W 6 OIS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

W 6 OIS - Essay Example Unfortunately though, there are some challenges that easily come up in their bid to doing so. Among other things, Wager, Lee and Glaser (2009) identifies the absence of an evaluation process, health information technology (HIT) barriers and an expected pass rate of 100% as three core challenges to MU. For most of these challenges organizations are faced with the need to improvising ways of overcoming them through the use of an in-house risk mitigation program. Once the challenges are overcome and the use of MU is set to roll, there are several advantages that become achieved as a result. In the first place MU, comes to address the problem of medication errors, which can also be attributed to issues such as fatigue on the part of health practitioners, mechanization of processes and human errors (Lee and Corey, 2002). As the issue of medication error through the institutionalization of HER is achieved, the credibility of organizations goes up. What is more, efficiency of health organizations becomes improved since MU ensures that much productivity is guaranteed within a very short time frame (Wager, Lee and Glaser, 2009). Mentzer et al (2011) also noted the fact that MU engages patients and families and thus making a shared responsibility a very useful parameter for achieving results within the healthcare

Situation Essay Example for Free

Situation Essay Situation A: An employee took time off due to his wife giving birth prematurely. His requested time off was approved by his original manager as the employee qualified for FMLA since he has been with the company for two years and was for the care of his spouse. Under (1)†FMLA rules certain employees can be provided up to 12 weeks unpaid, job-protected leave per year. The employee must work for the company at least 12 months, have at least 1250 hours during the 12 months and the where the employee work, the company must employ at least 50 employees within 75 miles†. (1) â€Å"Eligible reasons for leave to be granted to an employee are: * birth and care of the newborn child of an employee; * placement with the employee of a child for adoption or foster care; * to care for an immediate family member (spouse, child, or parent) with a serious health condition; or to take medical leave when the employee is unable to work because of a serious health condition.† The employee requested to return to work after 11 weeks, his new manager approved his return along with his pay prior to his leave from the company. The employee’s request for payment of his salary while he was on leave for 11 weeks was not approved. The company would not be in violation of FMLA rules if the new manager decides not to pay the employee. (1)FMLA states that leave is to be unpaid and therefore the company has the right not to pay. The company complied with all the FMLA eligibility rules when they granted leave and reinstated the employee to his original position and pay rate at the end of his 11 week leave to care for his wife and new born children. If the company provides sick or vacation time an employee can take this during their time off. It’s an unfortunate situation for the employee and the company. The returning employee’s original manager left the company during the employee’s leave and approved his being paid during his leave I feel the following actions should take place. First, attempts to contact the previous manager to confirm the employee’s statement and upon confirmation payment should be granted. Second, the company should show a gesture of good faith and up hold the original manager’s agreement. Third, an amendment to company policy should be put in place to cover future events. Written and signed by both management and employee to the exact terms agreed upon prior to leave under FMLA are to be taken. This is for the protection of the company and their employees. Situation B: A company conducts its annual review in which the results reveal one of its senior employee’s (68yr old) is doing exemplary work and another younger employee (32yr old) is doing average work. The promotion was given to the younger (32yr old) employee over the senior (68yr old) employee due to his age. Even though the fact that the senior employee’s work was above par in comparison to the younger employee. The company is in direct violation of the ADEA of 1967 which states (2)â€Å"certain applicant and employees who are 40 years of age and older are protected from discrimination on the basis of age in hiring, promotion, discharge, compensation, or terms, conditions or privileges of employment.† In this case the 68 year old employee could sue the company based on Age Discrimination and win. Situation C: A potential applicant who is wheelchair bound due to paralysis of his lower extremities applied for an open position with company x. The applicant would need to have access to all seven floors in order to do their job. The company would need to provide â€Å"reasonable accommodations†. Company X denied the potential applicant because of â€Å"undue hardship† that would be brought on the company for retro fitting the elevator keypads in two of the four elevators to accommodate the potential applicant needs to gain access to all the floors. After reviewing the American Disabilities Act of 1990 and the needs of the potential applicant to determine whether retro fitting the existing elevator keypads would create an undue hardship to Company X or not I found the following (34) †Reasonable accommodation is any change or adjustment to the work environment that would allow the disabled worker to perform the essential functions of the job or to allow the disabled worker to enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment equal to employees without disabilities. These additional accessibility alterations are only required to the extent that the added accessibility costs do not exceed 20% of the cost of the original alteration. However, the facility is obligated up to the 20% limit. The path of travel requirement covers elevators, ramps, doorways, pathways, drinking fountains, phones, work space etc.† Company X should provide backup documentation that shows retro fitting the elevators would exceed 20% therefore creating the â€Å"undue hardship†. The only alternative suggestion would be not to retro fit the elevators. Two of the four are not in need of retro fitting so if the potential applicant could safely gain access to all seven floors and still be in compliance with â€Å"ADA† then Company X would be and only then be in violation of â€Å"ADA† when they denied the applicant employment.

Technology Innovation And Competition In Gaming Industry Media Essay

Technology Innovation And Competition In Gaming Industry Media Essay The purpose of this paper is to explain the effect of technology innovation on the competition in a global industry. After presenting some theoretical understanding on this issue, it is further illustrated thoroughly by the example of Gaming Industry and innovations done by the major players in it and how in these days the latest technology innovation by Nintendo altered the terms of competition in the whole industry. Innovation can have radical or drastic effects. Usually innovation is seen as the method of applying technical or specific progress to the market. In this sense innovation can be in relation to processes (i.e. a new method of making something better or cheaper or both) or products (i.e. a new or considerably better product of some kind), or may be a mixture of the two. Product innovation can generate new markets or modify the segmentation of already existing markets while Process innovation have an effect on the competitive balance in existing markets. Innovation brings productivity gains, product diversity and better quality product at fewer prices. With such clear consumer benefits, it also gives innovator competitive advantage by giving the ability to present entirely new products or processes or greater competence in existing techniques. For such competitive advantage it is not necessary to be permanent and other consequence is that it encourages other competitors also And the benefits may be widespread, arising from their distribution through networks. (Peter Freeman, 2004). In other words, by innovation the incremental profits may increase the competition and thus promote RD investments aimed at escaping competition. (Philippe Aghion, et, al, 2002) Many innovations utilize technology. May be an innovation is high technology from the suppliers point of view, but if it is not apparent to the customer as improving and altering their business functions, that is radical innovation. Technological innovations are generally complex products, possessing attributes with which the potential adopting unit may be unfamiliar. Generally high technology innovations have high switching cost and costly in monetary terms. The concern is how this technology innovation alters the terms of competition in the global industry. These technology innovations may reduce cost of production or distribution and also helps in producing higher quality or innovative products that offer new benefits for the consumers. In technology markets, products of new generation often include new features instead of more core capabilities. The acceptance of technology innovation is positively associated with competition. (Thomas and Hubert, 1986). In fact, Abernathy and Utt erback (1978) have suggested that as competition increases, the type of innovations adopted changes from major product innovations to process innovations. The accessibility to innovation is most pronounced if the strategy for preempting new entry requires new technologies for cost reduction or for gaining new segments. Therefore, the conditions for a positive effect of demand uncertainty on the rate of diffusion of innovation are: when existing competition uses cost as a barrier to entry and there is a potential for price reductions and when the preempting strategy is to fill the gaps in satisfying the heterogeneous needs of the market, given that the new products or segments require a technological innovation. There have been many management practices and demonstrations in todays modern times on the requirements for companies to be innovative. It is also usually believed that without innovation companies will immediately lose their charm of competitive edge. Competitiveness of an industry is generally assessed by the number of competitors it has and also competition has reached such a level that only companies who can provide steady stream of innovative processes and products are successful in both domestic as well as international markets. The aim of technology innovation can either be to target new customers or the need of existing customers. This can be explained by taking the example of gaming industry, as gaming industry made a lot of technology innovations in memory and graphic components of gaming consoles since many years. The important feature of gaming industry is rapid and sustained technical innovation. INDUSTRY: Since 70s the gaming industry being a only factor in a short time period. It took them only few years to make their place in the market and people started becoming familiar with the gaming companies. Types of games where we stomped turtles and ate mushrooms are gone now. That time gaming industry was really successful and became a billion dollar industry, those were the days when Nintendo started launching games every month. In the early 1980s their use to be a huge increase in demand for video games and has continued with constant increases in the following years. And then in 2000s, the gaming industries supported US market of nearly $13 billion  [1]  and worldwide market of almost $24.5 billion. Right now, in the industry every firm is following different Business Model and the most successful is Nintendos Business Model as the price of their console is less and instead of following others, they are doing something innovative and this time they targeted the non-gamers in the ma rket which the other two competitors could not even think of. The gaming industry tries to improve by releasing new games one after the other. To increase the sales and beat the competition every firm in the industry is trying to improve marketing techniques and games. They launch more powerful consoles with bigger game worlds, new graphics and better soundtracks. Over the last couple of years there is a direct connection between the introduction of next-generation video game hardware and the rise in demand. Through technological upgrading, Video game console manufacturers have gradually moved from 8-bit to 16-bit to 32-bit to 64-bit, resulting in continuous improvement in performance and quality of games. As Sony and Microsoft concentrated on improving their consoles, Nintendo came up with new technology that allows the player to play physically with proper moves unlike the other consoles. The introduction of new product by Nintendo that is Nintendo Wii, game console is an easier to use interface that targets at current non-gamers where as Microsofts Xbox 360, another console is introduced as high definition gaming. So Microsofts behavior is accelerating the technology treadmill and when the new feature has an alternate presentation aspect to attract new customers as in Nintendos case, so this is referred as stepping off the technology treadm ill. So, to alter the terms of competition in the gaming industry, Nintendo came up with technology innovation and launched Nintendo Wii, console in which a motion sensitive controller is used and adopted totally different strategy and with its technology innovation altered the terms of competition in the global industry. Sales and marketing vice-president of Nintendo described the strategy of his firm by citing two popular managerial books, the Blue Ocean Strategy (Kim and Mauborgne 2005) and The Innovators Dilemma (Cristensen 1997): Looking at the current state of the video game market, we believe there is a strong argument for expanding the audience beyond the current core players, attracting players by rethinking what a videogame means, and delivering our entertaining in a more convenient and affordable fashion (Casamassina 2005). The video game market is strongly subject to changes and is highly dynamic. THE 3 GIANTS PLAYERS: The gaming industry is dominated and contested by 3 giant players, namely: MICROSOFT XBOX NINTENDO Wii SONY Play Station Once the definite global leader of the video game industry, Nintendo now for the number-one spot in the industry has to compete with Sony. For its home video game systems as well as the hand-held Nintendo DS, Nintendo itself manufactures and markets hardware and software. Nintendo DS has controlled around 90% of the U.S. hand-held market in 2003, the 16-bit Super Nintendo. In the history Entertainment System (SNES), and the performance-driven Game Cube was the fastest-selling video game system. The superior 3-D graphics of Game Cubes and well-known games (Nintendos 50% profits are derived from software) have enabled it to retain itself in the video game competition. In 2005, US gaming consoles has highest market share from Sony with 56.4% share which is followed by 24.9% share of Microsoft and then third one was Nintendo with 18.7% as shown in the figure given below: March (2005) NINTENDOs INNOVATION: Motion Controller Because of the introduction of the innovative motion controller, The Wii has been on fire since it hit the market and US unit, sales have increased to 20 million, making it the highest selling video game console in history and ushering in unique family gameplay with some of the titles such as Mario Kart Wii and WiiPlay. As Microsoft and Sony continued to improve their games, Nintendo tries its best to change the technology. They decided that rather than enhancing their cars, they would considerably build a new vehicle, which would reform the industry. Sony and Microsoft target the older players of human population with their games and consoles, instead of young people. Nintendo instead tried to bring technology innovation to the table and win over the adolescent generations, which are the future. The fact behind the Nintendo Wiis success is that its a cool technology and parents can see their kids exercise. Basically Nintendo did not introduce Wii with the HDTV where as its competito rs did with their latest consoles. This seems relatively a sensible step as the bulk of homes do not have HDTV and the acceptance rate of TV will comparatively slow because non HD TVs do a flawlessly good job. Even elder people like this console, especially if sometimes they prefer to change their inactive lifestyle, or if they are interested to lose some weight. This is why when Nintendo comes to race with its other two competitors, Microsoft and Sony it has the advantage over them. Like Sony some companies depends mostly on their reputation, whereas the ones who wins the race in the long run are those who innovate. The advantages to Nintendo are that, firstly it makes their console low-priced to manufacture, which means that they can sell the console base at a profit while their competitors have to invest in the retail price. Another advantage is that games are a lot cheaper, quicker and easier to develop. This, obviously, has immense effect on what appears generally and when it a ppears on the game shop shelf. (Peter Freeman, 2004) According to the NPD Group (which track retail sale), in November 2008, the company sold 2 million Wii players more than twice the number of PlayStation 3s and Xbox 36Os combined. And in the same month it sold 700000-plus Wii-fit exercise boards. But Nintendos success isnt limited to the Wii. Its portable DS system is the top seller in its category too. In March Nintendo sold 601,000 Wii consoles in the U.S that are more machines than Microsoft and Sony Corp. llustration The couch-potato world of video gamers was dazed when the Wii, was launched with its motion-sensitive remote control. Users can play Wii Golf, tennis and lot more games for instance, by swinging the remote like a golf club, or like a racket in the air. In September, Nintendo added one more accessory in its collection that is a $20 remote-control accessory called Wii Motion Plus that was introduced to add more accuracy to game motions, it make the Wiis motions feel more realistic. But it works only with Wii Motion Plus Games. Wii also encourages users to walk around in more ways than just playing with a remote: Its Wii Balance Board, works like a digital exercise step, which is included in the Wii Fit Plus game in a $100 bundle, It records changes in the bodys weight and all the moves for activities from wake boarding to yoga. The Internet access is included in Wii and users can compete against each other online. Around 655 packaged games are accessible for between $30 and $50. MICROSOFT PROJECT NATAL: Microsoft Corp. developed the worlds first sensor to combine multi-array microphone, an RGB camera and custom processor that allows players to control games with the movement of their bodies, this was an attempt to magnetize the casual players who have fueled Nintendos recent success. The device of Microsoft is a bend on Nintendos smash hit Wii game console, which allows users to swing a racket of tennis or other games equipment by just holding a wand of plastic in their hands. The Microsoft camera doesnt require gamers to hold any thing in their hands to control on-screen action. The camera sits near the television and captures when players move their hands, legs or head. The camera represents another attempt by the gaming industry to get to consumers with more instinctive playing methods than usual game controllers, with their range of joysticks and buttons. To give players more perfect control over games than earlier game cameras actually did. Microsofts camera uses 3-D technology SONY PS-3 MOTION CONTROL: Sony Computer Entertainment, on the other hand, will be competing with Nintendo head-on via a new PS3 motion-control technology set to launch in spring 2010. The PlayStation Eye, Sonys proprietary digital camera that detects the slightest hand gesture, reads movement on the device. On-screen, the controller can then become anything from a bow and arrow to a novelty baseball bat that opens up a wealth of possibilities for PS3 game designers. Sony is also going head-to-head with the current twin handheld device of choice, the Nintendo DS. Sony Corp. plans to upgrade its PlayStation 3 console for 3-D games with a free software upgrade, but for that consumers will have to buy a new TV and glasses. NINTENDO 3-D: Nintendo Co. is planning to sell a new 3-D gaming device without the requirement of wearing glasses while playing as everyone doesnt like to wear glasses. The device will succeed as the DS; which is the best-selling hand-held videogame till date, with more than 125 million units sold since its launch in late 2004. Especially among casual videogame fans, Apple Inc.s iPhone (Smart phones) have started to come forward as a threat to gaming stuff such as the DS. The new system will also play current Nintendo DS games. From TV sets to digital cameras, electronics companies are turning to 3-D as a way to produce better products. Source: Flurry Analytics Conclusion: The history of the video game industry belongs to Nintendo. But in 1990s, Nintendos market share was reduced completely as the preferences of video game players shifted from uncomplicated fun games to technical and superior video games offered by Sony and Microsoft, which entered the market in 2001 with the Xbox. It was basically the technological prowess of Sony and Microsoft, which stole the whole market from Nintendo. When the company was almost falling like a house of cards and it seemed that the competition in the gaming industry was only between Sony Play Station 3 and Microsoft Xbox360. Nintendo launched Wii, a console that had unconventional design. Though Wii was not in direct competition with Microsofts Xbox and Sonys PlayStation, but it managed to steal and fans of both the players and substantial market shares. The Nintendo Wii wiped the sales floor with its competitors. As a response to the massive success of the Nintendo Wii, Microsoft came up with Project Natal, ditching physical peripherals and controllers completely with the worlds first sensor to combine multi-array microphone, custom processor and RGB camera. Sony also did not lag behind as it launched a new PS3 motion-control technology to meet the competition head-on. These innovative devices again disturbed the sales of Nintendo and aiming to revive sales of portable game machines, Nintendo Co. brought about a new 3-D gaming device known as the Nintendo 3DS. So, this can be seen that through a series of innovations and technological advancements, each of the three companies has altered the terms of competition in the gaming industry. Every company is trying to capture the largest market share by bringing about innovative gaming consoles. So, in case of the gaming industry, Innovation is the main mover of the market and it helps in altering the terms of competition in any industry to a great extent.

Dickinson vs Whitman Essay -- essays papers

Dickinson vs Whitman Two Poets, Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson are probably two of the most influential people in American poetry. They are regarded as the founders modern American poetry. Walt Whitman (1819-1892), for the time was breaking new ground with his diverse, energetic verse with regards to subject matter, form and style whether talking about overlooked objects in nature such as a single blade of grass or even our own hearing. Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) while living a life of seclusion, never really leaving her birthplace, was very adventurous internally. She was well read in English literature, often deeply exploring her own thoughts. While Dickinson and Whitman are referred to as the founders of modern American poetry, they are strikingly different. While Whitman’s poems are large and expansive, the lines long and visually descriptive, Dickinson’s works, in contrast, are highly compressed, squeezing moments of intense emotions and thought into tight four line stanzas whi ch contract feeling and condense thought. If one was to compare Whitman’s Crossing Brooklyn...

Some Surrender :: English Literature

Some Surrender I have recently read, analysed and enjoyed the short story â€Å"Some Surrender† by Bernard Maclaverty. I found this story very enjoyable as the author’s background themes were portrayed through a memorable and interesting dialogue in a thought provoking manner. The plot revolved around a hill walking trip for a father and son. It starts off with the climbing of the hill and the two catching up with each other as they have not spoken in a long time. They are celebrating the fathers 75th birthday. We hear of Roy’s – the son – failed relationship with his parents. This is due to his mother’s disapproval of him marrying a catholic woman and having a child out of wedlock. â€Å"She wasn’t even a good catholic.† Once at the top of the hill the two men share and discuss their views on the troubles in Ireland. They also talk about Roy’s job and his road to success i.e. writing a book. We learn about their secret meetings and how they used the rugby matches as an excuse. Afterwards, on their way down the hill, Roy realises how his father has aged and how fragile he has become. I found that characterisation had a major part to play in this prose as they each showed different political opinions and how these views have major effects on their lives. The father – who has lived and worked in Belfast all his life - is seventy five years of age and is getting on, although there is an obvious deterioration in health he is still fairly fit and has a â€Å"spring in his step†. He was an architect and had designed quite a few high-rise buildings, all due for demolition within the next few years. We hear that he has always been loyal to his wife and is well educated â€Å"I chose your mother. I didn’t choose you.† He stood by and respected his wife’s decision to disown their child, but he did not completely reject him. His views on political matters are very prejudiced and bigoted, always being anti-catholic . The son - Roy - is forty four years old and is a fairly successful photographer. â€Å"I see your postcards all over the place. Supermarkets even.† He has a book to be published and has got a new position working in Dublin. Despite his good job, we learn that he did not work hard in and came out of school with little or no qualifications. â€Å"You failed because you didn’t work hard enough.† After twenty years, only now has Roy got an easy and relaxed relationship with his father, despite his decision.

Work Experience Essay -- Papers

Work Experience Essay Work Experience, three weeks of pain and suffering, which turned me from a school boy into a grown man, was it for good or just an ordeal that never should have taken place? You decideà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ My torment began early Wednesday morning my daily schedule involved meeting my supervisor. This not only petrified me but also my work colleagues. For the supervisor was no mere man. He was a huge sack of revolting comments. He was a cold, harsh man who held no compassion for his workers and besides all that he absolutely loathed me. For reasons unknown to me, since day one, the supervisor had made me the subject of all his jokes, his multitude of insults always seem to fall upon me. Walking down the dark pathways, climbing the stairs till I reached the very top of the building, my heart seemed to drop an inch with every step. I dreaded the encounter but it was unavoidable. I turned the corner ready and willing to confront my fate. Instantly I noticed the first of many different strange occurrences. I entered the room and the whiff of cheap perfume hit my nostrils. The room was a small dark area but sparse inhuman furniture made it look larger. The room's personality matched that of its occupant. It was cold, grey, dull and uninviting. Speaking of the occupant he was sat in the middle of the room, in front of the desk. He was waiting for me to take my seat. I did just that. It wasn't long before the shrill voice the supervisor spoke in began to speak. I was expecting a lecture on my late arrival but I didn't receive that, instead I heard the supervisor utter words that I'd never believe a creature of his postu... ...ed, but I had not the strength to tell her so, she could enjoy my babbling at another time, unfortunately dear readers, you do not have the same luxury, but fear not I'm coming to the end of my tale. Despite my cynicism and pessimistic view of life I knew I had experienced the worst case tangle with the world of work but somehow no matter how off-putting it seemed, I was rather excited at the prospect of full time employment, which looms in front of me. Oh and if you think I was serious in this concluding paragraph, you obviously haven't listened to my work experience report properly and in that case I'll start from the beginningà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Work Experience, three weeks of pain and suffering, which turned me from a school boy into a grown man, was it for good or just an ordeal that never should have taken place? You decideà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦

Project Closures Essay

Everything with a beginning must have an end and a project is not quite complete until the closing stage is considered successful. (Sanghera, P.2009 p.223) Scenario one: Closing a project that has met its objective This scenario delights the project manager and his or her team as it is the ideal end to any project. It involves closing all activities related to the project both the within and without. Here the project manager (PM) meets with the stakeholders to gain their final approval of the project, ascertain that the deliverable meets the completion standards, conclude contract arrangements with vendors, transfer responsibility of project output to other people, release people and other resources, and document lessons learned. (Sunny & Baker pp330-331). Scenario two: Closing a project that was terminated early In this scenario a project can be terminated for a number of reasons. From the discussion question we saw that a project can be adjudged to have failed, if it cannot meet up objective, expected to fail or are no longer in line with the objective of the company can be terminated. Bommer & Pease, 1991further provided reasons like paucity of funding, technological obsolescence, changes in consumer trends, mergers and acquisitions loss of the champion and negative cost/benefit ratio. However whatever might have being the underlying cause of the termination of a project, it is still very important that the project is closed formally. In that regard, there is no difference between closing a project that has met its objectives and a project that was terminated early in its life. Both scenarios must undergo the close project process and the close procurement process. But the following differences can be observed: (1)In the first scenario there is a tangible project deliverable that can be transferred to other people, it may serve as inputs to another project. While in the second scenario there may be no tangible deliverable. (2) The emotional currents observed in both scenarios are quite different, in the first scenario the PM and everyone associated with the project are elated and feels fulfilled, leading to more latent energy for future projects and commitment to the organisation. In the second case, negative emotions may be generated which can be counterproductive to future projects and the organisation. This situation can arise when senior management arbitrarily cancels a project without carrying the team along. Administrative closure This is the process of formally bringing to an end all project activities. It relates to the closing process group and the integration management knowledge area. (Sanghera 2010 p377) The accepted project deliverable after its verification is compared with the project management plan and other closure guidelines and procedures before it is handed over to the customer. This action is necessary for both scenarios one and two. Contract closure This occurs when the terms of the contract have been reached or when there is a termination before the terms can be reached. The latter case usually involves compensation. In multi-phased projects contract closure can occur more than once while administrative closure occurs only once. The acceptance of the deliverable takes place during the administrative closure. Conclusion Administrative closure and contract closure both occur in closing a project that has met its objective and one that is terminated early. In the latter case care should be taken to carry the team members along in the process of project termination in order to boost their morale and productivity for future projects.