Decision Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Decision Analysis - Essay Example The essay refers to â€Å"Case Study of Rural Health Care in the Economic Downturn" by North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center. Healthcare facilities have energy-intensive buildings and use more energy than other forms of buildings per square meter. Energy efficiency is critical to freeing capital trapped within conventional hospital infrastructure. Approaches to energy efficiency will provide clean, cheap, and abundant to Ashe Memorial Hospital in the delivery of immediate hospital savings. The hospital will improve financial performance through making advanced decisions to energy management. Ashe Memorial Hospital should focus on achieving sustainable utility cost reductions and savings across the building’s life cycle (Borkowski & Deckard, 2013). The approach generates new cash and increased capital continuously. It is important to note that hospital investment in efficient procedures has appreciable impacts on hospital financial performance. However, there is a need to have consistency in implementing the stability of cost per case and cash flow. The reduced of penalties and carbon taxes grows the energy efficiency in the future while Ashe Memorial Hospital endorses the ability of full compliance with regulators and accreditation organizations in its operations. The reduced potential for preventable adverse events includes infant abductions as well as unexpected patient departures for improved security of patients, staffs, and assets without extra costs (Twaddle, 2002). Lower levels of power failure and patient injuries as well as death due to electrical fires or power failure reduces the potential for higher costs. The application of intelligent healthcare solutions provides Ashe Memorial Hospital with an opportunity of improving hospital’s financial performance. Other benefits of automation include higher productivity level and overall patient satisfaction, safety, and security. In addition,

The most compelling problems facing youth in the 21st Century Essay Example for Free

The most compelling problems facing youth in the 21st Century Essay Preparing Americas children for the 21st century is among our most important national priorities. Todays children face the promise of a new century of unparalleled opportunity in which new technologies, improvements in health, expanding economies, and other advances create the hope that their future will be the brightest of any generation in history. Yet, too many of them face obstacles that obscure that bright future, including poverty, violence, child abuse, limited educational opportunity, and unhealthy behaviors. The devastating economic, social, and human costs of these obstacles are indisputable. Addressing these challenges to their future and investing in opportunities so that all children can reach their full potential. An essential component of this strategy is undertaking research to provide new knowledge of ways to improve their futures and to provide sound guidance for policy makers to assure that efforts to help are likely to succeed. Numerous indicators of the well-being of our children and families paint a mixed picture of successes and shortcomings. Our national infant mortality rate is declining rapidly and is at a record low, but is still higher than that of many other countries. Our childrens test scores in reading and science are improving but still trail those of several other industrialized nations. Our school dropout rate is unacceptably high, costing over $250 billion each year in lost earnings and foregone taxes, as well as lost human potential. Our teenage pregnancy rate is declining slightly, but is still the highest in the developed world. Our national vaccination coverage is the highest ever, but in many communities less than 50 percent of two-year-olds are adequately immunized. A similar picture of gains and unmet goals exists with respect to youth violence, child poverty, smoking, and other substance abuse. Much of the progress achieved in these and other areas is the result of critical research efforts that have advanced our understanding of how children and youths develop into healthy and productive individuals. Research has helped to inform policy decisions and program development, track outcomes, and identify strategies that work and those that do not. The Federal investment in research has clearly paid dividends in terms of improved outcomes for children and a healthier and brighter outlook for the entire Nation. Despite such important achievements, much remains to be done: Significant gaps  persist in our understanding of how children grow up to be healthy, well-educated, and responsible members of society. Given the profoundly changing nature of our communities and Nation, strengthening the Federal research enterprise on child and adolescent development and expanding its role in shaping relevant policy are especially crucial to serving national goals.

What Does Education Mean to You? Reflective Piece

What Does Education Mean to You? Reflective Piece Education, in my opinion, is something that has an enormous scope. It does not only covers academics, but also every aspect of a persons character and mentality. For instance, a man, with moral integrity, even without education academically wise, may be someone yearned for in the society but a man, equipped with just academic excellence may become a pest in the society. Those who think of education narrowly would presume that all of it is just about studying and achieving good academic results. Education is wide and to me, it is the thing that makes me alive. Since young, my parents mould my character and attitude. In school, teachers educate me academically and aid me in my character development. Stepping into the outside world, my experiences educate me every moment. In my point of view, Singapores education is generally fine However, in early stages of academic education, it seems to focus way too much on books and examinations. This sets the mentality of academic education slightly haywire in the young minds. They may think that cooping themselves up in a room studying is the only way to be first in academics. To me, education is way much more than simply just sitting in a classroom and reading textbooks. It is about experiencing the world, discovering and learning through different ways. Education in academics should not be based on conformity. For instance, learning mathematics is one which does not stimulate creativity in students mind. The steps needed to solve a question are actually similar throughout every other questions of its same topic. This may result in students having apathy towards such subjects as it is nearly all repetitive. Prior to this, I think that a new subject could be introduced into secondary school curriculum to help students develop much better academically and that is critical and creative thinking skills. This subject would get students to think unconventionally and look at questions from different perspective, allowing them to reach a new level of innovativeness, problem-solving and mind philosophy. A university degree will give people a competitive edge in the workforce and it is only achievable by education. However, in this fast-changing world of ours, even with a degree, one may still be losing out to others. This is because these degree-holders may be held onto their conventional way of thinking while others, even those with lower academic qualifications, have proceed far ahead with their creativity. Increasingly, employers want employees who are creative problem-solvers. Problems creep up in the workplace everyday, particularly regarding customer service. Employees need to be able to think on their feet and must be willing to try fresh approaches to solving problems. Cited from a website, this is something that I absolutely agree with. This aspect of employee is extreme important to an employer as it will prevent their business from stagnating. Hence, the demand for creative talents has escalated immensely. Despite that, it is important to have good attitude and moral integrity in order to be wanted by employers. This is something that academic education by a teacher is unable to achieve. In educating one in his attitude and character, the teacher is himself. Often, it is extremely difficult for someone else to drill in these characteristics into him though they still do play a small part in aiding his character development. In this day, our academic education system has become an instrument for one to earn a livelihood and climb the corporate ladder. The objective has shifted drastically from all-rounded education to making the student more viable in the job market at the shortest time possible. It is more emphasized on mere textbook knowledge rather than overall development of student. Thus, creativity, veracity and social values have been lost in this transformation. In conclusion, complete education is something that helps one in utilizing ones senses confidently and innovatively. Good education would be one that aids the learner in differentiating right from wrong, making the accurate choice and transcending the boundary of conformity. Self-discipline is a trait that only complete education can impart and it is of upmost importance to anyone who wants to become someone great one day.

Leadership transformation

The authors determined that team values are an influencing factor, which has an effect on the team member's response o the transformational leader, and in turn to the team's performance. Research question(s) (Article 1) What questions(s) does the author present? Hypothesis 1. â€Å"Mediated moderation exists when the Interaction between two variables (diversity and transformational leadership) affects a mediator, which then affects a dependent variable† (Morgan-Lopez & MacKinnon, 2006). Hypothesis 2.Task-relevant information has an effect on the relationship between leader and follower performance with regards to the team's educational diversity, age, and nationality. Hypotnesls 3. How tne team views Olverslty 0T Tellow team memoers ana leader as a â€Å"collective† team in regards to performing as a team. Research Question(s) (Article 2) How does the subordinate's performance have anything to do with the leader's values and behaviors? Do transformational leaders enhanc e team performance?The â€Å"transformational leader inspires others to go beyond self-interest, impressions, and limitations in order to motivate followers to become more effective in reaching common goals† (Bass, Avolio, Jung, ; Berson, 2003). The authors focus on team alues, and the effect that those values have on the performance of the team by comparing and contrasting results from results of study done on team members in the United States and Hong Kong. Literature Review —How is this organized? What are the main themes found in the review? Who are the main authors used?

Marketing Essay

Having read the chapters from Lovelock, Wirtz, Key & Lu (2005) and Masterson & Pickton (2010), what did you find most interesting about services marketing and why? Answer:In this chapter, the most interesting about services marketing is the growth of the service economy. In numerous countries, increased productivity and automation in agriculture and industry, combined with growing demand for both new and traditional services, have jointly resulted in a continuing increase over time in the percentage of the labor force that is employed in service. In recent years, the development of technology, especially IT and telecommunication, has became more crucial in services. The opening up of the service economy means that there will be greater competition. In turn, more competition will stimula innovation, not least through the application of new and improved technologies. Having read the chapters from Lovelock, Wirtz, Key & Lu (2005) and Masterson & Pickton (2010), what concepts or ideas relating to services marketing did you find most difficult to understand and why? Answer: In my opinion, the most difficult to understand concept is â€Å"People are often part of the product†. The difference between ones service and another often lies in the quality of employees who serve the customers. Service firms need to devote special care to selecting , training,and motivating those employees who will be serving customers directing. At the same time, firms have to manage and shape customer behavior, as the type of customers who patronize a particular service business can shape the nature of the service experience. I think it only proof that the people is very important in doing service. Why people are part of product? It make me confused. Having read the chapters from Lovelock, Wirtz, Key & Lu (2005) and Masterson & Pickton (2010) outline four generic differences between good and services. How do these differences impact on the marketing of service products? Answer: there are 4 generic differences between good ans services. First, goos are tangible while services are intangible. As a result, services can not be inventoried, easily patented and readily displayed or communicated. In addition, pricing is more difficult. Second, goods are standardized while services are heterogeneous. So service delivery and customer satisfaction depend on employees and customer actions. Service quality depend on many uncontrollable factors. Third, for goods, production separate from consumption, but for services, simultaneous production and consumption. As a result, people participated in will affect each other. Fourth, goods are nonperishable while services are perishable. So it is difficult to synchronize supply and demand with services. And services can not be returned or resold. Having read chapter fourteen of the prescribed text – Armstrong et al (2012) – what did you find most interesting about socially and ethically responsible marketing and why? Answer:The most interesting about socially and ethically responsible marketing is the marketing’s impact on society as a whole. There are several impacts, such as false wants and too much materialism, too few social goods, cultural pollution. For false wants and too much materialism, critics have charged that the marketing system urges too much interest in material possessions, and that the Western world’s love affair with worldly possessions is not sustainable. People often are judged by what they own,rather than by who they are. The critics do not view this interest in material things as a natural state of mind, but rather as a matter of false wants created by marketing. Marketers stimulate people’s desire for goods and create materialistic models of the good life. Having read chapter fourteen of the prescribed text – Armstrong et al (2012) – what concepts or ideas relating to did you find most and why? Answer: the most difficult to understand relating to socially and ethically responsible marketing is that critics charge the marketing system with creating cultural pollution. Commercials interrupt serious programs; pages of ads obscure magazines; billboards mar beautiful scenery; spam fills our inboxes. However, why say these interruptions continually pollute people’s minds with messages of materialism, sex,power or status. Most ads have its culture of products or companies, and some of them can bring a good culture value about consumption to people. In addition, advertisers are making their ads more entraining and informative. Outline and discuss four social criticisms of marketing. How would adopting a societal marketing orientation help to overcome these criticisms? Answer: the societal marketing orientation is the idea that the organisation should determine the needs, wants and interests of target markets and deliver the desired satisfaction more effectively and efficiently than competitors, and in a way that maintains or improves society’s wellbeing. Sustainable marketing calls for products that are not only pleasing but also beneficial. Products can be classified according to their degree of immediate consumer satisfaction and long ran consumer benefits. Marketers should take the whole society into account when they doing marketing. Deficient products have neither immediate appeal nor long-run benefits. Pleasing products give high immediate satisfaction but may hurt consumers in the long run. What the society wants is desirable products, which give both high immediate satisfaction and high long-run benefits. Concentrating more on social interests can help to overcome these criticisms. Based on your own experiences, what are the advantages for marketers in using social media as part of their marketing communications strategies? Answer: there are several advantages for using social media marketing. First, it is much cheaper. Traditional advertising methods can be costly for businesses while It’s free for businesses to sign up for popular social media networks, so it’s an affordable way to promote products and services, while building relationships with customers. Second, instant. With social media, you can announce a sale or special event as soon you finalize plans. Social media gives business owners the ability to share information, such as blog posts, tips and ideas and coupons instantly. third, interact. People can interact with consumers directly through social media, and social media marketing enables people to provide them with assistance on-the-spot. Social media networks also gives people a chance to interact with other entrepreneurs and leaders in their industries. Fourth, using social media marketing can get a huge database of ideas. On the social sites, there are many looking for answers to their problems. People are looking for solutions and one of the places they are looking is in social media where they might be following one of their teachers such as a blogger or mentor. Based on your own experience, what are the disadvantages or risks for marketers in using social media as part of their marketing commuications strategy? Answer: there are several disadvantages of using social media marketing. First, the wrong online brand strategy could put people at a viral social disadvantage and may even damage people reputation, i. e, when person makes a mistake offline, a few will know but when he make a mistake in front of hundreds or thousands of his online audience, most of them will know. Second, in order to get social media’s full effect, you need to understand how it works, when and how to use it and which channels to focus on depending on your end goal of using social media. Third, social media can have a negative influence on worker productivity. Employees may waste valuable time using social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter. They can also use social media to attack the company’s reputation. Fourth, when social media is used excessively or in the wrong way, it could have serious detrimental outcomes on both mental and even physical health of individuals. In addition, social media may open possibility for hackers to commit illegal crime such as fraud, spam and virus attacks. People falling prey to online scam may also increase, resulting in data or identity theft.

Treat Self-Publishing as a Business †Interviewing Elise Kova

Treat Self-Publishing as a Business – Interviewing Elise Kova "Treat Self-Publishing as a Business" – Interviewing Elise Kova We often hear that "the golden age of self-publishing is gone", so we like to use our blog to remind authors that, no, that's not true. There are many more indie success stories than the ones you repeatedly hear about out there, and Elise Kova's is one of them. She started writing in 2013, as a hobby, on Fictionpress. She now has 5 books out in her Air Awakens Series and the first one has over 500 reviews on Goodreads. In this interview, she shares  more about her writing process, why she self-published, and some advice for newer authors.Hi Elise! It’s such a pleasure to have you join us for the Reedsy blog. I want to start off by talking a bit about how you came to write the Air Awakens series. YA fiction has captured the heart of the public in the last few years  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  what is it about the YA fantasy genre that really appeals to you as an author?I love talking about books, so thank you for reaching out to me for this interview!I honestly didn't set out thinking tha t I was going to be a "YA Author". I've always loved writing, but I stopped doing it avidly for about four or so years during college and my MBA. When I sat down to write Air Awakens I didn't do so with the intention of being published, I just wanted to enjoy writing a story that I would want to read myself.When I began looking into publication later I toiled over if Air Awakens was "Adult" or "Young Adult" and the young adult age bracket fit better. I think there is something timeless about the "coming of age" story that we see in so much young adult fiction and many, myself included, are drawn to that. So I'm not surprised Air Awakens developed in that direction.Young adult readers can, and hopefully do, sympathize with and recognize the struggles of the protagonists. Whereas older readers remember going through those times themselves. Even more than that, I think people are constantly evolving and the questions of "Who am I?" and "What do I want?" may be more apparent during the transition into adulthood, but never really go away no matter how old we get.One of the things the series is most commonly praised for is its worldbuilding. The Solaris Empire, the Bond, the elemental magic – all of it is so well-developed! Was this a world you thought up quickly when you started actually writing Air Awakens, or had it been living and growing in your mind before that?I'm awful at planning, it's actually something I'm working on doing more in the future: pre-drafting. So much of the Air Awakens world was built as I went. As a result, there were a lot of things that didn't make sense when all was said and done; directions I thought I may take but never explored, or elements that didn't add anything.The series has gone through extensive rewrites before publication and at that point I really sat down and investigated the world and its mechanics. I cut a lot and refined the rest. 50 Book Marketing Ideas Every Author Needs to Know Read post Most indie authors struggle with getting their books discovered. What is the most important thing that you have done in terms of marketing that you think is responsible for your success?Oh, questions like this are so difficult to answer, as it's all speculation. But I think, for me, I've tried really hard to be both genuine and available to my readers. I'm constantly on my social media outlets and I'm not really shy on them when it comes to saying what I think, what I'm geeking out about, or what I'm up to. The bookish community on Twitter, Instagram, blogs, etc, is full of such amazing people that I've been so so lucky to meet.Follow Elise Kova and Reedsy on Twitter:  @EliseKova  and @ReedsyHQWhy did  you choose to self-publish? What would be  your advice for newer  authors looking to become the next "indie success story"? Do share your thoughts, or ask Elise any question, in the comments below!

5 Appositive Phrases with Punctuation Problems

5 Appositive Phrases with Punctuation Problems 5 Appositive Phrases with Punctuation Problems 5 Appositive Phrases with Punctuation Problems By Mark Nichol An appositive is a noun or a noun phrase that appears in proximity to another noun or noun phrase to define or modify it. When writers employ nonrestrictive appositions, which consist of optional additional information, they sometimes fail to punctuate the sentence correctly to indicate that the phrase is parenthetical, leading to confusion. Here are five sentences in which insertion of a single comma repairs the damage. 1. â€Å"John Smith, Jones’s rival and number four on the FBI’s most-wanted list is caught.† If this sentence began with â€Å"Jones’s rival . . .,† it would be correctly punctuated. But â€Å"John Smith† is the subject, â€Å"is caught† is the object, and the phrase beginning â€Å"Jones’s rival† and ending â€Å"most-wanted list† is an appositive, and must be punctuated as a parenthetical phrase: â€Å"John Smith, Jones’s rival and number four on the FBI’s most-wanted list, is caught.† 2. â€Å"John Doe, who once led the company was indicted on eighty-five counts in a huge federal case.† The basic facts are that John Doe was indicted; the phrase â€Å"who once led the company† is an appositive parenthetical and must, like the descriptive phrase in the preceding example, be framed by commas: â€Å"John Doe, who once led the company, was indicted on eighty-five counts in a huge federal case.† 3. â€Å"Life has been rough for Jane Roe, the governor’s chief of staff ever since her controversial remark went public.† â€Å"The governor’s chief of staff† is the appositive here; without a comma following the phrase to complement the preceding comma, the statement implies that she gained her position when she made the remark: â€Å"Life has been rough for Jane Roe, the governor’s chief of staff, ever since her controversial remark went public.† 4. General Martin Dempsey, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman who just wrapped up a visit to Afghanistan, was asked whether he foresees North Korea taking military action soon. By combining the general’s title with the reference to his recent visit to Afghanistan, the sentence implies that more than one Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman exists; Dempsey is the one who had just returned from Afghanistan. The phrase â€Å"the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman† must be bracketed by a pair of commas to show that it is the first of two parenthetical phrases dividing the subject from the object: â€Å"General Martin Dempsey, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, who just wrapped up a visit to Afghanistan, was asked whether he foresees North Korea taking military action soon.† (Sometimes, one of two consecutive appositives that follow another noun or noun phrase can be separated by relocating one before the noun or noun phrase it refers to, but here, Dempsey’s title would compete with his military rank; however, the reference to the Afghanistan visit could be moved to a subsequent sentence, or even deleted because it is irrelevant to the sentence.) 5. â€Å"The next antiwar demonstration scheduled to take place on April 7 may take aim at companies outside San Francisco.† This sentence’s lack of internal punctuation will likely lead readers to assume that more than one demonstration is scheduled to take place on April 7, which is a distracting error. The reference to the date is in apposition, identifying the date of the event (it is appositive because, as a truncated version of â€Å"the one scheduled to take place on April 7,† it is another way of referring to â€Å"the next antiwar demonstration†), and could be removed without changing the meaning of the sentence: â€Å"The next antiwar demonstration, scheduled to take place on April 7, may take aim at companies outside San Francisco.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:"Because Of" and "Due To" Connotations of 35 Words for Funny PeopleOppose and Opposed To