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SOC CH 17-18 Short Response

Chapter 17

Social conflict (power elite) best describes the US political institution. According to conflict theory, the continual class struggle that exists in society as a result of unequal resource distribution is the primary focus of study. By highlighting the causes and consequences of the class struggle between bourgeoisie and proletariat, Karl Marx is credited with advancing this theory in the nineteenth century. As a result of the injustices faced by populations living inside unequal class structures, there is continual conflict throughout society. Thus, there is a constant conflict between the bourgeoisie class, which dominates the economy at its highest levels, and the working class or proletariat class. Consequently, according to conflict theory, the uneven distribution of resources is maintained by intellectual coercion, in which the bourgeoisie coerces the proletariat into accepting the current situation. As a result, conflict theory is largely concerned with this battle between classes. Specifically, it explains how resource scarcity causes class differences in a society, and how this separation is sustained by control and force rather than consensus and compliance, rather than consensus and compliance. In order to retain their positions of wealth and power, according to conflict theory, persons in positions of wealth and power resort to whatever measures required, most notably oppressing the poor and weak. This is the way the US society functions. For example, the education and health systems in the US point to the differences between social classes, with better systems for the upper social classes leading to social stratification.

Chapter 18

The US government intervenes to offer some direct benefits. For example, the regulation of the interest rate through adjustment of the costs of borrowing money directly means that I pay lower interest rates to all forms of borrowing. More directly, I can benefit through government intervention to offer free education. Additionally, strategic planning on infrastructure means that I have better access to necessities such as internet, better connectivity, and other vital elements that intervention enables.

From the video, the state of the establishment, the management, and a lack of fire preparedness can be said to have aggravated the Triangle Fire. The lack of a no-smoking policy inside the company allowed a company worker to smoke without regard to the dangers therein. The management is responsible for having a locked-door policy without regard for emergencies. Lack of fire preparedness also meant that there was chaos during the fire. Some of the consequences for work and labor as a result of the tragedy is that factories need to have evacuation plans, adequate fire plans, and sprinkler systems. The resultant effects were shorter work hours, unionization, safety reforms, and legislation that improved the lives of workers.

In my opinion, this tragedy is a lesson on poor social policies. The fact that the matter dragged for that long is a testament to the plight of the weak and poor in the society. Had the same happened to upper social class members, the response would have been quicker. Social conflict looks at such matters that relate to resource distribution.

Peer Response

I see your reasoning on structural functionalism as the best perspective describing the US political institutions to be elaborate. However, the description on white people not going to jail for criminal acts is a bit overstretched. While there are institutional racism citations, the functions within the nation are stable and based on precedence. That said, your personal description of the Triangle fire is eye opening and a point of reference in the future. The incident, indeed, led to effective legislations that have defined worker protection today and the role of unions.

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Introduction:

All good papers begin with an introductory paragraph. You will introduce your organism by name and basic information.

1590675144145Be sure that in-text citations follow APA guidelines.

00Be sure that in-text citations follow APA guidelines.

Description of the Microorganism :

Write a paragraph or so describing your organism. Please be sure to include the type of organism (bacterial, viral, fungal, protozoa, helminth, etc), morphology (shape, arrangement, colony morphology if applicable), description of structure (gram result, type of nucleic acid or virion structure, spore type, etc if applicable) and also the type of microscope and/or stain you would use to view the organism. Please use proper scientific terminology and good grammar and sentence structure throughout this project.

Virulence Factors:

Include a paragraph on the virulence factors the pathogen has and how they affect the host. Please enhance this with detailed explanations of the virulence factors and how they affect the host as you gain a better understanding of them throughout the semester.

Immunity:

Which defenses protect us from infection by this bacterium? Include information about specific barriers or cells. Does this pathogen induce a specific type of immune response (example: delayed-type hypersensitivity)? If so, which one(s)?

Infectious disease information:

What condition(s) or infectious diseases does it cause? Which tissues or organs are affected, and how are they affected (for example, chronic TB is characterized by lung tubercles)? Describe the complications that can result if the infection is left untreated. Are these acute, chronic, or latent infections? What organ system(s) does it infect? Is it an opportunistic pathogen? If so, where is it normally found in the body?

Epidemiology:

Draw and label an original diagram on how this organism is transmitted. Make sure you include the reservoirs of infection, and vectors in involved in transmission, the type of transmission and the portals of entry and exit.

Prevention:

Is there a childhood vaccine against this microbe? Name the vaccine. If so, when is it administered (the recommended schedule, including boosters)? If the vaccine is not recommended during childhood, which at-risk group should get the vaccine, and when? Describe the type of vaccine and how it works. If there is no vaccine available, list at least three measures that can be implemented to prevent transmission of this infection.

Treatment:

What Chemotherapeutic agents are recommended? Mechanism of action for these chemotherapeutic agents. Why this agent is efficacious against this organism? Additional therapeutic agents or practices if any. This could include supportive care.

Clinical Relevance:

Are there any Multi-Drug Resistant strains of this microorganism? If so, name the strain(s). Is this strain a known healthcare-associated pathogen? Which persons/procedures within a clinical or healthcare-assisted settings are particularly at risk? Which antibiotics are used against the MDR strains? Be specific.

Conclusion:

Wrap everything up. A good academic research paper should bring everything full circle with a solid conclusion.

References:

This final reference page needs to include any and all references, at least 4, you utilized to find information about your particular organism. Remember, the information needs to come from academic/scholarly resources. https://scholar.google.com/ is a great search engine to help you find academic resources. Sites such as Wikipedia are great to use as a reference/starting point to locate good articles; however, they cannot be used as a primary source of information.

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Symptoms, and Diagnosis

Causes, Symptoms, and Diagnosis and Treatment of Mental Illness

Student’s name

Institutional affiliation

Causes, Symptoms, and Diagnosis and Treatment of Mental Illness

Introduction

According to statistics, 20.6% of adults in the United States have suffered a mental health illness accounting for 51.5 million people and 1 in every five adults. In 2017, 16.5% of youths between 6 and 17 years had a mental health disorder. Mental illness or disorders refers to various mental health issues that affect a person’s mood, behavior, and thinking. Mental health issues range from anxiety disorders, depression, eating disorders, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, panic disorder, schizophrenia, and addictive behaviors. While many people tend to encounter mental health issues occasionally, they tend to be of concern when ongoing symptoms lead to frequent stress and interfere with one’s ability to function. This essay discusses the signs and symptoms, causes, and diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses.

Signs and Symptoms

The signs and symptoms of mental illnesses tend to vary depending on the disorder and circumstance. The symptoms associated with mental illnesses affect thoughts, behaviors, and emotions. Some of the symptoms associated with depression include feeling down or sad, having suicidal thoughts, and reduced concentration. People with mental health disorders display excessive hostility, anger, and extreme feelings of guilt (Mannarini & Rossi, 2019). Further, they have high sex drive changes and show extreme shifts in moods. Additionally, they show significant extremes in their eating habits and withdraw from the company of friends and keep to themselves. Moreover, they have struggle with alcohol and substance abuse. They show low energy, significant tiredness or problems sleeping. People with mental health issues struggle relating to and understanding other people’s situations. Other common symptom of mental illness is delusions, paranoia, and detachment from reality. Also, people with mental health issues are incapable of coping with stress and daily problems.

Causes

Mental health issues are caused by a combination of environmental and genetic factors. Inherited traits are one of the known causes of mental illness. Mental illness is common among blood relatives that have mental illness. Some genes exacerbate people’s risk of developing mental health issues. At the same time, a person’s life situation has the ability to trigger an illness. Another cause of mental illness is brain chemistry. Neurotransmitters tend to be brain occurring chemicals that transmit signals to the brain and other parts of the brain. When the networks that carry these signals gets impaired, the function of nerve systems and nerve receptors change triggering emotional disorders such as depression. Another common cause of mental illness is environmental exposures that take place before birth. Sometimes when a fetus is exposed to inflammatory conditions, environmental sensors, toxins, drugs and alcohol while still in the womb, it becomes a probable cause for mental illness in the future (Chiles, Stefanovics, & Rosenheck, 2017). Worth noting, there are various risk factors that increase the probability of developing a mental illness, such as a previous mental illness, a proven history of a blood relative that suffers mental illness, and traumatic encounters. Other risk factors include having few friends and healthy relationships, financial problems, a stressful life, and a history of abuse or neglect in childhood. Ongoing illnesses like diabetes, brain damage, and recreational drugs and alcohol use are also possible risk factors for mental illnesses. While mental illness can affect a person at any age in their life, majority of the cases start during early life.

Diagnosis and Treatment

When it comes to diagnosing mental illness there are three main types of diagnosis. A doctor may perform a physical exam on the patient where they rule out physical issues that cause their symptoms. Laboratory tests can also be carried out. An example would be screening for drugs and alcohol and checking the thyroid function. The third diagnosis is a carrying out the physical evaluation. Here, the patient talks with a mental health professional or doctor concerning their feelings, thoughts, symptoms, and behavior patterns. The patient may be requested to fill a questionnaire that will help get answers to all the doctor’s questions. Worth noting, while determining the exact mental illness that one may be having, taking the effort and time to do so is important as it helps decide an appropriate treatment for the illness. Treatment of mental health illness always depends on the specific illness that a patient is suffering from, its severity and what works best for them. The patient is only suffering from mild mental illness, and the symptoms are well controlled, then primary care treatment should be sufficient. However, team approach is always important as it ensures the patients social, medical, and psychiatric needs are met. This is true for mental health illnesses that tend to be very severe, like schizophrenia. Some people who make part of the treatment team include a family doctor, physician, nurse practitioner, pharmacist, social worker, psychotherapist, or family members. Although they do not cure the illness, medications have proved to significantly reduce the symptoms of mental illness (Salifu Yendork, Brew, Sarfo, & Kpobi, 2018). Common medications include antidepressants, antipsychotic drugs, mood stabilizers, and anti-anxiety medications. Additionally, psychotherapy, residential treatment programs, and substance use treatments have also proved helpful in treating mental illness.

Conclusion

In closing, mental illnesses are diseases that affect a person’s mood and behavior. Mental illness can affect a person at any point in their life, but they primarily affect a person in an early ages. Some of the common cause of mental illness includes brain chemistry, inherited traits, and environmental exposures that occur before birth. Common symptoms of mental health problems include chronic anxiety, impulsive actions, changes in mood, erratic thinking, and an exaggerated sense of self-worth. If a person experiences any signs and symptoms of mental illness, they should talk to a doctor or primary care practitioner as soon as possible.

References

Chiles, C., Stefanovics, E., & Rosenheck, R. (2017). Attitudes of students at a US medical school toward mental illness and its causes. Academic Psychiatry, 41(3), 320-325.

Mannarini, S., & Rossi, A. (2019). Assessing mental illness stigma: a complex issue. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 2722.

Salifu Yendork, J., Brew, G. B., Sarfo, E. A., & Kpobi, L. (2018). Mental illness has multiple causes: beliefs on causes of mental illness by congregants of selected neo-prophetic churches in Ghana. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 21(7), 647-666.

ReadyMades Essay

Cathlyn Baptiste

Professor LavittArt Appreciation 6-34253

2 April 2022

ReadyMades Essay

Readymade is described as an everyday object selected and designated as art, which came from French artist Marcel Duchamp. Duchamp, who was born in 1887 and died in 1968, started his career as a painter. Throughout his career, he created many pieces of art: paintings and sculptures. He always remained true to himself and only created what he wanted to create. The first piece of readymade art was made in 1913, the Bicycle Wheel, a wheel mounted on a stool. This piece was in protest against the vast importance of the works of art. The piece was deemed a “readymade assisted” because Duchamp combined two separate objects instead of one element. Duchamp went on to make “pure readymades” by creating art consisting of single elements; Bottle Rack, made in 1914 and the most popular known readymade, the porcelain urinal, Fountain, made in 1917 (Gaiger, 76).

Artist Duchamp and his readymade art were welcomed by the artists who created the Dada movement from 1916 to the 1920s. Dada is described as the nihilistic and anti-aesthetic movements in art that became popular in primarily Zurich, Switzerland, New York City, Belin, Germany, and Paris in the early 20th century (Gaiger, 76). Dada did not have an actual artistic style. It promoted group collaborations, spontaneous work and just an overall chance—many Dadaists created collages and object construction pieces rather than paintings and sculptures. Dada became very popular in New York City, mainly because the anti-art movement gave those who could not get work when the economy was terrible a way to express themselves.

Readymades play a significant part in art today because it has opened the door to a new outlook on creations. Almost anything can be deemed and looked at as art in today’s world. Putting objects and different elements together to make something large or small has added another genre to art. In my own personal opinion, if I was ever to be an artist, I think it would be easier for me to create readymade art instead of painting or making sculptures. I can’t paint or draw to save my life. Each readymade plays a significant value in art because it adds a different way to look at something put together.

When I see readymades, I understand the idea behind it. You can literally see a chair, a table or even a trash can and think of a different way to use it. Then after you reconstruct it or modify it, you get a completely different outlook on something. When someone looks at an object that has been altered like that, they get to see something from another perspective literally. This was one reason why Duchamp would have been one of the best readymade artists of all time; he had an idea for everything. Duchamp created sculptures from an old bicycle wheel, cutlery and even coat racks (Gaiger, 76). He transformed those into sculptures that he would call readymades.

There are many different practices and ways to make a readymade, but the most common is putting together things found around the house like an old chair, a table or even junk found in the dumpster. Duchamp created his theory on what made a “readymade”. He stated that everything has already been made except for us, so we can take an object and create something out of it. He would find objects and make them into art pieces or sculptures that he would call readymades because they were made by hand or their creator. After he first came up with this theory, the world was opened to many more ways to create art.

Duchamp found the everyday objects around him and created a new way for us to look at them. He chose ordinary things that we might see on a daily basis. For example, in 1917, he took a baby bottle and simply turned it upside down so that it would be no longer seen as what it was originally made for but now seen as an art piece. Duchamp would use everyday items to create pieces of art. He did not make anything that was extremely difficult and artistic, but the simple act of turning an ordinary object upside down made it into something extraordinary.

When Duchamp first found out about this new theory, he was shocked because he thought it was ridiculous, but after a while, he began to accept that anyone could make art from ordinary stuff around them. This led him to start taking art classes at the School of Fine Arts and attracted the attention of Marcel Duchamp’s friends Pablo Picasso and Jean Dubuffet (Gaiger, 76). After Duchamp began to exhibit his art, people wondered how he could create such strange pieces of art. In the end, he decided that it was not important how it was done but rather the product; the readymade.

In conclusion, before Duchamp made readymades, only things like paintings and sculptures could be considered fine art. The creation of readymades opened up a whole new world for artists to explore many different kinds of art and to broaden their horizons in creating new things. With the creation of this new type of art, artists began to wonder what else they could do with objects already created by someone else besides making them into something else.

Works Cited

“The $150,000 Banana” YouTube, uploaded by The Art Assignment, 3 January 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=so8sB25IL4o“The Case for Conceptual Art” YouTube, uploaded by The Art Assignment, 26 July 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHLs76HLon4

Gaiger, Jason. “Interpreting the readymade: Marcel Duchamp’s Bottlerack.” Frameworks for Modern Art (2003): 57-104.

Rhetorical Analysis Webbing for PBS’ “Sinking Cities Miami”

Catalina RoaENC 1102 8AM

Professor Terneus

January 25, 2021

Rhetorical Analysis Webbing for PBS’ “Sinking Cities: Miami”

A webbing helps organize your thoughts on a text and any evidence you want to use to back your thesis. Please answer the following questions to complete this webbing and kickstart your essay.

How did watching “Sinking Cites: Miami” change/affect the way you think about climate change in our city? (3-4 sentences)

They video helped me understand better what is going on in Miami right now, and what will happen in the future if we, as a community do not start to help our city.

It also changes my way of seeing things even more because the video showed me that every day, we are one step closer to Miami starting to disappear, and right now, no one is prepared for that.

Identify four different pieces of evidence from the documentary that support your view on climate change. Evidence can be quotes, screenshots, or descriptions of sounds from “Sinking Cities.” Ethos: “We were thinking of water surge of, I don’t know, 20, 30 feet, which means, I mean, it’s a whole house. It’s gone, I was prepared for the worst”.Logos: “60 percent of Miami is living paycheck to paycheck, and fully 66 percent of the city rents. They don’t own their houses”.

Pathos: “…but I never realized how you could wake up in the morning like this and find water at the doorstep of your house”.

Kairos: “By 2030, its expected that they will see about 50 tidal floods a year, and by 2045 about 250 times a year”.

Argue/describe how these pieces of evidence represent a certain rhetorical appeal and support your view on climate change. Ethos: This part of the conversation represents Ethos because she was talking about her experience with the past hurricane. Logos: This part represents Logos because It is talking about a certain situation in Miami but showing the exact numbers, in this case, the percentage.

Pathos: This part represents Pathos because it emphasizes the emotions, frustration and sadness that the person feels every time she sees the water raising up more and more.

Kairos: This part is Kairos because it is talking about a sequence of time in years of what will happen in the future.

Generate a sample thesis for your essay by completing this sentence.

After watching “Sinking Cities: Miami,” I now see climate change as a huge problematic due to the documentary’s use of appeals such as the see level raises, the hard times that a majority of the population is having, and the huge increase of floods every year.

Sinking Our Home

Catalina RoaDr. José Sebastián Terneus

ENC 1102 February 1, 2021

Sinking Our Home

Miami, our home, is known for being the best place to go on vacations, the place where you can find everything you can imagine to have fun with your friends or family, but it is also known as the sinking city that will not stop until it is gone; yes, that is the place you are calling home. Climate change is changing our life every day and it is not going to stop unless we, as a community start working together to safe first, our city, but the same time, safe the world. “Sinking cities: Miami” is a documentary that help us open the eyes in what is happening right now. The video shows actual facts, images and data that demonstrate that climate change is happening.

To begin with, the documentary helped me inform myself better about what is really happening in Miami by the facts and explications of people like Astrid Caldas, a senior climate scientist. She states that “by 2030, it is expected that they will see about 50 tidal floods a year”. I was impressed after seeing that part of the videos where she said that because I could not imagine any more floods in the city besides the ones we have already. With this information she makes me understand that our life is changing every day, and that it will get worse, it will not stop until we have consciousness about what is happening. After watching the documentary, I feel that I can explain better to other people the information I received of how everything is changing around us.

“Sinking cities” also reveal how some population of the Miami community have been struggling not only with the weather changes but with how to survive the life in Miami, emphasizing on how expensive is, and how they have been living paycheck by paycheck for years. Furthermore, this same community is being affected by the people that want them to move from the places they live in because of the floods. “…and now they’re trying to take it away after all these years when they didn’t want because the place, they love so much is going to be underwater”, this is a little part of what Valencia Gunder said in the video, where she is trying to explain how the community of liberty City have been defending their home from people that are trying to take it to “replace” the parts from Miami that are sinking. Therefore, it means that we as a community prefers to take the home of others to have ours but not to be aware of what we are generating.

This documentary shows that climate change is something serious, making a huge emphasize here in Miami, and that if we do not stop avoiding it, we are going to regret it faster than we all think. Now, after making a great reflection, I feel worried about what is going to happen to Miami, to the place we all enjoy, and that if we do not find a solution, we are going to lose everything that one day we called home. To conclude, I feel the responsibility to start sharing what I learned, I want to start making a change to our city.

The case is an analysis of Giordanos corporate expansion mission

Case summary

The case is an analysis of Giordano’s corporate expansion mission. The case examines what Giordano’s future is and whether it would be beneficial if it maintains its current positioning strategy. The case also analyses the factors that will be essential to Giordano’s success and whether the company’s competitive strengths in merchandise selection and service are can be transferred to the new market. The company willing to retain its success in their existing market, wanted to examine issues that would affect their market entry and factors that will determine their success in the new market. Among the issues that the case presents is whether Giordano should change its present position. The company also debated if the factors that had contributed to the company’s success in their current market should be exercised in the new market.

The report also analyses the company’s background where it explains when and where Giordano was founded. The report records that Giordano initially opened its first retail store in Hong Kong and then expanded to other cities for instance Taiwan through joint venture. The company, according to the report expanded to Singapore later in 1985.

According to the report, the company since its formation used various positioning strategies. In understanding why the company took the options it took, the report analyses management values and Human Resource Policies. According to the report, the company has been willing to try new unconventional ways of doing business. According to the report, strong empowerment has helped the company to grow in various market segments as it believed that suppose it reduced its errors, they could be successful.

Describe and evaluate Giordano’s product, business and corporate strategies.

Giordano has continuously applied and is continuing to apply the facet of marketing which is concerned with the actualization of goods and/or services, as related to the customers’ needs. It was previous argued that a good product or service will sell itself. But in the highly competitive markets of today, there may be no bad products .Therefore the obvious questions regarding product include: Do the products meet the customer’s needs? And if so then what are the features of the products or services that meet the needs of our clients? These questions are best answered by the management as well as the relevant committees assigned with Napster land’s strategic planning.

Giordano has to maximize the use the four P’s which are parameters which the control of marketing, on condition of inner as well as outer constraints related to marketing environment. The goal here is to make decisions that center the four P’s on the customers in the target market in order to produce perceived value and generate a positive response.

Describe and evaluate Giordano’s current positioning strategy. Should Giordano reposition itself against its competitors in its current and new markets, and should it have different positioning strategies for different geographical markets?

A major requirement in business is to capture the attention of the customers by providing them with whatever they require at a meaningful cost. Understanding the customer is a critical aspect in this case since the business would be in a position of working towards the customer expectations. These expectations are best realized by contacting customer research.

To enhance customer relationship, various approaches can be used. First, one can observe the customers in their normal and everyday surrounding. Observing the customers’ normal and their daily life would include establishing their daily opportunities as well as getting to know their expectations. This would make the management work in a way that would meet such expectations. Customer expectations could be established in a friendly way whereby customers are requested to state their satisfaction from the consumption of the provided products or services. The observation could be made through interactive ways such as observing the way customers enjoy the use of the business products or services. The behavior of the customers could as well be observed such as establishing whether customers end up becoming repeat customers.

Again, it would be important to observe the way customers shop and consume the business products or services. Some customers would want to increase the quantity of products they purchase depicting an aspect of satisfaction. Various aspects could enhance customer satisfaction. Some customers would be satisfied by the type of product packaging used while others would be captivated by the quality of customer care services available. The feature that contributes to increased customer satisfaction should be considered. To establish such feature, the use of several prototypes could be used such as observing several packs in the case of packaging as a key factor. Customers would always seem to be attracted by different versions of packaging, which portrays their expectations and level of satisfaction.

The company that operates like Giordano is Yumi Kim which was founded in 2004. Since its formation, the company expanded and currently has more than five retail centers. Yumi mainly deals with cloths just like Giordano.

What are Giordano’s key success factors and spruces of competitive advantage? Are its competitive advantage sustainable, and how would they develop in the future?

The most important thing to know the customer expectations and needs a way of improving the business-customer relationship would be the customer feedback. Using the right prototype to initiate these feedbacks would be a critical consideration (Cross, 2010). The feedbacks would make it possible to understand what the firm has to improve to improve customer satisfaction. This could be done with the use of effective communications systems via the business website, social networks, or personalized communications. The customer could also be involved in developing new ideas via these modes of interactive communication. This is the strategy that it has used.

Again, to understand customers effectively, the researchers should place themselves in the various situations of the customers. This could include having the same experience that customers have or pointing out own experience with respect to an observed behavior form customers (Cross, 2010). Direct experience of what the firm is offering would be of great importance in understanding why some customer would act in certain ways.

Customers are the most important driving factor behind the supermarket retail industry. Even though Giordano is constantly innovating and implementing newer technologies to retain and impress its customers, for customers it is all about convenience and better savings. A customer might be ready to change his supermarket store on the basis of proximity, lower price on particular commodity or better offers. The most significance attribute of Giordano is its dedicated and committed team. It is very much evident when one glances over its financial performance which sits high at a 6.5% greater than the forecast growth. Even the financial services have recorded growth in almost every product for Giordano. Splendid performance and stellar growth has been shown in women attires and grocery.

Could Giordano transfer its key strategies factors to new markets as it expanded both in Asia and other parts of the world?

The strategy that Giordano plans to execute in the future is focused on the customers. Quality, production, cost and capability will be among the areas addressed. The company’s original mission of providing the needed clothes to customers worldwide and to be the leading firm in the clothing industry still remains. Since it is focusing on the customers, their needs and how the products reach them, distribution is top on the formulation process. Giordano plans to apply an offensive approach defending its international business status as the global leader in the heavy industry. Since the company is already stable, established, and delivering, maintaining this impressive performance presents the biggest challenge. Increased financial service options, improved competitive prices and introducing innovation are some of the strategies that will obtain an offensive stance. Timely delivery of products, improved customer relations, and provision of high quality products to the customer is the other approach that targets customer satisfaction and loyalty. Company execution and accountability will also be included in the strategy for the future since it will build trust in the customers. Giordano u has in the past utilized upgrades to fend off competition. The strategy set for the future similarly applies the concept of improvement of quality and reliability.

How do you thing Giordano had/would have to adopt its marketing and operations strategies and tactics when entering and penetrating your country?

The main agenda on the strategy model of Giordano is expansion into the global market. The company has in the recent past and is presently hiring foreign and flexible employees who will help improve the company’s quality and accelerate sales abroad. Given the weakness of the domestic market, Giordano has applied an appropriate strategy to expand. Furthermore, its 2010 impressive profit illustrates the necessity of the company to join the international market as it has gained enough financial recognition to compete with global heavyweights. Additionally, the company aims to expand its product line to include other equipment in line with the needs of the customers.

Placement simply refers to the process through the goods in addition to services reach the customers (the market).This facet is sometimes referred to as Place, implying, a channel through which a product or service gets to the targeted clients. This is a process that involves making decision on the prices of goods and/or services together with the preferred discounts on the products. The objective is to work on a pricing strategy best suited for both the clients and the business firm.

What general lessons can be learned from Giordano for other major clothing retailers in your country?

Strategic management requires assessment of the company’s strengths and weaknesses and the environment’s opportunities and threats. Three countries can be compared as they have competed in the same market for a considerable time. The competitive strategy applied by each company is different from the other. New entrants and competitive companies pose little or no threat to a giant market leader like Giordano. Although, a new entrant might offer a better offer on a particular product, it cannot overtake the hold of Giordano in the Australian market.

The value aspect of the three firms can apply to Giordano in its projected future competitive strategy whereby Giordano plans to improve its quality and reliability. Once the quality of Giordano is guaranteed to improve, the value of the products of the firm will improve consequentially and thereafter the profits realized will reflect the change in value. Value creation applies best in the factors that promote profit realization.

Recommendations

Giordano has opted for a strategy that will give positive feedback but there is uncertainty whether the income statement will reflect the success. The cost incurred in a customer service improvement strategy does not bring immediate and returns to cover for the expenses. A marketing and sales strategy would have been better. The Company has realized success from its quality and reliability improvement strategy in the past therefore the possibility of its strategy to succeed is high. The value aspect of the firms can apply to Giordano in its projected future competitive strategy whereby the Company plans to improve its quality and reliability. Once the quality of Giordano is guaranteed to improve, the value of the products of the firm will improve consequentially and thereafter the profits realized will reflect the change in value. Value creation applies best in the factors that promote profit realization.

Conclusion

Strategic management requires assessment of the company’s strengths and weaknesses and the environment’s opportunities and threats. Three countries can be compared as they have competed in the same market for a considerable time. The competitive strategy applied by each company is different from the other. Giordano has prioritized improvement in quality and reliability as its most utilized strategy. Giordano has merged, created a joint venture, expanded its product line and introduced financial services to offer ranging financial services globally. Giordano plans to focus on improving customer services which may be a long-term strategy that would reflect results later on rather than immediately. Giordano would rather have opted for improved marketing and sales activities which would have realized similar results but in a faster manner. The three companies have achieved a number of their original objectives with Giordano being recognized as the world leading firm in clothing.

Southeast Medical Center Case Study Review

Case study

Southeast Medical Center Case Study Review

Introduction

Southeast Medical Center, commonly known as SMC, was started in 1920 as a publicly owned hospital. At the beginning it had a capacity of 250 beds. However, it has been on continued expansion process since its establishment increasing not only in the bed capacity but also in the range of activities that it deals with. In fact, by the end of the 6th decade of the 20th century, the hospital had more than doubled its bed capacity. In addition, SMC undertook a variety of missions including research, patient care as well as teaching. Other activities undertaken by the Southeast Medical Center include furnishing transplant, neonatal and burn care in the South east.

Governance responsibility for the Southeast Medical Center

The governance of the medical center has been changing as time goes by. When it was set up, it was under the governance of the hospital board. Later on, the governance of the medical institution was given to the city. Later on, an authority for public hospitals took over the governance in 1980 but was replaced in the 1990’s with the privatization of the institution. The privatization put the management of the hospital in the hands of a board which incorporated 15 members.

Operations of the Southeast Medical Center

The importance of the southeast Medical Center in the region cannot be gainsaid. To start with, the facility undertakes referral services both in the region as well as internationally. With not less than 800 beds for acute care as well as having community centers at many places, the institution has enhanced access. The southern Medical Center also engages in provision of programs, information as well as educational resources in an effort to enable the residents maintain their health and fitness. Statistics show that forty percent of patients served by the facility are not from the county.

The southeast medical Center is also used by the university in the locality as its main teaching hospital. In addition, the hospital is used by community colleges and the university in their graduate, baccalaureate as well as associate programs as a clinical site.

Southeast Medical Center incorporates a medical plan which enables the poor to access healthcare. In this case, the medical center is refunded all the expenses for the medical services while costs and rates are reduced in such instances. However, this program has been substantially dropping in the recent times with the state freezing the plan in 1996.

Privatization of the Southeast Medical Center and its implications

In the late 1990s, the medical center underwent privatization. In this endeavor, there were some predictions pertaining to the benefits. The privatization was meant to reduce the impact of political pressure on the operations of the center, lower the tax as well as the regulatory burden, increase the institution’s capacity to obtain funds from donors as well as prop its ability to create joint ventures. As much as these are desirable benefits, it is important to acknowledge that there was a downside too. To start with, the mission of the medical center would change along with a reduction of the charity care and public scrutiny. All these loop sides had implications on the future of the institution.

Results of the Southeast Medical Center Privatization

According to predictions, the medical center was supposed to make enormous profits once it was privatized. However, this was not to happen as the institution had big losses. Officials attributed this to the laws relating to the federal budget and the increase in patients who received managed care services.

However, it is noted that the main cause of the losses was the privatized entity’s inability to handle lien authority. Note that the hospital did not automatically get lien authority once it was privatized. A red flag had been raised on this issue but had been dismissed as a non-issue by the management as well as consultants. In addition, the privatization resulted in loss of financial protection enjoyed by government agencies. In this case, the institutions can be taken to courts of law. Plans have been underway to grant the lien authority to the Southern Medical Center though it has been a bit difficult.

Recommendations

There was clearly a change in the medical center’s mission as testified by the presiding chief executive officer. Provision of medical services to the poor at subsidized rates had ceased to be the institution’s mission. As much as there may have been justifications for this action, county officials acknowledged that there was an element of laxity in considering other pertinent issues. They solely depended on the calculations of the new chief executive officer as to the profits that would be reaped from the privatization. The officials also rue the absence of effective methods of ensuring that the hospital does not renege on its obligation to offer treatment to the poor. In addition, the county had overlooked the fact that the privatization would result to an added burden as there was not a clear mechanism to punish the center if it did not commit to the contractual lease agreement.

It is from these observations that the following recommendations are made.

Incorporation of flexibility in all the structure of the organization

Executives in healthcare systems should give way to more flexibility in the medical institutions to enable them to be more responsive to the particular markets. In this endeavor the vision of the institution should be well understood as well as laid out clearly to allow for more understanding of the implications as well as the benefits by not only the staff but also the clients o r customers.

Flexibility should be exhibited in the flow of information, the structure of the organization as well as process of making decision. This would definitely result to better as well as effective utilization of the resources at the hospital’s disposal. It is acknowledged that after the privatization, employee layoffs were experienced not to mention sale of their property (Raymond, Bruce, 1993). In this endeavor, the medical center should have focused its energies on the organizational resources and not the resources themselves. It is evident that the new CEO of Southeast Medical Center was more concerned about the resources that were being used in the provision of the free or discounted medical plans for the poor rather than the organizational structures of the hospital. This is one aspect that the officials of the county overlooked when they considered the proposal of the CEO without ensuring there was the right infrastructure to safeguard SMCs part of the agreement.

Incorporating flexibility in the handling of information produces more validity as the models can be restructured to suit the situations.

Strategic planning and its proper consultations within the institutions of the organization.

The formal development of a strategic plan was a necessity in the system. This also underscores high interaction between all the institutions concerned. The utility of incorporating a well thought out strategic plan cannot be gainsaid. It results in better decisions, enhanced capacity and energy as pertaining to rallying all behind the cause as well as more customer satisfaction. (Robert, 1994). Obviously, this was not the case with the medical institution’s strategies. A strategic plan provides a sense of direction to the organization while allowing for adherence to the mission. When the team appointed to reverse the situation set camp, it succeeded due to the collaboration with community and political groups in generating more revenue from the state to cater for indigent care. Good strategic planning involves a lot of communication in an effort to make decisions based on understanding of the consequences. This is something that was overlooked by the privatization advocates. They definitely did not consider the process of transferring the lien authority and any delays.

Looking into the customer satisfaction infrastructures

The system should come up with a simple, responsive, lean, customer driven, focused as well as flat organizational structure.

One thing that you will acknowledge is that the hospital had foregone its original mission. In 1999, a new team of officials were appointed with the mandate to turn around the fortunes of the institution. One of its areas of focus was the patients as well as the physician’s needs. Incorporating the physicians in the teams of leadership had the effect of shifting the focus to provision of clinical care of high quality. The shift was no longer on the issues pertaining to organizational structures or legal matters. The new officials incorporated the key mission in the vision thus contributed to the organization’s turnaround.

Conclusion

The importance of sharing information between all the arms concerned cannot be gainsaid. The Southeastern Medical Center underwent a lot of transformation and incurred heavy losses due to the incorporation of a strategic plan that was not well thought out as well as moving away from the time tested mission of the institution. It is evident that the management had lost touch with the aspect of customer satisfaction.

All the stakeholders have to be vigilant and incorporate the appropriate measures to ensure that the interests of the public are taken into consideration and safeguarded.

References

Raymond, Bruce1993. Industrial Management. London, UK.

John, E. 1999. The importance of strategic planning,

Setting a pollution prevention goal for the company

Case study

Pollution prevention

April 3, 2011

Abstract

Pollution prevention is a concern to many companies and everybody right now, especially after a massive global warming alarm in the 20th century, many facilities and institutions are trying to implement on issues which will bring an end or halter on matters concerning pollution.

This has enabled many plants, facilities, companies and institution to try and implement the new changes in their organizations programs to enable minimization of pollution, minimization of waste production and the introduction of purchasing of recyclable materials.

Setting a pollution prevention goal for the company

Below is a list of my proposed goals which will help in tackling, halting and implementing new issues concerning pollution in the plant.

Positive procurement practices to ensure the purchase of recycled content materials as directed by environment protection agency.

Increase the volume of recycled materials.

Decrease the purchase of unnecessary toxic and hazardous chemicals.

Decrease the generation of solid wastes.

Decrease the consumption and free of pollutants as directed by the agency pollution prevention strategists.

Reduce the release and exploitation of the toxic chemicals to environmental justice areas where socioeconomic factors are of concern.

Decrease the implementation of extremely hazardous chemicals in the facility.

Reduction in the consumption of materials, water and power in the facility.

Establish a pollution prevention team

Select the pollution prevention team of which they should be selected from the current facility staff and try to Convince and gain support from the staff; the project of pollution prevention should be supported by maintenance engineers, supply staff, safety staff and occupational health professionals but also the help of some staff to help in the field work may be required. This will help in smoothing of work when it comes to implementing the new pollution prevention policies in the facility. The prevention team should be managed by a leader from the environmental prevention agency.

Gather and ask for ideas from the staff team, make them donate ideas on how they think the matter of pollution in the plant should be tackled. Provide some prevention skills to some staff making them to understand and have the idea on how to tackle and prevent pollution in the facility; this will be by offering some lessons concerning pollution management and prevention to the staffs.

Creating a management commitment

Try to create a bonding bridge between the upper management and the staff; this will help in the prevention plan to run more smoothly to facilitate the growth and prevention of pollution within the plant facility. Determine and know the responsibilities of who are supposed to purchase and handle raw materials in the plant.

Conduct a pollution prevention opportunity assessment

The staff team should come up with ideas on how to prevent pollution; they are also supposed to identify activities that will promote pollution prevention. Identify or come up with some potential prevention activities and opportunities that will help promote the pollution prevention. Implementation of immediate changes in the facility to help in pollution prevention, provide applications of current pollution prevention policies, techniques or technologies.

The staff will have to conduct analytical measurements on studies; it will have for them to assess pollution prevention opportunities before the completion of the analysis, during this act additional analysis will be required. Thorough pollution preventive assessments opportunities should be conducted by the facility staff, also the baseline may show the processes acquiescent to pollution prevention options. When the activities concerning the preventing pollution plan are completed or new ones are identified through pollution prevention opportunity assessments, the list of prevention activities will change, here is when the listing of all the pollution preventive activities and opportunities are identified.

Set plan on how to manage different issues in the plant such as cost reduction in the purchasing of non recyclable materials, minimizing the usage of toxic and hazardous chemicals or reduction of water usage in the plant. Exertion and implementation of issues concerning pollution prevention, this will help in impacting the process responsible for environmental issues.

Develop criteria and rank facility on wide pollution prevention activities.

The project should depend on the facility specific consideration and goals on which this is the order in which you choose to initiate pollution prevention activities. It will also initiate on improving the facility overall compliances status. Determine the environmental benefits, the time taken for the implementation of changes in the facility and the save on cost associated with project implementation changes. Figure out the impact on the project in the plant mission and the ability of the facility staff to accomplish their mission. Develop, identify and agree on a list of action items that you and the facility staff will undertake to amalgamate pollution prevention into the facility activities.

Criteria to consider

The availability of disposal capacity, community and surroundings concerns, environmental justice goals, workers safety and exposure, expectancy of future regulations and resource consumption. Rank and rate all pollution prevention activities that reflect how the activity matches the decisive factor.

Conduct a management review

Select, agree and elect a professional committee to review on pollution prevention plans. One the committee has selected a prevention team and it has developed a ranked list of pollution prevention activities, you have to gain support from the upper management and staff to help in the implementing of the new plan on pollution prevention.

This opportunity will enable the upper management to show support to the environment friendly project for preventing pollution. The preventive staff working on the project should present a pollution prevention plan ranked list and call attention to the potential benefits of the effort. Get full support from the upper management on the project by making them understand the relationship between the pollution prevention plan programs and their impacts on the plant mission and the current environmental programs.

References

(n.d) Pollution prevention. Steps for developing facility pollution prevention plan. Retrieved from http://www.labtrain.noaa.gov/ppguide/ffpp_14.htm

(n.d). U.S department of energy office of science. Pollution prevention. Community and environment. Retrieved from www.anl.gov/Community_and_Environment/pollutionprevention.html

(n.d). Pollution prevention. Pollution prevention. Retrieved from http://www.alcosan.org/Education/PollutionPrevention/tabid/72/Default.aspx

(n.d). Pollution prevention. Pollution prevention. Retrieved from http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/hwtr/p2/index.html

Tam, Hayley. (2011). Pollution prevention. Pollution incident response planning by machinery or electrical equipment businesses. Retrieved from http://www.netregs.gov.uk/netregs/businesses/62287.aspx

Ratel, Kanel. (2010). pollution prevention. Pollution prevention. Retrieved from http://www.bnl.gov/ewms/pollutionpreve/WasteStream/default.asp#Hazardous Wastes

Staff Training- Case Study

Case Study

Name

Institution

Executive Summary

The various changes in modern management practices necessitated by globalization and advances in technology and communication have led to emergence of human capital as an important input in modern organizations. However, many organizations fail to respond to the needs of their work force and may suffer from poor employee performance and lack of job satisfaction. This may be witnessed when absenteeism rates increase and employees become increasingly demoralized.

However, it is organizations that fail to adopt appropriate human resource practices of motivation, recruitment and training, and employee relations that may lead to decline in employee performance and job satisfaction levels. However, the management can solve this by providing appropriate training and development to employees and also defining other benefits to award them and increase morale. Moreover, this will reduce pressure associated with assigned duties and enable employees reduce their stress levels. Therefore, top management should direct sufficient funds to training and development programs to achieve this objective.

Case Study

Many large companies and business organizations rely on the performance of its branches as a critique for gauging overall performance, and it is apparent branch managers operate under intense pressure to achieve the objectives and goals set-up by the organization. They are obliged to sustain their operations under tight budgets while expected to realize increased sales and financial returns to their organizations. However, the emergence of human capital as an invaluable input in modern organizations has led to failure of organizations that do not cater for the needs of their human resource (Jaksic, 2013). Therefore, it is apparent that an organization’s success in global market relies on the satisfaction of its workforce necessary for translation of activities into real financial returns.

The main problem facing the store is employee job performance and satisfaction (Jaksic, 2013). The neglect of an appraisal system by the former management has compounded the problems faced by the employees in the working environment. The employees in the store lack the sufficient skills and expertise thus does not find their job interesting, challenging, and motivating (Jaksic, 2013). This is witnessed through frequent absenteeism from work in the disguise of sick leaves. This is because the workforce is overloaded with work, which may lead to work related stress (Jaksic, 2013). As a result, the employees in the store appear less motivated and enthusiastic about the duties and roles they are assigned in the store, and the trips made to out-of-town retail shops is done with less dedication and interest. Moreover, this has led to decreasing sales as the store trails others in overall sales in the business.

Moreover, the former management of the store nurtured a poor relationship with its employees as it failed to carryout performance appraisal and refused to work on opinion surveys organized by the business. This may be attributed to rising telephone costs as employees seek opportunities to work elsewhere. However, the problems may be associated to the human resource practices employed by the former management (Jaksic, 2013). The practices related to the problems in the case study may result from failure of the management of the store to carryout performance appraisal in order to notify management of employee problems (Jaksic, 2013).

The problems also expose the management practice of recruitment and training as employees in the store do not have the sufficient skills to perform their duties leading work related stress and absenteeism (Jaksic, 2013). The former management also failed to recognize employee need for training and development in the annual survey to improve their skills. Lastly, it is important for the store to recognize what motivates their employees and prioritize motivation as a human resource practice (Jaksic, 2013). The store does not have any mechanism for motivating employees, which explains the declining motivation levels among the workforce.

However, as a branch manager it is possible to resolve the problems inherited from the former management by adopting a variety of remedies, to ensure the store prioritizes its human resource as an important input in the business. Firstly, the store should implement recommendations of the opinion survey and provide training and development to its employees in order to facilitate development of new skills and improve performance of tasks and role (Jaksic, 2013). Moreover, the store should provide anxiety management training to employees to avoid the pressure in work and delegate authority to avoid overburdening the twenty employees of the store. Employee morale can be increased if the business combines its training programs with defined benefits to its employees (Jaksic, 2013). This will also boost job satisfaction as work becomes interesting and motivating. The advice to top management would be to direct sufficient funds towards training and development programs to ensure high employee morale and job satisfaction, which will translate into real financial gains through increased sale of computer equipment.

Reference

Jaksic, M., & Jaksic, M. (2013). PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT AND EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION. Montenegrin Journal of Economics, 9(1), 85-92. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1355247790?accountid=458