Starbucks Corporation Case Study in Motivation and Teamwork

Because of rapid globalization over recent years, competition around the world becomes more intense, especially for the service industry with similar products. The most critical point for business to achieve success is not only the quality of products they supply, but the atmosphere of cooperating and the amount yielded from teamwork in retail sales. Therefore, it turns out to be essential for companies to motivate, reward and train their employees to be the best quality personnel. Starbucks Corporation, the most famous chain of retail coffee shops in the world, mainly benefits from roasting and selling special coffee beans, and other various kinds of coffee or tea drinks. It owns about 4000 branches in the whole world. Moreover, it has†¦show more content†¦For example, managers plan the working hours per workers and arrange the schedule of time off, according to the workers’ wants in order to meet their requirements. There are interviews weekly to see what employees’ needs are. The partners have the right to figure out what is the best policy for them, and the directors show a respect for each suggestion. Starbucks even wants every employee to join in making and developing plans, then work together in achieving their goals. As a result, the policies and principles are communicated between all staff, and there is no limitation in employees’ personal opinions. 3) Good welfare measures: All employees, including informal personnel, are offered a great deal of welfare policies, for instance, commodities discounts for employees, medical insurance (including health, vision and dental) and vacations. Moreover, the partners who work over 20 hours a week are entitled to benefits. Starbucks also thinks that debt financing is not the best choice, thus it chooses to allocate stock dividends to all employees with a free script issue. By this policy, the employees can get benefits from the dividends of the company. Because of this, they have the same goal; in other words, they are motivated to increase the sales to earn more profits. To Starbucks, the employees are the most important asset. Teamwork 1) The strategies to keep good relationships: Starbucks establishes a well-developed system to keepShow MoreRelatedTeamwork Report862 Words   |  4 Pageson Ensure Team Effectiveness Starbucks Corporation: Case Study in Teamwork Name: Jessie (Luyan) Wang âž ¢ Introduction This report is a case study of Starbucks’ teamwork practices. In the first stage, the overview background of Starbucks will be introduced. Secondly, the viewpoints of Starbucks and the strategies, which are used by the company to make their teamwork performance well, are going to discuss. Next, the effectiveness of Starbucks teamwork strategy will be point out. In theRead MoreStarbucks’ Corporation: Case Study in Motivation2241 Words   |  9 PagesCase Study Report Starbucks’ Corporation: Case Study in Motivation Submitted to: ----------------------------- Faculty, MBA Program, BRAC University Submitted by: SNS MBA, BRACU Course Title: Organization Behavior and Leadership Course Code: HRM 501, Section: 03 Semester: MBA, Fall-2013 Date of Submission: 8 November 2013 Introduction: This report is a part of Masters of Business Administration (MBA) program, Organization Behavior and Leadership (HRM 501) course ofRead MoreTeamwork wins Championship1511 Words   |  7 PagesTeam work wins Championship! â€Å"Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championship.†1 I must say what an awesome saying by Michael Jordan! He beautifully portrays the success of teamwork. As nowadays, the challenge for companies is to deliver quickly and flexibly new quality products and services in order to respond to greater and changing demands from clients. â€Å"Standardization† and â€Å"specialization† characterize traditional work organization; the work is divided into different segmentsRead MoreCase Study on Motivating Partners at Starbucks2321 Words   |  10 PagesCONTENT CASE STUDY ON MOTIVATING PARTNERS AT STARBUCKS 2 Question 1: Given Starbuck’s training approach, benefits, package, work/life program, and partner relations mechanisms, what insights have you gained about its approach to employee motivation? Explain your answer. 2 Introduction 2 Motivation 2 Expectancy- Probability (E to P) 4 Instrumentality- Probability (P to O) 4 Valence- V(R) 5 Conclusions 6 Question 2 : What needs does Starbucks appeal toRead MoreEvaluating Organizational Effectiveness : A Case Study Of Starbucks2970 Words   |  12 Pages Examining Organizational Effectiveness: A Case Study of Starbucks Introduction Increasingly, scholars and researchers within the field of organizational research are finding it difficult to come up with a rational, systematic approach to measuring aspects such as organizational effectiveness. However, judgments are constantly being made either consciously or unconsciously by individuals who constantly make the decision on which company stock or which organization they should buy their productsRead MoreStarbucks Culture Essay9960 Words   |  40 PagesContents Summary 1 1. Introduction 2 1.1 History of Starbucks Coffee Company 2 1.2 Development of Starbucks in China 2 2. Positive Effects of Starbucks Culture in China 3 2.1 Starbucks Corporation Culture 4 2.1.1 Influence of Corporation Culture on Leadership 4 2.1.2 Influence of Corporation Culture on Staff Motivation 7 2.2 Starbucks Brand Culture 11 2.2.1 Effects of Brand culture on Brand Positioning 13 2.2.2 Effects of Brand Culture on Product Strategies 14 Read MoreGlobal Staffing Strategies and Starbucks2316 Words   |  10 PagesStarbucks Corporation (Starbucks) is a specialty coffee retailer of hot and cold beverages, coffee-related accessories, complementary food items, teas, and other non-food related products. Starbucks has retail stores in 39 countries and about 146,000 employees. The company operates primarily in the United States (U.S.) with headquarters in Seattle, Washington (Starbucks, 2007). In the early 1970s, Starbucks was established and the first location was in Seattles Pike Place market in 1971. By 1982Read MoreStarbucks Corporation ( Starbucks )2203 Words   |  9 PagesStarbucks Corporation (Starbucks) is a specialty coffee retailer of hot and cold beverages, coffee-related accessories, complementary food items, teas, and other non-food related products. Starbucks has retail stores in 39 countries and about 146,000 employees. The company operates primarily in the United States (U.S.) with headquarters in Seattle, Washington (Starbucks, 2007). In the early 1970s, Starbucks was established and the first location was in Seattle s Pike Place market in 1971. By 1982Read MoreA Report on Hr Policies of Starbucks7223 Words   |  29 PagesA Report on HR Policies Of Starbucks Contents Introduction 2 Mission Statement 2 Human Resource Management 2 Workforce Planning 2 Hiring Process 2 Interviews 2 Job Descriptions 2 Compensation System 2 Benefits 2 Employee Motivation 2 Training 2 Workplace Health, Safety amp; Security 2 Promotional Opportunities 2 Employee Evaluation/Appraisal 2 Social Activities for Employees 2 Grievance Mechanism 2 Recommendations 2 ReferencesRead MoreStarbucks3311 Words   |  14 Pages|Starbucks: Leaderships | |MGMT 451 Fall 2011 Dr. Peter Geib | |Christelle Dominique Timothy Bjornson | |Yuchi Kawakami Zaklina Aguilar | Introduction Coffee has historically been a beverage that has significant cultural impact, as over coffee people would socialize and make important decisions. Nowadays the most well known coffee house that spreads from the Forbidden City to the colorful

Anabolic Steroids As Performance Enhancing Aids Essay

1. Introduction In today’s society, one of the most controversial subject that is popping up in the news, is the use of anabolic steroids as performance enhancing aids. Anabolic steroids are man-made derivatives of the male hormone testosterone (Hoffman and Ratamess, 2006). They have been associated with professional and amateur athletes across the world but in society today it is not just athletes themselves taking them, but the general population looking to improve body image (Bailey et al., 2016). The main reason why athletes use them is that they are said to increase muscle mass and strength via the stimulation of protein synthesis (Kicman, 2008). In 1935, testosterone was first discovered and isolated from bulls’ testis (Schà ¤nzer, 1996) and by 1939 exogenous testosterone was said to be used to aid performance (Wu and Kovac, 2016). It wasn’t official until the 1950’s when the first reports came out of anabolic steroid use, especially among the German rowing team in 1952 and the Russian weightlifting team in 1954 (Wu and Kovac, 2016). Governing bodies such as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and International Olympic Committee (IOC) then undertook a fight against doping (use of performance enhancers) banning the use most anabolic steroids in 1974 (Schà ¤nzer, 1996). To deter the general population and athletes from using anabolic steroids, medical professionals have focused on studying the adverse side effects and efficacy of the steroids. Also to control the misuse ofShow MoreRelatedAthletes Use Drugs For A Variety Of Reasons1194 Words   |  5 Pagesenhance their quality of performance, and the effects of using performance enhancing drugs can have long term effects on an individual’s life. A commonly used drug in athletes goes by the name of anabolic steroids. The best way to help clarify your understanding of the importance of anabolic steroids is to define these steroids as a synthetic way to acquire the male sex hormone testosterone. The proper name for these steroids are anabolic androgenic steroids of which â€Å"anabolic† refers to muscle buildingRead MoreA Brief Note On The Aids And Its Effects On The Body1534 Words   |  7 PagesErgogenic aids are any foreign products taken by athletes to enhance their physical performance or endurance during physical exercise. Ergogenic aids are formulated to positively alter the physiological process in the body thus offering an advantage edge to the user. These aids may include drugs that enhance performance or even supplements formulated for sporting athletes and are divided into three categories including mental, physiological and mechanical factors (Liddle, 2013). Mechanical factorsRead MoreEssay about Consequen ces of Performance Enhancing Drugs1509 Words   |  7 PagesNegative Effects to Performance Enhancing Drugs At the age of 21 Rob Garibaldi committed suicide and it is believed to be from his consumption of performance enhancing drugs. As a young boy, Rob started to play little league, trying to match his favorite sport hero, and dreaming to make it to the baseball major leagues. Prior to high school, Rob was getting pushed by his coaches he had and scouts start to follow him to have him take supplements and more things that will help him gain weight compoundsRead MoreThe Effects Of Steroids And The Impact On Athletes974 Words   |  4 Pageschosen to write about steroids and the impact they have on athletes. I decided to choose this topic as I consider myself an athletic person and believe this is a perfect subject for me. I found a lot of my information on the topic from www.health.ny.gov/publications/1210 which has helped with my research. It is important to try and understand why athletes take steroids. Each individual will have a different reason on why they have decided to use the performance enhancing drugs. These can rangeRead MoreUse of Steroids by Athletes Essay1538 Words   |  7 Pages   Ã‚  Ã‚   A survey was presented to 198 U.S athletes with the following scenario. You are offered a banned performance enhancing substance that comes with two guarantees: 1) You will not be caught. 2). You will win every competition you enter for the next five years and then you will die from the side effects of the substance. Would you take it? More than half the athletes said yes. As we can infer from the above survey, a large number of professional athletes are willing to risk their lives for theRead MoreSteroid Use in Sports1732 Words   |  7 PagesAround an astonishing ten to fifteen percent of professional athletes use illegal steroids which are also known as performance enhancing drugs. These substances which are banned in professional sports aren’t just any type of steroid or drug. They are called anabolic steroids or performance enhancing drugs, and they are synthetically produced substances of male testosterone hormones. The use of these illegal steroids has gar nered a lot of publicity within the world of sports over the past few yearsRead MoreThe Effects Of Drug Abuse On Sports779 Words   |  4 Pagesabout is steroids in sports. I wanted to choose this topic because I’m a very athletic person myself and I thought that this topic is perfect for me, I found my research on www.health.ny.gov/publications/1210/ and from here this is how I got all my information from. Many athletes now a days are taking steroids, why is that? Is it to make a squad, or impress a member of the opposite sex? There really isn t a right or wrong answer to why athletes feel the need to take performance enhancing drugs.Read MoreEssay about Steroids in Professional Sports976 Words   |  4 PagesSteroids in Professional Sports Sports is one of the most popular forms of entertainment we have today. Whether it’s football, basketball, soccer, baseball, etc., fans are willing to pay ridiculous amounts of money in order to watch sports. There are few issues in the world of sports. But there is one issue that stands out, steroids. Although steroids may increase strength, stamina and athleticism, they are incredibly harmful to your body and should never be used. 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In this paper I hope to focus on the steroids and performance enhancing drugs and how they have become a problem in sports.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An anabolic steroid is a substance that is related to male sex hormones, known as testosterone. The word â€Å"Anabolic† means muscle building. The word â€Å"steroids† is just referred to as a drug name or a class of drug. Some athletes have made the decision

The Secret Circle The Divide Chapter 21 Free Essays

string(39) " to reach its bottom, she never would\." Cassie went home during lunch to go over all her notes on the locator spell Constance had taught them. Since she’d never actually performed the spell, the details of how it worked were fuzzy in her memory. Her notes went on for a few pages, but as far as Cassie could tell, the spell was intended to locate lost objects. We will write a custom essay sample on The Secret Circle: The Divide Chapter 21 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Nowhere had she written about using the spell to find a lost person. Just then there was a knock on her front door. It was Adam; she should have known. â€Å"I figured I’d find you here,† he said, following Cassie to her bedroom. â€Å"I’m not avoiding the Circle,† she said. â€Å"I wanted to do some research.† â€Å"I know. You’re off the hook anyway – everyone went home to gather stuff for the spell.† He plopped down on Cassie’s bed, beckoning her to join him. Did he really think this was a good time for a make-out session? Cassie sat beside him, holding her notes between them. â€Å"Is this locator spell really going to work on a person?† she asked. â€Å"I didn’t realize it’s actually a spell to find your missing car keys.† Adam removed the notes from Cassie’s hands and placed them down on the nightstand. â€Å"It might not work,† he said. â€Å"But it’s possible it will. These spells can be used to said. â€Å"But it’s possible it will. These spells can be used to find lost people if those people really want to be found.† Cassie felt her shoulders settle a bit. There was no question that Scarlett wanted to be found. â€Å"But what if the hunters don’t want her to be found?† she asked. Adam frowned sympathetically. â€Å"That could be a problem. But my guess is the hunters do want to be found, because they want us to go to them.† Then his eyes filled with remorse. â€Å"There’s a reason they’re keeping Scarlett alive, Cassie. Otherwise they would have killed her outright. We will find her. I promise.† Cassie knew Adam was right. She kissed him softly on the cheek. â€Å"I don’t know how I’d get through this without you.† â€Å"Luckily you don’t have to,† he said, as he went in for a kiss. For just a moment, the world felt right again. After school that afternoon, the Circle gathered under the bleachers just before the track-meet finals were set to begin. But Faye was nowhere to be found. Searching the bleachers for her, Cassie and Laurel weren’t surprised to find that she wasn’t alone. Crowds had filled in the bleachers on all sides of Faye and Max, but they hadn’t noticed. Max was kissing her neck as Faye ran her nails down the length of his torso and tugged at his jeans like a hungry animal. â€Å"So much for her laying off Max,† Laurel said. â€Å"But I guess once the love spell was done, it was done.† Cassie nodded. â€Å"But Faye’s not under a spell, so what’s her excuse?† â€Å"She’s Faye,† Laurel said. Cassie noticed Portia walking toward them, or more like marching toward them, wearing a high-collared blouse that was the same shade as her straw-colored hair. â€Å"Here comes trouble,† Cassie said. â€Å"Will you tell your disgusting friend to go get a room?† Portia shouted. â€Å"This is a track meet, not an R-rated movie.† Laurel giggled. â€Å"Portia’s right. I think they might be scaring the children.† She turned to Cassie. â€Å"Do you want to go douse them with some ice water, or should I?† Portia half-smiled. â€Å"Thank you, Laurel. I always knew you were the most reasonable one in your little clique.† Then glancing at Cassie, Portia added, â€Å"Though the bar’s been set pretty low.† â€Å"I’ll take care of it,† Cassie said, already walking away. She’d take any excuse to escape Portia. Laurel and Portia continued talking for a few minutes while Cassie did her best to pry Faye away from Max. â€Å"No,† Max whined. â€Å"Where are you taking her?† All the coolness had been sucked out of him. â€Å"Say good-bye, Max,† Cassie insisted. â€Å"Faye has to go now.† Faye struggled to cop one last feel of him before being hauled away. She grazed her fingers across his chiseled face. â€Å"Be a good boy and stay here,† she said. â€Å"And later you’ll get a reward.† Max’s strong features softened with boyish delight. â€Å"Do you promise?† he said. Faye blew a kiss in response as Cassie dragged her down below the bleachers. Once they were safely away from him, Cassie shook her head. â€Å"I can hardly believe that’s the same Max.† Faye smiled. â€Å"If you saw him with his shirt off, you’d believe it.† Below the bleachers, the Circle was almost done preparing the locator spell. Suzan and Sean stuck candles into the ground: one north, one south, one east, and one west. Nick ignited the wicks with his brass Zippo. Melanie tapped Cassie on the shoulder. â€Å"Excuse me,† she said, bumping her to the side. â€Å"I’ve got censers to light.† â€Å"Won’t they smell the incense?† Cassie asked, referring to the bleacher crowd above. â€Å"No,† Melanie replied, while clearing the ground’s energy. â€Å"It’s only jasmine. If anything, they’ll think someone’s smoking something.† â€Å"Is everybody ready to begin?† Diana called out, eyeing Cassie. She’d taken Cassie aside after chemistry class to hash out what happened at their morning meeting. She tried to explain her position, that she wished to save Scarlett as much as Cassie did, but she had to balance that wish with her responsibility to the Circle. It isn’t personal, she’d said. Cassie assured Diana she understood. But it was personal. That’s what nobody seemed to recognize. To Cassie this was all very personal. The sound of their schoolmates cheering above them indicated the track meet had begun. â€Å"We’re ready as we’ll ever be,† Laurel said. The group sat in a circle surrounding the candles as Diana instructed them to do. Then Diana placed a goblet of water within the circle. â€Å"Everyone invoke the element of Water,† she said. Cassie gazed into the goblet, imagining it contained the whole ocean, so blue and cold and deep that if she tried to stick her fingers inside it to reach its bottom, she never would. You read "The Secret Circle: The Divide Chapter 21" in category "Essay examples" â€Å"Power of Water, I beseech you,† Diana said. And then, together as a group, the Circle softly repeated the incantation four times. That which is lost shall now be found Hiding places come unbound They stared into the goblet as Diana called out, â€Å"Let the water show the location of Scarlett.† At first there was nothing, just some ordinary water pooled in a fancy glass. The crowd above their heads cheered and rose to their feet, and the water stirred. It took a few seconds for it to go still again, but when it did, Cassie noticed her own reflection in the water becoming more pronounced. The shape of her own face, her round eyes and pouting mouth, sharpened to a pristine clarity. How frightened she looked to herself, how desperate. But soon that faded away and a new image emerged, with equal clarity. It was a broken-down house – the same house as the one in her dream, except now she could really see it, not just sense it. It was a rickety beach cottage, in what Cassie recognized as the classic Cape Cod style. It sat near the end of a long, desolate, sandy lane, with a large body of water on one side and tidal marshes on the other. I know this place, Cassie thought, but in the next moment, the image transformed into something else. What was it? The image was forming slowly, but she could swear it was a loaf of bread. Then the loaf separated into slices. Maybe she was just hungry, because as quickly as that image formed, it re-shaped into something else: It was the face of a man who appeared to be from the 1800s. He had bushy eyebrows and a thick moustache and wore a high collar. Cassie was sure she recognized this man, too, but from where? And then, finally, the image changed one last time – to a number. It flashed for only a second, almost too quickly to catch, but it was 48. It appeared to Cassie like a numbered white ball plucked from a lottery. Then the water blackened and became still. â€Å"I think Scarlett’s in Cape Cod,† Cassie said, looking to the others for confirmation. â€Å"Yes,† Adam agreed. â€Å"In the town of Sandwich. It’s in the northwest corner of the Cape.† Cassie laughed to herself. Of course. Why hadn’t she figured that out? â€Å"But who was that man?† she asked. â€Å"I know I’ve seen him before,† Diana said. And then it was Melanie’s turn to have a laugh. â€Å"I just read The Scarlet Letter,† she said. â€Å"That was Nathaniel Hawthorne.† â€Å"It was probably a clue to a street name,† Laurel suggested. â€Å"Lots of the streets are named after old authors around there.† â€Å"Forty-eight,† Adam said, typing it into his phone. â€Å"Forty-eight Hawthorne Street, that’s where she is.† â€Å"Well, what are we standing around for?† Nick said. â€Å"Let’s go get her.† â€Å"We can’t,† Diana said firmly. â€Å"Cape Cod is outside the realm of the protective spell. It’s too dangerous.† Melanie, sensing that Cassie was about to explode, backed Diana up. â€Å"We’ll need all the power we can get if we have a chance at defeating the hunters,† she said. â€Å"We should wait to battle them here in New Salem, under the guard of the protection spell.† â€Å"I’m done waiting,† Cassie said. â€Å"We can’t count on the hunters sparing Scarlett for long.† Before anyone had the chance to respond, there was a spine-chilling scream from the bleachers overhead. It immediately registered that this was not the right kind of scream to hear at a track meet. It was a grisly sound, pain and shock and horror all wrapped into one. It sounded like death. death. Cassie and the others hurried out to see what happened, but it was complete havoc when they emerged. They strived to see over the mad crowd of panic-stricken students and frantic teachers and parents. â€Å"There’s a student down, on the bleachers,† Adam said. Cassie caught sight of a head of straw-colored hair and instantly knew who it was. It was Portia Bainbridge. And she was lying right above where the Circle did their spell. â€Å"She collapsed,† someone from the track team said. Laurel elbowed through the crowd to see if Portia was still alive. She kneeled over her body, calling her name, and checked for a pulse. But it was no use. Portia was gone – as lifelessly stiff as Constance had been on the ground the night of the spring festival. And what was worse, what Cassie wished more than anything she hadn’t seen, was the faint glimmer of the hunter symbol on Portia’s shirt, just over the place where her heart would have been beating. Cassie didn’t need to ask the others if they could also see it this time. She knew by their fright-stricken faces that they could. â€Å"We need to get out of here,† Melanie said, ghost-faced. â€Å"Now,† Diana commanded. â€Å"Everyone to my house.† Scattered around Diana’s living room, the Circle tried to regroup. But they were reeling from Portia’s shocking death, and their own near miss. Adam was walking in figure eights upon the hooked rug, gnawing on his fingernails. â€Å"Don’t you see what this means?† he said. â€Å"The hunters killed a human, thinking the source of the magic was coming from her. So they don’t know who the witches are yet.† â€Å"They still don’t know it’s us,† Faye echoed, from where she was lounging on Diana’s sofa. â€Å"After all this time. I told you so.† There was a hint of triumph in her voice. Laurel cringed at Faye’s insensitivity. â€Å"But that was a huge price to find that out, don’t you think? Portia’s dead.† â€Å"Ah yes, more Outsider blood on our hands,† Faye said mockingly. Suzan unwrapped a Twinkie she had buried in her purse and emotionally bit off its top. With her mouth full she mumbled, â€Å"I was finally starting to not hate Portia, too. And then we go and get her killed.† â€Å"It wasn’t our fault,† Deborah said. â€Å"There was no way we could have known that would happen.† Melanie disagreed. â€Å"We knew doing a spell as powerful as that was a risk, and we willingly took that risk. Portia would still be alive if we hadn’t.† Until now Cassie had remained silent. Of course she felt responsible for what happened to Portia, but there wasn’t time to dwel on it at the moment. She took control of the floor, hoping to channel the group’s fear and anger, and even their guilt, toward the task at hand. â€Å"I’m as rattled as the rest of you,† Cassie announced. â€Å"This proves the hunters are strong and getting closer. And Scarlett is still being held hostage and tortured in a shack on Cape Cod as we speak. We have to act fast before she reaches the same fate as Portia.† Diana began shaking her head before Cassie had even finished her sentence. â€Å"I’m sorry, Cassie, but we just can’t risk it. We’ll figure out another way.† Melanie jumped right in to aid Diana in shutting Cassie down. â€Å"We can’t mess with these hunters. Look at what they’re capable of.† Faye appeared to be utterly enjoying herself. What was it that charged her up? Was it the brutal loss of human life, the fractioning of the group, or everyone turning on Cassie? She sat upright from her lounging position on the sofa. â€Å"You had to know there was no way we would step right into the hunters’ hands, right?† She narrowed her snakelike eyes at Cassie. â€Å"Not with this group of cowards, anyway.† Nick rose up from his chair. â€Å"Shouldn’t we put it to a vote?† â€Å"No.† Faye laughed. â€Å"It’s called veto power. Right, D?† Diana looked down at her thin hands. â€Å"It’s called an executive decision.† â€Å"We can’t go after the hunters in Cape Cod,† Adam said. â€Å"But what if we try to lure them back here to New Salem?† â€Å"There’s no time for that!† Cassie lost her patience. Chris Henderson shot up and went to Nick’s side. â€Å"We should vote. Like we always do.† â€Å"I agree.† Doug joined his brother and Nick in their small insurrection. â€Å"Since when did you all become fascists? I say we go rescue Scarlett.† Then directly to Cassie he said, â€Å"I know what it’s like to lose a sister. You shouldn’t have to.† â€Å"And I trust Cassie’s judgment,† Nick called out. His jaw was tight, but his eyes were full of emotion. â€Å"I’m willing to take the risk.† Cassie’s heart was confused. How could her soul mate not understand her the way Nick sometimes did? Adam was standing there now, stubborn and overly protective, shaking his head no while Nick was willing to do whatever it took to support Cassie and rescue Scarlett. â€Å"It’s not going to happen, boys,† Faye said maliciously. â€Å"We have the right to vote on it,† Nick insisted, with Chris and Doug growing visibly more restless at his side. But even if they voted, it was clear who would win. After everything they’d been through, Scarlett was still an Outsider to them. They would do anything to save Melanie’s great-aunt, but when Cassie’s own sister was in trouble, and they had a way to save her, they refused. â€Å"Fine.† Diana appeared flustered and a little annoyed by this mutiny. â€Å"We’ll vote. But the decision is the final decision for the Circle. And let me just remind you that – â€Å" â€Å"Save your energy.† Cassie cut Diana off. â€Å"I don’t need your vote. I don’t need any of you.† She walked away, leaving a fracture in the Circle as she went. How to cite The Secret Circle: The Divide Chapter 21, Essay examples

Corporate Governance Of API Limited Samples †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Questions: 1.How corporate governance is important to API Limited? 2.Who should I advise if I need to change contact details related to my shareholding in API? 3.If I want to check API share price with the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) what is the ticker symbol? 4.When did API acquire Priceline? Answers: 1. Corporate governance is the system of rules, practices, and processes by which a firm is controlled and directed. It essentially encompasses harmonizing the interests of several company stakeholders such as customers, shareholders, management, suppliers, community and the government (Deegan, 2012). In accordance to Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, the goal of corporate governance is usually to enhance entrepreneurial, prudent and effective management that can provide the long-standing achievement of the business. Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Limited board often recognizes the significance of a strong governance culture and framework throughout the organization. According to API annual reports, the board of directors continues to shape on and heighten the fully established governance structure to ensure that the company maintains its culture. The responsibilities and roles of the company board are provided in the board agreement. In order to help with the establishment of its duties, the board has created a risk and audit committee, remuneration committee and a nomination committee that have detailed charters (Ferrell, Fraedrich, 2015). Under ASX rules of the listing and ASX corporate governance council recommendations and standards, API is needed to basically divulge the degree of its conformity with the standards since the details of the standards by the consolidated company are completely provided in Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Limited annual statements that are accessible in the corporate governance reports. Generally, the duties of the board involve making the firm strategic purposes, offering the management to put them into force, overseeing the company management and reporting to stakeholders on their leadership. According to API, the directors have also instigated control procedures for evaluating, ascertaining and managing substantial risks to the attainment of the first goal (Khan, Muttakin, Siddiqui, 2013). The company internal control practices often cover operating, compliance and financial risks that may affect the company operations. In this case, the API directors also obtain and consider the yearly control documentation by the CEO and CFO in conformity with the ethics that relate to operating and financial risks. This aspect is vital because it will ensure that the company production and management are in accordance with the set rules and responsibilities by the governing bodies (Australian Pharmaceutical Industries annual reports, 2016). Impact of corporate governance in the company Good corporate governance can have a broader impact on both listed and no listed because it is essentially about enhancing transparency and accountability within prevailing systems. According to the company, one of the most fascinating developments in the last decade has been the manner in which the aspect of corporate governance label has been employed to define accountability and governance issues being the business sector (Deegan, 2013). This can be misleading and confusing as Australian cooperate governance has been developed and built so as to deal with the governance of registered corporations bodies and not intended to cover all forms of organizations that might have a different framework of accountability. Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Limited basically promote holistic practices of working that includes but not restricted to continuing to provide worker assistance programs, eldercare kits, childcare kits and supporting a parental sabbatical return to work measures and providing a parental sabbatical return to work gear (Schroeder, Clark, and Cathey, 2013). APIs corporate governance structures often include the following documents: Corporate governance report that stipulates the roles and responsibilities of the board and management (Mason, Simmons, 2014). Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Limited Constitution Agreements for Risk and Audit Committee, Board, Remuneration commission and Nomination commission (Australian Pharmaceutical Industries annual reports, 2016). Diverse policies that encompass code of ethics and conduct, conformity, continues revelation, securities transaction and shareholders communication for Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Limited. Frequently Asked Question in Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Limited 2. This part encompasses the most frequently asked questions by both new and existing customers. In this case, customers will attempt to find viable information from the managers in charge of diverse departments before making any order or purchasing any of the company product or service (Holland, Albrecht, 2013). Diverse questions have been identified on the company website as some of the most asked questions. In this case, if a shareholder seeks to change his or her contact details in relation to the shareholding in Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, he or she will have to notify the Boardroom Pty Limited since it is the companys share register and it basically manages all the shareholder's details. 3. Consequently, the shareholder will also visit the share registry page for the Boardroom Pty Limiteds contact information. According to the company website, if an individual or a shareholder seeks to check API share price with the Australia Security Exchange (ASX), Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Limited often uses API as the ticker symbol. The company share prices can be monitored on the company homepage and that there is often a 20 minutes delay in the price quotation (Holland, Albrecht, 2013). If I had shares prior to the company being listed on the ASX how do I calculate their original value? The company website also stipulates that if an individual or shareholder has share prior to the business being listed on the ASX, he or she must contact API for this case with the information in order to confirm the applied price. This is because Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Limited is a corporation that basically had share issues to pharmacists before being publicly listed. 4. Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Limited was publicly listed on the ASX in 1997 as the company was first established in 1910 primarily to engage in the wholesale distribution of pharmaceutical health, medical, lifestyle and beauty products to pharmacies across Australia and New Zealand and other regions (Mason, Simmons, 2014). The company was also initiated to offer wholesale delivery of products, marketing programs, business advisory services as we as retail services to diverse pharmacies across the region. In FY2004, Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Limited acquired new price retail as part of the strategy to become more emphasized to the customers. 5. The new price retail basically owned the products of Priceline Pharmacy, Priceline and Price House and Attack. According to the company, it sold off Price Attack and House shop in the FY2007 because the unit was considered non-core and provided low revenues (Mason, Simmons, 2014). Priceline franchise model acquisition in 2004 was basically dedicated to helping women look good, feel great and also live well. This was one of the most asked questions according to the company website because the customers often seek to know the time one of its renowned retail franchise was acquired. Bibliography Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Limited annual reports. 2016. Retrieved from https://www.api.net.au/investor/annual-reports/ Deegan, C., 2012. Australian financial accounting. McGraw-Hill Education Australia. Deegan, C., 2013. Financial accounting theory. McGraw-Hill Education Australia. Ferrell, O. C., Fraedrich, J., 2015. Business ethics: Ethical decision making cases. Nelson Education. Holland, D., Albrecht, C., 2013. The worldwide academic field of business ethics: Scholars perceptions of the most important issues. Journal of business ethics, 117(4), 777-788. Khan, A., Muttakin, M. B., Siddiqui, J. 2013. Corporate governance and corporate social responsibility disclosures: Evidence from an emerging economy.Journal of business ethics,114(2), 207-223. Mason, C., Simmons, J. 2014. Embedding corporate social responsibility in corporate governance: A stakeholder systems approach.Journal of Business Ethics,119(1), 77-86. Schroeder, R.G., Clark, M.W. and Cathey, J.M., 2011.Financial accounting theory and analysis: text and cases. John Wiley and Sons.

Lysistrata Essays (923 words) - Lysistrata, Women In War, Myrrhine

Lysistrata Lysistrata A play about making war - and not making love? The Talbot Theatre production of Lysistrata both entertained and delighted this member of the audience, who was there partly because of an English assignment requirement, but mainly because of the opportunity to enjoy a live theatre production. The theatre company employed many different components to bring this antiwar play to life that evening on the stage. These components can be broken into three categories, which visually enhanced the text of the play. The first of these categories is the setting, the stage lighting, and the props. The second component is the symbolism of some of those props, and the third component is the character portrayals by the actors on the stage. To take us back to ancient Greece, the props master employed a very simple interpretation using columns on a raised set of steps, with a backdrop of blue. To add to the feel of the era, a statue stands in the middle of the platform. This platform serves double duty as the Akropolis and as the Citadel, both of which the women have occupied. When the men light a fire below the walls of the Akropolis, smoke pours out of the bundle of sticks, making it appear as if a fire has really been ignited. Fortunately the women are ready and the fire is extinguished and the men all doused with water, which is portrayed well with buckets and actions that look as if the men are being driven away by the water. When Kinesias comes to see Myrrhine, and they head off to Pan's cave, the stage lighting is dimmed to give the effect of the darkness of being in a cave. The most strikingly visual use of stage props is the appearance of larger than life erect phalluses under the tunics of all the male main cha racters during the second half of the play. These seemingly grotesque male members serve to symbolize the frustration of the men. However, they are also a symbol of how the men's political power has been superceded by the primitive urge for sex, and how the women now hold power over the men. The statue, which is on the platform, is dressed in armor and symbolizes the war. The shield is taken by the women to be used for the purpose of swearing their oath, but they quickly realize that they cannot swear for peace on a shield used for war. This warrior statue disappears at the end of the play, reappearing as a female, the statue of PEACE, considerably shapelier and more enticing to the men. The characters presented the most impressive visual component. Lysistrata was portrayed perfectly as a down-to-earth woman who has had enough of war and is willing to lead a revolution to end it. Most of the rest of the women are portrayed as being frothy little things, more interested in clothing, shopping and sex, interests which Lysistrata feels that she can employ to bring about the change in the men's attitudes. The costumes on the main characters evoked the image of the time, and helped to define the characters. Both the members of the female chorus and the male chorus are dressed in white, to keep them separate in our minds from the main characters of the story. However, they are employed in such a way in the play as to explain a lot of the story to us by carrying a lot of the action and dialogue of the altercations between the sexes. The main characters employed a number of acting techniques to convey the images of the play. Lampito carries herself differently and speaks with an accent, and although she is dressed somewhat the same as the other women, we realize that she comes from Sparta. The Magistrate struts on to the stage, accompanied by a constable, only to be harassed and ultimately humiliated by the women, who will not be arrested. They turn the tables on the constable by tying him up with his own rope, and then send the magistrate and the constable packing. Comic moments happen when the desperate-for-sex women try to sneak away from the Citadel and are caught by Lysistrata.

Antigone by Sophocles - Plot Summary

Antigone by Sophocles - Plot Summary Antigone is a Greek Tragedy written by Sophocles. It was written in 441 B.C. Setting of the Play: Ancient Greece Antigones Twisted Family Tree A brave and proud young woman named Antigone is the product of a really messed up family. Her father, Oedipus, was the King of Thebes. He unknowingly murdered his father and married his own mother, Queen Jocasta. With his wife/mother, Oedipus had two daughter/sisters and two brother/sons. When Jocasta found out the truth of their incestuous relationship, she killed herself. Oedipus was pretty upset too. He plucked out his eyeballs. Then, he spent his remaining years wandering through Greece, being led by his loyal daughter Antigone. After Oedipus died, his two sons (Eteocles and Polynices) battled for control of the kingdom. Eteocles fought to defend Thebes. Polynices and his men attacked the city. Both brothers died. Creon ( Antigones uncle) became the official ruler of Thebes. (Theres a lot of upward mobility in this city-state. Thats what happens when your bosses kill each other.) Divine Laws v. Man-made Laws Creon buried Eteocless body with honor. But because the other brother was perceived as a traitor, Polynicess body was left to rot, a tasty snack for vultures and vermin. However, leaving human remains unburied and exposed to the elements was an affront to the Greek Gods. So, at the plays beginning, Antigone decides to defy Creons laws. She gives her brother a proper funeral. Her sister Ismene warns that Creon will punish any who defy the law of the city. Antigone believes that the law of the gods supersedes a kings decree. Creon doesnt see things that way. He is very angry and sentences Antigone to death. Ismene asks to be executed along with her sister. But Antigone doesnt want her by her side. She insists that she alone buried the brother, so she alone will receive punishment (and possible reward from the gods). Creon Needs To Loosen Up As if things werent complicated enough, Antigone has a boyfriend: Haemon, the son of Creon. He tries to convince his father that mercy and patience are called for. But the more they debate, the more Creons anger grows. Haemon leaves, threatening to do something rash. At this point, the people of Thebes, represented by the Chorus, are uncertain as to who is right or wrong. It seems Creon is starting to feel a little bit worried because instead of executing Antigone, he orders her to be sealed inside a cave. (That way, if she dies, her death will be in the hands of the gods). But after she is sent to her doom, a blind old wise man enters. He is Tiresias, a seer of the future, and he brings an important message: Creon, you made a big stupid mistake! (It sounds fancier in Greek.) Suspecting the old man of treason, Creon becomes infuriated and refuses Tiresias wisdom. The old man becomes very cranky and predicts bad things for Creons near future. Creon Changes His Mind (Too Late) Finally scared, Creon rethinks his decisions. He dashes off to release Antigone. But hes too late. Antigone has already hanged herself. Haemon grieves beside her body. He attacks his father with a sword, misses completely, and then stabs himself, dying. Mrs. Creon (Eurydice) hears of her sons death and kills herself. (I hope you werent expecting a comedy.) By the time Creon returns to Thebes, the Chorus tells Creon the bad news. They explain that There is no escape from the doom we must endure. Creon realizes that his stubbornness has led to his familys ruin. The Chorus ends the play by offering a final message: The mighty words of the proud are paid in full with mighty blows of fate. The End!

Discuss the differing role of the therapeutic relationship in three Essay

Discuss the differing role of the therapeutic relationship in three different approaches to therapy - Essay Example g roles of the therapeutic relationship in three different approaches to therapy; namely, psychodynamic therapy, person-centered therapy, and systemic family therapy. Relevant theoretical concepts are included in the discussion, particularly how they are applied to practice. It also includes reflections on personal understanding of the topic as well as reaction to materials presented in the lectures. The psychodynamic therapy is a mainstream therapy that focuses on aspects of personality and is suited to problems that deal with personalities and current relationships (Holmes 2003). It is based on a multifaceted theory of human interaction and development and embraces all others of analytic nature. The approach undertaken in this therapy is one in which the therapist keeps his own personality out of the picture, which is considered a vital aspect, enabling him to play a â€Å"blank canvas† on whom clients can project deep feelings about themselves (ibid). The therapist is able to aid the client in understanding how personal disturbances affect him. The psychodynamic therapy is a long-term therapy that may go on for years since understanding what goes on inside the client takes a long period of time. In this paper, the role of psychodynamic therapy includes the following: Since psychodynamic therapy is a long-term therapy, the individual, through the help of the therapist, is able to view the things that affect his life and how largely it is affected. He helps in bringing to the surface an individual’s true feelings in order for a full understanding of the individual’s self. It is assumed that once one is aware of what really goes on in his mind; feelings about a painful experience will not come as painful. This is why the psychodynamic therapy’s role is to encourage patients unravel the real feelings playing up in their subconscious since through this unraveling, the client will be able to accept the painful experiences and their corresponding feelings. This

Photo Description of the waiting room in Chicago, Illinois by Jack Essay

Photo Description of the waiting room in Chicago, Illinois by Jack Delano - Essay Example However, from a closer look at the photo, it can be seen that the focus of the photo man was at the two gentle men standing at the foreground. The probable interest might be a case that appears to be of concern to the gentlemen as can be seen from their looks. The picture communicates a lot of information about the nature of activities and the people in the caption, however, among the messages in the picture, one is dominant. A case that is troubling the two gentle men and the others in the picture even though among the concerned parties, the two gentle men seem to be at the centre of it. This argument is supported by how the Cameraman focused majorly at these two gentlemen who by the nature of their dressing looks like police officers. They appear to be having a serious conversation that can be attributed to this suspected case. The specifics of the conversation is not so apparent, but it is likely not a social conversation as can be seen by their faces (Fleischhauer, et al. 361). A closer look at the photographer’s depiction at their faces reveals that both are not talking at the same time. The gentle man on the right hand side must be the one doing the talking. His posture is straight, and he is looking straight at the other officer at the left hand side. From this looks alone, one can guess their ranks.

Risk assessment for non-profit hospital Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Risk assessment for non-profit hospital - Essay Example Generally, non-profit organizations do not perform risk assessments mainly due to insufficiency of funds. Since non-profit organizations have only limited sources to raise funds, they would find difficulties in their day to day operations if they allot money for risk assessment program. This paper will particularly perform a risk assessment for non-profit hospitals and discuss various aspects related to the issue. Importance of Hospital Data Hospital data may include a pool of documents including inpatient data, outpatient data, pricing data, hospital room rates, hospital financial data, patient case sheets, medicine stock data, medicine details, length of patient stay and discharge data, staff data, and other administrative and strategic documents. Evidently, hospital data have considerable significance on a healthcare environment because they play an inevitable role in promoting quality care and patient safety. According to the Hospital Data Project, â€Å"hospital data are now re quired to serve a variety of purposes including supporting activity monitoring, performance measurement, casemix-based funding, service planning, and epidemiological analysis† (HDP, 2003). ... In the view of Sorgente, Fernandez, and Petrie (n.d.), past patient treatment records are necessary for hospitals to give immediate and quality care to patients in future visits. In addition, staff data are very crucial to facilitate better distribution of duties and responsibilities among the hospital staff, particularly nurses. Therefore, it is extremely important to keep the hospital data secure and unreachable to unauthorized parties. If the data are improper or unsecure, they would be accessible to external people and this situation would adversely affect the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of data. To illustrate, when the hospital data are lost due to network attacks or any other reason, the hospital management cannot obtain access to past patient case records and medicine stock details whenever needed. Undoubtedly, this situation would reduce the quality of the care and hence challenge the patient safety. Likewise, some important data like diagnosis reports and ot her patient/disease detail would lose their confidentiality once the hospital data become unsecured. Under such circumstances, the victims (patients) may file lawsuits against the hospital. Finally, the authorities concerned cannot the ensure integrity of hospital data if those data are prone to unauthorized access. According to a report by UC Davis Health System, cancelled operations, false or delayed test results, and poor quality patient can be the direct implications of unsecure hospital databases. Kinds of Attacks Malware attack is likely to threaten a hospital database. Experts suggest that hospital databases are under the threat of malware attacks. Hackers try to access hospital data and thus manipulate hospital records. Such attacks can cause dreadful harms to

HR in Pantaloon Retail Limited | Analysis

HR in Pantaloon Retail Limited | Analysis This project starts with the history of Pantaloon Retail (India) Limited which is biggest player in the retail industry and got diversified into many sectors. After that discussed about the HR policies and practices which are followed by Pantaloons in appointing the employees such as Service Rules, Promotion Policy and Rules, Wage Structure, Employee Motivation and Welfare Schemes, Health and Safety Rules, Training and Development. After completion of HR policies and Practices then discussed about the type of job and the applicant who is getting recruited depending upon the level of the company that is junior, middle, senior. Pantaloons use some Training Methodologies for training their employees. Company Profile:- Pantaloon Retail Limited is Indias largest retailing company which operates multiple retail formats in both Lifestyle and value segments. The headquarters of Pantaloon Retail Limited is in Mumbai and operates all around India and has over 30,000 employees working for over 1000 stores across 73 cities in India. Pantaloon Retail Limited includes a chain of fashion outlets such as Pantaloons, Big Bazaar and Brand Factory. The company also operates its products online by the web portal named futurebazaar.com. Values of Pantaloons:- The Success story of Pantaloons had built on a number of core company values that have remained almost unchanged. These values are: Indianness: confidence in their business structure. Leadership: To be a leader, both in thought and business. Respect Humility: To respect every individual and be humble in conduct. Introspection: leading to purposeful thinking. Openness: to be open and receptive to new ideas, knowledge and information. Valuing and Nurturing Relationships: to build long term relationships. Simplicity Positivity: Simplicity and positivity in our thought, business and action. Adaptability: to be flexible and adaptable, to meet challenges. Flow: to respect and understand the universal laws of nature. HR Policies and Rules:- Promotion Policy Rules: Promotion Policy and rules are applied to employees depending upon on their ability of performing work, managing their skills and the level of experience. Wage Structure: Every Job has awarded different wages depending upon the position of the employee and the responsibility levels which the employees take over. This enables the company to: Provide competitive salaries for each job taking into account market rates. Reward everyone according to their contribution. The Salary allocated ranges depends upon the employees position type for employees performing the standard duties of their jobs. Set up maximum and minimum levels within those ranges to account for variations in experience and skill levels. The pay defers from Store Administered employee to Head Office Administered employee. The payment of the employees is directly by the manager or it is deposited into the savings account which the employee holds. The Company reserves the right to suspend pay where an employee fails to notify about absence from work. Employee motivation welfare schemes: Reward Policies Pantaloon believes in sharing its progress and profitability and reward accordingly. They offer a range of benefits which are service-related, so they build up as service of an employee increases. Each element of the benefits package is reviewed regularly to ensure it remains competitive and maintains pantaloon as a leading employer. Some of them are: To extend a discount facility to employees of Future Group. Healthcare Offers Pantaloons offer following healthcare options to all monthly paid employees and their partners: Private health insurance Gratuity Scheme Free medical treatment for the employee, spouse and the dependent family members. Female employees can have Maternity leave 84 days maximum on completion of 160 days. Travel Expenses Travel is an integral part of work for many people. Pantaloons offers travel options and expenses so employees can travel in a secure and comfortable manner. Social Activities Pantaloons provides the employees the scheme named Seekho which enables them to develop their skill sets and opt for any educational courses so that they can increase their productivity which adds additional value for the company development in future. Every employee of the pantaloon contributes small amount of money from their salary each month voluntarily to the pantaloon foundation which they can use for any emergency needs. Lifestyle Options Pantaloon provides following options and benefits: Flexible working Employees can avail advance of 7 days of all purpose leave during the probation period which will be adjusted in the employees leave balance. Leave accumulation will be permissible up to 90 days period. Only 15 days will be carried forward to the next fiscal year. Corporate helpline A 24-hour confidential support service which help employees to manage stress, personal, traumatic or financial issues which are affecting their attendance or performance at work. Health safety rules: Pantaloon is committed to ensure the health, safety and well being of all its employees, customers and others who visit or work in their premises. Companys Policy on Health and Safety includes: The Health Safety Committee The Committee members advice on health safety policy who monitors employees effectiveness and reviews the key performance and take measures on a quarterly basis. The Store/Site Manager The Store/Site Manager is responsible for ensuring with Fire, Health Safety Officer that Company Health Safety Policy is implemented. This includes: Suitable Induction and Legislative Update training for Fire, Health Safety. The prevention, investigation and the reporting of accidents. The completion of ongoing Risk Assessments and maintenance of known hazard information. Property, Development and Facilities Management They are responsible for the provision of working areas, equipment and materials that are safe and dont pose any risk to health. Training and development: Personal Development Learning career development Pantaloons are committed to develop its employees into skilled, customer-focused, enthusiastic and motivated employees. They provides the employees the scheme named Seekho which enables them to develop their skill sets and opt for any educational courses so that they can increase their productivity which adds additional value for the company development in future. An employee is equally responsible for learning and development. Training is given as and when required e.g. the implementation of new systems. Review of performance Line managers review performance continually in order to assess how a particular employee is doing. It helps employee in assessing themselves and look for further development. Highlights of Equal Opportunities Policy are: Promote a working environment free from discrimination, harassment and victimization on the basis of: Gender, sexual orientation. Marital status Race, color, nationality. Working Hours Religion or Political views. Age and Disability. Identification of Jobs and their Analysis: Pantaloons as above mentioned it has around 30,000 employees who are working under different roles depending upon their qualifications. This means there is diversity in the Company distribution of work load as per the qualifications of the persons applying in. There are three levels of Jobs in any company viz. Entry Level, Middle Level, Senior Level. These levels have their own Job description, Job Specification and the Recruitment and Selection procedure etc These are briefly discussed below:- Entry Level: The entry level jobs at Pantaloons for example the Stock and Inventory staff and others. Job description: The Applicant for the Stock and Inventory the employees are responsible for shipping of inventory and supplying the inventory from the internal locations to the other departments. This means he pulls all the items from the storage, physically move them. Job Specification: Strong Organizational Skills. Multi Tasking ability. Basic computer knowledge. Strong Communication Skills. Must be soft spoken and must have a smiling face while treating the customer. Able to work under pressure. Detailed recruitment and staffing: For recruitment in this level a mass number of people are required. The company goes with advertisements and newspaper for walk in interviews. The company chooses reference and consultancies for the recruitment of the employees as one strategy. There are interviews conducted by departmental managers , store managers, HR heads and the team leaders respectively After all this process done if the person gets through all the interview rounds then he is given his place in the team or the job part for which he/she is fit for. Middle Level: The middle level job is of a Store Manager who is supposed to be responsible for both the functioning of the firm in maintaining the store and the management of the entry level people. Job Description: Minimum 3-5 years of experience in maintaining stores and performing the operational requirements. Monitoring the entire store and planning about the future services and training the new employees in their work. Must provide extremely high customer service and must make sure that the employees working under him must also provide same level customer satisfaction. The candidate is expected to develop functional understanding of business as well as understand the way information about the workplace and scheduling the processes. Good understanding of concepts such a Market basket analysis, Regression analysis etc. Job Specification: Graduate (preferable in retail management) with strong Maths background. Business Systems Analyst Skills. An experience of minimum 3-5 years is required. Advanced Computer knowledge. Effective verbal and written communication skills. Project management skills and strong leadership skills. Ability to manage multitasks in very fast pace environment. Broad knowledge on retail business. Strong analytical skills. Must be able to make seasonal strategy of a product. Detailed recruitment and staffing: The company produces vacancies in the consultancies, news paper advertisement for walk in. Now the company selects or shortlists the viable profiles and then starts the recruitment. Now the interviews are conducted as per these persons one by one viz. department head, store manager, zonal manager, HR. Senior Level: The senior level job is of Operations Manager who is responsible for all marking targets for different groups and is responsible for the other high end activities in the organization. Job Description: Minimum 5+ years of experience in performing the operational requirements. Interviewing the low level managers and make sure that all the employees understands the organization goals. Must provide extremely high customer service and must make sure that the employees working under him must also provide same level customer satisfaction. Must manage business operations activities and have to deliver the results according to the organizational strategy. Good understanding of concepts such a Market basket analysis. Job Specification: Excellent communication is required. Knowledge of business processes their interdependencies. Ability to give short-term solutions to business problem from a business continuity point of view. Develop report and review on all the operations which are taking place under his control. Ability to develop long term solutions for business problems with a view on repercussions on the whole business. Leadership skills required. An experience of minimum 5+ years is required Detailed recruitment and staffing: Same process is followed while giving ads in the news papers and consultancies. The main interview is taken by the HR and then supervised by the directors and the BODs. SELECTION PROCESS Finalization of the Candidate: Once a candidate is finalized, he has to submit the following documents: Last salary slip Last appointment letter REFERENCE CHECK: After the submission of slip and the appointment letter, the candidate has to give the names and contact details of two professional references from his current company/any of the previous companies where he has worked earlier. A telephonic call is made to the persons and the following is checked: Education background Professional Background Personal background Interpersonal skills for the formalities. OFFER LETTER: After checking all the references, if the candidates are found suitable, the offer letter is rollout to the candidate for joining. Effective Training Methodologies: Effective training methodology which a firm uses to adopt for the junior level executive is Experiential action learning. This method requires an instructor to be very skilled and knowledgeable about the process which the firm is following for its growth. Employees who are new to the organization are a part in the experiential action learning which may indeed help them to develop a better sense of knowledge which can improve the capabilities of the employee. Effective training methodology which a firm uses to adopt for the middle level executive is On-the-job training which is a kind of Word-Driven Training, in this type of training, supervisors or mentors-who must be very skilled in the work being taught- instruct participants in a hands-on environment. Design time is usually minimal because on-the-job training is not a formal process Effective training methodology which a firm uses to adopt for the senior level executives are Problem-bases learning in which participants focus on problems with the help of resource person, as required. Learners determine the pace of the training and its content. Training occurs in the sense that the group learns about the problem; at the same time, a solution is developed. The research indicated that people learning through problem-based training are more motivated. Conclusion: Pantaloon Retail (India) limited is not only an organization but it is an institute which provides its employees an opportunity for learning which helps in development of the company. They always look for the people who are high in knowledge which will help the organization success. Pantaloons always welcome change in fashion by thinking out of the box. Pantaloons has achieved success through its capability and competence to lead the change when compared to past. Pantaloons most innovative concepts are now considered as the base line in the retail industry. Pantaloon Retail (India) limited started of with manufacturing of garment later it expanded into the retailing market when compared to any other retail company. Pantaloon Retail (India) limited was the 1st to introduce the concept of the departmental store in retail sector for the entire family members through Pantaloons. Pantaloon Retail (India) also launched hypermarket in India as Big Bazaar, a large discount store and it also launched Food Bazaar. Today Pantaloon Retail (India) limited is diversified into so many fields and evolved as largest retail company in India. The way we work is distinctly Pantaloon. The biggest advantage of pantaloons is the courage of dreaming of becoming diversified into many fields and turning the dream into reality which changes the lives of the consumer. Pantaloon is an invitation to join a place where there are no boundaries to what you can achieve. Means employee are given importance to be open in their thoughts and requested to give their opinions for the organizational success.

What Is Inside That Beige Box :: essays research papers

What Is Inside That Beige Box? Power Supply The +3.3V and +5V circuits supply power to all the electronic circuitry in the system (motherboard, adapter cards and disk drive logic boards), and through the port sockets on the motherboard that poke out through the rear of the case, to the peripherals that don't have their own power supply (e.g. keyboard, mouse). Power supplies are often overlooked, but are essential to the proper operation of your system which requires a good, steady supply of DC power at the appropriate voltages. These voltages must be constant, right up to the maximum current your system will draw under load. CPU The CPU (Central Processing Unit) is the brain of the system. It executes all the program code from the operating system and the applications you run, and does most of the calculating and processing of data. It sends commands to direct the actions of all the other components in the PC and it manages the distribution of data to/from those various components. Inside the CPU are registers, arithmetic and logic units (ALU), a floating-point unit (FPU), control circuitry and cache memory. Registers are circuits designed to hold data so that it can be processed in some way by an ALU or the FPU. Cache memory is extremely fast, but small relative to the main memory. Cache memory is used to store the current set of working data and code. So when the processor needs to read the next bit of data or code, usually it can retrieve it much faster from the cache. On occasions when it must recall data from the (slower) main memory, the CPU is forced to wait instead of getting on with other operations. The CPU is the fastest component in your system. It works hard only sometimes, maybe when you play a game involving 3D graphics, or perhaps compile a very large program or run a very large spread-sheet; but most of the time it is just waiting for you to press the next key, or for the next bit of data to arrive from the Internet, through your modem. Main Memory or RAM (Random Access Memory) Memory is temporary storage where the processor can access program code and data. It is temporary because any information stored there is lost when the system loses power or is rebooted. A low or high (on or off) voltage state in those small circuits represents a "0" or "1", which are the only two possible states of a binary digit (a "bit").

Burmas Stateless Minority under the Tip of Globalizations Spear Essay

Bangladesh and Burma, two of Asia’s poorest nations, displaced and stateless people of rohingya suffer in silence at the hands of the military government in Burma’s Orwellian new capital of Naypyidaw, Bangladesh caretakers are being less sympathetic to them. People of rohingya are being crashed to death . there are children starving in the darkness of dawn in these Asian century. India and China are interested in resuscitating decrepit colonial era ports and WWII era transport routes in their weak states in the name of securing resources for their respective domestic economic progress. Discussion Complex patterns of today’s transnational human exodus across political and cultural boundaries examples of massive underground movement Rohingya are people they are never heard of they live in a place no one could never want to live they inhabit a violent landscape of crisis completely devoid of human rights. Women and children struggle to get clean water and food but after a long struggle and suffering they end up getting a pool of muddy stagnant water. They have no choice but to drink the dirty staff. There have been a lot of plight of human migration portrayed in the media now days known as â€Å"South to North†. Some of the odds that come to our minds are for example Cameroonians traversing thousands of miles up the African continent to look for work in a Parisian suburb and Guatemalans passing themselves off as Mexicans trying to enter California’s vast produce engine. Many parts of the world now days suffer a problem of lack of basic needs such as food, water, clothing and shelter. These has been as a result natural calamities such as floods, earth quark, land slides etc Political interest has also contributed to some extend. Complex patterns of today’s transnational human exodus are examples of underground movements referred to as â€Å"South to South† migration in think tank parlance. There has been a lot of genocide in the current would and oppressions of human rights. In ten years of travel and reportage of civilization’s fraying and violent crossroads, there have been witnesses of an array of struggles of people burning in the smoldering embers of post-World War II decolonization and the last great upheavals of the post-Berlin Wall paradigm shift. The far south of Bangladesh the situation there is dire and people live in a desperate situation. Desperate Iraqis refugees live in dark coastal hotels in Syria. Rohingya a minority group from western Burma are Muslims but are not welcomed, since Burma’s independence from the British Crown in 1948, they have been persecuted over the last six decade by the central government in several violent fits, and this all dispute came as a result of junta not recognizing Rohingya being the real citizens of Burma. and being Muslims therefore justify ethnic cleansing and forcing them out of their farms and off their villages in Rakhine. Rohingya therefore sought refuge in Bangladesh as refugees but they were not welcomed they were referred as â€Å"illegal economic migrants†. The darfurist have at least their leader but the minority Rohingya has none. Conclusion The world leaders have to come to understanding that because of their political differences the innocent children and women are suffering under their own hands.Genocide is not the solution to political differences. References 1. Derek Flood: From South to South: Burma’s Stateless Minority Under .. www. huffingtonpost. com/derek-flood/from-south-to-south-burma_b_98865. html – 81k – Cached – Similar pages 2. Derek Flood: From South to South: Burma’s Stateless Minority Under †¦ Derek_Flood_From_South_to_South_Burma_s_Stateless_Minority_Under_the_Tip_of†¦ – 25k – Cached – Similar pages

Vasquez Surname Meaning and Origin - About Genealogy

Vasquez Surname Meaning and Origin - About Genealogy The Vasquez surname is the 23rd most common Hispanic surname. It has several possible origins: A name denoting one who came from the Basque country, from the words vasco, velasco and belasco, each suggesting a place or ethnicity in the Basque provinces of Spain.A patronymic surname meaning  son of Vasco. The given name Vasco  derives from the medieval Spanish name  Velasco,  which possibly meant crow in Basque.According to Elsdon Smith in American Surnames, the names Vasquez, Vazquez and Velez in Spain designate those who herded ewes or sheep. Surname Origin:  Spanish, Portuguese Alternate Surname Spellings:  Vasquiz, Vasques, Vazquez, Vazques, Belasco, De Belasco, De Velasco, Velazquez, Vaz Famous People With the Surname Vasquez La La Vasquez - American television personality and entertainerDomingo Vsquez - President of Honduras, 1893-1894Francisco  Vzquez  de Coronado y Lujn - Spanish conquistador and explorer; discovered the Grand CanyonGregorio Vasquez - Colombian painter Most Commonly Found The first Vasquez families originated in the Castile region of Spain, according to  Forebears, which ranks Vasquez as the 424th most common surname in the world. The Vazquez spelling even more common, ranking 376th. Vasquez  is found most prevalently in Peru, where it ranks 13th in the nation, followed by Guatemala (15th), El Salvador (16th), Panama (22nd), Honduras (26th), and the Dominican Republic (29th). The Vazquez spelling is most frequent in Mexico, where it ranks 14th, followed by Puerto Rico (15th) and Argentina (19th).  Within Europe, Vasquez is actually found most frequently in southern France, according to  WorldNames PublicProfiler, while Vazques is most common in northern Spain, especially the Galicia and Asturias regions. Genealogy Resources 100 Most Common Spanish SurnamesHave you ever wondered about your Spanish last name  Ã‚  and how it came to be? This article describes common Spanish naming patterns, and explores the meaning and origins of 100 common Spanish surnames. How to Research Hispanic HeritageLearn how to get started researching  your Hispanic ancestors, including the basics of family tree research and country specific organizations, genealogical records, and resources for Spain, Latin America, Mexico, Brazil, the Caribbean, and other Spanish speaking countries. Vasquez Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Vasquez family crest or coat of arms for the Vasquez surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted.   Vasquez Family Genealogy ForumSearch this popular genealogy forum for the Vasquez surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Vasquez query. FamilySearch - Vasquez GenealogyAccess over 3.8 million free historical records and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Vasquez surname and its variations on this free genealogy website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Vasquez Surname Family Mailing ListsThis free mailing list for researchers of the Vasquez surname and its variations includes subscription details and a searchable archives of past messages. DistantCousin.com - Vasquez Genealogy Family HistoryExplore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Vasquez. The Vasquez Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse family trees and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the last name Vasquez from the website of Genealogy Today. - References: Surname Meanings Origins Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998. Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003. Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997. Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

Testosterone and Steroids Essay

Testosterone and Steroids Essay Testosterone and Steroids Essay Banning of Steroids in the World of Sports by Skylar Buss Composition and Speech II Mrs. Meade 15 March 2013 Thesis: Ever since the beginning of sports there has been different techniques used in order to gain an edge over opponents. The question that has been most frequently asked is, which of these techniques is considered cheating, and which ones are fair game? Introduction What sport it started in What other sports it went to what it known then? The use of steroids now is it overused? The bodybuilding community Recent events with steroids/juicing what are the effects of steroids on the body/mind Reproductive system Cardiovascular system nervous system When or why should it be allowed? or not? for what sport to create an even playing field Misconceptions Conclusion Re-capping Ever since the beginning of the era of athleticism, man has always searched for the improvement of both strength and endurance that would have him stand on the shoulders of giants of those before him. Things that the common athlete would search for is the intentional increase of testosterone, which is a male sex hormone that induces muscular hypertrophy as well as strength. How men would attain them would either be by the consumption of animal’s testicle’s or tea brews made from plants like Peruvian Maca. It was only until the discovery of the finer methods of manipulation of our hormones had scientists discovered that you don’t need to take supplements in order to raise your testosterone. Instead, create a synthetic version in which to implement into your bloodstream to directly affect your body with its anabolic capabilities. But, are synthetic hormones going too far with the improvement of physical performance? Should athletes and bodybuilders really risk thei r mental an physical health just to get a few more inches on their arm size? We now fast forward to the 1930s, where scientists created the artificial anabolic steroid that could help the growth of muscle in laboratory animal’s, this then reached the public as a supplement for athletes to use as a performance enhancer and a medicine that could be used for quicker recovery after a hard workout. The use of anabolic steroids was widely known to have been used during professional baseball. During the slow introduction of steroids to the society, athletes would take anabolic steroids to make them faster, and strong enough to hit the ball farther than their opponents. During this period, many all-star players like Babe Ruth, were making new home run records that were beyond anyone before them easier and this is where this started to concern other players as well as the public that were watching them. As much as the use of steroids brought an advantage over the opposing team, this w as not the only method that was used to gain the upper hand over whom they were versing, like: bat corking, bribing the officials, and stimulants. The question that has been most frequently asked for the use of steroids was, which of these techniques is considered cheating, and which ones were fair game. The use of steroids is now the most well-known form of cheating in recent sports history, and drove many sports commissioners into a full investigation, that has led to unique unprecedented punishments. Professional stars must realize that they are huge role models in today’s society, and are influencing young athletes all over the world. Any player in today’s society knows that there is a major punishment for using any kind of performance enhancing drugs. Not only do they get suspended immediately, but if and when they return are often booed by fans and are basically embarrassed in front of the entire league. Since steroids have been such a major subject of late, and such closely watched, I think anyone who tries is just asking for trouble. If an athlete in one of the major sports is caught using

Understanding of happiness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Understanding of happiness - Essay Example Daniel Gilbert a professor of psychology at Harvard University is a renowned and influential social psychologist and has contributed immensely in the topic of happiness through vigorous research in happiness and the factors that might be attributed to happiness currently and to the future. Gilbert is much concerned on issues that may guide us to realize our future happiness and identity and how one can utilize these factors to achieve their happiness. According to Gilbert, we learn from others and to achieve our future happiness, the experience of others might prove to be of utmost importance as compared to individual’s experience.Gertner on the other hand is a famous writer having immense contributions in leading dailies such as the New York Times, and is concerned with issues that directly affect populations and the real identity of the human kind in determining what they really want in life in defining their real identity. Largely, the two writers are deeply involved in iss ues are related to how individuals can attain happiness and defining their lives now and in the future through rigorous research and experiments. However, Gilbert proves to be a more senior writer as compared to Gertner, and the latter largely utilizes the ideas and the arguments by the former to extend his argument. Gertner introduces his argument by revisiting the argument by Gilbert and explaining the effectiveness of Gilbert’s arguments in daily lives of individuals.... The two articles by Gertner and Gilbert clearly portray this requirement. Gertner initiates the argument by explaining his side of the argument to the audience and supporting the arguments about happiness as expressed by Gilbert. Gertner goes ahead to present a set of statements that explains his argumentative side such as, â€Å"you are wrong to believe that a job loss will be crushing† and â€Å"you are wrong to believe that a new kitchen will make you happy for as long as you imagine† (Gertner, 397). It is these questions that form lay the basis to form a thesis in Gertner’s argument and explain to the audience his argumentative side, which is a requirement in academic writing as explained by Irvin (9). On the other hand Gilbert initiates his argument by expressing the sentiments expressed by the lyrics of Doris Day, upon which he tries to disapprove the notion that the future can never be foretold and is better if left to happen automatically (Gilbert, 170). It is upon this argument that Gilbert forms his argumentative side and continues to offer immense supporting evidence to prove the fact that the future happiness can really be experienced before hand and we need the experience of others to determine our own future. For example, Gilbert states that ,†accurate beliefs give us power , which makes it easier to understand why they are so readily transmitted from one mind to another†(Gilbert, 172). This proves that fact that we can learn about our future through the experience of others and do not have to rely on our own experiences alone. This is a major requirement of in academic writing. Irvin (9) further explains another aspect of academic writing to be a critical analysis. This implies the use of concepts that enable the writer

The impact of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles on our society Essay

The impact of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles on our society - Essay Example The possibilities of building systems that openly endanger societies all over the world are at least as huge as the possibility of applying this technology for constructive intentions or for the greater good. This essay presents an analysis of the positive and negative impacts of UAVs on societies and warfare. The Costs and Benefits of Unmanned Systems The design, construction, and use of UAVs will transform national security policy and society significantly. As more and more societies begin to use more automated processes, movement into areas affecting national security policy will certainly take place. The likelihood of building remotely operated, armed UAVs no longer sounds unbelievable. As expected, the development of UAVs would radically transform air battle. UAVs offer numerous advantages over manned structures, such as preventing human casualties, enabling flight control, and being more affordable or cost-effective (Bone & Bolkcom 2004, 10). UAVs enable a range of military and civilian operations not possible beforehand with manned systems and enable these operations to be carried out without risking the lives of the pilots, who operate at distant control centers. In counterinsurgency combat, the primary advantage of UAVs is an enhanced capacity to locate, deal with, and terminate enemies, while reducing civilian fatalities. Usually, UAVs would monitor a suspect and send the coordinates to a control station, where staffs would discuss with senior officials and look at maps in order to track civilian networks or buildings. After the discussion, the control station would dispatch directives to an airborne vehicle (Owen & Mueller 2007, 49). Moreover, as P.W. Singer observes, using UAVs give pilots the opportunity to engage in further risks with their vehicles, like hanging around longer and flying closer to the ground, hence resulting in a more precise attack. UAVs hence help commanding officers prevent civilian casualties during their attacks—an imp ortant factor in counterinsurgency combat (Callam 2010, 3). Unmanned aerial vehicles have further strengthened and sped up the evolving characteristic of warfare, and have been promoted for civilian uses such as search and rescue, wider security, and in observation of disaster-prone territories. Advancements in technology currently allow combatants to employ UAVs to deal with opponents from distant locations such as the Middle East. It also enables search and rescue attempts to be carried out in isolated locations or inaccessible ruins via the application of search and rescue automatons (Valavanis et al. 2009, 452). These automated machines have kept humans from entering dangerous situations. In a nutshell, the benefits of employing UAVs in comparison to using a manned system, are UAVs do not include, or require, a trained pilot aboard; lessen the exposure hazard to the pilot; can go into places that are hostile to humans; can remain airborne for more than 24 hours, conducting an ac curate, constant monitoring of a territory (e.g. conducting thermal or visual scan of an area, conducting a geological scan, etc.); and can be designed to accomplish operations independently even without communication with its operator (Callam 2010, 2). But UAVs are not completely blemish-free. The use of UAVs has also received several criticisms. Several learned observers argue that the application of

Microbiology BIO Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Microbiology BIO - Essay Example This virus can only cause diseases only when the host immune system is suppressed because of diseases or medication (University of Maryland Medical Center, 2011). Most of the viruses, fungi and parasites affect the eye due to due to direct introduction. This is through surgery, trauma, transplant from infected grafts or through hermatogenous dissemination to the eye organs. The most common eye diseases are caused by fungi. The fungi yeast Candida albicans causes endogenous endophthalmitis, while the Filamentous fungi accounts to one third of all traumatic infectious keratitis. Also, the patients suffering from AIDS may contract various fungal infections of the eye because of weakened immune system (Clinical Microbiology review, 2012). The Candida spp are opportunistic type of fungal pathogens that resides within the human body. The fungal resides without people’s knowledge and causes various infections such as eye infections. When the body immune system is weakened, the fungal quickly attacks the various body parts. This fungal species has the ability to distinguish between a healthy host and unhealthy host and alter its physiology so as to tack the body (Boston,

Managing Conflict Essay Example for Free

Managing Conflict Essay Managing conflict Medicolegal issues We live in an increasingly demanding and vociferous society and incidents of conflict and aggression are sadly commonplace. Kate Taylor, Clinical Risk Manager at the Medical Protection Society offers advice on how to deal with the problem Working in general practice is busy and demanding, with increased workloads, stretched time and some patients having greater expectations of care. At times, when expectations are not met, we can find ourselves in conflict with patients and in some situations this can turn to aggression. As nurses, how should we deal with potentially difficult situations? This article aims to increase our understanding of conflict and provide strategies to deal with it effectively. It also includes practical tips to reduce risks associated with managing conflict and aggression. DEFINITIONS Conflict means different things to different people. The Health and Safety Executive defines workplace violence as any incident where staff are abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work, involving an explicit or implicit challenge to their safety, well-being or  health.1 Non-physical violence can be defined as the use of inappropriate words or behaviour causing distress and/or constituting harassment.'[ 2] The scale of the problem There is limited documentation relating to violence against nurses working in general practice. However, a recent survey carried out by the British Medical Association, to which 20% of doctors responded, found:[ 3] * Violence is a problem in the workplace for half of doctors (same for GPs and hospital doctors). * 1 in 3 respondents had experienced some form of violence in the workplace in the last year (same for hospital doctors and GPs). * 1 in 5 doctors reported an increase in violence in the past year, but the level remained constant for the majority. * Among doctors who reported some experience of violence, most had been the victim of verbal abuse in the past year while more than half had received a threat, and a third had been physically assaulted. Most injuries were minor, but 5% were serious. In April 2011, NHS Protect was set up. It is responsible for leading on work to protect NHS staff and resources from crime in England.[ 4] According to its statistics, physical assault against NHS staff is steadily increasing. However, these statistics do not capture the incidents where staff have been subjected to non-physical violence. In general practice, members of staff are more likely to be subjected to non-physical violence. Imagine working as a practice nurse and an unhappy patient threatens you, telling you I know where you live? We cannot underestimate the impact that such non-physical violence can have on individuals. CONTRIBUTORY FACTORS Circumstances * Members of the general practice team are particularly vulnerable as they often consult with patients alone. Doctors and practice nurses often work in small numbers. * Home visits are usually carried out alone. System and Organisational Problems * Delays, restrictions and mistakes such as lost prescriptions or delays in test results * Lack of appointments * Patient disappointment often results from unmet expectations, whether  realistic or unrealistic. Environment * Waiting room (heating, lighting, noise and seating) * Cramped consulting rooms without easy exit for health professionals * Lack of privacy * Availability of potential weapons. Patient Factors * Increased expectations and the difficulties in meeting these demands. Dissatisfaction with the care provided is perceived as the most common cause of aggression and violence * Strong patient emotions e.g. uncertainty, frustration, stress and anxiety. Anger is often secondary to emotions such as anxiety or grief * An underlying medical condition such as hypoglycaemia or psychotic illness * Physical symptoms including pain, headache or over-tiredness * Mental health problems such as * Personal problems e.g. financial, relationship, stress at work * Drugs and alcohol. Staff Factors * Under pressure staff-working in noisy cramped rooms, unable to trace or contact staff * In adequate staff numbers * Escalating the situation by confrontation, over-reacting, poor ccmmunication, inconsistencies in handling patients, patronising behaviour, ignoring a situation or falling to apologise. COMMUNICATION SKILLS Good communication with patients is likely to reduce the risk of conflict and violence. As nurses, how we communicate with our patients can have an impact on how difficult situations develop. We need to think about what we say and how we say it. We should rely on our strong communication skills to determine with our patients what they can expect from the services we provide. A study by American psychologist, Albert Mehrabian, determined that non-verbal communication represents over 50% of an interaction.[ 5] Being aware of your own body language can be the first step to understanding how it is perceived by our patients. Listening and empathising with patients are essential skills for nurses-so how do we ensure our patients know we are listening? * Give the patient your undivided attention * Dont trivialise the patients issue * How is the patient feeling are they angry, afraid, frustrated? Respond to the emotion as well as the words * Allow the patient to finish what they are saying * Ask questions, paraphrase and reflect to ensure you understand the message. CHALLENGING INTERACTIONS Challenging interactions with patients can be a significant cause of stress for nurses, yet the nature of most clinical jobs makes these encounters unavoidable. It can be difficult to communicate your point of view effectively for fear of generating conflict, which can lead to frustration and dissatisfaction, and may affect your ability to give good care. It is vital to build a trusting relationship with the patient in these circumstances; ensure you listen attentively, empathise and avoid confrontation. Maintain eye contact and try to establish a shared understanding of the patients problem. Having acknowledged their perspective, respectfully inform them of your position. Then work on achieving a mutually agreeable solution or way forward rather than focussing on points of disagreement, which can otherwise degenerate into an argument. Then help and support the patient to achieve the agreed solution. After challenging interactions that have required you to state your position, ensure there is effective communication with other members of the practice clinical team, along with a clear record of the discussions held. This will ensure consistency should the patient approach a different clinician seeking to re-negotiate an alternative plan or outcome. PRACTICAL TIPS Practices should consider: * Providing a side room or separate area to deal with upset/aggressive patients or those who need more privacy. * Providing good temperature and ventilation control, adequate seating and clear signage * Providing calming measures to reduce frustration, anxiety or boredom such as distractions in waiting room e.g. toys for children, magazines for adults * Adding an agreed marker to the summary of a patients record who has a history of violence (and ensure it is factually accurate) * Having a protocol for involving the police and removing patients from the list * Using CCTV * Ensuring all practice staff have access to panic alarms * Providing locks for all areas where patient access is restricted CONCLUSION We can and will experience conflict in general practice due to the sheer volume of patient contacts that occur every day. The key to managing a conflict situation is to try to de-escalate it as much as possible.confidentiality is central to the trust between nurses and their patients think how easy it may be to breach confidentiality when you have a situation with an aggressive patient. The Nursing and Midwifery Council Code of conduct clearly states you must respect peoples right to confidentiality.[ 6] As a last resort you can remove a patient from the practice list. However, this can be seen as an emotive issue, risking criticism from bodies such as the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, the GMC and the media. You can find useful information on how to go about it in the MPS factsheet, Removing patients from the practice list (September 2013).[ 7] http://www.medicalprotection.org/ uk/england-factsheets/removing-patients-from-the-practice-list. CASE STUDY Nurse E is about to start her clinic when she notices Mrs S on the list of patients for the day. Her heart sinks. Mrs S often presents with one or more complaints, talks nonstop and does not listen to advice provided. She knows from experience that interactions with Mrs S will be challenging. Mrs S is called in 20 minutes later than her planned appointment and she lets Nurse E know that she is not happy. Nurse E admits that her clinic is running late but tells Mrs S that she had an unavoidable emergency. She proceeds to take Mrs Ss blood pressure and other vital signs. Mrs S then asks Nurse E for a prescription for antibiotics as she is going on holiday and wants them just in case her chest flares up while away. Nurse E advises her that she will need to make an appointment to see the GP. Mrs S, now increasingly unhappy, begins to raise her voice and bang her fist on the desk, demanding a prescription before she leaves. Nurse E, staying calm, advises Mrs S that she is unable to give her a prescription as she doesnt have any active symptoms. Mrs S storms out of the consultation room pushing past Nurse E. Understandably upset, Nurse E calls the practice manager to report the incident. How could this situation have been dealt with better? * Apologise when mistakes occur or when clinics are running late. Some practices ask reception staff to inform patients when they are checking in if clinicians are behind schedule * Ensure patients are well informed about how systems at the practice work to try to reduce unrealistic expectations * Acknowledge the patients emotions and allow them to express them, which can take time. Ask the patient to tell you about their concerns. Listen actively using comments such as I see, or go on?, and nodding your head. Summarise their experiences, feelings and concerns back to them * Work with the patient to resolve the situation. Agree a plan for dealing with their concerns and moving forward. * Try to offer an alternative solution to demonstrate that you are keen to help them. For example, Im sorry Mrs S, but I am unable to give you a prescription. However, if you wish to make an appointment with one of the GPs you can discuss this with them * Consider the layout of the consulting rooms and reception area to ensure you can leave the room if the situation escalates. Aggression in healthcare settings is becoming all too common REFERENCES 1. Health and Safety Executive: work related violence www.hsegov.uk/violence 2. NHS Business Services(2012) Not part of my job http://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/Documents/ SecurityManagement/NP0J1 .pdf 3. British Medical Association (2008). Violence in the workplace. The experience of doctors in the UK. http://www.bma.org.uk/ap.nsf/AttachmentsByTitle/ PDFviolence08/$FILE/Violence.pdf 4. NHS Protect 2013 http://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/Protect.aspx 5. Mehrabian, A(1971) Silent messages Belmont, CA:Wadsworth 6. NMC(2011)The code: Standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives http://www.nmc-uk.org/Documents/Standards/ nmc TheCodeStandardsofConduct PerformanceAndEthicsForNursesAndMidwives%5FLargePrintVersion.PDF 7. MPS Factsheet removing patients from practices list September 2013 http://www.medicalprotection.org/uk/england-factsheets/removing-patients-from-the-practice-list ~~~~~~~~