Starbucks Business Ethics Case Analysis Essay examples

Starbucks Business Ethics Case Analysis INTRO Ethical issues in business are a common placed every day occurrence that will never cease to exist. We will discuss an ethical issue that involves a large American corporation and its practices when dealing with suppliers of produce that is essential but not solely used by this business. We will present several point of views backed by literary findings that suggest ethical practices may or may not be at hand. BODY Mr. Donald states that one of the main goals of Starbucks is to expose the world to the coffee production/industry in Africa by showcasing African coffee name brands. However, there is evidence that points to the real goal Ââ€" that goal, simply put, is†¦show more content†¦Why would there be destitute coffee growers if the business behavior/practices were acceptable? Starbucks has established a reputable empire, which shows the occupational maturity. When the company first opened its doors many people laughed at the idea of a high-end coffee shop with a funny name but as time went on, they grown to become a common household name. While they have matured in the eyes of Americans they are still new to accommodating all of the third world countries from which they exploit. Some of the fundamentals business ethics/ground rules such as, honesty is the best policy, the customer is always right, and following the concepts of Truth in Advertising are applied on the surface i n the Starbucks case, but a closer examination will show that there may be some breaches in philosophy. There was a misunderstanding between the Ethiopian government and Starbucks in regards to control of coffee exportation from Africa and applying for US trademarks. There was an opportunity for Starbucks to boost the growers annual income, but this effort failed at the hands of Donald, according to theShow MoreRelatedFast Food Scandal Analysis Essay1406 Words   |  6 PagesFast Food Scandal Analysis Article Number 1 Title: â€Å"There May Be a Little Poop in Your Starbucks Iced Coffee† Author: Clint Rainy Date of Article: March 1, 2017 Summary of Topic: What are faecal coliforms? These are microscopic bacteria which originate from human waste. In other words, the intestines of warm-blooded animals. Such bacteria often pollute water sources however in the case of the following article, faecal coliforms were found in the ice of the Starbucks food franchise. The issue withRead MoreA Case Analysis on Starbucks’ Mission: Social Responsibility and Brand Strength944 Words   |  4 PagesA Case Analysis On Starbucks’ Mission: Social Responsibility And Brand Strength Submitted To Professor Panda Of University of Maryland Eastern Shore Department Of Business School Technology In Partial Fulfillment Of The Requirement BUAD300 By: Michael Kunle-Kehinde February 4 2013 Summary Named after the first mate in Moby Dick, Starbucks was founded in 1971 by three partners in Seattle’s renowned open-air Pike Place Market. Starbucks is now the third largest restaurant chainRead MoreGlobal Responsibility Of A Public For Profit Company1238 Words   |  5 Pagesstandards of customers who choose to shop with a ‘filter’. As such, it is important to investigate how a company ranks when doing a strategy analysis. The following paragraphs look into Starbucks to see what socially responsible actions they claim to do, where they fall amongst their competitors, and whether their claims are truthful. Research Findings Starbucks answers this demand for social responsibility through what they call a â€Å"global responsibility† report which addresses what the role and responsibilityRead MoreStarbucks: A business model for success now and in the future1478 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"Starbucks was named after Starbuck, first mate of the whaleship Pequod in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick†¦Starbuck was pluralized for ease of use† (Burks, 2009, p. 1). Now President, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer, Howard Schultz formed Starbucks Corporation in 1987 after purchasing the name Starbucks, six stores and a roasting plant from previous owners, Jerry Baldwin and Gordon Bowker (Burks, 2009). Starbucks operates under a successful value chain management strategy. Their value chain encompassesRead MoreStarbucks - Case analysis and problem solving1123 Words   |  5 PagesCASE ANALYSIS AND PROBLEM SOLVING: STARBUCKS Course: Business Policy Ethics and Strategy (F-410) Case Summary Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee company and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. In October 2006, Starbucks was the largest global roaster and retailer of coffee with more than 12,000 retail stores in 60 countries, some 3,000 of which are to be found in forty countries outside the United States. Looking forward, the company expects 50%Read MoreThe Amazing Success Of Starbucks1148 Words   |  5 Pagespaper will provide Key Aspects into how Starbucks balances both the positive and negative positions in concern to ethical and cultural guidelines. Country and Company examples will be provided. Like the pros and cons of many traditional companies and markets becoming obsolete, constant economic flux, Structure, strategy, technological, cultural US companies are even branching out global. Expanding globally allows U.S. companies to expanding their business into different nations. Keeping in mindRead MoreStarbucks’ Mission Social Responsibility and Bra nd Strength Essay763 Words   |  4 PagesThe case â€Å"Starbucks’ Mission Social Responsibility and brand Strength† basically discusses many things. It briefs you on how Starbucks came about in 1973 and how the company has evolved since then and the importance of defending its image. The company did many things to defend its image such as putting money back into the stake holder. Also Starbucks make a happy work environment by giving their employees full benefits. Starbucks offer one of the best health care programs in the coffee shop industryRead MoreEmployment Relations at Starbucks Corporation1875 Words   |  7 Pagesof the key players in an employment relationship. Next, the essay will examine to what extent good management practice contributes to the roles of the key players in the relationship. In order to accomplish these tasks I have chosen the company Starbucks to analyze and give meaning to these arguments. This essay will attempt to accomplish other tasks as well. This essay will explain the current situation of employee relations in the UK which include the social and legal parameters in which theseRead MoreSocial Responsibility in Stakeholder Theory1509 Words   |  7 Pagesresponsibility in stakeholder theory 3 2.1 Why social responsibility? 3 3. Limitations 4 4. Case study examples: Starbucks amp; Nike 4 5. Conclusion 5 6. References 6 7. Appendixes 9 Appendix A 9 Appendix B 10 1. Introduction This report focuses on social responsibility issue focusing on stakeholder theory. Social responsibility will be introduced and defined based on stakeholder theory. Next, analysis on the importance and limitations of social responsibility will be shown based on reputableRead MoreOrganizational Goals955 Words   |  4 Pagesactivities and forecasting future events (Marler, 2013). Virtually every business has a goal or goals that they want to accomplish. Most start with mission statements that tell us why the organization exists and state goals on what they hope to achieve. One of the most comprehensive mission statements that review their goals in terms of leadership, quality and value, profits, ethics, and social responsibility is Caterpillar (King, Case, and Premo, 2010). Caterpillar Caterpillar will be the leader in

Identity Quotes In Beloved - 1087 Words

Hook. In the book Beloved by Toni Morrison and â€Å"A Rose for Emily† by William Faulkner, the theme: Identity Results from the release of Repression through metaphors when Paul D talks about the tobacco tin, when Emily holds on to her father’s death, and both of them holding onto their past. When Paul D and Beloved get together his hypothetical tobacco tin is opened and he becomes humanized which allows him to develop his identity. When Emily’s father dies she holds onto his corpse and is unable to let the physical symbol of her past move on. Even though one symbol was physical and the other was hypothetical they were both willing to do what they needed to repress their past. With this in mind it is important to first discuss, the metaphor†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"It was some time before he could put Alfred, Georgia, Sixo, Schoolteacher, Halle, his brothers, Sethe, minister, the taste of iron, the sight of butter, the smell of hickory, notebook pape r, one by one, into the tobacco tin lodged in his chest. By the time he got to 124 nothing in this world could pry it open.† (Morrison 133) The tobacco tin represents privacy and his past. Paul D was locking up his past in this tin can. The tin can isn’t even something Paul D can open up himself. In this next quote, Paul D and Sethe were discussing the past but they decide not to go in too deep into their memories. â€Å"Saying more might push them both to a place they couldnt get back from. He would keep the rest where it belonged: in that tobacco tin buried in his chest where a red heart used to be. Its lid rusted shut. He would not pry it loose now in front of this sweet sturdy woman, for if she got a whiff of the contents it would shame him. And it would hurt her to know that there was no red heart as bright as Mister’s comb beating in him. (Morrison 86). This quote shows that both Sethe and Paul D were unwilling to dwell on the past too much due to their fe ar of reliving it. Paul D attempts to force his memories into that tobacco tin but they always found a way to leak back out once again. Next it is important to discuss how Emily holding onto her father represents the theme. The story â€Å"A Rose for Emily† by William Faulkner, relates to the theme:Show MoreRelatedTheme Of Freedom In Beloved By Toni Morrison951 Words   |  4 PagesThis quote highlights the recurring theme of â€Å"simple joys† of freedom in â€Å"Beloved†. Despite being a slave, Sethe learns the joy of freedom by sneaking out into the cornfields with her love interest, Halle. Sethe whimsical diction equates the beauty of the corn silk to freedom. The use of words like â€Å"tight sheath† and â€Å"loose silk† use corn to display a contrast between freedom and slavery. While I never have never had my freedom stripped away from me like Sethe, I also can appreciate the â€Å"simpleRead MoreAlienation within Beloved Essay1209 Words   |  5 PagesAlienation within â€Å"Beloved† â€Å"Cultural trauma refers to a dramatic loss of identity and meaning, a tear in the social fabric, affecting a group of people that has achieved some degree of cohesion† (Day 2). This quote by Ron Eyerman in â€Å"Cultural Trauma† references a large theme within the novel â€Å"Beloved†; Alienation of the self with its own identity. As the cultural trauma of slavery took its toll on the populations of each and every state where it persisted, it culminated in the same outcome inRead MoreUse of Violence in Beloved by Toni Morrison Essay668 Words   |  3 Pagesas society does not want to admit, violence serves as a form of entertainment. In media today, violence typically has no meaning. Literature, movies, and music, saturated with violence, enter the homes of millions everyday. On the other hand, in Beloved, a novel by Toni Morrison, violence contributes greatly to the overall work. The story takes place during the age of the enslavement of African-Americans for rural labor in plantations. Sethe, the proud and noble protagonist, has suffered a greatRead Moreâ€Å"God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers† so goes the old saying. Giving birth,1600 Words   |  7 Pagesmother-child bond is regarded the world over as the most perfect and intimate of unions. This is because maternal love is often viewed as a reflection of God’s love towards his creation. However In Beloved, Morrison presents maternal love that is dangerous, devouring , and destructive. Morrison’s Beloved is a story of an African-American woman, Sethe, who escapes slavery with her children because she is determined to save them from the brutality she herself has had to experience. However her slaveRead MoreThe Beauty of Shakespeares Sonnets1350 Words   |  6 Pagesmany others, which oppose the power to verse death and Times cruel knife, and promise immortality to the beloved.† For example, in the two last stanzas of sonnet 55, Shakespeare states, â€Å"So till the judgment that yourself arise, You live in this, and dwell in lovers eyes† (Shakespeare). Shakespeare loves his sweetheart so dearly, he puts it in a poem, telling his beloved that when they pass on, their memory will live in his writing, and will be remembered by anyone who readsRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Migrant Hostel 1331 Words   |  6 PagesIdentity is moulded by a multitude of different sources, and this is demonstrated on personal, social, historical and cultural levels. The intricacy of the relationship depicted in Feliks Skrzynecki, between the narrator and his father presents a perspective on the author s personal identity. Post card illustrates the historical perception of identity, representing a disparity of identity between the narrator and his parents caused by a lack of presence in Warsaw. The perception of social identityRead MoreThe Father Of Modern Linguistics, E dward Sapir, Characterized1682 Words   |  7 Pageslearned skill achieved through culture. This exclusively human ability is essential to one’s core identity, as explored by Chicana cultural theorist Gloria Anzaldua in How to Tame a Wild Tongue, in which she recalls being rejected for her native bilingual tongue by native Mexicans and White Americans, unable to fit in with either culture. Here, we see that language is a unique expression of identity -- adaptive and Taoist in its nature in that tone, diction, vocabulary, and dialect are manifestationsRead MoreIn Sherman Alexie’S The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-Time1311 Words   |  6 Pagesall that lacks from his hometown. In â€Å"The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian† by Sherman Alexie, the theme of Identity is demonstrated through Junior’s livelihood with trying to find out who he is, where he belongs, and what he can do to make his life better; all adding up to him discovering his true identity. Throughout the novel, Arnold struggled with the Identity of his name and his characteristics that affected everything he stands for. When Arnold transferred to Reardan, he viewedRead MoreAnalysis Of Toni Morrison s Beloved 1310 Words   |  6 Pages Mommy Issues: A â€Å"Beloved† Response Essay Late in 1987, after being inspired by a fellow story of a female fugitive slave, Toni Morrison pens a novel about a runaway slave and her children. Although Morrison’s â€Å"Beloved† quickly became a best-seller, and even has a movie adaption, it still left the audience with many unanswered questions. This novel not only gave a voice to those who were often silenced in the male stories of slavery, but it also perfectly exemplified the relationship was betweenRead MoreMy Culture, Identity, And Cultural Identity852 Words   |  4 Pagesthe word â€Å"cultural identity†, I think of myself, and what makes up who I am as a person. My cultural identity influences everything about me, from the moment I wake up, to the minute I rest my head on my pillow at night. My culture influences the way I eat, speak, worship, and interact with people. However, I am not only affected by my own culture, but others’ culture as well. I am fortunate to have an extremely rich heritage, and I couldn’t be prouder of my cultural identity. The first, and arguably

The entrenchment of abortion in different countries Free Essays

Legalizing or not legalizing abortion is one of the most controversial subjects in the world. Arguments for and against abortion have taken religious, political and moral perspectives with the proponents and opponents giving substantive claims to support their arguments. The entrenchment of abortion in different countries’ constitution has raised resistance from the conservatives who claims that the laws are contradicting when they impose death penalty on individual convicted of murder while legalizing abortion is itself legalizes murder of unborn. We will write a custom essay sample on The entrenchment of abortion in different countries or any similar topic only for you Order Now Despite the ensuing arguments over the subject, it is clear that abortion is practices in every corner of the world regardless of whether it is legal or illegal. My thesis is that abortion should be legalized since illegalizing does not deter people from aborting and it deteriorates and risks life of women. Abortion can be defined as a premature expulsion of a human fetus, whether in naturally like in case of a miscarriage or artificially induced through the use of surgical or chemical equipment. However the controversy around the subject surrounds about 93% of the abortion cases which are carried out for elective, based on no medical reason. Abortion should be legalized in cases case where a woman has undergone a painful ordeal like rape or incest which may affect the whole of their live and bearing such a child will rekindle painful memories of the ordeal. With rising population of homeless people and street children and families, abortion should be legalized so that those who feel that they cannot raise their children are not compelled to give birth to children who they cannot support and will leave them to wander on the street. Even in countries where abortion has not been legalized, there are rising cases of backstreet abortion where many women lose their life. These and other facts support the reasons why abortion should be legalized. I once again restate that abortion should be legalized since illegalizing does not deter people from aborting and it deteriorates and risks life of women. Why abortion should be legalized My first argument is that abortion should be legalized in case where a woman conceive after undergoing a painful ordeal like rape, incest, and other sex related ordeals. Such an ordeal is likely to haunt a woman for the rest of her life. Research has revealed that one out of every six case of rape or incest usually results to pregnancy. Apart from the danger of the mother contracting venereal disease which may affect fetal formation, women who give birth to children conceived in such circumstances are likely to suffer repeated emotionally every time they see that child since they remember the ordeal. Research reveals that more than 50% of pregnancies resulting from such cases are usually aborted all over the world where abortion is legalized or illegalized (Johnson, 2008). Most women turn to backstreet abortion while many are not likely to report pregnancy resulting from rapes and incest fearing stigma. Therefore, they end up undergoing crude methods of abortion where not one risking their health.   In order to save women from such ordeals, I feel that abortion should be legalized. My second argument supporting abortion is that there are many women who conceive when they have no means of bringing up the child.   Many women will enter into a relationship and when they conceive, their partners depart them. Some have no jobs or any economic means and they end up bearing children who are left to wander in the streets.   With the declining welfare supports, abortion should be legalized in order to save women from undergoing such ordeals which are likely to affect their life and that of their children. Research shows that more than 21% of the cases if abortions are related to women who are not ready for responsibilities while 11% are related to young pregnancies mostly to teenagers who cannot take responsibility for the children they bear (Johnson, 2008). Women should have the choice to decide carrying to full term pregnancies which they are prepared to handle and bring up the child in a good environment. I feel that abortion should be legalized in order to give women a chance to make choices of giving birth to children who they can take care. My third argument supporting abortion is that even in countries where abortion has been illegalized, people have not been deterred from performing abortion. In contrast to countries which are legalized where women seek abortion in hospitals, there are more people who are seeking abortion in backstreet clinics through crude methods risking their health. A study by Henshaw et al. (1999) showed there were more than 26 legal and 20 illegal abortions worldwide in 1999, concluding that stringent measures against legal abortion did not guaranteed low rate of abortion. Another study by Sedgh et al. (2007) concluded that the rate of abortion in countries where it is legalized has been decreasing with time. Legalized abortion help women to access safe abortion which is not detrimental to their health while illegalizing abortion expose women to health hazards. Therefore abortion should be legalized to help women access safe abortion. Conclusion Abortion remains a controversial subject in the world. My thesis is that abortion should be legalized since illegalizing abortion does not deter people from aborting and it exposes women to health risks. Abortion should be legalized for women who undergo painful ordeals like rape and incest which are likely to haunt them throughout their life. How to cite The entrenchment of abortion in different countries, Papers

Ethical Leadership Behavior and Employee †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Ethical Leadership Behavior and Employee. Answer: Introduction Work ethics is an esteem in light of diligent work and hard work. It is additionally a faith in the ethical advantage of work and its capacity to improve character. A hard working attitude may incorporate being reliable or seeking new aptitudes. Employees displaying a decent hard working attitude in principle ought to be chosen for better positions, greater obligation and at last promotion. However, employees who neglect to show a decent hard working attitude and work ethics might be neglected while giving reasonable incentive. Workplace ethics is fundamentally the conviction that work is a decent good and there is proper working environment within an organization wherein all the employees follow a proper code of conduct that is ethical (Holmquist 2013). It additionally alludes to the arrangements of qualities that are characterized and portrayed by steadiness and diligent work. Significance of work place ethics The present business condition is quick paced, as well as profoundly aggressive. So as to keep pace and remain ahead, it is essential for the organizations to ensure workplace ethics. Holding key characteristics, for example, participation, character, cooperation, appearance, and mentality increase the ones value as a man and as an organization. Successful professions come in many flavors, yet hard working attitudes and work ethics are a primary fixing in many formulas for progress (Hartman, DesJardins and MacDonald 2014). Proper attendance of the employees is always compulsory to guarantee achievement in the organizational objectives and in the maintenance of proper workplace ethics. Having this learning opens entryways and presents open doors for career oriented individuals. As one enters the working environment, proper ethical code of conduct is important to meet the convenient commitments of this quick paced condition. Character is the means by which others see somebody. Much lik e a performer who assumes a part, the character qualities that one has depict a picture in others' psyches. One's character creates as activities progress toward becoming propensities. These propensities uncover one's character. In the end, this part decides the result of one's life. Monitoring the activities and propensities in addition to improving on mistakes reinforces one's character (Mitonga-Monga, Flotman,and Cilliers 2016). Cooperation is the thing that offers quality to a working force. Partialities and stereotyping have no home in cooperation. Workplace ethics ensures that there is no discrimination among the employees. Figuring out how to coordinate with ones partners and being self-assured is critical in monitoring things. Treating co-workers with honest regard and behavior is a part of workplace ethics (Weiss 2014). Colleagues ought to always remain updated regarding new learning openings, yet in the meantime, keep classified data private. A hard working attitude, particularly a positive hard working attitude, is essential from a business point of view for the certainty it breeds in customers and purchasers. Ones inspirational state of mind and devotion to a customer's needs or making of an item can support ones business' goodwill for being an organization that works genuinely and reasonably. Ethics likewise work to assemble an ethical compass inside a business and disheartens demeanors and plans o f action that try to compromise for the sake of making a benefit (Taylor and Pattie 2014). Conclusion: Workplace ethics are a standout amongst the most basic issues in business and particularly in human resource management. The great moral culture in an association gives guidance and direction in different ranges with a specific end goal to assemble united, symphonious and moral workers. The code of ethics is a decent marker of associations responsibility in accepting the requirement for moral practices and executing it. Work ethics can be alluded to as a social standard that supports individuals to become accountable and in charge of the work they do in light of the conviction that work has inborn incentive to the person. A corporate code of ethics is an announcement of corporate standards, morals, principles of direct, code of training or organization theory with respect to duty to workers, investors, shoppers, the earth or whatever other parts of society outside to the organization (Xu, Loi and Ngo 2016). Representatives' impression of their association's moral atmosphere is observ ed to be identified with work fulfillment, authoritative duty, and organizational performance. Performance appraisals by employers and companions is one of the technique in measuring work execution in which performance is generally seen from human conduct with evaluative angles. Worker's conduct shown at work is not really identified with task specific side but rather for the most part on how well somebody performs his or her duty. This is consistent with the meaning of work ethics where individual are responsible for the work they do by the satisfactory ethical conduct. Interview questions: Why should an individual have work ethics? What are the essential ethics in your workplace? According to you, what is the most crucial work ethics? What are the two work ethics that you possess? Do you think that work place ethics helps in improving the performance of an employee? References: Hartman, L.P., DesJardins, J.R. and MacDonald, C., 2014.Business ethics: Decision making for personal integrity and social responsibility. New York: McGraw-Hill. Holmquist, J.P., 2013. Workplace ethics at the time clock: Fudging time with respect to Western and Eastern views.The International Journal of Human Resource Management,24(11), pp.2221-2236. Mitonga-Monga, J., Flotman, A.P. and Cilliers, F., 2016. Workplace ethics culture and work engagement: The mediating effect of ethical leadership in a developing world context.Journal of Psychology in Africa,26(4), pp.326-333. Taylor, S.G. and Pattie, M.W., 2014. When does ethical leadership affect workplace incivility? The moderating role of follower personality.Business Ethics Quarterly,24(4), pp.595-616. Weiss, J.W., 2014.Business ethics: A stakeholder and issues management approach. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Xu, A.J., Loi, R. and Ngo, H.Y., 2016. Ethical leadership behavior and employee justice perceptions: The mediating role of trust in organization.Journal of Business Ethics,134(3), pp.493-504.

The Development of Emotional Intelligence and Its Application

Introduction Emotional intelligence (EI) is the â€Å"ability to perceive, control, and evaluate emotions† (Desimone, Werner and Harris 2002). There are various debates concerning EI. Some studies claim that EI is innate whereas others suggest that people can learn and improve their EI. Peter Salovey and John Mayer have studied EI since the year 1990.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Development of Emotional Intelligence and Its Application specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More According to them, EI is â€Å"the subset of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and actions† (Salovey and Mayer 1990). Salovey and Mayer developed a model of EI consisting of four factors. First, they claimed that the initial stage of understanding EI involves acc urate perception of emotions. Perceiving emotions involves understanding nonverbal forms of communication such as body signals. Second, there is also reasoning with emotions. This stage involves applying emotions so as to enhance mental activities. In this manner, emotions help individuals recognise things that attract attention. Third, there is understanding of emotions. This is because different emotions may reflect different meanings and people may attempt to interpret such emotions so as to understand their causes. Finally, the model also proposed management of emotions. This entails controlling emotions and responses as well as considering emotions of others. Salovey and Mayer claimed that they arranged the model from basic to high psychological processes. In other words, the lower levels compose of simple tasks such as perceiving and expressing emotions. Conversely, the higher levels consist of complex processes such as awareness, reflection and controlling emotions. Proponent s of EI believe that both an individual and an organisation derive value from understanding EI effects on organisations and individual productivity. In most cases, majorities of workers devote limited time to personal development due to busy schedules and commitments. This affects organisations.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More As a result, organisations must develop employees’ development programmes in order to enhance EI. Organisations benefit from employees who are emotionally sensitive to customers and colleagues. This creates positive business relationships among all stakeholders. Investing in employees’ personal development increases productivity and motivation of the workforce. Individuals also benefit from developing EI in terms improving their relationships at workplaces and social life. At the same time, they also develop a better understanding and han dling of emotional situations of others. The concept of EI also applies to organisational behaviours. It is relevant in the field of industrial and organisational psychology (I/O psychology). I/O psychology scientifically studies workforce, organisations, and workplaces (Robbins 2005). EI and I/O psychology enhance organisational development through improving the workplace environment, employees’ satisfaction and their well-being. Organisations can rely on I/O for improving their hiring processes, educative programmes, and develop employees’ behaviours and attitude. In addition, studying organisational behaviour is also important for organisations during changes and developments. Thus, human capital, emotional intelligence and organisational behaviours relate to understanding workplaces and positive behaviours of employees. Positive behaviours of employees have positive contributions to organisational objectives. Relevance of Emotional Intelligence to individuals and o rganizations in the context of Organisational Behaviour Organisational goals about employees’ behaviours aim at transforming employees’ behaviours in an effective manner (Desimone, Werner and Harris 2002). In organisations, the focus has been on employees’ behaviours that improve performance and behaviours that enhance teamwork and unity. Most organisations focus their efforts on employees’ behaviours that improve organisational performance. Emotional intelligence falls in the second category of organisational behaviours that focus on improving teamwork and relationships.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Development of Emotional Intelligence and Its Application specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, ever since the works of Salovey and Mayer and later Goleman, EI has gained considerable recognition in modern organisations. EI has become relevant in the modern workplace. We can at tribute this interest among organisations to their desires to enhance business performance and desire among management to predict employees’ behaviours. The works of Mayer and Salovey have continued to influence the field of EI. They have created a link between emotions and mental capabilities of subjects and concluded that the two are inseparable. Thus, they concluded that emotions and cognitive were important in studying decision-making processes among people as they influenced how people react to situations. The challenge with EI is the concept of measurement. This is because measurement remains the main source of controversy in studying EI and its application in organisational behaviours. Past studies have relied on testing as the basis for measuring EI. However, we have to acknowledge that EI remains a matter of personal experience. Based on personal experiences, the measurement of EI is prone to personal bias due to self-assessment. However, self-reports have remained e ffective approach in measuring EI in a given context as Jordan and Troth noted (Jordan and Troth 2004). These studies maintain that assessing factors like emotional awareness can only be accurate when self-report is the tool of measurement. This is because people can identify their own behaviours and reactions in certain situations. As a result, they can measure such situations from lack of interest to situations that demand attention. According to Jordan and Ashkanasy, combination of self-reports and peer reports as tools of measurements of EI can provide the valid measure of emotional self-awareness among teams (Jordan and Ashkanasy 2006). These tools of measuring EI are at initial stages of development. However, studies claim that such tools have psychometric validity. Thus, they give reasonable and valid results of EI measures. Application of EI in organisational behaviours relies on empirical data that can prove findings and claims most scholars in this field advocate. However, critics believe that EI lacks sufficient data to prove such applications in organisations.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Such critics argue that potential applications of EI in organisational behaviours have not undergone thorough testing to prove their validity due to infancy stage of such measurement tools in relation to other areas of measuring personality and intelligence (Locke 2005). In addition, these critics also claim that proponents of EI applications in organisational settings rely on data based on flawed models of EI. These models are not consistent with the original definition as Mayer and Salovey suggested. In addition, some of these studies have wide coverage than the original model of Salovey and Mayer. Such studies have created opportunities for critics to dismiss claims by proponents of EI applications in workplaces (Daus and Ashkanasy 2003). EI remains a controversial issue in relation to organisational behaviour as Daus and Ashkanasy discovered (Daus and Ashkanasy 2003). Landy and Locke have criticised popular models of EI (Landy 2005; Locke 2005). These researchers view these mode ls based on their shortcomings. Landy and Locke argue that modern models of EI originated from discredited views of Thorndike which are more than 80 years old. This was the source of social intelligence. Some of these criticisms fail to consider recent scientific works on EI with reference to organisations. For instance, Ashton-James concurs with the definition of EI in the works of Ashkanasy (Ashkanasy and Ashton-James 2004). However, he criticises the methods and abilities of how to measure EI. According to Ashton-James, any attempt to measure EI should put emphasis on respondents’ abilities to experience emotions that they should give their feedback on during EI tests. However, we must recognise that Ashton-James criticise EI from its original definition. This is necessary because various proponents and critics promulgate their own definitions of EI as the case of Goleman and Bar-On (Goleman 1998; Bar-On 1997). According to these critics, EI is a modern reflection of socia l intelligence. These scholars further argue that any model of intelligence that relies purely on intellectual capabilities cannot sufficiently explain human behaviours and capabilities in practical situations. Locke fiercely criticises the EI that it is an approach that has a political motivation through egalitarian ideas as â€Å"everyone will, in some form, be equal in intelligence to everyone else† (Locke 2005). Landy also supports this idea. Locke notes that EI is not an appropriate field of scholarly study and should not apply to organisations. However, proponents argue that Locke still cling to outmoded models of the past where such research relied solely on mental processes and behaviours in order to provide explanations for organisational behaviours. Studies that support EI and organisational behaviour emerged after the work of Ashforth and Humphrey as forms of support to their idea (Ashforth and Humphrey 1995). According to Humphrey and Ashforth, EI is influential i n areas of service provision, and leaders may also engage emotional labour so as to motivate and influence moods of their employees and improve performance of the organisation. These studies suggest how EI is significant in the service industry where employees interact with customers and other employees. We can see the rapid growth of service sector. In this field, EI is useful for employees who serve customers as they can be able to manage different emotions in order to meet given core values of organisations. This is how we can link job performance to employees’ EI as their abilities to control emotions may aid them cope with work requirements. Later studies have raised interest in the subject and referred to such works as affective revolution in organisational behaviours. In addition, studies of Robbins show latest research that supports EI in organisational contexts (Robbins 2005). From the renewed interests in the subject, we can argue that EI is not a new form of social intelligence or another theory to study intellectual intelligence. EI has emerged as a strong area of study in the field of I/O psychology and studies in organisational behaviours. Thus, we can use EI to predict and understand behaviours in organisations. These studies prove the relevance of EI in understanding and predicting organisational behaviour. We can observe how critics like Ashton-James have changed the definition of EI. However, we should look at EI from the earlier perspective of Salovey and Mayer. This is the ideal definition of EI that future researchers should base their criticisms. At the same time, scholars interested in understanding EI should review scholarly works that focus on EI in order to understand theoretical underpinning of the concept. This shall enable them understand EI and its application in organisational behaviour. Conclusion We have noted the development of EI and its practical application in understanding and predicting organisational behaviours. T his implies that the concept of EI shall continue to evolve in organisational behaviour studies. The field has gained recognition after the study by Ashforth and Humphrey. The focus on emotional abilities of employees continues to influence the field of organisational behaviour. Organisations find EI useful in their attempts to enhance workforce productivity and predict their behaviours. At the same time, organisations find EI relevant in recruitment and selection of employees that can adapt to different situations. This enhances team effectiveness and organisational output (Jordan and Ashkanasy 2006). Some studies have also shown that organisations that focus on EI have improved their healthy relationship among employees (Goleman 1998). Goleman’s applications of EI in workplace using concepts of self-management, empathy, self-awareness and social skills demonstrate the positive application of EI in organisations. We must also appreciate the works of critics that claim distra ct the theory of EI. Such criticisms lead to further studies in the field of EI and organisational behaviours. Thus, some scholars have concluded that emerging studies are good indicators of developments in this field of study and claims by critics lack substantial grounds. Organisations using EI tests to assess and predict behaviours of their employees face difficult tasks in developing strategies for EI testing, methods, and processes. In addition, EI lacks official body that can control types of tests subjects take. Still, these tests may be subjective and have different meanings depending on personal experiences of the subjects. To this end, we must also note the inherent bias as subjects may not provide true responses due to ambiguities with some of the test materials. Reference List Ashforth, Blake, and Ronald Humphrey. â€Å"Emotion in the workplace: A reappraisal.† Human Relations 48 (1995): 97-125. Ashkanasy, Neal, and Claire Ashton-James. â€Å"Performance impacts of appraisal and coping with stress in workplace settings: The role of affect and emotional intelligence.† Research in occupational stress and wellbeing 3 (2004): 1-43. Bar-On, Reuven. Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory: A measure of Emotional Intelligence, Toronto: ON: Multi-Health Systems, Inc, 1997. Daus, Catherine, and Neal Ashkanasy. â€Å"Will the real emotional intelligence please stand up? On deconstructing the emotional intelligence ‘debate’.† The Industrial and Organizational Psychologist 41 (2003): 69-72. Desimone, Randy, Jon Werner, and David Harris. Human Resource Development, 3rd ed. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt College Publishers, 2002. Goleman, Daniel. Working with emotional intelligence. New York: Bantam Books, 1998. Jordan, Peter and Neal Ashkanasy. â€Å"Emotional intelligence, emotional selfawareness and team effectiveness.† Linking Emotional Intelligence And Performance At Work (2006): 145-164. Jordan, Peter and Ashlea Troth.  "Managing Emotions During Team Problem Solving.† Human Performance 17 (2004): 195-218. Landy, Frank. â€Å"Some historical and scientific issues related to research on emotional intelligence.† Journal of Organizational Behavior 26 (2005): 411-424. Locke, Edwin. â€Å"Why emotional intelligence is an invalid concept.† Journal of Organizational Behavior 26 (2005): 425-431. Robbins, Stephen. Organizational behavior, 11th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ:: Prentice Hall, 2005. Salovey, Peter and John Mayer. â€Å"Emotional intelligence.† Imagination, cognition, and personality 9 no. 3 (1990): 185-211. This essay on The Development of Emotional Intelligence and Its Application was written and submitted by user Gilbert Johns 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.

Psychology Essay on Gender Differences

Psychology Essay on Gender Differences Free Online Research Papers Gender differences plague us at every point in life from jobs to sports to academics. Research has shown that their really is scientific reasons for these varying skills between males and females. Sports have always been an issue since the playground days of joking about how girls can’t do this or that and boys can. However, as we grow up we realize that this is far from the truth. There are clearly sports in which girls excel over boys and vice versa. For instance, girls naturally possess more strength in their lower bodies than boys and boys are the same way except with their upper bodies instead. This simple piece of information would lead me to believe that girls are better at sports that require more lower-body strength but that isn’t necessarily true. Most girls have tendencies to fear pain and be a â€Å"girly girl† which results in them staying away from contact sports such as football, rugby, or kick-boxing, all which use immense leg strength. Boys on the other hand have the tendency to try to outperform, take risks, as well as show off, especially within their peer group, when they compete in athletics. Boys also seem to be more physical and violent than most girls. All these factors cause the majority of males to participate in more dangerous and contact-driven sports. Of course, within these differences there are equalities and plenty of girls/boys who are better at the others’ stereo-typical sport. Just because boys are naturally more likely to act more dangerously than girls when choosing a sport won’t stop some of those females from beating them at their own game. If someone has the heart and the drive for something they want, that’s all they need to do it just as good as the next person. Research Papers on Psychology Essay on Gender DifferencesEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyUnreasonable Searches and SeizuresHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayResearch Process Part OneInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesWhere Wild and West MeetThe Hockey GameThree Concepts of PsychodynamicGenetic Engineering

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I have not . could you chose it - Essay Example The determination of insolvency options is not dependent on the type of purchases made. The type of purchases or indebtedness is irrelevant at this time. The law does not differentiate as to type of debts.1 Therefore, neither I nor anybody is in a position to do so. This is sought to be rectified by the new Act of 2007 whose provisions are to take effect in 2010. Act 2007 specifies the types of indebtedness to be included in the specific Insolvency Option. It is dependent upon the amount of benefits she receives; how much is left over after tax deductions and normal household expenses as disposable income; and, the amount of her indebtedness.2 Since these factors were not clearly indicated in the facts of the case, I will discuss all insolvency options. After that a listing of the possible range of benefits she is receiving to determine what option will suit her situation the best will be made based on people under similar situations. Finally the best possible option will be recommen ded. The Debt Relief Order (DRO) is aimed at providing debt relief.3 The debtor must obtain the services of an approved intermediary. This is a skilled debt adviser who helps a debtor apply with the Insolvency Service for a DRO. Courts do not take cognizance of this. This order lasts for 12 months. Creditors explicitly named in the order are not allowed to collect from the debtor or file any action to recover their money. After the 12 month period and the circumstances of the debtor do not change, he will be freed from all debts mentioned in the order. To qualify for a DRO, the debtor must not be involved in another formal insolvency procedure at the time of application and has not been a subject of a DRO within the last 6 years. He must be living or doing business in England for the last 3 years. He can own a car with a maximum value of  £1000.00 and assets not exceeding  £300. His indebtedness must be less than

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Five Years from the Brink ( ) - Movie Review Example However, the immediate cause that triggers the crisis was the fall of Lehman Brothers. Their collapse caused much fear to the global financial markets. This was in 2008 of which their fall prompted banks to stop lending to each other. The impact was the rising interbank borrowing risk premium to 5% which was previously at 0%. Despite the effort to inject liquidity to the financial markets by the authorities, the financial markets were already suffering the consequences (McKibbin and Stoeckel 1). Conversely, article by Positive Money claims that financial and economic crisis are attributed to the large sum of money created by banks through loans. The banks doubled the money and debt in the economy in a period of 7 years. The larger sum of money created by the banks was used to increase the cost of property in the economy, house prices increase significantly. A huge amount of money loaned to the property owners by the banks increased the cost of houses and personal debt. Additionally, the property owners had to pay interest on loans provided by the banks. However, the increasing debts and low income led to the failure of loan repayment. Some individuals could not afford to pay back the loans and so the banks become bankrupt. Immediately after the crisis, financial institutions reduced their lending rates to household and the businesses. The reduction of lending rates by the banks to businesses caused a drop in prices. This prompted the property owners who had previously borro wed a large sum of money to sell their property. Those who had borrowed a large amount of money thought that they could easily repay their loan because of favorable prices of their property. The sale of the assets by the property owners led to fall of house prices and so the bubble burst. Hank stated that the improved value of the derivatives, hidden banking structure, and the off- balance sheet financing encouraged exceptional business transactions and therefore contributed and

Thomas Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase Essay

Thomas Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase - Essay Example First, the Louisiana Purchase served to double the size of the United States and consequently reduce the size of France territory (Nugent, 15). This has defined the size of the USA to present day, which would otherwise be smaller in size, while France would by now be an enormous territory (Blumberg, 22). Secondly, considering the enormous size of the territory that was purchased, and further considering the strategic position of the land, which had the greater control of the Mississippi River as well as Port Orleans, which is a strategic facility for commerce and transport, the purchase has defined the status of the United States, as a major economy in the world, and also as a superpower (Burgan, 11). However, the occurrence is also a major influence in the shift of the previous stance held by President Thomas Jefferson, who was initially an anti-federalist, thus opposed to the unification of the different State under one federal government (Cerami, 108). It is the need to have the L ouisiana territory co-joined as a part of the whole American union, owing to its strategic position for transport infrastructure and commerce that influenced President Thomas Jefferson to change is perception, and opt to have the whole territory united under one jurisdictional control, to enhance the economic prosperity of America (Lewis, 85). Nevertheless, there are two major factors that define the Louisiana Purchase as one of the pragmatic decisions ever made in the history of the USA.... Secondly, considering the enormous size of the territory that was purchased, and further considering the strategic position of the land, which had the greater control of the Mississippi River as well as Port Orleans, which is a strategic facility for commerce and transport, the purchase has defined the status of the United States, as a major economy in the world, and also as a superpower (Burgan, 11). However, the occurrence is also a major influence in the shift of the previous stance held by President Thomas Jefferson, who was initially an anti-federalist, thus opposed to the unification of the different State under one federal government (Cerami, 108). It is the need to have the Louisiana territory co-joined as a part of the whole American union, owing to its strategic position for transport infrastructure and commerce that influenced President Thomas Jefferson to change is perception, and opt to have the whole territory united under one jurisdictional control, to enhance the econ omic prosperity of America (Lewis, 85). Nevertheless, there are two major factors that define the Louisiana Purchase as one of the pragmatic decisions ever made in the history of the USA. First, the Louisiana Purchase was marred by controversy, considering that there was internal and external resistance from the white settlers in the USA and the inhabitants of the French territory respectively, but President Thomas Jefferson still went ahead and implemented the decision (Nugent, 13). This happened despite the fact that it caused the aggravation of secession move that was being advocated by the white settlers, to move out of the Union, poising their argument on the fact that; the purchase

Impact of Teleworking on Innovation

Impact of Teleworking on Innovation This study seeks to explore the relationship between high-tech firms, innovation, and the teleworking trend. Specifically, an examination of the high-technology sector in the UK is provided, followed by explanations of teleworking, innovation, and high-tech firms as they relate to the scope and focus of this study.   The above is based on published findings of empirical research and published reports.   This study then considers how teleworking has impacted innovation at the Intel Corporation, a leading manufacturer of semiconductors who allows employees in certain positions to telework part or all of their workweek.   Innovation and impact are considered at an overall corporate level, rather than at an individual level. Findings of this research indicate that teleworking one to two dayseach week has no discernibly negative impact on innovation, and mayactually enhance innovation, provided systems to encourage andfacilitate innovation are in place.   Implications for organisationsentering the teleworking arena and the sector as a whole are followed by recommendations for high-tech companies and for future research. Teleworking is a cultural trend in much of Europe and the Americas.   While it provides many plusses and a few minuses to theindividual teleworkers, its impact on organisations and particularlyinnovation at those organisations has not been sufficiently explored.  This study seeks to consider the impact teleworking has onorganisations, specifically high-technology organisations, and theirability to generate, initiate, and implement innovative products,processes and administrative ideas. A review of previously published findings related to teleworking,innovation, and high-technology is provided, covering these topics ingeneral.   The focus of the study then narrows, addressing organisationsthat both use and produce high-tech products or services, and finallyconcentrating on innovation in the computer hardware and softwaresector.   Ideas and conclusions from these studies are then combinedwith information from Intel Corporation, a leading manufacturer ofsemi-conductors and similar computer products, to analyse the specificimpact of teleworking at Intel.   It is hoped the conclusions drawn from Intel’s experiences will beuseful to other high-tech firms practicing or considering teleworking,as well as encourage others to pursue related research. High-technology has evolved in the past thirty years from something outof a science fiction novel to part of the average Britain’s everydaylife.   The UK contributes over 5% of the world’s research anddevelopment, although it has less than one percent of the world’spopulation.  Ã‚   The UK additionally has the larges software and computerservices sector in the EU, and a significant semiconductor industry(Anon 2005).   From Bristol, at the end of the M4 hi-tech corridor, toSheffield, where software has replaced steel, to the hi-tech centres inCambridge and Hertfordshire, high-tech is replacing and revitalisingthe declining UK industrial sector. It is important to note that the high-tech sector differs in severaldistinct ways from other sectors of the economy.   First, the speed atwhich technology changes is simply unmatched in other productionsectors.   This requires not only constant innovation in product, butconstant innovation in the process and administrative arenas as well(Edquist 2003).   Property rights considerations have starkly differentapplications in high-tech organisations.   If companies wait until theirnew ideas were licensed or patented before progressing into production,the market will likely pass by them and their product before it evenmoves into sale (Cohan 1997).   High-tech organisations are also morelikely to share information and partner on products, particularly intheir non-core technologies, and share the profits with another firmrather than miss a market entirely (Edquist 2003). The local high-technology sector differs in some ways from that inother countries.   The UK has historically lagged behind the UnitedStates and Japan in its ability to move a product from idea toproduction in the high-tech arena.   UK firms, unless part of aninternational company who mandates certain practices, have not made asmuch effort to design intra-organisational systems to encourageinnovation (Surrey 2004).   In a study by the University of Surrey,Ellie Runcie stated that after studying UK and U.S. high-tech firms,she found UK organisations have â€Å"often no discussion at all is made ofthe role of user research in innovation† (Surrey 2004).   This is aconcern regarding the UK high-tech sector that needs to be considered. The UK also has a lower per-capital computer literacy and computer use,particularly in the home sector, than most other high-tech nations.   Ona more positive note, the UK government has launched a campaign toincrease computer literacy and home computer use.   Intel, BT, andMicrosoft are the three major organisations working with the OeE, DTIand DfES on this campaign (Intel 2004). One of these leaders from the high-technology sector, the IntelCorporation, will be considered in greater detail.   Although aU.S.-headquartered firm, Intel has facilities in several places in theUK, as well as worldwide.   Intel is a major manufacturer ofsemi-conductors and computer processors, and will be used as an examplein this research of how teleworking can contribute to innovation in thehigh-tech environment. As this study considers the topics of teleworking, innovation, andhigh-technology, it was felt necessary to define and set parameters foreach.   The following literature is considered in the scope of thisresearch, with specific delineations of the three main study componentsoutlined in detail.   We have recently entered an important new phase in the ongoinginformation technology revolution. It is difficult to pick up abusiness magazine or newspaper today without reading about anorganisation offering teleworking and virtual offices for remoteworkers. There has been fair media coverage in how companies haveembraced the idea of teleworking, including the likes of ATT,Ernst and Young and IBM.   A monthly magazine is even devoted toâ€Å"today’s flexible workplace,† Telecommute, published by the nationaltrade organisation, the International Telecommuting Advisory Council(ITAC). Part of a general trend towards remote work, teleworking is a naturalresult of the information revolution, fuelled by the growth ofknowledge work and the rapid advance in technology.   The trend isconsistent with predictions made by futurist Alvin Toffler in his 1980book The Third Wave, that the location of work would outgrow typicalsites such as offices or factories, and begin to take place in alllocations. Teleworking is especially becoming popular in high-technologyorganisations.   During my work placement at Intel Corporation, I wasalso exposed to various team members teleworking from home one to twodays per week. While this trend is popular with employees, it behovestoday’s high-technology company to consider the impact of teleworkingon innovation.   This sector of the business environment is particularlydependent on innovation to remain viable, and it is important,therefore, that the initiation and implementation of innovation not besacrificed to worker preference. Examination of various sources reveals a lack of consensus as to thedefinition of teleworking, or as it is sometimes called,telecommuting.   ‘Teleworking’ is more common in European literature,while ‘telecommuting’ is more common in but not limited to Americanliterature.   Unfortunately, this lack of a universally accepteddefinition of teleworking causes problems academically; as either termcan be used to mean ‘home-working’, ‘working-at-a-distance’, ‘off-siteworkers’, or ‘remote-workers,’ it hinders the ability to comparefindings from different sources. Therefore, it is necessary to chooseand define a single term before proceeding. The term ‘telework’ is generally preferred on this side of theAtlantic, and will be used here.   Huws, Korte, and Robinson (1990)define telework as work â€Å"which is independent of the location of theemployer or contractor and can be changed according to the wishes ofthe individual teleworkers and/or the organisation for which he or sheis working† (10).   Olson (1988) argues, â€Å"the term telework is used torefer to organisational work performed outside of the normalorganisational confines of space and time, augmented by computer andcommunications technology. The work is not necessarily performed in thehome (77).   The EU holds that ‘telework’ â€Å"covers a range of new ways ofworking, using the telecommunications as a tool and, for at least partof the time, outside a traditional office environment (EuropeanCommission, 1996, 11).   Jack Nilles defined telecommuting as â€Å"an arrangement that entailsworking outside the conventional w orkplace and communication by way oftelecommunications or computer-based technology (Bailey and Kurkland,2000).   According to The American Telecommuting Association, 2002,telecommuting is â€Å" replacing or supplementing physical travel to theoffice by using modern telecommunications equipment to bring officeresources to the employee. While computers serve to augmenttelecommuting, it is possible to telecommute with only paper, penciland telephone.† Distilling the above into a workable definition, important elements of telework for the purpose of this study include: à ¢Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚ «Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   the person doing the telework is an employee of the organisation for which she or he works à ¢Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚ «Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   computers and communication technology are used à ¢Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚ «Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   it is not necessarily performed in the home, but does occur outside a traditional office environment Telework is therefore defined as any substantial part of an employee’swork performed by employees that is physically separated from thelocation of their employer using information technology (IT) foroperation and communication.  Ã‚   Three groups are affected by teleworking:   the employers ororganisations, the individual teleworkers, and society as a whole.  Benefits and drawbacks to individual teleworkers vary greatly fromperson to person, and are difficult to evaluate.   Benefits to societyare primarily environmental, as reduced commuting decreases pollutionand reduces transportation-related injury.   This study will thereforefocus on the affect of teleworking on the employer or organisation.  Areas of benefit include increased productivity and financialadvantages.   Drawbacks security concerns, management issues, andreduction in interaction and exchanged of ideas.   Each of thesebenefits and drawbacks will have impact on innovation inhigh-technology environments. INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY According to The American Telecommuting Association, various surveyshave documented teleworking employees’ productivity gains of up to 60%(1992).   They claim that extra productivity is consistently clocked at10-15% in nearly every study in the past two decades.   The SocialMarket Foundation (2004) argues that teleworking can increaseproductivity by up to 30%. They further claim that the more than twomillion UK workers now regularly telecommute with employees use thetime saved from commuting and meetings for extra work.   Huws (1992),Salmon and Shamir (1985), Caudron (1992), and Metzger and Von Glinow(1998) all report indications of improved productivity, reliability andwork quality among teleworkers. The increase in employee productivity resulted from teleworking isalso supported by G. E. Gordon, who claims there are a variety ofreasons for increased productivity in employees who telework.   Theseinclude decreased time spent commuting to work, fewer distractions inthe workplace, and giving telecommuters the opportunity to better matchtheir work times with their peak productive periods.   He notes thatproductivity gains ranging from 15-30% are common with such programs(Gordon 1986). Employee motivation is another cited reason for improved productivity.  Employees perceive being the ability to telework as an indication thattheir employers have sufficient trust and faith in them to workindependently.   It could also be argued that teleworkers in fact workharder than non-teleworking employees as they feel the need to prove totheir office peers that they are not indolent as a result of working athome without supervision. Teleworkers may also feel the need to workharder to achieve promotions (). However, various theorists argue that some employees find that becausethey have their work resources at home, they tend to work more. Thiscould interfere with family life.   In addition, telework can be viewedas an intrusion of the workplace in the home. The office at home is aconstant reminder of work.   There is the real problem of definingconcrete working hours when the distraction of home life is a constantpresence.   Working hours and social versus home time can becomeblurred.   Another form of intrusion is when family members or socialinterruptions constantly disrupt teleworkers from completing work.  This may add extra pressures and stress.   Teleworking employees whoexperience such disruption and time management issues may actually havedecreased motivation and productivity due to these outside factors.  Therefore, it is important that employees exercising their option totelework draw strong boundaries that will enable them to workeffectively.   Guidance from t he organisation and possiblity sometraining in effective teleworking should be included by an organisationemploying teleworkers. Smith (1997) suggests telecommuting reduces absenteeism amongstemployees.   For example, employees who may feel too ill to complete afull day and commute, may be well enough to work a partial day.  Individuals are more likely to continue working even when feelingunwell due to being in a more comfortable and relaxed work environment,i.e. their home.   Smith counters that teleworkers often havedifficulty, especially at first, with separating home and work time.  This increases if children are in the teleworking location, most likelythe home.   However, adjustments are usually successful in the long term. Further, the Bureau of Labour Statistics reports that businessproductivity, the measure or output per work hour, has risen 2.8% since1998.   This correlates positively and directly with an increase inteleworking. Teleworking has been perhaps, therefore, most effective inincreasing productivity. Clearly, these human resource managers are very satisfied with theirprograms a nd believe their telecommuters are satisfied as well.   Ifhalf of the firms included in the above research are reporting morework done at a better quality in comparison to the traditional workforce, there must be considerable merit to teleworking increasingproductivity. FINANCIAL SAVINGS Teleworking can also save firms money in a number of ways.   It providesthe employer with an expanded pool of potential employees. The skillsof employees with commuting difficulties, childcare conflict,disabilities and geographical barriers employees are all made availableto the employer who adopts the telecommuting practice.   Smith (1997)supports this, claiming teleworking offers attractive workingconditions, which aid in the recruitment and retention of skilledemployees and help to reduce voluntary separation of key employees.  This represents considerable savings to the employer in terms ofreduced hiring and training costs. Reduced overhead is another financial benefit.   Teleworking reducestime and travel costs for meetings, conferences and training thusminimising organisational overheads.   Individual teleworkers alsobenefit from reduced costs in transportation, clothing, childcare, andreduced absenteeism.   Teleworking can also help firms remain in the same location and avoidfuture relocation to larger premises.   This particular cost saving ishighly remunerative due to the increasing real estate prices in urbanareas today and the substantial cost savings in office space.   Peoplewho telework do not use office space and do not create overheads.   Evenin case of part-time teleworking space savings are generated.   This isevident at IBM, who is expected to save between 15 to 20 percent inspace requirements by taking away the desks of more than five thousandof its employees and telling them to work at home, in their car, or attheir clients’ offices (Swinton 2002). The claim that teleworking reduces organisational overheads is alsosupported by BT who introduced its â€Å"Workstyle 2000 flexible working†programme ten years ago.   The claim that the programme has saved them134m as a result of teleworking practices.   This includes reducing thenumber of employee desks in London from 10,000 to 3,000, saving  £6,000per desk per year.   There has also been a five% reduction in companycar mileage, resulting in fuel savings of  £9.7m this year alone.   BTalso reports a 20% increase in productivity and that 75% of alltelephone conferences are replacements of face-to-face meetings. Opponents of teleworking argue there are often some initial increasedcosts due to outfitting the teleworkers and making adjustments tocompany computers to accommodate them.   Ford (1995) claims thattelecommuting programs lead to extra costs. He claims that extra coststypically involve additional equipment requirements and funding theprovision of human reso urce services, training, fringe benefits, andrelocating. He continued to argue that the question of cost alsoincludes the equipment and space costs associated with telecommutingprogram and that telephones and electronic equipment cost more fortelecommuters than for traditional workers. It is important that hardware and software provided to teleworkersstarts out and remains uniform because this simplifies supportimmensely.   The required initial investment and length of time forpayback will vary sharply from company to company, however, with themost technologically advanced incurring the least upfront costs.   Giventhat high-tech firms are those under consideration in this study andthey have the most access to the latest and most efficient technology,it then follows that these expenditures do not detract from the savingsfor high-tech firms adopting or practicing teleworking. Additionally, many companies report current pressures on their supportdesk and according to Classe (2000) this will intensify by theintroduction of a remote workforce.   As teleworkers usually worknon-standards hours, longer hours of support cover may be required,which will confer additional associated costs to the employer.   Thecost factor for such support spread across a larger high-t ech companywill have little impact; the same costs spread across a smaller companymay be significant and should be considered a potential drain onresources that could support innovation implementation. SECURITY Security is a major concern for high-tech companies with teleworkingemployees.   Confidential information must be accessible to theteleworkers remotely, information that may range from a product indevelopment to a change in production methods to sensitive profiles offuture customer bases.   This makes the same information more accessibleto hackers and competitors; it is highly unlikely a company couldafford or an employee would want equal security measures on theirprofessional facilities and residences.   In addition, information used and generated by teleworkers willtypically be uploaded to a server for accessibility.   Others within thecompany then have increased chance of access, compromisingintra-company security. Eric von Hippel, however, in his study of knowledge location andinnovation solving, noted â€Å"conducting innovation-related problemsolving at remote sites need not compromise an innovator’s ability toprotect commercially important secrets† (1994).   While greaterpotential for security breaches exist, this in no way indicatessecurity need be compromised by teleworkers. MANAGEMENT One of the biggest problems for managers and staff involved withtelework is measuring and monitoring the work done by employees.Management recognise that it is easier to monitor the level of workdone by employees when they are in the office and managers often worrythat their staff will not work as hard from home.   Teleworking presentspotential issues with the ability to discipline telecommutingemployees, provide a career path, and provide promotionalopportunities.   Those in supervisory positions often see difficultiesin relation to mangers’ human resource management responsibilities(Werdigier and Neibuhr 2002). Ford (1995) also raisies the issue of the telecommutting impact on thesupervisors span of control.   Due to the workers being so spread out,Ford claims that many companies will be forced to reduce the averagespan of supervisory and will not have sufficent control to accommodatethe unique problems of telecommuters.   Ford suggests that another majoraspect of th e supervisory issue is the ability of the manager tocontrol distractions in the work setting and to ensure that theemployee does not become displaced from the informal help and adviceavailable through interaction with a work group. Clearly, managers of such programs need to be trained in remotesupervision.   In addition, they should recognise the possibility thattheir teleworking employees may not have adequate access to training,career and promotional opportunities.   More importantly, theseemployees may miss the informal information sharing that occurs in atraditional work environment.   This will be shown to have a significantimpact on innovation.    REDUCED SOCIAL INTERACTION AND POLITICAL INFLUENCE Social isolation seems to be mostly acknowledged by scholars as themost significant potential or actual drawback of teleworking.  Ã‚   Whilesome employees welcome the new freedom that comes with lesssupervision, others say they miss the camaraderie and socialinteraction that comes with face-to-face office operations.   However,this usually depends on the professional level of the employee.   Smith(1997) argues that the higher the level, then the more electroniccontacts and networks; hence, less social isolation is experienced. Video conferencing could help ease the psychological trauma that comeswith social isolation, allowing multiple numbers of people to converseand perform work together in an electronic version of face-to-facecommunication.   This may allow teleworkers to increase the humanemotion and communicational flexibility often lacking in electroniccommunication.   Social isolation also implies that for teleworkersthere is minimal peer availability for informal work relateddiscussions as one might get, for example, in a staff cafeteria atlunch times. In addition, teleworkers may lack the political connections and cloutto get innovations approved or funded.   With reduced opportunities tobuild relationships on the job, they are forced to propose or supportinnovation solely on the merits of the proposal (Werdigier and Neibuhr2002).   While this theoretically could be a positive result ofteleworking, in practice it reduces the chance of innovative input fromteleworkers being initiated or implemented. DECREASED KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE It could similarly be argued that the largest detraction of teleworkingon innovation in high-technology organisations is the reduction ofknowledge exchange from employee interaction.   Informal and proximitylearning is an ongoing opportunity for training in the traditionaloffice environment not available to teleworkers.   If both are in thesame location, an inexperienced worker can observe another moreexperienced worker and learn from this observation.   This is asignificant training tool for office-based or facility-based workersand one of the main ways knowledge is acquired and exchanged in anorganisation (Classe 2000). CASE STUDY BT The various benefits of telecommuting to the employer can be supportedby the findings of a study conducted amongst 2000 BT employees (2002).  The study revealed that enabling staff to work from home resulted inincreased company productivity and better employee health and qualityof life.   BT claimed that telecommuting saved them  £35m a year inaccommodation, recruitment costs and absenteeism and that teleworkerswere four times less likely to take sick days, averaging three days offa year compared with twelve for office-based staff. The study also revealed that almost 80% of teleworkers claimed to bemore productive thanks to reduced disruption, commuting time andstress, and greater flexibility about when and where to work.  According to Alison Garner, marketing manager for social responsibilityat BT making staff feel part of the BT community was key to theschemes success. Although a small number of teleworkers complain about increased workinghours, four out of five survey respondents claimed that teleworking isimportant or very important for their quality of life.   Almostthree-quarters described their work/life balance as good or verygood.   BT also maintained that its teleworking policies paid off interms of staff recruitment and retention. CASE STUDY – THE SUSTEL PROJECT The Sustel Project, created in 2002 by the EUs Information SocietyTechnologies programme, found that telework increases businessresilience since it allows work to be done when building operations aredisrupted by factors such as the weather. The Project also showed that the influence of telework on human capitaldevelopment, the personal competencies and skills needed to createwealth, was mostly positive.   Seven of the studies found that teleworkhad a significantly positive effect on internal communication andknowledge sharing, often due to the conscious implementation oftechnological tools during telework program deployment.   At theindividual level, the main financial benefit of telework was reducedcommuting costs, which almost all respondents saw as being greater thanthe increased cost of energy in their home. BENEFITS AND DRAWBACKS – CONCLUSION At the present time there is a lot of controversy in both academic andpractitioner literatures with respect to how telecommuting affectsorganisation employees.   At one extreme, telecommuting is considered aflexible work arrangement that will solve a multitude of problems.   Atthe other extreme, authors have implicated telecommuting causing anumber of negative consequences including loneliness, isolation,exploitation and increased stress.   While there are a legitimate numberof potentially negative effects of telework, these effects can beminimized by proper program management. A balanced view is presented from Baruch and Nicholson (1997) andGoodrich (1990) who claim that the best output from telecommuting isachieved if it is conducted on a part-time basis. They argue,teleworking on a part-time basis can prevent or significantly reducethe social isolation of teleworkers. There are a number of benefits and drawbacks that should be consideredspecifically by high-tech organisations implementing teleworkprogrammes.   From a broad organisational perspective, the positives ofsuch a programme seem to outweigh the negatives.   However, the twodrawbacks of teleworking with legitimate effect on innovation in thehigh-technology sector are reduced political influence, and knowledgeavailability and exchange.   As these have been identified as ofgreatest impact, these areas will be focused on in this study.   As with teleworking, there are a number of different proposeddefinitions of innovation.   One of the most complete is offered byDamanpour (1996), who defines innovation as â€Å"the adoption of an idea orbehaviour new to the adopting organisation,† which usually occurs as â€Å"aresponse to changes in the external environment or as a pre-emptiveaction to influence the environment† (694).   Innovation is â€Å"departingfrom existing norms and practices,† and â€Å"requires risk taking†(Damanpour 1996, 698).   Edquist (2003) defines innovation as â€Å"newcreations of economic significance, primarily carried out by firms†(2).   Depending on the researcher, innovation is held to require either twoor four steps to implementation.   In the four-step model, theinnovative idea is first discovered or created.   This usually happenswith one individual or a small number of individuals working as ateam.   The idea is then presented to and accept ed by a decision-makingleader or body.   Initial adoption of the innovative idea by theorganisation is the next step, with the company allocating someresources to the development of the idea, such as pilots or testcases.   Implementation occurs when the innovative idea reaches broadacceptance within the organisation and becomes part of its regularproduct, process, or routine (Styles and Goddard 2004).   The two-stepcombines the first three steps of the four-step model under oneheading, initiation (Damanpour 1996). There are three types of innovation:   product innovation, processinnovation and administrative innovation (Edquist 2003).   Allcompanies, and small firms in particular, are more likely to innovatein the product arena, where results are tangible and measurable.  Larger firms will also innovate in process areas.   However, processinnovation is more difficult to implement than product, as it requireschange across multiple systems.   Administration innovation occurs mostfrequently in large, structurally complex companies, as it requires themost widespread changes to the organisation (Damanpour 1996).  Ã‚   Innovation within these three areas can be radical or incremental.  Radical innovation â€Å"produces fundamental changes in the activities ofthe organisation and represent a large departure from existingpractices† (Damanpour 1996, 699).   Radial innovation requires a largerknowledge base and free resources.   Incremental innovation is adoptedmore slowly, and produces less pronounced changes to organisationalsystems and activities. Innovation, therefore, is defined in this study as a change in theproduct, process or administration of an organisation; a new idea thatdeparts from existing norms and practices to respond to the firm’scurrent or future environment.   Innovation implementation requires knowledge, creativity, politicalsupport (within the organisation), and adequate resources.   Increasingany of the above or making the systems that control them moreeffective, therefore, has a positive effect on innovation.   Asinnovation requires both change and risk, companies will only undertakeinnovation if it is perceived as necessary to their survival or can beshown to have financial incentives.   Recognizing the forces driving the organisation to innovate isimportant.   For example, environmental uncertainty and environmentalcomplexity both contribute to increased innovation.   Uncertainty aboutthe future leads directly to a concerted effort to increase knowledgebase and exchange.   This influx of information then leads to increasedinnovation (Damanpour 1996).   This is especially evident inhigh-technology firms, where a market leader product today may becompletely obsolete by next year.   Definite, articulated identificationof the need for and support of innovation within the organisationgreatly enhances the chance of implementation of an innovative idea. Similarly, development or adjusting organisational systems to encourageand support innovation increases the chance of innovative success.  Damanpour found that â€Å"large organisations can facilitate theimplementation of innovations by adopting more flexible structures andorganising themselves into smaller units† (1996, 700).   Creation ofinnovative ideas is more likely in complex organizations, where thereis a larger knowledge base and an increase in knowledge exchange(Damanpour 1996).  Ã‚   However, larger organisations are less likely tomove innovative ideas to implementation as they are typically moreformalized, with lower managerial incentive to innovation (Hitt,Hoskisson and Ireland 1990).   An example of this is IBM, which made a sy

Archery Vocabulary :: Archery Sports Bow and Arrow Essays

Archery Vocabulary Adaya: An arrow which has missed it's target, Japan. Alborium: A bow made from hazel, 11th century. Anak, Panah: An arrow, Malay. Anchor: The location to which the hand that draws the bow string is positioned to when at full draw. Anchor point: The place where an arrows nock is drawn to before release, usually the chin, cheek, ear or chest. Used to help aiming. Aquande-da: The leather bracer of the Omaha. Arbalest, Arbalete, Alblast, Arblast: The European crossbow of the Middle Ages. Arbalete a Cric: A crossbow drawn by a rack and pinion. Arbalete a Jalet, Pellet crossbow, Prodd: A crossbow set up to shoot stones instead of bolts. Arbalest a Tour: A crossbow drawn by a windlass. Arbalestina: A cruciform aperture in a wall of a fortification from which a crossbow was shot. Arbrier: The stock of a crossbow. Archer's guard: See bracer. Archer's paradox: In period bows (without a shelf or centre shot) the arrow which is properly shot will fly in the line of aim although the string propelling the arrow moves directly to the centre of the bow. The arrow in fact bends around the bow after release but after passing the bow returns to its proper line of flight. See Spine. Archer's ring, Thumb ring: An effective Eastern method of drawing the bow string while using the thumb protected by a ring. Archer's Stake: A sharpened wooden stake driven into the ground pointing away from an archer to protect against cavalry. Arcuballista: The ancient form of ballista. Arcubalista unis pedis: A crossbow which only needs one foot to assist drawing the string. Arrow: The missile shot by an archer from a bow. Arrow guide: See Majrà £, Solenarion. Arrowhead: The striking end of an arrow, usually made of a different type of material from the shaft such as iron, flint or bronze, depending the purpose of the arrow. Arrowsmith: A maker of metal arrowheads. Ascham: [1] A tall narrow cupboard for storage of bows and arrows. [2] Roger Ascham, 1515 - 1568, author of Toxophilus (1545). Arrow spacer: A circular piece of leather pierced by 24 holes used to keep the shafts of a sheath of arrows apart from each other and prevent damage to the flights during transport. Azusa-yumi: A small bow used in magic, Japan. Top B Back of the bow: The surface of the bow furthest from the archer when they hold the bow in the firing position. Archery Vocabulary :: Archery Sports Bow and Arrow Essays Archery Vocabulary Adaya: An arrow which has missed it's target, Japan. Alborium: A bow made from hazel, 11th century. Anak, Panah: An arrow, Malay. Anchor: The location to which the hand that draws the bow string is positioned to when at full draw. Anchor point: The place where an arrows nock is drawn to before release, usually the chin, cheek, ear or chest. Used to help aiming. Aquande-da: The leather bracer of the Omaha. Arbalest, Arbalete, Alblast, Arblast: The European crossbow of the Middle Ages. Arbalete a Cric: A crossbow drawn by a rack and pinion. Arbalete a Jalet, Pellet crossbow, Prodd: A crossbow set up to shoot stones instead of bolts. Arbalest a Tour: A crossbow drawn by a windlass. Arbalestina: A cruciform aperture in a wall of a fortification from which a crossbow was shot. Arbrier: The stock of a crossbow. Archer's guard: See bracer. Archer's paradox: In period bows (without a shelf or centre shot) the arrow which is properly shot will fly in the line of aim although the string propelling the arrow moves directly to the centre of the bow. The arrow in fact bends around the bow after release but after passing the bow returns to its proper line of flight. See Spine. Archer's ring, Thumb ring: An effective Eastern method of drawing the bow string while using the thumb protected by a ring. Archer's Stake: A sharpened wooden stake driven into the ground pointing away from an archer to protect against cavalry. Arcuballista: The ancient form of ballista. Arcubalista unis pedis: A crossbow which only needs one foot to assist drawing the string. Arrow: The missile shot by an archer from a bow. Arrow guide: See Majrà £, Solenarion. Arrowhead: The striking end of an arrow, usually made of a different type of material from the shaft such as iron, flint or bronze, depending the purpose of the arrow. Arrowsmith: A maker of metal arrowheads. Ascham: [1] A tall narrow cupboard for storage of bows and arrows. [2] Roger Ascham, 1515 - 1568, author of Toxophilus (1545). Arrow spacer: A circular piece of leather pierced by 24 holes used to keep the shafts of a sheath of arrows apart from each other and prevent damage to the flights during transport. Azusa-yumi: A small bow used in magic, Japan. Top B Back of the bow: The surface of the bow furthest from the archer when they hold the bow in the firing position.

Health Care Systems Essay

Abstract The primary objective of any health care system is to provide adequate and effective medical care to the population. Health care systems may vary due to political and other factors. Factors may include location, access to care, basic needs of the populations as well as economic status. However, the primary goal remains the same. Because of the ongoing need for government to allocate funds to the medical budget their involvement in health care cannot be discounted. This paper introduces two major health care systems. First that of the Netherlands and secondly, the United States. The pros and cons will be discussed, as well as the role and function of the government as it relates to health care. A compare and contrast of the differences and similarities of both systems will be made. Health Care Systems The Netherlands The health care system in the Netherlands is comprised of three distinct compartments and is mandatory for all residents and non-resident who pay Dutch income tax. They are required to purchase health insurance coverage, except for those with conscious objections and active members of the armed forces. Coverage is mandatory under the health insurance act provided by private insurance companies and regulated under private law. One percent of the Dutch population were uninsured in 2009 and approximately sixteen percent between the ages of twenty and thirty years. Those who failed to pay premiums for at least six months are also known as defaulters. (Westert & Klazinga, 2011, p. 1) Insurance companies are forbidden to perform â€Å"risk assessment† that deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions, risk factors based on age, gender, or health profile. Tax credits make the package affordable for those who have low income while those who have no income receive coverage as part of their social assistance package. (Daley & Gubb, 2011) The government provides health care allowances also known as premium subsidies for low-income families if their premium exceeds five percent of the household income. (Westert & Klazinga, 2011, p. 80) Individuals who do not sign up for health care coverage are subject to a tax fine of one hundred and thirty percent of the premium. (Daley & Gubb, 2011) The Exceptional Medical Expenses Act regulates the first compartment. (Daley & Gubb, 2011) Contributions were taken as a 12.55% salary deduction and further supplemented by a government grant. (Daley & Gubb, 2011) Basic insurance packages include General Practitioner, Hospital specialists, Midwives, as well as hospitalization, dental coverage up to the age of eighteen after which only specialist dental care is covered (dentures e.g); medical aides such as home health care and medical equipment pharmaceutical care, maternity, ambulance and patient transport services, paramedical care, mental health and limited lifestyle improvement (smoking cessation programs e.g.). In vetro fertilization is also covered for the first three attempts. (Westert & Klazinga, 2011, p. 1-2) The second compartment deals with basic and essential needs. These medical needs are first treated by a General Practitioner. Every resident and non-resident must be registered with a General Practitioner who oversees basic care including, physicals and common illnesses. In the event specialized care is needed, patients are referred to a Nurse Specialist who is responsible for giving medical treatment. This may include information pertaining to prevention, education, social and psychological support. (â€Å"Nursing,† n.d) For example if a patient is diagnosed with Diabetes Mellitus their first encounter is with the General Practitioner who makes the diagnosis, and puts together a team consisting of the Diabetic Nurse Specialist and an Endocrinologist. The Endocrinologist supervises the Nurse Specialist who in turn acts as a supervisor or consultant to the General Practitioner. Members of the team must meet on a regular basis to discuss the patient’s needs and progress. Based on the severity of the patient’s illness (which could be deemed as low, moderate or severe) determined by the patients’ test results one of the three care givers will in fact manage follow-up care. However, all three practitioners will continue to be involved. The Nurse Specialist acts a liaison between both the Practitioner and the Specialist. (â€Å"Nursing,† n.d) The third is an optional supplemental coverage and is paid for by the individual or as part of an employer/employee contract. Care can include, dental after the age of 18 years, physiotherapy and cosmetic procedures. The focus on overcoming disparities such as obesity and smoking cessation do not exist in the Netherlands, as it is believed that it is the responsibility of the individual to seek treatment, which is covered under the basic package. Before the 2006 Reform, there were long waiting lines to see the General Practitioner. There are forty Dutch health insurers across the country and individuals are free to choose the company of their choice based on their personal needs and preferences. At the time of annual open enrollment, patients are allowed to change their insurance company to one of their own choosing. (Westert & Klazinga, 2011, p. 84) Every insured individual age 18 and over must pay a deductible ranging from â‚ ¬170 to â‚ ¬ 670 referred to as cost sharing. General practitioner care and children health care are exempt from cost sharing. (Westert & Klazinga, 2011, p. 80) How is the health system financed? – The first â‚ ¬ 32,369 are taxed at a rate of 6.9 %. The employer is required to reimburse this contribution while the employee must pay taxes on the reimbursement. For those who do not have an employer or do not receive unemployment benefits the contribution is 4.8% while the self-employed is individually assessed by the Department of Revenue. (Westert & Klazinga, 2011, p. 80) Organization – The General Practitioner is the considered to be the gate- keeper. The General Practitioner must refer hospitalization or specialized health care and the only exception is for emergency care. The General Practitioner gets a capitation fee for each registered patient and is further compensated for after hours care on an hourly basis. Consultation fees including phone consults are also accrued and an additional amount is paid to the General Practitioner for managing the patients care without having to make a referral. Bundled payments are made for chronic diseases such as Diabetes Mellitus, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease, Congestive Heart Failure etc. If the General Practitioner hires a private nurse to assist in his practice, the insurance company makes full reimbursement to the General Practitioner for nurses’ salary. The population of the Netherlands is 16.7 million people (â€Å"One World Nations Online†) of which only one percent is uninsured. The reason for this is not due to an inability to pay but rather a default for greater than six months. The health care system in the Netherlands is Universal and does not depend on employment status. (Westert & Klazinga, 2011, p. 78) Although the government mandates heath insurance, private insurance companies are allowed to provide coverage. With five insurance companies that dominate the market the government has created a market environment for healthy competition that also benefits the consumer. (Westert & Klazinga, 2011, p. 80) The triangle between the Insurer, the Provider and the Insured requires that quality and efficient care remains consistent. There are five non-governmental entities that regulate care. The Health Council advises the government on health care issues (e.g. public health); The Health Insurance Board (advises what should be included in the basic health insurance packet). The Medical Evaluation Board is responsible for efficiency, safety and quality are always taken into account; The Dutch Health Care sAuthority, which ensures that the market is functioning while the Dutch Competition Authority ensures there, is fair competition among insurers and providers. (Westert & Klazinga, 2011, p. 83) The United States In the United States government is heavily intertwined with health care at many different levels. Laws have been created by both the federal and state legislative bodies. Health care policies have been shaped through a combination of the arenas that make decisions at the local, state and federal levels. The United States health care system is comprised of two separate entities identified as the private and public sectors. First, the private sector is made up of private health insurance companies and employer sponsored insurance coverage. Beginning in 2014, the Affordable Care Act of 2010 will require employers who have fifty or more employees to provide health insurance coverage or pay a financial penalty to the federal government. Medicaid program will be expanding and will be required to cover those who fall above the level of poverty.. (Kaovner & Knicman, 2011, p. 36) This like the health care system in the Netherlands tries to cover a greater amount of the population The public s ector is made up of Medicaid and Medicare. Medicaid is a welfare initiative that is not a single national program, but a collection of fifty state-administered programs. (Kaovner & Knicman, 2011, p. 29) Medicaid is designed to cover low-income families. It is jointly funded by the state and federal government. The poorer the state the larger the federal contribution however, each state has specific eligibility rules, benefits and payment schedules. A little known fact about Medicaid is that it can be given free to those who cannot afford it, or it can be given at a low cost depending on one’s income. (Social Security†) Medicare on the other hand is a social as well as a federal insurance program designed to cover people aged 65 and older as well as the disabled regardless of age or income. There are four parts to Medicare. Part A also known as hospital insurance covers inpatient hospital stays, care in a skilled nursing facilities, hospice and some home health care. Part B also known as medical insurance covers certain doctor’s services, outpatient care, medical supplies and preventative services. Part C also known as the medical advantage plan is a type of medical health care plan offered by a private company that contracts with Medicare to provide Part A and Part B benefits. Part D, also known as the prescription drug coverage, can be added onto the original Medicare plan. The aforementioned plans, are offered by insurance companies and other private companies approved by Medicare. (medicare.gov). The public sector is designed to cover the segment of the population that is not covered by employer-sponsored insurance. The United States highest annual health care spending per capita in terms of purchasing power parity is $7,538 is significantly higher than the Netherlands, which spends $4, 063 per capita. This trend has remained constant for the past forty years. (Kaovner & Knicman, 2011, p. 68) It is reported that the United States has the largest proportion of adults who have the hardest time seeing a specialist, however other countries have reported the same difficulties with low-income levels having a greater difficulty than those with higher income. (Kaovner & Knicman, 2011, p. 69) The life expectancy in the United States for male was 75.64 years while women was 80.78 years. In the Netherlands on the other hand, life expectancy for a male is 81.4 years and for female 85.3 years a significant difference and is believed to be due to the quality and access to health care. The quality of life in the Netherlands is assumed to be much better because of preventative care and education. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, children in the United States will now be covered up to the age of 26. (Kaovner & Knicman, 2011, p. 25) In the Netherlands children are only covered until the age of 18 at which time they are expected to be contributing members of society. Approximately 16% of the United States population is uninsured, which is a significant disparity between that of the Netherlands. Americans are uninsured primarily because of high out-of-pocket medical expenses and considerable amounts of medical debt. Most of those uninsured are families with full- or part-time jobs or those who are self-employed will not be able to afford or access health care. (Kaovner & Knicman, 2011, p. 32-33) Health care provisions are adequately satisfied in the Netherlands, which make provision for all Citizens while still leaving room for healthy competition among insurance carriers. Although guidelines are set up by the government to ensure universal health care it is the responsibility of insurance companies and non-governmental agencies to ensure that these guidelines are followed. On the other hand, while the United States supports those with low income and disabilities there remains the 17% of the population that contribute to the Medicaid and Medicare funds but are still unable to afford health insurance coverage. I believe it is to the detriment of the United States health care system to pull certain aspects from many different health care systems such as the Netherlands and Switzerland that do not always work to our benefit. (Kaovner & Knicman, 2011, p. 79) The absence of a body to oversee making checks and balances in the systems leaves the door open for fraud and fraudulent activities within the system. If these aspects were to be imported it must be modified and carefully monitored to ensure there is no conflict with existing programs that have been proven effective. If the average household income per year is $40,000 of which 30% is spent on heath care it leaves a family with insufficient funds to provide for basic needs. In effect, health care becomes the â€Å"basic need†, creating further health care needs due to the inability to cover food, clothing and shelter. In conclusion, it is my opinion that the health care system in the Netherlands is by far more advanced in terms of organization and effectiveness. The ability for all residents to access health care contributes to the longer life expectancy and overall quality of life which in together ensures that the people will be valuable contributors to society. References Daley, C., & Gubb, J. (2011). Health Care Systems: The Netherlands. Civitas. Retrieved from http://www.civitas.org.uk/nhs/download/netherlands.pdf Kaovner, A., & Knicman, J. (2011). Health Care Delivery in the United States (10th ed.). New Yor, NY: Springer Publishing Company LLC. Nursing in the Netherlands. (n.d). Retrieved from http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/qualifications/docs/nurses/2000-study/nurses_nederland_en.pdf Westert, G., & Klazinga, N. (2011). International Profiles of Health Care Systems, 2011 [Entire issue]. The Common Wealth Fund. Retrieved from http://www.commonwealthfund.org/~/media/Files/Publications/Fund%20Report/2011/Nov/1562_Squires_Intl_Profiles_2011_11_10.pdf