One of NBA’s Greatest Starters

Saying Kobe Bryant sucks at basketball, is like saying Napoleon Dynamite isn’t funny. He is, and Kobe for sure doesn’t! In May of 2008 he got his â€Å"Most Valuable Player Award† for the first time ever in his career. (Naik, par. 5) He has won many awards in his career, and helped the Lakers win the playoffs 3 years in a row. By the ending of 2007, he was the youngest player to reach 20,000 points in his career. He’s a hard working basketball player who deserves all the praise he gets. Kobe had an easy early life, with his dad being an NBA player himself. Except his dad wasn’t exactly a star. Jellybean Joe† was one of the players no one wanted. He was drafted to the Warriors, but they didn’t like his contract demands, so he was traded to Houston. After a year with Houston, the Bryant family packed their bags for Europe, where Joe signed a contract with a team in Reti, Italy. It only took a couple of months for Kobe and his two sisters, Shaya and Sharia, to learn the Italian language. (Stewart, par. 7) Joe was the reason Kobe developed the love for basketball. In Italy, Kobe would go to practices with his father, and would hardly ever miss a game of his. He would often entertain fans during halftime by shooting some baskets. When the Joe decided to move back to the US, Kobe was just starting High School. It took him to his junior year to really get the hang of things and get used to living in America again. When they moved back to America, Kobe was one of the best players on his summer league at Sonny Hill. When he started high school, he made the varsity basketball team. (Stewart, par. 16) His junior year, he averaged 31 points and 10 rebounds and 5 assists. He was named the Pennsylvania Player of the Year award. (par. 9) When Kevin Garnett went pro right out of high school, Kobe knew he wanted to go pro straight out of high school. So he knew he needed to step his game up to be good enough to. His dad scheduled that he practice with the 76rs that summer. The practice really paid off because his senior year he helped his team win its first state title in 42 years. That summer, Kobe decided to go pro immediately after high school. On Draft day, he was picked at #13 by the Charlotte Hornets, except when Jerry West of the Los Angeles Lakers talked to the coach of the Hornets, and got Kobe Bryant at the 25th pick. He signed a 3. million contract lasting 3 years with the Lakers. He averaged 25 points on their summer league. He was only 18 years old, and was the youngest starter in the NBA (par. 35). His success didn’t end there, though. Kobe helped the Lakers win in the Championships 3 years in a row. In 2002, he was named Most Valuable player of that year’s All-Star Game (Naik, 3). But in 2003, he came back into the spotlight for something other than basketball. He was at a resort in Colorado, where he accused of sexually assaulting a 19 year old who worked at the resort. Kobe admitted to having sexual contact, but it was a mutual agreement on doing it. He turned himself in, and he was arrested but then released on a $25,000 bond. The case was dropped though, and he got away free of charge. In 2008, when he played in the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, he won gold in the Men’s Basketball division. Later that year he won his first ever NBA Most Valuable Player Award (par. 5). Something recently happened to Kobe Bryant lately, though. Kobe has had a pretty successful past year so far. In 2010, he and the Lakers won the Play-offs. He is currently working really hard on helping the Lakers get to the Play-Offs again this year. His current point average is 25. ; it’s gone down, but not by much. In January of 2009, he was the youngest player to reach 27,000 points in his over all career. On April 13, 2011, he was issued a $100,000 fine for an â€Å"offensive and inexcusable† comment during the night before’s game. His comment was â€Å"such a distasteful term† that â€Å"should never be tolerated† says NBA Commissioner David Stern (Stern, par. 1). He is one of the highest scoring players in the NBA. Some rumors have been going around saying Kobe is retiring after the 2010-11 season is up, so he and Phil Jackson (his coach) can retire at the same time. Kobe Bryant has been very successful in what he does. He’s one of the best players out there. The Lakers are very lucky to have him on their team. But my question is, what is the basketball world going to be with out Kobe Bryant playing? Who’s going to take his place when he retires? But anyways he is a very, very, very successful basketball player, and he really does deserve praise and honor of what he does. He’s the best of the best, and the best should be recognized. Some may say that he’s not good at what he does, but I say he really is the best, and they are all just jealous of the skills he has.

Manufacturing Technology Essay

The automated systems was best said on my end. Transfer machines, cell phones and other automated devices are used to set a communication establishment upon anyone. It’s all about producing faster and having more efficiency in the industrial world. They also help reduce costs such as a bank you have ATM’s rather than having a clerk or 2 handling your withdrawals and deposits. You also have development of apps. These apps can take pictures of your checks and deposit them from there. Also manage your accounts with transfers and payments. It’s claimed that many human interactions really don’t require the human touch to it, which is true. Transfers of virtual products and or cash don’t need to be manually human handled. The article has been developed this year, which defiantly will have a fair and accurate perspective on the manufacturing technology that we have in mind now. Timings, R., & Wilkinson, S. (2000). Manufacturing Technology (2nd ed.). 1061-2890, Harlow, Essex: Longman. In this book we come across specific detail about percentage-wise wholes in how much costs were reduced at the time of the startup in manufacturing technology. It claimed that all manufacturing technology orders dropped 20.4% at the start of its creation and then suddenly rose 9.8% later that year. Every year since then there’s been a 3% up raise since the start of it all. Having it being written 15 years ago I am heavily against this book, just due to the fact of how much our technology has advanced. The book shows how transfer machines are being held against in the workload and reducing the efficiency of work from its employees which is just a big key factor in communication. With the advancement in technology this has got to be a joke. Almost all technology is set in touch screen adaptations, faster ram processors, and larger memories to keep companies moving and cost efficient. Blaedel, K. L. â€Å"SciTech Connect: Manufacturing Technology.† SciTech Connect: Manufacturing Technology. USDOE, 1 Feb. 1997. Web. 20 Jan. 2015. This set article claims that there are 4 projects that led to the main movement of manufacturing technology. It details exactly how they got to developing such a vast movement at the time which we could easily set apart from our age having it being published over 10 years ago. It shows exactly how to â€Å"develop an understanding of fundamental fabrication process†. Heap, J. (2004). International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management (Vol. 57, pp. 156-176). Bradford, England: Emerald Group. This book had several findings of out SME’s had an early development progress against productivity and performance management throughout different AMT’s. It shows the different effects in management and what manners they had at the time to reduce operation costs and team efficiency. Acquisition of Manufacturing Technology. (2013). MENA Report, Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/docview/1419103734?accountid=27203 Throughout this article we the write to see what acquisitions were involved to establish the different types of manufacturing technology in our more recent industry. Our updated technologies have claimed to make our recent years more cost efficient and productive by over 150%! I am all up with this article because it has its cited facts and it’s only 2 years from our current date, so this would be my most supported article just due to the date it was created. Milgrom, P., & Roberts, J. (1990). The Economics of Modern Manufacturing: Technology, strategy, and organization. The American Economic Review, 511-528. In this scholarly article, we learn the economics of modern manufacturing and what came with the update at the time and how it was processed and underwent a revolution. The scholarly article stated that the â€Å"mass production model is being replaced by a vision of a flexible multiproduct firm that emphasizes quality and speedy response to market conditions while utilizing technologically advanced equipment and new forms of organization.† This was the start of a new branch in observing what could be replaced and updated with technology. I do enjoy seeing the central difference of how technology has shaped the workplace with time. Doms, M., Dunne, T., & Roberts, M. J. (1995). The Role of Technology Use in the Survival and Growth of Manufacturing Plants. International Journal of Industrial Organization, 13(4), 523-542. In this scholarly article, we come to distinguish the relationship between principal strength, how we use to come across the usage of manufacturing technology and what growth rates it came with. It stated that the main findings at the time had a mindset of higher progression rates against technology would have a far less development and production failure. Tracey, M., Vonderembse, M. A., & Lim, J. S. (1999). Manufacturing Technology and Strategy Formulation: Keys to Enhancing Competitiveness and Improving Performance. Journal of Operations Management, 17(4), 411-428. When coming across this article we see how the main set of technology was set and how that generation at the time had evolved it into a more competitive and healthier implement. As stated, â€Å"Linear Structural Equation Analysis results show that the relationships between a firm’s practices in these two areas and its competitive capabilities are found to be statistically significant and positive†, which shows me they had their own strategic role in which they followed to test out their performance and which ways they could use to improve the marketing satisfaction. Shepherd, D. A., Mcdermott, C., & Stock, G. N. (2000). Advanced Manufacturing Technology. Journal of High Technology Management Research, 11(1), 19-33. doi:10.1016/S1047- 8310(00)00019-5 We come to the instruction of AMT’s and how their benefits improved our workload and consumer satisfaction. This article shows the specific studies in how AMT’s were tested and outweighed the beneficial manufacturing firms in all over the world. The flexibility and higher efficiency claims from them outsourced many operational downfalls to provide advantage across the marketplace. Cho, K. (1993). Manufacturing Technology in Korea. Journal of Manufacturing Systems, 12(3), 216-222. doi:10.1016/0278-6125(93)90331-M Set across this article we have a different perspective having most of us live in the United States. With 32 set studies across this article it has been set that they have had an establishment of implementing local manufacturers across the nation with the support of  educational programs in technology and engineering. A different set perspective against the U.S. showing us how other countries had a different goal with maintaining manufacturing technology. Anonymous. (2011, ). TECHNOLOGY MANUFACTURING HEALTH CARE. Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL) This article was interesting to me to see the perspective of how manufacturing technology affected the health care industry. With 2 new hospitals opening up in other countries, hospitals have set out ads over the radio and television to help drivers understand the dangers of texting while driving and the rising amount of drivers ending up in the hospital from being distracted behind the wheel. I did enjoy reading this because I do commute 80 miles a day to work on the highway and easily see how much people are distracted behind the wheel. I wouldn’t know this new advancement in technology has caused such an uprise in car accidents, enough to open new hospitals around the world.

How Does Facebook Impact on Your Life Essay

What is the most popular social network in the world? I believe that most people prefer the answer â€Å"Facebook†. Nowadays, there are more and more people join the Facebook. You can always see such situations that some people refresh their Facebook when they have nothing to do, and there are some people even only use Facebook to keep in touch with others. Actually, Facebook has already become a part of our life; and it changed our lives in four aspects: it changed our online life, relationships with our parents, relationships with our friends, and also eased our feeling of loneliness. The first aspect is that Facebook fulfilled our Internet lives. Do you still remember what did you usually do on the Internet before the Facebook was invented? Use my own experience for example; before the Facebook was invented, I only use the basic functions of the Internet, such as check the emails, look for some news on the Internet, sometime I also play some online games. At that time, I prefer to watch TV rather than surf the Internet. However, after the Facebook was invented, my online life changed. When I surf the Internet, the first thing I have to do is check my Facebook, because many of my friends who changed their states everyday. From their states I can know what happened to my friends. Sometimes I can also share some interesting videos and pictures to my friends, it also made me feel closer with my friend. Actually, not only myself, but also other teenagers have the similar situations. In â€Å"Facebook is a major influence on girls, says survey†, Sean Coughlan (2010) reported that there is a survey based on 3000 parents and 1000 children in the UK, and they found that Facebook made a big influence on children, especially on girls. In that survey, children are asked to list three important things in their life. The result shows that 41% of the girls and 17% of the boys believe that technology is one of the biggest influences, and many girls regard the Facebook as their important part in their life. They believe that Facebook is more important than TV, magazines and even their brothers or sisters. It sounds a little crazy, however, it is true that Facebook has already changed our Internet life. In fact, Facebook didn’t only change our Internet life, but also create a new way to communicate with your parents and friends. As there are more and more teenage Facebook users, many parents try to communicate with their kids through Facebook. However, is it an effective way to use Facebook to get closer with their child? In â€Å"Student’s Facebook ‘friends’: public and private spheres†, Anne West, Jane Lewis and Peter Currie (2009) analysis that most teens feel weird when adults have Facebook. Huffington Post (2007) use a student’s words as example, the student said that if his or her parents know so much about his or her Facebook activities, he or she will has a feel that his or her parents want to know the secrets between his or her friends. He or she wants his or her parents could understand that Facebook profile is prepared for people who are sharing his or her experience (cited in West, Lewis & Currie, 2009). From this example, we can see that many teenagers don’t like adding their parents as friends. They want a world that they can chart with their friends without worrying about their parents. However, there are still many teenagers believe that Facebook is a good way to communicate with their parents. For instance, there is a girl noted that her mother just got into Internet for few days and her mother likes to see her photos. The girl believes that it is a good way to keep in touch with her mother (West, Lewis & Currie, 2009). In another case, there is a friend of mine insist on communicating with his mother through the Internet. They believe that add each other as a Facebook friend is a symbol of reliance. My friend likes to update some photos with his friends, and his mother likes to share some tips in daily life with Facebook. With the help of Facebook, their relationship became better and better. As there are more and more people who know how to use Internet, we need to believe that one day, parents can get closer with their kid by using Facebook. Facebook does not only change our relationships with our parents, but also with our friends. Before the Facebook was invented, maybe the most common way to communicate with others is cellphone. You can text or phone others. However, with the birth of the Facebook, we have a new way to communicate with our friends. In â€Å"Me and My 400 Friends: The Anatomy of College Students’ Facebook Networks, Their Communication Patterns, and Well-Being†, Manago, Taylor and Greenfield (2012, pp. 374) did a survey on 400 people. According to their study, the average time that people spend on the Facebook is a little over an hour, and 80% of the people would log in the Facebook many times a day. Most people would like to update their status a few times a week. Status is most common use of the Facebook. From our friends’ statues we can know more about our friends’ life. To some degree, it is a kind of communication when you see your friends’ statue and leave a comment under their statue. According to Manago, Taylor and Greenfield’s study, the most common statues are others’ emotion condition (51% of participants). Then the second and the third most common statue is â€Å"what you a doing† and â€Å"vent frustration†. Therefore, we can easily know something from others’ statue. That is why Facebook provide us a new way to communicate with our friends. Actually, most young people like to use Facebook to keep in touch with their friends. Use my friends for example; Dale and Ronda are young couple with two kids. They like to go vocation in holidays. Each time when they come back they will update their statues and photos. It makes them feel closer with their friends. From these examples we can see that Facebook really changed our relationship with our friends a lot. The forth aspect that Facebook influent our life is that Facebook can ease our feeling of loneliness. In the article â€Å"Is Facebook Making Us Lonely? †, Marche (2012, P. 62) points out that Americans are much more lonely than ever before. In 1950, only less than 10% of the homes have only one person. However, by 2010, nearly 27% of the homes have only one person. From these information we can see that people became more and more lonely, because many of them living alone, they don’t have somebody to talk with them. That is the problem, and Facebook can solve this problem perfectly. Although you could not live with your friends, you could communicate with them through Facebook. Marche (2012, P. 64) also reported that in 1985, only 10% of the Americans had no one to talk about vital matters. However, by 2004, the year when Facebook launched, 25% Americans had no one to talk to. To solve this problem, Facebook provides a platform that you can discuss important matters with others. Facebook is not only a social networking, but also a â€Å"medicine† which can reduce the feeling of loneliness. There are some people argue that the motive for using Facebook may impact on loneliness. For instance, some people may addict to Facebook, so they prefer to use the Internet to communicate with others but not talk to others in reality. About this point, Mathew Ingram, an excerpt from BusinessWeek blog post, explains that Facebook would not promote connections in real world. He met many friends from Internet. He agrees that there are people became lonelier because of using the Internet, just like many lonely people like to watch a lot of late-night TV show. However, it doesn’t mean that Facebook causes loneliness (cited in Marche, 2012, P. 17). From the information above, we can see that Facebook really changed our life. In conclusion, Facebook changed our life in many aspects. It does not only add more happiness on your Internet life, but also make your relationships with others better. In the modern world, people became lonelier and lonelier. With the help of the Facebook, we can meet more new friends; we can keep in touch with our old friends, it can also help us to get out from the shadow of the loneliness. Facebook or social networking has already been a part of our life. Therefore, all we need to do is to make good use of the Facebook and let it serve us in a better way.

Hospitality Practicum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Hospitality Practicum - Essay Example Its promotional tenor focuses in its â€Å"perfect mix of coast and country† making it a premier choice for relaxation (â€Å"Sunshine Coast,† 2010). The Gold Coast, on the other hand is situated in south east Queensland. It is regarded as Queensland’s most popular tourist destination. It has been promoting to the world its â€Å"stunning beaches, sun-kissed locals, exciting theme parks, and sophisticated style† (Queensland Holidays, 2010). Furthermore, its sunny sub-tropical climate and tourist activities have been primary motivations for tourists to visit the city. Accommodations. Leisure-oriented travelers’ preference in accommodation always vary, thus both Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast consistently aimed for greater diversification. Images of various types of accommodation have been tailored to ‘pull’ recreational tourists into their respective places—improving and modernizing their amenities. There are 351 accommodation establishments in Gold Coast (see Table 1), comprising of 31 hotels, 61 motels, 109 serviced apartments, 150 holiday flats, units and houses; whereas, Sunshine Coast has a total of 288 accommodation establishments, consisting of 9 hotels, 46 motels, 127 serviced apartments, 106 holiday flats, units and holiday houses (Tourism Queensland, 2009b, p. 4). As of 2009, Gold Coast outperforms Sunshine Coast in terms of overall accommodation supply and demand, making it much ahead in revenue (See Table 1). However, it should be noted that occupancy levels substantially decreased in the year 2009 due primarily to the swine flu outbreak, economic recession, and the increase of visitors staying with friends and family (Tourism Queensland, 2009b, p. 4). Hence, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast both experienced a decline in accommodation demand and revenue. In Gold Coast, Australian travelers preferred self-contained accommodation during summer holidays, such as

Strategy Development in the Global Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Industry Essay

Strategy Development in the Global Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Industry - Essay Example However, with the passage of time, the company realised that they had to compete with other companies in the global arena. Oil companies such as Exxon were giving Shell a run for their money because they were globally managed. In order to respond to this trend, the company opted to change its corporate governance style. They opted to control almost all their downstream sectors through their headquarters in London and The Hague. (Shell, 2008) Corporate governance within Shell had been carried down from almost a century of its existence. In certain scenarios, some critics have argued that this form of structure has cost the company in a number of ways. This is largely because shareholders in the company do not have as much clout as members of the board. The disadvantage of this structural approach can arise when the shareholders feel that their rights are in danger but can do very little to protect it. Bp has been faced with a number of corporate governance challenges. First and foremost, the company grappled with accusations from critics who claimed that it was doing business with a group that had been responsible for human rights abuses in the Baku Ceyhan pipeline. To add insult onto injury, BP was also faced with huge problems in its pricing strategies. This was especially seen in the United Kingdom. In Colombia, the Company was confronted with a law suit where it had been accused of colluding with terrorists to protect their clients. It lost millions of pounds in paying off that settlement. This goes to show that when companies make miscalculations and fail to implement ethical codes, they are the ones who pay for it through expensive law suits and tarnished images. Business ethics Companies need to have specified code of conduct and ethics principles that will guide their day to day practices. Shell as a company has well written down rules that assist employees in sticking to the company's goals and principles. Some of these codes of conduct include; honesty, trust and integrity. While stakeholders and employees may be well aware of rules, abiding by them is another issue altogether. (Zenobank, 2008) The enormity of this matter came to fore during the 2004 business ethics disaster; at that time, the company announced that twenty percent of all the oil reserves that it claims to have a hold to were overestimated. The revelation of such a matter brought shock waves within the Oil trading sector and even resulted in the company's poor performance. In response to this issue, the company changed its leadership structures. This business dismissed its managing Director - Sir Philip Watts and also changed their management structures. Besides this, the company also responded by providing opportunities for whistle blowers to report any irregularities through an official company website. (Beasnat & Cummins, 2005) BP also has a valid code of ethics and its company purports to a sound code of conduct. However, much like its counterpart Shell, the company seems to have fallen short of these high expectations. An example of how the company did this was when it hired an expensive public relations manager to create an Image of an

TO BE OF USE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

TO BE OF USE - Essay Example Praise has been showered for the courage and patience of those who are determined to carry forward the task, work with fortitude and eyes on their final objective. There are people who render their services for the mankind, without caring for the inclement weather, adverse circumstances like the farmers do, to produce the grains for all of us. There are those having patience of waiting for their turn, to comply with the law at the cost of their own discomfort, but working relentlessly for achieving the aims and objectives that they have set for themselves. These people, working in close coordination with others in a team spirit, take pride in helping others. They are always there when the fellow human beings need them or whenever the society asks for them. Marge Piercy has compared the consistent worker with a craftsman who diligently shapes the seemingly useless water soaked soil into beautifully pottery. These pots in many attractive shapes adorn our drawing halls, make way in museums, add colour to the grace of our homes and has the ability to hold a number of other costly items. An able and diligent worker also feels happy and contented in the fact that others around feel happy when they see the outcome of their work.

Conflict at Workplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Conflict at Workplace - Essay Example The occurrence of conflict can occur in an organization for a variety of reasons. One of the reasons that it can occur is interdependence. â€Å"When individuals or subunits are mutually dependent upon each other to accomplish their own goals, the potential for conflict exists† (Csuponona). Take for example a factory that produces and sells office supplies. The salesmen depend on the production department to have inventory to sell. If production does not keep up with the product demand the salespeople could enter into a conflict with the production department. A second reason that conflict can arise in an organization is due to the existence of scarce resources. Examples of scarce resources include money, time, materials or human resources (Sullivan, 2014). It is the responsibility of the manager to distribute resources in a fair manner. A third reason that conflict can manifest itself in an organization is due to power struggles. A power struggle can occur between the CEO and the board of directors, among the departmental leaders, or among the members of a workgroup. A fourth factor that can lead to conflict in the workplace is interpersonal relationships. Interpersonal conflict involves conflict between two or more individuals that disagree over a subject manner (Chand, 2014). This type of conflict is probably the most common type of conflict. Once conflict manifests itself companies must deal with it to find a resolution. An important aspect of any solution to resolve conflict is communication. â€Å"Clear, concise, accurate, and timely communication of information will help to ease both the number and severity of conflicts† (Forbes, 2012). A manager must use active listening techniques between the parties involve to decipher the root of the problem. Appealing to the common goals of the parties can help alleviate the conflict. When interdependence caused the conflict a manager can

An issue affecting two or more countries Article

An issue affecting two or more countries - Article Example While CIA provided information from the satellites about abandoned soviet trucks and weapon depots for the Taliban, ISI transferred the information to the men on ground (Coll p. 291) making it possible for the Taliban to conquer Afghanistan with astonishing speed uniting the country for the benefit of Pakistan, United States and Saudi Arabia (Reeve p. 191). After the September 11 attacks, US invaded the Taliban controlled Afghanistan asking all countries to cut off Taliban support. Pakistan ordered the Taliban embassy to be closed in 2001, allied with the US and supported the invasion by providing its forward military bases. The hard war in Afghanistan followed up by a bloody insurgency caused US to lose unprecedented amount of war founds trying to control Afghan territory. Adding to the troubles were lack of understanding of terrain and psyche of the local people. The overwhelming force and technology, while allowed the US to have complete air superiority and highly reinforced milit ary bases in the region, could still not help them achieve actual victory and control over the territory outside their bases. The insurgency caused alot of contention between USA and Pakistan as allies and the US still ended up blaming Pakistan for supporting Afghan Taliban after calling it their top non-NATO ally. This paper compares and contrasts BBC reports and The Washington Post with respect to the US allegations and Pakistani denials. BBC reports Pakistan being accused of playing a double game by the US (Collyns). After interviewing a few prisoners, according to BBC, the US officials concluded that Pakistan was actively supporting Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan for a hidden agenda. This can be seen as a fallacy of composition created from a single point of view being viewed as the resulting aim of country’s net actions. Pakistani ISI has been a powerful element both in the country and in its defense against the enemy powers when it came to proxy wars. The BBC uses th e circumstantial prisoner witnesses to support the accusation by the US officials. While attributing repeated denials to Pakistan in two instances, the report suggests the US accusations overly weighed and further states them as a fact by presenting a BBC documentary to back up the accusations as facts. This strains the neutral point of view of the report which should be there in an international news article fully attributing views to their actual sources and not stating contentions opinions or conflicting truths as facts. Furthermore, in addition to the US accusations, the BBC report itself alleges that Pakistan has helped and harboured Afghan Taliban in its territory stating it as a ‘plain to see’ fact (Collyns). The Washington Post, on the other hand, also attributes accusations to the US and denials to Pakistan but keeps it to that (Leiby). The report can be contrasted with that of BBC’s in a clear cut way. As a clear contrast to the BBC report, this report presents quotations of US accusations in text with conflicting quotations of Pakistani denials making it more balanced and neutral in its point of view. The Washington Post report also uses the BBC report as a reference but puts it in a more neutral way without any presumptions. The BBC excerpts are quoted to tell the US side of the story while the Pakistani foreign minister is clearly attributed to have categorically put

Target Background Research Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Target Background Research Paper - Essay Example This helps them to communicate effectively and it makes the employees feel they are on the page. This approach generated loyalty and challenged the employees to make the business a success. Each employee should be offered stock options and given a portion of the profits as an incentive to keep working toward higher customer satisfaction. Motivation and communication are additional ways the CEO could create happy employees. Challenging employees allows him or her to be creative and generate new ideas or product lines that will increase sales and or customer satisfaction. Listening to employees opinions is vital to success. The people who work the frontline of any business will have ideas on how to better the processes. Some companies used an approach uncommon to most CEO's; walking around the store to meet and greet the associates and customers. This approach allowed the consumers the opportunity to tell him how well he or she liked the store and offer suggestions for change. The asso ciates liked this approach because it made him an approachable CEO who was willing to listen to employees and customers. In this report, it is apparent that the company should use strategic planning in order to deal with the issues since it determines the overall direction and goals of the organization. Consequently, strategic planning influences numerous aspects of the organization, including what, In strategic planning, a) Products and services will be provided by the business and how those products and services will be designed b) Organizational design and roles are needed by the organization. c) Performance goals are established for positions throughout the business. d) Board committees should be developed (in the case of corporations. e) Resources are needed to reach those goals, and consequently, how much money is needed to procure those resources -- ultimately, the goals determine the content of various budgets ("Develop strategic plan" 2007). Competition from similar products, changing technology and increasing costs all play their part in putting pressure on firms to keep rethinking and expan ding. Mergers are more and more frequent and many businesses have expanded to become global organizations. But if growth is sometimes the only option it is also very often a risky one. Expansion demands investment of time, money and people and has to be carefully managed to bring the desired returns. Though there is a way to increase the odds of success: simple and effective communication in all directions. For the fiscal February period, reported comparable store sales decreased 4.1%. Just over half of this sales performance was due to a decrease in average transaction size with the remainder due to a decrease in comparable store transactions. Comparable store sales in February 2008 increased 0.5%. The current month's sales release quotes Gregg Steinhafel, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Target Corporation, as saying, "February sales were in line with our planned range for the month as our sales results continue to reflect the significant economic challenges facing our guests (Target Corporation Pre-recorded February 2009 Sales Conference Call - Final 2009). At the heart of Target's growth is the unique culture that has been

Research research literature to determine the population, sampling Paper

Literature to determine the population, sampling strategy, HIPAA concerns, informed consent procedures, and setting - Research Paper Example The caregivers and patients included in the research were also supposed to have sixth grade education at the minimum and be in a position to read and comprehend English. They should also attain a score of at least seven in the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (SPMSQ) as well as at least 40 in the Palliative Performance Scale (PPS). Since the study concentrated on management of pain, constipation and dyspnea, the patients included in the research had to be experiencing two of them. A sample of 329 home care patients suffering from cancer and family caregivers were selected and randomly grouped into three categories. One control group comprised of 109 people received standard care, another group with the same number received standard care and friendly visits while the third group comprised of 111 people received standard care and COPE intervention. This method of sampling is known as cluster sampling in which case naturally occurring groups would be selected and be included in a sample. In this method, the population would be divided into groups or samples. In some cases, rather than collecting data from every group, a sub-sample would be used. Economical- expenditure is one of the major concerns in any sampling method. However, since the research will be carried out on clusters, the expenditure is tremendously reduced due to the fewer listing efforts incorporated (William, 2007). Feasibility- cluster sampling method is also more feasible when carrying out research on large populations (William, 2007). Given that the population in the large hospice is in excess of 300, carrying out comprehensive research may not be very feasible and therefore, clustering the samples would make it more feasible. In carrying out any form of research, the vulnerability of the variables used in the samples is taken into consideration (William, 2007). In essence, the patients and caregivers used in the research are quite vulnerable given the

Leading Strategic Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Leading Strategic Change - Essay Example Mittal Steel Company is regarded as the largest producer of steel in the world in terms of the production volume. The company, however, is placed second in terms of the annual turnover behind Arcelor, its closest rival. The company is headquartered in Rotterdam, and is owned by Lakshmi Nivas Mittal. The company started during the late 1970s an early 1980s and has since grown on to become one of the most powerful steel conglomerates by owning steel plants in all the continents. The company was recently in the news over its attempt to merge with Arcelor steel, the deal being finalized on 25th June, 2006. The merger, when completed, will catapult the new company (which will thereafter be known as Arcelor-Mittal) to the position of numero-uno with a global share of nearly 17% in the steel production arena (Financial Times, June 23, 2006). The reason for choosing this company has been multi-faceted given the fact that the position achieved by the Mittal group under Mr.Mittal’s lead ership has been something phenomenal over the last decade, which has seen it grow from nowhere to commanding the largest share in one of the most profitable industrial sectors in the world (Research and Reports, 2006). These will become clearer as the essay progresses. The first aspect that will be discussed under this section will be the use of PEST analysis to study the various factors that have been contributing to noticeable changes in Mittal Steel over the years. This analysis will take into consideration the internal as well as the external changes that have contributed to the growth of the company to the position it enjoys today. The analysis will also need to perform an analysis of the micro as well as the macro environment, which have been known to play a role. In terms of the internal changes, Mittal steel is known to adopt a very well-known procedure that has contributed to its growth both in terms of size as well as in

A Reading of My Papa’s Waltz Essay Example for Free

A Reading of My Papa’s Waltz Essay Theodore Roethke’s â€Å"My Papa’s Waltz† speaks of how a daughter is able to see past the defects of her father with such adoring calm and respect. The poem is playful and innocent, the choice of words child-like, and the rhyme measured at a pace of a child’s anxious breathing. Yet a sense of caution rings true throughout, right from the very first lines down to the end of the poem. There is the unmistakable obedient but anxious anticipation in the part of the child upon seeing his father coming home drunk again. Also, perhaps because of the regularity of her â€Å"waltz† with her father the speaker has committed the details to memory. Waltz as a metaphor for action in the poetry tallies with the words romp—a boisterous frolic; dizzy, slid, step, scraped, beat, time and cling to the shirt among others (Roethke). Literally, waltz is dancing to fast music. The steps are not measured, oftentimes wild but still remains rhythmic and moves to a tune. It is danced with both partners holding to each other for dear life—so to speak, lest one should be thrown off from the repetitive twirls. As it were, at first reading, the poem may admit of several interpretations, yet by giving color to every word that sense which will result from all of the parts taken together, along with death, battered, hard, dirt, whiskey and so on, there is enough that can be gathered to support the conclusion that the â€Å"waltz† as used in the poem, means the abuse of a daughter by a drunk father (Roethke). However, although the work may be largely read as a re-telling of an incident where a father beats his daughter, the way that Roethke plays with the words and imagery makes the work open to several readings: Ones that may not necessarily lean towards violence and abuse. It is easy to read the work with a different view altogether. Nevertheless, the freedom of interpretation is granted solely to the reader due to the multiple meanings that the words and imagery, used in the poetry, convey. At any rate, the use of waltz to describe the beating was a clever touch in that it subtly shows the young girl’s abject fear to a point where harsh and hostile words, from an otherwise meek and mild tone, would only lessen the claim that the beating is regular and harsh. The message is clear that because of the frequency and extent of violence, the young girl is rendered unable to speak ill of the father in this poem but instead is beaten to absolute dread and horror to which only forced obedience is her only weapon. Thus, it would seem that they have danced the â€Å"waltz† before and nothing that eventually happens in the poem is something new or is happening for the first time. The speaker’s recollection of the details is remarkable underscoring the fact that what happened is still fresh in her memory or so etched in her mind so deeply that missing out a fact is impossible. There is the possibility of repetition felt at the end since the speaker makes it a point to show that this shall not be the last time—whilst she clung (desperately) to her dad’s shirt. She knows that it she will have to â€Å"waltz† with her papa soon enough that she prostrates herself at the end of that violent episode, hoping against all hope that there shall no longer be any in the future (Roethske). In the same vein, the poem is addressed to the father, waxing poetry with a meek letter of demand for the beating to stop. The over-all tone and style is apologetic and wishful in manner and in part. It is a technique used to show the attempt of the girl to appeal to the father’s emotions without so much as being violent in the treatment if only not to anger her father in the process. Moreover, the use of the word â€Å"waltz† as an ironic imagery reveals the mental age of the speaker. Consequently, these are hints of the young girl’s age since her tenderness and impressionability as a child coincides with the average year that a girl normally dreams of becoming a princess who waltzes with her prince. Instead, in this instance, it is the young girl and her father—who reeks with alcohol; with the crammed kitchen space as their dance floor, the cluttering of falling pans as the resounding applause; and a helpless mother, whose â€Å"countenance could not unfrown itself† (Roethke), looking on.

Differences of Opinion in End of Life Care

Differences of Opinion in End of Life Care Introduction The case study relates to an expected death of one of the residents who lived in a care home that provides nursing care and support for older people with many various conditions. Mr. X became frail after a couple of months of admission to the settlement. Lastly he was treated by antibiotics for various infections, mainly chest and urine (four times within a short period of time 8-9 weeks). Regrettably his body appeared not to respond to the treatment used. He was losing the ability to decide about himself gradually. Due to Mr X’s limited mental capacity one of his sons had power of attorney (POA) in order to make complex decisions related to his father care. Adult with incapacity (AWI) certificate was in place. Suddenly Mr X’s condition deteriorated rapidly and actions were required in relation his end of life care. POA holder wished Mr. X to be transferred to the hospital for further, invasive treatments. However staff members were of the opinion that according to Mr X’s wishes he would prefer to be cared for within his present settlement. Assessment The issue in this situation was: differences in family and staff views at what the patient stated he would want to have and by whom he would want to be cared for at the end of his life. The identified problem was the risk of abuse of the patient’s autonomy. Although the son had good intentions to prolong Mr. X’s life because he was anxious and did not know how to approach the decision making, staff felt that Mr. X was becoming more ‘an object’ and not a person. According to Department of Health (DH) abuse can have unintentional complexities stemming from relationships of individuals involved (DH, 2000). The team lead by myself had to face a difficult and complex task of being ‘the advocate’ (Hurst et al., 2008) of Mr. X and brief the son about his fathers’ wishes. Under Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act (2003) Mr X have chosen his son, to have power of attorney (POA) to make decisions about his health on his behalf, but he also specified in advance that he does not want to be transferred to hospital at last stages of his life. The NHS (NHS Choices, 2015) state that one cannot override this decision unless the POA specifies that the acting on behalf has the power to do so which was not the case We had to find a way to explain in a tactful manner that the approach to care will be palliative with rather sad prognosis trying to remove some of the stress from the difficult situation. At the same time documentation had to be looked through accurately; checked and analyzed and completed to have new care plans related to Mr. X final life stages in place. This was to ensure accountability and demonstrate how decisions related to Mr.X’s care were made (The Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2010). As trained staff, leading the unit and being directly involved in Mr.X’s care I was responsible for passing reliable and factual information assuring the best outcome for him but also for coordinating the team and communicating with the family. Bass (2008) recommends democratic approach that allows the leader balancing the decision-making stage by encouraging participation; by being consultative, consensual and concerned with people. Foster (2002) claims that the best way to manage challenging situations is to estimate what needs to be done, how and by whom it needs to be done . Mr.’s X’s condition deteriorated very rapidly and because the event was taking place within ‘doctors out of hours’ advice have been sought trough NHS 24 phone line with the resonance of a doctor’s visit. This was done to seek an opinion and to discuss the best treatment available for my patient which involved pain relief and comfort making as well as to assure the son that all available resources have been used to provide best possible care for Mr X. Seeking advice and asking the doctor to explain to the POA holder, why staying within the settlement would be better for Mr. X related to Bateman’s (2000) view of collective decisions making when acting on someone’s behalf. A member of staff, known to have very good relationship with the son was appointed to have an initial chat with him whilst Mr. X has been seen by the doctor. Palliative Care Guidelines (2013) suggest appointing a person who knows the patient well that is able to affirm life and regard dying as a normal process of life when communicating with the family. Delegating the right person for the right role is also urged by Stranberg (2015) who explains that it frees the leader up to tackle other important aspects of the mission. Motacki and Bruke (2010) add that delegating increases confidence and morale of subordinates and this way improves quality of care that they deliver. However, irrespective of the advantages of the democratic approach, there was little visible effectiveness in terms of Mr X’s deteriorating condition. Kane and Patapan (2012) claim that one of the disadvantages of the democratic approach is that it takes a lot of time. Mr.X’s situation required a less time consuming approach. Sadler (2003) argues that when decisions need to be made quickly authoritative and autocratic styles are the most effective. They allow strict but clear directions (autocratic) and assure credibility (authoritative). Whilst one of the delegated team members was talking to Mr. X’s son, the most appropriate treatment for Mr X was discussed between me and the doctor; the prognosis for Mr X were, alas, maximum a couple of days. Although the role of a nurse in a care home evolved over the last years there is a negative stereotype in the public related to care in nursing homes and many nurses find it hard to match the social status that a doctor carries with the title which is often voiced by the family members ( Sanders, 2012) To avoid the possible course of action related to who passes the information I have asked the doctor to speak with the son and explain the advantages of making a ‘Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation’ (DNACPR) decision. Brass (2008) explains that the autocratic leader decides, directs and controls all activities and is an effective forward thinker assuring at the same time good but strict organisation by keeping close regulation of policies and procedures. Kane and Patapan (2012) alert to use the democracy wisely explaining that, at times, democracy can do more harm than help. Although the democratic style is often considered very effective it demands a lot of time to set a plan, let people contribute and then opt for the best course of action. Both styles used enabled the team to organize and plan Mr. X’s end of life care in a desired way. The autocratic/ authoritative style by giving me confidence and resources in the form of pain and distress relief medication that were in place to be used when required and the DNACPR. The democratic discussing proposed course of actions with the doctor, the team and the family member. Peters (2005) encourages to mix styles in order to be effective but underlines that it is needed to have a broad repertoire of styles and to use them appropriately. By choosing the member of team who was familiar with the family I have managed to reduce the barrier between the POA and staff; and empower the team to take an active part in the tasks. This approach concerned both: Mr. X and his son and the members of the team. †¦ claims that team leaders and managers should pay attention to building team relationships because it helps the team to meet the established goals and objectives and to work as one cohesive unit. †¦ Ward (2002) adds that nursing needs leaders that can be facilitators to humanize their workplaces and this can be achieved by paying more attention to the people that work for an organisation. Creating the atmosphere of good relationships we have gained more time to plan individual care for Mr. X, as per his wish. The case demonstrated application of ‘demo autocratic’ approach by mixing the two styles often perceived as opposites. Planning The desired outcome was to help the patient to die comfortably and dignified and to help the son understand and accept his decisions (made when he was still capable) regarding his last days of life. The team had focus on the quality of care for Mr X that would mirror his wishes; [. in his room, looking at familiar faces around him, with his favorite music in the background, comfortable and pain free] The established goals refer to ’7-step protocol to negotiate goals of care’ recommended by Buckman (1992) and to Scottish Palliative Care Guidelines (NHS Scotland, 2014) Involve the entire team; encourage effective communication and a forward thinking approach; create the right setting – ensuring time and atmosphere to discuss the situation Determine the POA awareness and compare it with Mr.X wishes to clarify the context Check documents and explore what Mr X. was expecting and hoping for, compare it with POA holders’ expectations and explain best possible outcomes. Suggest realistic objectives; consult the doctor; organise DNACPR Alert everybody in the team to offer support and act in a sensitive and tactful manner knowing emotions that may arise. Make a plan and follow through – how Mr.X’s symptoms will be controlled and managed; appoint staff to observe and report changes in Mr. X condition, co-ordinate care; have pain and distress relief medication in place to be used when required; Review and revise Mr. X ability to eat and drink; his comfort; medication and doctor/nursing interventions required Have daily and hourly charts to control hydration level (fluid chart) and comfort (hourly turning chart) analyse them and act appropriately. Implementation To implement the goals it was important to obtain Mr. X’s sons agreement to continue with providing the care for Mr X within the care home. Mustafa (2015) suggest using imaginary approach and recommends talking about thoughts, values, wishes and desires of the dying person which helps to understand their points of view to end-of-life. Katz and Peace (2003) claim that this approach aims to enable a family member to put him/herself in the place of the dying person helps them choose as he or she would like. My duty was to coordinate the team- delegate tasks and people; control the situation and act in Mr X best interests by communicating with staff – explaining why and what is the desired outcome; document -write and implement ‘end of life care plan’: including pain and distress relief; hydration, skin care and wellbeing in terms of comfort and dignity. This related to an approach known as best interests (Katz and Peace, 2003) with the aim to decide what would be best Mr.X Delegating staff helped to provide good quality of care for Mr.X and demonstrated that our actions were not about ‘passive watching a dying person’ but about fulfilling Mr X wishes. Contacting the doctor and discussing Mr.X condition helped in implementing goals related to pain relief and distress as well as in obtaining the DNACPR decision. This meant for the team that all appropriate treatments will be given but we will not attempt CPR to let Mr. X pass away peacefully. The rationale for the DNACPR decision was explained to the son by the doctor making it clear that transfer to hospital was not appropriate. The steps undertaken are amongst others recommended by Morris and Collier (2012) in as guidance for care workers dealing with patients at their ends of lives. It was essential to involve the whole team and to trust each other in order to follow through the plan made earlier, ensuring that Mr X’s symptoms of pain and discomfort were controlled and managed. So once we had the pain relief and DNACPR in place to be used when required, it was needed to have dedicated people who could ‘flag up’ the moments of implementing them into practice. We had an explanatory meeting to alert staff to observe and document Mr. X’s ability to eat and drink; skin and his general comfort by completing daily and hourly charts to control hydration level (fluid chart) and comfort (hourly turning chart) to analyse them and act appropriately. This required excellent communication skills from the entire team. (†¦.) underlines the importance of care workers’ ability to use wide range of communicating skills such as nonverbal: touch, watch facial and eyes expression and listen. This way we could receive information about a particular of care aspect that needed to be addressed. Old and Swagerty (2007) mention that setting goals and their implementation is a challenging subject in the palliative care because the customers views differ from their families. The patients’ needs relate in the majority to sense of security, comfort and quality of life whereas the families focus more on the revival itself. The implementation of the goals set by the team related to the abilities of seeing the â€Å"whole† patientwhich is considered the underpinning philosophy in palliative care (Twomey et.al. 2007). Evaluation According to Crowie et al. (2012) case studies allow in-depth, multi-faceted explorations of complex issues in real-life settings and are often used to improve health care. Nursing teams have a constant presence in the patients life within care home settlements, while other healthcare professionals or relatives visit them with varying frequency and for limited periods of time. Therefore the teams are the direct environment for the people that they look after and depending on their professionalism, knowledge, style and compassion, the patient’s quality of life may vary. They deal with different conditions and face many challenges that can result in poor care delivery (Care Quality Commission (2013/14) Their attitudes to care are often perceived as more task based than person centered.Patients however, like Mr. X, often cannot decide for themselves and therefore need to be treated with even greater respect, dignity and compassion (Care Quality Commission, 2013/14) Although Mr X was considered at the end of life as he was likely to die within the next 12 months at admission to the care home (The General Medical Council, 2010) there was no clear instructions within his files of what do when his condition changes suddenly. The appointed by Mr.X POA holder had the right to make decisions for him regardless Mr X’s wishes that were nuncupated to staff only. Respecting his wishes the team made a great effort to act in the best interest of Mr.X This related to the use of various components of management and leadership. The Quality Compliance Systems (2014) highlights that the delivery of successful health and social care services relies on effective management and strong leadership. The Nursing and Midwifery Councils (2004) guidance implies an active approach from nurses is expected, using the terms protect and promote in relation to the rights of terminally ill patients and directs that â€Å"nurses must respect the rights of the individual and the patient/clients role in planning their own care. Nurses are seen as advocates for the customers and have a legal, moral and professional duty to care recognising the customer’s right to individual choice at all times†. There is however evidence of inconsistencies in palliative care services (House of Commons Health Committee, 2004) and this is why care teams need to take active part in creating ‘cultures of high quality care’. Dixon-Woods et al. (2014) state that there are four key elements: â€Å"inspiring visions operationalised at every level; clear, aligned objectives for all teams, departments and individual staff; supportive and enabling people management and high levels of staff engagement; learning, innovation and quality improvement embedded in the practice of all staff† to ensure compassionate care and high quality of care for patients. West et al. (2014) add team working as the fifth crucial element of improving quality of care. The family could have been explained the palliative care approach before the rapid deterioration of Mr X condition. Trough more effective communication and a forward thinking approach discussed with the family the issue of the suspected abuse of the autonomy would possibly become non existent The GP could have been contacted sooner to discuss CPR decison.

Differences and Importance of IPPS, OPPS, MPFS and DMEPOS

Differences and Importance of IPPS, OPPS, MPFS and DMEPOS The inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) is a structure of payment that comprises the instances of diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) as acute care hospital inpatients. It is founded on resources that are employed to take care of recipients of Medicare in those groups. Each one DRG has a weight of payment allocated to it, founded on the standard cost of treating patients in that DRG. IPPS participates a significant function in deciding all costs of hospital as well as the costs of all tools for treating the patient all through a precise stay of inpatient (CMS. Gov, 2012). The outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS) on the other side is controlled for service groups of diverse outpatient as classifications of ambulatory payment (APCs). Outpatient services in every APC are alike in expressions of clinical aspects and entailed resources. The APC payment rate In addition, for every group is wage adjusted to rationalize differences of geographic and functional in the group to all services. Hospitals In this get a fixed sum for all services of outpatient founded on classifications of ambulatory payment. Medicare apart from this, employs it to repay physicians and additional health care providers for the items and services that are not division of prospective payment systems (Herbert, 2012). A Medicare physician fee schedule (MPFS) establishes the rates of payment for therapy and physician services that are founded on conversion factors, relative value units, and cost indices of geographic practice. Durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies (DMEPOS) is recounted to reimbursement rates for these specific things to suppliers that make certain admission of a high-class of these things to the patients. It includes more than a small number of regulations of payment managing the delivery of DMEPOS things for beneficiaries of Medicare. It renders the process of competitive and authorization bidding, supplier enrollment, that have an force on suppliers payment made by the hospitals. It advances the capability of physicians to offer these things to their patients in an suitable manner. It make sure efficient supply of the required resources like health techniques, equipments, and technologies to the deprived at the right cost. There is most important divergence of recipients, provider groups, and their services offered for medical beneficiaries in these models, (CMS. Gov, 2012). OPPS and IPPS are executed for the similar provider i.e. health organizations and hospitals, nevertheless different in their recipients, who are out patients and inpatients correspondingly. DMEPOS and MPFS don’t comprise prospective payment systems and focus on supplier and physicians groups correspondingly. All these methods are structured to restrain on raise in health care services cost to the patients. It aids for the beneficiaries of medical to get quality and effective health care services at low down cost (Green Rowell, 2012). Hospitals With this are also confined to get a precise amount for their services, which they offer to the patients. Payment Expectations Both inpatient and outpatient prospective payment system methods of reimbursement are employed by Medicare to reimburse hospitals for outpatient and inpatient services, in addition to rehabilitation hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and home health services. It is anticipated from both providers that they ought to provide outpatient and inpatient services to the patients efficiently. It is as well anticipated that these hospitals for all time emphasize improving effectiveness and efficiency of care, while generating a results-oriented, patient-focused, market-driven environment (Zweifel, Breyer Kifmann, 2009). It is supposed to be noted down In this context, that in the instance that someone is not capable to recompense for hospitahealth services it is anticipated from the hospital that it offer the free of cost health services. It in addition have to serve a least amount number of beneficiaries of Medicare. Non-physician and physicians practitioners Under the MPFS, are remunerated that offer fundamental health services to beneficiaries of Medicare. For this group Payment expectation is to advance the quality of care for patients while eradicating barriers to thriving participation of physician. They ought to follow Medicare laws with this, consecutively to accomplish the medical beneficiaries expectation. It is essential for them In addition, to offer facilities of Medicare to the patients at decided prices with no any conflicts. It is as well presumed to non-physician and physicians practitioners that they construct of the majority of their knowledge and skills consecutively to offer patients health treatment (CMS. Gov, 2012). All hospital and physicians practitioners acquire a fixed sum for every patient and are accountable for making accessible all services for that patient above a assigned period. DMEPOS is employed for paying back suppliers of prosthetics, durable medical equipment, orthotics and supplies to the patients. Value based purchasing of health care services are Payment expectations for this provider that can offer additional transparency on quality and cost to make certain Medicare beneficiaries optimal care. Providers In addition, have to be additional spotlight to supply to CMS performance data, which is probable to have an effect on potential reimbursements to provider. There are financial penalties for those providers In condition of any infringement of CMS’ standards,who don’t meet up these standards (Mayes Berenson, 2006). It is as well anticipated from suppliers that they offer efficient supplies to the hospitals in considers ensuring the eminence of the patients health. Implication of a Case Mix Involving IPPS, OPPS and DMEPOS for A Small Hospital Implication of a case mix In a small hospital, concerning OPPS IPPS,and DMEPOS is to develop the hospital care quality and center on designing effectual improvement facilities of quality. Hospitals are a most important constituent of the delivery system of health care, which are required to implement and develop an important outcome on quality, costs and admission to care. Small hospitals can attain their payments in a appropriate way in the course of executing these methods. They might be capable to get diverse equipments and required resources at rational price all the way through suppliers (Chalfin Rizzo, 2011). It can facilitate them to offer healthcare services based on quality to the patients at a lower cost. They can obtain an appropriate amount for offering healthcare services to the outpatients and inpatients. It facilitates them to classify their services according the health regulations in an effectual way. It as well offers them equivalent opportunity to get growth since of security for payment of their services as indicated by fixed standards and sets. Hospitals of Small specialty and centers in concern of this, are obtaining the latest technology and equipment consecutively to draw high-end customers from commercial hospitals. DMEPOS can aid them to obtain these services with easiness at low down cost. These hospitals Apart from this, are proficient to administer their cash flow competently regarding their inventories and services. A fixed and proper amount of payment to the small health care providers employees can stimulate them to offer quality services to the beneficiaries of medical effectively (CMS. Gov, 2012). Small hospitals can acquire bonus payments for offering health professional shortage care. Consequently, a small hospital can associate these payment methods suitably in its operations. There possibly will be likelihood of risk to get lesser amount on the other hand, for their services since of the nature of illness of patients, high treatment cost involvement, or additional situational factors. It is since the fee is charged for the anticipated expenditure of caring for the patient. If the on the whole cost of care is additional than anticipated, the profit the hospital and doctor receive can be decreased. It can force growth of hospital in unconstructive manner. It relies on the equipped efficiency of the hospital that they can acquire additional profits by offering care at a lower-than-anticipated cost. Furthermore, there possibly will be a likelihood of less increase in standard payments for services of small hospital in novel reforms of these models of payment (Wachter, Goldman Hollander, 2005).

The Age of Computers :: Essays Papers

The Age of Computers Believe it or not, but the age of computers is upon us. I believe Computers are not only here to stay, but in my opinion computers are the wave of the future. Only a device like the computer can change the way we work, live, and think. I see computers taking us places where no man has gone before. Twenty years ago people were just not up to date with computers back then. I mean if you ask someone about a computer, they probably would say something like, what in the world our you talking about, or what the hell is a computer. Today just about anybody you ask, can tell you something about a computer. Papia Bhattacharyya , says: "Technology has bounded onto the center stage in the last few years"(59). The earliest existence of the modern day computer's ancestor is the abacus. The abacus dates back to almost 2000 years ago. It is simply a wooden rack holding beads which are strung on wires. The next step in computers took place in 1694 when Blaise Pascal invented the first digital calcu lating machine, which was designed to help Pascal's father who was a tax collector. Now we look at Charles Babbage, who many say is the father of computers. Charles Babbage was a professor of mathematics. In the 1800's Babbage designed an automatic calculation machine. This machine was steam powered and could store up to 1000 50-digit numbers. Charles Babbage was so ahead of his time, that the machines that were used back then were not even precise enough to make the parts for his computer. Gulliver, states: The first major use for a computer in the US was during the 1890 census. Two men, Herman Hollerith and James Powers, developed a new punched-card system that could automatically read information on cards without human intervention (Gulliver 82). In the 1930's punched-card machine techniques had become so well established that Howard Hathaway Aiken, together with engineers at IBM, came up with the automatic computer called Mark I. The Mark I ran by using prepunched paper tape. The Mark I was slow, and required 3 to 5 seconds to perform multiplication.

Working with the Handicap Ski Program Essay -- Personal Narrative Essa

Working with the Handicap Ski Program    The roots of adaptive skiing were in war and accidental injuries. In 1942 Franz Wendel was the first person to enter a competition for people who are handicapped. After suffering a leg amputation in the war, he fashioned a pair of crutches and attached them to short skis enabling him to crutch ski. By the late 1940's the Austrian Ski Association was financing a division for handicapped skiers while at the same time European and American programs at army hospitals were developing. The Vietnam War produced many unfortunate casualties but also provided a boost to the development of adaptive skiing. Equipment and facilities have continued to grow and improve in recent years. A new era began in 1983 when the International Olympic Committee sanctioned the Third World Winter Games for the Disabled. Not only did this boost the prestige of the program, it also helped to promote fund raising efforts and program development worldwide. The Third World Disabled Ski Championships were held in 1986 in Sweden and the United States placed first.    So why is there skiing for people with disabilities? Outdoor recreation is fun and healthy for everyone. For people with disabilities, skiing means adventure, exercise, se... ...skis are used for skiers unable to ambulate at all. Mono skiers require more upper body strength to use the equipment. Today with advanced technology, the bi ski is replacing the sit ski.    Since the completion of my training program I have had students of varying ages, disabilities and skiing levels. They have provided many new learning experiences for me. Without a doubt I have consistently observed the pleasure this sport gives to the students and their families. Physical and mental growth are very important to the overall well being of the student. Sharing my skills and love of skiing has been fun and rewarding to me.

Information technology in business environment Essay

The business environment is becoming increasingly competitive. Information technology is now providing business entities with basic as well as progressive business tools that will enable them to improve their financial performance, efficiency, and its use of the organisation central operational resource and staff members. Adoption of computerised system is vital to the businesses entities that want to improve their efficiency and performance by using computerised systems to facilitate their day-to-day transactions. Lots of researches were conducted to assess the critical success factors or CSFs for implementations of computerised systems, but the results were different from each other. Trough lots of researching, the nine CSFs were outlined in this paper. The interrelations between the nine CFSs were also discussed. Introduction. The business environment is becoming increasingly competitive. Market boundaries have become larger and barriers to entry have diminished. In the current turbulent economic environment today’s modern organisations must closely examine the way they currently do business not only to remain competitive and profitable but also to simply remain in business (Cameron & Philip, 2001). Information technology is now providing business entities with basic as well as progressive business tools that will enable them to improve their financial performance, efficiency, and its use of the organisation central operational resource and staff members. Adoption of computerised system is vital to the businesses entities that want to improve their efficiency and performance by using computerised systems to facilitate their day-to-day transactions. The purpose of this paper is to outline and assess the critical success factors for the adoption of computerised systems including ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) implementations by businesses entities, and then analysis the interrelations between these critical success factors. Outline of Critical Success Factors for Adoption of Computerised Systems Implementations of computerised systems including ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning). Implementations are usually large and complex projects. Although  the adoption of small businesses would be simple and easy, we focus on the adoptions of computerised systems by medium or large organisations here, especially ERP implementations. Because ERP systems seek to integrate all department and functions across a company onto a single enterprisewide information system that can serve all those departments’ particular needs (Considine, et.al, 2005:p290). ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems may well count as ‘the most important development in the corporate use of information technology in the 1990s’ (Davenport, 1998). The adoptions of cumputerised systems, such as ERP implementation, by large organisations often involve large groups of people and other resources, working together under considerable time pressure and the developments could not be predicted. Lots of researches were conducted to assess the critical success factors or CSFs for implementations of computerised systems, but the results were different from each other. Trough lots of researching, the CSFs could also be concluded in this paper below: No. Critical Success Factors & Rank 1 Top Management Support: A 2 Clear Goals & Objectives: A 3 Project Management: A 4 Interdepartmental Co-operation & Communication: A 5 Project Team Competence: A 6 Vendor Support: B 7 Computerised System Package Selection: B 8 Data Analysis & Conversion: C 9 Staff Training: C Although beside the CFSs stated above, there must be a lot of other CFSs affect the implementations of computerised systems, these nine CFSs listed above should be the most important ones among all the factors affecting the implementions of computerised systems. As shown in the diagram, the CFSs are numbered form one to nine and ranked from A to C. The CFSs ranked A represents the ones that are most important CFSs should be taken into consideration when we come to implementations of computerised systems. Generally, CFSs in the same rank seem to be equally important; because it’s hard to say which one is the more important than the other, that depend on what situation we faced. Analysis of Critical Success Factors for Adoption of Computerised Systems (1) Top Management Support (Rank A) If top management is not actively backing an all-pervasive project like an ERP implementation, there is little hope for it (Akkermans & Helden, 2002). This does not mean that middle management and other staff are not important, top management itself is not omnipotent in the whole project. The key is that top management is vital and other issues such as middle management are also important as well in this kind of processes. However, if top management permanently delegates its responsibilities to technical experts, the chances for project failure are high (Ewushi-Mensah & Przanyski, 1991). (2) Clear Goals & Objectives (Rank A) When people or oganisations want to do something, the goals and objectives must be clear. Because you don’t know why you have to do it without goals as well as objectives, and you can’t plan for it. This simple rule certainly applies to the implementations of computerised systems. Especially for implementation of an IT project, the first step should be identification of goals and ways to accomplish these. (3) Project Management (Rank A) As it is mentioned above, adoption of computerised system is complex, costly and time consuming. The management of such a project should be tight and careful because of the complexity. Some degree of improvisation would be needed because of some unforeseen changes would occur during the process. The performances of the employees are also important. As A.R. Elangovan and Jia Lin Xie(2000) said: managers should pay more attention to how their power is perceived by their subordinates as well as carefully examine the trade-off between short-term and long-term consequences of such perceptions to be effective. (4) Interdepartmental Co-operation & Communication (Rank A) Interdepartmental communication: Communication across different business functions and departments is one of the most important issues involved in the IT implementation literature. According to one author on IT project management, ‘communication is the oil that keeps everything working properly’ in these contexts (Schwalbe, 2000). Interdepartmental co-operation: The effectiveness of interdepartmental co-operation heavily depends on the extent of interdepartmental communication. Quality interdepartmental communication reinforces the quality of interdepartmental co-operation. Because the computerised systems seek to enable the organisation to operate as a whole, interdepartmental co-operation is vital. (5) Project Team Competence (Rank A) The ability of the project team is also important to the implementation of a computerised system. This argument is supported by considerable amount of researches. It’s really important. Effective project team could minimise the cost as well as the time consumed and ensures the implementation of project is in the correct way. (6) Vendor Support (Rank B) Most of the time, organisations do not have all the technical as well as transformational skills and knowledge for managing such a major undertaking on its own. As a result, support provided by the vender is important to aid the implementation of new system. (7) Computerised System Package Selection (Rank B) Different system packages are designed to meet different organisational requirements. For example, some packages are suited for large organisations but some are more suited for smaller ones. Selection of system package depends on what kind of organisation you have got and other organisational requirements and goals. (8) Data Analysis & Conversion (Rank C) Before use of the newly installed computerised system, the project team and the organisation have to transfer existing data from existing system to the database of the new comprised system. This refers to the process of Data Conversion. As data conversion is typically a manual operation, controls are needed to ensure that the data conversion has been accurately performed (Dhaliwal & Konsynski, 1977). Data should be tested to ensure that the process is successful, no errors incurred and no information lost. (9) Staff Training (Rank C) The desirability of computers taking account of user capabilities was pointed out by Licklider (1960)(Feeney & Hood, 1977). It’s not so important but essential for orgaisations to train their employees after installation of new computerised systems. To some extent, the performance of a new system depends on the performance of the staff within the organization (Bartol, et.al 2001:p295). Quality staff training would enable the new system to be successful and effective. Interrelations Between These Critical Success Factors. All the CFSs should not be considered in isolation, because they are interacting with each other and affecting each other as well. The relationships between these critical factors are delicate and different from each other. For example, with strong vendor support, the project team would work more effective and the project team competence would be strengthened. This is known as the virtuous cycle. But the interaction and relationship between CFS 6 and CFS 7 would be different. The vendor support should be taken into consideration when we are selecting computerised system software. Software with strong vendor support is always preferred by the organisations, but the quality of the software itself is also important. In addition, increase of CFS 4 has a considerable positive impact on all other CFSs as well as the whole process of implementation. As it is mentioned above, all the CFSs are working together and interacting with each other throughout the whole project. None of them can be considered in isolation. Interdepartmental co-operation & communication within the project team was found to be the core process for project progress. Presence and attitudes of the surrounding stakeholders, ie top management, project management, software vendor support and so on, were identified as the root causes driving performance of this core process. At the time of the crisis, simultaneous and mutually reinforcing changes in presence and attitudes of all these stakeholders enabled the transition from a vicious into a virtuous cycle of project performance (Akkermans & Helden, 2002). Conclusion. Information technology is now providing business entities with basic as well as progressive business tools that will enable them to improve their financial performance, efficiency, and its use of the organisation central operational resource and staff members. Adoption of computerised system is vital to the businesses entities that want to improve their efficiency and performance by using computerised systems to facilitate their day-to-day transactions. Lots of researches were conducted to assess the critical success factors or CSFs for implementations of computerised systems, but the  results were different from each other. Trough lots of researching, the CSFs could also be concluded, they are top management support, clear goals & objectives, project management, interdepartmental co-operation & communication, project team competence, vendor support, computerised system package selection, data analysis & conversion and staff training. All the CFSs should not be considered in isolation, because they are interacting with each other and affecting each other as well. Bibliography: Akkermans H. and Helden K. V. 2002 ‘Vicious and Virtuous Cycles in ERP Implementation: a case study of interrelations between critical success factors’, European journal of information system, no.11, pp35-46 Bartol K, Martin. D., Tein M. and Matthews G., 2001, Management, A Pacific Rim Focus, 3rd Edn, McGraw-Hill, Sydney, p295 Cameron, D. and Philip, J. ‘The Adoption and Use of Electronic Banking by SMEs in Australia: An Exploratory Study’ CollECTeR 2001. http:// www.collecter.org/collecter01/Doug_Cameron.pdf (6 May. 2005) Considine B., Razeed A., Lee M. and Collier P. 2005, Accounting Information System: understanding business process, 1st edn, John Willey & Sons Australia, Ltd, Queensland, p290 Davenport T. 1998, ‘Putting the enterprise into the enterprise system’, Harvard Business Review July-August, pp.121-131 Dhaliwal D. and Konsynski B. 1977, ‘Data integrity considerations in computer based accounting systems’, Proceedings of the 1977 annual conference Elangovan A. R. and Xie J.L. 2000, â€Å"Effects of perceived power of supervisor on subordinate work attitudes†, Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol.21, no.6, pp.319-328 Ewushi-Mensah K. and Przanyski Z. H. 1991, ‘On information systems project abandonment: an exploratory study of organizationa practices’, MIS Quarterly 15, pp.67-85l Feeney R. and Hood J. 1977, ‘Adaptive man/computer interfaces: information systems which take account of user style’, ACM SIGCPR Computer Personnel, Volume 6 Issue 3-4 Schwalbe K. 2000, ‘Information Technology Project Management’, Course Technology, Cambridge MA

Comparitive/Contrast Assessment on Fast Food Nation and the Jungle

* proportional/Contrast Assessment* spendthrift aliment demesne **and The jungle Similar to the umteen in truth- sustenance stories told by Schlosser in his write scene of the spendthrift nutrition diligence, The jungleby Upton Sinclair is a leading light relation of the same type of horrors. foreign Schlosser, though, Sinclair writes his allow in a fictive stratum task, in which he include con lookrable models of analogical language and resource that strategic all(prenominal)y capture the reader in a world full of kindliness and belief. In this elbow room, he roles the journey of Jurgis Rudkis to hand over the conditions in the meat packing manufacturing in the United States.Jurgis, be the primary(prenominal) character, was not used only to hear the harsh and hidden lives of those working and lifetime in Packingt confess, how incessantly. Sinclair excessively used Jurgis to demonstrate his personal belief of capitalist economy cosmos corrosive. The interest ingeminate has been taken from a review found at AssociatedContent. com. The Jungle video displays the effects of economic hardship on an immigrant family in the early 1900s. That is all it is faithfully accountable for. This story is a downright attack on capitalism that the seed tries to conceal screwing a fictional story of a sympathy deriving family of Lithuanian Immigrants (A Review of The Jungle, 2007).Sinclairs attacks on the United States economic and governmental transcription immediately point out the antecedent side of his personality, and from at that place the doubt that his ideas and story are not radical in and of themselves as well begins to grow. It is with this part of his composing that Sinclair loses his rhetoric flair and ability to provoke quality expose journalism. In hallow for me to be able to in effect pardon how both extravagant Food kingdom and The Jungleare poor examples of divulge journalism, I must(prenominal) first enligh ten you with the definition of the developed term break.According to Websters impudent-sp run forg(prenominal) World College Dictionary 2009, muckraking is clear-cut for and publicizing, as in newspapers, either real or alleged corruption by public officials, business executives, or some otherwise important persons (Muckraking Definition, YourDictionary. com). Muckraking journalism is therefore defined as the literature that displays these corruptions of society, whether effectively or not. The role of journalism in a democratic society is to extend the truth, with minimal harm, and no outside interest. It should alike be held accountable to its readers. Journalists are not filling this role by reportage half-truths that send people into a anic, wish Fast Food Nation and however The Jungle. Starting with Fast Food Nation, I found by researching that many a(prenominal) another(prenominal) promulgated hold in reviews had at least unrivaled major commonality the book c overs alike many divers(prenominal) aspects of the turbulent viands indus turn up that it came to a point where there were too many things to comprehend and go incompetent all at once season reading. Thats not even e precisething he talked virtually either Throw in a p permithora of statistics and facts, and you have any(prenominal) highschoolly confused readers In his work, Schlosser writes, This is a book about fast pabulum, the value it embodies, and the world it has made. However, it is much much than that. It is everything that anybody could ever imagine that somehow, in some fabulously slight mood, has to do with fast food. Eric Schlosser tries to colleague everything from armed robbery to semipolitical bombings to the broadcast of a particular strain of Escherichia Coli, all with fast food companies. Schlosser discusses how and why the industry developed, current labor practices in fast food establishments, how the taste of food fuel now be manipulated, fede ral regulations (and wishing thereof), television and school advertising, health issues, and the dispel of fast food abroad. This book is sprucely disguised as universe about fast food. It is not about fast food. It is about how evil conservatives are and how capitalism is the cause of all that is bad in America. It is about how armed robbery has drastically increased. Fast food that happens to be mentioned quite a bit. The author eer inserts little comments here and there that try to make even very caputable topics out to be unequivocally bad things. In my opinion, this book should come with a warning label and include a free copy of The Communist manifesto (Jayson D. sportsmanlike, Socialist Propaganda in Fast Food). Jayson D. Whites perspective here describes what many others were dictum as well, telling of how Schlosser disgorges far-off and wide, devoting chapters to various aspects of the industry and then referencing other random aspects in unrelated chapters. The y do not all fit neatly together, and even the jumbled picture is a frightening one. Schlosser closes Fast Food Nationby secernateing that you lot still have it your way and that consumers have the choice to just say no to fast food.His hope is plain that, armed with the in buildation he provides, consumers willing make the obvious choice and run as fast as they brush off from any and every fast food joint. Unfortunately, he never really addresses the question of why consumers would (and so often do) favour to purchase the products of these establishments in the first place. He never mentions the opposing argument to his own personal viewpoint, and his credibility drops with that lack of information. Instead, Schlosser inputs more(prenominal) and more seemingly random statistics to show his own views have support behind them, when in all reality, they dont at all.Schlosser was determined to make a point, and he does so with the uncontrollable inhale to exaggerate details, add in suppositious facts and numbers, and altogether disregard the opposing viewpoint, something which is of high importance in a persuasive and informative rear of muckraking literature. This shows how Schlossers Fast Food Nation is a poor example to use when describing muckraking journalism. Now we can move on to The Jungle and the different viewpoints that have been written regarding the books contents and set-up.From the muckraking standpoint, the way Sinclair writes his fictional story is really quite interesting and as a result a lot more persuasive and believable than Schlossers book which is only jam packed with statistics. The following quote is one that I sense of nip really stands out strong from the book in regards to how imaginative and mind-painted creation Sinclairs writing is as a whole. . The Jungle, on the other hand, is written directly form Sinclairs personal experience of being in Packingtown for even just a week, and he already was able to smell the horrify ing scent, even taste the horrible scentSinclairs use of figurative language really appeals to the reader, and that strengthens the readers opinion to side with the author. Elzbieta sees how the sausage is doctored when she whole kit and boodle filling casings in the sausage room. She sees how any random mix of animal part is ground into sausage. Anything that is spoiled is simply colored with chemicals like borax and packaged for sale. In addition, she watches as leftovers that have fallen on the ball over of the room are scooped up, along with groundless rats and other filth, and put into the grinding mechanism for sausage (_The Jungle_ Upton Sinclair, Chapter 7).Not only does this quote give the reader a very nice detailed image to let them think over in the rear of their minds, it also gets its point across, which is that the meatpacking plants use absolutely anything in their batches of sausages that end up being sold at the tiptop market. As a result, this is a great m uckraking example included in the book. Upon reading The Jungle and various tiny analyses, I would say that the apologue is in reality quite nice in its general appeal to me as a reader.With this novel, being of journalistic muckraking character, I was amazingly persuaded for the most part with what Upton Sinclair was telling me. . In addition, unlike Fast Food Nation, I snarl like the pieces of information and statistics in The Junglewere relevant to the current topic at hand in the novel, rather than just being thrown at the reader in hopes of persuading them that this statistic pertains to the aspect being discussed. wish many of these reviews, I too flavor that The Jungle is not perfect however, I do agree with many critics that the manner in which the story was written was quite appealing.I was particularly attracted to and persuaded with the story line and its continuous rising and falling actions that were change with suspense, to the point where I actually treasured to read each and every close page so that I could call back out what would happenAs a reader, I mat up highly pressured to rely what was being told to me opus I read Eric Schlossers piece of literature, and that if I dont believe his words then I would be assisting in and attributing towards the awful-sounding statistics that were abundant in Fast Food Nation.While reading Sinclairs novel, on the other hand, I felt relatively at ease in making my own decision, knowing that there were facts and stories laying out there for me to drudge and believe if I so chose. As a result, I was more say to believe Sinclairs words than the legion(predicate) statistics and facts trying to be shoved down my throat by Schlosser. Another aspect of The Jungle that helped capture my overall opinion, and presumably many other readers as well, was that of the emotional appendix with the portrayed characters and the events they were going through.Sinclair did an excellent handicraft at creating a real life experience for the reader, as if they were the Jurgis in the book, creating explicit emotional reactions to the horrible reality of the meatpacking industry, which in turn establishes his pathos. However, like Schlosser, Sinclairs downfall was his inclusion of personal political and economic system goals.Upton Sinclairs sudden stray from the story and straightforward praise of collectivism at the end of the novel reveals his minute opinion of the economy of the United States and labels him as a radical believer in socialism, just like that of Schlosser in Fast Food Nation. Sinclairs book also hinders the readers knowledge of socialism because it does not reveal its proscribe effects. socialism puts complete control of the economy in the hands of the government.It places a barrier on production and decreases the influence to create new products. Socialism is a less grueling definition for an economy that supports communism. While Upton Sinclair wrote this novel to f ind righteousness and benefit the American people he fails to foresee the negative effects of his ideas. Sinclairs novel makes it evident that many immigrants and workingmen unjustifiably suffered under capitalism, but an economy influenced by his views would not necessarily be better. (Associated Content, 2007).By hiding the other sides opposition, just like what Schlosser did in Fast Food Nation, author Upton Sinclair hushes his audiences questions by not answering them whatsoever. As you can see, although each author wrote with a different style, the authors were still not nearly as effective muckraking journalism examples as they would have been. Bibliography Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser The Jungle by Upton Sinclair http//www. yourdictionary. com/muckraking http//www. amazon. com/Fast-Food-Nation-Eric-Schlosser/product-reviews/0395977894/ref=cm_cr_pr_hist_1? e=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&filterBy=addOneStar http//www. complete-review. com/reviews/food/schlosse. htm http//www. amazon. com/Fast-Food-Nation-Eric-Schlosser/product-reviews/0395977894/ref=cm_cr_pr_link_next_5? ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&filterBy=addOneStar&pageNumber=5 http//www. bookrags. com/notes/jun/TOP1. htm http//www. enotes. com/history/q-and-a/how-did-muckraking-journalism-change-u-s-44633 http//mandatorychaos. blogspot. com/2007/11/role-of-journalism-in-democracy. html