Managing Innovation

Innovation can be referred to as the â€Å"incorporation of new ideas or new methods used in business with the intention of winning customer loyalty† (Klein). Innovation is an important process in any company since it helps in evaluating the performance the firm (Ettlie 74). For any company to survive in a competitive market, it must have effective strategic management policies. This can be achieved by focusing on innovation within the firm.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Managing Innovation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Managing innovation enables managers to gain the knowledge that will enable them to manage their businesses in a given business environment. The knowledge gained through effective management of innovation facilitates the development of products that meet the expectations of the clients. The level of competition in the modern market is very high (Adam 73). Thus firms should be in a posi tion to identify and take advantage of the weaknesses of their competitors. One of the most important factors to consider when analyzing the level of competition in the market is the level of innovation. All firms need to incorporate new ideas in their operations in order to survive in the competitive market. This is because the level of technology changes everyday and new products are brought into the market on a daily basis. Companies that intend to have the best reputation in the market must upgrade their level of innovation (Adam 82). Innovation is a process of â€Å"thought change since its main intention is to come up with new ideas† (Adam 87) that can be implemented in the market. There are several types of innovation. However, they all focus on the development of the organization through new ideas and strategies (Adam 91). Innovation can be disruptive or sustaining (Adam 97). When analyzing the types of innovation, much emphasis is usually put on disruptive innovation since it is the most important as far as business is concerned. Innovation is a long process that occurs in stages or phases within the organization. For example, the development of a new product begins with the thought process. This is followed by the manufacture of the product and ends with the marketing of the product. The process of innovation thus begins with the thought process. This involves developing a vision of what is to be achieved. Innovation is therefore considered to be â€Å"the incremental or radical changes that take place in an organization† (Bessant 67). The changes relate to the manner in which decisions are made, the production of goods and services and the distribution process. The advancement in technology focuses on improving all aspects of a business in the modern economy through innovation (Klein 101). According to Pixar seminars, managing innovation is a very important process since it facilitates growth and resilience. The second stage of managin g innovation is more advanced and involves the implementation of the new ideas (Harvey 65). Thus at this stage the new ideas are â€Å"transformed into actions that are important for the survival of a firm in the competitive market† (Ranchhod 87). At the implementation stage, the management must provide the necessary resources. This is because lack of adequate resources can undermine the firm’s ability to realize its innovation objectives (Ettlie 89).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Apart from the financial resources, the firm must invest in appropriate technology that will help in the implementation of the innovation plan (Ettlie 90). This can be achieved through an assessment program that aims at identifying the technical weaknesses in the organization. Outdated technologies should therefore be replaced with new ones. Besides, there should be on-the-job train ing programs that aim at improving the competence of the employees. Entrepreneurs who focus on innovation in their businesses are able to increase their rate of production in their respective industries. The increase in production is attributed to the high level of efficiency, cost saving and creativity that is associated with innovation within an organization (Bessant 103). Managing innovation might only be possible if the managers in a given firm have the skills and knowledge that enables them to inspire their employees to be initiative. This means that the process of managing innovation is not only the responsibility of the management team. The process must bring together all members of the organization and the potential clients (Harvey 78). The perspectives of all the concerned parties should be considered. Due to the large number of employees within an organization, the suggestions concerning the expected changes will definitely vary or even contradict each other. Thus the orga nization must develop an evaluation mechanism that will be used to vet the ideas presented by all individuals who are involved in the innovation process. Only the best ideas should be chosen and implemented by the organization (Bessant 114). It is not possible to implement all ideas due to lack of sufficient resources. A company is considered to be the pioneer of innovation if it succeeds in overhauling its production and distribution processes ahead of other firms in the industry. This will enable the firm to improve its competitiveness in the industry (Ranchhod 99). Consequently, the firm’s revenue will increase as it increases its productivity and market share. However, with time other firms in the industry will begin to restructure their operations in order to remain competitive. As firms reposition themselves in the industry, the competition in the market becomes more intense. Thus, firms will begin to focus on product differentiation with the aim of positioning themselv es as the best in the market. The most important tool in managing innovation is research and development. The decisions made at each and every stage of managing innovation must be supported by adequate and relevant research. Engaging in research at every stage of managing innovation will help in making the right decisions that will help the organization to achieve its objectives (Ettlie 100).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Managing Innovation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Reviewing research findings on particular issues concerning innovation can help in solving a dilemma. Decisions that are based on facts are likely to be more effective and will help the organization to achieve its objectives. Works Cited Adam, Jolly. Innovation: harnessing creativity for business growth. New York: Kogan Page, 2003. Print. Bessant, John. Innovation and Entrepreneurship. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 2007. Print. Ettlie, Joh n. Managing Innovation: new technology, new products, and new services in a global economy. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 2007.Print. Harvey, Dershin. â€Å"A framework for managing innovation.† International Journal of Business Innovation and Research 4 (2010): 598-613. Klein, Stefan. Managing dynamic networks: organizational perspectives of technology enabled inter-firm. Frankfourt: Birkhauser Publication, 2006. Print. Ranchhod, Ashok. Marketing Strategies: A Contemporary Approach. New York: Prince Hall, 2007.Print.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This essay on Managing Innovation was written and submitted by user Julissa C. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Death Penalty Overview essays

Death Penalty Overview essays Honors Composition I 08/27/01 Capital punishment provides the most complete retribution and condemnation The threat of execution is a unique deterrent Capital punishment self-evidently prevents more crime because death is more feared than mere restrictions on ones liberty Capital punishment is less costly than a life time of incarceration Capital punishment is the only way to fully ensure that a homicidal individual cannot kill again Approximately 66% of todays Americans are in favor of capital punishment over life imprisonment Violent crime in America has decreased by the hundreds of thousands between 1999 and 2000 as the U.S. executed 98 prisoners (the most since 1951) in 99 and have 3.5K on death row Mental Retardation or legal insanity does not ensure that the condemned will not participate in violent crimes or kill again, in prison or in society Most of the top industrialized nations still condemn their most violent criminals to death The message sent by capital punishment is to obey the law or die Most prisoner on death row are white males Is capital punishment an effective deterrent of violent crimes? Should a murderer be allowed to live out his life when he, himself sentenced his victims to death? Should the families of the victims have a voice in what is to become of the assailant? Should all persons convicted of 1st degree murder, regardless of circumstances, be subject to capital punishment? Can the death penalty be used to control the prison population by eliminating offenders who murder while incarcerated or violent criminal who escape, as means to protect the general public? Would public executions further deter crime and therefore reduce the number of executions by sending a vivid message of No ...

Niels Bohr Biographical Profile

Niels Bohr Biographical Profile Niels Bohr  is one of the major voices in the early development of quantum mechanics. In the early twentieth century, his Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of Copenhagen, in Denmark, was a center for some of the most important revolutionary thinking in formulating and studying the discoveries and insights related to the growing information about the quantum realm. Indeed, for the majority of the twentieth century, the dominant interpretation of quantum physics was known as the Copenhagen interpretation. Early Years Niels Henrik David Bohr was born on Oct. 7, 1885, in Copenhagen, Denmark. He received a doctorate from Copenhagen University in 1911. In August of 1912, Bohr married Margrethe Norlund after they had met two years before. In 1913, he developed the Bohr model of atomic structure, which introduced the theory of electrons orbiting around the atomic nucleus. His model involved the electrons being contained in quantized energy states so that when they drop from one state to another, energy is emitted. This work became central to quantum physics and it for this which he was awarded the 1922 Nobel Prize for his services in the investigation of the structure of atoms and of the radiation emanating from them. Copenhagen In 1916, Bohr became a professor at Copenhagen University. In 1920, he was appointed director of the new Institute of Theoretical Physics, later renamed the Niels Bohr Institute. In this position, he was in a position to be instrumental in building the theoretical framework of quantum physics. The standard model of quantum physics throughout the first half of the century became known as the Copenhagen interpretation, although several other interpretations now exist. Bohrs careful, thoughtful manner of approaching was colored with a playful personality, as clear in some famous Niels Bohr quotes. Bohr Einstein Debates Albert Einstein was a known critic of quantum physics, and he frequently challenged Bohrs views on the subject. Through their prolonged and spirited debate, the two great thinkers helped refine a century-long understanding of quantum physics. One of the most famous outcomes of this discussion was Einsteins famous quote that God does not play dice with the universe, to which Bohr is said to have replied, Einstein, stop telling God what to do! The debate was cordial, if spirited. In a 1920 letter, Einstein said to Bohr, Not often in life has a human being caused me such joy by his mere presence as you did. On a more productive note, the physics world pays more attention to the outcome of these debates that led to valid research questions: an attempted counter-example that Einstein proposed known as the EPR paradox. The goal of the paradox was to suggest that the quantum indeterminacy of quantum mechanics led to an inherent non-locality. This was quantified years later in Bells theorem, which is an experimentally-accessible formulation of the paradox. Experimental tests have confirmed the non-locality that Einstein created the thought experiment to refute. Bohr World War II One of Bohrs students was Werner Heisenberg, who became the leader of the German atomic research project during World War II. During a somewhat famous private meeting, Heisenberg visited with Bohr in Copenhagen in 1941, the details of which have been a matter of scholarly debate since neither ever spoke freely of the meeting, and the few references have conflicts. Bohr escaped arrest by German police in 1943, eventually making it to the United States where he worked at Los Alamos on the Manhattan Project, though implications are that his role was primarily that of a consultant. Nuclear Energy Final Years Bohr returned to Copenhagen after the war and spent the rest of his life advocating the peaceful use of nuclear energy before dying on Nov. 18, 1962.

Field Site Task Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Field Site Task - Assignment Example How these values are interpreted into communal action in adding requirements to be measured. My first job as an ethnographer is to create a personal choice about my ethnography, whose preliminary point is anywhere I will carry it out. I create off this task clueless as to what meadow I will decide and set off to Dublin as it has the uppermost attentiveness of likely alternatives. However following a few uneventful hours on foot around a number of of Dublin's public organizations my notebook leftovers unfurnished by comments of some class. The gear of the trade; populace are all over the place but I find it hard to explanation for their disorder. Finally besieged by the sheer abundance of idiosyncrasies I have by now spectator I go to the library to charge the few notes I contain collected thus distant. Once in the records I realized that this is what I contain been absent out on so distant. For my primary time in the field I obtain the idea that I will be clever to do this, which I contain something I can employment with. Initially the library is a communal and educational organization. all over the place communal and cultural organizations bind populace into livelihood societies. Even in technically higher countries such as Ireland populace are motionless associate of comparatively small group of peoples such as the records as well as organism concerned in the vast communal and cultural setting of the modern globe and it is this potential correlation flanked by the Irish "group of people" and the library group of people which I will try to sketch out in the concluding discursive division of this dissertation. "Good understandings" according to Agar "take us into the spirit of that of which it is the understanding". As such let me primary describe my location before scrutinize it. The subsequent are my comments collate and shortened from four appointments. According to the expert analysis the aptly named Middle Library is Dublin's most middle library. It is situated in the Ileac shopping centre on Henry Street in Dublin1, an "reasonably priced" fraction of municipality situated immediately off the Liffey. Since of its centrality it is only a action saunter from all buses intended for the metropolis centre and together Tara avenue and Connolly teach stations. It can be admissions from an assortment of routes, from the docksides, from Moore Street but to person's name two. I move toward it from the docksides, toward the inside the shopping centre through its front entrance. Knowing that the library is within the complex's area but not knowing where exactly, I go about locating it. It is a busy day bristling with heat and security is on high attentive especially in the clothing provisions. I find it hard to consider that a record would be situated in such a noisome put and walk approximately what I consideration to be pointlessly. However further than the clothes stores by earnings of their nipple adorned mannequins and approved all the lampshade haircuts and adidas tracksuits I create out a stairway, at the top of which I decipher the

Short answers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Short answers - Essay Example An economist would advice a firm making accounting profits to close down because accounting profits is arrived at by subtracting only explicit costs from the total revenue. This rejects implicit costs hence inaccuracy of the profits (Aspers, 2011). (b) Why normal profit is the long run outcome for a firm under perfect competition When a firm is making economic profits, other firms will find the markets competitive hence mass entry into the market. This causes the supply curve to shift to the right, which results into a drop of the prices hence profits, are cancelled. The firm will in the end exhibit normal profits as an outcome under perfect competition (Aspers, 2011). (c) Characteristics of both monopolistic and monopoly competition, their advantages and disadvantages Characteristics of monopolistic competition are; there exist a large number of buyers and sellers, they exhibit price differentiation, free entry and exit of firms and high selling costs are incurred. Monopoly on the o ther hand exhibits characteristics such as the existence of only one firm in the market; they are price takers since they are the only producers. They have the advantage of controlling the whole market and therefore dictate the prices. The only disadvantage is that they are constrained by their own demand curves. Monopolistic case has several advantages; the most peculiar is that they are able to command a large market base. The market is disadvantaged in that stiff competition may threaten its operations in the market (Aspers, 2011). 4. (a) Graph of Fiscal policy and deflationary gap Deflationary gap happens when the actual output (Y) is below the natural output (Yn); this is as shown in the figure above. To correct the deflationary gap expansionary fiscal policy has to be used. The government does this through increasing government spending; alongside this, the government taxation has to be reduced. The result of employing the expansionary fiscal policy acts to shift the aggregate demand curve to coincide with the natural output and therefore real GDP is increased. Deflationary gap is caused when the investment spending goes down hence it is simply solved when the government increases it investment spending such as spending on infrastructure (Buti, 2003). (b) How fiscal and monetary used to address deflationary gap affects balance of payment Fiscal policy tools used to such as increased taxation will make the costs of local goods to be expensive. When the local goods become expensive balance shifts from favoring importation. When imports are more than exports, there is unfavorable balance of payment, which is harmful to the economy. In addition, monetary policies to correct deflationary gap is that aimed at increasing money supply, which leads to an increase in prices. Increase in prices causes local goods to be equally expensive leading to increased importation hence unfavorable balance of payment. Such negative impacts of balance of payment occur when the economy is at the helm of growth (Buti, 2003). 6. (a) Reasons for holding money There are three major reasons for holding money; transactionery motive, precautionary motive and speculative motive. For transactionery motive, money is held to undertake daily transactions mostly on basics. Money is also held to handle any future unfortunate occurrences anticipated in the future. Speculators are investors who anticipate that assets will be attractive in the near future hence hold money to take advantage of such (Dobeck, MF &

Feasibility Study Essay Example for Free

Feasibility Study Essay Technical Feasibility: It is technically possible to design a script remarking system because computers can be used to sort, search and update data input using a database management system such as Microsoft Access. The current hardware of the United Kingdom Awarding Body is sufficient, as all they will need to run the system is a computer (preferably with 64Mb RAM, 10Gb hard disk drive, 3.5/1.4Mb floppy disk drive and a 8Mb or higher graphics card), a standard keyboard and mouse, a printer and a visual display unit to run the system effectively and efficiently. Economic Feasibility: It is economically feasible to design and use this script remarking system because fewer people would need to be employed to do the work of remarking a script and producing the reports manually and more work can be done in a shorter time span, therefore also saving on overheads such as light and heating as well as employee wages, Legal Feasibility: It is legally feasible to use this script remarking system because all the data used will be used for the specific purpose of remarking the candidates script and nothing else. The data will not be kept longer than necessary and at the candidates request; the data may be destroyed after a certain period of time. The data is also secure as both administrators and clerical staff need to have their group name and passwords to log into the system successfully, but also the system database password, without both of these, the data cannot be accessed. Operational feasibility: Current work practices and procedures will benefit from the implementation of this new script remarking system as it allows more work to be done in a shorter time span, therefore providing a quicker and more efficient service to the candidates whose scripts are being remarked. The social factors will be greatly improved by the organisational change of using this remark system, both clerical and administration staff can get more work done in a smaller time period allowing more leisure time to the workers for the same amount of pay in wages. Schedule feasibility: The designing, testing and documentation of the script remarking system can be completed before the deadline, there are 6 weeks to complete this. Data Flow Diagram What are the user needs? The user needs an easy-to-learn and manageable interface to be able to monitor the UKABs (United Kingdom Awarding Body) post-examination remarks. In doing so, the user needs to be able to input data (candidate information, the original mark, the date the script was received, the remark mark and the date the script was marked) and get the desired outputs in queried reports. The user needs to know that all data entered will be secure and not tampered with or altered by hackers, so security measures have been taken. What Entities are to be considered? The entities to be considered for this system are: Script Request and Grade Criteria. The attributes to be considered for the Script Request entity are: * Candidate Number * Candidate Name (Forename Surname) * Centre Number * Subject Reference Code * Original Mark * Re-mark Mark (changed or unchanged) * Whether the centre requested the return of the script With the additional attributes of: * The date the script was received * The date the script was remarked Entity Relationship Diagram The attributes to be considered for the Grade Boundaries entity are: * Subject Reference Code * Grade Boundaries for grades A-E and U What procedures will be required to achieve the desired outputs? Clerical staff using the remark system will need to input the data required via forms using a keyboard and (or) a mouse. This will automatically update the queries in place, which will update the reports. The reports will then be outputted using a printer. Evaluation During this systems design, there were many problems encountered. When designing the entities, it was not known that many of the attribute lengths needed to be shortened to save memory, primary keys to ensure each record of data is unique or validation rules had to be set to decrease user errors. The attribute lengths, validation rules and primary keys were set during the design stage (See Validation). An entity had to be linked to another to allow data from one entity to appear several times in another entity and was used in querying. Reading into how linking entities was completed and the tables were linked successfully. Forms were designed to aid user input and stop clerks altering the design and (or) contents of each entity. At first, some buttons worked incorrectly, but were fixed once further reading into using and creating buttons was finished (See Design). Queries were designed to support the creation of reports. These queries search the entities for predefined criterion which is requested by the user. Some criterion needed much deliberation, such as the outstanding remarks query/report. Two extra attributes had to be considered and implemented, these were: script_received_date and script_remark_date. Then the query for remarks which took longer than 3 weeks could be completed, with the search criterion as follows: [Script_remark_date]-[Script_received_date]21 (See Design). Reports needed to be created, as they were the desired output to be sent off to the centres after scripts were remarked. Reports were created using the queries. A user interface was also designed to make the remarking system user friendly. At first, much like the forms, some buttons did not work correctly and there were other aesthetical issues also, such as a colour scheme for the interface. Buttons were fixed and a simple yet attractive colour scheme was chosen for the interface. Also there was difficulty in producing a suitable formula to calculate the original grades from the original marks and the re-mark mark and the re-mark grades. After consultation with a tutor, a solution was found and the following formula was devised: IIF(Expression), True, False. Afterwards, the grading formula was designed and is as follows: Grades:IIf([Original_Mark]=[A],A,IIf([Original_Mark]=[B],B,IIf([Original_Mark]=[C],C,IIf([Original_Mark]=[D],D,IIf([Original_Mark]=[E],E,U))))). A re-mark grading formula was also considered and implemented and is as follows: Remark_Grade: IIf([Re-mark_Mark]=[A],A,IIf([Re-mark_Mark]=[B],B,IIf([Re-mark_Mark]=[C],C,IIf([Re-mark_Mark]=[D],D,IIf([Re-mark_Mark]=[E],E,U))))). Effectiveness: The system re-grades papers and produces reports on the papers that are re-graded when candidate information is inputted via the candidate information input form. Usability: The system is easy for the users to use the interface, it has buttons which open files and forms and have a simplistic design and are attractive to use. Maintainability: The system will be easy to maintain because of its simplicity and will be easy to manipulate to accommodate new requests for different types of information without changing how the system runs excessively. Maintenance Perfective maintenance: For the perfective maintenance, the admin staff can change the queries that create the reports to get the desired results. I.e. changing a query so that the Scripts requested by a selected centre report shows a different centre. Adaptive maintenance: For the adaptive maintenance, staff could use new hardware to help reduce clerical errors. Staff could use OCR and MCR scanners to read the scripts information instead of inputting them manually and therefore reducing human errors.

Essay on Juvenile Crime and Punishment -- Argumentative Persuasive Top

Juvenile Crime and Punishment       The punishment of juvenile criminals, specifically those between the ages of 13 and 18, in the event that they commit crimes of murder, is not severe enough. Minors between these critical ages in the teenage life who commit crimes of murder should be prosecuted as adults in all situations and locations.    Teenagers in this age group do kill others, old and young alike. The rate at which juveniles were arrested for murder rose 177 percent between 1978 and 1993 (NBER.org). This shows that there is a need for stopping or at least slowing this trend in homicidal acts. Statistics clearly show that juviniles between the ages of 14 and 17 during the years of 1976 to 1994 are increasing in numbers in the amount of murders they commit. The event in Littleton, Colorado is another example of the fact that teenagers are killing others. Carrying several weapons and setting off homemade bombs, teen-agers Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 students and a teacher and wounded about 26 others before committing suicide at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999 at 11:21 a.m. (usatoday.com/182). These two young men had hatred in their hearts that no person will be able to explain. They knew what they were doing and wanted to do it well. They did what they were trying to do: kill others. If these two young men had not committed suicide, would they have been prosecuted as adults? We will never know because of the choice they made to take their own lives, but I certainly hope that they would have received the correction they deserved. In this situation, that due punishment would have been a trial as though they were adults who killed other human beings.    What happens when teenagers kill ... ...with his/her threat.    The next step in solving this problem is to contact state governments and let them know that juveniles who commit crimes of murder should be tried as adults in all situations. Politicians should become aware that this is a problem in the society of America and shouldn't be reminded only by tragedies like that which happened in Littleton, Colorado. Call or write state governments and let them know that juveniles should be prosecuted as adults when committing crimes of murder.    Works Cited 1. http://www.nber.org/digest/feb98/w6191.html 2. http://www.usatoday.com/news/index/colo/colo182.htm 3. http://www.usatoday.com/news/index/colo/colo96.htm 4. http://www.tjpc.state.tx.us/reviews/98-1-09.htm (Texas Juvenile Probation Commission) 5. http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/nathaniel991021.html#top   

GASB and FASB Accounting Paper Essay

In this paper I will describe the different between GASB and FASB and their objectives of the two standards. I will also provide how to modified accrual basis of accounting in which they differs from full accrual accounting. The GASB sets generally accepted accounting standards for the government except the federal government and non-profit organizations while the FASB is for private and public organizations. The objective of GASB is to create and set accounting standards that would ensure that financial statements would be accurate for creditors, investors and to the public. The GASB really do not have the power to enforce compliance with the standards but the authorities for its standard are recognized under the code of professional conduct of the AICPA. Most financial statements accounting for government and non-profit organizations are fund base, which actually shows how their organization money is used instead of how much revenue they earned in the cycle. The objective for the FASB was created to aid improve standards of financial accounting and reporting the way financial reporting by nongovernmental, that provides information in which is use to make decision regarding data that is use by investors, creditors, auditors of financial reports. In simpler terms the FASB is a set of standards that would record and present financial transactions in which the businesses must have to present how they will earn revenue instead of how much revenue they have spent for the cycle period. The accrual accounting will record all revenues and expenditures and there is no set rule of when cash is pertain to the translations and received or paid whether used by private corporation or public corporation in modified accrual accounting revenues that are available by measurable and expenditures when there are liability related to incurred and used by government organization in the accounting for their transactions. But exception to the rule there is no deferral of cost that  will be done in the future period cycles. All physical assets that will be services in the future must be written off or expense with in the period the service occurs. In conclusion, the GASB and the FASB are great standards to use when operating organization whether is private organization or a public organization. Both have a set of rule and regulations that improve the way financial report should be created, prepared and reduced the risk of fraud References Granof, M.H. & Khumanwala, S.B. (2011). Government and not-for-profit accounting: Concepts & practices. (5thed.)) Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Son Copley, P.A., & Engstrom, J.H. (2007). Essentials of accounting for governmental and not-for-profit organizations (8th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Program Evaluation as a Key Tool in Health and Human Services

Program Evaluation as a Key Tool in Health and Human Services Maria Delos Angeles Mora HCA460 Research Methods in Health and Human Services Professor TyKeysha Boone April 22, 2013 Program Evaluation as a Key Tool in Health and Human Services In this competitive health care environment, consumers want and expect better health care services and hospital systems are concerned about maintaining their overall image. There is also attention to ways in which patient satisfaction measurement can be integrated into an overall measure of clinical quality. As lots of information is available to be used in a hypothetical evaluation.The American Red Cross is my selection due to that I worked with them for several years as a voluntary and telephonic representative to answer incoming calls that needed to be checked for different parts of the United States and commonwealth territories. The fundamental Principles of the Global Red Cross Network are based on humanity- the Red Cross, born of a desire t o bring assistance without discrimination to the wounded on the battlefield, endeavors-in its international and national capacity-to prevent and alleviate human suffering wherever it may be found.Its purpose is to protect life and health and to ensure respect for the human being. It promotes mutual understanding, friendship, and cooperation lasting peace amongst all peoples, impartiality-it makes no discrimination as to nationality, race, religious beliefs, class or political opinions. It endeavors to relieve the suffering of individuals, being guided solely by their needs, and to give priority to the most urgent cases of distress, neutrality- In order to continue to enjoy the confidence of all, the Red Cross may not take sides in hostilities or engage at any time in controversies of a political, racial, religious or deological nature, independence-since the Red Cross is considered is independent. The national societies, while auxiliaries in the humanitarian services of their govern ments and subject to the laws of their respective countries, must always maintain their autonomy so that they may be able at all times to act in accordance with Red Cross principles, voluntary service-is a voluntary relief movement not prompted in any manner by desire for gain, unity-is there is a Red Cross society in any one country no one can be turned out as it may be open to all.It must carry on its humanitarian work throughout its territory, and universality-as the Red Cross is a worldwide institution in which all societies have equal status and share equal responsibilities and duties in helping each other. In the continuing effort to improve human service programs, funders, policymakers, and service providers are increasingly recognizing the importance of rigorous program evaluations. They want to know what the programs accomplish, what they cost, and how they should be operated to achieve maximum cost-effectiveness.They want to know which programs work for which groups, and t hey want conclusions based on evidence, rather than testimonials and impassioned pleas. This paper lays out, for the non-technician, the basic principles of program evaluation design. It signals common pitfalls, identifies constraints that need to be considered, and presents ideas for solving potential problems. These principles are general and can be applied to a wide range of human service programs.We illustrate these principles here with examples from programs for vulnerable children and youth. Evaluation of these programs is particularly challenging because they address a wide diversity of problems and possible solutions, often include multiple agencies and clients, and change over time to meet shifting service needs. It is very important to follow the steps in selecting the Appropriate Evaluation Design. The first step in the process of selecting an evaluation design is to clarify the questions that need to be answered.The next step is to develop a logic model that lays out the expected causal linkages between the program (and program components) and the program goals. Without tracing these anticipated links it is impossible to interpret the evaluation evidence that is collected. The third step is to review the program to assess its readiness for evaluation. These three steps can be done at the same time or in overlapping stages. Clarifying the Evaluation Questions is a design of any evaluation begins by defining the audience for the evaluation findings, what they need to know, and when.The questions used are determine which of the following four major types of evaluation should be chosen such as: The Impact evaluations focus on questions of causality. Did the program have its intended effects? If so, who was helped and what activities or characteristics of the program created the impact? Did the program have any unintended consequences, positive or negative? How performance monitoring does provides information on key aspects of how a system or program is operating and the extent to which specified program objectives are being attained (e. g. numbers of youth served compared to target goals, reductions in school dropouts compared to target goals). Results are used by service providers, funders, and policymakers to assess the program's performance and accomplishments. Process evaluations answer questions about how the program operates and document the procedures and activities undertaken in service delivery. Such evaluations help identify problems faced in delivering services and strategies for overcoming these problems. They are useful to practitioners and service providers in replicating or adapting program strategies.Cost evaluations address how much the program or program components cost, preferably in relation to alternative uses of the same resources and to the benefits being produced by the program. In the current fiscal environment, programs must expect to defend their costs against alternative uses. As the comprehensive eval uation will include all these activities. Sometimes, however, the questions raised, the target audience for findings, or the available resources limit the evaluation focus to one or two of these activities.Whether to provide preliminary evaluations to staff for use in improving program operations and developing additional services is an issue that needs to be faced. Preliminary results can be effectively used to identify operational problems and develop the capacity of program staff to conduct their own ongoing evaluation and monitoring activities (Connell, J. P. , Kubisch, A. C. , Schorr, L. B. , and Weiss, C. H. (1995). But this use of evaluation findings, called formative evaluations, presents a challenge to evaluators who are faced with the much more ifficult task of estimating the impact of an evolving intervention. When the program itself is continuing to change, measuring impact requires ongoing measurement of the types and level of service provided. The danger in formative e valuations is that the line between program operations and assessment will be blurred. The extra effort and resources required for impact analysis in formative evaluations has to be measured against the potential gains to the program from ongoing improvements and the greater usefulness of the final evaluation findings.Performance monitoring involves identification and collection of specific data on program outputs, outcomes, and accomplishments. Although they may measure subjective factors such as client satisfaction, the data are numeric, consisting of frequency counts, statistical averages, ratios, or percentages. Output measures reflect internal activities: the amount of work done within the program or organization. Outcome measures (immediate and longer term) reflect progress towards program goals. Often the same measurements (e. g. number/percent of youth who stopped or reduced substance abuse) may be used for performance monitoring and impact evaluation. However, unlike impact evaluation, performance monitoring does not make any rigorous effort to determine whether these were caused by program efforts or by other external events. The way that we are looking at Design Variations is when programs are operating in a number of communities, the sites are likely to vary in mission, structure, the nature and extent of project implementation, primary clients/targets, and timeliness.They may offer somewhat different sets of services, or have identified somewhat different goals. In such situations, it is advisable to construct a â€Å"core† set of performance measures to be used by all, and to supplement these with â€Å"local† performance indicators that reflect differences. For example, some youth programs will collect detailed data on youth school performance, including grades, attendance, and disciplinary actions, while others will simply have data on promotion to the next grade or whether the youth is still enrolled or has dropped out.A multi-sc hool performance monitoring system might require data on promotion and enrollment for all schools, and specify more detailed or specialized indicators on attendance or disciplinary actions for one or a subset of schools to use in their own performance monitoring. Another look is at the Considerations/Limitations when selecting performance indicators, evaluators and service providers need it is important to consider: The relevance of potential measures to the mission/objective of the local program or national initiative. The comprehensiveness of the set of measures. The program's control over the factor being measured.The validity of the measure and the reliability and accuracy of the measure, feasibility of collecting the data. How much effort and money is required to generate each measure? Practical Issues. The set of performance indicators should be simple, limited to a few key indicators of priority outcomes. Too many indicators burden the data collection and analysis and make it less likely that managers will understand and use reported information. Regular measurement, ideally quarterly, is important so that the system provides the information in time to make shifts in program operations and to capture changes over time.However, pressures for timely reporting should not be allowed to sacrifice data quality. For the performance monitoring to take place in a reliable and timely way, the evaluation should include adequate support and plans for training and technical assistance for data collection. Routine quality control procedures should be established to check on data entry accuracy and missing information. At the point of analysis, procedures for verifying trends should be in place, particularly if the results are unexpected. The costs of performance monitoring are modest relative to impact evaluations, but still vary widely depending on the data used.Most performance indicator data come from records maintained by service providers. The added expense invo lves regularly collecting and analyzing these records, as well as preparing and disseminating reports to those concerned. This is typically a part-time work assignment for a supervisor within the agency. The expense will be greater if client satisfaction surveys are used to measure outcomes. An outside survey organization may be required for a large-scale survey of past clients; alternatively, a self-administered exit questionnaire can be given to clients at the end of services.In either case, the assistance of professional researchers is needed in preparing data sets, analyses, and reports. Process Analysis key element in process analysis is a systematic, focused plan for collecting data to: (1) determine whatever the program model is being implemented as specified and, if not, how operations differ from those initially planned; (2) identify unintended consequences and unanticipated outcomes; and (3) understand the program from the perspectives of staff, participants, and the commu nity.The design variation is the systemic procedure used to collect data for process evaluation often include case studies, focus groups, and ethnography. As strong pressures demonstrates program impacts dictates making evaluation activities a required and intrinsic part of program activities from the start. At the very least, evaluation activities should include performance monitoring.The collection and analysis of data on program progress and process builds the capacity for self-evaluation and contributes to good program management and efforts to obtain support for program continuation-for example, when the funding is serving as â€Å"seed† money for a program that is intended, if successful, to continue under local sponsorship. Performance monitoring can be extended to non-experimental evaluation with additional analysis of program records and/or client surveys. These evaluation activities may be conducted either by program staff with research training or by an independent evaluator.In either case, training and technical assistance to support program evaluation efforts will be needed to maintain data quality and assist in appropriate analysis and use of the findings. There are several strong arguments for evaluation designs that go further in documenting program impact. Only experimental or quasi-experimental designs provide convincing evidence that program funds are well invested, and that the program is making a real difference to the well-being of the population served. These evaluations need to be conducted by experienced researchers and supported by adequate budgets.A good strategy may be implementing small-scale programs to test alternative models of service delivery in settings that will allow a stronger impact evaluation design than is possible in a large scale, national program. Often program evaluation should proceed in stages. The first year of program operations can be devoted to process studies and performance monitoring, the information from which can serve as a basis for more extensive evaluation efforts once operations are running smoothly. Finally, planning to obtain support for the evaluation at every level-community, program staff, agency leadership and funder-should be extensive.Each of these has a stake in the results. Each should have a voice in planning. And each should perceive clear benefits from the results. Only in this way will the results be acknowledged as valid and actually used for program improvement. Reference Connell, J. P. , Kubisch, A. C. , Schorr, L. B. , and Weiss, C. H. (1995) New Approaches to Evaluating Community Initiatives: Concepts, Methods, and Contexts. Washington, DC: The Aspen Institute. Ellickson, P. L. , Bell, R. M. , and McGuigan, K. (1993) â€Å"Preventing Adolescent Drug Use: Long- Term Results of a Junior High School Program. American Journal of Public Health 83(6): 856-861. Engle, R-F and Granger, CW. J. (1987) â€Å"Cointegration and Error Correction: Representation, Es timation and Testing. † Retrieved from: Econometrica 55: 25 1-276. Evaluation Strategies for Human Service Programs. Retrieved from http://www. ojp. usdoj. gov/BJA/evaluation/guide/documents/evaluation_strategies. html#p 6. Heckman, J. J. (1979) â€Å"Sample Selection Bias as a Specification Error. † Econometrica 47:153-162. IRB Forum. Retrieved from www. irbforum. rg. Joreskog, K. G. (1977) â€Å"Structural Equation Models in the Social Sciences. † In P. R. Krishnaiah (ed. ), Applications of Statistics, 265-287. Amsterdam: North-Holland; Bryk, A. S. and Raudenbush, S. W. (1992) Hierarchical Linear Models: Applications and Meta- Analysis Techniques. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Kalbfleish, J. D. , and Prentice, K. L. (1980) the Statistical Analysis of Failure Time Data. New York: Wiley. Kumpfer, K. L, Shur, G. H. , Ross, J. H. , Bunnell, K. K. , Librett, J. J. and Milward, A. R. 1993) Measurements in Prevention: A Manual on Selecting and Using Instruments to Evaluate P revention Programs. Retrieved from: Public Health Service, U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, (SMA) 93-2041. Monette, Duane R. , Thomas J. Sullivan, Cornell R. DeJong. Applied Social Research: A Tool for the Human Services, 8th Edition. Wadsworth, 2014-03-11. . MREL Appendix A. Retrieved from: http://www. ecs. org/html/educationIssues/Research/primer/appendixA. asp. Program Evaluation 101: A Workshop. Retrieved from: http://aetcnec. ucsf. edu/evaluation/pacific_evaluation%5B1%5D. ppt.

Critical Thinking and Ethics Essays - Ethics, Applied Ethics

Critical Thinking and Ethics Essays - Ethics, Applied Ethics Critical Thinking and Ethics Ethics and Social Responsibility/ETH316 The relationship between critical thinking and ethics can be strong at times and can be weak at times. Critical thinking plays huge role in ethics because it is the process by which we determine whether or not something is right or wrong. Critical thinking is a form of fiction and identifying the unknown and it helps develop a mental process of evaluation which helps determine their ethical standards. Critical thinking can be used for ethical reasoning, the relationship in both of these relate to judging and observing things. Critical thinking is very active in the process of communication, problem solving and evaluation for both individually and community to support decision making and guide action. Without ethics many people will make bad or poor decision. If everyone in society followed the rules and guidelines of logic, I think that there would still be need for ethical decision making. The biggest aspect of our society should be to treat everyone fair. An example would be the To Drill or Not to Drill video, you have the government wanting to drill and put trucks and gas wells where the wildlife roam. The community is trying not to get the land turned to an industrial landscape with 10,000 rigs sitting on the land. The Bureau of Land Management is responsible for balancing the uses of public lands and is often caught in the crossfire. But many are worried that BLM employees are under intense pressure from the government to move things along and the BLM are in uncomfortable position of not knowing if they will lose their jobs if they go along with the community. Now this to me is not good critical thinking using ethics because the employees are thinking with emotions and not logic and the government is using their powers to get the ri gs on the land. In conclusion, the relationship between critical thinking and ethics should always come hand in hand. You cannot have one without the other and come up with a fair decision. References Boylan, M. (2009). Basic ethics: Basic ethics in action (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Ruggiero, Vincent. (2012). Thinking Critical about Ethical Issues (9th ed.) Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database. Critical Thinking and Ethics PAGE 2 Running head: Critical Thinking and Ethics PAGE 1

Is a Two-Page Resume Ever Acceptable

Is a Two-Page Resume Ever Acceptable There is a lot of confusing information out there these days about how long a resume should be. While a resume that goes on for pages is unlikely to be read by a hiring manager, not putting in enough information can have the same effect. Now that many resumes are no longer submitted on paper but in digital format, the old rules for resumes make little sense. Keep in mind that hiring managers are interested in finding the right candidate for the job, and the resume quickly tells them whether or not the applicant is eligible for consideration. What About One Page Resumes?One argument is that one page resumes are fine for recent graduates or those who don’t have much work experience. While this might be true, the custom is to try and keep a resume short and to the point. This makes sense since a hiring manager or recruiter may have many of them to check over in order to fill a job position.Are Longer Resumes Acceptable?More experienced workers may require more than one page to li st their previous job positions, skills and experience or already have a resume that takes up more than one page. This is particularly true for those with a lot of work experience or advanced degrees. Now, with social media, personal websites and sites such as LinkedIn, a job seeker can add information to those sites so recruiters can find added information. The good thing about personal websites and LinkedIn is that you can include as much as you wish.Do You Include All Your Jobs?You don’t have to include every job you’ve ever held. Instead, keep it to the last ten years of employment. The important thing is to aim your resume toward the job for which you are applying. A recruiter’s job is to find the best candidates for the position, so if you are qualified for the job and point it out in your resume, you can go to the top of the list of candidates.Do Bullet Points Help?Using bullet points add to your resume by making it quick to scan for the recruiter to pick up important information. It also makes it less likely that an important job qualification will not be missed. Use caution, however, to not overdo using bullet points. Use your qualifications that respond to the job ad.What About Job History?Including your entire job history isn’t necessary for a resume, and neither is listing everything you did in each job. What the recruiter is interested in are the things you did that benefitted the company such as increasing productivity, saving the company money or other benefits. Use this type of approach to show how you would be an asset. This lets the recruiter know quickly whether you are a match for the job position.Should I Chop My Resume or Add to It?By now, you’ve chopped out all unnecessary information but you find your resume is still over one page long, and you are faced with the decision of making the print small to make it fit on one page or of using a second page that is mostly a large blank space. What do you do? T hinking about if you were the person reading it, would you be happy trying to read tiny print or would you prefer a second page, even if it only has a few lines of text? Rather than give the recruiter eye strain, it is better to include the second page. If you really feel that space shouldn’t go to waste, use it to show volunteer work, awards and organizations so the recruiter can see into your personality.Having a good resume is a start to getting that great job. TheJobNetwork takes all the stress out of job hunting by doing the search for you. After you sign up for job match alert and enter your qualifications and job requirements, TheJobNetwork toils around the clock searching for the jobs that match and sends you alerts to notify you when job listings are found.

Music to express the various emotions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Music to express the various emotions - Essay Example My choice for this music reflects my happy childhood where there were no worries and everything was still a play. It reflects friendship, teachers home and family because this music is also shared by my friends, teachers and family which were all pleasant and happy memories to remember and rekindle. My friends and I use to sing this as part of our games and we always had fun singing this.During my adolescent years, the music of Beatles comes to mind. But I think I need to mention that there was a lot of music and musician that I had been listening to during my adolescent years because it was the time when I was experimenting and expanding my universe. But when it comes to music, Beatles sort of answered my teenaged questions why there is so much conflict in the world, why can we not just have peace?. I would like to brand this music more of my effort to try to fit in. The Beatles music called for peace, acceptance and other positive thoughts which in a way are my expression to accept and be accepted.I have to admit that as a teenager, I was exerting effort to be accepted and I believe I still am. This feeling and experience are shared by all teenagers albeit we may vary with the degree of how much effort we exert to be accepted. The music starts calmly then it slowly builds tension until there is an angry rapture in the chorus which in a way releases my anger harmlessly without hurting or offending anyone.It is a sort of a release for me to get rid of anger, stress and to become calm again.... I also retreat to it when I feel bad. Call me old school but when I am stressed and needs a breather from everything, I retreat to Beethoven’s music particularlyFur Elise. The music starts calmly then it slowly build tension until there is an angry rapture in the chorus which in a way releases my anger harmlessly without hurting or offending anyone. It is a sort of a release for me to get rid of anger, stress and to become calm again. After a while of playing back this music, I feel calm and my head clears again and then I am ready to face the world again. I also like Vanessa Mae’s Contradanza when I want to relax. Her medium is violin but she plays it fast and more contemporary and not in a way that makes me bored. It is like she made classical music more digestible to my generation which relaxes me. When I am happy, there areseveral music that I associate with this exalted emotion depending on the occasion that brought me happiness. In sports, I can name the music â⠂¬Å"We Are the Champion† by Queens which made me ecstatic when we won a championship game back in high school. Until now, I can still recall that glorious feeling of winning every time I hear that music. I can also recall Steven Cat’s â€Å"Morning has broken† as a reminder of a happy day for me. I cannot recall what triggered why I feel good about Steven Cat’s â€Å"Morning Has Broken† but the music just makes me feel good. I also associate romantic music with happiness because my first girl/boyfriend and I used to listen to romantic songs together. I can also recall childhood music from â€Å"The Sound of Music† â€Å"The Lonely Gathered† which I associate with happiness because we used to sing it while playing and it reminds me of the days when I did not have to worry