Legal Aspects

Talking about the legal aspects of healthcare administration means taking into consideration the law that governs all the transactions that are carried out within the medical field so as to protect both the medical practitioner and the patient, with a dominant motive of bringing about improved quality of life devoid of diseases. It is believed widely that knowledge and the strengthening of these legal aspects will also bring ameliorations in the field of medicine and to this end, efforts are being made to make this set of information on the legal aspects as accessible as possible by feeding them into both the electronic media such as computers, televisions, and radios among others, and print media comprising the newspapers, journals, magazines, and periodicals among others. The ninth edition of the legal aspects of health tried to fulfill this purpose by taking a historical approach to the legal aspects of health care so as to showcase the accruals that have been made through these undertakings plainly when addressing their counterparts who are the pharmacists, physicians, physical therapists, assistant physicians, imaging technicians and respiratory therapists among others. Apart from the eighth edition chapter which revised the important issues of patient safety and sought to provide self assessment in evaluating the prospects of healthcare organizations, the World Wide Search chapter sought to inculcate global awareness in health and law –related spheres. This culminated in the ‘’last chapter journey to excellence’’ which after a decade of survey introduced an exotic approach into bolstering these laws to better the medical field by bringing healthcare institutions together (Pozgar & Santucci, 2006). On the other hand, the basic concepts of insurance portend the derivative, a table which shows the financial transactions that occur between two players; the insurer and the insured, in the field of insurance. The balance between what the two should pay each other being directly proportional to the magnitude of the danger involved for both parties. Although this concept is used as a formula to calculate the â€Å"expected payoff†, it is not yet adequate since it ignores the concept of inflation. According to Durbin, (1990) this problem can be solved by â€Å"discounting payoffs by a risk less return† and â€Å"using risk –adjusted probabilities that is â€Å"risk-neutral probabilities†. When calculating the payoffs. In a case whereby the insurer fails to dissolve risks through decentralization, the standoff can be resolved by â€Å"assuming the market price to be the value which will be used to infer the risk-neutral probabilities that determines these values† Durbin maintains that workers compensation insurance differs from liability insurance since in the former it is mandatory for employers to subscribe for their employees with the major cost component of workers compensation being loss of wages. This also covers occupational injuries and diseases picked at work-the employer assumes responsibility regardless of whose fault it was. It covers against dangers ranging from injuries, diseases, rehabilitation of the employee, loss of salary, medical treatment, to death. Conversely, liability insurance is a coverage that protects against claims against the insurance holder of property damage, personal injury, and negligence. The complainants could be the employees, the repair people, delivery people who may come into contact with the business property. There are two types of liability insurance: liabilities to non-members which covers mostly under a Comprehensive General Liability (CGL) terms and to members of the firm comprising employees and partners. The CGL normally covers payments resulting from accidents, immediate medical expense as a result of the above, the attorney fee and investigation expenses and the cost of court bonds. The difference between claims made and occurrence coverage is that the latter caters for claims made and reported to the insurer while the contract remains in force. During the primordial years when the policy is being renewed, the premium increases to take into account the potentiality of claims being reported from both current and previous policy periods. The former, normally regarded as the traditional form of coverage on the other hand is used to provide professional liability insurance. It caters for injury or damage incurred during the policy period regardless of when the claims are reported. Occurrence coverage also provides long term protection for any covered claims that may arise at any time in future (Robinson & Scherlen, 2007). Reference. Durbin, D. & Borba, P. (1993).Workers compensation. United States: Kluwer Academic. Durbin, T.B. & Durbin, T.B. Jr. (1990).Group insurance: basic concepts and alternatives. United States: American College Insurance Group Pozgar, G & Santucci, N. (2006).Legal aspects of healthcare and administration. United States: James &Bartlett Publishers. Robinson, M. & Scherlen R. (2007). Drug control. United States of America (USA): State University of New York Press.   

Cross Cultural Challenges to Communication Essay

Hello everyone, At first we should ask us, why is this topic so important? Many consultants, authors and writers of textbooks discuss the need to understand other cultures because we live in a ‘global village’. In 1870 Jules Verne wrote ‘Around the world in eighty days’; astronauts can now make the trip in under 80 minutes, while the Internet user does it in a mere eight seconds. The media has given us a taste for the countries, and the cost of modern air travel is within the budget of many people, so we are traveling more regularly than ever before. Another reason why intercultural communication is important, is that Australians are living in one of the most multicultural societies in the world. But not only here, overall in the world are places which are marked of multicultural influence, two of the most affected areas are universities and hospitals. The right behavior in front of different people can bring you business relationships as well as friendships. However, with the process of globalization, especially the increasing of global trade, it is unavoidable that different cultures will meet, conflict, and blend together. People from different culture find it is hard to communicate not only due to language barrier but also affected by culture styles. For instance, in independent cultures, such as in the United States, Canada, and Western Europe, an independent figure of self is dominant. This independent figure is characterized by a sense of self relatively distinct from others and the environment. In interdependent cultures, usually identified as Asian as well as many Latin American, African, and Southern European cultures, an interdependent figure of self is dominant. In some degree, the effect brought by cultural difference override the language gap. This culture style difference contributes to one of the biggest challenges for cross-culture communication. Effective communication with people of different cultures is especially challenging. Cultures provide people with ways of thinking—ways of seeing, hearing, and interpreting the world. The same words can mean different things to people from different cultures, even when they speak the â€Å"same† language. If the languages are different, and translation has to be used to communicate, the  potential for misunderstandings increases. People from different countries and places in the world are acting in some situations very different. One reason for this is the different history and world view of their countries, this includes values, beliefs and religion. Another is the socialization, including education, enculturation and personal growth. Language and non-verbal communication are a lso important factors. In the language there are some subtleties, which can bring up big problems. Language may be used for many reasons, but there is general consensus that language has at least two main functions: an information and a relationship function. Different cultures give different weightings to the importance of one function over the other. For example, Japanese culture places great importance on the use of language to convey aspects of feeling and relationship, while Western culture emphasizes its use to convey information. There is a tradition in parts of Asia of communication without language, strongly influenced by Zen Buddhism. In Japanese, Korean and Chinese it is believed that nothing important can be communicated solely through verbal language. This is in stark contrast to Western traditions of language usage, where the effective use of language is seen as highly beneficial and is often the basis on which students pass exam, managers are promoted and politicians are elected. In intercultural meetings, the silence of the Asian person is often misinterpreted as a negotiation trick or a device to gain extra bargaining power, whereas it may simply be an indication of contemplation and reflection. Another problem point are the different religions. For example, you are leader of a company or a department and you want to invite everyone to a little celebrations. Maybe a barbeque or a soccer game. What are important factors you have to look at? If you have Muslims co workers, you should think about that they don’t eat pork meat or usually don’t drink alcohol. Of course there can also be a vegetarian. Or think about strict Christians, they are not allowed to celebrate, work or making sports on Sunday. Very interesting is a comparision of intercultural behaviours in Australia and other cultures. Australians try to make friends very quickly and regards their business acquaintances as possible friends. Other cultures may not  make friends easily. They may view all business acquaintances with a degree of social distance. Also the use of time is different. Australians prefer to be on time and quickly get down to business in a meeting. Other cultures may view time flexible. They may start meetings slowly, with social discourse. Wherever in the world you are for work or for holiday, there are some rules of behavior which seems not that important in your point of view. But other people will feel offended or discriminated. It is all about where and how you are grown up, which school you have visited, which traditions you learned or which attitude you have. So try to learn more about other cultures, watch their behavior, think about what you should do and what not. It can bring you a big advantage in business and many friends in private as well as less problems in public. Thank you for listening, I hope you will remember some parts of my presentation when you are the next time in a foreign country. The information I used for this presentation are out of the book â€Å"Communication as Professionals† by Raymond Archee, Myra Gurney & Terry Mohan.

Principles of Management: Total Quality Management

Total Quality Management (TQM) has been around for several years. The concept is being applied to business and industry processes for the purpose of quality improvement. Many businesses feel that TQM is only for large manufacturing type businesses or major industries. (Lee p1) TQM can be used for everyone with managers and employees. Certainly everyone involved with customer service. It is important to recognize the TQM and assessment are made up of identifiable, measurable components. Proper orientation to and understanding of the TQM philosophy, team development, problem solving techniques, and statistical process control must be the mission of everyone in any organization. (Lee p1) The wall street journal has twice reported on the struggling efforts of companies trying to improve overall quality and customer satisfaction. (Chaudron p2) Management must realize that to fully implement TQM, satisfy customers, and promote teamwork in the entire organization, often wrenching systemic changes must be made: profit sharing may be introduced; individual performance appraisals may be radically changed or eliminated; organizational structure may be realigned away from functions to a customer process or geographic – based structure, information may be given to employees formerly reserved for senior management; and significantly more authority may be given to line employees. (Chaudron p2) If management does not align these systems, the effect will result in much struggle and confusion. Organizations need to spend time on the design of their efforts. If they do not, they risk pouring time and dollars into and effort that will eventually collapse. Among the decisions that should be made up – front, before implementing a quality effort are: measures of success, the degree of employee involvement, the depth and breadth of immpleementation, and the techniques to be used. (Chaudron p2) As someone once said, â€Å"If you don†t like where are are going, you may not like getting there.† A manager of people needs to understand that all people are different. This is not ranking people. They need to understand that the performance of anyone is governed largely by the system that he works in, the responsibility of management. (Deming p1) A leader of transformation, and managers involved, need to learn the psychology of individuals, the psychology of a group, they psychology of society, and the psychology of change. (Deming p1) Changing behaviors is probably the most critical area in the process of change. People do not necessarily resist change. They resist being changed. It is important to give people time to understand the true needs and the process of change. Leaders promote open communication and clear visionss of the organizations future. The stronger culture values towards the market place, the less need for policy, instructions, organizational charts etc. Leaders empower and involve people to achieve the organization†s objectives. (Deming) TQM has been proven to work in many types of businesses such as Health Care facilities, Universities, multi million dollar corporations and small businesses. Can the concepts of TQM be applied to Hotel management operations? The Hotel industry is a very competitive business, based almost solely on customer satisfaction. Hotels have been feeling much more pressure in the past decade; they have been feeling a sense of crisis. Crisis that is caused due to th increasing number of new hotels being built up and down the interstates. An old hotel must use the concepts of TQM to keep themselves in the forefront of customer minds. To make the TQM philosophy work in the hotel industry, you must have continuos commitment from all levels of employees. Corporate owner, general managers, department managers, shift supervisors and hourly employees. The commitment must be to embrace and implement the philosophy of Deming and the principles of TQM on a daily basis. The focus must be on the processes of the organization and on providing leadership. Above all this commitment must be consistent. Owners and management must decide together and implement methods that can bring about change in the processes that produce product (room style and cleanliness) and service (customer satisfaction ) for the hotel. Management must review its mission and challenge suppervisors and employees to identify their respective departments philosophies, goals, objectives, and expected outcomes. If they don†t know the results they desire, assessment is meaningless. Once this is accomplished, techniques can be identified to measure quality improvement and to reduce the variation of outcomes. Commitment to quality is essential if companies are to succeed in a commercial environment. If you look at a 30 year old hotel and compare it to several new hotels, the older one better offer something of good quality and with excellent customer service. Competing with brand new is tough in this day and age. Customers want the best, they expect the best. TQM style will help bring out the best in any company. Comparing management styles of two hotels, brings about some interesting discoveries. One that used the TQM philosophy and the other that did not. The most obvious difference was the attitudes of the employees. The TQM hotel has employees that feel like they are the hotel. The same projection was received from the housekeeping staff as for the guest service agents. The general manager does not call them employees he calls them team members. They have team meetings, they all realize the importance of each job and each of them cross train for the other positions. The general manger has empowered the employees to make decisions on behalf of the business. They all have support from corporate managers and district managers. With this franchised hotel they all support each other. They try to keep their workplace fun with contest and monetary winnings. These employees enjoy coming to work and try to make each day better than the last. When the hotel succeeds so do the employees. The hotel without TQM present does not run the same at all. Employees come to work to fill their shifts. They make the same amount of money whether the hotel is full or empty. Empowerment is not a work that is recognized. All departments are separate and do not necessarily work together. The manager does much more managing and works harder because everything that happens is brought to them. When shown the difference between the hotels we are also forced to look at which one fares better in the community. With out a doubt the TQM hotel surpassed the other hotel. Suggestions to make TQM work for everyone.  · Make a personal self-examination regarding your willingness and discipline to alter day-to-day management behaviors in such a way that the organization is ever mindful of the strategic importance of TQM.  · Establish agreed upon quality measurements, followed by widespread search for the best performers to measure against.  · See out customer feedback and objectively measure their concerns.  · Work with employees to help them understand the strategic importance of new TQM activities and to buy into the process.  · Don†t go overboard. Focus on a few processes and their characteristics.  · Create an organization that is capable of learning from itself in the quest for continuos quality improvement in the strategic process Quality management principles are a comprehensive and fundamental rule of belief, for leading the operation and organization, aimed at continually improving performance over the long term by focusing on customers while addressing the needs of all stake holders. (Quality Management) These principles used in hotel management could take you to the competitive edge. Principle 1 – Customer Focused Organization: organizations depend on their customers and therefore should understand current and future customer needs, meet customer requirements, and strive to exceed customer expections. Principle 2 – Leadership: Leaders establish unity of purpose, direction, and the internal environment of organization. They create that environment in which people can become fully involved in achieving the organization†s objectives. Principle 3 – Involvement of People: People at all levels are the essence of an organization and their full involvement enables their abilities to be used for the organization†s benefit. Principle 4 – Process Approach: A desired result is achieved more efficiently when related resources and activities are managed as a process. Principle 5 – System Approach to Management: Identifying, understanding, and managing a system of interrelated processes for a given objective contributes to the effectiveness and efficiency of the organization. Principle 6 – Continual improvement: Continual improvement is a permanent objective of the organization. Principle 7 – Factual Approach to Decision Making: Effective decisions and actions are based on the logical and intuitive analysis of data and information. Principle 8 – Mutually Beneficial supplier Relationships: Mutually beneficial relationship between organizations and its supplier enhance the ability of both organizations to create value. (Quality Management) If all principles are applied with effective management, they will most certainly do a whole lot of good to create a better atmosphere for more effective people. Changing behaviors is probably the most critical area in the process of change. Leaders should empower and involve employees to achieve the organization†s objectives. Continuous improvement is a mindset, a way of doing business. We are never good enough; we can always be better. This is an ethic and an aspiration. (CIDR) On the other side of the coin, not everyone agrees with the whole TQM concept. In an article by Robert A Zawacki, Carol A. Norman, Paul A. Zawacki and Paul D Applegate, they say that total quality programs are a bust because TQM programs try to implement 9,000 new practices simultaneously. Their conclusions were (1) Involve everyone in the process, and (2) be willing to change everything, but concentrate on one thing at a time. They believe that most continuos improvement and partnering programs are failing because individual contributors are overworked, lack alignment and feel devalued by their leaders. In their opinion the error that many leaders made in the 1990†³s , in their rush to embrace the total quality movement, was that although they recognized the importance of quality they put more efforts into planning than they did into implementation and follow-up. (Zawacki p1) TQM can work with efforts of everyone. From the highest paid to the lowest paid. Everyone in the company is important. Jobs will be better, people will be happier and customers more satisfied. That spells better business and more business. Everyone wins. All it takes is commitment.

Congestive heart Failure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Congestive heart Failure - Essay Example The ultimate result is that these individual face low economic growth in their lives and sometimes end up in poverty. Treatment of congestive heart failure is long term, which means that a person shall spend a lot of money in treatment rather than using the money to invest in other income generating sectors (Porth 2011). The family members of an individual suffering from CHF usually get affected psychologically. Since the disease is not curable, the family members worry about eminent death of their loved one. The psychological impact may make some family members to go into depression. Additionally, family members will spend a lot of finance in treating the sick family member. In some situations, the family can sell some of their valuable assets or take loans to treat the condition. The ultimate impact is the degradation of the family economy resulting in poverty. When several people in the society suffer from CHF, the society shall lose its workforce members because of the disease burden. This translates into a stagnant economic growth of the society and reduced food production, which can result into malnutrition in the society. Death of an individual’s suffering from CHF may result to children being left orphans, which can be a burden to the community in terms of sustaining them. CHF affects the nursing fraternity in a number of ways for example it leads to increased workload in the hospital making it difficult to handle other patients who need close monitoring. This may result to a nurse providing only some of the nursing care to a patient because the patients are many and must all be attended to (Boutayeb,

Analysis of President Bush's Address to a Joint Session of Congress Speech or Presentation

Analysis of President Bush's Address to a Joint Session of Congress and the American People - Speech or Presentation Example Present during the speech are top government officials including departmental secretaries and different states legislative officials. The speech is a reaction to the 9/11 attack and a declaration of War against Alqaeda and the Taliban regime. The speech takes place on 20th September, 2001, only nine days after terrorists hijacked two American planes and crushed them on the twin towers. The speech is also serves to assurance the people of America that America is strong and cannot be shaken by its enemies (terrorists). Furthermore, the speech is aimed at reassuring Muslims across the globe that America is not against Islam but is against those who go against Allah’s commands by wrecking havoc on innocent people. In my view, the speech is held at an appropriate time and setting considering that the American people at the time were in grief having lost loved ones and property beyond value. The American people also needed an assurance that their government was in action and would t ake measures to avoid similar happenings as those of 9/11. The speech is said at an appropriate setting and the message delivered as weighty as it should have been. Speech Transcript President Bush Address to a Joint Session of Congress and the American People   On September the 11th, enemies of freedom committed an act of war against our country.  Ã‚  Americans have known wars -- but for the past 136 years, they have been wars on foreign soil, except for one Sunday in 1941.  Ã‚  Americans have known the casualties of war -- but not at the center of a great city on a peaceful morning.  Ã‚  Looking at the audience, hands still. Americans have known surprise attacks -- but never before on thousands of civilians.  Ã‚  All of this was brought upon us in a single day -- and night fell on a different world, a world where freedom itself is under attack. Hands shift and move gently Americans have many questions tonight.  Ã‚  Americans are asking:  Ã‚  Who attacked our country?   Ã‚  The evidence we have gathered all points to a collection of loosely affiliated terrorist organizations known as al Qaeda.  Ã‚  They are the same murderers indicted for bombing American embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, and responsible for bombing the USS Cole. Mood change anger, tonal variation, hands move, and use of gestures Al Qaeda is to terror what the mafia is to crime.  Ã‚  But its goal is not making money; its goal is remaking the world -- and imposing its radical beliefs on people everywhere. The terrorists practice a fringe form of Islamic extremism that has been rejected by Muslim scholars and the vast majority of Muslim clerics -- a fringe movement that perverts the peaceful teachings of Islam.  Ã‚  The terrorists' directive commands them to kill Christians and Jews, to kill all Americans, and make no distinction among military and civilians, including women and children. This group and its leader -- a person named Osama bin Laden -- are linked to many other organizations in different countries, including the Egyptian Islamic Jihad and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.  Ã‚  There are thousands of these terrorists in more than 60 countries.  Ã‚  They are recruited from their own nations and neighborhoods and brought to camps in places like Afghanistan, where they are trained in the tactics of terror.  Ã‚  They are sent back to their homes or sent to hide in countries around the world to plot evil and destruction. The leadership of al Qaeda has great influence in Afghanistan and supports the Taliban regime in

Literature and Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Literature and Politics - Essay Example All his poems deal with disillusionment and resentment that result from participating in a war that kills many in the name of serving one's country. Owen is also highly disillusioned by war politics and the way its affects a large percentage of younger generation that joins the war. Owen understands that politicians usually cash in on the emotions of people and urge them to join the war. But that these soldiers later find out is truly disturbing. They realize that the war they had been fighting was unjust in many ways. It results in the death of millions, most of who are of innocent people and apart from that, it also robs young people of their hopes and dreams by turning them into senseless killers. In the poem one soldier finds himself in hell with another solider that he had killed. Though both soldiers come from different countries, their hopes and dreams were the same. They realize that despite the differences due to which one killed the other, they were still very similar in many respects. This poem is still a great deal subtler than most other war poems by Owen. The poet has tried to propagate against war and speak about war politics but no particular nation has been targeted. The meeting of soldiers that occurs in hell can be seen as a regular meeting between any two soldiers from any two countries in the world. By maintaining this ambiguity, the poet has tried to attract attention to the real issues addressed. Futility of war is the main issues and so is pity. While in some other poems, Owen has talked about 'charring of the emotions' that war leaves behind or 'the old lies' of sp-called honor and service to country, but in Strange Meeting, the poet is discussing the sheer senselessness of war- 'the undone years / The hopelessness'. What is truly disturbing about war, according to Owen, is not just the killing involved but also the lifetime of guilt that accompanies such actions. Owen makes it clear speaking from experience that one is condemned to a lifetime of regret when they participate in a war and are forced to end many innocent lives. It is then the 'the truth untold /The pity of war, the pity war distilled' that keeps them awake at nights. In the preface to his collection of poems, Owen explained that: "This book is not about heroes. English Poetry is not yet fit to speak of them. Nor is it about deeds or lands, nor anything about glory, honour, dominion or power, except War. Above all, this book is not concerned with Poetry. The subject of it is War, and the pity of War. The Poetry is in the pity" The poem is thus concerned with pity and sheer pointlessness of war. This is closer to propaganda poem because it contains a clear message against war politics and those who initiate the same. One of the most commonly used propaganda technique is directing people's attention to 'post-traumatic stress disorder' that results from participating in war. This is an important and effective technique since people can relate to it and it helps the audience views soldiers as victims of war. The very term propaganda means communicating information in support of a certain viewpoint. In this poem, the poet is not being objective. He is using his poetic skills to speak against war and politicians. His stand on war is clear

Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 25

Report - Essay Example In order to design the spreadsheet model, a graph of cost of silver from both companies during the month and a spreadsheet for each company. From the spreadsheet model, it is clear that the company would order silver Rookstone Company. The company is selected because of relatively low cost. The total monthly cost of silver from Rookstone Company is 113.67 while the total cost of silver from Metal Direct Company is 116.66. The graph illustrates the relationship between the cost of silver and the number of order for the two companies. For example, the cost of silver for four orders is 35.08 from Metal Direct Company and 34.18 from the Rookstone Company. The fluctuation in prices can be explained by the value added tax charged for each order. The attached file provided information in regard to dimensions, weights of materials used. The file also provides information in regard to order, total weight, cost of silver, VAT charged and total cost per month. The data provided shows that there is moderate agreement between management team opinion and industry expert opinion with r=0.5636.the number of trips is the factor which mostly influences the estimated safety when using the transport system. The relationship can be estimated using the model below; Smith and Jones Company provided data on Transport Company with respect to Transport Company which provides a Light Rail Transport system in an urban area. The company is interested to know level of agreement between management team opinion and industry expert opinion in regard to priority in spending. The company also provided survey data to investigate factors which mostly influence how safe customers feel when travelling on the service. In order to determine the level of agreement, spearman’s rank correlation coefficient is used. The options re listed and values assigned in respect to each option as per the two groups.the difference in value of opinion is obtained and then squared. Thespearman’s

Explain how the treatment of internal and external customers is one Essay

Explain how the treatment of internal and external customers is one more important than the other How does this affect "quality" in the organization - Essay Example Internal customers are the human capital that constitutes the factors of production. The expertise of the internal customers determine the quality of the output which the influence the external customers. In a service industry for example, the knowledge and skills of the employees influence the end product which determines the satisfaction of external customers. In Hill & Allen (2007) the external customers also influence the operations of the organization. A service industry like the Insurance industry is usually operated by the needs and wants of the external customers. The needs or complaints of the external customers are normally factored by the organization with great interest. In return, the organization executes their demand with effective conditions in order to suit their tastes and preferences. Martinez & Hobbi (2008) explain that the internal customers facilitate in the marketing of the organizations services. The internal customers through effective communication and delivery of the services influence the customers’ perception. The Insurance Industry in one slippery sector that is entirely operated by the act of faith. The internal customers are required to fully disclose the benefits and terms and conditions of the policy so as the external customers can be convinced in order to purchase the product. Hill & Alexander (2006) explain the external customers act as a measure of the organization’s performance. The effectiveness of an organization’s operations can be evaluated based on the external customers’ feedbacks. A company that pollutes the environment can receive negative comments regarding activities and vice versa. In addition, the quality of its services and products can be evaluated based on their numbers (sales), feedbacks and support. The services or products delivery of the internal customers is highly on the organization’s support. The health sector for example, is a vital

Capabilities and competencies.The scope of capabilities is not only Essay

Capabilities and competencies.The scope of capabilities is not only specific but its horizon is also quite vast - Essay Example SWOT Analysis 12 5.1 Strengths 13 5.2 Weaknesses 13 5.3 Opportunities 13 5.4 Threats 13 6. The Balanced Scorecard 14 6.1 Balanced Scorecard as a Measure of Strategic Capabilities 14 6.1.1 Translating the Vision 15 6.1.2 Communicating and Linking   15 6.1.3 Business Planning 15 6.1.4 Feedback and Learning 15 7. Resource Based View (RBV) 15 Appendices 17 Appendix-I: Tour Operator Market Share in Europe 17 Appendix-II: Four Perspectives of Balanced Scorecard 18 Bibliography 19 1. Capabilities and its Importance Generally capabilities and competencies are used interchangeably in literature, however in terms of business and organizational culture, the scope of capabilities is not only specific but its horizon is also quite vast. A capability is a fairly large scale unit of analysis which makes the organization and individual to recognize its purpose with respect to substantial outcomes (Dosi et al, 2000). According to Leonard (1992), â€Å"capability is the knowledge set that distingui shes and provides competitive advantage†. ... Therefore, organizational capabilities play a key role between human resource and the business strategy, thus making it a proactive source of competitive advantage (Ulrick and Lake 1991). (b) Organizational capabilities raise the competency level of individuals and reinforce positive values in the organization. (c) Organizational capabilities help the managing staff to formulate the business strategies basing on the strengths and weaknesses of the available manpower (Barney 1991). (d) These capabilities derive the required consequences like satisfaction of both the stakeholders and customers (Ulrich and Lake 1991; Yeung and Berman 1997). 2. Resources and Capabilities of TUI 2.1 Background TUI, abbreviated for Touristik Union International, was established in 1968 with headquarters located at Berlin, Germany. TUI is the largest integrated tourism group in Europe, lagging far behind its competitors with a turnover of about â‚ ¬ 21,866 million in 2008. Initially, it worked as Preussa g AG and gained a renowned fame in the field of transportation and industrial sector till 2001. This year, it became a 100% subsidiary of Preussag AG. In next year, Preussag AG was transformed into TUI AG (http://www.tui.com). During next few years, TUI developed and changed its production from industrial segment to a modern tourism and shipping company. The general credibility of the TUI is quite excellent and strategically today TUI is the largest and leading tourism and shipping organization of the world, operationally active mainly in Central, Northern and Western Europe while it has the networks across the Europe as well. The inventory of TUI

A conversation with my father by grace paley Essay

A conversation with my father by grace paley - Essay Example The entire story is based on the relationship of the two main characters in the story, the writer daughter and her father. The story begins with the father in the center stage and the daughter a mere follower of his directions. As the story progresses, the limelight slowly shifts on to the daughter who creates a story that is impactful and apparently tragic. All through the story, the father and daughter duo share a healthy, communicative, expressive, and genuine relationship as two admirers of life, society, writing, and literature. The father has the air of superiority in his voice since he is considers himself more knowledgeable and a well read fan of literature in Russian and English. This is evident from his tone at: â€Å"With you it’s all a joke,† (Paley, 1994, p.233) The daughter has a more kind and considerate outlook towards the father as her affection towards him forces her to write the same story twice. It is evident from her tone at, â€Å"His heart, that bloody motor, is equally old and will not do certain jobs anymore†¦..†Yes, Why not? That’s possible.† I want to please him.† (Paley, 1994, p.232) She however, dons a corrective role when her father gets cynical about the tragic ending that men and women in society face. She defines her confidence, free-spirited nature and positivity by turning the story into a happy and well meant ending. Overall, it is a good and healthy relationship that the two main protagonists in this story share. To achieve these goals, she has used two stories in between the main story. Her conversation with her father is one story, her simple depiction of a neighbor woman another, and her detailed depiction of the same woman is the third story. While the second and third stories are the same, they are created with an emphasis on writing styles which in the first one was tragic and negative and in the second one was humorous and