Neuropsychological Testing Essay example -- Health, Diseases, Brain Im

Neuropsychological testing is used to assess and diagnosis brain impairments, such as a head injury, dementia, or Alzheimer’s (Gregory, 1999). Purposes of neuropsychological assessments include determining if the problem is physiological (e.g., brain damage or lesion), the nature of the dysfunction (e.g., location or type), and cognitive deficits caused by the problem (Class Notes VIII). For example, following a brain injury, a neurological battery of tests may be given in order to assess the individual to see if there has been any change in cognitive functioning. Results from neurological assessments can provide information on the individual’s current mental capacities, which allows for the development of a specific diagnosis and an individualized treatment plan (Gregory, 1999). Additionally, these tests help document the effects of a progressive illness (i.e., Alzheimer’s) or can confirm the individual’s recovery (Gregory, 1999). Furthermore, if suspici on or referral questions about cognitive functioning are presented, then screening tests are often given beforehand to assess whether or not a neurological test battery or flexible battery is required. These screening tests are shorter versions that are easier to administer and interpret than the long intensive neurological test batteries (Gregory, 1999). A neuropsychological battery of assessments examines areas that are sensitive to brain trauma or disorders, such as intelligence, memory, language, visuospatial and motor abilities, and frontal lobe functioning. The WAIS is specifically useful to neuropsychological testing because it can be used to examine these same areas. The intelligence aspect is generally measured by a standard intelligence test like the WAIS-III or WAIS-I... ...r-level concept formation. Furthermore, reading ability on the WAIS-III can predict the score on the Wechsler Test of Adult Reading (WRAT). Some problems with using this approach is that reading is dependent on education and verbal abilities and brain damage can cause problems with reading ability (e.g., aphasias), so another test would have to be administered in the neuropsychological evaluation (Schoenberg et al., 2002). Overall, the WAIS can be a useful tool to include in a neuropsychological battery. It can help estimate a person’s premorbid IQ and some of the individual subtests can provide insight into the section of the brain that may be dysfunctional. However, the WAIS may also be a difficult test to use to estimate cognitive decline, because there are so many tasks involved in the WAIS tasks that it is hard to separate out what they real problem may be.

Education in Kazakhstan Essay

1.Before going to school, children attend kindergartens until they are six or seven. 2.Compulsory education begins in our country at the age of seven, when children go to primary school. 3.The secondary stage begins from the 5th form when children start studying a lot of new subjects, such as Literature, History, Natural Sci ¬ences and others. 4.Examinations are taken at the end of the 9-th and the 11-th forms. 5.Some children may leave school after the 9-th form and continue their education at vocational or technical schools or colleges. 6.Besides secondary schools there are other types of schools in Ka ¬zakhstan. There are specialized secondary schools with intensive study of a certain subject, for example Foreign Languages, Literature, Physics and others. 7.There are also specialized art, music, ballet and sport schools for gifted children and special schools for handicapped children. 8.Secondary education in our country is free of charge. Among secondary schools there are gymnasiums, colleges and lyceums most of them are private. 9.There are institutes, schools of higher education, universities and academies among higher educational institutions. 10.In 1992 Kazakhstan system of higher education adopted the western model – a 4 years course of studies with getting the Bachelor degree after graduation and a 2 years course of study with getting the Master’s degree after graduation. 11.In order to enter a higher educational institution young people have to take an entrance examination. Only those who successfully pass entrance testing are admitted free of charge. In other cases education is given on the commercial basis.

Invisible Man Character Analysis

Character Analysis of Griffin H. G. Wells character Griffin in The Invisible man is a private person who displays his arrogance and selfishness throughout his speech, actions, and interaction with others. Griffin is a character of few words although still conveying a bold personality throughout his actions we learn about his selfish, arrogant mentality. As the quote goes â€Å"actions speak louder than words†. The persona of Griffin proves this right. Through his actions The Invisible Man’s being is revealed and ripped apart to show his selfish, arrogant personality.The very first action that sets the entire tone for this novel is the act of Griffin turning himself invisible. Griffin’s studies in this field were not very advanced up to this point. He had done some experiments on inanimate objects and even animals but never to a human. At first Griffin thinks of being invisible as being super human which he states â€Å"To do such a thing would be to transcend ma gic. And I beheld, unclouded by doubt, a magnificent vision of all that invisibility might mean to a man, -the mystery, the power, the freedom.Drawbacks I saw none. You have only to think! And I, a shabby, poverty-struck, hemmed-in demonstrator, teaching fools in a provincial college, might suddenly become-this. † Griffin, the Invisible Man never thought of the downfall that comes with the glory of experimenting on himself. Throughout the entire story Griffin is living with his mistake becoming a superficial human and doing whatever gets his personal gain. Experimenting without further studies shows Griffin’s risk taking personality of wanting the reward before the work.As The Invisible Man enters the story he is settling down in the Inn owned by Mr. and Mrs. Hall after arriving Griffin soon realizes that he left his entire life’s work in the downward part of Iping several hours away. Instead of Griffin doing this on his own he directly reveals himself to Mr. Mar vel threatening him to retrieve his work. Griffin having no connection with Mr. Marvel and really no boundary of trust other than his black mail of killing him displays his risky, hungry for power mentality perfectly.Actions may speak louder than words but dialect will always still display the integrity of a character as done perfectly with short and to the point sentences done by H. G. Wells. Griffin’s dialect is direct and arrogant added with the mastery of subtle speech his character comes to life displaying his selfish, arrogant attitude. Right from the starting chapter you get a taste of Griffins arrogant and selfish attitude. Griffin in need of a room in Mr. and Mrs.Hall’s inn without prior relations demands a room free of charge, with his attire and attitude Griffin seems dangerous to which the inn keepers agree to his command. The way he is so straight forward in his own ways to provide shelter for himself display his thoughts of others as very cut throat. Thro ughout this tale Griffin never shows the human emotion of empathy or understanding for anyone but himself. It is apparent that he understands these emotions by artificially displaying them for personal gain.Kemp, an associate of Griffin during his early years before he turned himself invisible comes in towards the story while Griffin shows he really doesn’t want anything from Kent but help on turning himself back he tells him â€Å"Alone, there is so little I can do, but with a confederate, a thousand things are possible. † This quote displays that Griffin understands how to get to people and use them for the time being to only better his life, showing his selfishness. Griffin’s speech is a display of his personality but his treatment of other characters also displays his arrogance and selfishness.Griffin’s indirect but private sociable skills with others delve into his character and display just how arrogant and selfish he is. Griffin’s ability to keep his relationship with others is always ruined by him leading to hatred from many people during the story and show casing his selfishness. For example Griffin’s colleague Kemp throughout his college years was his best friend who throughout the years could read Griffin like a book revealing his greediness even before his experiment of turning invisible. Griffin seems to not even acknowledge his own ways in which is common for these two traits.In the first chapter you can already form an opinion of Griffin as he walks into the Inn demanding a room and throughout his entire stay he is rude, demanding and extremely selfish towards the well beings of others staying up making a ruckus, using vulgar language and being confrontational about his own disturbances give an image of Griffin being arrogant. Griffin treats others as unequal through his extreme selfishness and arrogance his character forms. H. G. Wells character Griffin in The Invisible man is a private person who displ ays his arrogance and selfishness throughout his speech, actions, and interaction with others Invisible Man Character Analysis Character Analysis of Griffin H. G. Wells character Griffin in The Invisible man is a private person who displays his arrogance and selfishness throughout his speech, actions, and interaction with others. Griffin is a character of few words although still conveying a bold personality throughout his actions we learn about his selfish, arrogant mentality. As the quote goes â€Å"actions speak louder than words†. The persona of Griffin proves this right. Through his actions The Invisible Man’s being is revealed and ripped apart to show his selfish, arrogant personality.The very first action that sets the entire tone for this novel is the act of Griffin turning himself invisible. Griffin’s studies in this field were not very advanced up to this point. He had done some experiments on inanimate objects and even animals but never to a human. At first Griffin thinks of being invisible as being super human which he states â€Å"To do such a thing would be to transcend ma gic. And I beheld, unclouded by doubt, a magnificent vision of all that invisibility might mean to a man, -the mystery, the power, the freedom.Drawbacks I saw none. You have only to think! And I, a shabby, poverty-struck, hemmed-in demonstrator, teaching fools in a provincial college, might suddenly become-this. † Griffin, the Invisible Man never thought of the downfall that comes with the glory of experimenting on himself. Throughout the entire story Griffin is living with his mistake becoming a superficial human and doing whatever gets his personal gain. Experimenting without further studies shows Griffin’s risk taking personality of wanting the reward before the work.As The Invisible Man enters the story he is settling down in the Inn owned by Mr. and Mrs. Hall after arriving Griffin soon realizes that he left his entire life’s work in the downward part of Iping several hours away. Instead of Griffin doing this on his own he directly reveals himself to Mr. Mar vel threatening him to retrieve his work. Griffin having no connection with Mr. Marvel and really no boundary of trust other than his black mail of killing him displays his risky, hungry for power mentality perfectly.Actions may speak louder than words but dialect will always still display the integrity of a character as done perfectly with short and to the point sentences done by H. G. Wells. Griffin’s dialect is direct and arrogant added with the mastery of subtle speech his character comes to life displaying his selfish, arrogant attitude. Right from the starting chapter you get a taste of Griffins arrogant and selfish attitude. Griffin in need of a room in Mr. and Mrs.Hall’s inn without prior relations demands a room free of charge, with his attire and attitude Griffin seems dangerous to which the inn keepers agree to his command. The way he is so straight forward in his own ways to provide shelter for himself display his thoughts of others as very cut throat. Thro ughout this tale Griffin never shows the human emotion of empathy or understanding for anyone but himself. It is apparent that he understands these emotions by artificially displaying them for personal gain.Kemp, an associate of Griffin during his early years before he turned himself invisible comes in towards the story while Griffin shows he really doesn’t want anything from Kent but help on turning himself back he tells him â€Å"Alone, there is so little I can do, but with a confederate, a thousand things are possible. † This quote displays that Griffin understands how to get to people and use them for the time being to only better his life, showing his selfishness. Griffin’s speech is a display of his personality but his treatment of other characters also displays his arrogance and selfishness.Griffin’s indirect but private sociable skills with others delve into his character and display just how arrogant and selfish he is. Griffin’s ability to keep his relationship with others is always ruined by him leading to hatred from many people during the story and show casing his selfishness. For example Griffin’s colleague Kemp throughout his college years was his best friend who throughout the years could read Griffin like a book revealing his greediness even before his experiment of turning invisible. Griffin seems to not even acknowledge his own ways in which is common for these two traits.In the first chapter you can already form an opinion of Griffin as he walks into the Inn demanding a room and throughout his entire stay he is rude, demanding and extremely selfish towards the well beings of others staying up making a ruckus, using vulgar language and being confrontational about his own disturbances give an image of Griffin being arrogant. Griffin treats others as unequal through his extreme selfishness and arrogance his character forms. H. G. Wells character Griffin in The Invisible man is a private person who displ ays his arrogance and selfishness throughout his speech, actions, and interaction with others

Mas-Cadel Specialty Bicycle

Cadel Specialty Bicycle Management Accounting Systems ACCT2195 Name: Nguyen Thai Son ID: S3296794 Lecturer: Keshav Dayalani Table of Contents Executive Summary3 Introduction4 I. Cadel Specialty Bicycles’ (CSB)5 A. Business mission5 B. Mean of competitive advantage6 C. Key Success Factors (KSFs)8 II. Management Accounting System of CSB9 ?Personnel9 ?Scare resources10 ?Activities11 III. Performance measurement & Reward System (PMRS) and its roles11 1. The factors to be measured12 2. A specific performance target12 . A reward attached to the performance target12 IV. Limitations of current PMRS14 A. Limitation14 B. Dysfunctional behavior15 V. Recommendation for new PMRS16 Conclusion17 References18 Appendix20 Executive Summary Cadel Specialty Bicycle (CSB) is a successful business of which nature is made-to-order bicycles. In other words, each bicycle of CSB is assembled in accordance with customer’s specification. The business aims to target on the niche market in which alm ost people are committed cycling enthusiast.Due the success of the first store located in Doncaster, Victoria, Australia, CSB has recently expand its business by opening two new stores located in Geelong & Black Rock and each store has different potential in the track of development . However, CSB has faced problems of personnel & resources management because the business had not applied the suitable strategies within the expansion. Although, the company plans to implement a new management accounting system (MAS) to deal with these problems, there still are weaknesses contained in the new MAS.Hence, the purposes of this report are analyzing the current system and suggesting new suitable MAS for the business. The first demonstration of the report is Background & Current position of CSB, which is used as a foundation for developing suitable MAS. The business mission of CSB, classified as â€Å"Question mark†, is building as well as increasing the market share. CSB creates its c ompetitive advantage based on the differentiation of product/service and the niche market. However, CSB has not reached the Cost-cum-Differentiation advantage yet.CSB may focus on the five key success factors (KSFs) including Proper decentralization & measurement of manager’s performance, Good relationship with suppliers, Establishing appropriate costing system & minimizing cost, Maintaining the highest level of customer satisfaction and Product & Service Quality The second part of the report focus on evaluating the role as well as benefits of tools/techniques of current MAS in supporting the business in term of of personnel, scare resources and activities.Next, the role of Performance measurement & Reward system (PMRS) within the business is clearly analyzed in relation to directional & motivational influences on behavior. The report also states the limitations of the current PMRS which potentially leads to dysfunction behaviors. Finally, the report will suggest the suitable PMRS for the business which may effectively & efficiently support CSB in the track of its success. Introduction One of the most essential factors which guide organizations and businesses toward success is management accounting system (MAS).It is always a smart decision for business to apply integrated MAS which provides accurate analysis report by gathering financial data from operations (sales, inventory & cost). As a result of having MAS, business gains sufficient advantages in streamlining operations procedures, reducing costs and building capital for expansion. Refer to the case of Cadel Specialty Bicycle (CSB), the business mainly focus on selling made-to-order bicycles and guaranteeing the product/service quality.After the expansion (two new stores), the business seems to get into trouble with management as well as operation. This report will demonstrate the business analysis, evaluate the current MAS as well as suggest new potential/appropriate MAS. I. Cadel Specialty Bicycl es’ (CSB) A. Business mission Business mission, â€Å"which usually reveals purpose of operation, value and priorities of company† (John&Richard 2009), can be considered as a fundamental factor in conducting appropriate MAS for the business.The following criteria will clearly illustrate the current mission of CSB (build, hold, harvest, divest): * Importance of externalities One factor that significantly contributes to the potential development of CSB is the external environment. Recently, bike paths have become popular around Melbourne as people tend to reduce using cars. Therefore, there has been a significant growth in the market for bicycles. Utilizing the bike paths, CSB opened two new stores (Black Rock & Geelong) which seem to have great potential for development. * Market share expectationDue to the well establishment, Doncaster store (touring bikes) is highly demanded by customers that provide the store many opportunities to develop. Besides, Geelong store (mou ntain & touring bikes) also has great potential thanks to its advantageous location although the demand is not yet as high as at the Doncaster store. As a result of having great potential, the Market share expectations of the two stores seem to be high. Although CSB does not own a large part of the bicycle market at the moment, the business has a substantial growth rate.Base on facts of the case, â€Å"CSB aim to capture a significant proportion of this growth in the future†. Boston Consulting Group Model Relative Market Share (cash source) Mission = Hold Mission = Harvest Mission = Build â€Å"Dog† Mission = Divest High High Low Low â€Å"Star† â€Å"Question mark† â€Å"Cash cow† Market growth rate (cash user) Overall, CSB has high Market growth rate while owning low market share. Hence, the business can be classified in to â€Å"Question mark† and the business mission of CSB is building as well as increasing the market share. B. Mean of c ompetitive advantageCompetitive advantage is a special characteristic that a business has over its competitors, enabling the business to gain greater sales or profit within the competition. The two common competitive advantage options, which have been applied by CSB, are Differentiation & Niche market. * Differentiation: CSB differentiates its products & services based on certain criteria which are Function & Customer service. * Function Unlike normal bicycle business, CSB primarily applies the made-to-order function for all three stores which assemble customized bicycles based on customer specifications.In order to ensure the timing & success of this approach, a large inventory of different bicycle parts is held by each CSB stores. * Customer service CSB puts much effort on the operating customer service as well as interacting with customers. Cadel- CSB owner spends significant time in taking care of store’s day-to-day operations and often engages directly with customers to make sure that customers can purchase desirable bikes. CSB also sets a limit for the waiting time (time for customized bicycles to be available) which are less than two days of the initial consultation.The applied post-sale service is calling the customer after a week of taking possession of CSB’s products to ensure the customer’s satisfaction, and offering free-of-charge changes if necessary. Additionally, free lifetime after-sales service is also offered in which customers only have to pay for parts required. * Niche Market CSB targets on specific segment of market which is cycling enthusiast through the offer of customized bicycles. This customer group willing to spend more for qualified & desirable product Business competitive advantage Relative Cost Position Cost-cum-Differentiation Advantage Stuck-in-the -middle† Differentiation Advantage Low-cost-Advantage Superior Inferior Inferior Superior Relative Differentiation Position Although CSB gains moderate dif ferentiation advantage, the business did not consider much about the costing system (estimating price without real cost data). Therefore, CSB has not reached the Cost-cum-Differentiation advantage yet. C. Key Success Factors (KSFs) In order to construct appropriate & efficient MAS, business may consider the essence of critical KSFs which determine its success (cost and efficiency, quality, time, innovation).Gaining sufficient knowledge of KSFs will support the business to define the necessity of promoting strengths and competencies that match those factors in order to gain competitive advantage and achieve the business success (Jorge&Donald 1989). Refer to CSB- a growing business with great potential, certain KSFs would be as the following: * Product & Service Quality Cadel spends considerable time in training the store manager and often personally assembles & checks the customized bicycles to ensure the Service & Product quality.As a result, CSB is currently well known as a busines s providing high quality, customized bicycle. * Maintaining the highest level of customer satisfaction Giving customers more than they expect is the basic concept of this issue. As Cadel believe that specialized customer service is a KSF of CSB, he put many efforts in maintaining the customer satisfaction such as calling the customer after a week of possession, offering free lifetime after-sales service & limiting the waiting time (2days). Establishing appropriate costing system & minimizing cost A weakness of CSB is that the business operates without real cost data. Hence, establishing suitable costing system has become a fundamental mission in the track of reaching success. Besides, CSB has to consider cost minimization to achieve Cost-cum-Differentiation advantage. * Good relationship with suppliers Since the expansion, the demand for supplies of CSB has increased due to the requirement of more inventories for the two new stores. Therefore, finding and maintaining good relationsh ip with suppliers is also essential. Proper decentralization & measurement of managers performance It is essential that Cadel distributes the authority to store managers properly because the business structure has become more complicated since the expansion and Cadel cannot play all roles of the business. II. Management Accounting System of CSB In order to solve the problems arisen from the expansion, Cadel’s brother has suggested Cadel to develop a MAS which significantly supports the business management in term of personnel, scare resources and activities. The following analysis will demonstrate the roles & benefits of each tool included in the MAS: Personnel * Supplier performance measures (SPM) SPM is a critical initiative for business dealing with multiple suppliers. The main role of SPM is integrating supplier quality which helps the business have accurate visibility toward supplier delivery and avoid hidden cost drivers from poor quality. As a result, SPM directly decr eases business risks and revenue losses Besides, SPM is a vital tool for motivating improvement and ensuring that products meet the required standards. SPM also supports in determining good suppliers so that CSB can maintain relationship with those suppliers.Related KSFs: Product quality; Good relation with supplier * Responsibility accounting system (RAS) RAS is used as an internal system which improves cost control and business’s performance. Its main role is ensuring the responsibility of individual managers toward elements of business performance in which they gain control. In RA, each store/department will be assigned certain stated goals and relevant managers will be judged on how well they meet the goals. As a result, CSB is able to detect the weak areas within the business and make correction properly Related KSF: Proper decentralization & measurement of managers performance Scare resources * Net Present Value (NPV) analyses NPV is an efficient method used in determin ing capital investment decisions. A potential project should be proceeded if its NPV value is positive unless there is a superior investment option offered. NPV allows CSB to make proper investment decision and invest in worthwhile projects because NPV does not only calculate the net cash flow from the project but also considers various associated factors like time value of money, opportunity cost & risk of prospective cash. Related KSFs: Minimizing cost Costing system The main role Costing system within MAs is collecting, analyzing & reporting the cost data that enables the owner and managers to monitor cost for reducing wastage and misuse of resources. Within the operation of business, it is easy to identify direct costs which associate with particular activities. However, indirect costs are those incurred in common or joint objectives so it cannot be clearly identified with particular activities. In order to assign indirect cost to projects accurately, Activity base costing syste m (ABCS) should be applied.ABCS is an efficient method which calculates and reduces operating the cost by finding key activities and its cost drivers. Consequently, the cost can be assigned accurately and the costing system can operate smoothly. Overall, costing system enables CSB to view all expenditures and manage its cost effectively Related KSFs: Establishing appropriate costing system & minimizing cost * Budget preparation The core role of Budget within CSB is tracking all of the money coming into the business along with all of the money going out.The budget can be designed to be detailed enough to cover numerous streams of income & expense. Establishing proper budget can significantly support the business in planning the use of resources, motivating individuals to achieve performance & supporting forecast. * Activities * Inventory management system – Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) The main role EOQ model is providing the most economical quantity of items which CSB should order to maximize value & minimize costs when re-stocking inventory.Applying EOQ does not only help the business to reduce Storage & Holding cost but also support in maintaining sufficient inventory levels to meet customer demand. It seems that customer service can be improved as inventory is available when needed. Related KSFs: Establishing appropriate costing system & minimizing cost; Maintaining the highest level of customer satisfaction * Profit and loss statements (P&L) P&L is one of the major financial statements which clearly demonstrate the profitability (revenue, expenses and profit) of the CSB during a specified time interval.Hence, the basic role of P&L is indicating whether the business is profitable or not. Conducting a proper P&L can enable CSB to notice the areas needing improvement and provide an overall idea of how much the business owes compared to how much it owns. Besides, a truthful P&L report can also support CSB in planning ahead to the next financial period. III. Performance measurement & Reward System (PMRS) and its roles Performance measurement is a process of gathering & reporting nformation regarding the performance of the business & individuals. To be effective, Performance measurement must be combined with Reward system and the rewards provided are based on performance. The overall role of PMRS is to periodically monitor performance to judge how well the business is running and motivate the personnel’s performance by Reward system. Both performance measure and rewards provide directional and motivational influence on behavior. However, each element of PMRS has its own roles which complement the system.PMRS contains three elements: 1. The factors to be measured| The first element clearly demonstrates the factors which will be measured in order to communicate important aspects of the business toward employees. Thanks to that, employees are able to concentrate their work into informed aspects/areas| * â€Å"Directional influ ence on behaviour† is mainly fulfilled by the roles of the first 2 elements (Measured factors & Performance target). Within this method, employees are directed to achieve the desired behaviours. | 2.A specific performance target| The main mission of the second element is narrowing the targeted aspects into specific tasks/activities so that employees can focus, put effort and accomplish these tasks. Besides, the provided criteria in the system is also a base for owner/manager to provide feedback to improve future performances| | 3. A reward attached to the performance target| The Reward system is based on the concept of attracting, retaining and motivating people. As employees can be motivated by intrinsic (e. g. elf esteem) and extrinsic rewards (e. g. bonus), monetary reward is not the only important component of the Reward system. There are other factors which also efficiently encourage employees in improving performance. Based on Theoretical Framework (Khan KU, Farooq SU & Ullah MI, 2010), there are generally four main independent variables of reward which are payment, promotion, recognition and benefits. Promotion seems to be the most efficient motivation as almost people tend to have ambitiousness of getting better positions in the business/company.Moreover, different reward strategies would have a different motivational impact on diverse people. By providing attractive incentives, Reward system encourages individuals to actually undertake the tasks with intensive willing. According to Khan KU, Farooq SU & Ullah MI, 2010, â€Å"there is a statistical significant relationship between all of the independent variables of reward with dependent variable employee work motivation, all the independent variables of reward have a positive influence on employee work motivation†.Overall, Reward system plays role as a way of having people work harder. | * â€Å"Motivational influence on behaviour†, meaning individuals are motivated to intentionally acquire the desired behaviours, is mainly achieved by the role of the third element which is Reward system. | In this case, CSB applies reward strategy in term of â€Å"bonus† providing to each store manager up to 20% of their quarterly income * Meeting sales budget * Bonus of 2% of manager’s quarterly income if they meet the sales budget for each quarter. * Meeting profit budget Bonus of 10% of manager’s quarterly income if they meet the profit budget, prepared at the start of each quarter * Achieving favourable cost variances: * Bonus of 4% of manager’s quarterly income if all favourable variances are less than 10% of the initial budgeted cost; * Bonus of 8% of manager’s quarterly income if all favourable variances are 10% or more of the initial budgeted cost. * Directional influence supports individuals in focusing on the targeted areas and tasks. Besides, Motivational influence helps employees to do the work voluntarily and put much effort to successfully accomplish it.Moreover, Motivational influence is almost always less intrusive than Directional influence. As a result, the business’s personnel cannot be well managed without the combine of Directional influence & Motivational influence. IV. Limitations of current PMRS A. Limitation B. Dysfunctional behavior * Dysfunctional behavior means that individuals within the organization/business do not function properly in accordance with the organization’s direction. Dysfunctional employee behaviors often occur due to the rapaciousness of individuals or conflict between employee’s interest and the organization’s interest.The general purpose of Dysfunctional employee behaviors is gaining benefits (either for personal or department) from organization’s gaps. * In this case, as a result of lack of measurement in input and process stage, managers have opportunities to engage in Dysfunctional behavior. It can be explained by the following situati on: * If there is no mechanism for monitoring the consistency between input and output, managers may provide â€Å"unreliable report† which shows that they have reached the performance target and deserve rewards. Lack of input measurement also leads to the problem that managers purchase low quality material to reduce operation’s costs in order to reach the defined cost target. Consequently, it’s very difficult to discover such Dysfunctional behaviors without proper measurement. V. Recommendation for new PMRS Besides the Performance measure, several common Reward strategies are also suggested below: Conclusion As MAS is essential for business’s operation, CSB cannot successfully expand its business without proper MAS. However, the new MAS, which CSB has planned to implement, still has several weaknesses.Therefore, the main purposes of this report are evaluating the current position (Business mission, Competitive advantage & KSFs) and current MAS (including PMRS). The report also suggests the potential PMRS for the business. References ‘Competitive Advantage’, 2012, Investopedia US, viewed 28 July 2012, . Daniel, H, 2011, ‘Benefits of NPV’, BenefitOf, 27 July, viewed 28 July 2012, .John, AP II & Richard, BR 2009, ‘Strategic management: Formulation, Implementation, and Control’, 11thedn. , McGraw Hill, Singapore. Jorge, AS & Donald, CH 1989, ‘Key success factors: Test of a general theory in the mature industrial –product sector’, Strategic Management Journal, vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 367-382. Khan, KU, Farooq, SU & Ullah, MI, 2010, ‘The Relationship between Rewards and Employee’, Research Journal of Internat? onal Stud? es, May, Issue 14, pp. 37-42. Kumar, V, 2011, ‘Costing System', Accounting Education, 14 February, viewed 27 July 2012, ;http://www. vtuition. org/2011/02/costing-system. html;. Meer, NVD, 2010, ‘The Importance of Competitive Advantageâ€℠¢, Market views, 12 September, viewed 28 July 2012, ;http://www. sharenet. co. za/marketviews/mv_view_article. php? id=1650;. Morris, K, 2012, ‘What is A Management Accounting System’, eHow Money, viewed 28 July 2012, ;http://www. ehow. com/facts_5460765_management-accounting-system. html;. ‘Motivational Influences on Attendance in Your Organization’, 2011, HR BLR, 1 January, viewed 27 July 2012, ;http://hr. blr. om/HR-news/Performance-Termination/Attendance/Motivational-Influences-on-Attendance-in-Your-Orga/;. Piasecki, D, 2012, ‘Optimizing economic order quantity (EOQ)’, Inventoryops, viewed 27 July 2012, ;http://www. inventoryops. com/economic_order_quantity. htm;. Reyna, SM, 2012, ‘Key Success Factors of Your Small Business’, Power Home Biz, viewed 27 July 2012, ;http://www. powerhomebiz. com/vol95/key. htm;. ‘Supplier Performance Management’, 2012, Metric Stream, viewed 28 July 2012, ;http://www. metricstream. com /solutions/supplier_performance. tm;. The university of Texas, 2012, ‘Performance Reward’, tmc. edu, viewed 27 July 2012, ;http://hr. uth. tmc. edu/Training_Development/perplan/reward. html;. ‘Value Measurement’, 2004, Performance measurement, viewed 27 July 2012, ;http://www. performance-measurement. net/news-detail. asp? nID=28;. ‘What is a Costing System’, 2012, Wise Geek, viewed 28 July 2012, ;http://www. wisegeek. com/what-is-a-costing-system. htm;. ‘What Is Responsibility Accounting’, 2012, Wise Geek, viewed 28 July 2012, ;http://www. wisegeek. om/what-is-responsibility-accounting. htm;. Appendix * Porter’s Five Forces model for supporting an analysis of external environment Threats of New Entrants Bargaining Power of Suppliers Bargaining Power of Customers Rivalry among Industry Competitors * Porter’s value chain analysis for supporting an analysis of internal environment Design Production Marketing Distributio n Support Activities: Finance, HR, Legal, IT Motivational influences A number of important motivational influences playing a strong role in encouraging employee include: * Job scope.Improving or enriching the nature of a job substantially reduces absenteeism. * Stress and conflict. Levels of absenteeism are higher in situations of job stress, anxiety, tension, and lack of role clarity. * Leadership style. Your leadership style affects attitudes that affect absenteeism. * Co-worker relations. Mutual tolerance and the absence of tensions among co-workers have a positive effect on attendance. * Pressures to attend. The economy and job shortages will influence a person to be more conscientious about job attendance. * Work group norms.When members of a highly cohesive group view coming to work to help co-workers as a desirable work ethic, job attendance is attractive. * Personal work ethic. A high regard for work as a personal value positively affects job attendance. * Organizational com mitment. Compatibility with the mission, goals, and values of the organization has a positive impact on attendance. You can affect most of these motivational factors significantly by the way you manage your department and supervise your employees. By encouraging open communications, by making employees feel needed and appreciated, by making their jobs as

The Heckscher-Ohlin Model

1. The Heckscher-Ohlin model The Heckscher-Ohlin model is a mathematical model of the international trade and its balance. It is established upon the theory of David Ricardo for the competitive advantage and it strives to predict the arrangements of the international trade and production, which are based on the capacity of a given country to trade. Its essence consist in the statement that the countries that produce, will be exporting the goods, which manufacturing use their plentful and cost-competitive factors and will import goods that use the scarce factors of the country. Here we are talking about the factors of production, which are the land, labour and capital. Their abundance or their lack defines in which products the country has a competitive advantage. Meaning that they have advantage for producing those goods, for which the necessary factors and inputs are abundant in the country, therefore it is cheaper to produce them locally and export them instead of importing them. We can give the example of country like Belgium – here the labor and the land factors are not abundant, therefore the goods that require for the production those factors will be imported, because then it will be more cost effective. And vice-versa, because in Belgium there are a lot of engineers, technicians and it is rather well technologically developed country, it will be more advantageous to export goods, which require for their production those abundant factors – for ex. computers, IT etc. 2. Criticism on the H-O model & Leontief Paradox There is much criticism upon that model; therefore I’m going to state the most important of it here: * The little predictive power of that model, which was a critic by Bernstein and Weinstein, who claimed that the H-O model and its factor endowments of each country are not a reliable forecast. * The identical production function – the H-O model postulate that the production functions are corresponding for all the countries that are involved in the international trade. But it’s an unrealistic statement, because even between the most developed countries the competition is determined from various factors like technology etc. * In the H-O model, the capital is by definition assumed as consistent, identical and transferable to any form, since the capital goods may have many forms. There is no explanation how the capital is measured. So all this leads to a controversy around the concept of homogenous capital. * The unemployment factor is excluded from the model, which makes it really unrealistic. * The assumption that all firms are identical, because all the countries have the same production function is another weak point of the model. * The H-O model was supported by politicians, because it gave them an excuse for restriction upon the immigration lows at that time. * Probably the most significant criticism is called the Leontief Paradox. Mr. Wassily Leontief conducted an econometric test in 1954 of the implication of the H-O model in the US. And he found out that nevertheless the US was a country rich on capital it still was exporting mostly goods for the production of which the labor factor was decisive or ‘labor intensive goods’. And they were importing products, produced in countries with abundant capital as well or ‘capital intensive goods’. This paradox proves that the H-O model is not taking into account all of the necessary factors in order to be more accurate and applicable to any given country. 3. Response by H-O The main response was that the model has been further developed and extended in order for it to be more realistic. Thus by taking into consideration new features, factors and variables in the international trade (like tariffs for ex.) the predictive power of the model has been increased. The three scientists that contributed the most for those ameliorations are Paul Samuelson, Ronald Jones, and Jaroslav Vanek.

Cultural Diversity in Nursing Essay

Introduction Cultural diversity in nursing is concept that is derived from nursing and other cross-cultural health-related disciplines such as psychology, sociology and anthropology. Culture is simply used to refer to the belief systems held by groups of people in the society. Therefore, cultural diversity is defined as, â€Å"the differences between people based on a shared ideology and valued set of beliefs, norms, customs, and meanings evidenced in a way of life† (Lowe & Archibald, 2009). Culture influences individual’s behavior, perceptions and also interpretations. Therefore, integrating culture in healthcare is critical. This is in efforts to create a healthcare system that is sensitive to the needs of patients. For that reason, this essay focuses on cultural diversity in nursing by looking at the background of the issue, current trends, significance to nursing profession, controversies and strategies for dealing with cultural diversity. Background and Historical Development of Cultural Diversity in Nursing As defined earlier, cultural diversity refers to, â€Å"the differences between people based on a shared ideology and valued set of beliefs, norms, customs, and meanings evidenced in a way of life† (Lowe & Archibald, 2009). In the healthcare system, there are people from different cultural groups. For instance, we have people from different racial groups, ethnicity, tribe, religion and so forth. This includes both the providers and the patients. To a great extent, our culture defines our practice. The concept of cultural diversity in nursing was first established in 1955 by Madeleine Leininger, one of the pioneers of transcultural nursing. As an area of knowledge, cultural diversity in nursing, also known as transcultural nursing, was aimed at equipping nurses with knowledge that  will help them in delivering culturally appropriate nursing care (Lowe & Archibald, 2009). Madeleine Leininger believed in the diversity and universality of cultural care. For that reason, he established transcultural nursing from the year 1955 to 1975. Madeleine refined the concept of transcultural nursing through the â€Å"sunrise model†. The expansion of the concept continued even after 1975 to present. In 1966, the University of Colorado started transcultural nursing courses. The concept was later established internationally in 1983 (Lowe & Archibald, 2009). Current Trends in Cultural Diversity Currently, there are several issues trending in regard to cultural diversity. Among them is the slow and episodic movement towards cultural diversity in nursing. According to Lowe and Archibald (2009) in the article entitled, â€Å"cultural diversity: The intention of nursing,† the nursing profession was since the introduction of cultural diversity in 1986 focused on provision of cultural-sensitive care. The authors express their concern that despite the continued cultural growth witnessed in the country, the same does not reciprocate inn nursing. The progress in nursing towards creating cultural diversity in nursing has been slow and episodic. Hence, there is need to put efforts in order to expand cultural-sensitive practices in nursing. Another trending issue in respect to creation of a cultural diversified healthcare system is promotion of diversity. According to Pilkington, Singh, Prescod and Buettgen (2013) youth mentorship provides an important avenue for promoting cultural diversity. Through mentoring the youth, they will be equipped with relevant knowledge regarding diversity which will result in creation of a society which embraces diversity. Significance of Cultural Diversity Cultural diversity is a crucial concept in healthcare. Our current society is made of people from different ethnic, racial, religious and tribal groups. All these groups have their own culture. It is worth to mention that our culture affects how we interpret information, our perceptions and even  behavior. These aspects of culture make it important in nursing practice. The patient is always the center focus of care. Hence, the nurse is required to be sensitive to the needs of the patient. It is only through consideration of patient needs that the nurse is capable of establishing a strong therapeutic relationship with the patient. Establishing a strong relationship of trust with patients is important in involving the patients fully in their care (Pilkington, Singh, Prescod & Buettgen, 2013). Among the needs of patients are the spiritual needs. Nurses in some cases will handle patients from different faiths. Under such cases, the nurse might not be aware of some of the spiritual needs of these patients. For instance, let us take a Christian nurse and a Muslim patient. Muslims are supposed to pray five times in a day, and cleanse themselves with water every time they visit a washroom. The failure of the nurse to identify such things may hinder creation of trust between the nurse and the patient. In other words, the nurse will fail to deliver culturally-competent care (Lowe & Archibald, 2009). Therefore, providing culturally competent care is important in efforts to increase patient satisfaction, which translates to improved patient outcomes which signify improvement in quality of nursing care. Impact of Cultural Diversity in Nursing Profession The issue of cultural diversity greatly influences nursing profession and professional nursing practice. Nursing as a profession has for many years struggled to be seen as a field which is aimed at providing optimal care to the public. The profession is determined to be viewed in the light of universality, meaning it embraces people from all cultures. Therefore, by integrating cultural diversity, nursing profession will be recognized and respected in all parts of the world (Lowe & Archibald, 2009). In the nursing practice, cultural diversity is paramount. Every healthcare facility and provider is determined to provide patient-centered care. This is due to the fact that among the six goals of healthcare is provision of  patient-centered care. In order to provide patient-centered care, it is important to understand all the needs of the patient. This includes the culture. The nurse should understand what food the patient takes or does not take his or her beliefs and dressing style, among others. By doing so, the nurse will gain the trust from the patient which is important in the care. Eventually, the patient is satisfied with the quality of care which results in improved patient outcomes (Pilkington, Singh, Prescod & Buettgen, 2013). Controversies Related to Nursing Despite the benefits associated with integration of cultural diversity in healthcare, there are some areas of this concept that have brought about some controversies. Some cultural beliefs or practice are in contrary with the goals of healthcare. For instance, there are some people based on their faith who refuse to take any medication or seek conventional treatment. Hence, under such cases there is a controversy on which way to handle the situation (Pilkington, Singh, Prescod & Buettgen, 2013). The other area of controversy is extreme faiths held by some people. In some cultures, some behaviors such as undressing before someone of opposite sex are considered immoral. Hence, when a nurse from an opposite gender s handling such a patient, there is always some controversy. Enhancing Cultural Diversity in Nursing As noted, cultural diversity is critical in nursing practice. Therefore, there is need to embrace this concept. In order to improve the progress towards establishing cultural competence in nursing, it is important to introduce courses on cultural diversity in nurse training curriculum (Pilkington, Singh, Prescod & Buettgen, 2013). Another way of promoting cultural diversity in nursing is through training nurses on the importance having diversity at workplace. In addition, recruitment of nurses from different cultures will help in enhancing diversity in nursing. My Position Personally, I support the establishment of cultural diversity in nursing. My  position is based on the benefits associated with establishment of this concept. Hence, enhancing cultural diversity is crucial in improving the quality of care (Pilkington, Singh, Prescod & Buettgen, 2013). Conclusion In conclusion, cultural diversity refers to â€Å"the differences between people based on a shared ideology and valued set of beliefs, norms, customs, and meanings evidenced in a way of life (Lowe & Archibald, 2009).† Cultural diversity in nursing is important in improving the quality of care. The concept of transcultural nursing was established in 1955 by Madeleine Leininger (Lowe & Archibald, 2009). American Nurses Association adopted the concept of cultural diversity in 1986. Currently, the progress of nursing profession towards establishment of culturally competent care is trending. Establishing a culturally competent nursing care is an important milestone in improving quality of care. References Lowe, J. & Archibald C. (2009).Cultural diversity: The intention of nursing. Nursing Forum Volume 44, No. 1. Pilkington, F., Singh, D., Prescod C. & Buettgen, A. (2013). Inclusive Mosaic: Promoting Diversity in Nursing through Youth Mentorship. International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship Vol. 10(1): 1–10

Moderate Sedation by K2N Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Moderate Sedation by K2N - Assignment Example As K2N points out, everyone will be brought up to the same level of education in Capnography readings and waveforms, and this will include a full listing of the training modules, including PowerPoints, which will be made available, presumably, on the center’s Intranet. K2N, however, does not present a specific initial method of disseminating the information, such as in a roundtable, for the initial overview. Center Leadership should always be included in the first output of dissemination of the information regarding the program, including the Financial Officer, who must make a financial determination of the cost in using this tool more often, and what it will cost to maintain it accordingly. Accordingly, if current staff members, who are already knowledgeable in how to use the apparatus, will be required to conduct the training, then a schedule may need to be designed to allow for such training, so no one person is teaching more than another one (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt, 201 1).As K2N points out, everyone will be brought up to the same level of education in Capnography readings and waveforms, and this will include a full listing of the training modules, including PowerPoints, which will be made available, presumably, on the center’s Intranet. K2N, however, does not present a specific initial method of disseminating the information, such as in a roundtable, for the initial overview. Center Leadership should always be included in the first output of dissemination of the information regarding the program, including the Financial Officer, who must make a financial determination of the cost in using this tool more often, and what it will cost to maintain it accordingly. Accordingly, if current staff members, who are already knowledgeable in how to use the apparatus, will be required to conduct the training, then a schedule may need to be designed to allow for such training, so no one person is teaching more than another one (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt, 2011). This plan looks to be a very promising addition to the function of the emergency department, albeit that there are some wrinkles that will need to be smoothed out before implementation. The plan, in dissemination of the information, is a bit vague, but implementation will be an important addition to the emergency department. There should also be a review after a certain number of weeks, maybe two, to determine how the program is working, relative to the success in the emergency department, and how finances are affected by the changes.