Free Essays on Falling Through the Cracks

Falling Through the Cracks: Children of Divorce Regardless of age, race, sex or religion, divorce has devastating, often long-term, consequences. The immediate effects of divorce, such as hurt, anger and confusion, are evident in both children and adults. The longer-term effects are not so easy to pin point. Adults are usually able to articulate their emotions and verbalize their distress, anger, pain and confusion to help themselves through this period of transition in their lives. As well, adults have the means and ability to seek outside professional assistance independently. Children on the other hand, are not as likely to have the ability to identify the source or kind of turmoil they are experiencing. Therefore, it is difficult for us, as adults, to be fully aware of the consequences of divorce on our children. It is estimated that nearly one half of children born today will spend time in a single parent household. Although some of these children are born into single parent families, many more are the product of divorce, and are made to endure the conflict and emotional upset that divorce brings about. At this time, when children require stability and emotional support, the pressures of growing up are often compounded by the stress of divorce and family breakdown. When divorce involves children many questions must be answered. Questions such as: With whom will the children live? How often will the non-custodial parent have access, and under what circumstances? Although simple to ask, these questions are never easy to answer, and children frequently become pawns in a game of revenge. Today, mothers make up the majority of parents who are awarded custody, with fathers making up only 13%. However, this was not always the case. Prior to the 19th century, fathers, under English common law followed in North America , received automatic custody of their children when the marriage dissolved. During the 19th century gradual... Free Essays on Falling Through the Cracks Free Essays on Falling Through the Cracks Falling Through the Cracks: Children of Divorce Regardless of age, race, sex or religion, divorce has devastating, often long-term, consequences. The immediate effects of divorce, such as hurt, anger and confusion, are evident in both children and adults. The longer-term effects are not so easy to pin point. Adults are usually able to articulate their emotions and verbalize their distress, anger, pain and confusion to help themselves through this period of transition in their lives. As well, adults have the means and ability to seek outside professional assistance independently. Children on the other hand, are not as likely to have the ability to identify the source or kind of turmoil they are experiencing. Therefore, it is difficult for us, as adults, to be fully aware of the consequences of divorce on our children. It is estimated that nearly one half of children born today will spend time in a single parent household. Although some of these children are born into single parent families, many more are the product of divorce, and are made to endure the conflict and emotional upset that divorce brings about. At this time, when children require stability and emotional support, the pressures of growing up are often compounded by the stress of divorce and family breakdown. When divorce involves children many questions must be answered. Questions such as: With whom will the children live? How often will the non-custodial parent have access, and under what circumstances? Although simple to ask, these questions are never easy to answer, and children frequently become pawns in a game of revenge. Today, mothers make up the majority of parents who are awarded custody, with fathers making up only 13%. However, this was not always the case. Prior to the 19th century, fathers, under English common law followed in North America , received automatic custody of their children when the marriage dissolved. During the 19th century gradual...

5 Ways to Handle Rejection Like a Pro

5 Ways to Handle Rejection Like a Pro Rejection stinks and it happens to everyone. Everyone. We’ve all gone on first dates that didn’t turn into second dates. We’ve all missed out on the publication, the big promotion, the invite to our second-grade schoolmate’s selective birthday party. Instead of wallowing in self pity, here are five ways to make lemonade and reframe your rejection next time you get whacked with one. 1. Buckle down and  rethink your strategyEither it’s a numbers game and you just have to wade through the pile of â€Å"no’s† to get to the eventual â€Å"yes,† or there are things you could be doing better. Every few rejections, take a time out to reconsider your focus and your game plan, then make the necessary adjustments. This will make you feel like you’re doing something constructive even when the good news seems to be just beyond reach and out of your control.2. If the door is closed, find the windowOr the silver lining. Or the upside of the downside. Basically, try and tell yourself that this rejection only leaves you open for a better opportunity you might have missed. In other words, let go of this one and go for one better!3. Learn from itTake each rejection as a challenge to goad you to do better and be better. No matter what, you’ll grow (and succeed) faster, regardless of how many rejections you receive. You’ll probably still get rejections; everybody always does. But if you learn something and let each one spur you on, you’ll be way ahead of the game.4. Zen it outSay to yourself that this just wasn’t meant to be. Maybe the timing was off, or you were looking in the slightly wrong direction. Tell yourself everything happens for a reason, try to be at peace with that, and prepare yourself to seize the next opportunity with clear eyes and open arms.5. Realize it’s not all about youSometimes we’re rejected not because we’re not good enough. Sometimes we’ re too good. Or the reason for our being rejected has nothing to do with us at all. Maybe  you remind the hiring manager of a kid who bullied him on the playground 20 years ago. Or maybe someone was having a really bad day when she  interviewed you. Or, for company politics reasons, they had to overlook your stellar qualifications in favor of some other factor. You never know. Sometimes it’s best to sit back and not take things quite so personally. Remember, the right â€Å"yes† is just around the corner.

AT&T Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

AT&T - Essay Example The core assumption behind this movement of net income is the increasing expected costs and expenses of the company of the forth-coming periods. A little variation is the assets of the company is forecasted and the levels of assets are not expected to increase or decrease significantly. The company plans to reduce the levels of its equity in the future periods with minor deductions. AT&T tries to improve the paid dividends by increasing the value slightly every year, these movements show that the organization is planning and persuading an organic growth for the future periods. The cash flow generation is likely to drop down every year due to increased expected expenses. Due to increased expenses, the profit margins of the company will be affected and expected to fall in the future periods. The retention ratio also signifies the affect of gradual declinations of retained profits over the years and is dropping down following the same trend of Earnings of the company. The asset turnover is expected to increase due to increasing sale and reducing assets, the ratio is expected to improve continuously every year. The financial gearings of the company are assumed to remain stable with little variation that will make the company more predictable to the investors by consistency in the in the operational and financial sustainability of the organization. (Helfert,

Agitation in long term care setting Research Paper

Agitation in long term care setting - Research Paper Example Agitation is one of the most critical issues in the long term care nursing homes across the world. Residents of such homes, due to a number of reasons, experience changes in their behavioral patterns involving agitation, distress and aggressiveness The second reason revolves around the resident nurse; dealing with agitated patients involves surviving verbal and sometimes physical abuse from the patients, which impacts negatively on nurse motivation and productivity (Zeller et al. 2009). According to the Nursing Times (2011), majority of nurses are not well prepared/trained to handle agitation. The overall impact is a threat to the quality of healthcare, hence underpinning the importance of the issue of agitation in the resident care setting. Background According to Zwicker and Fletcher (2009), agitated behavior in conditions such as dementia represents feelings and needs that are difficult to adequately verbalize. In frequent occasions, agitation is a result of an inability to commun icate needs by the long term care patient in an unpleasant environment or due to physical discomfort (Rabinowitz et al., 2005). Statistics indicate that agitation is a serious problem, with above 50% of patients in a community dwelling and above 70% of residents in nursing homes experiencing the condition. The most common manifestations of agitated behavior include physical agitation such as pacing, nervousness and repetitive movements, and verbal agitation such as complaining, using abusive language and screaming (Zwicker and Fletcher, 2009). ... Whereas this may cause discomfort in healthy individuals, the situation is worse among residents in nursing homes due to their underlying conditions, making it difficult for them to communicate. Hunger is another leading cause of agitation, with Erockson and Grove (2008) observing that Alzheimer’s patients may experience weight loss even with proper nutrition. Such patients may have abnormally high activity levels. Another important cause of agitation is the fear and disorientation among the residents in the long term care settings. For instance, dementia patients are often afraid while Alzheimer’s patients cannot recall the staff, facility, other patients and even themselves (DETP, 2001; Zieber et al., 2005). Medical causes of agitation also exist as most mental health patients may experience abrupt onset of delirium. Such cases may be due to infections such as urinary tract infections, pneumonia and colcystitis among others (Gerdner, Buckwalter and Hall, 2005). The ex ternal environment also plays a crucial part in triggering agitation in the long term care setting. Here, the nurse takes a central position in influencing triggers of agitation either positively or negatively. Changes in medication, creating an impersonal environment and certain aspects of care cause the patients to be agitated. Failure to adequately deal with the internal determinants of agitation also contributes to the condition (Erickson and Grove, 2008). Effects on Nurses Nurses in the long term care settings not only have to manage the causes and impacts of agitation on the patients, but also impacts on themselves. First, such patients can fall under the

Brief discussion of Western Civilization Essay Example for Free

Brief discussion of Western Civilization Essay A civilization is usually marked by a growth that can change the ways of the people in a specific time frame and the period after that. The said growth is perfectly exemplified in the western civilization. The Western culture is greatly affected by the highlights of the history. It is influenced by some ideas from the East. The Mesopotamians and Egyptians took part in the encounter of the Greeks and the Persian Empire. Hebrews formed the belief in a single god which is known as the Hebrew monotheism. Still, during the Classical Age of Greece, the Greeks nurtured the social, political and religions aspects of the West. Philosophers like Plato, Socrates, Aristotle and Herodotus were among the few who formed the cornerstones of Greek literacy. Athens followed a democratic civilization while the state of Sparta was a disciplined one. The period was predated by the Hellenistic period in which Greeks and Macedonians built kingdoms after conquering the Persian Empire. During this era, women played roles in politics. The rise of science, culture and arts came into existence. By 8th Century B. C, Rome was brought about by Latin-speaking people. Octavian aided in transforming a government system of a republican institution. The Roman Empire grew became known as one of the largest in the world. Languages in Rome in the present time like French, Spanish, Latin and Portuguese were strongly based on Latin. The Roans concocted a rich culture in law, language and engineering as well. After 200 years, it came to a decline and paved way to the period of Early Middle Ages. The era gave birth to the widespread Religion of Christianity through the works of Paul of Tarsus. Germanic kingdoms also became apparent in the part of Western Europe. The Carolingian Empire was ruled by Charlemagne, a brood of a Germanic tribe who accepted Christianity. Traditions from the classical age, the Germanic tribes and Christianity merged to give identity to the new civilization of Europe. This was threatened by Vikings and Muslims. Fortunately, the civilization was kept intact. By the dawn of the 9th and 10th century, agricultural production was heightened. Trade was also established along with changes in the technology during the High Middle Ages. Cities and banks were also present. When the 14th Century came, the West was plagued by the Black Death. It caused the fall of trade and instigated the difference of the upper and lower classes. A war which ran for a hundred years between the English and the French rattled the political status of Europe. Papacy was also affected in Rome when conflicts between popes occurred. All these are reflected in the arts during the period. Soon after, the Renaissance period which is dubbed as the time for reconstruction created new ways for the West. It was made evident that the Catholic Church is a very important institution. The Western civilization faced rises and falls caused by wars, invaders and other factors. All the events contributed on what the West has in the present civilization today. References: A Review of Western Civilization. Retrieved August 14, 2010 from http://www. wadsworth. com/history_d/templates/student_resources/0534600085_spielvogel/VolumeIIto1550. html

A Strategic Analysis of Walgreens and the Retail Drugstore Industry Es

Introduction Knowing the importance of a strategic vision, every company undertakes a complete analysis periodically. In order to create a strategic plan the parties involved must know every aspect of the industry and the company at hand. The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze the retail drugstore industry and then focus on Walgreens, the industry leader in terms of sales. As part of the in-depth analysis of Walgreens, its major competitors will also be described and analyzed. The retail drugstore industry consists of all those stores that contain a pharmacy and sell prescription drugs. It also includes businesses that sell prescription drugs online and through the mail. Most retail drugstores also offer other consumer goods and services to augment the low margin earned on prescription sales. To be considered a member of the retail drugstore industry requires sales of prescription pharmaceuticals to the end consumer. Many convenience, food and discount stores sell over-the-c ounter medicines, but these stores would not be considered retail drugstores because they do not also sell prescription medicines. Relevant Environment Competition: The relevant environment, which consists or interactions between the task environment and task environment, has been changing over the past 25 years. As competition has increased among grocery, discount and mass merchandising chains, blurring of channels has occurred. This is due to stores selling an increasing variety of goods to try to broaden their customer base and provide â€Å"one-stop† shopping. Many of these stores have added pharmacies as a source of convenience for their customers, and to increase store traffic, usually positioning the pharmacy in the back of the store. In response to this pressure, both independent and chain drugstores have greatly increased the variety of their retail product offerings. The sale of cosmetics, along with health and beauty aids, has become an important profit generator for retail drugstores. Many are now also positioning themselves to compete with convenience stores by offering snack food items, beverages, and st aple items. The move to stand-alone stores located on major roads with ample, close-in parking has been an important factor contributing to convenience. Customers: As indicated by the type of competition seen in the retail drugstore ... ...Top Performing Companies.† March 24,1998. www.riteaid.com. â€Å"Rite Aid Reports 6.6 Percent Same-Store Sales Increase For May.† June 7,2000. www.walgreens.com/about/history/default.jhtr, June 15, 2000. Walgreens/Page Through Our Past. www.walgreens.com/about/history/hist2.jhtr, June 15, 2000. Walgreens/Page Through Our Past. www.walgreens.com/about/history/hist3.jhtr, June 15, 2000. Walgreens/Page Through Our Past. www.walgreens.com/about/history/hist4.jhtr, June 15, 2000. Walgreens/Page Through Our Past. www.walgreens.com/about/history/hist5.jhtr, June 15, 2000. Walgreens/Page Through Our Past. www.walgreens.com/about/history/hist6.jhtr, June 15, 2000. Walgreens/Page Through Our Past. www.walgreens.com/about/history/hist7.jhtr, June 15, 2000. Walgreens/Page Through Our Past. www.walgreens.com/about/press/facts/fact2.jhtr, June 15, 2000. Walgreens/Company Overview. www.walgreens.com/about/press/othernews/040400.jhtr, June 15, 2000. Walgreens/Walgreens Joins Katie Couric in National Campaign. www.walgreens.com/about/press/othernews/051100b.jhtr, June 15, 2000. Walgreens/Walgreens Joins Katie Couric in National Campaign. A Strategic Analysis of Walgreens and the Retail Drugstore Industry Es Introduction Knowing the importance of a strategic vision, every company undertakes a complete analysis periodically. In order to create a strategic plan the parties involved must know every aspect of the industry and the company at hand. The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze the retail drugstore industry and then focus on Walgreens, the industry leader in terms of sales. As part of the in-depth analysis of Walgreens, its major competitors will also be described and analyzed. The retail drugstore industry consists of all those stores that contain a pharmacy and sell prescription drugs. It also includes businesses that sell prescription drugs online and through the mail. Most retail drugstores also offer other consumer goods and services to augment the low margin earned on prescription sales. To be considered a member of the retail drugstore industry requires sales of prescription pharmaceuticals to the end consumer. Many convenience, food and discount stores sell over-the-c ounter medicines, but these stores would not be considered retail drugstores because they do not also sell prescription medicines. Relevant Environment Competition: The relevant environment, which consists or interactions between the task environment and task environment, has been changing over the past 25 years. As competition has increased among grocery, discount and mass merchandising chains, blurring of channels has occurred. This is due to stores selling an increasing variety of goods to try to broaden their customer base and provide â€Å"one-stop† shopping. Many of these stores have added pharmacies as a source of convenience for their customers, and to increase store traffic, usually positioning the pharmacy in the back of the store. In response to this pressure, both independent and chain drugstores have greatly increased the variety of their retail product offerings. The sale of cosmetics, along with health and beauty aids, has become an important profit generator for retail drugstores. Many are now also positioning themselves to compete with convenience stores by offering snack food items, beverages, and st aple items. The move to stand-alone stores located on major roads with ample, close-in parking has been an important factor contributing to convenience. Customers: As indicated by the type of competition seen in the retail drugstore ... ...Top Performing Companies.† March 24,1998. www.riteaid.com. â€Å"Rite Aid Reports 6.6 Percent Same-Store Sales Increase For May.† June 7,2000. www.walgreens.com/about/history/default.jhtr, June 15, 2000. Walgreens/Page Through Our Past. www.walgreens.com/about/history/hist2.jhtr, June 15, 2000. Walgreens/Page Through Our Past. www.walgreens.com/about/history/hist3.jhtr, June 15, 2000. Walgreens/Page Through Our Past. www.walgreens.com/about/history/hist4.jhtr, June 15, 2000. Walgreens/Page Through Our Past. www.walgreens.com/about/history/hist5.jhtr, June 15, 2000. Walgreens/Page Through Our Past. www.walgreens.com/about/history/hist6.jhtr, June 15, 2000. Walgreens/Page Through Our Past. www.walgreens.com/about/history/hist7.jhtr, June 15, 2000. Walgreens/Page Through Our Past. www.walgreens.com/about/press/facts/fact2.jhtr, June 15, 2000. Walgreens/Company Overview. www.walgreens.com/about/press/othernews/040400.jhtr, June 15, 2000. Walgreens/Walgreens Joins Katie Couric in National Campaign. www.walgreens.com/about/press/othernews/051100b.jhtr, June 15, 2000. Walgreens/Walgreens Joins Katie Couric in National Campaign.

Health Care System in Turmoil Essay

Is the health care system today really in Turmoil? What are some of the major problems that healthcare is experiencing? What is the impact of each of the chosen problems on not just consumers but also the community? What are some of the benefits and risks of national health insurance? The health care system has been in a bad position for a while now. Not only is the healthcare system in a bad position, but after the Affordable Care Act has taken affect there still several million citizens without health care coverage. This paper will be addressing these important questions about our Health care system. The current health care system as we know it is in trouble. Health care is still an issue and millions of Americans are still not insured and cannot afford to be. It is understandable that the United States has a lot more technology and cures that other countries do not, but the fact that our health care is double the price of other countries is mind boggling. The health care reform was supposed to be the answer to all the problems with our health care system and though it was extremely helpful, the system still doesn’t provide universal care for all of its citizens which is a huge problem. â€Å"For decades, health care policy leaders have focused on two huge problems in American health care finance. The first was the coverage problem—that the fraction of Americans with inadequate or no health insurance was substantial and growing. The second was the cost problem—that total health spending was high and rising, although quality was uneven† (Rivlin, A., 201 3). These two problems remain an issue for our health care system. Myers (2013) states that coverage alone is not enough. Instead focusing on things like having providers that are acceptable, also the care received should be effective. There can be plenty of providers that are available, but how beneficial are they if they are not providing quality care to patients. Quality and Value need to be a goal for the Health care system. Some necessary changes were made because of Affordable Care Act. This was just the beginning and more steps need to be taken in order to rectify our health care system. Renovation of the delivery of health care is necessary to make better connections in the chain. Coverage will be a great first step, following access to high- quality health care, and improving patient outcomes and population help. Coverage has a positive impact when it comes to the community but as far as the consumer it has a negative impact. Cost of Care is the second problem that is causing our Health care system to go in Turmoil. Affording Health care has always been one of the main issues with Health Care in the United States. The Affordable Care Act was signed by President Obama in 2010 and was taken into effect in 2014. It has provided millions of people with insurance who didn’t have it before but still leaves millions of citizens without. Having insurance is a tax, if it is not purchased a fine will be added to the 2014 tax return. So somehow everybody will be paying out of pocket cost for health care. The cost have reduced in some areas and have increased in others. The cost has a positive impact on millions of citizens â€Å"the community† who now have health insurance. Like mentioned previously there are still millions of citizens that can’t afford to have insurance so it has a negative impact on a portion of consumers. National Health insurance pose several risks. â€Å"At least three broad problems characterize U.S. health care and insurance: (1) high and rapidly growing costs, (2) large numbers of nonelderly people without insurance, and (3) enormous projected Medicare deficits and continued Medicaid cost growth. The health care reform debate and reform proposals have focused largely on expanding the number of people with health insurance† (Harrington, S., 2010). Instead of focusing on how many people we can get sign up for health care, we need to be looking into these important factors, because they are just as significant. Cost being one of the biggest issues, but also the  alarming number of non-elderly people without health insurance. Sometimes diseases could be caught early on if middle aged and younger adults had affordable health care to get checked out. Additionally Medicare deficits and continued Medicaid rising costs. There needs to be more focus on these issues in order to beg in to get the health care system where it needs to be. On the other hand, National Health insurance has several benefits, some of which have already began to take place. Mandating companies to provide insurance for their employees is a great example. According to Panning (2014) some of the benefits include financing, cost reduction, payment reform, quality and process improvement, and prevention and wellness. Financing referring to healthier and younger will subsidize part of the care of the less health and elderly patients. Cost reduction is pretty self-explanatory, decreasing the cost and evening out the rate of growth. Payment reform in the new Affordable Care Act will pay for outcomes and value achieved opposed to being rewarded for doing more. Quality and process improvement will include a quality indicator quantity and reporting as well as comparative efficiency research. Lastly Prevention and Wellness, investing and providing incentives for preventive medicine and wellness. Our health care system is unstable for several reasons. The Affordable Care Act was designed to provide not just insurance to everyone but affordable insurance. It has made a significant impact, but still has things that need to be worked out. National Health Insurance has risk and benefits, benefits outweighing the risks. One of the great benefits discussed previously was the mandating of employers having to offer their full-time employees health care coverage. Within the next ten years the Affordable Care Act is supposed to make a huge impact and save trillions of dollars. Hopefully this reform is the solution to our health care system’s problems and that one day everyone will have health insurance and doesn’t get in financial debt paying trying to pay for it. References: Harrington, S. E. (2010). The Health Insurance Reform Debate. Journal Of Risk And Insurance, 77(1), 5-38. Myers, C. R. (2013). Coverage is Not Enough: We Need a Transformation of the Delivery of Health Care!. Tennessee Nurse, 76(1), 1-14. Panning, R. (2014). Healthcare Reform 101. Clinical Laboratory Science, 27(2), 107-111. Rivlin, A. M. (2013). Health Reform: What Next?. Public Administration Review, 73S15-S20. doi:10.1111/puar.12091

Hca Case Study

I. Introduction The business-level strategy is acombined and synchronized collection of the obligations and actions that are used by the firms to attain a competitive advantage. The firms try to consume core abilities in certain product markets. Under this strategy, the firms stipulate their choices on that how they plan to strive in individual product markets. It’s important that every firm should improve a business-level strategy to generate the differences between its own place and its competitors’ places.The bond between the customers and business-level strategies is very important because the customers are main cause of the strategy’s success. The bond that a firm develops with its customers creates the value and profitability. There are five business-level strategies that a firm shouldor can practice to create and support its chosen strategic position against competitors. These include the variation, the cost leadership, the focused cost leadership, focused differentiation, and the unified cost leadership/differentiation. In chapter 6, it argues these five strategies and side by side with the risks that are associated with each other.In chapter 6 they also argue corporate level strategies. The corporate-level strategy has emphases on the actions that a firm takes to attain a competitive advantage by choosing from and handling a collection of different businesses competing in different product markets. These strategies help the firms in choosing on new strategic positions that are likely to increase the value. The product diversification is avital type of the corporate-level strategy. The diversifications also can differfrom the low levels to the high levels. Well normally, the diversification strategy is used to raise the firm’s value by improving its whole performance.It is essential that the managers should attentive to their firm’s internal organization and to its external environment when making decisions regarding t he most advantageous level of the diversification. In chapter 7 there is discussion of mergers, takeover, and acquisitions. A merger is formed when the two firms mix their businesses with each other. An acquisition is a strategy that involves when one firm purchasing the bulk or all interest into another firm with the aims of making it into a subsidiary company within its own group.A takeover is a type of acquisition where the acquired firm does not ask for the capturing firm’s proposal. Acquisitions are used for thenumerous reasons, which contain increasing in the market power and conquering the entry obstacles to new markets. Sometimes a firm must restructure its self in order to change its pool of businesses or financial procedure. This can be done through the downsizingor leveraged buyouts. A firm’s major goal for restructuring is to improvement or successful in strategic control. II. SWOT Analysis A. External environment The U. S. healthcare industry is one of the biggest industries in U. S. The U. S. ospital industry is split with thevarious ownership and noticeably different revenue sources with a small number of the main firms. The HCA was operating in a conservative industry where their aremany challenges and financial constraints. One of the major aspects that affected HCA is the increased quantity of the uninsured Americans citizen. The Columbia/HCA’s goal was to emphasis on the providing beds for insured patients to have the profits up. As the number of uninsured Americans citizen increased, it made it harder to keep the beds at full capacity. The increases in health care costs also played a role in the HCA’s actions.The Tenant and Triad Hospitals are recognizedas the big competitors for HCA. The HCA’s business strategy also puts them in competition in the urban areas mainly against autonomous non-profit hospitals. Many do not have the equal financial performance aims and this helped HCA to be the market leader. B . Strengths and Weaknesses The HCA’s strengths involvedarethe leading position in the hospital market, thespacious and infinite service offerings. The HCA developed such a strategy that dedicated on a main group of market-leading hospitals by utilizing its own financial resources, medical related, and management proficiency personnel.At current, the HCA still utilizes this whole operating strategy. The HCA controlledits advanced business practice. After selling its non-hospital business and the other facilities that did not resemble with its strategy, HCA is still persistent to focus on the providing of high quality healthcare. The company also has some weaknesses including its negative past and spoiled public image that included charges of the fraud, which headed to the federal government investigations. Over the years, the organization’s strengths have mostly remained same, except the fact that HCA does not provide the spacious amount of required services.The HCA mad e a clever choice to focus on only giving the hospital services in order to increase its quality and not to be putteringthemselves in other industries. The HCA still is known for its previous corruption, but still remains the prominent firm in the hospital industry. C. The Case of HCA 1. The HCA’s core capabilities consist of the greater patient care and its functioning strategy it that has been using for many years. It’s other core capabilitiesare includesthe financial resources, medical background, and the management proficiency.These competencies build the value for the company by specializing in the removal of excess capacity and the gratitude of the economies of scale. The HCA’s organizational resources add the unique value for the firm. In 1968, the HCA was founded and they operated under aunited cost leadership/differentiation business-level strategy. There was achance in the hospital industry to create the low cost services with differentiated qualities, and this is what HCA desired to implement in their system. The HCA was able to adapt quickly to the new technologies and fast changes that arose in the external environment of the HCA.The company focused on two resources of competitive advantages-cost and the differentiation in various aspects. The HCA establisheda strong network with physicians and with other healthcare practices under this strategy (HCA, 2011). 2. The HCA’s arepurchase of many small rural hospitals and the opposing investor-owned health care companies created a positive return on the firm’s invested capital in market. The HCA acquired these health care facilities in the faith of revolving them into the most profitable hospitals and control the industry for that specific region of state.There were problems of the recruiting in small rural hospitals, but HCA’s investments in the equipment and facility renovation have signified improved the firm’s ability to gain the support from small ru ral physicians. The external factors, such as the great unemployment in the certain or various locations and in the farming communities affected the purchasing of said facilities. The acquired hospitals constantly had the small staff in contrast with their competitors. However, the HCA focused on modification of the bed size. The acquired hospitals also had a good amount of oard-certified experts in comparison with their competitors. The HCA focused on main renovations and developments for the acquired hospitals for the creation of financial economies. 3. The HCA used both horizontal and vertical integration for the cultivation of mergers and acquisitions. The Columbian &HCA had such an acquisition strategy in place and the purchasing facilities and in building new facilities that prohibited its offers to purchase. In the firm’s own integration strategy, the company simply acquiredthe physician practices where HCA were not steadfastin its investments.The company fixed admissi on goals for the acquiring of physicians. The company then owned the coarsely 2,700 medical practices, and these acquisitions then began purchases by nonprofit competitors. 4. The HCA did not aspect too much integration because of its management proficiency. The company established a working strategy to obtain its goal and to succeed in gaining market authority. However, the management appeared to be too focus on the acquisitions and obtaining total power, which landed the company in such trouble that, consisted of a federal investigation for fraud.The company had lost focus on the point of quality of service. The firm also had become too huge due to acquisitions. Before the downfall of the Columbia/HCA, it had 2,700 medical practices, many of which were the non-hospital practices (Goldsmith, 1998). The HCA soon understood that the focusing on size was not really a good strategy for the success path. Overall, the HCA was between the 60% of failures in the merger/acquisition strategy . The merger with Columbia and the hostility to go into the several acquisitions was one of the reasons of HCA’s downfall. III. My Impressions of the CaseThe HCA had a great operating standard of the concentrating on patient care, but they lost focus by pushy to control the health care industry. Their business-level strategy primarily started off well but some are developed into one that only attentive on profitability of success of the company. The company soon lost sight of the main goal of satisfying the customer to achievethe value for the company. The HCA focused on the developing acquisitions and mergers to gain more profitability and variation in market. This caused the company to enlarge beyond its ethical operating means.It took the benefit of integration systems in order to take over the industry. This case revealed how a firm can negatively and positively usesthe acquisitions, mergers, and leverage buyouts. Overall, this case was one of a decent case to transmit to Chapters 4, 6, and 7 of the text. References Hitt, M. , R. Hoskisson, D. Ireland. (2012). Strategic management: Competitiveness & globalization. (10E ed. ) Mason, OH: South-Western,Cengage Learning. Montague Brown, Ph. D. (April 1, 1992). Physicians and Management in Health Care. Jones and Bartlett Learning. April 1, 1992.Jeff Goldsmith. (1998). Perspective: Columbia/HCA: A Failure Of Leadership. Health Affairs, 17, no. 2 (1998):27-29. Retrieved November 21 2012 from: http://content. healthaffairs. org/content/17/2/27. full. pdf HCA Holdings, Inc. (2011). Our History. Retrieved November 21 2012 from: http://hcahealthcare. com/about/our-history. dot McCosh, Jonathan G. (2003). A Strategic Analysis of the Hospital Industry and HCA Incorporated. Journal of Applied Management and Entrepreneurship. Retrieved November 21 2012 from: http://www. highbeam. com/doc/1P3-1178660521. html

Scrooge essays

Scrooge essays Ignorance In the famous story A Christmas Carol, the Ghost said to Scrooge ""These are your children Ignorance and Want." as he opened his robe to reveal two small unfortunate poverty stricken children. By this, the ghost meant that because of the cruelty of the world and irresponsibility, these innocent children must suffer. These children suffered because of careless people like Scrooge. The ghost meant unfortunate children like these are the responsibility of everyone. Their names were ignorance and want because they were a result of ignorant people and people who only wanted for themselves. In today's world many children also live in poverty. However there are many more organizations to help them and their families and to prevent them having to live on the streets. Such an example of an organization would be welfare. Welfare helps people by giving supplying food stamps and money to the less fortunate. Another caring organization would be the Salvation Army who gives food and clothing to people who need it. It is our responsibility to care for the needy by sponsoring a child for Christmas and donating money and clothing to the Salvation Army. Even though there are many "Scrooges" in our world we can still take on the responsibility of caring for those who need it. We may not need help now but the future is never certain. If you are kind to others, they will remember and be kind to you when you really need it. ...

The irrealis were can say hello to the Dodo

The irrealis were can say hello to the Dodo The irrealis were can say hello to the Dodo The irrealis were can say hello to the Dodo By Maeve Maddox Reader Mariana Blaser recently brought up the question of the subjunctive use of were. She gave the following examples: If she were younger, she would have enjoyed that trip. I wish I were stronger. or He wished he were stronger. Â   Somehow the second sentence feels odd to me. Using the verb flexed in the plural form with wish should also be used with he, she and (eventually) it? Before I could respond, she found her own answer in an article by Jan Freeman in the Boston Globe. I’m happy to say I anticipated this verdict in my post on subjunctive were: To a large extent, English speakers don’t pay much attention to the subjunctive. The upshot of the Globe article is that although sites like this one still offer guidelines for its use, the subjunctive use of were is is a non-issue. According to Geoffrey Pullum, co-author of the Cambridge Grammar of the English Language and a linguist at Edinburgh University, we can substitute was for subjunctive were in any context. Fade away: The slow retirement of a tricky subjunctive Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Wether, Weather, WhetherItalicizing Foreign WordsDouble Possessive

Benchmark Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Benchmark - Research Paper Example The company began in the early 80s with only a single line specializing in office systems. Currently, the company has tremendously grown to offer a wide variety of different decking systems and freestanding systems and panel based altos and optos architectural demountable wall products (Teknion, 2011). The company through this strategic expansion managed to improve its marketing segment drastically and expanding its production lines to meet demands of the new markets in furniture products. For example, the company has handled numerous projects in different countries. These include the Barnes Jewish Hospital, Agilent technologies in Israel among other numerous global projects that the company has successfully implemented. This global expansion helped the company in expanding its production lines, improving its design work to meet the current customer demand in a highly competitive market, and coming up with designs and technologies that are in accordance with the advocacy of the day. An example is the embracing of green technologies that are environmentally friendly. As the company expanded to international markets, there were more demands in different markets to have products in accordance with certain environmental specifications, motivating the company to initiate massive design and innovative works to correspond to such market demands. Therefore, from producing a single line of furniture for the domestic market, international expansion helped Teknion in providing much advanced office furniture and other high end furniture to clients in different market segments. Teknion’s expansion to international market did not comprise its domestic market share, but instead the domestic market became much stronger as new international designs previously not made for the domestic market were available to the domestic customers, offering them a large variety of designs with international tastes. The company was in fact named among the top 50 best managed Private Comp anies, with its presence not only growing domestically, but also regionally (Anonymous, 2010). International expansion led to an enhanced image of the company and its products; the company was more involved in international tendering processes, such as in interior and exterior design of the Bow, a 58 story tower near the Bow River in Calgary (Anonymous, 2010). It is such manifested prowess in interior design and furnishes that has enabled the company to control not only the domestic, but also the regional market; meaning its international expansion was a real benefit to the company. Teknion is faced with several risks in its international market operations. Sargent (2011) explains some of these risks as increase competition. The company is faced with stiff competition from much larger multinationals especially from U.S, North America, and other regions. The stiff competition requires strategic operations in realigning with the market demands to offer much superior and competitive pr oducts at a price that will offer much more value addition to customers. The company through design and innovations in office furniture work has been able to compete effectively and capture its sizeable market segment in the international market. In order to ensure a competitive edge in the market, the company has collaborated with renowned construction industry leaders such as Mathews Southwest developments, Ledcor Group of Companies, Gensler among others, making the company’

Bullying in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Bullying in America - Essay Example Generally, bullying is carried out by males which accounts for 80%. Although, there are not many studies about bullying in workplaces, their occurrence is apparent and the effects are damaging as well. Because of its prevalence, the government had discourage bullying in any form however there are no laws to deal against people who cause psychological and emotional violence in workplaces and in schools. Bullying should be stopped because it has many psychological, emotional, and social consequences on the person being bullied. Body Bullying occurs as a result of attitude and behavior problems. The personalities of people who bully have innate domineering and aggressive behavior which is believed to be connected with attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD). People afflicted with this disorder demonstrate impulsive behavior. They announce answers to the teacher’s question before it is completed, may interrupt, intrude and have difficulty in waiting for their turn. Others wh o carry out bullying do it with the belief of having fun without giving propensity of the consequences it may bring to the victim. This is because students who bully lack the foresight of their own actions and empathy to the feelings of their victims. Bullies are more concern of satisfying their needs of attention even to the extent of displaying an immature behavior. The occurrence of bullying activities among students could be inside the school premise or outside the school campus. Some forms of bullying are done inside the school bus or on the way home. This could be done during class hours inside the classroom or it could be carried out in the hallway. An example of bullying includes unnecessary touching of body parts followed with teasing and laughing. Another example is knocking another student down on the floor. Non physical contact involves staring, eye rolling, spreading malicious rumors, whispering to someone while in front of the person, and many other forms. Bullying res ults in psychological damages in several ways. It teaches the person being bullied to think that he/she is undesirable. The person’s self concept is negatively affected in which he/she will come to believe that she is less than desirable and incapable of doing things. The victim inculcates in his mind that his environment is dangerous but is powerless to defend himself. As a result, bullying tends to be repeated many times in which the person further learns helplessness giving more authoritative disposition of those who bully. This would be the beginning of losing interest in school. In cases where the student continues to attend school, his grades are likely to be affected since he may have poor concentration. His mind might be on plotting how to outsmart his bully classmates or how to get rid of them totally. Another effect of damaged self esteem to the bullied victim includes hopelessness and depression. The victim may have a hard time adjusting during difficult circumstan ces. This might explain an unanticipated finding that bullying is linked to suicidal thoughts of victims. This was revealed in the study of Hinduja (2010) where he found out that adolescents with traditional bullying