Public Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Public Relations - Essay Example This was the situation in this case. BP was trying to clean up, but its stock was sinking and everyone was turning on it. Many of its press releases from this period seek to reassure the public and the media. BP wanted to convince people that it was doing its best to help clean up the spill. They wanted people to think they were working very hard and tirelessly to do their best and ensure that the livelihood of people in the Gulf area and many of the marine animals were protected. This context is very important to understand. BP was dealing with a massive public relations (and natural) disaster. It was a challenging environment. One of the things that they worked hard to do was be open and transparent about the actions they were taking to solve the problem. That is in part what got them through the mess intact. What was accomplished in the communication? Consider more than just the obvious message. The obvious message here is one of damage control. BP wants to be seen to be working h ard to clean up the environment. They also want to tell people that they are willing to pay for the damage caused. Below this message is an effort by BP to show that they are in control of the situation. They are working hard, but more than that they know what is happening, they can quantify the damage, they are being very responsive to each of the problems that come along. The press release shows to the world that BP is not only working hard but is able to talk about each step of their action in a clear and direct way. For BP, there are no secrets. Everything is above board. That is what is accomplished through this communication. They wanted to send a message with a lot of facts about what they were doing but more than that, they wanted to be seen to be open and transparent. They didn't want to appear to be hiding anything in this situation. Were the press releases related in any way to each other or to major news or industry trends occurring at that time? The press releases were closely related to the events in the Gulf. Indeed, they were a direct response to the oil spill that was happening. Because BP was held to blame for the spill, the press releases were used as a way to assuage the public anger over the issue. It was also a way to get the media to try to start reporting on the story from a positive point view, i.e. what BP was doing to solve the problem. In a situation that extended over many months, BP issued a great number of press releases. The communications department of the company was definitely working overtime through the summer of 2010. Did the company send a consistent and coherent message? The company for the most part sent a consistent and coherent message. The press releases focused on what BP was doing to try to clean up the oil spill. The press releases also focused on some of the technical aspects of the clean-up and effort to stop the well from leaking anymore. Efforts to communicate BP's compensation for those affected by the spill were also included in the press releases. It should be noted that BP received a great deal of criticism when its CEO strayed off of this topic and began to offer an inconsistent message, saying in public for example that the spill was also very hard on him and that he wanted his life back too. That sort of inconsistent messaging caused the company a great deal of grief. In situations like this it is very important to understand that the media will be looking for any perceived inconsistency.

Glondys Rodriguez Naturalistic Observation Essay Example for Free

Glondys Rodriguez Naturalistic Observation Essay My observation took place in a park where a birthday party was celebrating. I looked at a girl of 6 years old or so. The girl was wearing a pink blouse and white pants. I think she was Hispanic. She was about 40 inch tall and weighed around 30 pounds. I could hear when her mom called her Diana. Physical Development For her age, she had a perfect physical development because I could see how she ran with other girls of the same age. She was jumping the string, and playing hides and seeks, so I could tell that the girl was healthy and had good physical development. Cognitive development (Piaget’s stages) According to Piaget’s stages Diana is in preoperational stage because for example, she played with her friends building a sturdy house of plants’ leaves acting as if it was a princess castle. Also she used branches of the trees as if they were magic wands, so I realized that Diana is in the section of mental representation (Make-believe-play). Another example that I realized was that Diana’s mother offered a juice, and gave her a choice of a bottle or a glass and she chose the bottle allowed more amount than the glass. Emotional and Social Development (Erikson’s stage) According to Erikson’s stages, Diana is in industry versus inferiority because I noticed that she was all the time in cooperation with the other kids. She developed a sense of competence at useful skills and tasks. To support what I say I have an example. She was dancing all the time with the music she liked. She danced with amazing movements. I noticed she had natural skills and ability to dance. The girls competed to see who danced better. That moment was incredible because I enjoyed what was happening, and I realized the competitiveness that exists between girls and boys at this age. To conclude, I can say Diana has a good self-esteem. I don’t think she felt inferiority at any moment. On the other hand, she looked very safe in all the tasks she developed. Does the child meet the milestones and stages for the physical, cognitive, and social/emotional development? Yes, I think this 6 years old girl meets all the milestones and stages for the physical, cognitive, and social/ emotional development. Is there anything unusual or â€Å"off-development† for this child (deficits as well as giftedness)? There was nothing off-development or unusual for this girl, on the contrary, I think she is very intelligent and talented. My thoughts about observation: I think my observation helped me a lot to understand the normal development in middle childhood and to know we should interact, guide, and support them to achieve the best of their abilities. My opinion about what I observed and the application of the theories of development: In my opinion, Piaget’s cognitive development theories and Erikson’s psychological theories are an excellent guide to help us understand the stages in normal growth and development.

Fossil Fuels: Contribution and Impact

Fossil Fuels: Contribution and Impact Discuss the contribution of fossil fuel to modern human society and the environmental impact The importance of Fossil Fuels to human society cannot be overemphasized. Public services such as buses, train system, general heating system and electricity are being powered with fossil fuels. Due to the high global demand of fossil fuels, they form the major part of the economy of producing countries and the world in general. However the impact of fossil fuel to the environment has been an issue of great concern. Considering the visible contributions of fossil fuels to modern human society, the environmental implications pose a dilemma to the world leaders. It is crucial that the hazards posed by fossil fuels to the environment be tactfully minimized while taking into account its positive contributions to civilization. The first section of this essay will discuss in a general context the different contributions that fossil fuel had made to the modern human world. It will further discuss the contributions and environmental implications of coal, oil and natural gas. The final sectio n in the form of conclusion will summarize in a general term the contributions and environmental implications fossil fuels on modern human society. Comparing the trends in the rate at which each type of fossil fuel is being consumed in a global scenario will show the impact of the continuous increase in the rate of fossil fuels consumption will have on future environment. The environmental implication of fossil fuels as discussed in this essay is with respect to pollution and climate change. Energy is fundamental to the quality of our lives. In fact most human activities depend on the regular and uninterrupted supply of energy. This makes fossil fuels essential to modern human society, (Baker, 2008).The issues concerning the facts of the global energy consumption can be related to fossil fuels because; they serve as primary source of energy globally. According to Chow, et al. (2003),  the global energy use exceeds 370 (EJ) and fossil fuels contribute about 80% of this quantity of energy. This implies that fossil fuels contribute two third of global energy. Fossil fuels are made up of namely: coal, oil and natural gas. They were formed in the outer layer of the earth from the remains of plants and animals over hundreds of millions of years age (Encarta World English Dictionary, 2005). This implies that fossil fuels are almost non-renewable because its formation process takes a long period and this period is long enough for the world to run out of fossil fuel reserv es. Fossil fuels contribution is noticeable considering how the quantity of energy in a country affects both their economy and social life. In the world today the industrial, transportation, public service and residential sectors are been powered mainly by fossil fuel. Therefore, these different sectors where fossil fuels are majorly consumed underscore their important contributions to modern human society. One of the key uses of fossil fuels is to generate electricity. Coal is one of the major fuel sources for electricity generation. The relative low cost of coal and its abundance  added to the fact that it does not  require the upkeep of pipelines and security issues while transporting coal is an advantage over other sources of fossil fuels for generating electricity. Coal fuels the economy of countries, for example: China has about 30% of the worlds coal reserves and uses coal as their major energy supply, (OECD, 1998). Chinas industrial power which allow for economic growth depends virtually on coal (IEA, 2005). However Chinas dependence on coal has led to the countrys emitting about 39% of the total global CO2  emission. Burning coal produce useful by-product that are been used in the industrial sector mainly in steel plants and cement works, (Rohde, 1998). However, the environmental issues being raised by the global consumption of coal is of major concern. The toxins emitted from the combustion of coal and the waste from it mining process result in climate change and making the soil unproductive for agriculture, (OECD, 1983). Coal in comparison with the two other types of fossil fuels has more environmental impacts. According to the OECDS publication on coal and environmental protection states during exploration of coal to its end use coal has environmental implications: â€Å"During mining, treatment, transport and storage the sources of environmental concern can be summarized as subsidence, land use, liquid and solid waste, dust, noise, vibration and deterioration of surface and subsurface natural water systems. The major sources of pollution during combustion are air emissions of SOx, NOx  and particulates, and solid waste materials.†Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  (OECD, 1998) Source: BP coal consumption table, 2008. From:http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/globalbp_uk_english/reports_and_publications/statistical_energy_review_2008/STAGING/local_assets/downloads/pdf/coal_table_of_coal_consumption_2008.pdf Figure 1 above shows the increase in the rate of consumption of coal. There was a slight decrease in 1998 and 1999. This might be as a result of a reduction in consumption of coal in different countries. However, generally the rate of increase between years is not very much but if this increase rate is consistent over a period of time the quantity of coal consumed will be astronomical which implies that the environmental issues posed by coal will likewise be on the increase. In recent times, technological development and with some regulatory organizations that manages mining activities, the environmental issues are minimized. A careful comparison of the contributions of coal to the human society and its environmental implications makes the issue of coal controversial, (IEA, 1998). While the environmental implications posed by coal mining and usage are of concern, its contribution to modern human society requires that the action to be taken should be balanced with regards to its economical, energy and environmental impact. Oil like coal has contributed to modern human society in quite a number of ways. Unlike coal, it is easier and cleaner to burn and have a wider range of application. It is consumed the most among coal and natural gas. In fact the increase in demand of oil results in a lucrative international oil market. Therefore this lucrative oil market is an advantage to the oil producing countries because when either the rate of global demand, price or both increases these countries economy will be benefited. The major contribution of oil to modern human society is evident in the industrial and transportation sector. Most machines used in the industries make use of refined oil product. In the transportation sector aircraft and automobiles are examples of machines that make use of refined oil product. In addition, plastic and detergent are byproducts of oil. However, just like the other types of fossil fuels, the processes of exploration, refining, transporting and consumption of oil have an envir onmental implication. Firstly during exploration of oil, loss of drilling mud will result in escape of oil, (OECD, 1973). In an event where oil escapes, the case will be that the soil and/or the sea will be polluted. This will lead to loss of productive land for agriculture and possibly, extinction of the aquatic habitants in the surrounding sea. In addition to loss of drilling mud is the seismic technique for exploration. As a result of the loud and low frequency output, this technique endangers marine lives during offshore exploration, (Kennesaw State University, 2009). Another environmental issues associated with the process of refining oil is the methods which the refinery chooses to dispose oil waste. These wastes are sometime after being treated with a supposedly less harmful chemical is emptied into the sea. This chemically treated waste with time get to the point it becomes poisonous to aquatic life, (OECD, 1971). Also some gases are being emitted during refining and this leads to air pollution which harmful to both humans and animals. These gases can cause cancer and other diseases to humans if inhaled. Oil spill is the major issue with oil transportation. According to the article: Environmental science activities for the 21st  century published by Kennesaw State University: â€Å"Oil spill during transportation of oil account for an estimated 44 million gallons being dumped into the worlds water system, with 29 million gallons of this coming in the form of oil tanker spills†. Natural gas is an important source of energy for reducing pollution and maintaining a clean and healthier environment compared to coal and oil. In addition to being a domestically abundant and secure source of energy, the use of natural gas also offers a number of environmental benefits over other sources of energy, mainly other types of fossil fuels, (BP, 2006). The different uses of natural gas in modern human society make it an essential part of human life. Natural gas domestic uses are part of the many social impact it has on human society. Natural gas is convenient and it is being piped straight to the consumers facility which in contrast, oil must be trucked to the customers location, and truck deliveries are to liable to weather conditions. Natural gas is reliable, (BP, 2006). Natural gas is the cleanest burning fossil fuel. Because the combustion process for natural gas is almost perfect, very few byproducts are emitted into the atmosphere as pollutants. The blue flame seen w hen natural gas is ignited is a sign of perfect combustion. Natural gas is mainly used for domestic, commercial, industrial and power generation purposes. Firstly, the residential applications of natural gas are the most commonly known use of natural gas. It can be used for cooking, washing and drying, water warming, heating and air conditioning. Domestic appliances are increasingly improved in order to use natural gas more economically and safely. Operating costs of natural gas equipment are generally lower than those of oil and coal. It is mainly used commercially by food service providers, hotels, healthcare facilities and in office buildings. Also natural gas commercial applications include cooling (space conditioning and refrigeration), cooking or heating. Secondly, Natural gas is used as an input to manufacture pulp and paper, metals, chemicals, stone, clay, glass, and to process certain foods. Gas is also used to treat waste materials, for incineration, drying, dehumidification, heating and cooling, and cogeneration. In addition electric utilities and independent power producers are increasingly using natural gas to provide  energy for their power plants. In general, natural gas fuelled power plants have lower capital  costs, are built faster, work more efficiently and emit less pollution than other fossil fuel power plants, (IEA, 1998). Technological improvements in design, efficiency and operation of combined cycle gas turbines and co-generation processes are favoring the use of natural gas in power generation. Natural gas in a joint- electricity generation produces power and heat that is useful for industries as well as commercial users. This cogeneration reduces pollution emission considerably. Although the combustion of natural gas produces very little NOx, this chemical is however a toxic agents that results to acidic compounds and when combined with water and result in acid rain. Also, the length of the complex and extensive systems of pipelines in which natural gas are being transported through are in thousands of kilometers. Considering that natural gas in the pipe is in a condensate state, in the case of material defects and pipe corrosion to ground erosion natural gas will be exposed to the environment and in effect will pollute the air. Also, the technique of extracting natural gas is one of its disadvantages which are because of the creation of cavities in the ground during extraction. If natural gas is been inhaled in large amounts is harmful to humans. The gas is extracted from a natural gas field. The pressure exerted by the gas helps support the layers of soil above the gas field. When the gas is extracted, the soil pressure increases and cavities are created in the ground. These cavities can sometimes cause the ground to sink and the productive land for agriculture might be lost. Another environmental implication of natural gas is that the gas is toxic and can be poisonous. If the fields from which it was extracted were not treated, it can be toxic. The principle greenhouse gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxides. Methane being the principle component of natural gas makes it a matter of concern with regards to greenhouse emission that results to climate change. Methane is a very strong greenhouse gas. In fact, it has an ability to trap heat almost 21 times more effectively than carbon dioxide, (naturalgas.org, 2004). Source: Chow, J. et al (2003). Energy resources and global development. Sciencemag.org, vol.: 302. In conclusion the different contributions of fossil fuels to the modern human society are very noticeable. The chart above shows the global fossil fuels consumption by sectorial end use. The contributions of fossil fuels are made evident in the different sectors mentioned above. Form this essay, it can be suggested that the global fossil fuels consumption be reduced and more regulation that will effectively minimize the environmental implications of fossil fuels. it will be helpful if manufacturers consider environmental factors when producing machines and appliances that is being powered by fossil fuels. Moreover, resolving the global dilemma presented by fossil fuels will require a collective effort of every human. Private Finance Initiatives: Advantages and Disadvantages Private Finance Initiatives: Advantages and Disadvantages PFI Principles The PFI, known as Private Finance Initiative, is a type of Public Private Partnership procurement method implemented in UK construction industry in 1992. (Chinyio and Gameson, 2009) As an important part of Governments strategy for delivering high quality public services, Private Finance Initiative requires the private financers to put its own capital at risk to deliver clear defined public projects for a long term period, ensuring the quality of the work delivered within the time and budget. (HM Treasury, 2009) OGC (2007, p.6) defined PFI as Where the public sector contracts to purchase quality services, with defined outputs from the private sector on long term basis, and including maintaining or constructing the necessary infrastructure so as to take advantage of private management skills incentivised by having private finance at risk. PFI has now covered most of public services such as health, education, defence, prisons and transportations. Typically, PFI procurement involves contracting the entire project package including design, construction, finance, operation and maintenance, to a group of private companies which consists of a reasonably skilled construction firm and a facility management firm, for a long period of 20 30 years. The government also provides specifications indicating the services and standards it requests, and leave the control right of design and construction and operation solely to the private group for the contract period. (Bennett and Iossa, 2006) It is only recommended for projects to take PFI route when the capital cost is likely to exceed  £20m. (OGC, 2007) Bennett and Iossa (2009) say that its more likely to use PFI procurement if the externality is positive and the innovation on residual value is large. Advantages Long-Term Relationship PFI is not only focusing on the value for money, it also stressed the development of long term relationship between public sector and private sector. Robinson and Scott (2009) indicates that long-term relationships in PFI projects can provide a powerful incentive in order to learn from each other, share the knowledge, innovate and continuously improve the performance between private sector and public sector in project delivery. Partnering is a crucial key of PFI procurement, the good performance of which will lead to the success of the project. Spackman (2002, pp.283-301) addresses Success can be achieved only if the public authority and the contractor approach the project in a spirit of partnership, wit understanding of each others business and a common vision of how best they can work together. Public Saving PFI/PPP procurement has the potential to reduce the cost, and deliver better quality work with the same cost in other procurements. (Bing and Akintoye, 2003) Research shows that the governments investment using PFI procurement in the UK is now about 10-14% in its total investment. (Grimsey and Lewis, 2005) Local authorities are keen to use PFI to deliver a project via partnership as they do not need to borrow money from the banks. Spackman (2002) finds the government constrains its borrowing because it concerns about future taxation, economic demand, costs of the borrowing, and flexibility responding to future economy shocks. The interest cost of public debit in UK is at 2-2.5 percent, however for the cost of private one is only about 1 percent. (Spackman, 2002) Anon (2009, p.3) declares that In the UK, lack of cash is forcing the government to look at using PPPs for more broadly. The saving for the government is not only from the borrowing tax aspect, but also in total value of the projects compared with traditional procurement. Parker and Hartley, 2003 (in Grimsey and Lewis, 2005) claim that PPP contracts for UK defence services save cost range from 5-40 percent compared traditional public procurement. Private Profit One of the benefits for private sectors to take PFI is that under the long term ownership, they can gain incomes and profits under their management and operation, or exchange benefits with the local authorities. Carrillo at el. (2008) indentifies that one of the key drivers for the motivation of the PFI is the steady and long term income stream and higher returns and profitability. Spackman (2002, pp.283-301) also mentions its easier to increase charges to meet a contract with a private operator than by voting in local or national government, and private financiers might regard income from users as a less risky source of revenue. Better Management Skills As private financers are more capable for management in business in various fields, the government believes that the private sector has a better role to offer project management skills, innovative design and facility and risk management. (Carrillo at el., 2008) Spackman (2002) stresses that the monitoring pressures on contractors from private sectors may be stronger than those from the public sector which is leading to a quality work. Long Term Contract In PFI, contractors are tied into a long-term commitment, so that it reduces that a contractor can walk away during the project if no sufficient funding is in place. Even though contracts might restrict this from happening, but it is difficult to design and impose broad articles and clauses in the contract for a long contractual period. (Spackman, 2002) Risk Transfer Risk transfer is also an important element for delivering a good PFI project. Carrillo at el. (2008) claim that PFI will reduce the risk level carried by the government and transfer it to the contractors. Grimsey and Lewis (2005, pp.345-378) concludes that The transferred risk is often a key determinant of value for money in PPPs, and one that may need to be updated as negotiations processed, to allow for variations in risk allocation. Apart from public procurement cost risk, there are also other risks such as site use, site operation and access, building standards, operations and management, financial conditions, maintenances and services, residual value and revenue etc. (Grimsey and Lewis, 2005) Those risks can all be considered and transferred to private side. In UK, there is a long list of samples for public funded projects being delayed or finished with over budget. Such risks being transferred from public sector to private sector through a PPP route is considered to be adding v alue for money for public project, as private sector will solely manage the project cost, time and quality. (Grimsey and Lewis, 2005) Less Construction Time PFI is considered to be one of the procurements which can deliver project under or on time. MacDonald, 2002 (in Grimsey and Lewis, 2005) reviewed 50 large UK public procurement projects in the past 20 years, and found 11 were using PFI/PPP, average of which were completed under-time. HM Treasury, 2003b (in Grimsey and Lewis, 2005) reviewed 61 PFI projects, 89 percent of which were completed under or on time. Compared with traditional procured projects, 30 percent of which delivered on time, PFI projects could be completed on time with a 76 percent. (UK National Audit Office, 2003, in Grimsey and Lewis, 2005) Delivery against Budget PFI is also considered to be one of the procurements which can deliver project under or on budget. HM Treasury, 2003b (in Grimsey and Lewis, 2005) reviewed 61 PFI projects, all of which were all finished within the budget. Compared with traditional procured projects finished with 27 percent on budget, PFI projects completed on budget with a 78 percent. (UK National Audit Office, 2003, in Grimsey and Lewis, 2005) Innovation Approach PFI schemes allow the private bidders to explore their appetite to develop creational and unique projects which can also meet the required standards from the government. (Bing and Akintoye, 2003) When the project is under the ownership of public sector, renegotiation between the private financiers and the public clients must be carried out before the innovation is applied. However, when the project is the ownership of private sector, following governments specifications, private financiers has own power and freedom to implement an innovative approach to meet its own requirements. (Bennett and Iossa, 2006) Disadvantages Time Taking Research shows that most suppliers complain that during the procurement, the PFI process takes too long for management decisions. (Spackman, 2002) Li (in Bing et al., 2005a, pp.25-35) claims that the most negative factor associated with PFI/PPP procurement is a lot of management time spent in the contract transaction, length delays in negotiation and high participation cost. Furthermore, Carrillo at el. (2008, pp.138-145) state that PFI projects are complex than traditional procurement taking longer lead-in time before the start of the construction. It also adds It is unsustainable for a private company to have staff involved on a project for a 5 years period without a positive outcome. Risk Allocation It is an advantage for public sector that their risks during PFI have been allocated away to private sections. However, it would be a shortcoming for private bidders to carry the risks somehow. OGC (2007, p.10) indicates that: construction projects are undertaken by the private sector, which are incentivised by having private finance at risk. High Cost According to research from Bing et al. (2005b), PPP/PFI procurement has problems such as high tender cost, complicated negotiation, innovation cost restrains and conflicting in objectives between stakeholders. Carrillo at el. (2008) also find complain from both of client and contractors that the costs for the bidding, design and construction are higher than the traditional procurements. Lack of Expertise There are still many public professionals not experienced with PFI as it is so complex to cope with. Carrillo at el. (2008) indicates that lack of expertise in public sector in terms of experience is one of the issues for PFI process. It adds further that the lack of expertise has negative impacts on the PFI projects, and the local authorities who are limited with the experience are also struggling to keep up the private partners, which influences the partnering development. Government Influence The government is somehow bombarded that it is trying to show positive sides of PFI as much as it can in order to encourage implementation of PFI. The research and studies carried out so far by the government have been using a limited amount of projects with certain focus. It is recommended to call for more independent and third party studies for a wide range of project research and collect feedback from the clients in all types of projects to analysis the PFI performance. (Carrillo at el., 2008) Procurement Comparison In order to procure the project of residential development for Wulfruna University in UK, PFI and Design and Build are taken into account for the project procurement. Comparison and analysis are carried out as following. Design Build Design Build is one of the popular procurement methods implemented in the construction industry. Since April 2000, DB has been nominated as one of the procurement recommendations along with PFI and Prime Contracting by the government body. (OGC, 2007) The basic principle of DB procurement is, as fig.1 shown, the client sets up the requirements and standards, and then forwards them to the DB contractor for the delivery of the work. There is always possible option for client to consult other design professionals for initial innovations and design concepts. Once, the client is contracted with the DB contractor, its responsibility of design involvement is totally reduced. Risks shifts to the DB project team, consisting of designers, suppliers and subcontractors, who will take full responsibility to carry out the design and construction of the projects. (OGC, 2007) Brief Analysis With the intention of analysis the brief, following key points have been indentified: Existing 12,500 students with 800 hall of residence and 450 on proposal Existing 65% males and 60% full timers Proposed 450 bed hall of residence Proposed building with comprised different types of accommodation Proposed building with a modern standard Proposed building to hire out to tourists or public members during holidays Analysis: The current student number is 12, 500, and full time student is about 7,500. But the number of the halls is only 1,250 (including the one on proposal). This figure is only about 16.7% of the current full time student number, if 1,2500 rooms are all counted as single units. There is a possibility of future development of more student halls of residence. If current full time student number is about 7,500 who need student accommodation, there could be about 4,875 male students. It is common that the maintenance and cleaning for the rooms rented out for male students are more likely harder and difficult than the ones for female students. So that the proposed building should be quality ensured with good maintenance scheme in place. 450 bed hall of residence with modern standard and mixed types of rooms could increase the project cost, and it is likely to over the  £20m limit. Such a number of students accommodation also needs a good management and administration. The requirement of different types of accommodation might involve variation during design stage of the project. A modern standard might involve client into the design for its appetite of innovation approach and standard. Renting out tourists and other public members could increase extra income for the owner. Good management and operation are required from experience management firms to provide professional services. PFI versus Design Build Project Time It is clearly indentified in the previous section that the majority of PFI project delivered under or on time. DB comes with 2 options for competing projects normally. One is fixed price project; therefore, the project will be delivered definitely within the budget or no extra costs for the clients if its over. But the time of the project is uncertain. The other option is fixed time project, which can guarantee the project time, but the cost of the work could be more than what clients expects. Therefore, in terms of project time, both PFI and DB are all suitable for the project. Project Cost PFI is considered to be cost efficient delivery, and it always meets the budget or even under the budget. But it may cost more for the bidding cost for the contractors. DB can apply fixed price option so that both procurement methods can meet the requirement of cost even though the cost requirement is not clear in this brief. However, and again, the time will not be guaranteed. Project Quality Due to PFI is involved a long term contract for the contractor and private financiers, it guarantee the quality and maintenance of the project. However, DB is somehow has more chance to deliver a less quality work depending on the morale and motivation of the contractor, contractor might reduce the quality of the work in terms of material or skilled labour etc to save a profit for its own. According to the analysis b, PFI is more favourable for the quality work in this project. Clients Involvement When the private financier claims the ownership, involvement of design is more likely to happen in order to input innovation approach to achieve the appetite of financiers own. Therefore variation is allowed to occur within the PFI. However, DB contractor process the project from design to construction, there is not involvement for the client. Any variation for the project will lead an extra fee to be implemented by the contractor. According to the brief analysis d and e, PFI is definitely better for DB in this case. Risk Allocation In PFI, risks will be transferred to the private financier for the development. In DB, client only have a single contractual link with the contractor, shown as in fig. 1. The risk the client carried is little and passes most of it to the contractor. Project Nature PFI procurement is suitable for complex project, in which the project cost is more than  £20m according to the introduction from OGC. DB, however, is also suitable for the complex project. As in the brief analysis c, it indicates complex types of accommodation requirement, both PFI and DB can procure this project. Partnering Approach It is no doubt that PFI is the only one procurement which required partnering for project compared with DB. Good partnering can lead to exchange of learning, knowledge sharing and improvement of delivery. In the brief analysis a, there is a potential development of student halls in the future if the number of students keeps increasing. Good partnering and relationship are the keys for quality delivery. PFI is then better than DB to be selected. Management Operation Maintenance PFI is a long term contractual practice which involves design, construction, management, operation and maintenance for a period of 20 to 30 years. Private sector sometimes has better management skills than public sector. Analysis f stresses the need of good Management and Operation, and also analysis b again claims the importance of maintenance. PFI, therefore, is once again the only option for this requirement contrasted with DB Selection Recommendation According to HM Treasurys Central Unit on Purchasing, 1992 (in Masterman, J.W.E., 2002), selection of an appropriate procurement method can be achieved following the following steps: Review of contract strategy Analysis Options Selection of best strategy Implementation The document suggests clients or project managers to score how each procurement method meet the requirement of the objectives in various aspects, in which way the evaluation of the procurement is carried out. (Masterman, J.W.E., 2002) As fig. 2 shown, each standard criterion has its own requirements relative weighting range from 1 to 4. A satisfaction score range from 1 to10 should then be given to the procurement matching with the standard criteria. After the scoring, a calculation should be done by using the procurement score on one of the criteria multiplied by the weighing for the matched criteria. Then add up all the results to get a total score. For instance, in fig. 2, the underlined figures show the timing weighing for the project and traditional procurements score on this aspect for the project, so it should be calculated as: 4 X 4 = 16, and 16 is the total score for the traditional procurements performance on timing. Then add the rest scores for variation, project nature et c. The more the score is, the more suitable the procurement will be. It is recommended that the client, the Wulfruna University, should firstly analysis and identify the importance of each objective for the entire project, and provide the scale weighing on the object criteria according to the importance level. Then follow the sample shown above to list common procurement methods and give a score to each one. In the end, to choose the most scored procurement for the student hall of residence project. However, there are also other types of selection, but the main principles are all similar to each other. Conclusion In this report, it has reviewed PFI procurement. The review has recognized PFI can provide quality project within the time and budget scale, freedom of innovation, long term relationship, risk transfer from public sector to private sector etc, but has also underlined some drawbacks such as long decision making, high bid cost and lack of experience for both side etc. Meanwhile, it has compared two chosen procurement types PFI and Design Build, both of which are recommended by the government body. According to the brief analysis, it has listed some key points and requirements for the projects and comparison against each requirement between PFI and DB are carried out. It is clearly that PFI can provide more to meet the requirement of the project brief. Furthermore, a recommendation for procurement selection is also provided with an example of how the procurement is selected is also presented. The recommendation stressed the importance of the analysis and identification of important req uirement of the objectives and standards for the project. References Anon (2009) The big hiccup.Public Private Finance[online]. February 2009:3. P.3 [accessed on 25th November 2009] Available from: Business Source Premier, EBSChost. ISSN 17420334. Bennett, J. and Iossa, E. (2006) Building and managing facilities for public services. Journal of Public Economics, 90(10-11), pp.2143-2160. Bing, L. and Akintoye, A. (2003) An Overview of Public-Private Partnership. in Akintoye, A., Beck, M. and Hardcastel, C. (eds.) Public-Private Partnership Managing Risks and Opportunities. Oxford: Blackwell Science Ltd. pp.3-24. Bing, L., Akintoye, A., Edwards, P. J. and Hardcastle, C. (2005a) The allocation of risk in PPP/PFI construction projects in the UK. International Journal of Project Management, 23(1), pp.25-35. Bing, L., Akintoye, A., Edwards, P. J. and Hardcastle, C. (2005b) Critical success factors for PPP/PFI projects in the UK construction industry. Construction Management and Economics, 23(5), pp.459-471. Carrillo, P., Robinson, H., Foale, P., Anumba, C. and Bouchlaghem, D. (2008) Participation, Barriers, and Opportunities in PFI: The United Kingdom Experience. Journal of Management in Engineering, 24(3), pp.138-145. Cartlidge, D. (2006) Public Private Partnerships in Construction. Abingdon: Taylor Francis Group. Chinyio, E. and Gameson, Rod. (2009) Private Finance Initiative in Use. in Akintoye, A. and Beck, M. (eds.) Policy, Finance Management for Public- Private Partnerships. Chichester: Blackwell Publishing Ltd, pp.3-26. Grimsey, D. and Lewis, M. K. (2005) Are Public Private Partnerships value for money?: Evaluating alternative approaches and comparing academic and practitioner views. Accounting Forum, 29(4), pp.345-378. HM Treasury (2009) Public Private Partnerships [online]. [accessed on 24th November 2009]. Available at: Masterman, J.W.E. (2002) An example of contract strategy (procurement system) selection. Introduction to Building Procurement Systems. 2nd ed., New York: Jack W E Masterman. P.175 Masterman, J.W.E. (2002) Introduction to Building Procurement Systems. 2nd ed., New York: Jack W E Masterman. Morledge, R., Smith, A. and Kashiwagi, D.T. (2006) Building Procurement. 1st ed., Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Morledge, R., Smith, A. and Kashiwagi, D.T. (2006) Design and Build. Building Procurement. 1st ed., Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. p. 118. OGC (2007) 06 Procurement and Contract Strategies [online]. [accessed on 24th November 2009]. Available at: Robinson, H. S. and Scott, J. (2009) Service delivery and performance monitoring in PFI/PPP projects. Construction Management and Economics, 27(2), pp.181-197. Spackman, M. (2002) Public-private partnerships: lessons from the British approach. Economic Systems, 26(3), pp.283-301.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in Taiwan Essay -- Health, Diseases

In March 2003, the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), so far the most lethal infectious disease in this century, hit the world, including Taiwan. The unfortunate pandemic shattered Taiwan’s tourism industry and the nation’s image of a safe tourism destination region, thus affecting Taiwan’s economy. The Taiwanese government, as well as others that were affected, placed restrictions of varying stringency on domestic and international travel due to the cases of SARS. Therefore, precautions were taken and Taiwan’s global travel and tourism system deteriorated. Having Japan and Hong Kong as Taiwan’s two main sources of tourist arrivals, this pandemic decreased a huge amount of international arrivals from these generating regions reaching a level the island had never before witnessed. Accordingly, due to the influence of SARS on tourism from Japan and Hong Kong, Taiwan had to re-establish its image as one of Asia’s must-see dest inations. Undertaking such research in this pandemic will give a further insight into the impacts of SARS and how the tourism industry has responded in relation to the turmoil that transpired in one of the worst affected in the Asian region, Taiwan. The importance of this research relies vastly on the perceptions from various stakeholders that were affected by the disease, including the community, business owners and the nation as a whole. The impacts of such a turbulent disease ranged from escalating health warnings and death tolls, to economic problems including the deterioration of businesses and sales which led to loss of jobs and furthermore, the large decline in inbound tourist arrivals primarily from Japan and Hong Kong (Pine and McKercher, 2004). Due to the large scale of impacts... ...’s concern about SARS. Secondly, advertising and promotional campaign took place to boost willingness to travel to Taiwan. In order to obtain the numbers of Japanese tourists during pre-SARS, the Taiwan government implemented on advertisements with the aim of giving Taiwan the image of being one of Asia’s must-see destinations for tourists. With the aid of these initiatives, Taiwan’s tourism market had restored to normal by the summer holiday season. While arrivals from Japan recovered to only 70% of pre-SARS level due to a drop off in international trips by Japanese travellers in general, growth was seen in all the other major source markets, including Malaysia, Singapore, Korea, and the U.S. The Japanese tourist arrivals did not recover completely until more than a year after Taiwan was officially removed the list of SARS affected areas (Mao, Ding, Le 2004).

Cost benefit analysis CanGo Essay

VIA Consulting has been hired in CanGo’s behalf to assist its management group in the decision making of the implementation of the new operating ASRS system, and we came out with the following financial information and data. CanGo started operating as a small company in 2006. In 2008 the company reported a net profit of $7,000,000 and $15,000,000 for the 2009. The company’s most profitable division has been its online book sale. Due to the fact that CanGo has been increasing its sales and revenue for more than 100%, the company has demonstrate that it is a profitable organization, but at the same time, it has been reporting an increase on client’s complains for a deficient customer service. According to management at the organization, some of the issues are unproductive personnel, the time for an order to be processed is too long, small warehouse space, and short inventory. CanGo is looking for a new operating system that allows them to decrease labor, lower spac e and increase productivity and revenue. An ASRS (Automated storage and retrieval system) consists of a variety of computer-controlled systems for automatically placing and retrieving loads from defined storage locations. This type of system is utilized majorly for companies with a very high volume of loads being moved into and out of storage. The benefits of an ASRS system include reduced labor for transporting items into and out of inventory, reduced inventory levels, more accurate tracking of inventory, and space savings (Wikipedia, 2014). VIA Consulting is going to help CanGo to calculate the costs of the new ASRS system. Utilizing tools like net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return (IRR), we will examine and evaluate if the investment will benefit economically the organization. The cost for a new ASRS system is  approximately of $2,000,000 and according with the most recent financial statements, CanGo, Inc. Working capital†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. $132,520,000 Cost of Operations†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 32,560,000 Cash inflow†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 58,000.000 Inventory†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 32,000,000 It is necessary to know if the company has the economic resources to acquire the new automated system and finance the cost of operation derived from the project. To find out, we need to know three major costs; Cost of capital, Net Present Value (NPV) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR). The ASRS and costs of operation represent the Cash Outflows, of this project and the revenues and profits represent the Cash Inflow. Looking at the Net Profit, or cash inflow, CanGo has limited capital to invest; however, the company may find the monetary resources through bonds, private investors and banks that are willing to finance the project as long as they receive their dividends or profits. Cost of Capital reflects the minimum amount that a firm must earn on its assets in order for those assets to add value to the firm. On other words, capital is the rate at which assets must provide cash inflows to justify their cost. Therefore, if the rate of return of the net cash flows from a project, includi ng the initial investment and all future net cash flows, exceeds the cost of capital, the project will add to the value of the firm. For example, when the ASRS investment generates a return of 21.31 percent, while the cost of capital was assumed to be 15 percent. The Net Present Value (NPV), is one of the most common methods used to evaluate investments. At its simplest, NPV is the present value computed by using the firm’s cost of capital as the discount rate of cash inflows, minus the present value of cash outflows, including the initial investment. NPV= PV of Cash inflows – PV of Cash Outflow According to the divisional revenues, in 2009, the company reported revenues (Cash Inflow) for $58,000,000 being books the most profitable sales division with $15,000,000. Actually, the company employs 6 operators on the first shift and two operators on the second shift to pick books at the average rate of 45 books per hour, but during heavy demand periods, the pick area  can accommodate eight operators. Salaries expense and machinery and equipment would be the company’s cash outflow. The cash outflow is $2,250,000. NPV= 58,000,000- 2,250,000 =55,750,000 Projects with a positive NPV add value to the firm. Cash inflows and outflows can occur at any time during the project. The NPV of the project is the sum of the present values of the net cash flows for each time period t, where t takes on the values 0 (the beginning of the project) through N (the end of the project). With this formula we can also calculate the time and the amount of money the capital invested in the project will have generate profits. The NPV calculation provides a dollar measure of how much a project is expected to add to a firm’s value. Analysts may also want to know what the rate of return on a project is in order to compare it to the cost of capital. This rate is called the internal rate of return, or IRR. The IRR is the discount rate that makes the present value of the cash inflows equal to the present value of the cash outflows. This is the same as saying that the IRR is the discount rate that makes the net present value equal to zero. The formula that represents the IRR is In conclusion, and taking into consideration the financial data of Divisional Revenues from 2009 for $58,000,000 and cash outflow of $2,250,000 to 3,000,000 (ASRS equipment, labor and other expenses) the new project will allow CanGo to increase productivity from 45 books per hour to double or triple the number of books picked per hour and at the same time employing less people. This will derivate in an increase of net revenue for the company. Also, the employees will be able to more accurately track inventory, and the warehouse will have more space available to keep up to date the inventory. Customers will receive their books faster when the company won’t have to order books from different distributors and wait too long to receive them, and then, packing them and sending them to customers. The employees also will be able to see if they have the ordered book in stock and clients won’t complain for receiving the wrong book(s). VIA  consulting advices CanGo, Inc., that t he new ASRS system will benefit the company increasing productivity and profits for the company. References Retrieved on September 2014, from: https://www0.gsb.columbia.edu/premba/finance/s5/s5_5.cfm Retrieved on September 2014, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automated_storage_and_retrieval_system

Coping With Change Essay

P1- Discuss factors which affect the development of self-esteem M1- Compare two theories of self-esteem which contribute to our understanding of self-concept The NHS define self-esteem as being the opinion each individual has of themselves. NHS, (2015). It is the self-image and self –respect of an individual’s perception of themselves. Roshahl.c, (2008). This assignment is going to discuss the six factors that affect self-esteem. These factors are the growth promoting climate, the looking glass self, self-actualisation, ego identity, social identity and finally, the constructing of self-concept. Maslow stated that people are motivated to achieve certain needs. When one need is fulfilled a person seeks to fulfil the next one, and so on. Maslow, (1943). The self-actualisation theory was created by Maslow in 1943. This theory is based on the hierarchy of needs. This theory is an ongoing process. This theory is not something which is aimed for by a person, instead it’s something you do. In addition to this, the theory is not restricted to individuals; anyone is able to achieve this hierarchy of needs. The hierarchy is made up of levels these levels are; physiological needs, safety needs, love and belonging needs, esteem needs and finally, is all of the above are achieved, according to Maslow they are able to then reach self-actualisation. Maslowski.R.M, Morgan.L, (1973). The first stage of this theory is the biological and physiological needs, in order to achieve this a person must have the basic needs of living, they are; air, food, fluids, shelter, warmth, shelter, warmth and sleep. The safety needs of the hierarchy include protection from elements, security, order, law, stability and finally freedom fear. The love and belongingness stage of Maslow’s theory requires friendship, intimacy, affection and love from work colleagues, family, friends and romantic relationships. McGuire.K.J, (2012) pp281. The fourth stage of the hierarchy of needs is the esteem of needs, to achieve this stage an individual must experience achievement, prestige, self-concept, statues, dominance, mastery, self-concept and respect from others. The final stage is the self-actualisation. This stage involves realising personal potential, self-fulfilment, seeking person growth and  peak experiences. Maslow states that without achieving the first four stages, self-actualisation cannot be achieved. The second theory is Erickson’s Ego theory. This is another theory which is based on stages. Erickson’s theory focuses on the eight stages of life starting with infant and finishing with older age. The theory is a lifespan model of development taking in five stages up to the age of 18 years old and three further stages beyond the age of 18 and into adulthood. Each stage has a conflict, resolution and a cumilation in age these will all be presented in the table below. Age Conflict Resolution Cumiliation in age Infancy 0-1 years old Basic trust vs. mistrust Hope Appreciation of independence and relatedness Early childhood 1-3years old Autonomy vs. Shame Will Acceptance of cycle of life from integration to disintegration Play age 3-6 years old Initiative vs. Guilty Purposely Humour, empathy and resilience School age 6-12 years old Industry vs. Inferiority Competence Humiliation, acceptance of the course of one’s life and unfulfilled hopes Adolescences 12-19 years olds Identity vs. confusion Fidelity Sense of complexity of relationships, values of tenderness and loving freely Early Adult 20-25 years Intimacy vs. Love isolation Love Sense of complexity of life; merging of sensory logical and aesthetic perception Adulthood 26-64 years old Generative vs. Care stagnation Care Caritas, caring for others, empathy and concern Old age 65 years old -death Integrity vs. Despair Wisdom Existential identity, a sense of integrity strong enough to withstand physical disintegration The growth promoting climate theory suggests that a person requires a supportive environment that encourages an individual to grow positively. The theorist of this theory is Carl Rogers. The growth promoting climate theory is a person centred approach. The purpose of the person centred approach is to change, understand personality as well as human relationship. Jones.R.N, (2010) PP102. According to Carl Rogers, a positive involves diversity, empowerment which means to allow the individual to grow and achieve. Other factors which are required to create a positive environment is open communication, freedom and the capability to reach their full potential. However, without a positive environment, the growing promotion climate theory cannot be achieves. The looking glass self theory looks at how an individual views themselves. The theorist of this theory is Horton Cooley. The looking glass self is another theory that is separated into stages. This theory is made up of three stages. The first stage id that a person imagines how they are perceived and viewed by others. The second stage of the looking glass theory is when a person imagines how they are judged by others and this is based and concluded by the first stage of the theory which is how a person imagines they are perceived by another individual. The final stage of  this theory is the experiencing of a type of feeling or reaction to the staged in one and two. Gbadebo.S.A, (2011), pp124. For example a person may believe that they are perceived as being polite and friendly to another individual. This would be the first stage of the theory (imaging how they are perceived by others). This would therefore lead to the individual imagining they are judged in a positive light and a well-mannered individual. This would be the second stage of the theory (the way in which a person imagines they are judged by others). The way in which an individual acts towards them would determine the opinion they have of them. Gba debo.S.A, (2011), pp124. If a person who is isolated in a situation is judged to be a polite friendly individual they are more likely to make friends as they may give off a friendly vibe encouraging people to want to engage with them however if they were perceived as being rude and arrogant, other may not want to associate or include the individual in their conversation and may even think the individual is purposely isolating themselves from the situation. The Social identity theory was created by Henri Tajfel in 1979. He proposed that groups which people belonged to were an important source of pride and self-esteem. These groups may be a person’s social class family or a person’s choice of football team. Groups give individuals a sense of identity and sense of belonging to the social world. Burke.P.j, (2009). This theory focuses on how we perceive and make sense of each other. This helps with the construction of society and culture. This theory suggests that people are interested in the information of others such as their beliefs, intentions and affiliations. Tajfel. H, (2010). This enables a person to interpret and understand the words and actions of another person as well as their decision makings. This also allows a predication of a person’s future. The final factor that affects a person’s self-esteem is the constructing of self-theory. A sense of self or personhood, of what kind of person one is. Identities always involve both sameness and difference, (2000) Penguin Dictionary. ‘Identity is about belonging, about what you have in common with some people and what differentiates you from others. At its most basic it gives you a sense of personal location, the stable core to individuality. But it is also about your social relationships, your complex involvement with o thers’ (1996). This theory consists of three main arguments they are; We are born with our  identities; identities and culturally and historically dependent, identities are fluid and fragmented and are a result of conscious and unconscious thought and emotion (affective attachment to particular identities). This theory consists of sources of identity, they are gender, age, sexuality, ethnicity, social class, consumption, employment, roles and responsibility, family networks, friendships, use of technology, politics, leisure activities and finally the body. All of the discussed theories are all contributing factors to the development of person’s self-esteem. All of which explain have a different understanding. Some were evidently based on the needs of an individual in order to live such as Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, others focused on the different stages of life a person experiences such as Erickson’s eight stages of life. M1- The aim of this next task is to compare two theo ries of self-esteem which contribute to our understanding of self-concept. The two theories this assignment is going to focus on are Erickson’s eight stages of life theory and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The first similarity of these two theories is that they are both broken down into stages however Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is split into five stages Maslow. A.H, (2013) whereas, Erickson’s life stages are split into six. The different number of stages is on difference between the two theories. A further difference between the two theories is that Erickson’s stages are based on the stages of life every individual experiences. Therefore the theory can be easily generalised to all individuals during a specific age group. In addition to this, Erickson’s ego theory is structured in a timeline of stages. However, the stages of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs are the requirements needed in life such as warmth, shelter, love and family. Rakowski.N, (2011). Therefore Erickson’s theory focuses on experience whereas Maslow’s theory focuses on the needs of an individual and the goals of achievement of an individual. An additional difference between Maslow’s and Erickson’s theory is that Maslow states that without successfully achieving one stage a person cannot proceed to achieve the next stage preventing a person for achieving actualisation. Erickson’s eight stages of life are experienced by all individuals throughout their life span and therefore all stages are experienced and unresolved stages can be resolved in later stages in life. Tiffany.L, (2014). Erickson’s ego theory focuses on psychosocial stages whereas Maslows hierarchy theory focused on the needs  of an individual. The year the two theories were developed is another comparison, Erickson’s Ego theory was developed in 1950 whereas Maslow’s hierarchy theory was developed in 1943. Erickson’s Ego theory has an overall finishing point which is when an individual achieves self-actualisations whereas Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a continuous cycle which continues until a person reach death. Tiffany.L, (2014). A final comparison of the two theories is that Erickson’s Ego theory was influenced by a theory which already existed; this was Freud’s theory regarding the structure and topography of personality. Maslow’s hierarchy theory on the other handed was an extended version of his own work rather than the work of others. Chapman, (2001). Both the theories of Abraham Maslow and Eric Erickson support the use of human response assessment in the experimental and behavioural perspectives. Mcleod.S. Erickson’s eight stages of life also identifies task which must be achieved at each stage and similarly to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, if these tasks are not achieved, a person cannot proceed successfully achieve the next tas k. Reference Page NHS, (2015). Interpersonal growth and self-actualisation in groups, Maslowski.r.m, Morgan.L, (1973). Text book of basic nursing, Roshahl.c, (2008). (2000) Penguin Dictionary of Sociology. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. An introduction, McGuire.K.J, (2012), pp281 Theory and practice of counselling and therapy, Jones.R.N, (2010) PP102. Journey into the looking glass, Gbadebo.S.A, (2011), pp124. Identity theory, Burke.P.j, (2009). Social identity and intergroup relations, Tajfel. H, (2010) A theory of human motivation, Maslow. A.H, (2013) Maslow’s hierarchy of needs model, Rakowski.N, (2011). Erik Erickson, psychological stages simply psychology, Mcleod.S. Chapman, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (2001). Tiffany.L,, Erickson and Maslow, compare and contrast (2014).

Mugged by Andrew Payne Essays

Mugged by Andrew Payne Essays Mugged by Andrew Payne Essay Mugged by Andrew Payne Essay Essay Topic: Literature I performed in Mugged by Andrew Payne. I played the character of Taylor who was a deprived boy who has turned into a bully because of the people that he is around. Mugged is a play about six teenagers that are affected by the things around them, two are bullies, two are boys who are good friends that try to act cool and the two girls go along with the bullies. The teenagers are scared of the muggers and this ends up in one of the six being stabbed. In my essay I am going to study the plays of mugged and Blood Brothers and also Billy Elliot. My character of Taylor is a street wise teenager who is one of the school bullies. He victimises people who are quieter and less street wise than him. He is scared of some individuals across the park that they all fear and see as muggers but intimidates those less powerful than him and makes it look like he is not scared when he secretly is. I played the character of Taylor using some techniques such as walking in the way that a teenage boy would walk and also raising the tone of my voice to make me seem a lot more superior and also talking louder than I normally would. I tried to base that character of Taylor like the character of Tony Elliot, Billys older brother. The actor who played Tony showed his power and authority by raising his voice and he seemed like the type of person who would break the rules but he was very loyal to the miners on strike by not caving in because he needed the money he continued with his work mates. Although he was over powering when he told Billy to dance on the table he was trying to show compassion that he is only a little boy and should not go to ballet school. I tied to play Taylor as very headstrong but towards the end he was a bit lost in whom he was and what he was doing there and I tried to show that he also had a compassionate side. Playing the part of Taylor in mugged helped me to understand how a person like this would relate to the settings around him and also the other characters on the stage. The part of Taylor is a bit like the character of Sammy Johnstone in Blood Brothers because even know they are not the main character in the play they are still a character that has a lot of impact on the other characters and of the outcome at the end of the production. The characters of Sammy, Tony and Taylor have an outcome on the productions that I have used above because they cause life changing situation and in the plays Blood Brothers and Mugged someone ends up dying and Tony changes the decisions that are made but does not affect the play as much. The set of mugged is very simple compared to the sets of Blood Brothers and Billy Elliot. The set of Billy Elliot is the main background of the village miners hall and the bedroom and house was brought in by hydraulics under the stage and other things are brought in by the cast and crew. In Blood brothers the main setting in the first act is the old council buildings on the stage right and on the stage left a posh middle class house. In the second act it changes to some better presented council houses again the other parts of the stage are brought in by the cast and crew. The setting of Mugged was very simple because we performed it in our school so we had two park benches and a bin in between the two benches and that was it so that the set did not distract the audience form the performers. Also this is all that we needed for our play to make it look realistic. Our costumes were very simple me, Sian who played Leon, Allanah who played Marky and Kerry who played Dig wore jogging bottoms and a zip up hoddy to look like the style of people who were trying to be. Penny who played Mel and Georgina who played Soph wore there school skirts and a coat to look like slutty girls. In Billy Elliot each character had more than one costume because the play was over a few months the only person who wore the same costume was Mrs Elliot because she only was on a few times and she was dead so she did not change. Also in Blood Brothers they were a few different costumes because they are playing people over 10 years apart so they have different costumes to show the differences in age and also how they have grown up. Most productions on the West end and in most theatres are different to ours because they have people making the costumes and doing the makeup but because we only did it in school we did not have to do much to make it look good because people do not expect it to look good because it is only armature dramatics so we would not have very good costumes and also we would not have a very complex set. The theme of Mugged is mainly Friendship and who to make friends with and how friends act towards each other. Our play is also about peer pressure which ties in with the plot of both Blood Brothers and Billy Elliot because in both of these plays there is a lot of peer pressure. In Billy Elliot there is peer pressure because the miners are pressurised to stay on strike but Billys dad decided that he would break it for his son to go to ballet school. And in Blood brothers Sammy and his gang pressured Mickey. Linda and Eddie into things that they dont want to do and end up in trouble.

Marie Antoinette, Woman to Scapegoat essays

Marie Antoinette, Woman to Scapegoat essays Today there is a tendency to overlook small factors in history that may seem silly, trivial, or irrational. However, these factors often have great influences over people and need to be observed. Marie Antoinettes involvement in the French Revolution is the perfect example of a tiny catalyst causing a great deal of change. The revolution was undoubtedly caused by the growing discontent of the French population towards the abuses of the upper class. However, no revolution could succeed without symbols or icons like Marie Antoinette. It was through clever rhetoric and twisting of facts on the part of French revolutionaries that Marie Antoinette became an icon for corrupt monarchy, thus, altering her image from a caring queen to a greedy wretch to aid in the advantage of the revolutionaries political objectives. Born to the Austrian empress Maria Theresa on November 2, 1755, Marie Antoinette was obliged to marry Louis XVI of France to symbolize an alliance between Austria and France. Ironically, in the beginning of her marriage to the prince, Marie Antoinette was loved by the French people. She further established her reputation for kindness and compassion by stopping her carriage for over an hour to aid an injured person. She would not continue until she had established the presence of a surgeon. She then insisted on a stretcher for the wounded man, instead of an uncomfortable post-chaise, and followed its progress (Fraser 170). However, these very qualities did not matter once Marie Antoinettes reputation began to drastically fall. Although the time itself was a difficult time for the French monarchy, it was mainly Antoinette's own attitude to her position that caused the most serious damage. In an age when monarchs were supposed to be servants of the state, it was especially important to present an image of devoted self-sacrifice to their subjects. However, it was precisely this dem...

General Motors Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

General Motors - Article Example Bowen and Radhakrishna (1991) define motivation as a force that makes an organism or a person to respond. Thus an effective manager must be aware of the various factors that induce his or her employees to behave in a certain way. One of the significance theories that early managers adopted in their management was related to the appetitive function. According to this theory, the result of motivated employees which is the outcome of the forces and stimulus provided by the employers is brought about by imagination, memory as well as perception.According to James (2010) in his article on understanding employee’s motivation, staffs are not only motivated by salary increment but also by other factors such as more responsibilities, training, and shifts among others. Additionally, James (2010) covers the Hawthorne studies that sought to indicate the significance of human relations to the managers especially in focusing at the motivation and the needs of the employees. Two major ways t hat GM can emulate to maintain a productive work force is through provision of extrinsic and intrinsic motivators. Intrinsic factors include recognition of the hard working employees. This may be undertaken by promoting them or making them to be team leaders. On the other hard, James (2010) argues that a firm can provide job security and increased salaries as key extrinsic factors. James depicts that managers should also ensure equity among the employees as a way of motivating them. Equity is attained when the ratio of a worker’s output over inputs is the same with that of other employees (James, 2010). Studies undertaken by Adams (1965) indicate that for managers to effectively motivate their employees, it is paramount to first understand their goals. This is based on the fact that the goals of the employees vary. Through the provision of hygiene factors that include security, safety, salary, fringe benefits among others Adams (1965) argues that employees are powerfully motivated. Thus it is paramount for the GM managers to determine what their employees like and dislike so as to identify the appropriate hygiene factor to emulate. Adams (1965) argues that employees like six major aspect to improve their performance. First is achievement. This implies that workers are motivated when tangible goals are derived from their efforts. Secondly, employees like to be appreciated and recognized by their managers and other workers. Thirdly, employees are motivated by the work itself. For example, employees who enjoy working in garages will be more motivated if the GM managers take them to the production facility. Fourthly, workers are motivated when their responsibilities are increased. Fifthly, labor force is significantly motivated through promotion and advancement within their firm. In the same way, workers performance is enhanced when a company creates opportunities for growth. This can be undertaken by ensuring that workers are given ample opportunities to undertake part time courses either within the firm or from high institutions of learning. To ensure its employees in various parts of the word are motivated and are focused at attaining their own goals and those of the organization, General Motors should adopt McClelland's Human

Mrs. Fields Write Up... ISMG 3000 Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Mrs. Fields Write Up... ISMG 3000 - Case Study Example This was followed by the creation of Combination Stores that were not merely Cookie Selling Stores but also offered a wide range of other bakery products like Croissants, Bread, Hot Soups and sandwiches etc that were all being sold initially under the brand name of La Petite Boulangerie separately that had now been purchased by the Fields’. Moreover, these were not only store outlets but were sit-down cafes as well. The Field’s took these actions because they wanted to expand on their existing business. They were afraid that their name was well established in the present times but this may not be persistent and the monotony in their products and sales outlets may lead to the drifting away of their trusted customers as well. Since they were earning stable benefits and all their business processes were running smoothly Mr. Field thought that the merging of one or more companies into their existing setup would bring the well hailed boost to their product line. Mr. Field was primarily eyeing the revenue that he expected would be generated when the merger of the purchased companies would eventually be complete. Mr. Field was foreseeing the purchasing over even more new stores as a result of the revenue he expected to earn after this practical merger. His main motive was that he will have enough profits to make future payments by them. The demographical strength of the fields’ store, he thought would not effect any slight fluctuations in the economy that might take place during the transitional process of incorporating new companies and earning profits for the further new companies that were expected to be added to the combinational Stores’ Chain. Being an LPB store manager I wouldn’t be the happiest person on Earth. The company thatwas managed by me was being sold to another owner and rather than being downsized. Thus the

Bureaucratic organizational structure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Bureaucratic organizational structure - Essay Example Inside each organization, there exist a wide range of regulations and procedures, which every member should adhere. Inside bureaucratic organization, every process has a structure, the roles have targets, the productivity of team is monitored and there is a design of different solutions. However, it is complicated to abide rules, follow certain policy, perform job properly and achieve common goals if the personnel do not take active part in life of organization, cannot make its own decisions concerning work and does not see or know its role in the team. To enable its employees to make decisions about their job, organizations use such strategy as employee empowerment. It helps employees to take responsibility for the results of their performace, helps them to serve customers at the proper level of the organization. The process of empowerment enables or authorizes person to think, behave, make decisions, take action and control its work without constant supervision and management from the other sides. The organization is responsible for creation of proper work environment for the employee that will help him/her to bring up the ability and want to perform its job in empowered ways. It is up to organization to remove limitations that stop staff acting in empowered ways. Such management actions give possibilities for work in the perfect organization. The important step for empowering employees is to demonstrate that the organization values its people, helps them understand and feel as if they are part of something bigger and their indivi dual job is highly appreciated. This may be executed letting employees access to the organization's vision, mission and strategic plans.

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 48

Marketing - Essay Example realize a handsome profit and retain relevance in their various industries, all business organizations have to come up with serious marketing strategies. However, advertising is something that is particularly important in the hospitality industry. Hotels such as the Hilton have to keep improving their effectiveness because they are constantly being confronted by the challenge of retaining loyal customers while drawing new ones. The hospitality industries, like others which have been negatively affected by the recession, have had to make significant changes in order to attract customer. It has experienced a lot of fragmentation that makes strategies such as target marketing and market segmentation extremely important. There are different reasons for the changes that have affected the hospitality industry. In the first place, due to the recession, hotels have had to effect necessary budget reductions.1 There has also been change in the lifestyles of many individuals who were formerly in a position to allocate a lot of spending capital on leisure trips. Tourists have developed an interest in a diverse range of recreational activities that create challenges for hotels that are not ready to respect such preferences. Another challenge has to do with marketing expenses. Increased promotional costs mean that hotels have to invest in more cost effective advertising strategies that put more emphasis on the type of services on offer, as well as educational pursuits, than on potential promises.2 To remain competitive, hotels such as the Hilton Group also have to invest in reaching targeted markets, and establishing measurable objectives. One of the biggest challenges in the marketing of recreational facilities lies in the fact that, unlike actual physical goods, recreational breaks have to be consumed on-site.3 Even though hotels may create a spectacular advertisement about the services they offer, the advertisement does not deliver the true experience. This is a product

Compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of joining a Assignment

Compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of joining a professional association - Assignment Example rm, to voice and commiserate, and to provide affiliates a feeling that they are never alone in the hurdles opened by their profession in general (Kjellberg, 2013). Opportunities to discover new techniques, job options, among others, are priceless advantages to group members (Kjellberg, 2013). The disadvantages, on the other hand, of joining these organizations are needless fees, consumes a lot of time, needless expenses, socializing takes the attention away from career development and also they create a lot of pressure to achieve highly among its members (Harvey et al., 2003). Most professional organizations need the reimbursement of yearly fees. There might also be the first application fee (Kjellberg, 2013). Whereas $100 does not appear to be much, it accumulates when the individuals joins the national and state associations of numerous professional organizations (Harvey, 2004). Apart from the membership fees and applications, people also spend money on association lunches, breakfasts and dinners and gas expenses or transportation costs (Harvey, 2004). According to these advantages and disadvantages of belonging to a professional organization, I would opt to join a professional organization because I need access to the information, which will influence my practice. I also need people who will advocate for me in front of others and people who will develop me professionally, thus my decision to join a professional

Sensors and Control Systems (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) Lab Report

Sensors and Control Systems (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) - Lab Report Example Rotating a DC electric motor’s rotor like tacho generators will produce electricity and voice-coil speaker can also act as microphones. It consist of a nickel wire of 0.5-1 mm diameter kept stretched between the poles of a permanent magnet and having a small stylus rigidly attached to it at the mid-point. The wire is prestressed by twisting it, before being installed into the position. Two pick-up coils of fine wire are wound round the wire on either side of the mid-point. Any displacement of the stylus to one side or the other increases the torsion on the side and decreases it by an equal amount on the other side. This results in an increase of magnetic flux in one-half and a decrease in the other half. The corresponding induced emfs are in phase opposition and are processed by suitable networks as in the case of linear variable differential transformer. It is used as phonograph pick-up and is designed to have flat frequency response over 150 Hz- 15 kHz frequency range. Due to the nonlinearity and hysteresis in the performance, it is normally limited for use when time- varying torsions of small amplitude are to be measured. It was discovered in 1879 and belongs to one of the galvanomagnetic phenomena in which the interaction between the magnetic field and the moving electrical charges results in the development of forces that alter the motion of the charge. When an external magnetic field is applied to the current carrying hall element perpendicular to the current flow a Lorentz force acts on the current due to which a voltage called hall voltage is generated perpendicular to both the current and the magnetic field. This voltage is so small and needs amplification. If an electric current flows through a conductor in a magnetic field, the magnetic field exerts a transverse force on the moving charge carriers which tends to push them to one side of the

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 48

Marketing - Essay Example realize a handsome profit and retain relevance in their various industries, all business organizations have to come up with serious marketing strategies. However, advertising is something that is particularly important in the hospitality industry. Hotels such as the Hilton have to keep improving their effectiveness because they are constantly being confronted by the challenge of retaining loyal customers while drawing new ones. The hospitality industries, like others which have been negatively affected by the recession, have had to make significant changes in order to attract customer. It has experienced a lot of fragmentation that makes strategies such as target marketing and market segmentation extremely important. There are different reasons for the changes that have affected the hospitality industry. In the first place, due to the recession, hotels have had to effect necessary budget reductions.1 There has also been change in the lifestyles of many individuals who were formerly in a position to allocate a lot of spending capital on leisure trips. Tourists have developed an interest in a diverse range of recreational activities that create challenges for hotels that are not ready to respect such preferences. Another challenge has to do with marketing expenses. Increased promotional costs mean that hotels have to invest in more cost effective advertising strategies that put more emphasis on the type of services on offer, as well as educational pursuits, than on potential promises.2 To remain competitive, hotels such as the Hilton Group also have to invest in reaching targeted markets, and establishing measurable objectives. One of the biggest challenges in the marketing of recreational facilities lies in the fact that, unlike actual physical goods, recreational breaks have to be consumed on-site.3 Even though hotels may create a spectacular advertisement about the services they offer, the advertisement does not deliver the true experience. This is a product

Sensors and Control Systems (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) Lab Report

Sensors and Control Systems (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) - Lab Report Example Rotating a DC electric motor’s rotor like tacho generators will produce electricity and voice-coil speaker can also act as microphones. It consist of a nickel wire of 0.5-1 mm diameter kept stretched between the poles of a permanent magnet and having a small stylus rigidly attached to it at the mid-point. The wire is prestressed by twisting it, before being installed into the position. Two pick-up coils of fine wire are wound round the wire on either side of the mid-point. Any displacement of the stylus to one side or the other increases the torsion on the side and decreases it by an equal amount on the other side. This results in an increase of magnetic flux in one-half and a decrease in the other half. The corresponding induced emfs are in phase opposition and are processed by suitable networks as in the case of linear variable differential transformer. It is used as phonograph pick-up and is designed to have flat frequency response over 150 Hz- 15 kHz frequency range. Due to the nonlinearity and hysteresis in the performance, it is normally limited for use when time- varying torsions of small amplitude are to be measured. It was discovered in 1879 and belongs to one of the galvanomagnetic phenomena in which the interaction between the magnetic field and the moving electrical charges results in the development of forces that alter the motion of the charge. When an external magnetic field is applied to the current carrying hall element perpendicular to the current flow a Lorentz force acts on the current due to which a voltage called hall voltage is generated perpendicular to both the current and the magnetic field. This voltage is so small and needs amplification. If an electric current flows through a conductor in a magnetic field, the magnetic field exerts a transverse force on the moving charge carriers which tends to push them to one side of the

A society & dominated Essay Example for Free

A society dominated Essay In a society dominated by pop culture, fashion always comes into play. For pop culture always requires novelty, and people has to keep up with the trends as time changes. Fashion has affected almost all aspect of the Homo sapiens way of living for it is the key to change. And because fashion takes many forms as time changes it had even infiltrated our mindset in setting a standard for a good physique—the very idea of sexy per se. In line with this, two writers discuss how fashion has greatly affected the psyche of both male and female of this generation as to how they perceive the image of a sexy person. Andrea Heiman in her article â€Å"When a Fad Does a Body Harm† and Rita Kemply’s article â€Å"Boys and the Beefcake Images† have pointed out that fashion has created a venue for other people to abuse their body and to live an unhealthy lifestyle. That is girls starving themselves to death to look perfectly thin and boys excessively using steroids to live up to the very concept of machismo today. Both Heiman and Kemply agree that a change in fashion as subject to the body form of both men and women has become hazardous to health. However the two authors have taken different sides to explain why this scenario happens. On the one hand Heiman, the feminist said that women starved themselves to death because being thin has become the epitome of looking really good to most men. As women strive to be part of the arena dominated by men, fashion has created ways to repress them. By looking frail men still claims their superiority over women. On the other hand Kemply perceive that the primary reason why men use steroids to maintain the so-called masculine image is that they are being judge with their physicality. Kemply said that women have created a standard that most men look attractive when they have muscles, lean body and no beer bellies. Both authors were able to explain how fashion can become hazardous to one’s health. However it is not sound that the reason why these circumstances happen is blamed on the perception of male and female toward the ideal look of a sexy body. For both genders are just victims of the so called pop culture. Moreover, pop culture has their psyche conditioned to that kind of notion to a point that their self-esteem becomes low. People should not judge a person based on how he or she looks. A standard of looking sexy should not be made for it is not the physical aspects of a person that counts most when we are trying to build a healthy relationship. In addition, fashion should be the melting pot of change that could benefit every regardless of gender. It should not be the key to affect the mentality of everyone that would cause to detrimental effects to our body.

The Healthcare Quality Strategy For Nhs Nursing Essay

The Healthcare Quality Strategy For Nhs Nursing Essay This essay will discuss a significant event in relation to the peoples priorities identified within the Healthcare Quality Strategy. The essay will demonstrate my understanding and views on reflection and the issues surrounding my practice. I have chosen Gibbs (1988) reflective framework as it has a structured format and six steps which follow in order starting with a description of the event and ending with an action plan for future practice. The steps are Description, Feelings, Evaluation, Analysis, Conclusion and Action Plan (Gray, 2007). Reid, (1993) describes reflection as a process of reviewing an experience of practice in order to describe, analyse, evaluate and so inform learning about practice. The Scottish Government introduced the Healthcare Quality Strategy for NHS Scotland in 2010, their aim is to deliver the peoples priorities which are: firstly caring and compassionate staff and services, good communication and a clear explanation about conditions and treatments, effective teamwork between clinicians, patients and others, a clean and safe care environment, continuity of care and clinical excellence. Secondly, to bring together the patients priorities as well as the values of everyone working within the NHS Scotland. Thirdly, by applying these three interventions and putting them into practice improvements within priority areas of the Healthcare Quality Strategy will be met (Scottish Government, 2010, p.6). This reflective account will focus on the importance of communication and will identify if the priority was met in relation to my significant event and it will further clarify its importance (Scottish Government, 2010, p.6). Whilst on my Management Placement I met Janet, all names have been changed to protect her identity and maintain her confidentiality (NMC, 2008). Description Janet is 65 years old and has been admitted to my ward for palliative care. She has end stage bowel cancer and is awaiting a bed at the local Hospice. Janet lives at home with her husband, she has a full package of care and her son also visits on a regular basis. However, Janets doctor has requested that she be admitted onto the ward as she is now confined to bed because of increased pain and a general deterioration of her condition (Dougan and Colquhoun, 2006). Feelings Whilst carrying out my training as a student nurse, I have met a number of palliative patients and I feel that I lack confidence when communicating with these patients and their families at this difficult time. However, as I was on this ward for a longer period of time I was able to build up a good rapport with Janet and her family and this allowed me to provide good patient centred care (NMC, 2008). Therefore when dealing with Janet and her family at this difficult time I must treat Janet as an individual (NMC, 2008), provide her with the best care and be caring and compassionate always (Scottish Government, 2010, p.6). I was privileged to have the opportunity to be involved in Janets care as well as working within a ward of clinical excellence (Scottish Government, 2010, p.6). Evaluation Over the next few days whilst looking after Janet and taking part in the ward rounds, I was able to plan Janets care, the Doctor explained to me that Janet was not going to improve and we would have to keep her comfortable and pain free. Palliative care patients must have good symptom control of their pain and also nausea and vomiting. Janet was placed on a syringe driver to control her pain. A syringe driver is a small portable pump which is attached to the skin by a cannula and gives the patient a continuous dose of analgesics and/or anti-emetics (MacMillan Cancer Support, 2012). In relation to the Scottish Governments Programme Living and Dying Well when caring for palliative patients a holistic approach with continuity of care is extremely important (Scottish Government, 2008) and all nurses have a central role in providing information, care and support (Kennedy and Lockhart, 2007). Excellent communication and good interpersonal skills are paramount when caring for Janet, it is important not only to establish Janets wants and needs but also her families. It is imperative when relaying any information to Janet or her family make sure they understand it, if not explain the information to them again (NMC, 2008). Also when dealing with members of the multi-disciplinary team, effective teamwork is imperative again providing Janet and her family with continuity of care and the clinical excellence they require from all staff. Analysis Palliative care helps to improve the quality of life for patients and their families who have to come to terms with the difficulties associated with life threatening illness. It is about identifying the patients needs through accurate assessment, good symptom control and sensitive nursing care (Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care, 2012). In addition to caring for Janet on the ward I was given the opportunity to go to the Hospice and meet with Janets palliative care nurse and also be included in her multi-disciplinary team meeting. This again highlighted the importance of good communication and good record keeping as all team members were aware of Janets circumstances and could pick up her case notes and know exactly what was happening with Janet at any given time (NICE, 2004). This meant that when I was communicating with Janet and her family I was more confident and I was able to communicate in a language that they understood (Dunne, 2005). As well as building a trusting relationship between nurse and patient, good communication skills helps to reduce fear and anxiety at this stressful time (Dunne, 2005). In relation to Janets transfer from hospital to Hospice the Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) was put in place, this model allows all staff on the ward and any multi-disciplinary team members guidance on all elements of Janets care. It provides a holistic approach to Janets care and support for her family in the last few days of her life (Marie Curie Palliative Care Institute Liverpool, 2012). Good communication is paramount when dealing with the palliative patient as this forms the basis of a good nurse/patient relationship which greatly improves care and helps to reduce anxiety and stress for patients, relatives and carers (Kennedy and Lockhart, 2007). At the time of this experience I felt I communicated well with Janet and her family and the care I delivered was to a high standard and to the best of my ability. She appeared less anxious than when she was initially admitted onto the ward. I felt my mentor and myself displayed good communication skills, through verbal and non-verbal communication which in turn was upheld through good record keeping and accurate documentation throughout Janets hospital stay (NMC, 2009). On reflection this event has brought further awareness of the level of involvement of staff members from auxiliaries, nurses and consultants. This was shown by the number of multi-disciplinary meetings, assessments, re-assessments, written correspondence and working hours placed into looking after this patient (NMC, 2009). All staff members were committed to providing the correct input and treatment for this patient and to make her last few days as comfortable as possible (Scottish Government, 2010), which also ensured clear communication and collaboration between the doctors, family and nursing staff (Scottish Government, 2010). Conclusion This reflection has demonstrated the difficultly in caring for palliative care patients. It requires a holistic approach to ensure that the patient and their family receive the best possible attention. Nurses have a duty to ensure that the care they deliver is of an acceptable standard (NMC, 2008). While participating in ward rounds I took on board the doctors instructions and carried out and prioritised the care of my patient, therefore making Janets stay in hospital as comfortable as possible. The code provides values, which can be adapted to any setting and as long as these are followed, nurses will be able to carry out their legal and professional duty of care (NMC, 2008). Action Plan Palliative care is a sensitive subject to deal with but I feel that as long as you treat the patient as an individual, listen to their wants and needs, then a positive outcome can be accomplished. Communication and good interpersonal skills are once again highlighted as an essential part of good nursing practice. I must be an effective communicator and be able to provide a high standard of care at all times and this is imperative when dealing with palliative care patients. I must also keep my knowledge and skills up to date (NMC, 2008). In relation to my transition from student to staff nurse I am aware of how important everything I have learned throughout my training is, from personal care, comfort, empathy, a caring and compassionate manner, clear and effective communication, prioritising care and being part of a team and this is only a very small portion of what I have learned. I will take all of this knowledge with me and put into in practice when I am caring for patients and their families in the future as a staff nurse. Identify Steps Through experience of this placement and in relation to my transition from student nurse to staff nurse; the steps to facilitate an improvement and development would be to ensure effective communication with all staff and all members of the multidisciplinary team. This includes accurate record keeping and the collection of all relevant information from the patient and their family in order to deliver safe effective patient care. It also promotes a positive nurse-patient relationship and offers reassurance at this difficult time (Dunne, 2005). In addition palliative care does not only deal with cancer patients but with patients who have long term chronic illnesses such as multiple sclerosis, heart disease and respiratory problems, therefore palliative care is relevant today and also in the future because, we will be caring for an ageing population (Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care, 2012) Conclusion In conclusion reflection is about making sense of the daily challenges which are put before you, as a student nurse transitioning into a staff nurse its about keeping my skills and knowledge up to date and reflecting on my daily practice in order to achieve the best outcome for my patient (Taylor, 2006). Bowie (2010) states that positive practice should be highlighted as it allows others to learn from it and provides opportunities to improve the safety of patient care. Reflecting on these events has helped me to identify areas where practice needs improvement and given me a greater insight into my own role as a registered nurse.