Prevention of Stress Essay Example

Prevention of Stress Paper To help reduce stress and improve the quality of life, many organizations are becoming more involved in wellness programs. With increasing health care costs, many employers are concentrating on disease prevention and health promotion. By putting a wellness program in place, it leads to a healthier workforce which increases its productivity level, reduces employee absenteeism, creates less overtime, and it also cuts the cost of health benefits (Kizer, 1987). Another reason that many companies are developing a wellness program within the organization is the effect it has on the bottom line. By preventing stress, an organization has happy healthy employees which means t quality and quantity of work will be improved. For example A middle manager may be a companys shining star, but if he is living in constant disharmony at home, or if his teenage daughter, whom he suspects is using street drugs, did not come home until 3 a. m. last Saturday night this promising manager is not going to be particularly efficient at even routine daily tasks. A worksite wellness program could help (Kizer, 1987, p. 36). Another contributing factor to higher job related stress is less leisure and vacation time. We will write a custom essay sample on Prevention of Stress specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Prevention of Stress specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Prevention of Stress specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Throughout the 1980s, the amount of paid time off for employees is act shrinking. Many European workers are gaining vacation time, while Americans are losing it. In the last decade, U. S. workers have gotten less paid time off on the order of three and a half fewer days each year of vacation time, holidays, sick pay, and other paid absences. (Schor, 1991 p. 32). Many companies faced an economic squeeze in the 1980’s. Vacations and holidays were among the cost-cutting efforts. DuPont reduced its top vacation allotment time from seven four weeks. They also eliminated three of their paid holidays a year. With the new trend of downsizing, many employees are fearful of job loss and therefore, spend less time away from the workplace (Schor, 1991, p. 32). Individuals who experience high or frequent levels of stress need to learn to cope. High levels of stress can effect job performance and it can also be unhealthy. To maintain a healthy lifestyle, people need to attempt to take responsibility for stress. Those individuals need to learn more about stress in general and how it effects them. They also need to develop technique. , for monitoring personal levels of stress and develop techniques to deal with job related stress. Employees should look within the organization on ways to alleviate stress and how to cope more effectively. Organizations an often unnecessarily stressful and should be changed to reduce the negative impact on individuals physical and mental health (Paine, 1982, p. 21). Three major strategies for strengthening individuals are workshops, stress management skills, and focused short term counseling. Introductory workshops are essential to communicate and educate to be more mentally and physically healthy. Such workshops which specialize in topics as time management or relaxation techniques help to alleviate the stress in ones life (Paine, 1982, p. 22). Finding techniques that deal with personal stress can also be useful in dealing with job stress. Regular aerobic exercise to deep breathing techniques are potentially useful in stress management. Many specialist agree that there is not any one method to overcome the problem. One needs to realize their own self needs and strengths in dealing with stress management (Paine, 1982, p. 23). There are many different ways in which you can deal with job stress. Individuals can take on simple self-help countermeasures. There is also help from friends, colleagues, spouse, or other relatives. Professional help is available from clergymen, physicians, or counselors. The worksite offers several advantages for employees interested in making healthy lifestyle changes. The advantages include: Most employees go to a worksite on a regular schedule, thus providing opportunities for regular participation in wellness programs. Contact with co-workers can provide strong social support which is believed to be a primary force in sustaining lifestyle changes. Opportunities for strong, steady support of the program, as well as for promoting the concept that good health is good for everyone. Programs at the worksite may be less expensive to the employee than comparable programs in the community or may even be offered free as an employee benefit. Because of the varity of data systems available, it is possible to evaluate changes in an employees health status or other measures resulting from the program. The most attractive feature from an employee’s viewpoint is the fact that the program is convenient. From the employers viewpoint the benefits of worksite health promotion for stress include: Improved employee morale Improved employee relations Improved retention Improved community relations. Reduced absenteeism Reduced number of hours lost to late arrivals and sick davs. Since theres no getting around life’s problems, the best way to manage stress is to learn better coping skills. First pinpoint the reasons for stress in your life. Then try changing your attitude about them. Learn what you can control and accept the things you cannot. Practice self talk (this to shall pass, Some day we will laugh about this, or Its a learning experience). Keep your perspective. Ask yourself, Will I remember this in five years? Try to find the positive side to a stressful situation. Do not worry about things that may never happen. Practice positive self-talk, for example,I can do this,or Im in control. Negative self-talk such as, I have to be perfect,’ or I cant do this, produces more stress. Take action to manage stress. Changes and stress create energy. Are you using that energy to continue toward your goals? Or are you letting stress make you unhappy and unproductive? Take action to control your stress, both at work and at home. Manage your time better- make a to do list. Make it realistic so you can do the things listed and set priorities. Break task into bite size chunks. Delegate as much as possible. Keep in mind that tomorrow is another day and accept the fact that you may not get everything done today. Make sure you are communicating effectively- Go into stressful meetings as fully prepared as possible. Organize your thoughts, establish eye contact and listen for the whole message, including content feelings, and meanings. Remember that solving problems depends on give and take. Be prepared to negotiate and compromise. Break the tension cycle-At your desk, close your eyes, breathe deeply and relax. Laugh with co-workers, go out for lunch. At home, read a book, take a walk, chat with next door neighbors. Gets plenty of regular exercise and sleep-they will help you cope better. Get organized at home-Set daily and weekly routines for household chores. Delegate some chores to other family members. Cook meals in large quantities and freeze some for later. Plan for emergencies, keep first aid supplies and an extra set of car keys around. Stress can affect your self-esteem and your health, if you let it. Be kind to yourself. Relax, keep a positive attitude and get involved in activities you enjoy. Build on your strengths, take care of yourself Also team to reach out to others. Everyone needs a support system, a network of trustworthy people you care about and who care about you. Share your feelings so that they dont build up. Then focus on building positive energy. Stress is a normal, involuntary response to any demand made upon the body. Stress is very complex. Sources of stress may be made either more positive or more negative by a range of factors related to a given situation. Stress has become a widely used yet poorly understood term. As a result, a number of misconceptions about stress exist. Three of the most identified misconceptions are that: all stress is dab, stress is a part of life and there is nothing you can do about it, and stress is caused solely and completely by environmental factors. Stress is very much a personal condition, and individuals vary in their ability to cope with different forms and levels of stress. An example of this stress on a personal note would be co-worker conflict. When this stress occurs co-workers should discuss this matter privately. If possible, arrange your meeting on neutral grounds. Approach the person in a non-threatening manner. Respond to them with: I would like to talk something over with you. Try to make the other person feel less defensive or angry. Do not blame the other person. Listen closely to the other person. Understanding the other point of view may help you feet less stressful. Focus on ways to solve the problem. In this I mean do not revisit every past negative incident, this may distract from the resolution. Finally if none of the above work, seek help. If necessary talk with an employee assistance counselor who can help develop ground rules for such discussions and promote respectful communications. Stress is a complex process. It can arise in white collar as well as in blue-collar workers. Surveys have found little difference between white and blue-collar workers in terms of complaints, health, life satisfaction, depression, or other indicators of stress. Shift workers are thought to be more susceptible to stress-related illnesses. Because of personal involvement with the disruption in basic steep patterns and disruption in social life. Since every situation is unique, there are probably as many separate sources of stress as there are work situation. This may is important to recognize when seeking to evaluate working environments for sources of stress. Never the less sources of work related stress can be grouped into four general categories. Work load-which means stress resulting from to much work, to little work, work that is to hard or to easy. Work conditions-refers to a wide variety of factors including organization structure, such as job loss, change in work, and similar factors. Work patterns- pertains to shift work, repetitive work, and paced work Work roles-, which can be stressful because of role expectations with efficient use of resources and staff. Employers may also wish to introduce an EAP, which provides an effective strategy for assisting employees with personal and work related problems. Where organizations believe it would be necessary to make decisions about the quality of the proposed program. Such decisions should be made on the basis of a well-defined set of criteria. The following set of eight criteria for evaluating and selecting a stress intervention program is suggested. 1. A program should be conducted on both the organizational and individual level. 2. Content should be work related, but aim at reducing unwanted stress effects which may result from social, or personal factors. 3. Program should be based on valid research findings and conducted by qualified personnel. 4. Program should include regular and on going evaluation of its effectiveness in meeting program objectives. 5. Should include follow up evaluations, consultations, and refresher sessions for techniques learned. 6. Program should aim to affect both the attitudes and the behavior of participants. 7. Program for individual stress management should be flexible with goals which are reasonable, rather easily achieved, promoting high success rates, and participation should be voluntary. 8. Program should be chosen or constructed and implemented on the basis of close cooperation between management, employees, and professionals in the field. Employers and employees share responsibility for the maintenance of a healthy and safe working environment. Employers are by law obligated to provide a safe working intervention, formal and informal, is shared responsibility and calls for a cooperative effort. In general people react badly with either to little or to much stress. In basic terms, stress is one aspect of living that can be beneficial when it motivates, encourages changes or inspire. Behsahel, J. , Goodloe, A. , and Kely, J. (1984) Managing yourself-How to control Emotions, Stress, and Time. New Yourk: Franklin Watts. Kizer, William M. (1987). The Healthy Workplace- New York: John Wiley and Sons Paine, Whiton Stewart. (I 982). Job Stress and Burnout. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications. Schor,juliet B. (1991). The Overworked American. New York: Basic Books. Cooper and Marshall. (1985) Stress in the Workplace

3 Super Easy Steps to Make Your Resume Powerful

3 Super Easy Steps to Make Your Resume Powerful A resume isn’t just a list of everything you’ve done. It’s your first shot at convincing a company that you’re the perfect fit. Part of that is making clear that your particular skills and experience match precisely with their needs. They’re looking for specialists- you need to show them you have the skills. Resume trends change over time and recruiters tend to look for specific things. Here are three ways to make sure your resume isn’t too general to get you the job.  In addition, here are some of the best resume tips in 2016 that can help you land your next job interview.1. Do your researchDon’t just blitz the thing to every company that’s hiring in your city. Find a company for whom you know you’d be a fit. Find one that’s the right size for you, in the right industry, and one that you are excited about. Make a short list of these dream companies and focus on them. What’s the culture at each one? Where would you fit in the best? Do you have a particular selling point that would dazzle one company more than the others based on their mission and scope?2. Be specificOnce you’ve figured out exactly what your ideal company or position is looking for, show them your track record! Tell them precisely how and why you are perfect for  that specific job in  your personal branding statement. You can incorporate this â€Å"look no further† kind of language into descriptions of each position you have held.3. Show, don’t tellConsider using an infographic or image of some kind to drive home your point. A chart or a graph can illustrate a particular success claim dramatically, if used correctly. This is a new trend in resumes, but can be very effective when done correctly.The bottom line is to make sure you know what the company wants, then make sure you show them just how perfectly you match their needs, item by item. It might require a bit of extra work in the resume-cr afting stage, but you’ll be glad you did it.4 Resume Tips To Prove You’re The Perfect Fit For The Position

Plan for Establishing a Career Development Function in an Organization Research Paper

Plan for Establishing a Career Development Function in an Organization - Research Paper Example Specifically, this paper shall be divided into three parts: firstly, a discussion on the essence of organizational and employee management as defined and explained by National Career Development Organization or NCDO; secondly, an in-depth analysis of the contents of career development and its role in attaining business objectives; and lastly, a conclusion that will synthesize all the key learning points gleaned. The National Career Development Organization (2012) claimed that the organizational and employee management had emerged as a discipline that involved â€Å"the overall arrangement of the organization and its functions, including both the long-term and short-tem identification and development of its human resources†. In this regard, all of its plans, processes, and models are in line with providing the necessary skills that its employees need to meet the current and future job demands. Thus, it could be stated that organizational and employee management is similar to strategic talent management, which aims at creating job functions that help the company realize its maximum potential. From a historical point of view, it could be said that the inception of organizational and employee management has been heavily influenced by factors such as â€Å"Increased competition for promotion, constant innovation in technology, pressures for equal employment opportunities, corporate rightsizing and restructuring, globalization of our economy, and employees’ desire to get the most out of their careers† (Powell, 2003). From a workforce perspective, it could be claimed that strategic talent management was also a product of the employer’s desire to harness their employees’ knowledge and skills, and keep those that are most valuable to the company. At this point, National Career Development Organization (2012) also wanted to emphasize the difference between career management and career development.

Museum Visit Humi 16 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Museum Visit Humi 16 - Assignment Example It represents a masculine man, who has a strong sense of power, which is apparently not threatening (Rodin 1). His massive form also adds to its dynamic torsion. The result is a powerful man, who is apparently meditating, and thinking about the problems and suffering he has undergone. Most of the French societies, during the Middle Ages, believed in the power of religion. For instance, people believe that sinners will be condemned and sent to suffer in the hell. Sculptures, like any other artistic work, are used to represent one’s culture. From his sitting position, â€Å"The Thinker† is probably visualizing souls suffering in hell, which they were condemned to by their passions (Rodin 1). Rodin was determined to create a figure that suggests meditation, and that is why he created it in a sitting position while supporting his chin by his hand. This is an indication that those who believe in the power and teachings of God will end up in heaven while sinners will end up suffering in hell (Rodin 1). â€Å"The Thinker† was originally referred to as â€Å"The Poet†. It represented the author of Divina Commedia, Dante Alighieri, who according to popular stories, used to sit and think while sitting on a rock called Sasso di Dente, in Florence (Rodin 1). Created in Dante’s portrait, â€Å"The Thinker† symbolizes intellectual power, which developed the dramatic world represented in â€Å"Gates†. This sculpture was later detached from Dante’s personal connection and is currently perceived as a symbol of mental creativity and power of thought. The creative qualities such as color, texture and the mood, which are represented in this sculpture, depicts a person who can judge and understand the society from a higher standpoint (Rodin 1). â€Å"The Thinker† is centrally placed high above the mayhem of sinners, which most viewers believe to represent the figure of Jesus Christ, in the judgment seat (Rodin 1). In the 19th Century, Europe redis covered the spirits

Various Assignments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Various Assignments - Essay Example In the background there are vague figures of men seemingly in animated discussion and others are presented as passive onlookers two men appear to be smiling and others are looking on with blank, unrevealing expressions (Danzer, De Alva, Krieger, Wilson, and Woloch). The artists uses colors to symbolize the Northern perspective of the caning of Senator Sumner. Although the cartoon is in black and white, Senator Sumner is dressed in black with only a slight view of an undershirt which appears to be white. His assailant is dressed in white and appears to wearing a black cape and the onlookers in the background appear to also be wearing primarily white or light colors. The black cape appears to symbolize evil of the sort that is associated with villains. The senator’s black suit as he is reposed in a defenseless position suggest sadness and in many ways superiority. Superiority is also expressed in the quill and papers that Senator has. These items may also be seen as weapons of i ntellect and reasoning, the factors that provoked Senator Sumner’s caning. Moreover, the quill and paper are juxtaposed against the cane wielded by the attacker and therefore representing the savagery and backward thinking of the attacker and the coercive slavery that he wanted to defend. ... The North was anti-slavery and the South was anti-abolitionist. While the attack emanated from Sumner’s speech in favor of abolishing slavery and asked if Kansas would be admitted into the union as free state or a slave state, there were conflicts in the streets of Kansas over the issue of slavery. For the Northern Republicans, the senate was a place of free speech and a place where cooler heads should prevail. The fact that a Democratic member of Congress seized the opportunity to attack a Northerner representing an opposite view meant that the savagery of slavery was the method by which the South wanted to govern (Finkelman and Kennon). If the Southern senators thought that they had beaten Sumner into submission, they were mistaken. Although Sumner had been beaten nearly to death and took a leave of absence, once he returned to the Senate he continued to speak out against slavery and advocate for its abolition. He became a radical senator to the extent that he argued for the immediate emancipation of the slaves. This only served to sustain the divide between the Southerners and the Northerners as Senator Sumner had demonstrated a resolve not to compromise on the issue of slavery. The beating had outraged Sumner’s colleagues they would take a rather protective stance and while advising him to mind the words he used in his speeches, he insisted on using harsh and sarcastic words to demean the institution of slavery. Thus the beating only empowered and supported Sumner’s stance against slavery and ensured that the civil war would be the only way to resolve the differences and tensions brewing in the Union and on the floor of the Senate ( Finkelman and Kennon). Question Two: Interaction with

US Immigration Policy: History and Arguments

US Immigration Policy: History and Arguments Recent years have made it clear that the current immigration system is broken and fails to meet Americas modern needs. Though it is based on family reunification, unfortunately current U.S. immigration law often results in the tragic separation of families or the forced departure of children with full U.S. citizenship when an illegal parent is deported. It is not only families that are affected by current policy. Americas workforce is a shared effort between citizens and immigrants. Admission of skilled workers enables the fulfillment of positions that Americans are not sustaining. In addition, current immigration policy allows for the provision of refuge for people who are at risk for political, racial of religious persecution from their country of origin (Congressional Budget Office, 2006). It is unfortunate that majority of the refugees end up settling in the inner cities where they adopt to living in communities embedded with crime (Baldoz et al.) According to Bill Ong Hing a Professor of Law and Asian American Studies at the University of California, children of refugees have grown up in crime ridden society, they commit a crime, get charged and serve time but later they are deported back to the country that they had originally fled. U.S. borders are out of control at a time of increased threats of terrorism. Vast numbers of immigrants cross the borders and enter into America; some die due to the harsh desert conditions while others remain in America illegally creating an underground society that is vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. These policies are not beneficial to either immigrants or American citizens and need to be modified in order to create a nationwide banister of hopeful equality so that entrance into the United States can be achievable by legal means without jeopardizing the rights and benefits of current citizens. Some believe that American immigration policy should be stricter; such terms to include the expulsion of illegal immigrants and placement of a border fence around United States; however, by providing a path for those who are here illegally to get legal status, a much more viable plan can be set to action leading to successful immigration into the United States. By increasing the number of available visas to immigrants and temporary nonimmigrant workers, creating tighter border security, expanding cooperation with developing nations and even imposing tougher penalties to employers who hire and abuse undocumented immigrants, we can provide such a benefit to all who wish to reside in the Land of Opportunity. DEFINITIONS Immigrant is a technical legal term given to a foreign national who has been granted permission to remain in the United States permanently. Such a person is a legal permanent resident (LPR) and is given a green card as a proof of legal status. A non-immigrant is a foreign national who is admitted to United States for a short period of time. They are given Visas according to their reason for entry. For example a student will get class F, visitor class B, and a temporary worker class H. Upon arrival at the port of entry, they are given an I-94 card, which is a small white card placed in the passport. The card indicates how long the foreign national is authorized to stay in United states (U.S.) either with a specific date the foreign national is to leave or with a notation such as D/S (duration of stay) which means that the person is permitted to stay as long as he or she maintains her status. Alien is a term given to someone who isnt a United States Citizen. This term includes temporar y visitors, legal permanent residents and undocumented individuals. Many advocates feel that this term has a negative connotation; therefore, the term foreign national/immigrant or undocumented will be used throughout this paper. Undocumented is a term given to foreign nationals who are present in the U.S. without lawful status. The term can also refer to those who entered the U.S. without inspection (EWI) by crossing the border, those who overstay their allotted time in the U.S. or those who violated the terms of their legal status. With very limited exceptions (notably asylum and immediate relative of a U.S. citizens partition) a person who is not in lawful status in the U.S. cannot change from being in the U.S. unlawfully to being a lawful individual (Congressional Budget Office, 2006). HISTORY In order to understand the issue of immigration, it is essential to pore over the background and history of immigration. According to Greenblatt (2008), United States was created as a nation of immigrants who left Europe for political, religious and economic reasons. After gaining independence, America had an open door immigration policy for 100 years (Greenblatt, 2008) The Early Laws The first actual naturalization law in the United States was the March 26, 1790 Naturalization Act restricting immigration to free white persons. Residency requirements were established so foreigners could prove their economic worth over a legislated period of time. In 1870 the law was changed to allow a limited number of Africans to enter. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 specifically excluded Chinese as they were deemed an inferior race and undesirable. This Act was repealed in 1943 when the Magnuson Act recognized the importance of Chinas alliance with the US in the war against Japan. In 1865, the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution, while intended to protect newly emancipated slaves, in effect made automatic citizens All persons born or naturalized in the United States, regardless of the citizenship of the parents. The Quota System The 1921 Emergency Quota Act and Immigration Act of 1924 established national quotas on immigration based on the 1910 census figures of foreign-born residents in the US. The original intent may have been to maintain some level of protection for US workers from large influxes of skilled foreign workers. (Greenblatt, 2008) But the racial and ethnic quotas clearly reflected the racist attitude of the time that white Europeans were more desirable than any other diversity. Partly in response to the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, these racial distinctions embarrassed the government and congress offered amendments that eliminated them from the code with the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) of 1965; signed by president Lyndon B. Johnson as tribute to President Kennedy who was shot in 1963(Vial, et22) However, country quotas remained for foreign-born U.S. citizens who were expected to request family reunification. A visa system was created allowing foreign family members to request legal entry to the U.S. on a first-come, first served basis. PRESENT DAY IMMIGRATION LAWS With a family-based immigration system, immigration quickly became a Chain Migration process in which legal immigrants already present in the U.S. sponsored new relatives who would become legal and in turn sponsor additional relatives. The archaic quotas of the 1960s legislation were completely inadequate for the immigration flood of the 70s and 80s. There were the political refugees from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Then came a rush of refugees escaping the wars and government persecutions in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua. (Vial, t(22) More recently, the United States is continuing to demand medical workers from the Philippines, software engineers from India and as of late, professional business people from China. The system has been unable to handle this demand and the flood of illegal immigrants has rapidly escalated to well over one million annually. The problem that America is facing today is a familiar issue, an issue that has existed long before the recent high-profile migrations from Mexico. However, rather than focus on reforming the antiquated and over-burdened processing system, Congress took an enforcement approach. They enacted the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986, which was signed by then President Ronald Reagan, creating penalties for employers who hire illegal immigrants, an amnesty program for illegal immigrants already in the U.S. by 1982, and increased support for the Border Patrol (Greenblatt, 2008). In 1996, the Illegal Immigration and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIIRA) gave the government broad authority to construct barriers along the border and authorized a second layer of fencing in San Diego (Karaim, 2008). The IIIRA also established new definitions of criminal activity for which immigrants could be deported. The current waiting time for processing legal claims to naturalization continues to grow, now exceeding five years! The issues of immigration have been a hot potato for America for almost two centuries. Immigration reform continues to be highly emotional and controversial, but the policy must be fixed regardless of where one stands on the issue of immigration. Arguments Against Immigration Reform Most of the people against immigration reform are generally against immigration. The source of this resentment is routed in the indifference between the immigrants of the past and the current immigrants. In the past they were white and now they are not, they used to assimilate and now they dont, they used to be self sufficient and not they seek out government handouts (Krikorian, 2008, p. 2). Some scholars argue that Mexicans; who represent about 50 percent of the undocumented foreign nationals in U.S, constitute a major threat to a cohesive American identity (Huntington, 2004). For instance Huntington argues that the central to the American identity are the Anglo protestant culture, the American Creed as understood as the acceptance of certain political values, and Christianity. According to Huntington, a fundamental problem is that Latinos retain their Hispanic culture, including language and fail to assimilate and there for fail to acquire the American identity. Effects of immigration on jobs, wages and the economy The key to the economic facet of the conflict between mass immigration and modern society is the fact that immigration floods the job market with low skilled workers, creating what economist call a slack, or a loose, labor market Krikorian (2008, p. 133). Krikorian argues that when low skilled immigrant workers flood the market, they lower the collective bargaining power of the natives against the employers. As a result, upward mobility for the poorest is impaired by lower wages. Also increased availability of cheap labor reduces the incentives for more efficient use of labor, slowing the natural process of mechanization and other productivity increases in low wage industries where low skilled immigrants are located. This is a perfect example of a supply and demand theory. When an abundance of supply is available, the demand is always low hence if immigration is kept low, wages tend to ne high (Krikorian, 2008, p. 138). If the low skilled immigrants who are in U.S currently were to l eave, the wages would go up and probably employers would have incentives to provide things like healthcare and the low skilled Americans might have a chance to move into the middle class (Karaim, 2008, p. 752) Immigrants hurt the economy by not paying taxes and if they pay taxes, its normally low compared to a native due to the low wages immigrants make. Many immigrants work underneath the table thus, evading paying taxes. To make the matter worse, the send billions and billions of American earned dollars back to their home countries other than spending the money in America. Exporting millions of dollars while importing millions of poor people with large families means by definition, they will pay relatively little in taxes but make a heavy use of the government services (Krikorian, 2008, p. 167). Immigrants increase government expenditure by using public services, notably the health care system and the public education. The government created a welfare state in the name of supporting the poor. In his book, the new case against immigration, Kerikorian states that there was no welfare state during the prior waves of immigration- in fact it was until well after the end of the last wave of immigration in 1924 that the institution of welfare started to develop. The Social Security Act of 1935 established pension for the retired American citizens as well as unemployment assistance and aid to families with dependent children (Krikorian, 2008, p. 169). The child Nutritional Act of 1966 created WIC program, then in 1974 supplemental security income was created for impoverished elderly, blind and disabled. All this cost of these programs could have been kept low if the poor population bloated by the immigrants would not have increased. According to Krikorian, one in four people in U.S. is without health insurance is an immigrant and among children one in three is either and immigrant or a child of an immigrant. Since most of them dont have insurance; when they are sick (no modern society will deny them treatment) they utilize the emergency room. Not all the uncompensated care is covered by the government, hospitals are forced to write off the cost that they incur while treating the uninsured. Hospitals then shift the cost to the paying patients and their insurance companies, resulting in higher premiums for those who have insurance. Another costly service provided by the government is education. The total cost of expenditure to states for K-12 illegal immigrants was about $12 billion, and when the children born in U.S to undocumented foreign nationals the number doubles to about $28.6 billion (Martin, 2005). This doesnt include the cost that states incur implementing the bilingual education since most of immigrants dont speak English as their first language. Krikorian also urges that 22 percent of public schools are overcrowded, especially in schools that are located in central cities where 50 percent of the enrolments are minority who receive free or reduced price school lunches. The convention wisdom of the conservative movement which is the leading resistant group against immigration reform is to stop the flow of undocumented foreign nationals across the U.S borders and to deport most or all undocumented foreign nationals with their children. To solve this movement of undocumented foreign nationals, congresses enacted the Secure Fence Act in 2006 which was to secure the 670 miles border region spanning four states, California, New Mexico, Texas and Arizona (Karaim, 2008, p. 747). According to Karaim (2008, p. 747) roughly 370 miles designed to stop pedestrian (a fence consisting of wire mesh reinforced with concrete- filled poles planted 6 inches apart and standing a height of 12-18 feet), 300 miles if it to stop vehicular traffic and about 28 miles installed with high technology sensors and cameras that creates a virtual fence in parts of Arizona desert. This fence is also to stop would be terrorist from entering the U.S. Amnesty to those who broke the law is unacceptable and it not going to solve the issue instead it will encourage more undocumented foreign nationals to attempt coming to the U.S. According to North (2010, amnesty simply begets more undocumented foreign nationals, and they in turn beget new and more vigorous pleas for another amnesty. Secondly most of those who received amnesty were low skilled workers. North argues that people with limited skill and limited rights in the labor market can only lead to still greater discrepancies between the reach and the poor. Furthermore, giving another amnesty to low skilled individuals will just increase the dependence of the current welfare system which in turn will give rise to a burden to the current tax payers. Arguments for Immigration Reform Contrary to those who objet immigration reform and tend to perpetuate the notion that immigrants especially those who are undocumented, take American jobs and lower the wages is false. Most unskilled undocumented foreign national work in the three D jobs- Dirty, Difficult and dangerous jobs that the natives dont fill. The American labour market is a dual labour market. The dual market theory divides the economy into two segments: the primary and secondary sectors (Nadadur, 2009, p. 1041). According to Nadadur the secondary sector is different from the primary in that the secondary is temporary and consists of unskilled workers with little or no prospect of internal promotion while the primary sector is permanent and characterized by skilled work, employment stability and the presence of job ladders. Nadadur states that there is no t completion for jobs by the undocumented foreign nationals and native U.S. workers, and that a continue flow of Undocumented immigrants would benefit the majority of persons residing in the U.S. by complementing their labour market instead of competing for it. When the broader U.S. economy is examined; adopting a dual labour market view, it is hard to find strong evidence of negative wage effects on native workers Nadadur (2009, p. 1045). This is ascribed to the fact that dual markets shield native workers and due to the indifference of job sectors, wages are not affected by the influx of undocumented foreign nationals in the labour market (Nadadur, 2009, p. 1045). Immigrants taking secondary jobs allow businesses to minimize their costs of production; this positively impacts the income of all workers by decreasing the consumer costs. The consumers can also spend by buying goods and services and grows the economy in return. As stated earlier, there are about 12 million undocumented foreign nationals residing in the U.S. this population participates in the American and their countries of origins economy. Contrary to those who say that the undocumented immigrants dont pay taxes, about two thirds of the undocumented immigrants who work pay federal and state taxes, social security taxes and Medicare taxes Immigration Policy Center (2009). And all undocumented pay state taxes when they buy items from the local grocery store, when they pay property taxes even if its from the rental property they rent. Undocumented immigrants working on the books contributes to social security under names and social security number that dont much the social security administration (SSA) records. In a 2006 SSA report that the Earning Suspense File (ESF) tootled $586 billion. Unfortunately undocumented immigrants are not eligible to receive benefits social security benefits. Even when they become legal, they are only credited with the years worked after they became legal. Sometimes they leave the country without claiming any of the money they had contributed. Legalizing the undocumented foreign nationals has a net benefit to the economy. A research done conducted by Westat Inc, for the department of labour showed that workers who were legalized after the IRCA of 1986 experienced a net wage gain of about 15 percent (Immigration Policy Center, 2009). With an increase in wages begets increased in spending which begets strength in the economy. Most immigrants to the U.S. do want to learn English. There are strong economic prospects and strong incentives for becoming proficient in English. Employment prospects and earnings are greater for those with higher levels of other skills including schooling. There is also a greater access to and participation in civic, cultural, social and political life when one is able to communicate in English while living in the U.S. certain factors, however make it difficult for some individuals or immigrants to become proficient in spoken or written English (Chiswick Miller, 2007). Older immigrants have a difficult time learning a new language to the natural aging of the human brain making it difficult to learn new language and retain new acquired skills. Its not that they dont want to assimilate but sometimes its biology playing a factor. Its true that the undocumented immigrants utilize the emergency rooms as the primary source of health care, studies have proved otherwise. Dr. Ku Phd, MPH. conducted two different studies and arrived at the same deduction, there is little reason to believe that the united states is spending too much on health care for immigrants(Ku, 2009, p. 1327). This is could be due to the 1996 federal welfare reform law (Personal Responsibility Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, or PRWORA) which restricted Medicaid eligibility for immigrants admitted to the U.S after august 1996 for the first five years (Ku Matani, 2001, p. 247) unless its a medical emergency. Non-immigrants and undocumented immigrants qualify for Medicaid if they meet the other requirements; being in a Medicaid eligible category such as children and pregnant women (Siskin Lunder, 2009, p. 7). Many undocumented immigrants shy away from seeking medical attention probably due communication barriers, lack of knowledge of the Ame rican health care system and fear of detention by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) (Kullgren, 2003, p. 1630. Another study done by Stimpson et al. showed that health care expenditure for the average immigrant have not been a growing problem relative to the expenditure among U.S. natives. (Garcia M J Eig L M Kim Y 201035 State efforts to deter unauthorized aliens:Legal analysis of Arizonas S.B. 1070)Garcia, M. J., Eig, L. M., Kim, Y. (2010, March 5). State efforts to deter unauthorized aliens:Legal analysis of Arizonas S.B. 1070 (R41221). Washington DC: Congressional research service. Foreign nationals are relatively healthy and have less access to  health insurance; they are disproportionately low uses of medical care (Goldman et al., p. 1710). Building a wall in order to control illegal immigration is not a viable project. This is a multi billion dollars project that will shift illegal immigrants towards more dangerous and difficult routes in to the United States (Karaim, 2008). It is estimated that the cost of construction the wall will cost about $3 billion and the maintenance cost of about $16.4 million to $million per mile depending on the damage done to the wall by illegal immigrants trying to cross the borders (Karaim, 2008, p. 749). Another challenge to securing the northern border between unites states and Canada which is 5525 miles. It is economically impractical to build a wall to secure this border. Alternatively the United States needs to convince Canada to end the free travel from Mexico (Karaim, 2008, p. 751). The wall alone cannot curb the problem of people crossing the border illegally.Only half of the illegal immigrants living in U.S crossed the border. The other half are visa abusers who entered with either fraudulent visas or violated the condition of a valid visa. Also there is no known terrorist that has been arrested trying to enter the U.S through the southern border. All the 9/11 hijackers entered in to the united states with temporary visas and overstayed the allowed time. Other would be terrorists have followed the same route (Karaim, 2008, p. 750). Infact according to Karaim (2008), terrorists like travelling the way everybody else travels. They like unpredictability. Ethical Arguments Why do people covet the dream of living and working in America? The answer is simple; America is the land of opportunities where all hard work is rewarded. Many of the immigrants share this American dream, a dream of success and prosperity for future generations. It is natural for humans to have desires, desires that make the nomads in East Africa to move from one place to another in search of greener pastures. This principle can also be applied to the early who emigrate into the land that is now called united states of America. The inception of the principle of worthiness changed the immigration laws in U.S. Those who are deemed to be desirable and worthy are allowed and those who fail short of the test are eliminated. Unfortunately racism was planted in to the laws (in 1790 congress made a requirement that only white persons could become American citizens) and race still drives the immigration debate today. Different states have passed laws that are considered divisive and they tend to alienate the members of the community. For example, the new Arizona bill SB 1070 is supposed to stop but slow illegal immigration. But there are provisions in the bill that are controversial; Section 2 of S.B. 1070, generally requires that in the context of a lawful stop, detention or arrest by state and local law enforcement pursuant to the enforcement of a state or local law, law enforcement must determine the persons immigration status, if practicable, when reasonable suspicion exists that the person is an alien à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ who is unlawfully present in the United States.(Garcia et al., 2010), p. 25). It is not easy to enforce this law without racial profiling especially where the population (both legal and illegal) is profoundly of Hispanic origin. Similar echoes were after 9/11 when the government deamericanised some of its citizens when it implemented the patriot act. People of Middle Eastern or Asian origin were single out as terrorists. Even after the Oklahoma City bombing, the Arabs were initially blamed by the media before it was discovered that it was a home grown American terrorist Timothy McVeigh. President George Bush tried to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill but he was drowned by those who opposed immigration reform. Its clear that politicians use the principle of utilitarianism in making policies. In this case the president drowned was by a vocal anti-immigration group that has been able to control the debate. It would be beneficial for the Politians to apply the Rawlsian contract theory which requires one to put a veil of ignorance before making any decisions. In order to do that they need to bracket off the media and visit remote areas of nations south of Americas borders. I believe that the will see that desperate parents who want to a part of the American dream and they are willing to anything to be part of the dream. Possible Solutions Create a pathway for legalization of the illegal immigrants who are already here. So that they can no longer be exploited by unscrupulous employers Enact laws that are flexible to the rise and fall of the U.S labor demands. (Laws that respect people and protect all workers regardless to where they were born) while enforcing border laws. Work with developing countries especially south America to promote economic development and to decrease illegal immigration. Conclusion While the US. Immigration system appears to be fair and highly regulated on paper, the facts on the ground display as system that is in distress and needs to be reformed. Continuation of the enforcement only policies is not a practical or effective solution. Under the existing system, people are dying at the borders, immigrants are living in poor conditions, families are trying to reunite legally are separated for many years, employers are unable to hire the workers they need, U.S. workers suffer from disequilibrium in opportunity to gain employment due to the use of illegal immigrant workers by employers who seek to maximize on their profits. Meanwhile the United States government continues to throw billions and billions on this immigration issue hoping that one day it is going to stick and fix the problem. Its neither practical nor even economically feasible to deport more that 12 million people who currently reside in the U.S. illegally. We cannot also sit and pray that due to the economic hardship that one day the illegal foreign nationals will self deport them. United States must adapt to a system that is humane, fair and practical in relation to the immigration challenges of the 21st century. References (Chaudry A Capps R Pedroza J M Castaneda R M Santos R Scott M M et al 201002 Facing our future. Children in the aftermath of immigration enforcement)Chaudry, A., Capps, R., Pedroza, J. M., Castaneda, R. M., Santos, R., Scott, M. M., et al. (2010, February). Facing our future. Children in the aftermath of immigration enforcement. (Derose K P Escarce J J Lurie N et al 2007 Immigrants and health care: Source of vulnerability)Derose, K. P., Escarce, J. J., Lurie, N., et al. (2007). Immigrants and health care: Source of vulnerability. HEALTH AFFAIRS, 26(5), 1258-1268. (Edwards J R 200602 Two sides of the same coin. the connection between legal and illegal immigration)Edwards, J. R. (2006, February). Two sides of the same coin. The connection between legal and illegal immigration (1-06). Washington DC: Center of Immigration Studies. (Fennell M L Feng Z Clark A M Mor V et al 2010 HEALTH AFFAIRS)Fennell, M. L., Feng, Z., Clark, A. M., Mor, V., et al. (2010). HEALTH AFFAIRS. Elderly Hispanics more likely to reside in poor-quality nursing homes, 29(1), 65-73. (Gilroy M 18 Battle continues over instate tuition for illegal immigrants)Gilroy, M. (18). Battle continues over instate tuition for illegal immigrants. THE HISPANIC OUTLOOK IN HIGHER EDUCATION, 20-22. (Baldoz R Jimenez T Hing B O Shrikanitah J 2 Immigration policy and immigrant realities)Baldoz, R.(Moderator), Jimenez, T., Hing, B. O., Shrikanitah, J. (2). Immigration policy and immigrant realities. Stanford Universiry. Podcast retrieved from http:// (Chiswick R B Miller P W 2007 Economics of Language International analysis)Chiswick, R. B., Miller, P. W. (2007). The Economics of Language International analysis. NY: Routledge. (Congressional Budget Office 2006 Immigration policy in United States)Congressional Budget Office (2006). Immigration policy in United States (). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. (Goldman D P Smith J P Sood N 2006 Immigrants and the cost of medical care)Goldman, D. P., Smith, J. P., Sood, N. (2006). Immigrants and the cost of medical care. HEALTH AFFAIRS, 25(6), 1700-1711. (Huntington S P 200403 hispanic Challenge)Huntington, S. P. (2004, March). The hispanic Challenge. Retrieved June 17, 2010, from Foreign policy Web site: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2004/03/01/the_hispanic_challenge (Immigration Policy Center 200904 ecomomics of immigration reform: what legalizing undocumented immigrants would mean forthe U.S. economy)Immigration Policy Center (2009, April). The ecomomics of immigration reform: what legalizing undocumented immigrants would mean forthe U.S. economy (). Washington DC: Immigration policy center. (Ku L 2009 Health insuance coverage and medical expenditure of immigrants and native-born citizens in United States)Ku, L. (2009). Health insuance coverage and medical expenditure of immigrants and native-born citizens in United States. American journal of public health, 99(7), 13221328. (Ku L Matani S 2001 Left out: immigrants access to health care and insurance)Ku, L., Matani, S. (2001). Left out: immigrants access to health care and insurance. Health aggairs, 20(1), 247-255. (Martin J 200506 Breaking the piggy bank: How illegal immigration is sending schools into the red)Martin, J. (2005, June). Breaking the piggy bank: How illegal immigration is sending schools into the red. Retrieved June 17, 2010, from Federation of American immigration reform Web site: http://www.fairus.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticleid=17193security=1601news_iv_ctrl=1901 (North D S 201001 bailout for illegal immigrants? Lessons from the Implementation of the 1986 IRCA amnesty)North, D. S. (2010, January). A bailout for illegal immigrants? Lessons from the Implementation of the 1986 IRCA amnesty (). Washington DC: Center for immigration studies. (Vialet J 22 brief history of U.S. immigration policy)Vialet, J. (22). A brief history of U.S. immigration policy (Report No 80-223 epw). Washington DC: Congressional research service. (Greenblatt A 2008 Immigration debate)Greenblatt, A. (2008). Immigration debate. THE CQ RESEACHER, 18(5), 97-120. (Hatcher D L 2004 Science, ethics and technological assessment)Hatc

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" A man of character finds a special attractiveness in difficulty, since it is only by coming to grips with difficulty that he can realize his potentialities." -Charles DeGaulle This quote couldn't more true , even at the age of seventeen my life has been riddled with adversity. Everything from major health related problems from birth to my father being injured at work and finally my cousin dying from cancer , all have made me realize truly the strength that I possess to carry on. I have overcome and am continuing to overcome many health related issues all of which stem from birth. At birth my esophagus did not attach to my stomach and in order to correct this problem I had to undergo a major operation. This operation resulted in me needing a blood transfusion. Unfortunately in 1983 blood donors were not screened for diseases. I was one of many who contracted both hepatitis B and C. Hepatitis B was just jaundice and showed it self soon after the operation. Fortunately Hepatitis C is dormant for now , although it is thought around the age of thirty the true disease takes hold. There is always that daunting reality that eventually I will need a new liver. Another result of my stay in the hospital is my droopy eye caused by an incorrectly inserted IV. In this age of physical beauty and especially being a teenager it has been especially hard for me to not feel that I am inferior to everyone else. As a result of lack of funds my eye will have to wait to be correcte d. My father who has been out of work for three years because of a back injury that has left him in a tremendous amount of pain constantly. This has resulted in not only a financial strain on our family but also a burden of ache that tugs at me. I love my father dearly and it pains me to see him suffering. My parents are divorced and have been for some time, my father lives in California and before his injury I would visit at least two times a year for extended periods of time . Now that he is out of a job for all practical purposes my time with him has been cut to only a summer visit. This has also proved to be quite a emotional hardship , but as with everything else I have forced myself to accept it and to move on.

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| | | Assessing Business- IT Alignment| Rosa Kemper Cohort 27 Dr. K. Cousins February 17, 2013 Table of Contents I – Executive Summary/Overview Baptist Hospital a) Mission Statement b) Vision statement II. Information Technology: a) Mission Statement b) Vision Statement III. The Business As-Is: Business Scope and Value Discipline IV. Information Technology AS-IS: IT Infrastructure and Scope of Business V. Assessing Business Strategic Alignment and Maturity: IT To-Be Business To-be VI. Evaluation of Strategic Alignment Maturity Assessment: Luftman’s SAM Survey Part I: Effectiveness of IT and Business communications (Score 2. 8) Part II: Measurement of the competency and value of IT Score (Score 2. 93) Part III: The governance Partnerships between IT and Business Functions (Score 2. 41) Part IV: Partnerships between IT and Business functions (Score 2. 31) Part V: Scope and Architecture of the IT Infrastructure (Score 2. 67) Part VI. Human resource skills (2. 56) VII. Reco mmendation to address gaps in the alignment VIII. Strategic Alignment Enablers IX. Strategic Alignment Inhibitors I – Executive Summary/Overview: Baptist Health South Florida, Inc. a not-for-profit health care organization, operates medical plazas, surgical facilities, and hospitals. It offers addiction treatment, behavioral medicine, blood conservation program, cancer, cardiovascular, care and counseling, children's health, community wellness, critical care center, diabetes, emergency, endoscopy, executive health, gamma knife center, heart surgery, home care, hyperbaric, imaging, intensive care unit, international, interventional/surgical, laboratory, neonatal, neuroscience, and nutrition counseling services.The company also provides occupational health, orthopedics, outpatient/diagnostic, pain center, pastoral care, pediatric, pel†¦ Baptist Health South Florida (BHSF) is the largest faith-based, not-for-profit health care organization in the area. It has an exceptional reputation for medical and service excellence. Baptist Health South Florida, Inc. was formerly known as Baptist Health Systems of South Florida, Inc. and changed its name to Baptist Health South Florida, Inc. in March 2002. The company was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Coral Gables, Florida.It has a network of seven hospitals, Baptist, Baptist Children's, South Miami, Homestead, Mariners and Doctors Hospitals, and Baptist Cardiac & Vascular Institute, with services extending throughout Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties. There are a total of 28 Baptist Outpatient Services Facilities and Medical Plazas which provide outpatient diagnostic, surgical, home health and urgent care services. Specialty areas are: Cancer, Cardiovascular, Children's Health, Diabetes, Gamma Knife, Diagnostic, Childbirth, Rehabilitation, Senior Services, Women's Health, and Urgent Care. Baptist Health serves more than 100,000 people each year.Approximately 2,000 physicians and nearly 12,000 employees adh ere to the organization’s mission to provide high-quality, cost-effective, compassionate healthcare services to all, including, as permitted by its resources, charity care to those in need. In 2007, Baptist Health provided an estimated $124 million in charity care. The Baptist Healthcare International Center of Miami is one of the largest hospital-based international programs in America. Thousands of people each year travel to Miami from around the world to visit their medical facilities and respected physicians. The pineapple logo is an age-old symbol of hospitality and warmth.It is reflected in their customer and patient-oriented focus. Baptist Health was created in 1990, but its tradition of medical excellence goes back decades. Baptist Hospital Baptist Hospital is a 680-bed facility located in the Kendall area of south Miami-Dade County. It was founded in 1960. Today, the hospital is a major medical center, attracting patients from all over the U. S. , the Caribbean, Lati n America and beyond. More than 32,000 people are hospitalized at Baptist each year; about 78,000 receive emergency care in our 24-hour Emergency Center and Children's Emergency Center. Mission Statement The mission of Baptist Health is to improve the health and well-being of individuals, and to promote the sanctity and preservation of life, in the communities we serve. Baptist Health is a faith-based organization guided by the spirit of Jesus Christ and the Judeo-Christian ethic. We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of clinical and service excellence, rooted in the utmost integrity and moral practice. Consistent with its spiritual foundation, Baptist Health is dedicated to providing high-quality, cost-effective, compassionate healthcare services to all, regardless of eligion, creed, race or national origin, including, as permitted by its resources, charity care to those in need†. Vision statement â€Å"Baptist Health will be the preeminent healthcare provide r in the communities we serve, the organization that people instinctively turn to for their healthcare needs. Baptist Health will offer a broad range of clinical services that are evidence-based and compassionately provided to ensure patient safety, superior clinical outcomes and the highest levels of satisfaction with a patient- and family-centered focus. Baptist Health will be a national and international leader in healthcare innovation†. II.Information Technology: Mission Statement â€Å"To support the BHSF vision by providing the highest quality technology solutions to our customers in an efficient and cost effective manner†. Vision Statement â€Å"Fully leverage our technology capabilities to provide meaningful information anywhere, anytime to our physicians, clinicians, patients, and employees in a secured and user friendly manner. In order to meet this goal, we will continue to implement advanced technologies such as wireless networking, multi-media telecommunic ations, digitized imaging, and web-based clinical and business applications throughout BHSF†. III. The Business As-Is:Business Scope and Value Discipline The organization has created a new delivery of care model built on a value-based strategy. The employment of advanced technology strategies with state of the art web based applications, complex data security platforms and data monitoring offers a wide variety of technology resources made available to the participants in the delivery of care. The highly efficient and widely accessible web and smartphone application for consumer speaks of the Value Discipline and Product Innovation aimed at benchmarking and incentivizing customer satisfaction, care coordination, and total care management.Moreover, the emphasis on technology leadership positions the business as a frontrunner in the marketplace thus cultivating a distinguishable loyal culture among its customers as a niche. Customer satisfaction is primarily what gives the compan y its competitive edge. The overall goals are to improve individual patient care, improve overall performance, minimize risks and decrease medical costs. The matrix style management ensures that interdisciplinary membership actively reflects on decisions affecting the overall organization.Innovation is a constant on all aspects of the organization’s dynamic strategy creating an agile and successful business. Whether in technology being applied, products and services, etc†¦ strong partnerships are created with other organizations in order to distinguish itself in the hyper competitive market. As an example recently BHSF has announced a newly formed Accountable Care Organization (ACO) alliance with BCBS to meet the needs of cancer patients in response to the changing environment and the â€Å"age† of the Affordable Care initiative. (1) IV. Information Technology AS-IS:IT Infrastructure and Scope of Business Scope of Business – â€Å"The Information Technolog y Department provides computer support and implementation services for all BHSF entities including the BHSF Medical Staff. Computer support and implementation services include the appropriate levels of hardware, application, network, telecommunications, operating system, media and telemedicine support required to maintain operations†. The goals and duties of the department are to contribute towards creating an efficient information exchange that can help in improving health outcomes and lowering delivery costs.To identify educational needs with regard to training existing workforce and future workforce in the information technology healthcare environment. Compliance efforts pushed the department towards the a) centralization of management, b) auditing and c) reporting tools. V. Assessing Business Strategic Alignment and Maturity: IT To-Be Baptist Health prides itself on its health care competences and outstanding reputation. The IT department effectively participates in functi onal level in the decision process and overall structure of the business and project requirements.The IT infrastructure is well integrated throughout the organization and effort and cooperation between the business and IT exists in moderate alignment. This partnership helps maximize the goals of the organization. Emphasis on bringing their own internal IT operations up to speed and using their internal personnel resources is part of the organization’s priorities. To validate this observation some examples may shed some light into concerns of processes management, efficiency and standardization that presented potential catastrophe for the business but were appropriately and positively addressed.The IT system had become outdated and cumbersome. The business and IT collaboratively reached out to an outside consultant to streamline its IT process and improve the perceived value to the business. There were many options on how and where to enter time, so time was often omitted. The re was no centralized data warehouse. Project database inaccuracies were updated irregularly. There was no reporting tool for IT resource expenditures, which made establishing the value-add of technology difficult. Finding details on current projects- because there was no consistent reporting process in place- was challenging for managers.Managing work demand and outcomes was nearly impossible. â€Å"The project database gave the level of detail needed for improved project management but the centralized time tracking database has improved efficiencies for resource management as well. Using Planview Enterprise, we have better management, prioritization, and review of project requests. This improved business efficiency assures accurate and timely service delivery to our customers. †(2) Baptist Health also evaluated many resources and criteria to implement the Oracle Identity Analytics (OIA) as the solution to maintain its roles and place the foundation for automated role govern ance.BHSF employed Simeo Solutions as a â€Å"trusted† advisor to build the strategy to seamlessly transition the roles into an electronic repository and also build the roadmap for role attestations and role lifecycle management†. (3) The IT department has a high degree of participation in aligning itself with the business structure and on the hands-on implementation of projects that support the organization’s strategy and strategic plans. The have value and the respect they need to maintain the organizational support. However, decision making process on the organizational level rests on the board of directors and upper level business management.Business To-be Business processes and workflows are generally communicated based on expectations about technology, people and organizational goals that can become obsolete over time. Companies finally must reengineer their processes. Key to the company’s success is analyzing and implementing sustainable processes. Baptist Health has a well-thought-out approach to solution strategy by utilizing top leaders in the industry as consultants in the areas of: a) operational efficiency, b) regulatory compliance, c) user productivity and e) business agility.The internal IT infrastructure serves fundamentally in an educational and supportive role as well as the launching platform to implementation of the developing framework. The maturity of the alignment appears to be an established and focused process. VI. Evaluation of Strategic Alignment Maturity Assessment: Luftman’s SAM Survey The purpose of this case study is to demonstrate the level of alignment that exists between IT and the business within this organization and to point out what, why and how strategic deficiencies pertaining to the alignment or lack thereof were resolved.As a tool, the Luftman’s Strategic Alignment Model (SAM) Survey (4) was administered to two IT and two business Mid-Management level executives at Baptist Hospi tal, one of the largest facilities in the BHSF system. The results validate the intra-organizational limitations that may exist in the relationship between the business and the IT department but portray a dynamic institution striving to align itself while creating a competitive advantage and differentiating itself as a leader in the healthcare market. The organization’s strategic alignment is measured by focusing on six aspects of the organization.These six aspects are what provide the different criteria for determining the maturity of an organization’s alignment. The six categories are: 1. Effectiveness of Communications 2. Measurement of Competency and Value of IT 3. IT Governance 4. Partnerships Between Business and IT Functions 5. IT Infrastructure Scope and Architecture 6. IT Infrastructure Scope and Architecture Part I: Effectiveness of IT and Business Communications (Score 2. 88) Senior and Mid-level It mangers work together to seek and promote innovation and cu tting edge products in the changing healthcare environment.Communication exists in the form of weekly formal meetings that address emerging processes and projects. Unit business and IT managers are encouraged to promote IT integration in the business process and senior level business managers have a good understanding of the value that IT brings to BHSF. They work in tandem to continue improvement of the internal IT infrastructure by bringing in external sources as advisors, continuous training for management level as well as workforce level members.The phone-mail and the intranet are integrated into the daily operations and used as the main form for communication and Intranet is also applied for educational purposes. There is structured sharing of information at the unit level that is in turn shared with upper level management at formal board meetings. Part II: Measurement of the Competency and Value of IT Score (Score 2. 93) Both business and IT use formal traditional technical an d cost efficiency measures to determine the return on investment (ROI) and activity-based costing (ABC) per survey data.As described earlier the continuous innovation in technology that is implemented across the organization, be it in the delivery of care, documentation applications, medical procedures, management tools and entire IT infrastructure that makes up the fabric of the organization in itself, serve as a guide of how BHSF distinguishes itself in the regional industry. Competencies are measured by metrics. Feedback is obtained in the form of surveys administered to clients and used point out areas for potential improvement and overall customer satisfaction.Part III: The Governance Partnerships between IT and Business Functions (Score 2. 41) Strategic planning is done at the functional unit level with some business involvement. Because of the support and collaboration that IT provides for the organization, there is an understood interdependency. The governance of the IT depa rtment is mostly centralized and it controls its own infrastructure. Planning occurs in the functional unit level and in some degree intra-organizationally – as demonstrated in the examples mentioned above where the IT department played a key role in restructuring the then-deficient and outdated process.Part IV: Partnerships Between IT and Business Functions (Score 2. 31) Because the partnership that exists between the IT and the business, better management, prioritization, and review of project requests is achieved across the company. This improved business efficiency assures accurate and timely service delivery to customers. Project Performance that IT delivers is a key resource in providing services and sound business outcomes and assists in measuring the performance of the company. Part V: Scope and Architecture of the IT Infrastructure (Score 2. 7) The IT department function is mostly Federated in that the corporate IT Unit administers the responsibility of the architect ure, the administrative systems and standardized decisions but authority for resources applications lies with each functional unit. IT is budgeted as a cost center and financial decisions regarding IT are done at a functional organizational level. The productivity and effectiveness that the IT department brings to the organization is viewed as a strategy enabler and is subject to traditional financial reviews.The IT steering committee meets as needed but also formally to recap the effectives of project implementation and metrics. Part VI. Human resource skills (2. 56) By using one centralized project data base the BHSF IT organization is able to manage its employee payroll systems and administrative functions in a seamless manner. Career cross-over, education and entrepreneurial innovation is strongly encouraged in the organization. The in-depth knowledge of these individuals assists with the alignment of the functional units and the overall business and helps decipher the needs of the enterprise.Trust and confidence among business and IT is an enabler for the corporation. It fosters a positive social and political, productive and efficient work environment that promotes employee participation and loyalty. It is perhaps the vital element that makes BHSF a successful corporation. VII. Recommendation to address gaps in the alignment The web-based platform is compatible with all other current IT systems and will improve the efficiency and accuracy of reporting throughout the company. Some of the ways that this technology will achieve its desired results are:Plan | Goals/Objectives| Outcomes| Management Planfor Information Management| Improve record keeping and information | IT Project will allow for real-time information and data entry, increased information accuracy, and a consolidated source for all payroll and administrative data| Consulting for Information Management| Utilize new technology to support company and department missions more effectively| New tech nology will allow many payroll and administrative functions to be automated reducing the levels of staff required to manage these systems|Continuous collaborative efforts from the IT department and the employment of consulting firms to advise and formulate a more centralized administrative platform will enabled BHSF to manage its employee payroll systems and administrative functions in a consolidated efficient manner. Another enabler is the technology implemented that has already proven to reduce overhead costs associated with the large workforce currently required to manage tasks, training, reporting, and various other administrative tasks.In the long run the company will also benefit from more timely and accurate financial reporting as a result of managers’ ability to enter and continuously update their financial metrics. The cost is justified by the benefit. Sharing of risks and rewards in projects will improve the business and help move the company forward to the next lev el of maturity. VIII. Strategic Alignment Enablers: * Senior executives support IT and use outside resources to augment performance. * IT involved in strategy development to moderate extent. There is Business- It partnership with a common goal to benefit the corporation IX. Strategic Alignment Inhibitors * There is a close relationship between IT and Business. * IT understands the business better than the business understands IT. * Projects are prioritized however change is moderately slow. Management is working on Changing this culture. Bibliography: 1) http://hcafnews. com/tag/Baptist-health-south-florida/ Florida Blue, Baptist Health and Physicians Group to Set Up Accountable Care Organization in Miami. 2) http://search. aol. com/aol/search? s_it=topsearchbox. earch&v_t=comsearch51-txtlnkusaolp00000051&q=case+study+baptist+healthcare+south+florida+planview – Project management Gets a Shot in the Arm at Baptist Health – Business Technology Consultant and Planview Ent erprise Administrator Baptist Health South Florida Diane Novas. 3) http:// www. simeiosolutions. com/Baptist-health-south-florida/ – Baptist Health South Florida Implements Oracle Identity Analysis for Role Lifecycle Management 4) Assessing Business-IT Alignment Maturity. Volume 4, Article 14, Dec 2000. Jerry Luftman, School of Management, Stevens Institure of Technology.

Free Essays on Little Women

Little Women In 1868, Louisa May Alcott wrote the book Little Women in "response to a publisher's request for a 'girl's book'". Louisa wrote this book by calling upon her own memories of her childhood and putting them down on paper. This is the story of four young girls, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March, and how they endure all the trouble and hardships that come along during their lives. They are raised by their mother and by their father, and many interesting characters pop up along the way, such as Laurie, their good-natured next-door neighbor; Laurie later falls in love with Jo but ends up marrying Amy. In the beginning of the story they are all fairly young, the youngest being twelve years old, and their mother, whom they call Marmee, is left to guide them while their father is away fighting in the war. As they grow and mature, they learn many hard lessons about life. For instance, there was the time when Amy, the youngest, suffered her first punishment in school. She carries that anger, humility, and embarrassment with her for the rest of her life. There were also more serious lessons to be learned, like when one of the sisters, Beth, dies. By the end of the book, they really have turned from little women into real women. Jo was the second oldest of the four sisters. Her birth name was Josephine, but she always thought that it sounded too feminine, so she shortened it to Jo. Clearly, Jo was one of the main characters of the story because many of the events centered on her and the audience learned more about who she was. She was a tomboy at heart and hated all the prim and proper ways of the ladies in those days. Jo was very blunt in her speaking and always said exactly what was on her mind. However, most people felt right at ease speaking with her because she had a way of making them feel comfortable, despite her frankness. Jo was the one who first had enough courage to go over to the frightening house next door and t... Free Essays on Little Women Free Essays on Little Women Little Women In 1868, Louisa May Alcott wrote the book Little Women in "response to a publisher's request for a 'girl's book'". Louisa wrote this book by calling upon her own memories of her childhood and putting them down on paper. This is the story of four young girls, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March, and how they endure all the trouble and hardships that come along during their lives. They are raised by their mother and by their father, and many interesting characters pop up along the way, such as Laurie, their good-natured next-door neighbor; Laurie later falls in love with Jo but ends up marrying Amy. In the beginning of the story they are all fairly young, the youngest being twelve years old, and their mother, whom they call Marmee, is left to guide them while their father is away fighting in the war. As they grow and mature, they learn many hard lessons about life. For instance, there was the time when Amy, the youngest, suffered her first punishment in school. She carries that anger, humility, and embarrassment with her for the rest of her life. There were also more serious lessons to be learned, like when one of the sisters, Beth, dies. By the end of the book, they really have turned from little women into real women. Jo was the second oldest of the four sisters. Her birth name was Josephine, but she always thought that it sounded too feminine, so she shortened it to Jo. Clearly, Jo was one of the main characters of the story because many of the events centered on her and the audience learned more about who she was. She was a tomboy at heart and hated all the prim and proper ways of the ladies in those days. Jo was very blunt in her speaking and always said exactly what was on her mind. However, most people felt right at ease speaking with her because she had a way of making them feel comfortable, despite her frankness. Jo was the one who first had enough courage to go over to the frightening house next door and t... Free Essays on Little Women Little Women is a coming of age story of four sisters in Civil War New England. Together they face hardships and poverty all the while trying to reach their Castles in the Air. More than that however, Little Women is a morality tale. Each chapter not only contains the lives and adventures of the four sisters, but lessons on how to be a good person, and how to achieve happiness in life. These values are centered upon God, family, and love. Though money, people, hair, and childhood dreams come and go, Marmee’s wisdom about happiness never seems to falter. The dreams of the writer, artist, and pianist in the family all fall behind the happiness they find in their respective households. In some respects, Little Women is also a child-rearing guidebook. When Marmee’s harvesting time came, she had three happy well-rounded children and a fourth with God. Each lesson she taught was not just told to them, but demonstrated, and enforced with kindness and with love. She inspired her girls to be the best they could be, and did not try to change them even if they were as awkward and tomboyish as Jo. Most importantly, she let them make the choices for their life and did not sway their decisions once the girls made them. Little Women today remains a classic because it shows that every young person goes through trials and decision points. Death’s of loved ones, family crisis’s, and the mending of broken hearts are something all young people go through and are acturatly portrayed in Alcott’s novel. Most importantly, readers today remain inspired by Jo’s commitment to her writing, Meg’s devotion to her family, and Beth’s willingness to help the ones she loves....

Germans to America - Passengers Arriving at US Ports

Germans to America - Passengers Arriving at US Ports Are you researching German immigrants to America during the 19th century? Germans to America, compiled and edited by Ira A. Glazier and P. William Filby, is a series of books which indexes passenger arrival records of ships carrying Germans to the U.S. ports of  Baltimore, Boston, New Orleans, New York, and Philadelphia. It presently covers the  records of over 4 million passengers during  the period January 1850 through Jun 1897. Due to its inclusion criteria, this series is considered to be an incomplete- though fairly thorough- index to German passengers arriving in America during this period. The quality of the transcription varies, but the series is still an excellent research tool for tracking down German immigrant ancestors. If a listing is found in Germans to America, then the original passenger lists should be consulted, as they may contain further details.   Where to Find Germans to America The individual books in the Germans to America series  are fairly pricey, so the best research option is to either find a library with the series (most major genealogical libraries will have it), or locate a database version. The database version created by the Center for Immigration Studies at the Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies (the same group that created the published versions) was originally published on CD and is now available for free online from the National Archives and FamilySearch. It is unclear exactly how the data compiled in the Germans to America, 1850–1897 database relates directly to the published volumes.  NARA staff has found that there are ship manifests included in the database that are not included in the respective published volumes, and that there is also a difference in the covered time periods.   The Germans to America Series The first 9 volumes of the Germans to America series indexed only passenger lists of ships that contained at least 80% German passengers. Thus, a number of Germans who came over on ships from 1850–1855 are not included. Beginning with Volume 10, all ships with German passengers were included, regardless of the percentage. However, only those identifying themselves as German are listed; all other passenger names were not transcribed. Volumes 1–59 of Germans to America (through 1890) include arrivals to the major U.S. ports of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Boston and New Orleans. Beginning in 1891, Germans to America only includes arrivals to the port of New York. Some Baltimore arrivals are known to be missing from Germans to America- see  Why Some Baltimore Passenger Lists are Missing and How to Find Them  by Joe Beine for more information. Vol. 1 Jan 1850 - May 1851 Vol. 35 Jan 1880 - Jun 1880 Vol. 2 May 1851 - Jun 1852 Vol. 36 Jul 1880 - Nov 1880 Vol. 3 Jun 1852 - Sep 1852 Vol. 37 Dec 1880 - Apr 1881 Vol. 4 Sep 1852 - May 1853 Vol. 38 Apr 1881 - May 1881 Vol. 5 May 1853 - Oct 1853 Vol. 39 Jun 1881 - Aug 1881 Vol. 6 Oct 1853 - May 1854 Vol. 40 Aug 1881 - Oct 1881 Vol. 7 May 1854 - Aug 1854 Vol. 41 Nov 1881 - Mar 1882 Vol. 8 Aug 1854 - Dec 1854 Vol. 42 Mar 1882 - May 1882 Vol. 9 Dec 1854 - Dec 1855 Vol. 43 May 1882 - Aug 1882 Vol. 10 Jan 1856 - Apr 1857 Vol. 44 Aug 1882 - Nov 1882 Vol. 11 Apr 1857 - Nov 1857 Vol. 45 Nov 1882 - Apr 1883 Vol. 12 Nov 1857 - Jul 1859 Vol. 46 Apr 1883 - Jun 1883 Vol. 13 Aug 1859 - Dec 1860 Vol. 47 Jul 1883 - Oct 1883 Vol. 14 Jan 1861 - May 1863 Vol. 48 Nov 1883 - Apr 1884 Vol. 15 Jun 1863 - Oct 1864 Vol. 49 Apr 1884 - Jun 1884 Vol. 16 Nov 1864 - Nov 1865 Vol. 50 Jul 1884 - Nov 1884 Vol. 17 Nov 1865 - Jun 1866 Vol. 51 Dec 1884 - Jun 1885 Vol. 18 Jun 1866 - Dec 1866 Vol. 52 Jul 1885 - Apr 1886 Vol. 19 Jan 1867 - Aug 1867 Vol. 53 May 1886 - Jan 1887 Vol. 20 Aug 1867 - May 1868 Vol. 54 Jan 1887 - Jun 1887 Vol. 21 May 1868 - Sep 1868 Vol. 55 Jul 1887 - Apr 1888 Vol. 22 Oct 1868 - May 1869 Vol. 56 May 1888 - Nov 1888 Vol. 23 Jun 1869 - Dec 1869 Vol. 57 Dec 1888 - Jun 1889 Vol. 24 Jan 1870 - Dec 1870 Vol. 58 Jul 1889 - Apr 1890 Vol. 25 Jan 1871 - Sep 1871 Vol. 59 May 1890 - Nov 1890 Vol. 26 Oct 1871 - Apr 1872 Vol. 60 Dec 1890 - May 1891 Vol. 27 May 1872 - Jul 1872 Vol. 61 Jun 1891 - Oct 1891 Vol. 28 Aug 1872 - Dec 1872 Vol. 62 Nov 1891 - May 1892 Vol. 29 Jan 1873 - May 1873 Vol. 63 Jun 1892 - Dec 1892 Vol. 30 Jun 1873 - Nov 1873 Vol. 64 Jan 1893 - Jul 1893 Vol. 31 Dec 1873 - Dec 1874 Vol. 65 Aug 1893 - Jun 1894 Vol. 32 Jan 1875 - Sep 1876 Vol. 66 Jul 1894 - Oct 1895 Vol. 33 Oct 1876 - Sep 1878 Vol. 67 Nov 1895 - Jun 1897 Vol. 34 Oct 1878 - Dec 1879

East Asia Culture Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

East Asia Culture - Research Paper Example This definition brings to light the fact that shared behavior in culture helps distinguish one set of people from another. It implies how culture makes people unique, how their shared experiences create patterns of interaction, and how these patterns eventually affect all aspects of their lives. This paper shall define culture and shall describe five major characteristics that help define a culture. It shall also describe common cultural characteristics of East Asia, particularly China and describe how some characteristics have been shaped by the history of the region. One of the characteristics of culture is that, it is subjective (Routledge, 2006). In relating this characteristic to the Chinese culture, subjectivity may be seen in the way the Chinese people and the rest of the world perceive the Chinese culture. For example, initially, a person from the West may perceive the Chinese people and their culture as conservative. This perception of conservatism may also be expressed as a degrading assessment of China’s economic progress. However, to the Chinese, this conservatism may be viewed as a positive, but not degrading, description of their culture. Chinese conservatism can be attributed to their agricultural economic freedom and their artistic way of life. Their largely agricultural lifestyle has made them very much attached to the earth, and as a result, they have an increased sense of permanence. â€Å"This sense of permanence, being a built-in Chinese way of perception, sees the ‘eternal truths’ in the sayings of their ancient sages, and thus prevents any arbitrary progression into novelty† (Wu, n.d). New ideas presented by philosophers are not easily accepted as ‘new ideas’, but they are seen as modern interpretations of existing truths from ancient sages. The artistic way of life for the Chinese gives them a profound devotion and respect for

Healthcare Insurance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Healthcare Insurance - Essay Example They believe that healthcare insurance would assist them to minimize future health expenses to a great extent. As Cameron and McCallum (1995) point out, ‘income’ is the major potential element determining the demand for health insurance. It seems that low and high income groups are less likely to purchase health insurance. Low income groups may not have potential financial background to purchase health insurance whereas high income groups are reluctant to buy insurance due to increased tariffs. Price of the insurance and tax treatment of insurance are the other important factors affecting demand for health insurance (Avitabile, 2009). When the price of the insurance increases, the demand decreases, and once the price of the insurance drops the demand increases. The same trend is observed in case of tax treatment also. If the government or other competitive organizations adopt a strict approach towards tax treatment, the demand for insurance falls. In contrast, if the hea lthcare insurance is offered at concessional tax rates, more people will be ready to purchase it. This is a clear illustration of law of demand. It is also identified that healthcare expenditure may be a crucial element influencing the demand for insurance. Middle income groups may consider their past health expenditure data before making an insurance purchase decision. Finally, age also affects the demand for healthcare insurance. As compared to old aged people, youngsters are less likely to purchase healthcare insurance as they believe that they are less vulnerable to diseases. In the late XIX century, health insurance began to be available in the form of accident insurance in the United States (Obringer & Jeffries, n.d.). The trend continued until the end of the XIX century, and regulators considered health insurance as disability insurance. Before the US federal