Electronic Medical Records Essay Example

Electronic Medical Records Essay Electronic Medical Records are a mean of recording, processing, storing, recording and transferring health information electronically.   Several limitations that are associated with the paper system are clearly overcome, and besides, has a huge role in medical decision-making, integrating the services of various departments, customizing care to the patients, reducing medical errors, improving quality, reducing costs, etc.   The EMR can effectively help to transfer the information from one organization to another and in this way help in referrals and improving the access to healthcare.   However, the use of EMR’s in the US seems to be limited with only the second and the third stage of implementation being met out of the proposed seven stages.   The use of EMR’s is greater in bigger hospitals than in private practices and smaller hospitals.   Besides, the physicians seem to be more satisfied with the use of advanced EMR’s as the applications presented by them are comprehensive.   Many of the physicians are not able to understand the benefits of EMR and often try to determine the profits provided by them.   However, this is a wrong way of determining the benefits provided by such systems.   Often EMR’s have huge implications by reducing errors, improving decision-making, improving quality, costs of care, etc.   Besides, if used in the appropriate manner, physicians can see a greater number of patients. The Electronic Medical Record (EMR) is an application that would aid in recording clinical data electronically, making decisions, placing and receiving orders, making requests to the pharmacy, recording X-ray and laboratory findings, and also documenting clinical activities.   An EMR system can be utilized in most clinical settings that include physician’s private practices, nursing facilities, and ambulatory, inpatient, trauma, intensive and managed care settings.   An EMR system requires the use of a computer system along with a network.   The network would ensure the transfer and storage of the health information. The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) have planned the implementation and use of the EMR system in the US in 7 stages.   Currently EMR implementation is in stage 2 and stage 3.   In stage 6, about 100 % of the hospitals would be covered.   In stage 7, there would be building of the regional and national network that would in tegrate all the EMR systems and ensure that information can be safety shared across all hospitals.   Before the EMR system can be integrated over various regions, the hospitals should tend to use them as complete solution packages (HIMSS Analytics, 2006). We will write a custom essay sample on Electronic Medical Records specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Electronic Medical Records specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Electronic Medical Records specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Incidence The National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey conducted in 2001 and 2005 noticed an increase in the use of the EMR’s by physicians from 18 % in 2001, which jumped by about 31 % in the year 2005.   Of the 23.9 % physicians who used the EMR’s in 2005, about 11.2 % had full usage and 12. 7 % had partial usage of the EMR systems. Considering age, sex and specialty types, the EMR usage rates among physicians tends to be constant.   Several issues including the size of the practice, number of specialties in the practice, the presence of managed care contracts, etc, played a role in determining the EMR usage.   In the Midwest US, the EMR usage was about 26.9 % and in the West it was highest at 33.4 %.   EMR usage was the lowest in the Northeast at 14.4 %.   In urban areas, the EMR usage was about 24.8 % whereas in rural and other areas it was about 16.9 %.   More than 21.4 % of the physicians use the EMR for recording and presenting demographic data.   However, onl y about 5.4 % of the physicians can actually present epidemiological or public health data.   If the physicians used an EMR system completely, then they were more likely to place orders, prescriptions, laboratory tests, obtain lab results, take and record nursing notes, place reminders and alerts, etc, using the EMR (Burt, 2008). Studies conducted in Sweden and Norway, where the implementation of the EMR systems have been more intensive, have demonstrated that up to 90 % of the healthcare facilities may actually have EMRs (Open Clinical, 2008). In one of the study conducted on a family medicine practice in Dryden, New York, the EMR system was implemented in July 2003 and was installed in three phases.   The implementation of the EMR provided several benefits for the organization.   The organization had greater revenue and greater profit margins.   The obstacles in the EMR implementation were tackled successfully (ONiel, 2007). Benefits Using EMR has a huge number of benefits in the improvement of community health. There is the issue of decreased storage space and reduced efforts in searching for the records of the patient.   Electronic searches can last for a few seconds.   Hence, there would be an improvement in the efficiency.   The patient’s records can be stored in an easier manner electronically.   It can be modified with ease and changes can be made without any problems.   More importantly, the electronic medical records would ensure that data is entered with ease.   An electronic medical record would have a template for the healthcare professional to input data.   The physician can utilize various templates including demographic information, medical conditions sheets, orders, prescription, image requirements, follow-up notes, etc.   By picking up and using the right template, the physician can effectively save time, make fewer mistakes, and chart   a patient’s details more com pressively than when using a hard form paper recording system. In case of the trauma care department, the use of the EMR system is even more critical.   Such a system can help to provide immense benefits in such a way that it would improve the recording time and also provide the user with immense benefits in the form of alerts, risk information, error reporting, etc.   Some of these features could be life-saving in the trauma care or intensive care units.   EMR systems permit transfer of information inside and outside of the hospital.   When a provider is assigned to a particular patient, the provider as a user would be given rights to access the patient’s information.   The user would just have to logon any computer on the network with a username and password; and accordingly, access his/her patient’s information.   Between organizations, information can be transferred.   Thus, a patient can go to almost any hospital across the nation, and the hospital can retrieve the patient’s health information within a mat ter of seconds.   EMRs also permit safer and secure transfer of health information, ensuring that the patient’s information is kept confidential.   In case of an emergency situations or natural disasters, the EMR is very useful in ensuring that the patient’s information can be retrieved more easily.   Today, EMRs that are available in the market ensure that physicians or other healthcare providers perform fewer keystrokes when entering information.   Such systems are potentially becoming faster than the paper system and are saving time.   EMRs are also very useful in insurance claims, as it can handle any patient’s data in a better manner (Torrey, 2008). DISCUSSION The use of EMR’s in the healthcare system has huge number of advantages such that it can improve the quality, decrease the cost, improve the effectiveness, adhere to the standards, and improve the accessibility and the delivery of the healthcare.   The use of EMR’s by the physicians and other healthcare professionals in the US healthcare system has been slow, and also physicians are unreasonable taking time to understand the functionality of the system, perceive the benefits, develop solutions to the problems and adapt the system.   The use of EMR’s especially in the outpatient or ambulatory setup is a bit awkward.   The usage of EMR’s is in the range of 9 to 29 %, but the figures may not be a true indication at the extent at which physicians use EMR’s in the US.   The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (part of the Department of Health and Human Services), have tried to use the EMR’s in a small repre sentative population and to develop measures and solutions directed at a larger population.   More than 2700 physicians were interviewed during the period late 2007 to early 2008 and about 62% of the physicians actually responded.   The physicians were asked questions about EMR usage and the manner in which they used them.   It was found that only 4 % of the physician population had a comprehensive EMR system and 13 % had a basic system.   More than 83 % of the physicians did not use and EMR, out of which 16 % had purchased one but did not implement it and 26 % wanted to have one within the next 2 years (DesRosches, 2008). It was also noted that certain characteristics in the physicians were associated with increased usage of the EMR.   The younger physicians adopted the EMR’s as they were more inclined to use computers.   There were not many differences between the usage of EMR between physicians who served minors, uninsured populations, insured populations, etc.   There was greater usage of all the features in the EMR when a basic system was used compared to an advanced system.   Some of the features that the physicians found useful in the EMR included entering, viewing and modifying data of the patient’s health, writing prescriptions and refills, giving appointments and referrals, placing orders for tests, etc.   Amongst these one of the most significant functions of the EMR system was to enable the physicians to place prescriptions electronically.   According to the benefits of EMR’s, about 82 % felt that there would be a positive implication over the quality of car e, 92 % felt that the interaction and communications would improve, 97 % felt that there was convenience in accessing the patient’s records and 86 % felt that there would be a significant reduction in the rate of errors.   Physicians felt that using the EMR helped to avert drug interactions and allergies, reporting of critical laboratory values and ensuring that preventive actions was enabled.   About 93 % of the physicians were satisfied with the use of an advanced EMR system and 88 % were satisfied with the use of a basic system.   The physicians were more likely to be happy in case an advanced EMR system was utilized.   The physicians also had a few barriers to adoption of the EMR including high costs of investment, difficulties in choosing a system, difficulties with having a current system, etc.   A high number of physicians chose to adopt an EMR system due to the financial incentives available to them.   About 40 % of the physicians felt that having an EMR s ystem could help protect tampering the medical records of the patient that may be done during assessment of liability in medico-legal cases.   Studies have also shown that when the physicians practice in a group (larger than 50) or in a hospital, were more likely to use medical records than otherwise.   Besides, the chances of the EMR system to be advanced and used for several functions was 4 times higher when adopted by a larger practice compared to a smaller group of physicians (DesRosches, 2008). With regards to quality of services, where electronic medical records were used in larger facilities was fully functional, and hence there was a better control over quality issues.   It may be difficult to assess the cost-effectiveness and quality outcome, unless through direct clinical studies.   There was greater concern amongst the physicians who actually utilized basic EMR systems as they were worried about accuracy and errors (DesRosches, 2008). Physicians were also concerned about the potential obstructions or limitations to the use of EMR’s.   As discussed earlier, the problems were greater and more severe in physicians who utilized basic EMR systems and were in a smaller practice (Miller, 2004). One of the huge concerns expressed by physicians is the high initial costs of procuring an EMR system.   The costs of procuring an EMR system ranged from sixteen thousand dollars to thirty six thousand dollars for every physician.   During the period of EMR implementation, some physicians experienced the problem of treating a fewer patients, which further increased the costs.   Besides, there were also the initial problems of learning how to use the EMR system and actually spending more time with each patient to input and access the information.   This caused a greater concern as now longer time was taken.   Physicians often found it very difficult to use computers.   This may be a huge concern especially in older physicians and those who are less computer-compliant.   The physicians may initially be unable to understand the benefits to quality and improvement in the system of the EMR and may even consider discarding it as it is pointless.   Often physicians find it d ifficult to navigate through an EMR.   Some of the basic EMR systems require huge amount of data to be typed, a lot of mouse clicks and several scrolling requirements.   On the other hand, an advanced EMR system can potentially help to do away with such problems.   Today more and more the EMR manufacturers are coming up with solutions for use by the physicians to ensure improvements in the quality.   The use of an EMR system needs to be gradually implemented along with constant support in the form of planning, training, trouble-shooting and problem-solving.   Often complex activities need to be performed to ensure that the functionality of the EMR is complemented.   Often support for EMR’s needs to be provided for several years following initial implementation.   New staff would join and leave the organization, and if it is a small EMR network, there are chances that support personnel may not be present all the time, as issues and trouble-shooting may be difficu lt to address.   Besides, constant training support needs to be provided.   The clinician may often have to modify their workflow to ensure that the EMR system can be effectively accommodated.   In larger organizations, the planning, implementation, training, trouble-shooting, financial support, leadership, expertise support, etc were greater than in smaller organizations (Miller, 2004). An EMR system should effectively talk to other clinical systems such as LIS, PACS and referral systems.   This would ensure that the workflow of various sections is well-integrated and the services provided are comprehensive.   In smaller organizations, there was a greater problem in integration as the system used were basic and the technical support require was complex (Mnatsakanyan, 2008). Another problem noticed with the EMR is that although there are certain benefits in terms of quality, error reduction, ease in decision-making, etc, these may not be quantified and hence may not be apparent to the physicians.   In other words, there are chances that no direct financial rewards are obtained to the organization.   Some physicians may also feel of doing away with such a system.   The use of the EMR may not be utilized to a greater extent in the organization (Mnatsakanyan, 2008). However, if the EMR systems are planned and implemented in an appropriate manner, there is a greater chance of the benefits being reaped than of the limitations being magnified.   One way would be to ensure that the EMR network be large and that exchange of data between various hospitals and practices be ensured.   Laboratory support to smaller hospitals can effectively be provided by the larger hospitals if EMR exchanges are present.   During the exchange of information within the EMR systems, the criteria laid down under HL and HIPAA needs to be closely adhered (Mnatsakanyan, 2008).   In community settings, such exchanges would permit exchange of data between the primary or community health centers and the tertiary hospitals and in this way enable provision of specialized health services.   Exchanges also help in meeting technical demands, governance, etc (Miller, 2004). The organization that utilizes the EMR should never consider the direct profits made by incorporating such a system, but instead look at the manner in which the related costs are reduced.   The cost benefits of EMR need to assess in other ways such as looking at performance reports, patient satisfaction levels, patient outcomes, reduction in medical errors, quality levels.   To encourage greater use of the EMR system by the physicians, incentives need to be provided (Mnatsakanyan, 2008). In the field of public and community health, the use of EMR is even more critical considering that this is one of the key issues to greater safety and health to the population of the entire nation.   Often the EMR system can be integrated with a public surveillance and monitoring system to identify the risk for any communicable diseases.   The systems can perform advanced calculations through the use of algorithms and hence predict the risk for any outbreak or epidemic, even before such an event has occurred.   The system uses ICD-9 and CPT codes help to detect the presence of any disease.   When the information from various sources are integrated, missing or incomplete data can be supplemented and in this way the risk for an outbreak of any disease can be predicted.   EMR have also been a very useful tool in the management of chronic diseases in a primary care setup.   The use of Evidence-based practices on patients can be monitored closely.   The use of EBP to assess diseases, determine if recommended tests and procedures are conducted and whether the outcome indicators are closely followed-up, should be ensured.   Many countries such as Canada, US and the UK have setup targets and conversion of the paper system to the EMR system within a few periods of years.   EMR would ensure greater amount of clinical audits and hence help to improve the quality of healthcare (Buono, 2008). CONCLUSION Although over the years there has been an increased use of EMR’s by the physicians, there needs to be a lot of issues to be sorted out.   Physicians from the smaller practices and hospitals are embracing EMR’s more slowly and besides are adopting only basic EMR system that would provide limited benefits which may not be very useful considering the high costs of implementation and maintenance.   There may be certain geographical differences in the use of EMR’s.   They tend to be used more often in urban areas compared to rural areas.   A fewer number of physicians would use an EMR for greater number of services.   Compared to the US, in countries such as Sweden and Norway, the implementation and use of the EMR’s have been greater.   EMR has huge number of benefits and would definitely help to change the face of medicine.   One of the huge advantages of EMR is the ability to incorporate evidence-based practices and in this way improve the quali ty of the services provided.   Besides EMR;s have a wide use of applications including placing orders and prescriptions, setting reminders and alerts, communicating with others through a messaging system, etc.   EMR’s if used properly can improve the efficiency and quality of services of the organization. They do not occupy a lot of space and can be utilized to search for information promptly.   In ICU and ED settings, the role of the EMR is even more critical and can potentially save the life of a patient.   A network can be formed which can be used to disseminate information and effectively integrate the services.   Several countries have set mandates for converting to fully electronic systems.   Some physicians may be turned down by the huge investments and resources required for procuring an EMR system.   However, it is important to note that when EMR’s systems are used properly can translate into huge profits indirectly for the organization and in turn reduce costs in various fields.   This may often not be seen as a benefit, but would have to be thoroughly researched.   Organizations need to determine ways in which the benefits of the EMR system would be known and hence be of greater use to the organization.   Also, a lot needs to be done regarding the int eroperability between the EMR system and including training as part of the curriculum in the medical schools.   A fully functional EMR should be ideally used by the physician.

The Pros and Cons Of Working Full Time and Going to College

The Pros and Cons Of Working Full Time and Going to College Work and school are two of the most important aspects in peoples futures. Each of these is generally demanding: they require focus and dedication, which in turn necessitate a good state of mind. Yet this state is hard to obtain if you feel constantly exhausted. Handling both these tasks at the same time can be difficult, but its far from impossible. There are numerous people doing it and, as long as you find the right balance, you can be one of them. It is important to be fully aware of what you are committing to if you choose this path. Here are some pros and cons when it comes to working full time and going to college. Keep in mind that we are mainly addressing master students; the doctoral level has often been reported as demanding as a full-time job by those following it, making any other kind of work unrealistic to consider. Pros You advance in your professional and educational life at the same time. By the time you graduate, you will already have work experience. At that point, you could choose to maintain the job or aim for something better. But you wont start from scratch, as other graduates will, making you a more desirable candidate for employees. Building a strong work ethic for real world tasks is also a very important skill that you will pick up early. Better financial status. One of the main reasons everyone works. Finances are quite limited for students; when we add the significant costs of education, it makes sense that working will put them in a better position when it comes to that aspect. Besides university costs, there are other things that a job can help you cover: insurance and regular living costs are just a few of the aspects that often manage to put a lot of pressure on students. Prepares you for real life, ensures you can live up to challenges. Going to college and working full time will build up discipline like few other experiences will. You will learn how to perform under pressure, deal with stress, manage different activities efficiently and, generally, be stronger than before. Now, this obviously varies from person to person we are talking about the effect on those who can withstand a busy lifestyle. It is completely understandable that some will find it to be an overwhelming experience, which we will mention when talking about the disadvantages. Cons Numerous employers and universities expect for someone involved full-time in their activities to have no other obligations besides those from their personal lives. Universities will have assignments besides the usual courses, something that you will have little time for when working. Each place will have certain expectations that you may have trouble fulfilling. Truth be told, working and going to college will prove to be overwhelming quite often. Besides scheduling conflicts, stress and lack of time to deal with the demands of both, you may sometimes have to make compromises. It is essential that, if you do follow this route, you make sure there is some flexibility offered by your employer and university. It may be difficult not to be overly stressed. Certain situations can simply become too much for people to handle properly. Depending on the work and university program followed, investing the time and effort needed for satisfactory results in both areas can prove to be impossible. Not much personal time. Spare time is crucial for the mental and physical well-being of anyone. It allows you to relax and recharge your batteries so that you come back to your tasks with full strength. Handling a full-time job and school at the same time, however, leaves you with very little time for hobbies and social activities. Building and maintaining connections takes time and effort, something that you sometimes wont be able to invest due to your demanding lifestyle. All in all, work and school can be done simultaneously, provided that you know the benefits as well as the disadvantages. It is up to you to judge whether your situation allows it. Also its easier to study with the help ofbest writing help services. A tip: do your research properly if you want to do both. You should know what to expect from college, so consult other students opinion (especially if they are also working) and read our blog for more tips and pieces of advice. Then make sure your future employer will be understanding and flexible when it comes to your schedule.

Imperialism'Race and Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Imperialism'Race and Development - Essay Example In the trade, more than twelve millions slaves were sold to European traders. The slaves were sold by the powerful African local leaders as per the order (McNeill 1990, p. 90). According to McNeill (1990, p 90), the trade was initiated by physical contact between the African countries and the new world countries which included North and South America. The physical contact between the American countries and Africa countries was facilitated by the invention of ship which enhanced the Atlantic Ocean navigation. The navigation of the Atlantic Ocean by European to the Africa continent was the genesis of the trade. Before the invention of the trans- Atlantic slave trade, Africa practiced slavery within the continent. Therefore, slave trade was not a new thing in Africa. The popularity of slave trade in Africa before the coming of North and South American slave traders fueled the business. During the time of slave trade, African slaves were exchanged with clothes and ornaments. However, the trans- Atlantic trade was and is still the largest and holistic slave trade in the world According to McNeill (1990, p. 230), Orientalism has to do with the way the non- Western culture is taken by the Western scholars, writers, and politicians. It portrays how the non Western societies are biased by the Western society. Orientalism is the art work of the 19th century artists who specialized on oriental subjects. The 19th century art was based specifically on drawing on the journey made to the Western Asia and North Africa. The artists in this field were referred to as orientalists. Orientalism has its origin in the European enlightenment and colonization of the Arab countries. The orientalists’ drawings at that time were very biased to the non- Western countries. The drawings and writings on the drawing portrayed African and Asian societies as very native and backward. The Orientalism done on those days

Case week 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Case week 2 - Essay Example U.S. companies justify this trend by indicating that it reduces their costs which in the end, makes them more competitive globally. The country that benefits from the outsourcing of skilled white-collar jobs to developing nations are the developing nations because it provides employment to their people. The losers are the other skilled white-collar workers in the rich nations because they will find difficulty in looking for a job since it was outsourced from other countries who have a much lower labor cost. These white-collars workers in the rich country may either be out of job or will be forced to accept a job which offers a lower rate just to remain competitive. Opponents of outsourcing claim that â€Å"the loss of competitive advantage to other countries is permanent and the American worker and economy lose forever (Saleem, 2008). Yes, the United States will suffer from the loss of high-skilled and high-paying jobs because most companies would rather hire individuals from Third World countries who have the same skills as those found in the U.S. but the cost of labor will be cheaper. Since outsourcing means fewer jobs for the Americans, it means that the unemployed sector of the U.S. will not have the capacity to spend. If they do not have the purchasing power, then those who produce the goods will not earn too (Saleem, 2008). Proponents of outsourcing however say that outsourcing is necessary for the productivity and competitiveness of the U.S. economy since the companies realize cost savings from hiring people at lower rates. (Elstrom, 2007). c. Is there a difference between the transference of high-paying white-collar jobs, such as computer programming and accounting, to developing nations and low-paying blue-collar jobs? If so, what is the difference, and should government do anything to stop the flow of white-collar jobs out of the country to countries such as India? There is not much difference between the transference to

Analysis Of Bcg Matrix Marketing Essay

Analysis Of Bcg Matrix Marketing Essay In business, there are times when an organization needs to expand or change the market or field. There are tons of ideas about things one could do. However, it is hard to determine which idea will be the best. Therefore, strategic marketing planning tools will be important and beneficial, such as BCG matrix, Ansoff Matrix or Porter 5 forces and so forth, to help one evaluate the options and decide on the one that suits the organization and situation best. As a result, it gives the best return on the considerable investment that an organization will need to make. Strategic marketing management involves the process of deciding the marketing strategy to follow and to ensure it is followed correctly, in order to compete against its rivals successfully. In an attempt to assist strategic marketing process, a number of different strategic marketing planning tools have been created. Igor Ansoff, Michael Porter, and the Boston Consulting Group have the best known models in the field of business. Strategies are developed according to the objectives within an organization. The establishment of the objectives will normally produce a difference between what had been achieved and what target needs to be met. The uses of strategies are to illustrate how this gap is going to be solved, and objectives met. Strategic Management is a systematic approach to the major and increasingly important responsibility of general management to position and relate the firm to its environment in a way which will assure its continued success and make it secure from surprises (Ansoff, 1990). This paper will focus on the BCG Matrix, which is one of the models like PESTLE, SWOT, Ansoff matrix, Gap analysis, GE matrix and Porter 5 forces. It is often used to assess the profits of business or resource allocation and divestment decisions by the marketers. The content of this report will explain and analyse the application of BCG Matrix with some examples. Some of the other analytic tools will also be mentioned in this work. Analysis of BCG matrix BCG Matrix is developed by Bruce Henderson of the Boston Consulting Group in the year of 1968 (BCG, 2012). It is one of the Portfolio analyses. It is used to determine high or low performers of businesses or products depending upon their market growth rate and relative market share. The idea behind this Matrix is that higher market share or a better market grows of the product is better for the organization. There are four categories in BCG Matrix, which are Stars, Cash cow, Question mark, and Dogs (Philip.K, et al., 2008). Furthermore, horizontal axis is given for relative market share position and vertical axis for industry growth rate (Philip.K, et al., 2008). Planners are to classify their products or businesses into the four categories according to their position on the matrix. It provides a framework for analysis and comparison of products or businesses for multinational companies with diverse products. The advantages of using BCG Matrix are to have the ability to prioritise a business or product portfolio; it is to know what products are doing well and what are not performing. It provides a useful insight into the potential opportunities and problems associated with a particular product. It is often a convenient graphical form that is easily understood by the staffs who are the decision makers. In appendix A, it takes Nestle company (table 1.0) as an example, prepared dishes and cooking aids, PetCare and confectionery would be classed as Cash cow; beverage products would be a star; whereas pharmaceutical products as Question mark. Water products are most likely to be classed as a Dog. The BCG matrix is linked to the Product life cycle. Introduction, growth, maturity and decline, it represents Question marks, Stars, Cash cows and dogs in the BCG matrix respectively. Referring back to the table 1.0, it shows that PetCare and Confectionery products are at the late maturity period in the Product life cycle. Therefore, Nestle must come out with new and better ideas, in order to prevent or slow down the product from further decline in sales, or perhaps becoming a Dog. However, it is expected that different product will have different life cycle. Therefore, some stars with short life cycle will be better to harvest rather than to commit further investment (Graeme. D and John. E, 2007). In a multinational company, it is essential for its products to have high and low growth rate, such as stars to assure future of the company, cash cows that supply money for further growth, and converting question marks into stars. It is because a balanced product portfolio will maximize organisation revenue. As mentioned by Bruce Henderson Only a diversified company with a balanced portfolio can use its strengths to capitalize on growth opportunities(BCG.P, 2010). The benefits of high growth products include high return at the cost of wide ranging resource to market. For low growth rate products, its benefits are customers familiarity with the product, thu s, lesser cost for marketing and a constant source of revenue. With the help of BCG matrix, it can be identified how organization cash resources can be used to maximize a companys future growth and profitability. It provides the criteria for determining which products or business one should invest in, hold, harvest, or divest. However, the BCG matrix is only useful to a certain extent, and its limitation makes it increasingly less accurate. The BCG matrix was created in 1970s; therefore, it is expected to be less accurate in the current society especially during periodic recession (Blythe, 2006). The situation in the current business market is much more complicated than before.The model of BCG matrix discouraged organizations to invest in businesses with a less than 10% growth rate in a year. During the hard time, many companies will not have a growth of 10%.Thus, it is not accurate to rely on BCG matrix during an economic downturn; it might create confusion in the companys direction. The connection between market share and profitability is argu able because sometimes low share businesses can be profitable too and vice versa (Babette Craig, 2012). As mention by experts, the markets are difficult to determine with a huge amount of overlaps and complex segmentation (Macmillan. H, 2000). There are many portfolios in real businesses consist of a high percentage of dog businesses and few star businesses (Macmillan. H, 2000). Thus, portfolio analysis is criticized for offering little help in these circumstances. Growth rate and market share are only one aspect of industry attractiveness and overall competitive position respectively. The market definition and measurement are not perfect as there are some problems faced (Wensley. R, 1981). Hence, poor definition of business market might lead to some misclassification, such as dogs, becoming cash cows. Moreover, the matrix mainly focuses on investment in current products of a company. Thus, it might neglect alternative investment such as setting new product lines or investing in ne w technology, which could be better than investing in current products or services. The matrix also ignores the potential competitive responses. When an organization tried to build their market shares and support growth, it is likely to get responses from the competitors as retaliation (Blythe, 2006). Furthermore, it is too simplistic and general just to use high and low to form four categories, which lead to a low accuracy analysis. In addition, the matrix is based on cash revenue, whereby profit should be a better phrase to use as it means the financial gain after all the deduction of expense from the revenue. General electric (GE) matrix developed by Mckinsey is a similar matrix that overcomes some of the disadvantage of BCG matrix. It uses market attractiveness instead of market growth rate which included a broader range of factors compare to growth rate. It also replaced market share into competitive strength which assessed each SBU with competitive positioning (Kozami,2002). H owever, this paper will not go into the details of GE matrix due to the words constraint. According to an article by Hiram and Clyde on portfolio analysis, they added three categories to the matrix, such as infants, war horses and dodos, to get a better coverage of the business society during recession. War horses represent a cash cow in a declining market. The veteran products in an organization are things which hold a strong market position. It is used to prevent an organization from eliminating a veteran product during a recession as it is always just a temporary phenomenon (Hiram Clyde, 1982). Dodos represent products that have little potential for growing and low shares in declining markets (Hiram Clyde, 1982). It is added into the matrix because it will enable the company to make an early decision in withdrawing or removing such products so as to improve the chance of selling the assets of such business. The authors categorized new innovative products to be infants (Hiram Clyde, 1982). Most of the time, infant products do not generate any profit to the company at the introduction period and may even have a negative cash flow. Thus, it is important to point out the new innovative products before they are treated as a dog or question mark. With the obvious limitations of BCG Matrix, it is not recommended to use the matrix alone. It is a portfolio analysis tool which focuses on the internal of an organization. Thus, it is always best to use with external analysis tools such as SWOT. SWOT will look at matters like the strength and weakness of the company, and the opportunities and threats that might occur. It is used to measure the degree of strategic fit between the organization and its environment. As a combination with BCG matrix, BCG matrix will focus on the internal factors and SWOT will be focusing on the external factors. Therefore, the O T of SWOT will mainly suggest using alongside with BCG matrix. For example, with the O T, the organization can recognise the opportunities and threats in Nestle such as an increase in health conscious society (PRweb, 2012) provide a huge opportunity for Nestle to produce more health care products and raw ingredient prices for chocolate production are increasing will affect the profit margin as threat (Christopher, 2011). If only BCG matrix is used, the planners will miss the external factors like the society or raw materials pricing which might cause problems to the organization. According to experts, it mentioned that a mixture of two or more analysis tools is recommended for a holistic view of strategic scenario (Wind, et al, 1983). Therefore, it is essential for an organization to capture the internal and external factors with appropriate marketing analytic tools to strengthen the company performance. Conclusion This paper focused on the analysis of BCG matrix. It evaluated the usefulness and weakness of the model. Recommendations had also been advised for further enhancement of the usefulness of the model. Although BCG Matrix has a number of limitations, it is still one of the most popular portfolio planning tools used by big companies with diverse products. It can measure the growth rate and relative market share of each sector in a table form. The table shows a clear understanding on how an organization is performing. With a simple and clear understanding, the company can develop strategies to deal with the sectors, and achieve the organizations aimed goals and objectives. It is also useful for small businesses to survey the companys market share and growth, in relation to relative market to see how products are performing. Lastly, BCG Matrix is not a tool to replace management decision or vision. It is a tool to help managers or planners evaluate their strategy alternatives together with other analysis tools, such as SWOT. It is a tool with flaws, but still suffices to be a good tool for portfolio analysis. References Ansoff, Igor, 1990. Implanting Strategic Management. 2nd ed. New York: Prentice Hall . Babette, E, 2012. Analysis Without Paralysis: 12 Tools to Make Better Strategic Decisions. 2nd ed. New Jersey: Financial Times. BCG. 2012. BCG History. [Online] Available at: http://www.bcg.com/about_bcg/history/history_1968.aspx. [Accessed 04 November 12]. BCG. Perspectives. 2012. The product portfolio. [Online] Available at: https://www.bcgperspectives.com/content/Classics/strategy_the_product_portfolio/. [Accessed 05 November 12]. Blythe, Jim, 2006. Principles Practice of Marketing. 1st ed. London: Thomson learning. Christopher Adams . 2011. Chocolate lovers face price rise as ingredients soar. [Online] Available at: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3objectid=10701792. [Accessed 22 November 12]. Graeme, Drummond, and John Ensor, 2007. Strategic Marketing: Planning and Control. 3rd ed. Oxford: A Butterworth-Heinemann Title. Hiram, Barksdale and Clyde E. Harris,Jr., 1982. Portfolio analysis and the product life cycle. Long range planning, [Online]. 15(6), 74-83. Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=MiamiImageURL_cid=271874_user=7229486_pii=0024630182900103_check=y_origin=article_zone=toolbar_coverDate=31-Dec-1982view=coriginContentFamily=serialwchp=dGLbVlt-zSkWzmd5=a00811c63fcac0a92dbec6cd66a1ece0pid=1-s2.0-0024630182900103-main.pdfsqtrkid=0.3659638183921414 [Accessed 23 November 2012]. Kozami, Azhar, 2002. Business Policy and Strategic Management. 2nd ed. India: Tata McGraw-Hill. Macmillan, Hugh, 2000. Strategic management: process, content, and implementation. 1st ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Nestle. 2010. 2010 Annual Report. [Online] Available at: http://www.nestle.com/Common/NestleDocuments/Documents/Library/Documents/Annual_Reports/2010-Annual-Report-EN.pdf. [Accessed 03 November 12]. Nestle. 2011. 2011 Annual Report. [Online] Available at: http://www.nestle.com/Common/NestleDocuments/Documents/Library/Documents/Annual_Reports/2011-Annual-Report-EN.pdf. [Accessed 03 November 12]. Philip Kotler,Gary Armstrong, Veronica Wong and John Saunders, 2008. Principles of marketing. 5th ed. Italy: Pearson Education. PRWeb. 2012. Yahoo news. [Online] Available at: http://news.yahoo.com/increasing-popularity-growing-health-consciousness-fuel-growth-global-130305822.html. [Accessed 22 November 12]. Wensley, Robin, 1994. Making better decisions: The challenge of marketing strategy techniques. International Journal of Research in Marketing, [Online]. 11/1, pp85-90. Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com.libproxy.ncl.ac.uk/science/article/pii/0167811694900361 [Accessed 04 November 2012]. Wind, Young, Mahajan, Vijay and Donald, Swire., 1983. An Empirical Comparison of Standardized Portfolio Models. Journal of Marketing, [Online]. 47(2), pp89-99. Available at: http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=247ec63a-e348-45c1-a7b8-e1819fa6169a%40sessionmgr11vid=2hid=21 [Accessed 22 November 2012].

Child Abuse and Neglect :: Violence Against Children

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many children suffer at the hands of adults - often their own parents. They are beaten, kicked, thrown into walls, and burned with cigarettes. They have their heads held under the water of toilet bowls, are scalded by hot water or they are forced to stand in freezing showers until they pass out. A child could be stuffed into running washing machines or sexually molested, suffer from neglect in the forms of starvation and lack of medical attention, and still go unnoticed by outsiders. In fact, it is estimated that about five children die every day in the U.S. from some form of child abuse. It is a sickening practice that has no set standard of rules to finish off the persisting problem. Different states have different methods and agencies to help prevent abuse in the home, some work quite well while others bomb - a dangerous gamble when it comes to the life or mental state of a child.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The precise number of deaths each year is not known because of the extent of most fatality investigations that could be suspected as child abuse but are seen as open and shut death cases. A report from the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, however, depicts more than three million reports of alleged child maltreatment practices in the year of 1995 alone. Many more children are living with abuse rather than dying from it, too. So what steps are being taken to protect our nation's children?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All states have a Child Protective Services (or CPS) system. This is the governmental system responsible for investigating reports of child abuse or neglect. In state after state, the CPS agency lacks the resources to respond adequately to the overwhelming number of reports it is legislatively mandated to investigate. All fifty states have child abuse reporting laws requiring reports of suspected abuse to be made by specified professionals and others whose work brings them into regular contact with children. Any citizen may report suspected abuse as state laws provide for reports to be made to the CPS agency or its equivalent, or to a law enforcement agency. In most states, investigations are conducted by CPS personnel, although law enforcement officers may also be involved.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The basic concern of child welfare workers is for the safety of the child. Assessment of the risks involved in leaving a child with its family must be made quickly because children cannot be removed from their families arbitrarily. Child Abuse and Neglect :: Violence Against Children   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many children suffer at the hands of adults - often their own parents. They are beaten, kicked, thrown into walls, and burned with cigarettes. They have their heads held under the water of toilet bowls, are scalded by hot water or they are forced to stand in freezing showers until they pass out. A child could be stuffed into running washing machines or sexually molested, suffer from neglect in the forms of starvation and lack of medical attention, and still go unnoticed by outsiders. In fact, it is estimated that about five children die every day in the U.S. from some form of child abuse. It is a sickening practice that has no set standard of rules to finish off the persisting problem. Different states have different methods and agencies to help prevent abuse in the home, some work quite well while others bomb - a dangerous gamble when it comes to the life or mental state of a child.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The precise number of deaths each year is not known because of the extent of most fatality investigations that could be suspected as child abuse but are seen as open and shut death cases. A report from the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, however, depicts more than three million reports of alleged child maltreatment practices in the year of 1995 alone. Many more children are living with abuse rather than dying from it, too. So what steps are being taken to protect our nation's children?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All states have a Child Protective Services (or CPS) system. This is the governmental system responsible for investigating reports of child abuse or neglect. In state after state, the CPS agency lacks the resources to respond adequately to the overwhelming number of reports it is legislatively mandated to investigate. All fifty states have child abuse reporting laws requiring reports of suspected abuse to be made by specified professionals and others whose work brings them into regular contact with children. Any citizen may report suspected abuse as state laws provide for reports to be made to the CPS agency or its equivalent, or to a law enforcement agency. In most states, investigations are conducted by CPS personnel, although law enforcement officers may also be involved.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The basic concern of child welfare workers is for the safety of the child. Assessment of the risks involved in leaving a child with its family must be made quickly because children cannot be removed from their families arbitrarily.

A Good Leader: Odysseus and Gilgamesh

Strength, determination and dedication are a few examples of characteristics, which a leader should possess. Characteristics of a good leader may vary in the eye of the beholder, however, I believe that overall there are a few qualities that are critically important. Throughout a person’s life, the experiences they endure shape them and build them into an individual. Like the lugals in Mesopotamia, it is a leaders obligation to protect and serve. In the Mycenaean civilization the Wanax stood at the top of their social ladder.In the Odyssey, Odysseus would be a Wanax because he owned an independent walled kingdom or palace. Both Odysseus and Gilgamesh were looked up to as leaders. When asked if they were successful leaders, I was a bit stuck. After some thought, though, I came to the conclusion that I believe both Odysseus and Gilgamesh were successful leaders. They were not always successful leaders, but their adventures and experiences molded them into reliable men. Our first glance of Odysseus is when Telemakhos speaks of him to Athena. (Odyssey 8-9).He explains that he would rather have a father who is happy and growing old in his house rather than one with a mysterious and dangerous life. This is the first example of why I believe Odysseus started out as a bad leader. Although he was off fighting, against his wishes, he lost contact with the people he cared about the most, and fell off the radar. I believe that, as a leader, he should have been able to somehow get into contact with his family and inform them that he was okay. When comparing our first impression of Gilgamesh to Odysseus, we see someone who is extremely different.Odysseus had a loving family and a loyal wife. In contrast, Gilgamesh was selfish and achieved the glory he thought he deserved. He was on the hunt for immortality and in doing so, abandoned his city or Uruk to travel with his friend Enkidu. A successful leader should never abandon his or her people. One example that contrasts Odysseus’ quality of leadership can be seen by looking at his crew. None of his members survived. A successful leader should always lead, protect and receive respect from their crew and in many ways the members of his crew were disobedient.When Odysseus and his crew traveled to the island of Helios he distinctively said to his men not to touch the cattle (Odyssey 219-220). When Odysseus fell into a sleep, Eurylokhos, Odysseus’ main member of the crew, convinced the men to kill one of the cattle for food (Odyssey 221). Disobedience shows disrespect, and when the members of your crew do not listen to what you say it shows that they do not take you seriously. A second example showing how Odysseus could not control his crew is the bag of wind (Odyssey 166).I believe that if you are a successful leader, you should be able to control all of your people, namely your crew. Although Gilgamesh does not have a crew, he proves that he lacks the characteristics of a good leader in a few instances. Gilgamesh and Enkidu steal trees from the cedar forest, which is forbidden to mortals. This is prime example of how Gilgamesh does not care about anyone else but himself. He is disrespecting the Gods by entering the forest and going even further by cutting down the trees.During this endeavor they also kill Huwawa, the monster that guards the forest. At first Gilgamesh flees when he first sees the face of Huwawa (Gilgamesh 26). Gilgamesh fleeing from the face of the demon shows that he was afraid, and no leader should ever be afraid and show it. Another example of Gilgamesh lacking the qualities of a leader is when he kills the Bull of Heaven. The goddess Ishtar was in love with Gilgamesh and wanted to be with him; when she asks him to be her husband he rejects her and she goes straight to her father and mother, Anu and Antum (Gilgamesh 29-32).Ishtar has her father send the Bull of Heaven down to kill Gilgamesh, however Enkidu and Gilgamesh conquer the Bull of Heave n and kill it. The council of Gods were enraged and demand that Enkidu must die in order to pay for the deaths of both Huwawa and the Bull (Gilgamesh 37-38). Betraying the Gods enough for them to wish death upon Enkidu shows that Gilgamesh was certainly not being a respectful mortal, let alone leader. Odysseus was a very sneaky and cunning man. He was able to defeat many monsters by out-smarting them.This was not always the best way to go about achieving victory. Odysseus came upon the Kyklops while on his journey with his crew. They were stuck in his cave, and he thought of a sneaky plan to get away. Odysseus and his crew took a large pole and poked the Kyklops in the eye. Right before they did this, however, Odysseus told the Kyklops that his name was Nohbdy. When the kyklops ran out of his cave bellowing in pain his fellow Kyklops’ asked who did this to him. â€Å"Nohbdy, Nohbdy’s tricked me, Nohbdys’s ruined me† (Odyssey 157) was the Kyklops’ r eply.This was extremely smart and cunning, and Odysseus would have been able to get away safe and sound. The unfortunate part occurred when Odysseus decides to brag his victory and announce his real name to the Kyklops. A leader should not feel the need to brag about victories that he or she has earned. Every leader knows that they are capable of defeat, and bragging is never something that a successful leader should do. As you can see there are several examples proving that Gilgamesh and Odysseus were not successful leaders from the start and throughout their journeys.The realization comes at the end of both novels where I believe the leaders made a change in their path for the better. When Odysseus and Telemakhos meet up they know that they must now defeat the suitors and gain the palace back as their own. Odysseus was disguised as a beggar so that he was able to go into the palace and get ready for the defeat of the suitors. You could already tell that he was starting to change w hen one of the suitors insulted him on being a beggar, and not being worthy. Normally Odysseus might have revealed whom he really was in order to prove his excellence, however he did not seem phased by it.From there Telemakhos and Odysseus defeated all of the suitors and claimed that palace, as it should be. Odysseus was back where he belonged, and ready to rule his people like he should have been doing from the start. Gilgamesh on the other hand was searching not for his way home, but for immortality. After Gilgamesh’s long journey he comes to the realization that death is inevitable. He learned from his talk with Utnapishtim that immortality cannot be earned when you are trying to get it. In his case, Utnapishtim was not looking for immortality when he built that ark.He was building the ark because he was told to and immortality was awarded to him as a reward. Death is something that cannot be avoided, and that he should just learn to accept that. Gilgamesh then finally rea lized what he had done to his people. Because he was so wrapped up in the glory, fame, and immortality he was trying to reach he gave up on something that was a part of him. Gilgamesh knew at that moment that he needed to travel back to Uruk and rule his people the way that they deserved to be ruled. In my opinion I believe that the end of both men’s journeys is the most important part.Yes, they were definitely not successful leaders for most of the story however the realizations at the end meant the most. When they realized that they let their people down they knew they needed to change. It shows that they will be there for them from now on, and be the best leaders they can be. I also believe that with the obstacles they over came along the way lessons were learned. Every champion athlete has to over come bad competitions, injuries, and bumps in the road in order for them to be at the top of the podium, and a successful leader has to do the exact same thing.