, our researches and public wellness organisation can break supervise disease eruptions and better surveillance of possible biological menaces ( Kukafka R, Ancker JS, Chan C, et Al ) . Research workers have besides found an association between EHR usage and physician satisfaction with their current pattern, A together with their calling satisfaction.A Harmonizing to many surveies, physician satisfaction should be a precedence in wellness attention organisations, because it is associated with better quality of attention, better prescribing behaviors, and increased keeping in medical patterns, peculiarly those in underserved countries. ( A Elder KT, Wiltshire JC, Rooks RN, et al.A ) Chaudhry et al noted that a big proportion of the surveies that found benefits from EHR were conducted in a selected figure of academic medical Centres in infirmary scene. Due to this ground many research workers are besides seting a inquiry about the generalisation of identified benefits of EHR in existent universe where they may neither hold similar fiscal and human resources nor a decades-long committedness to wellness information engineering. More research on the varying types and grades of benefits associated with EHR is warranted, particularly in community scenes such as physician patterns and non-academic infirmary scenes. Barriers TO THE EHR Although Electronic Health Records ( EHRs ) bring enormous benefits to patient attention and to the health-care supplier, usage of the ambulatory EHR alternatively of the paper chart did non become widespread among the independent doctors during the 1990s. Even though the motive of improved patient attention and handiness of medical informations was present, health-care suppliers were hesitating to get down utilizing this medical tool. Specii hundred grounds have been hypothesized for the deficiency of EHR execution, and they are outlined below. A Lack of Standards for EHR Systems The content within the systems did non hold uniformity for compatibility or interoperability. Assorted plans offered different characteristics and the exchange of informations was non possible. Besides, criterions for the security of confidential information through encoding or informations unity had non been set. The quality of EHR plans and computing machine webs was non sufficiently dependable to forestall downtime, therefore ensuing at times in the deficiency of entree to patient information or medical information. Data for clinical protocols, direction of patient attention, and determination support through algorithms were non yet standard for EHRs. Unknown Cost and Return on Investment Health-care suppliers found it hard to accurately cipher costs and Return on Investment ( ROI ) with the usage of an EHR. The full cost of an EHR includes the package purchase monetary value, extra computing machine hardware, execution including the preparation of staff, customization of the system, ongoing proficient support, system care, and future plan ascents. Measuring ROI includes intangible, unmeasurable, and nonfinancial information, such as improved patient attention, patient safety, and more efficient procedures. Measurable ROI includes addition in income from more accurate cryptography, greater clip efficiency as a consequence of rapid chart certification, expanded patient burden because of this efficiency, and decreased office supply costs such as paper, charts, and printing supplies. It was hard to accurately cipher costs and ROI with the usage of an EHR. Difficult to Operate Doctors perceived that it took more clip for informations entry than handwriting. A physician order signifier may hold been simpler to handwrite than to treat through a computing machine system. Learning where the information should be entered or accessed was complicated and computing machines were non ever accessible at the point of attention. System warnings and medical qui vives incorporating critical information had non been developed. The long-run benefit were hard for some health care suppliers to value over the sensed troubles of operation Significant Changes in Clinic Procedures Although an EHR can be customized for specific medical patterns, there is ever some procedure alteration required by the supplier and medical staff. An EHR may convey a more stiff construction for come ining information than tossing through a paper chart. Adapting to new criterions of operation for come ining and turn uping information can be hard ab initio. Some EHRs have specifications or specific modus operandis for practising medical specialty that the supplier may non accommodate to easy. The health-care supplier may non be able to turn to and analyse jobs in the same ways that may hold been done in the yesteryear, even though the information in an EHR is more thorough and immediately available. New tools for improved patient attention require retraining, new procedures, and alterations in the medical pattern civilization. Lack of Trust and Safety A concern for the security of the medical record stored electronically alternatively of on paper is common. Health-care suppliers may be concerned that the electronic medical record could be altered without their consent or cognition. Suppliers must hold the confidence that the medical records are safely stored for future handiness. Power outages, computing machine â€Å" clangs, † viruses, concerns about equal backup, and so on are issues suppliers must get the better of to be confident in utilizing an EHR.Use of EHR plans, peculiarly in the small- to moderate-sized patterns, is spread outing quickly. About 78 per centum of doctors in private pattern are within this market group of eight or fewer physicians. With the explosive growing of EHR execution in this section of the medical community, a great demand has been generated for both clerical and clinical support staffs that have professional preparation and exposure to the EHR. Concerns about the passage from traditional pa per charts to EHRs are now being overcome. Many of the concerns expressed about EHRs have been addressed more to the full in recent old ages. Although the motives vary from a pattern desiring to merely â€Å" go paperless † to another pattern desiring to better patient attention, medical clinics are rapidly acknowledging the unbelievable tool the EHR is conveying to the medical pattern. Disadvantages of EMR On the reverse of advantages some writers have identified several possible disadvantage of utilizing EHRs. These include fiscal issues, alterations in work flow, impermanent loss of productiveness associated with EHR acceptance, privateness and security concerns, and several unintended effects. Significant cost: A major ground for deterrence for following and implementing EHR is its cost. It includes loss of gross associated with impermanent loss of productiveness, declines in gross, acceptance and execution costs and on-going care costs. Here EHR acceptance and execution costs includes buying and installation hardware and package, change overing paper charts to electronic 1s, and preparation of end-users. Different surveies documented this cost in both inmate and outpatient scenes. Like a survey conducted in 2002 at a 280-bed ague attention infirmary, the projected entire cost for a 7-year-long EHR installing undertaking was about US $ 19 million. In the outpatient scene, early research workers estimated an mean initial cost of US $ 50,000-US $ 70,000 per doctor for a three-physician office. However, as EHR engineerings have become more platitude over the past decennary, the initial cost of systems has come down dramatically ( Schmitt KF ) , ( Agrawal A ) Care cost besides can be cumbersome as hardware needs to replace clip to clip and package demands to upgrade on regular footing. In add-on, suppliers must hold ongoing preparation and support for the end-users of an EHR. Harmonizing to one survey conducted on 14 solo or small-group primary attention patterns, estimated on-going EHR care costs averaged US $ 8412 per FTE supplier per twelvemonth. Out of entire cost around 91 % of this was related to hardware replacing, seller package care and support fees, and payments for information systems staff or external contractors ( Fleming NS, Culler SD, McCorkle R, et Al ) Break of work-flows for medical staff and suppliers: Another major disadvantage of implementing EHRs is break of everyday work-flow for medical-staff or supplier, which consequences to loss of impermanent productiveness. This break may be because of preparation of end-users which potentially leads to loss in gross. One survey that involved several internal medical specialty clinics estimated, a productiveness loss of 20 % in the first month, 10 % in the 2nd month, and 5 % in the 3rd month before productiveness return to its original degrees as in get downing ( Wang SJ, Middleton B, Prosser LA, et al. ) Research workers besides have estimated that EHR end-users spent around 134.2 hours on execution activities that includes acquiring and larning a new system. These hours spent on nonclinical duties had an estimated cost of US $ 10,325 per doctor ( Fleming NS, Culler SD, McCorkle R, et al. ) Hazard of patient privateness misdemeanors: Another possible drawback of EHRs is the hazard of patient privateness misdemeanors, which is an increasing concern for patients due to the increasing sum of wellness information exchanged electronically between suppliers. To face such sort of state of affairss, policymakers have taken steps to guarantee safety and privateness of patient informations. For illustration, recent statute law has imposed ordinances specifically associating to the electronic exchange of wellness information that strengthen bing Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act privateness and security policies. Although few electronic informations are 100 % secure, the strict demands set Forth by the new statute law make it much more hard for electronic informations to be accessed unsuitably. ( Zurita L, Nohr C. Patient sentiment: EHR appraisal from the users perspective. ( Stud Health Technol Inform. ) Not merely acts do interchanging electronic wellness informations secure but besides many infirmaries and doctors are implementing rigorous regulations like no tolerance punishments for employees who entree files unsuitably. For illustration, a infirmary in Arizona terminated several employees after they unsuitably accessed the records of victims who were hospitalized after the January 2011 hiting affecting a US Congresswoman. ( Innes S. ) Although privateness will probably go on to be a concern for patients, many stairss are being taken by policymakers and single organisations to guarantee that EHRs comply with the rigorous Torahs and ordinances intended to guarantee the privateness of clinical information. Decrease face-to-face clip with patients, depersonalize brushs EHRs may do several unintended effects, such as increased medical mistakes, negative emotions, alterations in power construction, and overdependence on engineering. ( Campbell EM, Sittig DF, Ash JS, et al. ) Research workers have found an association between increased medical mistakes and CPOE due to faulty system or untrained end-user. Additionally, end-users of an EHR may see strong emotional responses as they struggle to accommodate to new engineering and breaks in their work flow. Changes in the power construction of an organisation may besides happen due to the execution of an EHR which makes it rather more machine-controlled. For illustration, a doctor may lose his or her liberty in doing patient determinations because an EHR blocks the ordination of certain trials or medicines. Overdependence on engineering may besides go an issue for suppliers as they become more reliant upon it Invention credence: The beginnings of attitude and behaviour day of the month back to every bit early as 1862, when psychologists began developing theories demoing how attitude wedged behaviour. Those surveies by societal psychologists continued and in 1925, many new theories emerged proposing that â€Å" attitudes could explicate human actions † ( Ajzen A ; Fishbein, 1980, p. 13 ) Several theoretical accounts have been developed and utilized to analyse the credence of engineering. Some of the of import theoretical accounts are as follows- Theory of Reasoned Action ( TRA ) Harmonizing to this theoretical account, a individual ‘s behaviour is determined by his/her behavioural purposes ( BI ) to execute that behaviour. That BI is itself determined by both a individual ‘s attitude toward the behaviour and subjective norm refering the behaviour. Theory of Planned Behavior ( TPB ) The theory of planned behaviour was proposed by Icek Ajzen in 1985 through his article â€Å" From purposes to actions: A theory of planned behaviour. † The theory was developed from the theory of sound action, which was proposed by Martin Fishbein together with Icek Ajzen in 1975. Harmonizing to the theory of sound action, if people evaluate the suggested behaviour as positive ( attitude ) , and if they think their important others want them to execute the behaviour ( subjective norm ) , this consequences in a higher purpose ( motive ) and they are more likely to make so. Technology Acceptance Model ( TAM ) Based on the theory of sound Action, Davis ( 1986 ) developed the Technology Acceptance Model which deals more specifically with the anticipation of the acceptableness of an information system. This theoretical account suggests that the acceptableness of an information system is determined by two chief factors: perceived usefulness and sensed easiness of usage. Perceived utility is defined as being the grade to which a individual believes that the usage of a system will better his public presentation. Perceived easiness of usage refers to the grade to which a individual believes that the usage of a system will be effortless Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology ( UTAUT ) The UTAUT purposes to explicate user purposes to utilize an information system and subsequent use behaviour. The theory holds that four key concepts ( public presentation anticipation, attempt anticipation, societal influence, and easing conditions ) are direct determiners of usage purpose and behavior. Gender, age, experience, and voluntariness of usage are posited to intercede the impact of the four key concepts on usage purpose and behaviour. Factors Affecting EMR Acceptance Acceptance is defined as the willingness within a user group to use information engineering to the undertakings it is designed to back up ( Dillon A ; Morris, 1996 ) . Many research workers have stressed the importance of credence survey. For illustration, Kirk ( 2003 ) urged pressing actions on supplying legal and societal model for credence andintroduction of EMR. Likewise, Gefen ( 2003 ) , Zdon ( 1998 ) , Anderson ( 1997 ) , Moore ( 1996 ) , Baroudi ( 1986 ) , Bardram ( 1997 ) , Bowers ( 1995 ) , Graham ( 1996 ) , and Hubona ( 1996 ) , all discussed similar issue. Furthermore, past experiences show that the attempt to present EMR will ensue in failure and unforeseen effects if their proficient facets are over emphatic and their societal and organisational factors such as the user credence and the diffusion of information system are overlooked ( Gefen, 2003, Anderson, 1999, Moore, 1996 ) . Kirk ( 2003 ) has noted that presently there is no societal model for EMR credence. The closest model theoretical account, which measures perceived usefulness and sensed easiness of usage, that can be adopted is the Technology Acceptance Model ( TAM ) proposed by Davis ( 1989 ) . Tsiknakis ( 2002 ) , Einarson ( 1993 ) , and Neilder ( 1997 ) added that hapless presentation of patient ‘s informations can take to ill informed clinical professionals, medicine mistakes, inappropriate repeat of probe, unneeded referrals, and waste of clinical clip and other resources. Indeed, hapless presentation of patient ‘s information is an interface issue, which warrants more investigation.In obtaining the user credence of wellness attention, peculiarly its system interface, Rosenbaum ( 1998 ) proposed six successful techniques: Involving the user community in needs analysis and demands definition. Designating members of the user community who are involved in the system design as don ( people who receive first preparation and extended preparation ) . Conducting undertaking analysis of the full work procedure, non merely the partsinvolving the clinical information system. Performing user surveies of preliminary paper and pencil paradigms with typical users. Conducting iterative serviceability testing of consecutive paradigms. Visiting infirmaries and other scenes of usage to detect the work procedure, usage of predecessor systems, and beta-test installing Surveies statistics: There is scarce of surveies sing EMR usage in Indian context. Results of some relevant surveies are as follows- Consequence of a research done by Sequist et Al was as follows- The overall response rate was 56 % . Of reacting clinicians, 66 % felt that the EHR execution procedure was positive. One-third ( 35 % ) believed that the EHR improved overall quality of attention, with many ( 39 % ) feeling that it decreased the quality of the patient-doctor interaction. One-third of clinicians ( 34 % ) reported consistent usage of electronic reminders, and self-report that EHRs improve quality was strongly associated with increased use of the EHR ( odds ratio 3.03, 95 % assurance interval 1.05-8.8 ) . The bulk ( 87 % ) of clinicians felt that information engineering could potentially better quality of attention in rural and underserved scenes through the usage of tools such as on-line information beginnings, telemedicine plans, and electronic wellness records. In a survey conducted in the United States, the most normally cited barriers to utilize of EMR systems in infirmaries were unequal capital for purchase ( 74 % ) , care costs ( 44 % ) , opposition on the portion of doctors ( 36 % ) , ill-defined return on investing ( 32 % ) , and deficiency of handiness of trained staff ( 30 % ) . Hospitals that had adopted EMR systems were less likely to mention four of these five concerns ( all except doctors ‘ opposition ) as major barriers to acceptance than were infirmaries that had non adopted such systems. When most of the infirmaries or professionals speaking approximately high cost of EMR, a cost benefit analysis of EMR in primary attention done by Wang et Al shows, In the 5-year cost-benei ¬?t theoretical account ( Table 3 ) , the net benei ¬?t of implementing a full electronic medical record system was $ 86,400 per supplier. Of this sum, nest eggs in drug outgos made up the largest proportion of the benei ¬?ts ( 33 % of the sum ) . Of the staying classs, about half of the entire nest eggs came from decreased radiology use ( 17 % ) , decreased charge mistakes ( 15 % ) and betterments in charge gaining control ( 15 % ) . Though non all benei ¬?ts of an electronic medical record are mensurable in i ¬?nancial footings ; other benei ¬?ts include improved quality of attention, reduced medical mistakes, and better entree to information. CURRENT SCENARIO IN INDIA The Department of Information Technology ( DIT ) , Ministry of Communication an Information Technology ( MCIT ) have funded several undertakings during the past decennary for development of IT based Healthcare solutions. During the class of these undertakings, the demand for a standard EHR for the state has been strongly felt for interoperable health-care solutions. During the meetings of the National Knowledge Commission for making the national wellness information sciences vision for India, the demand for standard EHR with unafraid storage and entree of EHRs in a storage system crossing. TheA currentA wayA ofA developingA andA usingA healthcareA informationA storeA systemsA hasA led toA aA chaoticA stateA ofA affairsA dueA toA followingA grounds: aˆ? TheyA haveA beenA developedA independentlyA andA doA notA easilyA interoperateA withA each other. aˆ? TheyA followA theirA ownA conventionA ofA making, A maintaining, A andA storingA Electronic HealthA RecordsA ( EHRs ) A ofA patients. aˆ? IfA aA patientA isA treatedA atA differentA hospitalsA atA differentA cases, A differentA EHRs areA generatedA andA storedA forA theA sameA patientA byA theA twoA differentA information systemsA inA useA atA theA twoA hospitals.A AA singleA EHRA forA anA individualA isA desirable irrespectiveA ofA his/herA timeA andA placeA ofA intervention. aˆ? EachA systemA hasA itsA ownA wayA ofA creatingA andA managingA itsA storageA ofA EHRs. Obviously, A such A an A information A shop A is A based A on A both A relational A database engineering, A due A to its A ubiquitousness A and A adulthood A in A pull offing A big A volume A of information, A andA mediaA storageA package, A forA exampleA XrayA pictureA file awaying. DifferentA systemsA useA differentA relationalA databasesA andA differentA mediaA storage softwareA makingA dataA transferA acrossA systemsA impossible/inconvenient. aˆ? MostA ofA theA existingA systemsA useA centralizedA storage, A leadingA toA limitedA scalability andA poorA reliabilityA ( singleA pointA ofA failure ) . AsA aA consequence, A itA hasA becomeA difficultA toA exchangeA EHRsA acrossA differentA systemsA andA to haveA aA unifiedA informationA systemA toA dealA withA oneA EHRA perA person, A irrespective ofA theA timeA andA placeA ofA treatmentA ofA anA person. How to cite Lack Of Standards For Ehr Health And Social Care Essay, Essay examples

Management & Business Context Essay-Free-Samples for Students

Question: Identify a hypothetical business opportunity that if you had the funds, time and drive you would pursue as a business start-up. This could be an idea you believe has the potential to become a business for you to own and grow. Answer: With the change in the needs and expectations of the people, there has been a rise in the products and services offered to the people. This has resulted in an increase in the level of competition in the business environment of Australia. From the analysis of the environment of Australia, it has been analysed that people in Australia are more concern for the safety of their pets when they are on a trip due to personal and professional reasons. Analysis of the need of people for pet homes for their pets has provided an idea of setting up a new business. Pet care industry is full of opportunities and is full of chances of success and growth. People are a concern for the safety and security of their pets which is the reason behind the growth of the pet care industry. Name of the pet home will be Nurture pet home which will be providing pet care services and pet sitting services in Australia. Nurture pet home will offer pet home services, pet sitting services and pick and drop services fo r the pets. The focus of Nurture pet home will be on providing quality services and taking care of the pets for ensuring their safety and security. Nurture pet home will be operating at a medium level and at different locations in Australia. Nurture pet home is planning to adopt few strategies for establishing the business in an efficient market and gaining a competitive advantage. It is planning to adopt strategic positioning strategy, web presence strategy, online advertising strategy and differentiation strategy (Salminen, 2014). All these strategies adopted by Nurture pet home will help in attracting the customers and meeting the expectations of the customers. The vision of Nurture pet home is to resolve the issues or challenges faced by the pet owners. Its motive is to enhance the standard of quality offered in the pet care industry. For the management of the different operations of the pet home, Nurture pet home has evaluated the advantages and disadvantages of different organisational structures. It is planning to adopt functional organisational structure so as to manage the operations and internal structure of the business in an effective manner. Different departments will be divided and managed by different individuals so as to ensure that operations of the pet home are conducting without any delay (Latif, et. al., 2013). Different departments in the Nurture pet home will be housekeeping, kitchen, finance, marketing, security, administration and pick-up and delivery department. Activities or operations of the pet home will be divided among these departments (Morgeson, et. al., 2012). An organisation exists in the business environment which is a combination of different internal and external factors. These internal and external environmental factors can enhance the performance of the business as well as adversely affect the performance of the business. Internal environmental factors determine the strengths and weaknesses of the business which helps in gaining the advantage of the opportunities available and coping with the threats. Internal environmental factors for Nurture pet home need to be analysed for analysing their impact on the business (Shiamwama, et. al., 2014). Internal environmental factors for Nurture pet home include the availability of finance, availability of the human resource, skills and knowledge, support from the employees, the culture of the organisation, communication process, mission and objective. There is a need to make an arrangement of the different resources including finance, human resource and skills and knowledge for executing the op erations properly (Fereidouni, et. al., 2010). Training must be provided to the employees for ensuring that quality services are provided to the pets and satisfying the expectations of the customers. Communication process must be effective for ensuring that the exchange of information is done in an effective manner. The culture of the organisation is responsible for the behaviour of the employees towards the service receivers and others in the company (Dragni?, 2014). Nurture pet home will maintain a flexible culture for encouraging and motivating employees. Nurture pet home will discuss its mission and objectives with the internal stakeholders for encouraging them and gaining their support. External environmental factors are those factors present in the environment in which business exists and are not in the control of the business. Nurture pet home will analyse these external environmental factors and dealing with these factors. External environmental factors include government ru les and regulations, competition in the market, trend and socio-culture factors, technological factors and environmental factors (Islam, et. al., 2011). Pet care industry is a growing industry and rules and regulations have been formulated for ensuring that the businesses are operating within the legal framework. Nurture pet home will ensure that rules and regulations are followed for ensuring safety and security of the pets. For gaining a competitive advantage over the others, it will offer its services through online mode. Customers can make bookings, payments and cancellations through online mode and access details of Nurture pet home through its website (Bouazza, et. al., 2015). Various risks may arise in front of a new business which must be dealt properly for eliminating the adverse impact of the risk. Nurture pet home can face various risks which can affect its performance. These risk factors include lack of skilled and trained human resource, lack of finance, failure of the planning process, market risk and safety related risks. Skills and trained human resource will be required by Nurture pet home for providing proper services to the pet. Skilled and trained employees will ensure the safety of the pets at Nurture pet home and ensure that proper records are maintained related to the pets. Regular health check-up will be performed in Nurture pet home for ensuring the health of the pets. Different pets will be kept in different cabins (Ejon Mbohwa, 2015). Finance is required for executing the operations without any delay. Lack of financial support can interrupt the operations of Nurture pet home. Nurture pet home need to analyse the sources of finance. A variety of services will be offered for enhancing the satisfaction level of the customers. Market trends will be analysed for analysing the current trends and innovations which can be implemented by Nurture pet home. Use of outdated technology can result in negative impact on the services offered. Nurture pet home will use advanced technology for improving the quality of the services offered. Forecasting will be used for eliminating the impact of unforeseen events on the performance of Nurture pet home (Islam, et. al., 2011). Nurture pet home will offer pet care services where people can leave their pets when they are on a trip, pet sitting services, pick and drop service for the comfort of the customers. Nurture pet home will offer its service through online as well as offline mode. It will adopt web presence strategy for making its presence on the internet. Customers can confirm bookings through the website of Nurture pet home and enquire about the services offered. Customer support will be provided for resolving the issues and queries of the customers. Different departments will be created for ensuring that operations are executed as per the plans (Smart Insights, 2016). Differentiation strategy will be adopted for differentiating the services offered by its competitors. This strategy will help in focusing on enhancing the quality of the services for attracting customers and enhancing the satisfaction level of the customers. For the marketing of the services offered, Nurture pet home will use social me dia platforms and print media so as to make the people aware of the services offered by Nurture pet home. Positioning strategy will help in placing the services offered in the market in an effective manner for enhancing the customer base of the company. Market research will be done for analysing the trend prevailing in the market. Training and guidance will be provided to the employees for ensuring that they are performing the roles and responsibilities assigned to them in an effective manner. Nurture pet home will focus on optimum utilisation of the resources available in an effective manner for generating the desired outcome and attaining the objectives set (Salminen, 2014). Organisations divide the operations of the business into different functions or departments on the basis of the nature of the operation. These functions help in executing the operations in a better manner and ensuring that the activities are carried out in the right direction. Nurture pet home will divide the operations into different departments and functions. This will be done for ensuring that all operations are performed and no operation is missed out. Different departments of Nurture pet home include housekeeping, kitchen, finance, administration, customer support, pick-up and delivery department, marketing and security (Anantatmula, 2010). Housekeeping department will be responsible for the cleaning of the pet home and ensure that the cabins of the pets are properly arranged. Kitchen department will ensure that quality food is offered to the pets and their health conditions will be considered for preparing food. The finance department will ensure that funds are arranged for con ducting the operations of the business. Administration department will be responsible for the management of the operations of Nurture pet home. Pick and drop department will keep track of the pets Nurture pet home will have to pick or drop. Customer support department will ensure that the issues of the customers are handled in a proper manner. The marketing department will ensure effective promotion of the services offered. Security department will be responsible for the safety of the pet home (Blenko, et. al., 2010). References Anantatmula, V. S. (2010). Project Manager Leadership Role in Improving Project Performance. Engineering Management Journal, 22, 1. Blenko, M. W., Mankins, M. Rogers, P. (2010). The Decision-Driven Organization. HBR. Bouazza, A. B., Ardjouman, D. Abada, O. (2015). Establishing the Factors Affecting the Growth of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in Algeria. American International Journal of Social Science, 4 (2). Dragni?, D. (2014). Impact of Internal and External Factors on the Performance of Fast-Growing Small and Medium Businesses. Management, 19, 1, 119-159. Ejon, J. A. Mbohwa, C. (2015). Financial Challenges Faced By Smmes in Gauteng South Africa. International Association for Management of Technology IAMOT 2015 Conference Proceedings. Fereidouni, H. G., Masron, T. A., Nikbin, D. Amiri, R. E. (2010). Consequences of External Environment on Entrepreneurial Motivation in Iran. Asian Academy of Management Journal, 15, 2, 175196. Islam, A., Keawchana, T. Yusuf, D. H. M. (2011). Factors Affecting Business Success of Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Thailand. Asian Social Science, 7 (5). Latif, K. I., Baloch, Q. B. Khan, M. N. (2013). Structure, Corporate Strategy and the Overall Effectiveness of the Organisation. Abasyn Journal of Social Sciences, 5 (2). Morgeson, F. P., DeRue, D. S. Karam, E. P. (2012). Leadership in Teams: A Functional Approach to Understanding Leadership Structures and Processes. Journal of Management, 36 (1), 5-39. Salminen, J. (2014). Startup Dilemmas - Strategic Problems of Early-Stage Platforms on the Internet. Turku School of Economics. Shiamwama, S. M., Ombayo, J. A. Mukolwe, M. S. (2014). Internal Factors Affecting the Performance of Businesses of Retirees in Kakamega Municipality. International Journal of Business, Humanities and Technology, 4 (2). Smart Insights. (2016). The 11 step startup launch marketing plan. Smart Insights. Yu, C. Zhang, T. (2010). Internal Factors Affecting the Organizational Internationalization Process: Evidence from Huawei Case Study. University of Halmstad.

Managing Innovation at Nypro, Inc.

Table of Contents Introduction Nypro Inc.’s Competitive Edge Nypro’s strategy Knowledge management Strategy development Recommendation References Introduction Nypro Inc. is a plastic injection molding company which was established in 1955 as Nypro products cooperation and the performance of the company was average, similar to other companies in the plastic injection molding industry. Only when Gordon Lankton joined the company as general manager in 1962 did the company improve in performance and sales.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Managing Innovation at Nypro, Inc. specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Nypro Inc.’s Competitive Edge In comparison to other companies, Nypro has numerous competitive advantages that have made the company unique. Nypro has fostered internal competition rather than external competition to perpetuate growth and innovation, basically this means that Nypro competes within its self rather than with other companies. The competition is also broad in its implementation beginning within each of the 21 Nypro plants. Employees in these plants are subdivided into teams, and these teams are assigned a similar project to work on (Voorheis 1998). Members of the most successful team are then rewarded through the stock program depending on their consistent performance. Additionally, aggressive competition has been nurtured between all of Nypro’s 21 plants to encourage innovation. Performance statistics are collected on a quarterly basis and the performance results of all plants are distributed to all plants. The successful procedures of the best plants are emphasized together with the failures of the plant that performed worst. This way, plants have the opportunity to learn from each other and implement successful procedures while avoiding errors committed by other plants. A good example is the Burlington North Carolina plant which used de dicated hoses to supply different viscous plastic to each machine reducing on impurities and cleaning costs; soon after, every Nypro plant was copying the innovation and using dedicated hoses (Voorheis 1998). Nypro’s strategy Nypro has been able to formulate an intricate yet successful strategy to govern how organizational procedures, manufacturing, sales and product developments are managed. The first step into crafting the strategy was the selection of prime locations for their plants. Plants are located in metropolitan environments where their products are readily accessible to clients. In addition, these plants specialize in the manufacturing of custom injection plastics that are of high demand in their locale. For example the plant in Illinois specializes in providing for the healthcare industry in northern Chicago while the Oregon plant serves the needs of Hewlett-Packard. The clientele base was also shrunk by focusing on corporate clients rather than individual clients . In reference to the internal organization of the plants, each plant had its own board of directors rather than a centralized form of leadership for all plants (Voorheis 1998).Advertising Looking for critical writing on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The board of directors is selected from different plants, with every member of the board coming from different departments of different plants. In so doing, the board is composed of a variety of individuals with vast experiences ranging in all aspects that pertain to the interests of Nypro (Clayton, 1999). In product development, development teams are set up comprising of Nypro engineers and the client firm’s engineers; the responsibility of these teams is to conceptualize the product and recommend cost effective processes for production. Once through, the development teams are disbanded and Continuous Improvement teams set in place to analyze manufac turing, procurement of materials and marketing. Once the product is released to the market, a business review committee is set up to follow up on the success of the product. Knowledge management Nypro has shown exceptional information and knowledge management, a strong reason to the success of this company. Even though they encourage internal friendly competition, vital information on successful processes and failed processes has to be shared. The quarterly performance reports was not enough to ensure the consistent flow of information and therefore the Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRP2) software systems were integrated into Nypro to ensure there was proper knowledge management between all plants. The software provided a platform where all plants and their customers could communicate on the production planning of particular products and share data regarding different production models. Additionally, knowledge management can be demonstrated by the integration of different individ uals from diverse plants who are successful in various departments, to form a board of directors for each plant. It is therefore evident that a board of directors has a vast wealth of knowledge from a cross section of the company and they are responsible for propelling growth by incorporating their expertise (Voorheis 1998). Strategy development The de facto strategy at Nypro during its initial years was similar to other existing molding companies in that they focused on small scale customers such as individuals and small companies to supply them with custom injected plastics. However, with the introduction of the strategic planning process, Nypro took on large scale customers with demanding technologically progressive jobs. This approach saw the number of Nypro†s customers drop drastically but the remaining clients were large multi-national companies and as a consequence, the revenue per customer rose by more than 500%.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Managing Innovation at Nypro, Inc. specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More With the high demand that came with the customers also came the need for a larger workforce and new manufacturing technology. The de facto strategy can be considered as redundant in that it did not produce significant results or apply a different approach to production. In comparison, the strategic planning process was highly efficient and progressive and it led to the expansion of Nypro and the increase in revenue. Recommendation At the end of the case, it is recommend that Lankton also considers the manufacturing of custom injection plastics for individuals and small scale companies; this means that Lankton can expand on the current workforce to include a department for small-scale production to carter for these small scale companies (Clayton, 1999). This department can receive two NovaPlast molders and function effectively both in production and sales, be aring in mind the prime locations and goodwill the company has. References Clayton, M.C. (1999).Innovation and the general manager. California: rwin/McGraw-Hill. Voorheis, R. (1998). Managing Innovation at Nypro, Inc. (A). Harvard Business School Journal 9:696-061. This critical writing on Managing Innovation at Nypro, Inc. was written and submitted by user Mohammed Stark to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Understanding Americas Digital Divide

Understanding America's Digital Divide While America’s once vast digital divide is narrowing, the gap between groups of people who have those who lack access to computers and the internet persists, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. What is the Digital Divide? The term â€Å"digital divide† refers to the gap between those who have easy access to computers and the internet and those who do not due to various demographic factors. Once referring mainly to the gap between those with and without access to information shared via telephones, radios, or televisions, the term is now used mainly to describe the gap between those with and without internet access, particularly high-speed broadband. Despite having some level of access to digital information and communication technologies, various groups continue to suffer the limitations of the digital divide in the form of lower-performance computers and slower, unreliable internet connections such as dial-up. Making quantifying the information gap even more complex, the list of devices used to connect to the internet has grown from basic desktop computers to include devices such as laptops, tablets, smartphones, MP3 music players, video gaming consoles, and electronic readers. No longer simply a question of having access or not, the digital divide is now best described as â€Å"who connects to what and how?† Or as Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai described it, the gap between â€Å"those who can use cutting-edge communications services and those who cannot.† Drawbacks of Being in the Divide Persons without access to computers and the internet are less able to fully take part in America’s modern economic, political and social life. Perhaps most significantly, children who fall into the communication gap lack access to modern educational technology such as internet-based distance learning. Access to broadband internet has become increasingly important in carrying out simple day-to-day chores like accessing health information, online banking, choosing a place to live, applying for jobs, looking up government services, and taking classes. Just as when the problem was first recognized and addressed by the U.S. federal government in 1998, the digital divide remains concentrated among older, less educated, and less affluent populations, as well as those living in rural areas of the country that tend to have fewer connectivity choices and slower internet connections. Progress in Closing the Divide For historical perspective, the Apple-I personal computer went on sale in 1976. The first IBM PC hit the stores in 1981, and in 1992, the term â€Å"surfing the internet† was coined. In 1984, only 8% of all American households had a computer, according to the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS). By 2000, about half of all households (51%) had a computer. In 2015, this percentage grew to nearly 80%. Adding in smartphones, tablets and other internet-enabled devices, the percentage rose to 87% in 2015. However, just owning computers and connecting them to the internet are two different things. When the Census Bureau began collecting data on internet use as well as computer ownership in 1997, only 18% of households used the internet. A decade later, in 2007, this percentage had more than tripled to 62% and increased to 73% in 2015. Of the 73% of households using the internet, 77% had a high-speed, broadband connection. So who are the Americans still in the digital divide? According to the latest Census Bureau report on Computer and Internet Use in the United States compiled in 2015, both computer and internet use continue to vary based on a variety of factors, most notably, age, income, and geographic location. The Age Gap Households headed by persons 65 years and older continue to lag behind households headed by younger persons in both computer ownership and internet use. While up to 85% of households headed by a person under age 44 owned desktop or laptop computers, only 65% of households headed by a person age 65 and older owned or used a desktop or laptop in 2015. Ownership and use of handheld computers showed an even greater variation by age. While up to 90% of households headed by a person less than 44 years of age had a handheld computer, only 47% of households headed by a person 65 years and older used some type of handheld device. Similarly, while up to 84% of households headed by a person less than 44 years of age had a broadband internet connection, the same was true in only 62% of households headed by a person aged 65 and older. Interestingly, 8% of households without a desktop or laptop computer depended on smartphones alone for internet connectivity. This group included 8% of householders ages 15 to 34, versus 2% of households with householders age 65 and older. Of course, the age gap is expected narrow naturally as younger current computer and internet users grow older. The Income Gap Not surprisingly, the Census Bureau found that using a computer, whether a desktop or laptop or handheld computer, increased with household income. The same pattern was observed for a broadband internet subscription. For example, 73% of households with annual incomes of $25,000 to $49,999 owned or used a desktop or laptop, compared with only 52% of households earning less than $25,000. â€Å"Low-income households had the lowest overall connectivity, but the highest proportion of ‘handheld only’ households,† said Census Bureau demographer Camille Ryan. â€Å"Similarly, black and Hispanic households had relatively low connectivity overall but high proportions of handheld only households. As mobile devices continue to evolve and increase in popularity, it will be interesting to see what happens with this group.† The Urban vs. Rural Gap The longstanding gap in computer and internet use between urban and rural Americans not only persists but is growing wider with the increased adoption of new technologies such as the smartphone and social media. In 2015, all persons living in rural areas were less likely to use the internet than their urban counterparts. However, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NITA) found that certain groups of rural residents face a particularly wide digital divide. For example, 78% of Whites, 68% of African Americans, and 66% of Latinos nationwide use the internet. In rural areas, however, only 70% of White Americans had adopted the Internet, compared to 59% of African Americans and 61% of Latinos. Even as internet use has increased dramatically overall, the rural vs. urban gap remains. In 1998, 28% of Americans living in rural areas used the Internet, compared to 34% of those in urban areas. In 2015, over 75% of urban Americans used the internet, compared to 69% of those in rural areas. As NITA points out, the data shows a consistent 6% to 9% gap between rural and urban communities internet use over time. This trend, says NITA, shows that in spite of advances in technology and government policy, the barriers to internet use in rural America are complex and persistent. People who are less likely to use the internet no matter where they live- such as those with lower income or education level- face even greater disadvantages in rural areas. In the words of the FCC chairman, â€Å"If you live in rural America, there’s a better than a 1-in-4 chance that you lack access to fixed high-speed broadband at home, compared to a 1-in-50 probability in our cities.† In an effort to address the problem, the FCC in February 2017, created the Connect America Fund allocating up to $4.53 billion over a period of 10 years to advance high-speed 4G LTE wireless internet service primarily in rural areas. Guidelines regulating the fund will make it easier for rural communities to get federal subsidies for advancing internet availability.

What are the pros and cons of company's IPO Should company be floated Essay

What are the pros and cons of company's IPO Should company be floated at all - Essay Example Although the aim of growth is to bring benefits to the company, there exist both pros and cons that can arise from this process of going public (Helwege 2004, p.541). Pros and cons of Initial Public Offer (IPO) There are several advantages that accrue to a company by going public. As mentioned above, the principal advantage is the financial benefit through raising capital. An IPO adds a value on the company's stock. In addition, those insiders retaining stock are able to sell their shares or even use them as collateral (Datta 2000, p.715). Going public also creates a currency type in the form of its stock, which can be used in making acquisitions. In addition, there is a possibility that the company can access the capital markets for its future financing needs. Overall, a company's debt-to-equity ratio improves considerably after an initial public offering, which indicates that the business is likely to earn more favorable loan terms from its lenders (Datta 2000, p. 716). Another adv antage is the increase of public awareness of the company. IPOs normally produce more publicity by increasing the awareness of their products to a new group of potential customers. Subsequently this is expected to increase the company’s market share. The founders can also use the IPO as an exit strategy. Many venture capitalists have tried this in an attempt to open up successful companies (Hao 2007, p.112). For others, the prestige associated with the public companies or a post of a director or officer of any public company has a certain allure. Furthermore, going public puts the company ahead for promotion. The publicly traded companies are mostly better known than non-publicly traded ones. The company can gain publicity and a stable image by trading publicly. This makes the public companies offer a wide variety of stock, which has a considerable potential of significant appreciation in value. Those companies will trade publicly and portray a positive image hence attracting highly qualified personnel at all levels of management. It is possible to view such companies as growth-oriented hence their duty is to answer to a board of directors and shareholders who in turn demand increased profitability as frequent as possible, and also act quickly to solve managerial problems and also replace those senior executives who are performing poorly (Benninga 2005, p.117). Although the benefits of an IPO are many, there are certain challenges. One outstanding challenge is the disclosure of information to investors. There is a high cost of complying with the regulatory requirements. Other costs that will also arise include the generation of financial reporting documents and audit fees (Hao 2007, p.112). This will subject the public companies to added pressure of the market. This may force them to focus mainly on short-term results rather than their long-term growth. Since the investor is keen on profits, management will be under scrutiny. This may trigger the manage ment to engage in questionable practices in order to increase earnings. Another setback of going public is that these public companies operate under precise scrutiny. There is disclosure of confidential information touching on the company including those transactions with management; the prospectus divulges prior violation of security law and executive compensation. This may be confidential information belonging to the company that it may be reluctant to reveal. Furthermore, formalisation of the decision-making process follows and with less flexibility when the shareholders are also there. This may bring complexities to these companies. Previously, decision making was quite flexible due to the presence of few people. The company is also subject to

Effect of Television on language development Essay

Effect of Television on language development - Essay Example Modern life is a haven of myriad issues that subject humanity to series of arguments and researches that seek to demystify and define these complex occurrences. Television, though relatively old, is a device that totally revolutionized the social lives of humanity. It brought into focus several issues of concern and continues to elicit heated debates regarding its effects on various aspects of human development and social life. Indeed, it must be emphasized that any technological invention must have its special repercussions on a particular sector of human life. Children today make up much of the population that spends much time in front of the television sets. Perhaps this occurs due to the ample time that children will usually have contrary to their parents and other adults. In that manner, several researches have been conducted with an aim of establishing the influences of television on children and establishing whether these effects are positive or detrimental. One particular iss ue regards the influence of television on children’s language development and the ascertainment of the myriad hypothesis that abound regarding this heated topic. It must be remembered that this concern actually arose out of the noticeable differences that were established after several years of observation that necessitated the commencement of this search of facts. Television programs are very many today with particular programs specifically meant for children through adults. For children, such programs mostly include comedies and other comical scenes that are meant for a child’s enjoyment. In most cases, these programs inhibit language development since the language used is never proper. In several cases, children organizations have raised concerns on the type of language used in some of these situations. The ability of a child to internalize basic concepts like language is normally very high in the early stages of development. As such, a television program that uses improper English may impart a lifelong discrepancy in a child. It is therefore appropriate that the concerned parties be very vigilant in their effort to ensure effective language use in television programs meant for children. In adults, this is never an issue, since most adults watch mostly news and documentaries, which are normally addressed in good languages. In most developed countries, it is established that by the time most children join high school, they shall have spent 15000 hours watching television. Well, that demands serious attention. The effect of such addiction emerges considering that in most of these countries; family planning has reduced most families to have two children. It then implies that a child will spent almost half of their pre-high school waking hours completely alone or with a brother or sister watching television. Indeed, the actual speaking of the language mostly enhances the development of proper language in children. The failure to frequently practic e the language will mean that a child will limit their ability of learning a language and will therefore be impaired in a way. Without doubt, television influences the mental occurrences of children as they simply sit and watch without stimulating their minds and subjecting themselves to reasoning that enhances their aptitude. The several arguments regarding the effects of television on language development majorly revolve around the lack of social interaction in children because of being too much glued to the sets. However, the role of parents in children development is an important aspect that needs much analysis. Several cases abound where parents also become addicted to watching television and thereby spent several hours alongside their children glued to their sets. In such a case,

The Network Management Systems Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The Network Management Systems - Research Paper Example The network management systems are designed on higher level structures called network management frameworks. There are several network management frameworks like the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) and fault-management, configuration, accounting, performance, and security (FCAPS) framework. This report will follow the five staged FCAPS framework to analyze eight NMSs. Selection of a correct NMS relies heavily on an objective requirement analysis. These requirements include hardware, software, and connectivity requirements. Keeping these requirements in mind the report will draw comparisons between various NMSs on the basis of cost, network management standards, future support, relative advantages and security features required at IT LAB. However, the focus of the report will remain on the FCAPS framework for an efficient evaluation of Network Management Systems being gauged. Each of these solutions will be checked for its dynamic response in network fault-managem ent, configuration, and issues related to network security. The assistance provided the by the NMS for remote configuration and fault resolution is another important area which can help in its evaluation of competitive advantage. The selected solution is supposed to be proactive in order to ensure high availability and maximum uptime. Although, provisions like automated setup and configuration are not presently required the availability of such facilities will certainly make a difference in the final selection of a network management solution. No matter how stringent a network security may be, the selected network management system is required to provide a prompt disasters management and recovery mechanisms. All of the NMSs will be assessed for the self-healing and regulated recovery provisions. Another important feature is the ease of use and user-friendliness of the NMS.

Network Rail Quality Improvement

Network Rail Quality Improvement In simple terms, an organisation can be illustrated as a systematically structured and constructed social unit of people who are managed with the aim of meeting a specific need or to pursue collective goals. It is an observable yet concrete association of individuals involved in collective activities for the achievement of common goals and objectives. Within this view, a service organisation may be best identified as an association of organised for their coordination, services of whom extend to the public. This assignment will discuss management of quality with respect to service delivery in a service organisation. In the current scenario, globalisation has exerted pressure on governments all over the world to incorporate the concept of minimum standards in every aspect of organisational management. This implies both in the field of human rights and other aspects of good management such as delivery of public services (Shadrach and Ekeanyanwu, 2003). One such organisation involved in service delivery in the UK is the Network Rail, engaged in public transportation. Network Rails commitment to its customers has been focused over years through their efforts to run trains safely, punctually as well as reliably. Britains rail infrastructure was entrusted to Network rail, almost a decade ago, with the objectives of improving quality, safety, reliability and efficiency of the railway. Since then, a massive, sustained programme for renewing track, signals, power and telecom equipment was run by the Network Rail with the support of Government, thus striving hard to restore the public confidence in the sa fety and punctuality of the railway networks in the UK. Emphasis was placed on predict and prevent approach, rather than find and fix and this required new standardised ways of working on the basis of technological support. Equal importance had to be attached to investing in their stake holders in order to sustain the developments and success. Stakeholders may be illustrated as an individual, group of people or an organisation having direct or indirect responsibility and stake in an organisation as it can affect or be affected by the organisations actions, goals and policies. The stake holders of Network Rail consist of two sets of people. These include industry members and public members. Industry members comprise mainly of train operators, while public members implies people drawn from a cross section of the community who represent the public interest (Network, 2003). In addition, a third member, often referred to as the Special member has been added to the list of stake holders. This is the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) of the UK. In order to prohibit the control of national rail infrastructure companies by train operating companies, industry members are made minority of the total stake holders, whereas public members make up the vast majority. According to terms of network license of the Network Rail, stake holders are viewed as any person providing services relating to the railways; any person providing a railway facility or network, including one which is proposed for, or in the course of construction; any founder ; or any person who has provided in writing to the licence holder a credibility to provide finance for service relating to railways; The Railway Passengers Council and The London Transport users committee; and The Mayor of London and Transport for London, in respect for their services and functions relating to the railway services (Network Rail, 2004). The main funding bodies include Passenger Transport Executives, bodies who provide one off funding like local authority, Assembly Government, Transport Scotland and other regional bodies. Whether funding railway services or providing services or providing services and facilities, these stake holders rely on the Network Rail to realise their aspirations. Their pri mary expectation from this service delivery organisation is provision of highest quality of service, with an assurance of transparency in every action. This requires clear communication and streamlining of objectives and expectations through good relationship between the organisation and the stakeholders. Quality may be broadly viewed as a magnitude of excellence (Shiba et al, 1993). There are several dimensions of quality which determine the concept of quality. One of these dimensions is the conformance to specifications which is determined by designers of the product or service. This relates to how well the service or the product meets the target. The other dimensions include fitness for the use value for price paid, support services and psychological criteria. While fitness for use measures performance of the product or the effectiveness of the service, value for price paid focuses on the usefulness of the service or the product with respect to the amount of money spent. Judgement of a product or service is made on the basis of support services, which determines the quality since the concept of quality is not confined to the product or service alone. It applies to the people, processes involved and the associated organisational environment. On the other hand, psychological criteria present a more subjective definition to the concept of quality since it focuses on the critical evaluation of the constitution of the product or service. Such an evaluation is influenced by many factors such as environmental factors, the prestige of the product as perceived by the customers (Reid and Sanders, 2003). Whether in product manufacture or in service delivery, quality and performance of the organisation affect stake holders. The concept of quality has currently obtained priority in most of the organisations, including those involved in product manufacture as well as those related to service delivery, since they have realised the cost of poor quality. The most adverse consequence of poor quality is the creation of dissatisfied customers, loss of money invested and eventually loss of business. The cost consequences of poor quality may be broadly classified under internal failure costs and external failure costs. Internal failure costs are related to the identification of poor quality of service or product before it reaches the customer. This may include the correction of the defect or rework. This also includes material losses and the cost of labour and machine. On the other hand, external failure costs are linked to the problems with quality after the product or service reaches the customer. This may result in the loss of faith and loyalty of customers. This can eventually lead to customer loss (Reid and Sanders, 2005) and loss of business. With the aim of meeting the expectations of stake holders and ensuring the quality of service, the Network Rail has adopted a code of practice (Network Rail, 2004). Through this code of practice, the Network Rail responds to the requests of stake holders quickly and appropriately, thus listening and taking into account their views. Code of practice acts as a promise to act fairly, treating all stake holders equally and consistently without any discrimination, to establish contacts and allocate with managers with adequate expertise for providing necessary service and to provide complete, accurate and current information to the stake holders. This code of practice also attempts to resolve any enquiries, concerns or complaints without delay, thereby enhancing quality of service. These would also ensure the satisfaction of the stake holders, which is essential for the sustained development of the organisation. Garvin (1988) suggested five principal approaches towards understanding quality and its related aspects. The transcendent approach views quality as a concept which is timeless that transcends changes in tastes or preferences, thus making quality absolute and universally recognisable. Product based view, however, suggests that quality is measurable and hence precise. On the other hand, user based definitions are based on the view that quality is more or less a subjective phenomenon. The need and wants of customers are satisfied through services or products having highest quality. Another approach to understand quality is the manufacture based view which places emphasis on the supply aspect, concerned with the manufacturing and designing practices. The final approach is value based view that adopts the ideas of other approaches, evaluating whether the product or service provide conformance to requirements at a reasonable price (Galvin, 1988). However it must be remembered that the conc ept of quality differs when considering service delivery and product manufacture. According to Reid and Sanders (2005), organisations involved in product manufacture produce products which can be seen, touched and measured. Thus, quality definitions with respect to product manufacture generally places emphasises on product features which are tangible. These definitions include conformance on the magnitude to which the product features meet the standards set by the organisation and the public, performance on the effectiveness of the functioning of the product; reliability or the expectations of the product to function without failure; and serviceability which implies how easily the product can be repaired or fixed. A complete contrast to this approach is the concept of quality in terms of service delivery. This difference rises out of the intangible nature of the product produced by service organisations. On the contrary, these can only be experienced. Hence, quality in service deliv ery is based on perceptions including responsiveness to customer needs, contrary and approach of staff, atmosphere and the promptness in solving issues and complaints (Reid and Sanders, 2005). ISO 8402 (1994) defined quality management as All activities of the overall management that determine the quality policy, objectives and responsibilities, and implement them by means such as quality planning, quality control, quality assurance and quality improvement within the quality system. Quality management is ensured through continuous improvement, also called Kaizen, which encourages organisations to strive continuously to perform better through learning and problem solving. Continuous improvement maybe described as a quality philosophy that places emphasis on going efforts to seek improvements in products, services on processes, with the aim of enhancing quality and decreasing waste (Mc Kee, 2009). It requires an organisation to constantly measure the effectiveness of its performance and strive to meet more difficult challenges and objectives to satisfy stake holders and customers. It is the belief that further improvements are always possible, thus encouraging continuous eva luation of processes and implementation of improvements. No matter how satisfactory the present state of an organisation is, Kaizen is founded in the concept of dissatisfaction with the statuesque, which is necessary to ensure continuous improvement in every aspect. Foundation of improvement is built on the quality standards, which have to be set and monitored in every organisation. According to Shiba et al (1993), quality is checked by making a comparison of output of an organisation and the specifications through standardisation, statistical quality control and inspection. Standardisation refers to a series of action taken for the product and process to be clearly identified. Benchmarking is another tool to measure and monitor the degree of improvement. An improvement part of continuous is the ability to examine and study how other organisations perform. Benchmarking, according to Reid and Sanders (2005), is the process of studying the performance and practices of other organisations which are considered the best for the purpose of comparison. In order to enable organisations to objectively document their quality practices around the world, the need for universal standards were recognised as necessary. This led to the creation of International Organisation for Standardisation, whose objective is to establish an agreement on international quality standards. The ISO 9000: 2000 Quality Management Systems- Fundamentals and Standards provides a basis for understanding the system of standards. This standard set by ISO provides the terminology and specific definitions used in the standards. The standards used for the certification of an organisations quality management system is the ISO 9000: 2000 Quality Management Systems- Requirements. The guidelines for establishing a quality management system is given by ISO 9000: 2000 Quality Management Systems- Guidelines for Performance. These standards focus on meeting the customer requirements as well as on continuous improvement. Continuous improvement is an essential aspect in service delivery, especially in the case of organisations like National Rail, which are involved in public transport. Studies have revealed the sad state of public transport. Five case studies of bad customer service were examined by Dale et al in 2001. Zeithaml et al (1990) identified the four components of the gap between the expectations of the customers and the stake holders and the perception of the actual service by the customers and the stake holders. The understanding gap occurs usually when the management fails to perceive the expectations of stake holders and customers accurately. Design gap occurs when the management is unable to specify and design a service accordingly to their understanding of the stakeholders and customers. Due to the shortage of resources, lack of commitment, inadequate quality control or inadequate training, there might be a failure in the delivery of what is specified and this is recognised as a servic e delivery gap. A communication gap, on the other hand, occurs when what is specified and what is delivered are not accurately publicised. Several studies have identified these gaps in service delivery organisation and these points to the need for continuous improvement in these organisations. This could in turn improve the quality of services, enhance the loyalty and trust placed by customers as well as stake holders on organisations, improve retention of staff and ensure satisfaction of stakeholders and customers. Several methods have been identified for the implementation of continuous improvement or Kaizen. One of the most popular systems this genre is Total Quality Management According to Tague (2005), Total Quality Management (TQM) can be described as any quality management system that makes an effort to address all areas of an organisation, emphasizing customer satisfaction and using continuous improvement methods and tools. TQM focuses on the identification of the root causes of quality defects and problems and correcting these at the source. It emphasis that quality is customer driven. TQM encompasses the organisation as a whole, attempting to embed quality in every single aspect of the organisation. Not only does it include the technical aspects of quality, but it is concerned with the involvement of people in quality including stakeholders (Reid and Sanders, 2005), thus making it an important method to ensure continuous improvement in service delivery organisations like Network Rail. The most prominent feature of TQM is the organisations focus on stakeholders including customers. This philosophy defines quality as meeting and exceeding the expectations of stakeholders, including customers. Thus the first and foremost objective of organisation adopting TQM will be the identified of needs of customers and stakeholders after which these have to be met appropriately. This will require continuous gathering of information. Berry (1991) suggested that TQM process is a total corporate emphasis on meeting and exceeding expectations of customers while significantly decreasing costs resulting from poor quality by adopting a novel management system and corporate culture. Dahlgaard et al., (1998) views TQM as a way of managing an organisation or an enterprise towards achieving complete excellence. The principles of TQM encompass numerous elements including management leadership and commitment, involvement of employees, continuous improvement, and supplier partnership and so on. Shea and Gobeli (1995) identified the motives behind the adoption of TQM by organisations; management philosophy and belief in the principle of stakeholder as well as customer satisfaction and employee empowerment, competitive nature arising out of the changing expectations of customers even for those organisations which are performing well; and to improve poor performance of organisations which are not performing well in order to ensure survival. The seven QC tools were brought to organisational attention by Ishikawa, the Father of Quality Circles. His original seven tools included cause-and-effect diagram, check sheet, Shewharts control charts, histograms, Pareto chart, Scatter diagram and Stratification or Flowchart. Quality Function Deployment (QFD), the Baldrige Award, Six Sigma, theory of constraints and Lean manufacturing are the new tools or revitalisation and replacing of previous concepts and tools. Implementation and effectiveness are often assessed using PDSA cycle. All these approaches are astonishingly compatible with one another and hence several enterprise are combining these tools for the successful implementation of continuous improvement since ISO 9000 focuses on consistency through standardisation it can be used by organisations to create a foundation for the development of continuous improvement through Six Sigma and Lean which focuses on quality through elimination of defects and speed and efficiency by elimination of waste respectively. The criteria set by MBNQA can act as a support and guidance for the senior management for the development and establishment of organisational systems and culture that support continuous improvement (Reid and Sanders, 2005). QFD, Total Quality Management, Theory of Constraints and Synchronous flow can be utilised to understand the wants and needs of customers while improving every phase involved in the process focussing particularly on the slowest phase. These approaches can be integrated with bench mar king and other approaches of standardisation to evaluate the quality of service or product and to encourage continuous improvement within the organisation irrespective of present state. However, it must be noted that each of these approaches should be selected on the basis of requirement of the organisation (Tague, 2005). For organisations, including those involved in product manufacture and service delivery, an important approach that help with continuous improvement is the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle which illustrates never ending process of continuous improvement in its circular nature. The first step in this process is to plan, where the managers must evaluate and document the current system and develop plans based on the defects detected. The next step in PDSA cycle is the implementation of the plan (Do), during which the managers must collect adequate data for evaluation and document all changes made. Studying the data collected constitute the third step. On the basis of first three phases the final phase require the managers to act and the whole process is repeated (Reid and Sanders, 2005). Success of continuous improvement approaches depends upon team approach. Quality must be viewed as an organisational effort. This may be achieved through techniques such as quality control tools, group discussions, and brain storming and so on. There for time must be set aside for team meetings. Importance must also be given to measures for employee empowerment to seek out qualities and rectify them, through workshops, employee educations and good communication. All these depend upon leadership and management structure of the organisation. Successful implementation of continuous improvement processes also requires effective workplace relationships and understanding of wants and needs of stake holders and customers. Adoption of these aspects is essential for the sustain success and development of organisations like Network Rail. This assignment, thus, has attempted to study the influence of stake holders on organisation. Examining the aspect of quality improvement in Network Rail this assignment discuss the various approaches for improving quality in service delivery. It can be concluded that for ensuring a sustained development and benefit to organisations it is necessary to ensure that all improvements made satisfy all the stake holders. It has to be remembered that the ultimate goal of quality management is to satisfy the needs of stake holders including customers. Teamwork , effective leadership and communication within the organisation and efforts to understand the changing needs and wants of stakeholders and customers are the essential ingredients for the successful implementation of such a venture