Meeting the patient’s spiritual needs Free Essays

Rebecca Brown is a 35 year old mother with a gynecological cancer and currently undergoing treatment for a year now. However, her medical condition is not improving and causing alarm to her physicians and family. She is now at the end-of-life care by nurses and doctors in a hospital. We will write a custom essay sample on Meeting the patient’s spiritual needs or any similar topic only for you Order Now In addressing her special needs, the hospital placed Rebecca under Hospice Care. Hospice care treats the person rather than the disease; it highlights quality rather than length of life. It provides family-centered care involving the patient and family in making decisions. (ACS, 2007,  ¶2). It is a philosophy that enables patients to spend their remaining days with dignity surrounded by their loved ones. Hospice treatment creates an environment where the patient is listened to and that the people around him are ready to share his concerns. One of the elements of this innovative medication is spiritual care. Evidence shows that patient facing serious illness would shift attention from biomedical to spiritual sources for answer and comfort. At this stage, they would ask spiritual questions and reflect the meaning of life. Dying patients generally voiced out their fear of uncontrolled pain, concern of being a financial burden to the family, anxiety of what happens after death, and worry of not being able to fix some unfinished business. Realizing all these necessities, hospitals are now integrating spiritual care services for early intervention. Spiritual Care Spiritual Care tries to answer a patient’s quest for the meaning and purpose of life, his feelings of isolation, and his interconnectedness with himself, to others and to God. It fulfills specific needs of the patient to give him strength when facing death and uncertainties. In meeting the spiritual needs of Mrs. Brown, we have shown her compassion by being attentive to her fears, hopes, pain, and dreams. We treated her as a whole person including her physical, emotional, social, and spiritual dimensions. Providing spiritual care can help Mrs. Brown cope up with her inabilities and feel close to God giving her optimism. With this support, Mrs. Brown can make sense out of her illness, acknowledge that death is near, and maintain a positive outlook. More often we grant her wish for a priest who is readily available to help in counseling and answering spiritual questions. We maintain our trustworthiness and kindness with Mrs. Brown at the same time give her inspirations by helping her understand what it means to live. We have enriched our knowledge with the Catholic faith to comprehend her spiritual needs. As a result, we have permitted Mrs. Brown to visit the chapel inside the hospital whenever she wants to, let her friends and loved ones pray with her inside her room, and attend Sunday masses where she can receive communion. In addition, she reads the Bible before sleeping at night; write her spiritual journal, and at times request for religious movies. We continue to care for her even though there is no more curative therapy available. Spiritual Assessment Spiritual assessment is essential so that medical staff may understand the religious practices of patients and be able to respect their beliefs and not impose their own religion. In this way, physicians can formulate proper strategies to enhance positive response from the patients during diagnosis and treatment. In assessing Mrs. Brown, we simply asked her a series of open-ended questions relating to her Catholic faith and the practices or rituals that are important to her. Our informal interview would revolve around the topics like death and the afterlife, her prayer life (what does she pray for), does her faith give her hope, does she feel abandoned by God, does she find comfort in her belief amidst her illness, the need to be forgiven, was she a member of religious organization within the community, what gives meaning and purpose to her life, and her personal beliefs. The information we gathered helped us determine the kind of spiritual care service we would give her. Results and Benefits. In its 1996 meeting, 90% of the American Academy of Family Physicians declared that the spiritual beliefs of patients are helpful in their medical treatment. Several studies and surveys have already shown the many benefits of spirituality in healing. The National Institute for Healthcare Research reported that those who regularly attend religious activities live longer. According to the 1998 Research in Spirituality and Health Coping, prayer is the number one non-drug method in managing pain. These findings can now be seen in Mrs. Brown’s case. After giving her spiritual care, Mrs. Brown showed signs of reduced anxiety, depression, and distress. She does not feel lonely anymore as she is constantly surrounded by her family and caring nurses. She adjusted well to follow-up treatment of her cancer and has now the confidence of enjoying life. In addition, she somehow improved her physical condition exhibiting high levels of self-respect and less worries about her health. She also demonstrated stronger coping mechanisms and personal values giving her quality of life that she now enjoys. After going through all sorts of counseling, Mrs. Brown is now capable of forgiving and be forgiven. This feeling, she said, resolved all her guilt and restored her good relationships with those she had disagreements in the past. Because of her faith, Mrs. Brown is now ready to face her final day and is very much prepared to the uncertainties she may encounter. She has already accepted her fate wherever it may lead her to. Her seven children and loving husband are likewise prepared for the event that they may not see her again. Her love grew stronger each passing day and felt the presence of God in her bedside. Despite in the worst situation, she feels good about herself. Reference (ACS) American Cancer Society, Inc. (2007). What Is Hospice Care? Making Treatment Decisions. Retrieved January 28, 2007, from http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_2_5X_What_Is_Hospice_Care.asp?sitearea=ETO Gilbert, R. B. (2001). Health Care Spirituality: Listening, Assessing, Caring (Death, Value and Meaning). Baywood Publishing Company, New York. ISBN-10: 0895032503 University of Virginia. (2006). The Benefits of Spiritual Care Provided by Professional Chaplains. Health System. Chaplaincy Services and Pastoral Education. Retrieved January 28, 2007, from http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/internet/chaplaincy/whitepapersection4.pdf             How to cite Meeting the patient’s spiritual needs, Essay examples

Tariff and Non-Tariff Barriers free essay sample

To eliminate this from occurring or to impose a type of trade restriction on a foreign country tariffs and annotators re utilized. General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATE) was succeeded by the World Trade Organization monitors tariffs and promotes free trade (Hill, 2004. ) Tariffs is a tax applied to an import and is one Of the oldest trade policies in effect (Hill, 2004. ) This tax is generally revenue for the charging countrys government. There are two types of tariffs; they are specific and ad valor tariffs. A specific tariff applies or levies a set tax to a certain import.If a specific tax of fifty cents were applied to wine then the government would gain 50 cents from every bottle coming into the United States without regard o whether the wine was a 200-dollar bottle of the finest wine or a bottle of two-dollar wine headed for skid row. An ad valor tax is applied at a fixed percentage of the value of the import (Sarcastic, 2006. We will write a custom essay sample on Tariff and Non-Tariff Barriers or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page ) Now if there were a 1. 5% tax levied against the wines then three dollars would be gained in tariff revenue on each 200-dollar bottle of wine and only three cents on the two- dollar bottle.Initiation barriers are restrictions imposed upon countries such as voluntary export restrictions, antiquating and subsidies, quotas (Hill, 2004. ) The first initiation barrier is voluntary export restrictions (EVER) is when a country limits he number of product being exported to a certain country in order to gain favor or to diffuse a situation in which trade tensions are running high. A second type of barrier is a quota. Unlike the voluntary export restriction a quota is very direct. Quotas like EVER increase the price for the consumer on the imported product.Quotas not only increase the price of imported products but it can also affect the price of domestically manufactured products. If the product that is under the quota criteria is used to manufacture the domestic item then it too in turn will cost more to manufacture and this cost is then translated in the price to the consumer. The third type of initiation barrier is antiquating. Dumping is when a country sells a product in a foreign country for less than it would sell in its own country (Understanding the MO, 2006. When products are introduced to a market in this manner it will do harm to the local businesses. GATE and WTFO legislation support antiquating when it can be shown that the local economy has suffered a loss. The last type of initiation is a subsidy. A subsidy is a payment to a domestic industry by their government (Marches,2006. Subsidies aide the domestic businesses by enabling them to compete against foreign markets in their home country and by helping them export so that they can compete in the global trade system as well.Agricultural businesses are the most common industries that receive subsidies. When growing up in Montana, subsidies were often a matter of topic and debate. The amount of discussion held on subsidies made it seem too common and very prevalent. Surprisingly the united States gross farm receipts were only 22 percent subsidies, while Japan s was 62 percent of their gross farm receipts at the ginning of the 21st century (Hill, 2004. ) Subsidies benefit domestic industries by making them more competitive but the cost is picked up by taxes paid into the government by the citizens of that country.If taxes are raised higher than the revenue and benefits generated, by the industry receiving the subsidy, then implementing this policy can hurt the economy. Tariffs and annotators effect global financing operations by having an impact on whether countries will build and invest in companies in the home country. If an organization wants to build a company that imports raw material that as a tariff on it, it would make the product considerably more expensive to produce and export. Tariffs do benefit the government by increasing their revenue; they also benefit home-based businesses by decreasing foreign competition. The tariff also helps protect jobs in the industry that has eliminated the foreign competition but a negative impact is felt because they do cause the consumer to pay more for a product that is imported (Hill, 2004. ) If a country it prone to levy tariffs on items that an organization may need it would increase the risk of doing business while located in that company. By having a country manufacture or produce product that can be done for less elsewhere is not a wise utilization of resources and in turn harms global trade.Conclusion Global trade is most effective when a country utilizes its resources most efficiently. Countries that can product products at a lower price than other countries can manufacture and export that product while importing product in which it may not be as efficient in producing. When all countries participate in free trade it stimulates the global economy. When barriers are imposed upon countries it limits the amount of trade, can result in retaliation and the nonuser is left to pay higher prices. References Hill (2004).

Customer service improvement mobilicity phone company

Introduction Mobilicity Phone Company has been recording low sales revenues and its popularity has been on the decline, a fact that the CEO of the company largely attributes to inappropriate advertisement and lack of promotion drives for the company’s products.Advertising We will write a custom proposal sample on Customer service improvement: mobilicity phone company specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Although the company has committed considerable resources towards branding itself in the market, it still drags way far from its competitors in the Canadian telephony industry despite being in the market for some time now. With this situation in mind, I would like to propose to the CEO on the best advertisement solutions that would assist in improving the popularity of the company and hence its sales as well as increase the popularity of the company to its intended customers. Problem statement In this particular scenario, the ke y factor and problem that the Mobilicity Company is facing is poor sales of its products and its annual sales is dwindling at a high rate. In my opinion, the poor sales are as a result of the company using both inappropriate and ineffective advertising techniques. The company is not well know, a factor that does not assist in boosting its client base. This issue of experiencing low sales is a chief factor that slows down the progression, advancement and growth of the company hence resulting to it making huge losses. It is therefore vital for this problem to be dealt with effectively in order for the company to realize its potential and for it to grow hence becoming popular and receiving huge sales. It is wise however to enact effective advertising solutions to curb this problem. Solutions For effective advertising, Mobilicity has numerous effective advertising at hand. Different advertising methods intend to project features that a particular product possesses and also shows its exc lusivity with regards to its competitors. By the use of different media to advertise products, a general appeal by the public is created since different people from different societies have the opportunity to receive the advertisement. In this proposal I intend to give three propositions of advertising solutions that would remedy the company’s problem.Advertising Looking for proposal on advertising? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More One of the advertising solutions is the print advertising. I believe that using print advertising as a method of advertising technique would help improve sales of the company. This method involves the use of a print medium which includes newspapers, magazines and brochures. Print media may only be effective in relation to the popularity of the print media used. For instance, the usage of newspapers in Canada has a wide coverage since most citizens read them daily; this increases the chances of the advertisement in the newspaper to being noticed by the readers hence the purpose of the advertisement will have been served. However for effectiveness of the newspaper as a medium for advertisement, it is prudent to choose the most well-known newspaper due to the large capacity of people it attracts and as the newspaper gives out information so will the advertisement capture the readers. Rezi and Allam [1] notes that â€Å"print media is an efficient method of advertising since using a prominent newspaper and a good location of the advertisement in the newspaper is a critical matter that enhances the productivity of the advertisement†. I vehemently support this solution of advertising because a large number of newspaper readers end up noticing the advertisement in the newspaper which is the key objective of the advertisement and it targets the literate populace in the society and would be a very helpful form of advertisement to this company considering its current sales rate. Another viable advertising solution is audio-visual advertising. According to the current trends in technological advancement, I have a strong conviction that audio-visual media plays a huge role in the advertisement of products particularly in this case where the mobile company seeks to boost its sales. This advertising technique involves the use of television, radio and also the internet. Donovan [2] argues that â€Å"internet advertising has become a huge platform for advertising since technology has increased and a large population of people uses the internet on a daily basis†.Advertising We will write a custom proposal sample on Customer service improvement: mobilicity phone company specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The use of internet and radio is widely used and due to this factor, advertising through this medium captures a large capacity of people. On the other hand the mobile company could host websites via t he internet and these websites could contain advertisements of the type of mobile phone products that it would like to showcase to internet users. Many mobile phone companies use the internet as an avenue to advertise its products and if the mobilicity phone company actually did use this method then it would be at a higher advantage in terms of competition with other companies since many customers would be forced to visit the internet to check out the varieties of mobile phones being offered for sale. The use of audio-visual technique in advertisement is therefore an effective method of advertising to many firms and it would be of great importance to the growth of sales of this company. The final advertisement solution the company ought to implement is the use of celebrity power as an advertisement method. It is an efficient advertising solution in since it promotes both the brand name of this Canadian phone company as well as its products. This method of advertising involves the us e of celebrities in advertising products whereby the celebrity figure in the respective country is endorsed by the company and he/she appears in public using the company’s product. Irish and Weiss [3] note that â€Å"use of celebrities in advertising boosts the fame of the mobile phone products and that of its manufacturer since many people identify with celebrities because it is a general attitude for people to emulate their celebrities†. Since the masses have a high admiration for celebrities this method proves to be quite efficient in advertising the products of the mobile company. The target audience for this method of advertising is the masses or the general public and it also adds value to the company’s products. Conclusion I almost indifferent about these advertising solutions since their target audience is a huge number and they have different social and economic backgrounds such as the internet targets mostly to the teenagers, the newspapers advertise p roducts to the intellectuals while the television and radio advertises to the general public. However, I prefer and recommend Mobilicity to adopt a mixed kind of advertising model. Where they implement both the three modes of advertising on a fifty-fifty basis as they all have almost equal returns and they greatly complement each other. A company like Mobilicity needs to target all calibers of people in Canada and these different people can be reached at using different modes of advertising.Advertising Looking for proposal on advertising? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Appendices In the above graph, television holds the highest global advertising spending by medium followed by newspapers, magazines, internet, radio, outdoor and lastly cinema. Many companies spend a lot of resources in advertising their products by using different advertisement media, including television, newspapers not forgetting the internet. It is therefore essential for Mobilicity to use these advertising media because of their popularity and so as to be in competition with their competitors. In the graph above, it is evident that most companies spend a lot of resources in advertising through print media and audio-visual media and this proves that the three advertising solutions are quite effective and hence result to a positive change in the sales of Mobilicity. References [1] A. Rezi and M. Allam, â€Å"Techniques in array processing by means of transformations, † in Control and Dynamic Systems, Vol. 69, Multidemsional Systems, C. T. Leondes, Ed. San Diego: Academic Press, 1995, pp. 133-180. [2] M. Donovan. â€Å"Customer Service Improvement: It’s Mission Critical To Your Future.† 2008. Web. Available: www.idii.com/wp/donovan_custserv.pdf. [3] R. Irish and P. E. Weiss, Engineering Communication. Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press, 2009. This proposal on Customer service improvement: mobilicity phone company was written and submitted by user Allan F. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Essay on Meaningful Use for Nurses Implications and Recommendations

Essay on Meaningful Use for Nurses Implications and Recommendations Essay on Meaningful Use for Nurses: Implications and Recommendations Essay on Meaningful Use for Nurses: Implications and RecommendationsThe current paper focuses on the problem of meaningful use for nurses and recommendations concerning this issue in the contemporary clinical setting. At first, the paper provides the overview of meaningful use for nurses and gives insights to the essence of this concept. The next part of the paper uncovers the detailed analysis of the meaningful use for nurses and its application in the contemporary clinical setting. In fact, the paper reveals possible challenges and difficulties associated with the application of meaningful use for nurses in the health care environment. Finally, recommendations concerning the current application of the meaningful use for nurses are provided and the paper is summed up with the conclusion. The findings of the paper reveal the gap between new technologies and their potential and nurses’ understanding of their use grows wider that deteriorates the quality of nursing care and decr eases the effectiveness of the application of new technologies in nursing care. Therefore, meaningful use is one of the main challenges for nurses today but the successful implementation of new technologies and innovations can improve consistently the quality of nursing care and increase the effectiveness of nurses’ performance.Overview of meaningful use for nursesMeaningful Use is an umbrella term for rules and regulations that, among other things, involve electronic record keeping and e-documentation of care that hospitals and physicians must meet to qualify for federal incentive funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). At the same time, meaningful use has broader implications since nurses deal with diverse technologies, which they have to be able to apply successfully and consciously.In fact, meaningful use was designed to occur in three stages:Stage 1 began in 2011 and involved adoption of computerized physician order entry (CPOE) (France, et al., 2009).Stage 2, which impacts nursing, brings greater emphasis, among other things, on disease management, clinical decision support, transition of care, documentation of care plans and patient access to health information. In the original proposal for stage 2, healthcare providers must record care plan fields, including goals and discharge instructions within 36 hours of being released from the hospital, for more than 10 percent of patients. Although stage 2 begins in 2012 only, final regulations have not been publicized. The federal government solicited public comment on proposed stage 2 regulations until May 7 and are reviewing those comments. Final regulations will be published in August or September, according to Murphy (Singer, et al., 2009).Little has been explained about stage 3, which begins in 2015, and is expected to continue building on the goals of stage 1 and 2 (Hartmann, et al., 2009).In such a way, the implementation of meaningful use is occurring now and this issue remains under-regulated, to a certain extent, while new regulations will be introduced along with the introduction of new technologies and respective legal norms and rules.The wide introduction of new technologies in the field of health care and nursing care raises the problem of their effective use of nurses because often nurses are unprepared to use new technologies (Singer, et al., 2009). The complexity of new technologies and the lack of understanding of their application to nursing care raises the problem of widening gap between nurses’ attitude to new technologies as unimportant and routine and the real potential of new technologies.Analysis of meaningful use for nursesThe use of information technologies, e-documentation and other technological advances can apparently facilitate the performance of nurses and increase their effectiveness. New technologies have a considerable potential and can enhance consistently the performance of nurses and improve the quality o f nursing care. However, today, the problem is that nurses cannot always use the full potential of new technologies, especially information ones and have difficulties with the adoption of new technologies.On the other hand, the introduction of technological innovations and their meaningful use by nurses raises the problem of their effective application by nurses and some other issues. First, the meaningful use means that new technologies are used effectively and consciously (Speroff, et al., 2010). In this respect, it is worth mentioning the fact that one of the main issues nurses confront today is the lack of the adequate understanding of how to use new technologies and what new technologies serve to that helps nurses to use their full potential.The unpreparedness of nurses to use new technologies raises another problem, the problem of the meaningful use proper. What is meant here is the fact that nurses face difficulties with adequate understanding what they need new technologies for and how to apply them successfully. For example, nurses often believe that their conventional paper work makes no difference compared to electronic medical records and they use new technologies rather because they are obliged to than because they are aware of the higher effectiveness of new technologies.Furthermore, the meaningful use raises ethical and legal issues, such as the threat to the privacy right of patients, because e-documents and electronic use of information as well as other technologies implemented in the field of health care services expose the private information of patients to the risk of revelation to third parties, in case of the unauthorized access and misuse of new technologies or available information by nurses.One of the main challenges for the meaningful use is, therefore, the technological, legal and ethical/cultural unpreparedness of nurses for the meaningful use. From the ethical point of view, nurses cannot always use new information technologies bec ause of their lack of understanding how to apply them properly. Moreover, they may be unaware of possible risks associated with the misuse of new technologies because they do not understand how technologies actually work. As a result, they may uncover the private information of patients to third parties, for example.In addition, current legal regulations are not always sufficient to regulate the meaningful use of new technologies. As a result, nurses face the problem of technological advancements, on the one hand, and the lack of legal regulations, on the other. Hence, they often confront serious ethical issues and questionable situations, which require clear legal regulations but there are no such regulations so far and they have to take decisions on the ground of their professional ethics and their vision of existing legal norms and particular situation or case.Meaningful use recommendationsThe training of nurses is an essential step to the enhancement of the meaningful use. The t raining should focus on three major areas, technological, legal and cultural/ethical. The training is essential for the professional development of nurses and their adequate understanding of meaningful use. In fact, the training helps nurses to understand new technologies better and they can also learn how to realize the full potential of new technologies. As a result, nurses will grow aware of the importance of meaningful use and, more important, they will be able to use new technologies adequately and meaningfully.Technologically, nurses should be able not only to use new technologies but also be able to learn how to use technological innovations successfully. In this regard, training will help nurses to learn new technologies and understand them better. More important, they will be able to learn how to use new technologies autonomously, if they develop basic skills required for the adoption of new technologies. At the same time, new technologies should be user friendly to facilit ate the learning their use by nurses.Nurses should know and understand succinctly new legal norms and regulations concerning the meaningful use. Legal norms evolve and change respectively to changes in the health care setting and under the impact of new technologies that are introduced in the field of health care services. Training can help nurses to learn recent legal changes and respect them in their regular work.Moreover, the law enforcement and development of clear and extensive legal norms regulating meaningful use is an essential step toward the overall success of meaningful use in the nursing environment. Nurses should have the extensive and clear legal basis, on the ground of which they can perform their professional duties and apply basic meaningful use principles. The introduction of legal changes and new norms is essential the adaptation of existing legal norms to actual technological environment.Cultural and ethical training is also essential because nurses work in the m ulticultural environment and they have to respect patients’ cultural norms along with ethical norms associated with the meaningful use, such as the respect to the patients’ confidentiality, for example. Nurses need to expand their cultural views and norms to adapt to the work in the multicultural environment (Speroff, et al., 2010). The enhancement of the communication between nurses and managers of health care organizations can help to communicate key principles of the meaningful use and help nurses to adopt new technologies and principles of work successfully. Finally, meaningful use should motivate nurses to apply it in their regular practices. In this regard, new technologies introduced in the field of health and nursing care should facilitate the work of nurses. For example, they should be user friendly to facilitate their use by nurses but more important they should manifest their advantages and key goals clearly to make their use by nurses meaningful.ConclusionT hus, the development of new technologies raises the problem of their meaningful use by nurses, especially in regard to information technologies. In actuality, the development of meaningful use is a long-lasting program that has a solid legal background, which helps nurses to implement new technologies successfully. However, nurses still need training to be able to use new technologies meaningfully. In this regard, it is possible to distinguish three main fields, where extra training of nurses is needed, including legal, technological and cultural/ethical training.

Issue paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Issue paper - Essay Example A manager, who is the person responsible for all the activities that are undertaken in any firm, organization or store, has to be innovative, good decision maker, and risk taker (Sakthivel 12). These characteristics are vital when solving problems that regard the team under the leadership of the manager. The manager get to supervise many different forms of services like retail stores, which offers the sale of different goods and services from people or business to the end consumer (Swapna 463). The significant challenges that are facing the retail stores have to be carefully addressed by the manager, by applying different managerial styles and skills. Various technical steps have to be followed if any effective achievements have to be made and be able to reach the expectations set out by the parent company. Like any other industry, the retail store is up against the challenging economy of the state. It has to fulfill the expectations of the parent company, which is the large national retailer that has taken over its ownership. Due to this change of control, the management regulations have also to be modified. The store was previously opened on Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 7 pm and Sunday from 12 noon to 6 pm, but now the hours have been extended and this has made the number of shifts to increase. The current 20 employees cannot manage to cover the shifts, which should be covered by 25 employees. The manager has to look for new employees that will be able to share the work and help the business to stand out. This is because 10 of the current employees are of average age and the other 10 are still new to the job. This will pose the cost to increase in order to pay the employees and moreover, they have to be trained and motivated in different ways. In addition, for the sales to be increased to the level that the parent company is expecting, the low end household, hardware and other convenient

Morley paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Morley paper - Essay Example This paper gives an evaluation of the effect on the historic preservation on the Denver, Seattle and Albuquerque cities as well as a comparison of the different projects that were started in the cities. The historic preservation and the imagined West are intriguing story which had a great impact on the people who came from the three cities. As the narration describes, there was a focus on urban preservation which in turn led to architectural preservation of certain symbolic buildings such as chambers of commerce, boosters and city planners (Morley, 30). The focus on this showed how the city developers had taken initiative on how to re-create the Western past into a shopping center as well as tourist trips. In a close examination of the three cities, Morley (45) describes that the detail of the historic preservation campaigns in the cities of Albuquerque, Denver and Seattle proposes that economic development was the main mover behind any project that was implemented. However, as it may be perceived in the story of Morley, the common theme of identity that is running with Morley story is economic and not cultural as it may appear. In as much as the narration of the Morley (49) story may be based on the historical preservation but the fundamental goal for the preservation was always to attract more people from outside. The essence of this was to compensate for the industrial decline and commercial stagnation. Also, another effect of preservation led to persuasion by reluctant politicians as well as property owners on the importance of refurbishing old buildings as more profitable that the act of demolishing them (Morley, 60). The successful implementation of this move led to the commencement of many projects with the attempt to reward higher property values, rents, business income and general beauty especially in the historical buildings (Morley, 111). The trademark of the three

Essential Skills for Management and Business

Essential Skills for Management and Business Introduction Managerial skills are important attributes for employees, managers and executives to possess. Without several basic fundamental skills, a business will never achieve its objective. Skilful staff represents the capital of any successful business and are, and will always be an important reason for its success. This report discusses some of the essential managerial and business skills acquired by companies. Firstly, leaderships importance and significant role is well highlighted in this report, for the belief that, in addition to any other business skills that you possess, possessing leadership attributes is crucial, because it will benefit your associates, managers, staff and even customers. People in General are influenced by leaders and sometimes, unconditionally follow their thoughts. Leaders are the primary target for marketers for they know, for the reasons mentioned above those leaders are more likely capable of increasing their market segmentation more than any other average person. Besides leadership, critical and creative thinking is an important attribute that every successful manager has to have. Critical thinkers main role starts when there are no solutions in the horizon for certain problems. Their creativity and the experience they gained assist in this process. Moreover, another vital skill a manager wont survive without technology. Technology is the moderns world tool of communication and not having enough knowledge about it will not end up with good results for the company. Based on my studying in Kent University and doing two degrees in Electronics and Communication Engineering and Financial accounting, there are important skills that I learned attending these courses which I also think will be of much significance for my career. New product development guarantees more success for the company because it relies on market analyses and innovative ideas to produce something new. In addition, financial management is a fundamental skill for any type of profession a person might chose. Any type of business has to be organized and sources of money received and spent have to be kept, otherwise the company will just be performing randomly. Leadership as a concept Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it. Dwight D. Eisenhower Leadership is influencing peoples behaviors so that they become willingly prepared to work more towards achieving mutual objectives .consequently, an inspirational organizational culture will be created (Kotelnikov, 2001).The ability to inspire people to attain greater heights and dimensions of performance and consistent success is a skill acquired by Leaders in the new century. Passion and effective communicating are important attributes to make the leader inspirational, which will reflect on the organizations culture, making the employees more committed as we as turning the workplace into a thrilling environment (Heathfield, nd) Type of Leaders Leaders are the engine of a work, the motivation for employment, and the face of a company, thats why it is important t o choose the right leader into the right position. 3.1 Executive leaders (CEOs) shoulder the responsibility of clarifying the vision, mission and direction of the firm (Couler, 2010). CEOs participate in formal event; they also make speeches, but in fact have little impact on the daily business operation (Radcliffe, 2010). 3.2 Line leaders are the connections between low and top levels; especially in organizations with high hierarchy They have the power of presenting the executive leaders message to his/her staff. They are very influential in organizations, not only they can stop or alter any project, but also they can take a leadership position and promote change (Fletcher, 2010). 3.3 Network-leaders They are the invisible strength behind how the real firm operations. Whether they were Union Representatives or technical experts, These Leaders create a network of relationships that allow them to know much about the organization, and thus gain real knowledge about the organizations operations (Radcliffe, 2010). Creative and Inspirational Leadership In a survey that involved more than thousand and a half employees which asked those employees what attribute would they like to see most in their managers . More than half of the survey takers answered inspiration (DTI, nd). An inspired workforce is fundamental for any ambitious business that hopes to be ahead of its competitors. Inspiring people motivates them, makes them more objective oriented and enhance their creativity (Northouse, 2010). Our environment is shifting quickly and unpredictably. Creative employees are those who are capable of foreseeing future opportunities and are also able to change the workplace in which they work to a positive atmosphere (Northouse, 2010). Creative leaders are mostly needed in vital moments, where the organization cant find convenient solutions. They seek and find opportunities, bring in positive change and make huge efforts towards creating new products/services through new processes and innovative techniques (Kotelnikov, 2001). In addition creative thinkers have the capability to transform ambiguous problems to business opportunities. Besides their ability to analyse the environment, they also take part in building relationships, alliances and encouraging creativity (Fletcher, 2010). According to Jack Welch, the previous legendary CEO of General electric, a good leader is one who is capable of making people feel that they are real a contribution to the organization. Welch adds that working toward a shared and worthwhile goal can produce huge positive energy. In his Beginnings, Jack Welchs goal was to make General Electric the worlds most competitive multinational enterprise. He, therefore realised that only can revolutionary thoughts turn his dream to actual reality (Kotelnikov, 2001). The American corporate business model in the United States had not changed since 1980.Employees did their job, managers managed , and everybody knew his/her place. Those days were ruled by rules and forms and bureaucracy (Fletcher, 2010).. Welchs revolution meant changing the old ways of doing Business in the company and restructuring the company entirely. As a result of his inspirational influence and charismatic attributes, Today, General Electric stands as one of the worlds most admired and unique companies (Kotelnikov, 2001). Welchs successful techniques are applicable to small, growing and large companies. Those techniques mainly focus once again on articulating the companys vision, since creative managers inspire their employees with obvious visualizations of how things can be achieved better. Welch also recommends that the manager has to be simple. Simplifying things is a key factor of business (Kotelnikov, 2001). Simple messages travel faster, simpler designs reach the market faster and the elimination of clutter allows faster decision making., according to John Welch Clarifying and sampling things makes it easier for employees to know their position better, as a result they become more energized and focused on achieving objectives. Furthermore, Welch advices managers to always face reality, and act according to the actual situation. Ignoring reality means shifting away from long term objectives. Also, a company should seek any opportunity of change. Change is a big part of the reality in business, and readiness to change is a strength, even if it involves temporary confusion within the company, however in certain circumstances, it is a necessity. In addition Creative, Inspirational leaders are known as Risk Takers, they have a clear affinity to break the rule and take considerable risks, towards producing this change (DTI, nd). Critical Thinking Critical thinking is the procedure by which an individual comes arises with a new innovative idea (Powell, 2010). The process involves actively and proficiently gathering, analysing and evaluating information, based on an individuals observations, knowledge and past experiences. To be able to think creatively you have to be clear, precise, consistent and fair (The Critical Thinking Community, 2009) Critical thinking could involve integration of ideas which have not been combined before. Brainstorming is one significant form of creative thinking: it works by the unification of two or more peoples ideas in order to create a new innovative one (Powell, 2010). Besides the cooperative efforts taken to produce a new idea, however this process could sometimes be accidental (Brainstorming, 2006). This occurs when a certain circumstance arises and leads someone to start thinking about situations in a different manner, and sometimes leads to a valuable change(Powell, 2010). Nevertheless, new ideas are usually produced through pure use of mutual intelligence and logical sense to come up with something new, this is what could be referred to as a deliberate critical thinking situation. When a group of people share their knowledge and experiences, particularly if those people come from different cultures, new ideas start to appear in the horizon, because people from different cultural backgr ounds have experienced different situations and obstacles, hence, grouping the efforts in this manner will most likely produce this change (Brainstorming, 2006).Nevertheless, with continuous practice, (ongoing investigation, questioning and analysis) will develops an individuals general knowledge and understanding, resulting in a better perspective and forth seeing in sticky situations (Brainstorming, 2006). Critical thinking is the process in which of reasoned and disciplined thinking to a certain subject are implemented. In order to succeed in your studies future career you must be able to think critically about the things you have read, seen or heard. And in order to develop your critical thinking, there are certain levels (The Open University, 2009). Procession receiving information (i.e. in what you have read, heard, seen or done). Understanding Comprehend the key aspects, assumptions and evidence presented. Analyses Examining how those key aspects fit together and are related to each other. Comparison realizing the similarities and dissimilarities between the ideas you are developing. To Synthesise Bring together several sources of information to create an argument or an idea you are building. Also, it includes your ability to make logical associations between the various sources that help you outline and support your ideas. Evaluation Assessing the value of an idea in terms of how is it relevant its to your needs, the facts on which it is based and how it relates to other applicable ideas. Application Transforming the understanding you have gained from the evaluation level in order to use it in response to questions, assignments or projects. Justification Using critical thinking to develop your own arguments, draw conclusions and identify implications (The Open University, 2009). 6. Technology Skills Knowing only how to use basic technology skills such as internet browsing or e-mailing is not enough anymore. Possessing solid technological skills, on the other hand, will put you a step above your colleagues (Pavlina, 2006) In general, companies are extremely reliant on IT that they cant lay off the people who keep their data centre operations running, and neither they are willing let go of their developers, who will be familiar with the forthcoming technology. In general those are the most essential IT skills an employee, who is chasing a good career shall has: 1. Database Database expertise is an important skill that employers would love to see in their employees. Companies are looking for IT workers with experience, particularly in Microsoft SQL Server and the Oracle Developer Suite. According to a survey in 2008 which was conducted bye the Society for Information Management and was intended to know which skills do CIOs prefer for their job candidates. Expertise in databases was one of only four technological skills listed by CIOs, who besides, database also listed other attributes such as teamwork, problem solving and communication in hiring recent college graduates (Marcan, 2009). 2. Messaging/Communications Messaging and communications is one of few skills that experienced a pay raise in the fourth quarter of 2008. Firms are for the most part interested in hiring staff with experience in unified communications and messaging systems. Efficient communication saves time, expenses and energy. Also it promotes a cooperative environment where people can communicate easily (Turner, 2005). 3. Project management SIMs 2008 CIO survey listed project management as one of the top 10 skills needed for mid-level employees. Companies require project planning leaders. Someone who has the ability to plan, schedule, and gets the results done.Project management skills are going to be more important over the next few years, according to Henry Eckstein, senior vice president of strategic technology at York Insurance Services Group (Marcan, 2009). 4. Networking Every company plans to increase its profits. And that could be done more conveniently whenever the company has more customers, partners and friends. Furthermore, the individuals own circle of people contributes to the overall companys network. Therefore, an employee with networking capabilities is another attribute job employers seek while recruiting (Turner, 2005). 5. Security Its true that there are many benefits for technology, but also it has some other disadvantages that can sometimes cause real obstacles in the firms track towards development. Hacking, Spamming and data system crashes can sometimes be very costly. Hence, the security of your data is worth money (Turner, 2005). Financial Management Through the past few years, and exactly starting from the electronics department at Kent University, the idea of business was gradually crossing my mind, since business field is very important now days, and because I always wanted to study this subject and improve my knowledge about it, the idea came to specialize in this major and learn about the management techniques and strategies to be able to combine my engineering degree in electronics and communications with the business skills I earned through this year, which contains valuable information on how to manage my life style, how to deal with others and be successful in the practical life, and last but not least to connect everything to business. I really believe that business management is a priority subject to be taught, and in my case I can combine my business MSc degree with my previous degree, and look for more opportunities like the consulting field for example, rather than looking into one direction only. It has been concluded that management accounting is a crucial when it comes to a company making vital and well-timed management decisions about their business (Abraham, 2008). However, it is obvious that different types of businesses will acquire different management accounting requirements. Financial management is important when considering the following areas: The sales process: which includes distribution, debtors and pricing. The purchasing process: includes records of stock levels and creditors. Records regarding employees. A fixed asset registers (Collier, 2009). Financial management is a very important major as I mentioned before, but personally I prefer to be specialised in the accounting finance sector and risks, because I think the accounting field is a sensitive one, also managing risks as well, because it helps ordinary people to understand the market, especially stock exchange market, by using the income and financial statements anyone with a bit knowledge about accounting and finance will be able to figure out the real prices per shares, dividends, return risks and more readings, which will lead us to think more realistic about facts and how to deal with them. Financing risks also very important, it prevents from falling into business traps and circumstances related to it, as well as crisis which can happen anytime and cause big manufactures to collapse, so being aware from risks is a benefit itself; James porter once said avoiding risks is more valuable than the income earned by that risk. There is no legal obligation for companies to draw up management accounts; however, many companies find that it makes running the business much simpler if they do prepare the accounts. In fact, many companies produce account reports monthly, quarterly and yearly to keep track of the financial transaction (Abraham, 2008). Management accounts are useful for analysing the previous and present performances, in order to visualise future trends. This includes looking at profit forecasts, income and cash flow statements in addition to sales (Abraham, 2008). The actual numbers collected from the analysis shall be continuously compared against numbers that have been previously predicted while designing the budget. The information collected for the management accounting is usually broken down so that the performance of different departments of the company can all be measured individually to make sure that all these departments capabilities are exploited (Collier, 2009). A convenient plan to start with is to design a fitting budget, which represents a roadmap for managers to constantly know where their businesses are actually standing. In order to design the budget the financial team has to design income and expenses tables, which will assist financial managers to notice where does the money come from and where does it go, so they can afterwards focus on those products that are generating products for the company, at the same time, getting rid of extra expenses (BBB, 2009). For businesses who are engaged in selling a selection of products, they are advised to produce a financial breakdown for each of them. This will allow you to make sure that very gainful products are not subsidising those that are failing to sell as well. By organising the financial side of the company in this manner, managers will have the ability to supervise trends in the business, consequently indicating any variations in income and spending that may require alternation (Collier, 2009). ANT is a global packaging supplier that provides equipment to the food industry. The company developed a computer-numerically-controlled (CNC) machine for packaging. And even though it was two to three times more expensive than its competitors, but it operates twice as fast. Worthy to be note than 10% of ANTs annual sales are invested in research and development (Abraham, 2008).. The company has branches in US, Europe, Australia in addition to the Middle East. Normally, the manufacturing of the CNC project is outsourced to less expensive labour countries to reduce the capital investments (Abraham, 2008). 8. New Product Development Another skill I was able to develop during my studying in the University of Kent is the importance of new product development. Product development is the integrative process which includes the strategic organization, concept generation, product and marketing plan creation and estimation, and afterwards the commercialization of the new product (Ulrich, 2009).New product development is the energy that pumps the organizations innovation engine, and it is impossible for a firm to grow without developing new products (Ulrich, 2009). 8.1 LAUNCHING A NEW PRODUCT Once the product-line structure has been initiated and a new product is being developed, it is time for the company to consider how the product could be successfully launched to its target market (Reference for Business, 2010). This is the phase where an advertising or public relations agency can participate, especially for small businesses that lack the internal resources needed to handle such a job by them. However, when utilising an outside agency to launch a product, a company should firstly, have a well-defined product concept, also provide the agency with background information about its products and aims. Thirdly the firm has to have an official business plan. Lastly marketing and advertising plans should also be determined (Reference for Business, 2010). With annual sales that exceed  £4.5 billion, Kelloggs is the worlds leader of cereal products and convenience foods products, such as cookies, crackers and frozen waffles (The Times 100, 2010). Kelloggs is a multinational organisation. Its products are manufactured in 19 countries globally and sold in more than 180 countries. Kelloggs realize the importance of maintain positions in manufacturing products they are good at. However, the worldwide companys executives suggest that in such an uncertain world there is a continuous need for chance and production of new products. New product Development depends on the marketing mixture, so that the company analyses the products characteristics (The Times 100, 2010). 1, Product: This element is related to how the company offers meets the continuous shifting needs and wants of consumers. In this particular industry, the growth in healthier lifestyles creates opportunities for Kelloggs to increase the number of products for this segment. 2. Price: The sum a company charges for its product is imperative in influencing the sales number, and giving the firm an idea about it. Big Brands like Kelloggs can charge a premium because of the quality of its product and the fame of its brand. 3. Place: Where customers can find the product is also an essential factor in determining sales. Your products have to be available where customers are most likely willing to buy them. This depends on the market analyses (Ulrich, 2009). 4. Promotion: Kelloggs uses above the line promotion like TV advertising as well as below the line promotion like on-pack promotions and sampling. Managers can take a decision on when to make key changes to core products by analysing its position within the product life-cycle. Life-cycle analysis accepts that products have a limited life, and analysts makes charts for products performance through several phases, starting with its launch stage through various phases of growth until it finally reaches development maturity and ultimately decline. An average products life cycle may last for few months, for instance food products. Nevertheless for super products it could last for years like the car industry (The Times 100, 2010). 9. Conclusion: This report is a reflection of the managerial skills obtained from studying at the University of Kent in both the Engineering and the Business departments. Doing both degrees supplied me with a flow of very essential skills which i think about as a future investment. Firstly, this report discussed the role of leadership and critical thinking in taking the companys success to another dimension. Those two attributes are crucially important. Leadership implies seeing and being able to analyze circumstances before it arises so that you are always ready to face them. Critical thinking is the mechanism that you use to produce innovative solutions in complex situations. These two attributes require expertise and cannot be acquired easily. Furthermore, this report discussed the importance of Technology in our modern world. There is no doubt about the fact that technology has already and will have a more significant role within which people will communicate with each other. Technology facilitates the way we live and communicate. Technology, when used efficiently will be a huge assistance for the company. The benefit of technology doesnt only stop at facilitating communication within the organization, but also it has a significant role for new product development. To produce a new product you need to be innovative and you also need the required technology to be available so the process of new product development is formed. And even if sometimes the new product is more expensive, but if it has good quality it can still be sold. Finally, Financial Management and budgeting skills are required by both small firms and giant Multi National Enterprises. Cash flow is the actual capital of the organization. It is important to realize how this capital is built accurately, thats why you have to keep track of all the money you spend in addition to the money you received. Appropriate Financial Management keeps the company away or at least lessen the risks it may face in the future. Looking at previous years trends can sometimes, but not always be useful. Circumstances change regularly, thus a successful manager is one who analyzes the whole environment strategically before taking and business decision. Successfully and efficiently managing is an integrative process. It is true that nobody can be excellent in every skill, being good in some of them, however, and always working on developing the other skills you are not very familiar with will improve your attributes as an individual, an employee or a manager. As a result, possessing business skills and developing them will end you up with a better career and a better life.