Quality Improvement Part 1 Essay Example for Free

Quality Improvement Part 1 Essay Examine three external indicators and how customers use the indicators as part of the Quality Improvement process; finally explain how stakeholder’s feedback is used in the quality Improvement process. Performance Measurement vs. Quality Improvement process â€Å"The primary concern of managers responsible for the operations of hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare delivery organizations is the quality of the non-clinical aspects of care over which they have most control, most visibility†. (Ransom Joshi Nash, 2008. P. 31). Performance measures are an important element of quality management process. Performance measures has the responsibility to directing their effort when change need to be institute. In the healthcare organization performance measures are a tool used to help managers understand and improve quality of care for patients and to develop a better functional programs for the staff. In contrast, Quality Improvement focuses on bridging the gap between current levels of quality. It is a way to be proactive in preventing errors or perhaps respond to near misses and develop a plan where safety is major components to process improvements. In case of medical errors, quality improvement help identify and see what changes can be made to improve or have preventive measures. Quality Improvement and quality Measures assist owners and managers with improving performances and raising performance standards. Norman Clinic Quality Improvement goals Norman Clinic of Physical Therapy is one of the largest hospitals in the state of Ohio. This clinic is about fifty (50) miles from downtown is dedicated to five key of quality measures. Emergency Services, Physical Therapy, Heart Failure, Surgical, pneumonia. This hospital offers a standard service and has earned its reputation in the management of individuals with disturbed functions or impairment related to neuromuscular, musculoskeletal, cardiopulmonary, and integumentary systems. Norman Clinic has specific service in quality improvement process such as reducing the occurrence of ventilation of patients in the ICU and NICU. Role of the Consumer Healthcare consumers play an important role in the quality improvement of Norman Clinic and can impact hospital’s reputation, and feedback received from consumers. During admission, each patient receives a booklet who allows him to understand the mission, the goal, and different realization of the clinic in intensive care. This booklet outlining way patients may become active member of the clinic, include the methods used by healthcare providers to meet patient expectation, reduce risk of infection, improve quality of care, decrease medication errors, increase customers satisfaction as it relates to pain management and post discharge care. External Quality Indicators

Functions of Management Essay -- Business Management

There is no one definition for the term management. However, Fayol (1916) defined the term management as; â€Å"To manage is to forecast and plan, to organize, to command, to co-ordinate and to control.† Mc Ilwee.T and Roberts I, (1991): p.g117 Management is not standardized and is undertaken at all levels of the organization, as it is an integrating activity. Managers have to manage in order to achieve the overall objectives and strategy of the firm. All firms are seeking effective managers, and the quality of management is a key element of business success. The four functions of management are essential to building strong teams and stronger organizations. Common to all managers, the four functions are planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. The aforementioned functions of the manager are the activities, which all managers must perform regardless of the industry, the level, the title, or the activity in which engaged. In this paper we will be examining all four of these ingredients and then we will apply them to real world examples. These four things are used any time when initiating a new project or dealing with any change, which we all know is constant. A lot of us may be all ready using or have seen others, but just never noticed it or didn't know how to identify the methods. Let us start by looking at the definitions and examples of each. Planning Planning is the function of â€Å"doing.† It’s the first management function both because it lays the groundwork for all o...

Blood clots Essay

Blood clots are also known as the thrombus which is the result of blood coagulation step in hemostasis. Blood clots are formed through platelets’ aggression which makes a platelet plug and the stimulation of the humoral coagulation system. Blood clots noted as a pathologic in terms of thrombosis but then it is physiologic in terms of injury. Thrombus signifies blood clotting in the intact blood vessels. It is a big blood vessel that reduces blood flow via that vessel. Moreover, in the case of small blood vessel, the blood movement might totally stop which may cause death of tissue which provided by the said vessel. If the thrombus extricates and turns out to be free-floating, it becomes an embolus. There are several conditions in which blood clots form which involve atrial fibrillation which is a cardiac arrhythmia’s formation, heart valve replacement, extension periods of inactivity, a previous heart attack and genetic inadequacies (see â€Å"Thrombus†. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. October 11, 2006). Blood clots’ preventions may decrease the possibility of pulmonary embolism, heart attack and stroke. Warfarin and heparin are frequently used to slow and restrain formation and progress of prevailing blood clots which permit our body to decrease and suspend the blood clots by means of usual methods. A thrombus is distinct from haematoma by means of: >being non-laminar >being elastic and brittle > has a high haematocrit >lacks of circulation (see â€Å"Thrombus†. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. October 11, 2006). The purposes of this study are to: (1) know what blood clots are; (2) be aware on how blood clots do form and; (3) learn how blood clots treated. II. Discussion A. About Blood Clots If the blood vessels are destroyed, the lack of blood from the system should be suspended before â€Å"shock† occurs and may possibly leads patient’s death. It is achieved through the blood’s solidification and the said process is termed as coagulation or clotting. Blood clots comprise of a plug of platelets entangled in a group of insoluble fibrin molecules (see â€Å"Blood Clotting†. June 4, 2005). Moreover, blood clots are the misery and pest of the existence of human beings. The can create strokes and heart attacks and they suspend blood supply to an individual’s legs. Many physicians denote this process as thrombosis. Several scientists have extensive researched for a period of time regarding the vascular biology which has an intention to stop thrombosis and cure its consequences yet it continuously serves as a culprit for death causes. Approximately in the past five years, the Mayo cardiovascular researchers continually widened their investigations regarding the vascular biology after they found out that thrombosis formed through interaction of cells exist in the vessel wall and in the circulation of the bloodstream. Dr. Simari stated that: â€Å"The major focus of our lab is to understand the biological process that narrows blood vessels, both in arthrosclerosis and in re- stenosis. Our aim is to take the biological clues that we learn from our research and use them to generate biological markers and treatments that can predict, prevent and treat thrombosis at the site of vascular injury (see â€Å"The Biology of Blood Clots†. Mayo Clinic’s Online Research Magazine. 2006). In addition, the blood clots develop even if an individual does not experience injury. Even though majority of the blood clots have a tendency to suspend, there are circumstances in which blood clots can create medical dilemmas. Blood clots turn out to be risky if they block blood movement via artery or vein. If the blood clot prevents or deters the blood movement to an artery in the brain or heart, it may lead to stroke or heart attack. Blood clots can deter, too, the veins and arteries in our entire body which cause illnesses like varicose veins to serious pulmonary embolism. The picture below illustrates the formation of blood clot (see â€Å"Blood Clots†. HeartCenterOnline. May 9, 2006). B. How blood clots do form? The cells which line inside the layer of blood vessel becomes injured which is instigated by a wound. The blood platelets automatically go directly to the injured area and connect themselves with the intention to close of the wound. Look at the picture below (see â€Å"How do blood clots form? March 11, 2004). Platelets clump together and the clothing process begins The platelets discharge a chemical substance which draw and bring together more platelets to the injured area. In the meantime, other substances are mix with platelets to create and develop a blood clot. This process is named as coagulation. Fibrin is released. Fibrin describes as a thread-like protein which aids the stabilization of the clot in the blood vessel. The picture below shows how blood clot forms and fibrin stabilizes clot (see â€Å"How do blood clots form? March 11, 2004). Additionally, blood clot can be developed too through gradual increase of plaque inside the artery-an example for this is the atherosclerosis- or other illnesses. Any vein or artery may possibly experience and form blood clots inside our body which include the coronary arteries that provide the heart with blood, the arteries which provide the brain with blood-an example for this is the carotid arteries, and the veins in the legs. As mentioned earlier, blood clots can also be dangerous if will it develop inside in any of these arteries: ? The pulmonary artery passes through from the heart to the lungs. Obstruction in this artery is named as a pulmonary embolism and may create a great damage in the lungs and in several circumstances, may lead to death. This is because of the abnormal heart pulse which is termed as atrial fibrillation or through a peripheral venous disorder inside the veins of the legs-an example is the deep vein thrombosis. ? One of the coronary arteries that can be found on the heart’s surface and provide the heart muscle with new, oxygen-rich blood. The obstruction of the coronary arteries may possibly cause a heart attack. In this condition, blood clots normally develop as a reaction to the plaque rupture that happens if a plaque piles up inside the coronary artery fractures’ wall, which initiate blood clotting. ? The carotid arteries that is located in the neck and provide the brain with oxygen-rich blood. Obstruction may possibly initiate a stroke-an example for this is the transient ischemic attack. ? The femoral artery which is located in the leg. Obstruction may instigate pain like claudication, absence of color’s area, weakness and when this is not cured, infection like gangrene and tissue death like necrosis. An artery can be located in the abdomen. Obstruction may create diarrhea, vomiting or pain (â€Å"Blood Clots†. HeartCenterOnline. May 9, 2006). C. how blood clots treated Several physicians cure blood clots with several procedures. Treatments like anticoagulants that aid to prevent blood clots and clot busters that aid to suspend blood clots. In some serious circumstances, physicians may possibly decide to use for a catheter-based procedure which utilize a long, thin tube named as catheter or even decide for a surgery to take off the clot-thrombectomy. Moreover, there are maybe devices that need to be implanted in particular blood vessels in order to catch blood clots before there will be more injury happened (see â€Å"Blood Clots†. HeartCenterOnline. May 9, 2006). C. 1 Treatment options for blood clots The option in treating blood clots is a case to case basis whether the clot has developed in an artery or a vein and creates stroke or heart attack. During emergencies, thrombolytic treatments-clot busters- may possibly used to suspend the blood clot. These treatments are applied to some selected patients in accordance to an extensive protocol. In order to be efficient, they are provided no less than one hour of the heart attack or in three hours of the stroke. Thrombolytics are normally applied when there are huge clots which cause severe and life-threatening signs. These can create abrupt and unexpected bleeding. There are many invasive methods that can also be used. One of these is the catheter-directed thrombolysis. It is a method which the catheter procvides thrombolytic enzymes straight to the blood clot. Throughout this process, greater enzymes’ concentrations could be utilized and may possibly have lesser side effects compared when the enzymes are supplied subcutaneously no less than two days. Thrombolytic method is followed by a treatment that has anticoagulants to stop more blood clots from formation. Anticoagulants could be advised to patients that have great risk of a blood clot. Researchers are really trying very hard to different catheter-based procedures to cure stroke rapidly. One of the experimental procedures which included is the use of a tiny â€Å"corkscrew† device which rapidly reverses the injury created by a stroke. The said device is directed to where the blood clot is; where it removes the obstruction. Another procedure depends on a special laser catheter which utilizes light energy to suspend rapidly the blood clot. These latest therapies can be accessible to a patient that cannot bear clot-busting drugs (see â€Å"Treatment options for blood. † Blood Clot, HeartCenterOnline. May 9, 2006). Furthermore, when a blood clot develops in a leg vein, there is a risk that a pulmonary embolism will form. A pulmonary embolism may possibly be a life-threatening in which blood clots break away from its location and passes through the bloodstream and stay in one of the blood vessels of the lungs. To avoid and stop a pulmonary embolism, the present blood clots in the legs may cured with a mixture of heat, thrombolytics, painkilling treatments, elevation of the injured area to lessen swelling and anticoagulants. This procedure relies on the clot’s size and the seriousness of any current symptoms. When a patient does not react to anticoagulants, the physicians will decide for a process which uses a catheter having a special device named as vena cava filter. The vena cava filter is inserted in the large vein which transports blood from the legs up to the heart and lungs (vena cava). Additionally, the vena cava filter is a kind of a device which catches blood clots within the vein before the blood clots are permitted to reach the lungs. However, there are several danger related with vena cava filters which comprise failure of the filter in terms of time and blood clots created by means of it. Many researchers really work on in improving the vena cava filters which can be withdrawn right after the medication of pulmonary embolism. There are researches that substantiated and confirmed that treatment in a longer period of time along with a low-does anticoagulant drugs aids in stopping the presence of blood clots amongst those patients who have background of vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism (see â€Å"Treatment options for blood. † Blood Clot, HeartCenterOnline. May 9, 2006). C. 2 Diagnosis methods There are several ways on how to diagnose blood clots. It starts with a medical background and physical test. When there is suspension of clot, several of examinations are utilized to substantiate the diagnosis and these include Doppler ultrasound, CAT scan and MRI: *Doppler ultrasound pertains to an imaging technology which utilizes sound or motion waves to give visual images of the structure and of several blood vessels and organs in our body (see â€Å"Diagnosis methods for blood clots†. Blood clots, HeartCenterOnline. May 9, 2006). * CAT scan refers to computer axial tomography. It is an examination which utilizes a number of x-rays which got from different sides in order to give a computerized three-dimensional image of a body shape (see â€Å"Diagnosis methods for blood clots†. Blood clots, HeartCenterOnline. May 9, 2006). *MRI means magnetic resonance imaging which is a noninvasive examination that utilizes magnetic fields to give high-resolution cross- sectional or three-dimensional visual images of the aimed surface (see â€Å"Diagnosis methods for blood clots†. Blood clots, HeartCenterOnline. May 9, 2006). References 1. â€Å"Thrombus†. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. October 11, 2006. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Blood_clot 2. â€Å"Blood Clotting†. June 4, 2005. http://users. rcn. com/jkimball. ma. ultranet/BiologyPages/C/Clotting. html 3. â€Å"Blood Clots†. HeartCenterOnline. May 9, 2006. http://heart. healthcentersonline. com/bloodclot/bloodclots. cfm 4. â€Å"The Biology of Blood Clots†. Mayo Clinic’s Online Research Magazine. 2006. http://discoverysedge. mayo. edu/vascular_biology/ 5. â€Å"How do blood clots form? March 11, 2004. http://www. innohepusa. com/corporateweb/innohepus/home. nsf/Content/Howdoclotsform. 6. â€Å"Treatment options for blood. † Blood Clot, HeartCenterOnline. May 9, 2006. http://heart. healthcentersonline. com/bloodclot/bloodclots7. cfm 7. â€Å"Diagnosis methods for blood clots†. Blood clots, HeartCenterOnline. May 9, 2006. http://heart. healthcentersonline. com/bloodclot/bloodclots6. cfm

Case Study Jyske Bank Essay

Jyske Bank was established in 1967 after merging four Danish banks operating in Jutland. Jyske Bank had been considered as a typical Danish bank, which is prudent, conservative, well managed and undifferentiated till the late 1990s. However, with the new strategy, the bank developed to guide differentiation from the mid of 1990s among great amount of Danish banking customer satisfaction. Q1. What is Jyske Bank’s new positioning or competitive differentiation strategy? Base on the case, Jyske Bank’s new positioning strategy is strongly believed to be developed from its core values and Jyske Differences by the managers. In order to achieve Jyske Differences, which comes from Jyske Bank’s core values, the bank’s managers just became overt about values they had long held. The core values allow managers to reevaluate how the bank operate and service its consumers. Therefore, managers decided to have some specific practices that deliver service differently from both how it had in the past, and how other banks delivered service. In other words, they would have to change their conservative position of the past and become a service driven and customer innovative bank within the competitive banking sector. With the assistant of Dutch consultant that the research findings showed the target market consisting mainly of Dutch families (60% retail) and small Danish businesses (40% commercial), were favorable towards the idea of bank that had a persona and believed in what it stood for. Additional research was also conducted in more difficult areas concerning the banks 4P’s- Product, Place, Price and Promotion from a customer orientated standpoint. In contrast, soft factors such as customer relationships with the bank, served as the bank’s differentiation. From Exhibit 1, which indicates that Danish Banks were in intensive competition, Jyske Bank’s managers should reestablish its competitive position, it went through a major transformation and positioned itself as a highly customer-focused bank, eager to foster relationships with customers, understand their needs and sell solutions accordingly. Jyske Bank’s new positioning is only targeted less risky customers who could afford its premium pricing and were comfortable with the banks candid personality and portrayed image. Although after that the bank  is only about 6% of the market, but that is what call personality, some people should dislike them. Jyske Bank’s competitive differentiation strategy was born out of its ‘values and differences’ discussed in the case Exhibit 4, which emphasized equality, transparency, honesty, respect and efficiency. The aim was to have these values embedded in each of the external customer-facing and internal aspects of its business and operations and distinguish itself from competition. Jyske Bank differentiated itself on the service delivery aspect and invested in tools that would improve its employee’s ability to deliver solutions and increase the time spent with its customers. Thus, the competitive differentiation strategies mainly contain a shift from traditional product focused selling to a customer- solution approach and the way the bank’s core financial product to deliver so as to give customers a different banking experience. Q2. What changes did the bank make to gat to its new position? What effect did these changes have? In order to successfully implement its new customer- focused strategy, Jyske bank had to make both tangible and intangible changes in their business operations, as well as how they delivered service to its customers, where necessary not only to influence the outcome of the business but also to provide guaranteed customer satisfaction. These changes were made to reflect Jyske Differences in every possible way. The tangible changes they made were changes to the account teams, branch design, and details. To be more specifically, account teams were created to work together and provide personalized service to each customer to foster customer intimacy and increase understanding of customer needs. The branch interiors were remodeled to make the customers feel welcomed and cared for. The round table design, similarity in chairs and customers sitting near the employees’ workstations was deliberate as it helped in the effective use of IT programs designed to structure interactions between account team members and consumers, that facilities the employee’s ability to deliver solutions and save time. Settle a cafà © inside the branch that provides homely environment to consumers. Those visible screens also reinforced the portray openness of information with the customer. The intangible changes were training involved  teambuilding and consumer service, empowering the branches as well as throughout the bank, management style, and human resources. The effect of these strategic changes as lead to an increase in customer satisfaction based on data collected by independent third parties and has the highest customer satisfaction level among its major competitors. Q3. Analysis Jyske Bank’s success using the Service Quality gaps Model. (e.g. what are Jyske Bank’s strategies for closing each of the 5 gaps in the model?) Service Quality gaps ModelJyske Banks’s success The customer gapThe bank was able to close this gap because providing customer with their superior services. They had only targeted the premium customer’s to whom the price did not matter. As a result of which they were able to provide the customers high quality services and were able to achieve minimum customer gap and highly satisfied customers. The listening gap (Not knowing what customer expect)Refer to competitive positioning of the bank; the â€Å"soft factors† relating to individual customer relationship are relatively important. Jyske Bank changed the way they deliver services and had come out with IT tool to first figure out the customer’s problem and expectations. They had dedicated a team of 4 employees per customer to get a better understanding of customer’s problems. A good marketing research orientation also benefits to decline the listening gap. They conducted surveys to detect customers’ expectations. Thus they highlighted that customers’ expectations had changed: factors like price, product or location had become â€Å"basics† for customers, who focused more on differentiating factors like bankers’ behavior and interest toward customers. Finally, the firm developed an effective relationship focus on what consumers need. They first decided to specialize only on t wo customer segments, Danish Families and Small-to-medium-sized companies, and to focus only on people sharing the Jyske Bank values. This strategy made it easier to understand customers’ expectations and to build long- term relationship with them. The service design and standards gap (Not selecting the right service quality designs and standards)To close the poor service design, absence of customer- driven standards and inappropriate physical evidence, the bank assigned a small team of branch bankers to serve each customer, which provided its customer with the best in class service in terms of the customer solutions and also provided customers with the best infrastructure facilities to make them feel at home, e.g. cafà ©, fruit juice, openness of banker’s screen. The service performance gap (Not delivering to service designs and standards)In human resource policies, the bank has an effective recruitment that looking for social abilities instead of banking skills. Jyske Bank was successfully able to retain its employees and provide them with adequate trainings. Jyske was not only the leader in customer satisfaction but was also a leader in employee satisfaction as well. The employees were provided with good incentives and were kept happy so that they could work. The communication gap (Not matching performance to promise)The bank provided interactive marketing communication plan to the customers that all the possible information that the customer required all the solutions are delivered to consumers. Jyske Bank also implemented a good upward communication to employees. According to their re-organization of the structure (dissolution of headquarters), which leaded to less layers between top management and front-line employees, and thanks to a good intern communication between managers and contact employees, customers’ expectations were transmitted easily and quickly trough the firm. Most employees like working for Jyske and appreciate to Jyske Difference. Q4. In your opinion can Jyske Bank’s sustain its growth and success? Would you invest in Jyske Bank? I think Jyske Bank can continue its growth and success and I am willing to invest in Jyske Bank. Because the bank already has its own competitive positioning that they made a lot of changes on service delivery in both tangible and intangible sides. Secondly, the leadership that Jyske Bank  established is also an important reason, Jyske was the largest and most richly- priced bank in Demark in 2003, and they achieved the leadership in customer and employee satisfaction, which enable Jyske to step further. According to the net income increased considerably, shareholders could receive growing annual return in coming years. Besides, Jyske Bank’s core value is to gain the balance among their three stakeholders: employees, customers and shareholders. â€Å"They were more interested in determining how the bank could remain in a position of leadership while still keeping the interests of its key stakeholders in balance.† Reference: http://thefinancialbrand.com/2893/jyske-bank-branch/

Supply Management in the Ontario Dairy Industry Essays

Supply Management in the Ontario Dairy Industry Essays Supply Management in the Ontario Dairy Industry Essay Supply Management in the Ontario Dairy Industry Essay To counteract this instability and to Increase milk prices, Canadian milk producers, along with the federal government, established a supply management yester to prevent surpluses and provide support prices based on a production cost formula. The formula is updated throughout the year from data collected from producers by the field staff of the marketing boards (Saber, 1988). This supply management program empowered the federal government to use production restrictions, rather than price, to fit the supply of milk with its demand Jacobson, 1988). At present, there are five commodities in Canada under supply management (milk, eggs, chickens, turkey and tobacco) which account for about 1/4 of all farm receipts (Lealer and Statuary, 1985, Schmitt, 1983). At the beginning of supply management, the program seemed like a cure for the problems of the dairy Industry. Now however, the supply management system, with all Its rules and regulations, Is too rolled and Inflexible to consumer Interests and wasteful In resource allocation compared to a free market. In Ontario, the Ontario Milk Marketing Board (MAMBO) Is the sole buyer of milk and which it then sells it to processors (Annexed, 1986). The MAMBO has jurisdiction for the provincial regulation of fluid milk. The Canadian Dairy Commission has primary responsibility for regulation of industrial milk. It sets target prices for industrial milk as well as purchases surplus skim milk powder and butter which it sells on world markets and puts back into the local market as demand requires (Saber, 1988). While the dairy industry in the United States is not perfect, supply management is opposed there. The National Dairy Commission on Dairy Policy (NCSC) endorsed a market oriented policy. The commission believed that profitability should be possible but not guaranteed. The producers that are efficient and Innovative would prosper in a free market (Pedal, 1988). Because the marketing boards in Canada are the ole buyers of milk at a fixed price, there Is unfairness In returns among producers because they cannot make competitive contracts with their local milk processors like Unlike farmers in the United States, who are paid basically on a supply and demand system, dairy farmers in Canada are peptidase on a cost of production formula. The formula base is derived from the following elements: cash input prices (35%), average earnings of industrial workers in Ontario (20%), general wholesale price index (30%), and fluid sales as a percent of total milk sales (15%) (Ham and Not, 1986). The cost of production formula for calculating the price of milk seems to be too generous. As the price of milk increases, the value of quota increases. This occurs because farmers are willing to pay more since they can expect to recover the cost of acquiring quota and still make a profit in the future. Producers acquire a net income that is higher than what they would under an unregulated system (Lealer and Statuary, 1985). Therefore, elevated quota prices are an indication that dairy farmers are being overpaid (Forbes et al. , 1982). The supply management pricing formula gives small and inefficient producers enough income, which would not be adequate for producers under competition. For example, the flock size of Ontario egg producers is less than the minimum efficient size while the average flock size in the United States is greater than this minimum efficient size (Schmitt, 1983). Supply management causes inefficiencies in the dairy industry. Overlaps in the raw milk assembly routes lead to higher transportation costs and small milk processing plants are inefficient because they do not achieve the economies of scale of larger plants (Forbes et al. , 1982). The system also lacks competition. Supply management raises prices to unrealistic levels, which reduces growth and development within the industry (Pedal, 1988). In a free market, there is price competition. This can lead to price wars and, therefore, lower prices for consumers. Some provinces, like Ontario, do not have minimum prices for fluid milk. Grocery stores, especially in border towns, lower the price of milk to that of American stores. By using milk as a loss leader, grocery stores can bring in more customers because milk is a necessity (Saber, 1988). Supply management also causes loss of entrepreneurial freedom, and increased penitence of producers on government (Forbes et al. , 1982). Regulations in the supply management system limit expansion and the size of the operation (Schmitt, 1983). Ontario dairy producers are essentially prevented from significant expansion unless they have significant amounts of capital to cover further purchases of quota (Ham and Not, 1986). Canada is a relatively high-cost milk producing nation (Forbes et al. , 1982). Milk production costs are higher in Canada than they are in the United States (Saber, 1988). The productivity of Canadian dairy farms relative to other countries, such as he United States and New Zealand, is quite low. Milk yield per cow is 15% lower in Canada than in the United States. Ontario has the largest herd size in Canada. However, the average dairy herd in the northeastern U. S. Is 60% larger than in Ontario (Forbes et al. , 1982). While Michigan and Ontario produce almost the same amount of milk (5,568 million pounds and 5,585 million pounds, respectively), Michigan has only 6,500 dairy farmers while Ontario has 10,300. This is because Michigan, on average, has more cows per farm, and each cow has higher production than its counterparts in Ontario (Ham and Not, 1986). Ontario farmers also have the United States are 1/3 to 1/2 of those in Ontario. As well, management productivity is lower in Ontario than in the United States (Forbes et al. , 1982). The dairy industry in Canada is also subsidized more than in the United States (Emilee and Large, 1989). A direct subsidy from the federal government is paid to dairy farmers at a rate of $6. 03 per hectoring (Saber, 1988). The subsidy is fashioned to keep prices for consumers lower than they otherwise would be. This maintains a larger Canadian dairy industry than might be if the subsidy was not here (Ham and Not, 1986). Supply management gives farmers monopoly power. Milk production under the quota system in Canada involves massive transfers of income from consumers and taxpayers to milk producers and, to a lesser degree, to dairy processors and foreign consumers. These income transfers mean significant losses in social welfare and are a misapplication of resources (Schmitt, 1983). The extra consumer burden is a social cost resulting from an inefficient risk allocation, and is composed of three parts. The first is the redistribution of income from consumers to producers. The second is the compensation paid to producers for the risk of their regulatory asset (quota), which is a cost to society. The last is the administration costs and the inefficiencies brought on by the program (Lealer and Statuary, 1985). Dairy producers gain about $700 million from these income transfers. Dairy processors also share in this windfall because the industrial sector is notably larger than it would be in a free market system. Foreign consumers of exported skim milk products also gain because they can purchase these products at prices much lower Han they are in Canada, and even below the Canadian cost of production (Forbes et al. , 1982). The largest factor affecting the social cost of supply management is how much Canadian prices diverge from prices of efficiently produced output in world markets (Lealer and Statuary, 1985). In 1980, it cost taxpayers $300 million to pay dairy producers the direct subsidy and the administrative and marketing costs of the regulatory programs. Because consumers pay higher prices for fluid milk and dairy products and consume less than under a free market, they suffer an income transfer of $700 million (Forbes et al. 1982). This consumer loss of almost $1 billion is by far the largest of any of the supply managed commodities (Schmitt, 1983). The income gains by dairy farmers under supply management soon translate into capital gains, benefiting those who held land and quota in the early sasss and leaving succeeding entrants into dairy farming not much better off than dairy farmers before the system began. This is because the higher milk price is offset by the capital cost of quota to enter the system (Forbes et al. , 1982). When the quota system started, producers obtained free quota, based on historic production. However, the demand for quota soon increased, which put a capital value on it. In 1988, quota prices were $204/keg. At this price, it is estimated that quota alone costs over $5000 per cow (Saber, 1988). This can mean up to 2/3 of the farms initial capital costs (Annexed, 1986). This immense outlay of money makes it very hard for new producers to enter the market (Saber, 1988). Banks are often reluctant to finance loans to purchase quota because it only has a paper value and cannot be used as collateral (Annexed, 1986). Quota is also not production can only secure quota from future growth (Saber, 1988). When quota is not freely transferable, producers absorb most of the risk. This raises social costs and reduces the net transfer benefit to farmers (Lealer and Statuary, 1985). The restrictions of transferring quota increases the marketability costs and the possibility that quota will be held by persons who are underspecified (Lealer and Statuary, 1985). Constraints in transferring quotas between producers increase the costs of diversifying (Lealer and Statuary, 1985). The quota system makes dairy products more expensive for consumers. Prices for dairy products have skyrocketed since the introduction of supply management. Consumer prices could average 50 percent higher than comparable U. S. Dairy product prices. Higher prices of milk also discourage consumption (Pedal, 1988). Milk and dairy products are an important source of calcium, protein and vitamin D and form a crucial part of the Canadian diet (Forbes et al. , 1982). As a result, they are considered a necessity. Canadians spend about 1/6 of their total food budget on milk and dairy products. Therefore, higher milk prices puts a burden on consumers with the lowest incomes, because it is something that everyone buys (Forbes et al. 1982, Saber, 1988). Supply management has increased food prices substantially in the poultry industry as well. In 1970, prices of eggs in the United States exceeded those of Toronto by 5. 2 cents per dozen. However, with the introduction of supply management system in the early sasss, a dramatic reversal occurred. By 1976, a dozen eggs in Toronto cost 18. 1 cents per dozen more than in the United States (Schmitt, 1983). As well as having lower prices, the United States also has lower farm retail price spreads. Farm gate prices accounted for 79% of the retail price of eggs in Toronto, while in New York it is only 58% (Schmitt, 1983). Dairy producers also take a higher proportion of the retail price of dairy products than they do in the United States. This means higher input costs for processors. Dairy processing is the second biggest industry of the food processing sector, accounting for over 16% of total food and drink sales (Moron, 1990). Supply management has caused wide disparities in bargaining power between milk producers and milk processors (Forbes et al. , 1982). As of 1988, processors only held observer status on the Canadian Milk Supply Management Committee and they also old not vote (Saber, 1988). Although wanting to respond to consumers desires for new products, especially ones with low fat, processors feel constrained by the quota system in Canada. In 1988, the supply system was based on butterfat, so the promotion of low fat products was very slow (Saber, 1988). However, there are now negotiations to move toward multiple component pricing and place less emphasis on Processors feel unable to meet consumer demands and wish that more milk was available to develop new products. Canadian dairy groups are not as enterprising in search and development as Americans. One example is low fat processed cheese. It took two years to introduce this product to grocery stores in Canada after it was developed in the United States (Saber, 1988). A supply management program for the dairy industry is bad for international and national trade. As well as a virtual embargo on the importation of butter, only a certain quantity of cheese can be milk, are dumped on world markets at prices under the national price and the cost of production. Imports of fluid milk from the United States are virtually prevented and here is no intervocalic trade of fluid milk (Forbes et al. , 1982). Trade barriers decrease the welfare of the whole world and policies of individual countries inflict unwarranted costs on domestic economies (Emilee and Large, 1989). These practices are contrary to Canadas policy of promoting more liberalized international trade and breaking down intervocalic trade barriers. The world is moving toward greater trade liberalizing. This trend towards trade liberalizing has swung public policy away from farmer protection towards processor survival and sector development (Harley, 1990). The mandate of the General Agreement of Tariffs and Trade (GATE) is to reduce import barriers, increase control of the use of direct and indirect subsidies and minimize the unfavorable effects that sanitary and Photostatting regulations can have on trade (Emilee and Large, 1989). With multilateral trade, the dairy industry would experience domestic deregulation, and the value of quota would become nil. Dairy production would expand 32% and net earnings (gross income minus cash and feed costs) would increase 38% (Emilee and Large, 1989). Under multilateral trade, total producer welfare would decrease $2. Billion but consumers and taxpayer would gain $3. 7 billion (Emilee and Large, 1989). If world dairy products were to increase under liberalized trade, production would expand and net revenues would be greater than under supply management (Emilee and Large, 1989). The dairy industry under the supply management system in Canada is not as effective as a free market system. The costs of administering the program and the loss to society, taxpayers, and consumers are not worth any benefits that the producers gain from this system. As the world moves toward freer trade, growing pressure will mount on he Canadian government to open its border to trade of dairy products. Dairy production under a free market will allow efficient and entrepreneurial farmers to expand.

The Basics of Conducting Interviews for News Stories

The Basics of Conducting Interviews for News Stories Conducting interviews for news stories is an important skill for any journalist. A â€Å"source† - anyone a journalist interviews - can provide elements that are vital to any news story: Basic factual informationPerspective and context on the topic being discussedDirect quotesIdeas on how to approach the storyNames of other people to interview Things You’ll Need A thin reporter’s spiral notebook (can be purchased at most office supply stores)Several pens and a pencil if it’s winter (pens freeze in cold weather)A tape recorder or digital voice recorder (optional)A video camera for interviews you plan to webcast Preparing for the Interview Research: Do as much research as possible. If you’re going to interview, say, a cardiologist about heart attacks, read up and make sure you understand terms such as â€Å"cardiac arrest.† A well-prepared reporter inspires confidence in the source.Developing Questions: Once you’ve thoroughly researched your topic, prepare a list of questions to ask. That will help you remember all the points you want to cover. Keys to a Successful Interview Establish a Rapport: When starting out, don’t abruptly launch into your questions. Chitchat a little first. Compliment your source on her office, or comment on the weather. This puts your source at ease.Keep It Natural: An interview can be uncomfortable, so keep things natural. Instead of mechanically reading out your list of questions, weave your queries naturally into the flow of the conversation. Also, maintain eye contact as much as possible. Nothing is more unnerving to a source than a reporter who never looks up from his notebook.Be Open: Don’t be so focused on getting through your list of questions that you miss something interesting. For instance, if you’re interviewing the cardiologist and she mentions a new heart-health study that’s coming out, ask about it. This may take your interview in an unexpected - but newsworthy - direction.Maintain Control: Be open, but don’t waste your time. If your source starts to ramble on about things that a re of no use to you, politely - but firmly - steer the conversation back to the topic at hand. Wrapping Up: At the end of the interview, ask your source if there’s anything important that you hadn’t asked about. Double-check the meanings of any terms they used that you’re unsure about. And always ask if there are other people they recommend that you speak with. Notes About Note-Taking Beginning reporters often freak out when they realize they can’t possibly write down everything the source is saying, word-for-word. Don’t sweat it. Experienced reporters learn to take down just the stuff they know they’ll use, and ignore the rest. This takes practice, but the more interviews you do, the easier it gets. Recording an interview is fine in certain circumstances, but always get permission from your source to do so. The rules regarding taping a source can be tricky. According to Poynter.org, recording phone conversations is legal in all 50 states. Federal law allows you to record a phone conversation with the consent of only one person involved in the conversation - meaning that only the reporter is required to know that the conversation is being taped. However, at least 12 states require varying degrees of consent from those being recorded in phone interviews, so its best to check the laws in your own state. Also, your newspaper or website may have its own rules about taping.   Transcribing interviews involves listening to the taped interview and typing out virtually everything thats said. This is fine if youre doing an article with an extended deadline, such as a feature story. But its too time-consuming for breaking news. So if you’re on a tight deadline, stick to note-taking. Always take written notes, even if you’re using a recorder. Every reporter has a story about the time they thought they were recording an interview, only to get back to the newsroom to discover that the machine’s batteries were dead.

Effect of Culture on Expatriates Work Performance Research Paper

Effect of Culture on Expatriates Work Performance - Research Paper Example Another reason why Fairmont failed to sustain its luster is due to its lack of emphasis towards the replacement of its traditional equipment, fixture, and fittings in order to keep abreast with the changing trends. Singapore city had remained economically vibrant over the past few years and thus had attracted both business travelers and tourists alike from across the borders at an increased pace. Demand had remained stable throughout the hospitality sector and hotel segment, but the hotel’s management had felt an alarming situation whilst its occupancy rate dropped immediately in times when the pressure from either group faded. In instances like the business holiday season, the occupancy rate dropped more abruptly compared to other industry players or far more than the industry rate. Likewise, as soon as the peak season for tourists diminished the rate drop for Fairmont surpassed that of its peers. Management is concerned regarding hotel’s obnoxious performance and fear s that if no prompt action is taken to bring in higher efficiency that would match the performance of its peers, it might have to face consequences like complete closure. Management is concerned regarding the prevalent obnoxious performance and fears that if no prompt action to bring in higher efficiency that would match that of its peers, it might have to face consequences like complete closure. So in order to implement and transform a strategy shift through change management, the solution is to be devised based on the current factors that relate to the business.