Hippocratic Medicine :: essays research papers fc

Introduction Hippocratic medicine remains one of Ancient Greece's lasting contributions to the field of science. Lacking the equipment physicians today take for granted when diagnosing and healing their patients, Hippocratic physicians were forced to create a novel system for explaining and curing disease based upon the prevalent scientific theories of their era. This system became known as the humoral theory of disease. Humoral theory incorporated the theories of Presocratic philosophers in order to explain disease and offer help for a cure. Two themes characterizing Presocratic philosophical thought dramatically influenced humoral theory. The humoral theory approach of Hippocratic medicine was based upon Presocratic philosophical musings about the relationship of man to the world. By the time humoral theory was vogue, philosophers had concluded that both man and the world were governed by the same natural laws. Humoral theory also was based upon Presocratic theories about change and how it occu rred in the world; humoral theory depended upon the assertion that contrasting elements constantly contradicted each other, leading to continuous change on one level and stability on another. These two Presocratic theories shaped humoral theory and allowed the physician to develop a rational and empirically based approach to medicine. Hippocrates - Separating the Man from the Myth Before we can trace the development of these theories by the Presocratics we must first consider Hippocratic medicine and humoral theory. Most of what is known about the historical figure Hippocrates, the supposed founder of the Hippocratic medical approach, must be evaluated with caution. Hippocrates lived c. 460-370 BC, but further reliable information about his life is difficult to obtain.(1) Two passages from Plato are seen as legitimate sources of information about Hippocrates' life. Plato lived from 427-348 BC, making him a contemporary of Hippocrates. A passage from Plato's work Protagoras suggests that Hippocrates was a physician, associated with the island of Cos, who taught medicine to students for a fee. Another passage from a work of Plato, the Phaedras, alludes to a "method" by which Hippocrates gained an understanding of medicine. These sources provide some means by which to evaluate the impact of Hippocrates upon ancient medical practice. The Corpus Hippocraticum Many other texts attributed to Hippocrates shed light upon the Hippocratic method of medicine. None of these texts may be identified as Hippocrates' own work, however. These works are called the Corpus Hippocraticum and number upwards of sixty.(2) Scholars have suggested that the texts may have been part of a library collection, originally from Cos, that was subsequently moved to Alexandria and then added upon, building the collection of medical texts we have today.

Examine the Key Ideas Associated with Law and Punishment

Examine the key ideas associated with law and punishment Law and Punishment go hand in hand. There are Laws, which are the system of rules which a particular country or community recognises as regulating the actions of followers, and there are punishments, for when a member of said country/community breaks the rules. Punishment is defined as the infliction of a penalty or to cause pain for an offence.Most of the time it is not a choice as to whether you are part of a law-following community because almost all countries in the world have some kind of law-system and often the minute you turn the age where you are legally responsible or step off the boat, plane or train you are subjected to their laws. The Biblical views on punishment have often been based on the old testament teaching ‘an eye for an eye’. The bible also lays out punishments for certain crimes that appear to follow this teaching. Except that there are many punishments in the bible that seem to be out of pro portion to the crime e. . â€Å"whoever curses his father or his mother will be put to death†. There are many problems with this statement for example it does not state how old the son/daughter has to be to deserve this punishment, it seems to imply even a 4 year old who does not necessarily know what they are saying can be put to death for cursing their parents. An eye for an eye is also relevant in today’s laws, it is the basis of retributive justice that is present in our society. Retributive justice is the idea that those who have done the crime should somehow pay back for what they did.Rachel’s said â€Å"People deserve to be treated in the same way that they have (voluntarily treated others)† This seems like a fair way of treating someone because why someone should be allowed to do one thing and then not expect to be treated in the same way? But some punishments that are retributive e. g. capital punishment do not seem to benefit society and there i s a risk of the punishment becoming revengeful not retributive. Retributive justice also causes a problem because it might make capital punishment a legitimate approach to punishment.I. e. If a person murders it is right for them to be killed. And It also can lead the legal system to instead of appearing like someone is being made to pay back what they have done wrong to looking like the legal system is being hypocritical i. e. we are showing society that it is wrong to be violent by being violent to wrong doers. This is not how we should be teaching people to not be violent. The punishment also must not be disproportionate to the crime e. g. sentencing a small child to death for stealing a sweet from a shop.Some forms of punishment e. g. fines may be disproportionate because to people with money a fine does not make any difference but to someone who has just enough money or just below the money they need for necessities it can be a massive problem, but on average I think retributiv e measures helps to make the punishment be proportionate to the crime because the person can be treated the way they treated others. Deterrence is another form of punishment. It means that we should punish for crimes in order to deter others from committing the same crime i. e. f we know what the punishment for an act is we are less inclined to do it. However there are problems with this because it assumes that the perpetrator had intent and full knowledge of what they were doing was wrong but often violent crimes happen in the heat of the moment and are not planned and those violent crimes that are calculated are often done by those people who are mentally ill. Also, why should be punish someone for the sake of someone else? Reformative justice is becoming more popular in today’s society and is the attempt to turn the criminal into a normal law abiding citizen.It is often based on the idea that everyone has an intrinsic value simply because they are human and the improvement of humans is good. According to deontology this is good because rehabilitation prevents people treating others as means. There is also a utilitarian argument for this because reformative justice improves the general quality of life in society. I also would argue that reformative justice is also trying to right the inequality between the rich and poor. People from less well of backgrounds are more likely to commit crimes due to them having fewer opportunities and less education.Poorer people are also more likely to come from violent backgrounds and therefore are more likely to be violent themselves. Therefore reformative justice helps make up for this lack of opportunities by offering classes inside prisons for example. Although there are many good things about reformative punishments, there are also many problems. Reformation takes away the responsibility for our actions and it does not attempt to right the wrong. This causes problems in itself because if there is no ‘punishm ent’ other than reformation then there is no incentive for people not to commit crime, in fact there is almost an incentive to commit a crime!And why someone in prison should be getting opportunities that people outside the prison do not get. I would like to think that there is good in everyone but it would simply be impractical to think that we can rehabilitate everyone as some people are simply too far gone and do not want to change. Hobbes philosophised about why we want/need laws in society and he came up with an idea called the social contract theory. This idea was based on his notion that government is an agreement between a group of people where they agree not to hurt each other.This is fuelled by the motivation of self-interest which according to Hobbes is pertinent because human beings are selfish creatures and therefore seek collective protection. i. e. If I promise not to hurt you and you promise not to hurt me then neither of us gets hurt and we’re both hap py. And this is what Hobbes believes to be the basis of our desire to keep the laws set out by the state – we should avoid chaos because it is not in our best interests therefore we should keep the laws. Kant had a similar conclusion i. e. that we should keep the laws but for a different reason.Kant said that we should ‘act so that you treat humanity, both in your own person and in that of another, always as an end’ i. e. we should keep the laws so that we do not treat others as means to an end. His idea of kingdom of ends states ‘act in accordance with the maxims of a member giving universal laws for a merely possible kingdom of ends’ where the kingdom of ends is a perfect community where all members respect each other as ends in themselves. This is what we should strive to achieve, and to be successful at this we should keep the laws of the community.Therefore we should keep the laws and to keep the laws means that we must punish those that break t he law.. Evaluate the view that objectivity and relativism pose problems for the concept of law and punishment. Objectivity states that there are ethical principles that are always wrong or always right and they are normally established a priori i. e. without experience. Therefore as there are certain things that are always wrong we need a law to stop people from doing it. This law may be objectively right and its punishment for breaking the law may also be objectively right.Objectivity might support retributive justice; Retributive justice is when someone pays back for their crime. This could support objectivity because it needs to be imposed with the consistency that objectivity provides therefore you could argue that Retributive justice only works with the objectivity and as retributive justice tends to be favoured in western societies perhaps objectivity does not pose such a problem with law and punishment. Having said this there are still the problems it does cause.Objective et hical principles are established a priori therefore we cannot know them through experience. If we do not know them through experience, how can we truly know if something is right or wrong and therefore how do we know if a law is right whilst using objectivity. Objectivity also does not allow for individual cases, it runs the risk of using a ‘one size fits all’ policy towards law and punishment and whilst we do need some consistency amongst crimes, one size does not exactly fit all because not every crime is exactly the same!Normative relativism states that truth and morality is relative to the country/society that one is in and therefore we cannot criticize other cultures as to how they do things. With regards to law and punishment this leads us to the face that there are no definite truths or morals that can be applied in every situation around the world so Punishment is determined according to the country and, if we take it relativism further, according to the circums tances of the case.Hobbes took a relativist view because he said that justice cannot be fixed, and each country/community has different ideas of what law and punishment should be all we should do is aim not be in chaos, not because it is wrong in an objective sense but because it does not serve or self-interest. Relativism may be a good thing because it allows each country to organise punishment as they see fit and there is merit in the systems that other countries have for example some people believe that Iraq was justified in the hanging of Saddam Hussein even though in our society the death penalty is not used.However it does have problems because it means that all forms of punishment are right as long as it is accepted by society e. g. it would be right to hang a small child for stealing sweets if society thought it was the correct punishment. If punishment is decided relative to the circumstance and there is no consistency we could end up with a justice system where only some p eople would be punished and this could easily lead to corruption, sexism and racism within the punishment system.It also means that there may be little point of having punishment because if only some cases lead to punishment then punishment would be pointless! It would serve no deterrent or retributive purpose. Objectivity and Relativism both have merits and cause problems for law and punishment and I do not think either can work solely on their own because they have too many problems by themselves, but on the other hand I do not know if it is possible for Objectivity and Relativism to work together.Perhaps if the laws are objective but how we punish people is relative to each country, case and persons involved. For example although killing may be objectively wrong it may not be appropriate to treat a child who killed someone, an adult who killed someone by accident and an adult who killed someone out of hate all In the same way although they have all broken the same objective rule.

Final Reflection and Personal Development Planning Essay

Final Reflection and Personal Development Planning Essay Introduction A personal development plan is an essential tool for the development of a student, the development plan helps a student plan on the basic strategies to use to evaluate and enhance his capabilities. Evaluation of personal capability entails reviewing personal traits like the strengths and weaknesses in various areas of learning. The students should make sure that these areas are well understood after which the individual should provide an action plan complete with a deadline and an effectiveness measure. The deadline assist the student to achieve their goals by a given date at which the student will evaluate the effectiveness of the strategy employed. If the strategies employed are not effective, the students need to formulate other strategies that favor his development. The personal development plan is reviewed at several stages of the individual development. The individual may enlist the help from friends to gauge his performance levels or perform some tests to check on his developm ent. Initial personal development plan The initial personal development plan was aimed at resolving some of the problems encountered in the previous academic levels. In the previous levels personal development was not planed thus some of the areas suffered causing a decrease in the knowledge levels. Over the years personal development was random and skills acquired were easily forgotten due to lack of adequate practice and use of these knowledge in the practical world. The personal development plan was designed to tackle the areas where weakness was seen in the learning process and ensure the areas of strength were maintained at high levels. The initial development plan was aimed at improving personal presentation skills, confidence was lacking in the presentation skills thus the presentations were not convincing to the audience, the presentation took longer times than required, this was due to lack of understanding the topic thus the ability to summarize work was compromised. Confidence is also caused by fear of other st udents, being new to the school may have caused this as most of students were new. To increase the confidence levels, interaction with the students through social groups was encouraged. The presentation skills were allocated a period of one semester which key aspects of presentation were to be practiced. Reading skills were lacking prior to the personal development plan, connecting the information read was a problem. The need to understand information from various sources arose. If information is understood reading is made easy. The understanding of words was also lacking. Failure to understand the words and familiarizing with them causes this problem. The brain requires an adequate word bank to ensure that the person can read effectively. To resolve this problem reading from various sources is recommended to ensure that the student understand more words. Increasing the amount of words assist the individual to gain confidence in personal skills thus learn is made easy. Listening to discussions and debates plays an important part in increasing the knowledge of an individual; this assists the students to improve on the ideas by building on the ideas already in the learner and getting ideas from other sources. The student may follow up the discussions or the debates by personal learning thus improve on the reading skills. Reading skills are acquired over a period of time so they were allocated a series of development levels marked by the grade. The levels in the previous academic level improved with the increase in learning materials. In the reading process, Time management is crucial for the student. Planning is needed by the student to ensure that the all aspects of learning are integrated and well managed to fit the student’s time frame. The student should allocate all daily activities adequate time to ensure that they are catered for. The important activities like reading and group work discussions should be allocated more time. The areas of weakness in the student should be allocated more time and resources to ensure that they improve. Time allocation in the previous levels was improving with the student finding adequate time to perform other tasks. Time management ensures that all the time available to the student is well managed and utilized. Time management helps address those areas of weakness. Time management was given a time frame of two months where by time tables were drawn for the activities performed and strict deadlines were expected to be met. Time management was improving as less time was wasted in the previous levels. Its projected that with the progress made the levels of time wasted will reduce enabling the student to utilize this resource efficiently. Group skill are important to the students learning skills, group work brings students with different abilities and different understanding together. These group traits allow the members of the group to develop each other with the weaker students benefiting from the able students. The communication skills are enhanced in these groups as those students that do not understand in class have the chance to consult their fellow classmates. The type of students determines the merits of the group, students contributing more to the group are better learners than those that receive the knowledge. In the previous levels this was noted and efforts to contribute more to the group were initiated. More contribution has resulted to more understanding of topics and the overall class performance has increased. The group skills were allocated two months to ensure their improvement. Social skills are needed in the learning process, to socialize with the right people in the school and after school play an important pant in enhancing confidence of the individual. Students with more friends due to their social skills tend to be more confident that those with few friends. Social skills assist the learner to gain the confidence which plays an important in understanding and associating with other students. Social skills were lacking before the personal development plan but after its initiation more friends have been acquired. The kind of friends acquired also determines the character of the student. Friends that are useful to the student will facilitate academic growth. Last semester’s academic growth Presentation skills have improved greatly due to the measures put in place to ensure that presentation skills are increased. The increase in the knowledge on topics presented assisted in the presentation process. Compared to the previous semesters, presentation confidence has greatly improved and this is evident from the grading of the presentation. There is a need for improvement and through constant growth presentation skills will be enhanced. Reading skills have improved due to quantity reading familiarizing with new words from different sources. The different use of the words has ensured that the student understands the words better and understand their application. The reading skills have increased due to these factors and with more effort this skills will be enhanced. Group skills have increased though need to improve is also encouraged. Ability to contribute to topics under discussion is facilitated by the increase in knowledge. Mastering the topics and explaining the concepts to the other group members has enabled the student to increase his knowledge and communication skills. The student has also been able to socialize with the right people thus enabling him to grow in social skills. Growth in social skills has enabled the student to acquire more friends thus confidence levels have increased. The number of friends has increased over time and this can be measured from the social networks in the school and popularity in the school. Time management has enabled the student to reduce the time wasted thus the day is spent doing activities that increase personal development. Time is an important resource to the student thus allocation of time to useful activities enables the student to grow and dedicate time to more important matters. Idle time is apportioned to reading rather than activity that would affect the growth of the student. Future personal development plan In the next four semesters, the plan will be to improve on the current development plan focusing more on the areas of weakness. Presentation skills have improved greatly thus time dedication and more practice will be needed to maintain this levels. Three weeks of every semester will be dedicated to sharpening presentation skills. Reading skills require adequate material and time resource. Reading from books and two weeks of each semester will be dedicated to reading. The student will also read articles to be up to date with the current affairs. Group work has improved greatly but concerns over time wasting require the student to cut back on the hours spent discussing with other students. The time requirement is three days a week from the initial six days a week. Time management is being done in an appropriate manner and the student is finding better use of the free time he has. Time management in the semesters to come should be maintained at the same levels to enable the student to m aintain current development rates. Socialization skills are needed to boast student’s confidence; the student’s confidence levels are relatively high so the less time should be spent on socializing. The time requirement for socializing should be limited to breaks and discussing groups to minimize the time loss.

Recognizing The Changing Health Care System - 2383 Words

Introduction of Issue Recognizing the changing health care system, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), launched a two-year initiative to assess and transform the nursing profession. The report produced by the IOM RWJF, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, called out four key messages to guide the changes needed to heighten the future of nursing. One of these messages, nurses achieving higher levels of education- increasing baccalaureate prepared nurses to 80% by 2020, enforces the need for nurses to obtain higher degrees and changes the requirements for entry-level nurses. Improving education levels in the nursing workforce is beneficial to both the nurse receiving the education and the patient receiving care, however with expensive degree programs and an older workforce not willing to go back to school, turmoil has erupted within the profession. This paper uses evidence to review both sides of the argume nt and its significance to both nursing and patient care outcomes. Background In 2010, President Barack Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and the Affordable Care Act (PPACA) which aimed to increase the quality and affordability of health insurance. This act began a radical transformation of healthcare in the United States, and has created a new landscape for health professionals to navigate. The blueprint (The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health) created by the IOMShow MoreRelatedRedesign The Rn Health Coach Position1267 Words   |  6 Pagesredesign the RN Health Coach position that was discussed in the attached paper. 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And yet, the elements included in the ACA directed at cost and quality is possible to affect the practice of care for nearly every provider across the country. Although cost containmentRead MoreImproving Patient Care Is A Constant, Ongoing Process Of Trail And Error1211 Words   |  5 PagesImproving patient care is a constant, ongoing process of trail and error. As nurses, providing the best of care possible for the patient should always be the number one priority. â€Å"The aims of nursing actions (also nursing interventions) are to protect, promote, and optimize health; to prevent illness and injury; to alleviate suffering; and to advocate for individuals, families, communities, and populations† (American Nurses Association, 2010). 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Despite this being a widely held idea, the reality is that marginalized groups are not experiencing the same standards of health care as other Canadian Citizens. Despite the fact that some researchers say racialization does not play a factor in the level of health care received by people (Guilfoyle 1512), Indigenous Peoples in Canada do not have equal access to the Canadian health care system due to the problems arisi ng fromRead MoreRecognizing the Need for Cultural Change1137 Words   |  5 Pages Recognizing the Need for Cultural Change Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Cultural awareness 3. Cultural sensitivity 4. Cultural competence 5. Cultural humility 6. Conclusion 7. References Introduction United States of America demographicsRead MoreA Long Time That Nurses Make Some Of The Best Advocates944 Words   |  4 Pagestime that nurses make some of the best advocates. They are known for being the ones who spend the most time with patients, so in turn they are able to better recognize their immediate needs. Advocating for patients does not have to involve major health care decisions, but rather it can be small actions that are simply for the benefit or comfort of the patient. Throughout my clinical rotations, I can say that I have advocated in small ways. An example of an act I consider to be advocacy was simply lettingRead MoreDiversity Is The Changing Demographics And Economics Of Our Growing Multicultural World1309 Words   |  6 PagesConcept paper By Masereh Jallow Topic: Diversity in Nursing Page 1 Topic: Diversity in Nursing Diversity: The changing demographics and economics of our growing multicultural world, and the long-standing disparities in the health status of people from culturally diverse backgrounds has challenged health care providers and organizations to consider cultural diversity as a priority. Culture is one of the organizing concepts upon which nursing is based and defined

The Importance Of Technology - 784 Words

In the 21st century, technology has become more advanced and has a large impact among us humans. Is this advancing of technology makes human beings become more ignorant? As technology advances it becomes a part of people’s daily lives, and they don’t have to rely on their heads. People are relying on the internet rather than the hard copy books. Most people search up the quickest, simple answers, that’s why they don’t think critically. Technology is weakening people’s ability to think critically and engage in the process of learning, because technology is advancing, making everyone lives easier. To sum up todays generation, it is always about technology, technology, technology. They devote their life to technology, while in school,†¦show more content†¦Some people have the answers, and would open up more websites and dig deeper for more information. Nicholas Carr the author of â€Å"Is Google Making Us Stupid?† says, â€Å"Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a Jet Ski†. Carr is stating that people look above the surface that people don’t explore and look deeper with the information. In addition, others would find the answers and slap it on their paper without digging for more information. Doing that makes people just lazy, and once they get lazy they won’t know the information as much. People could just skim through passages, just to find the answer, there’s not much of a critical process with that. Others can’t just retain the information by skimming and slapping the answ er down on the paper, they have to dig deeper, read, comprehend, and think beyond. Technology can affect humans physically and mentally. Mentally, the things that come from social media can badly affect their school work, and job. They aren’t focus on what they suppose to do, they are more concentrated on what happen on social media. Physically, teenagers, students, and even parents are taking advantage of their sleeping time. They stay up late to check their Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and text messages. Technology effects people’s daily lives because they are not getting the proper amount of sleep. Most peopleShow MoreRelatedThe Importance of Technology1118 Words   |  5 PagesAccording to Vikram (7), technology refers the application of scientific knowledge and skills for practical purposes in diverse fields such as industries, education, and agriculture among other fields. Technology is therefore an organized knowledge for practical purposes in human day to day life. The fundamental purpose of every human life is to increase standards of living, improve the quality of his life and to always have a greater satisfaction in life (Vikram 8). These fundamental purposes canRead MoreTechnology Importance1088 Words   |  5 PagesThe Importance of Technology, which was always debatable, has now become more controversial. The substantial influence of Technology on our lives has sparked the recent controversy over the potential impact of this trend. It can be agreed that Technology has a profound impact on many communities, however some people claim that it had an adverse impact on many societies. This essay will elaborate both positive and negative aspects of technology on our lives and thus lead to a logical conclusion. Read MoreThe Importance Of Technology1740 Words   |  7 PagesShmuel Dovid Baum Date: Jan. 4, 2018 Technology has had quite a significant impact on the way we live our lives and interact with the world. It is quite common to see people walking down the street and oblivious to the world around them while they are immersed in the world of their smartphones. By looking at where we are now with our days so connected to the Internet and the ubiquitous presence of smartphones andRead MoreThe Importance Of Technology And Technology1294 Words   |  6 PagesFrom the moment people wake up to the moment they go to sleep, they are surrounded by technology. Society has become dependent on technology and the recreation industry is no exception. First, recreation is any personal experience at any time that is personally chosen and self-fulfilling. It extends beyond the simple act to include a state of being and a way of life. Likewise, recreation therapy uses recreation activities to help individuals with physical and/or psychological limitations with theirRead MoreThe Importance Of Technology And Technology1043 Words   |  5 PagesTechnology has become a vital part of the insurance over the past decade in a plethora of ways, ranging from mobility to Big Data, and even social media. We are in a new era and insurance companies/agencies are being pushed to adapt, or face being pushed aside to those expanding with society. By utilizing the technology and new ways, they are maximizing customer outreach and satisfaction. The need for personal interaction is still a must, but slowly diminishing, yet there will always be a need especiallyRead MoreTechnology : The Importance Of Technology And Technology1183 Words   |  5 Pagesmy homework. Every day the school comes up with new ways to improve the students’ learning. Since the school is modernizing, this means that technology is bound to occur in some form of shape. Technology will continue to advance and will eventually (if not already) become part of everyone’s daily life. For this reason, students must learn how to use technology now. Hence, all students should have access to a laptop whether it is their own or one provided by the school because laptops allow studentsRead MoreThe Importance Of Technology1806 Words   |  8 PagesAs time progresses, our conscious mind becomes muddled into the fast-paced society where we rely frequently on the usage of technology to solve our everyday life. Although, it is important to acknowledge the development and capabilities of modernization, it is essential to be cognizant of one’s mind. Having an innate capability of free-will is a powerful tool for humans to utilize because it gives us the choice to think for ourselves rather than letting others or machines think for us. However, nowadaysRead MoreImportance Of Technology : Technology Integration1187 Words   |  5 PagesImportance of Technology Integration It is supposed that educator incorporation of technology into workrooms for high-level learning will lead to enlarged scholar learning. Technology of higher-level use will improve every feature of scholars’ learning skills across curricular areas, so children will grow intelligently rather than develop lonely technology skills. Among 1999 and 2003, the US Department of Education’s â€Å"Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers to Custom Technology† (PT3) financed over $750 millionRead MoreThe Importance Of Technology822 Words   |  4 PagesMany people debate on whether technology affects our lives in a positive or negative way. People use technology everyday for their daily routines; they rely on technology for the simplest things. A majority of schools around the globe use technology to teach their students new information. However, technology started making students and the teachers lazier. The teachers and staff members at Bayless High School have been debating whether the school should participate in â€Å"Shut Down Your Screen† WeekRead MoreThe Importance Of Technology1314 Words   |  6 Pages Technology has changed the world in the most drastic way. Technology has infiltrated every part of our lives and we are in constant want and need for it. I have always loved the new innovative technology that have come out and I desire to have the newest and the best gadgets. Technology has made life so easy and so instantaneous that I cannot imagine my life without. The short 12 hours of life without technology was a hard one to swallow. There were so many options and they were all hard but the

Of White Hairs and Cricket Free Essays

â€Å"A Horse and Two Goats† is a short story written by R. K. Narayan, from India. We will write a custom essay sample on Of White Hairs and Cricket or any similar topic only for you Order Now Basically, the story is about two individuals, an American and an Indian, trying to converse and communicate, but they can not seem to understand each other because of the lack of knowledge in the other’s language and culture. The story spans a very short time, perhaps a half an hour. As it is revealed in the very beginning of the story, it takes place in a very small village called Kiritam, which is only represented by a tiny dot on the local survey map. The narration of the story goes chronologically, in a third-person omniscient view, with the main characters being an American tourist and an old Indian man. Both of the characters seem a little bit ignorant and ethnocentric, as none of them have competent background knowledge of the other’s culture and language. The fact that they can not understand each other can be looked upon as the main conflict. However, by what is told, it seems like if the American should know more about Indian culture, than what the old man should know about the western ways. This is because the American is a wealthy person, probably a businessman, from New York, who has had a lifelong dream of visiting and seeing India. Somebody like this should probably had more cultural knowledge that what is shown. Along with this, he shows lack of respect when he sees a statue he finds to his liking, and wants it in his possession at once. He thinks he can just purchase it from the old man, without considering what the statue means for him or the native people. This way, the American is presented as a typical wealthy western person, who is quite materialistic and thinks that money solves all problems. What can be considered as odd, and perhaps just another example of western ignorance, is that the American naturally assumes that because the old man stands beside the statute, he owns it. How to cite Of White Hairs and Cricket, Papers

Strategic Planning Analysis of Westpac Corporation

Question: Discuss about theStrategic Planningfor Analysis of Westpac Corporation. Answer: Introduction The occurrence of economic extremes has negatively impacted the performance of most businesses. The banking sector is one of the major areas that have promoted entrepreneurial activities in the most parts of the globe. For instance, the initiative of offering cheap loans to encourage investors in Australia created a new generation of individuals who were motivated to acquire economic independence. However, despite the sector being the backbone of economic developments in a country, the industry faces a broad range of challenges. For instance, the industry faces fierce competition from other banks and financial institution, then, sometimes, the State formulation of unfavourable regulations regarding the interest rates the institutions are required to charge its customers (Grant, et al. 2011). In overcoming some of the challenges, Westpac Banking Corporation has established various strategies that have relatively given it a competitive edge over the rivals. For instance, the company has aligned its business objectives with customer segments by having customer facing divisions (Grundy, 2006, p.213-239). These segments include consumer banks, which handles sales and consumer customers. The second division is Business Bank, which handles small to medium enterprises, agri-business, and commercial clients. The third category is BT Financial Group Australia section deals in the business of wealth and insurance. The fourth division is Westpac New Zealand which offers a range of financial services to institutions, business and consumer customers in New Zealand. Then, finally, the Westpac Institutional Bank provides some financial services to government, institutions, corporate and commercial customers connecting Australia and New Zealand. This diversification of business portfolio s is instrumental in propelling the company towards success. The complexity in the banking industry imperatively requires companies to establish a clear strategy for them for growth. It is the method Westpac has regularly applied to achieve the status it has now. Contrary to which inefficiencies in the operations will enter the company and a culture of laxity may enter the organization (Nongo, et al. 2012). Ineffective operational strategies symbolize inadequate employees focus and the company will eventually lose direction. Consequently, the organization will lose the competitive edge. Further, understanding the vision, mission, core values and objectives acts as a roadmap for directing the organization towards the right course. In addition, the analysis of the internal and external environment is essential for coming up with a strategy that will help improve the performance of a corporation and guide it towards prosperity (Rothaermel, 2008, p. 201-225). Therefore, the paper has explored the strategic planning for Westpac Banking Corporation. The discussion has analyzed the companys vision, mission and values statements and their appropriateness to the achievement of the primary objectives. In addition, the paper has covered the goals of the bank and its appropriateness. Furthermore, the internal and external environments have been addressed to find out the companys strength and weaknesses to aid in the development of operational strategies that best suits the business (Thompson, et al. 2014). Westpac Corporation and the Industry As earlier noted the bank is among the top four financial institutions in Australia. The thirteen million customers apparently show how pretty well the bank is performing. The extended stay in the industry gives it a good reputation and image and also enhances the build of trust by customers. The justification of the postulation is based on the current performance of the company. If it could be an exploitative company, the number of customer base could be small. Also, the company could not have grown to this level. It is therefore quite clear that Westpac Corporation is a well-established organization, with a strategic focus and gives priority to customers interests (Kitchen, Burgmann, 2015, p.212-216). In Australia, the banking industry is competitive. The competitiveness emanates from the fact that Australia has so many banking and financial institutions. In the event a bank fails to offer best services to its clients, the risk of losing a significant number of the customers to the competitors is so high that may negatively impact on its performance (Hemmatfar, et al. 2010). Besides competition, the industry is faced by economic extremes. The economy of Australia varies with seasonal changes. Since banks performance depends on the steadiness of the economy. Notably, a reduction in the entrepreneurial actions automatically affects the banks. Therefore, the establishment of effective strategies and substantial support by the employees at the implementation guarantees the success of a banking institution or any other company. Vision, Mission and Core Values of Westpac Banking Corporation The vision statement for Westpac Banking Corporation is to emerge as the worlds great financial services provider, helping customers, communities and people to prosper and grow. The mission statement is to be a leading provider of financial services in the Australian and New Zealand Markets. This mission and vision statement is appropriate for the organization in that it enables the company to compete in the banking industry favourably. The system has embedded the company core values in the culture to support the customers. These values encourage teamwork, which ensures working together to deliver the best to the customers and delighting customers where they seek to put a keen eye and moderations so that they can understand their expectations. Another value is courage, where the Westpac team will be bold enough to handle change, not fearing the new way of conducting activities (Ireland, et al. 2008). Finally, they have a value to seek business, team and personal achievement. These values are well suited for Westpac Banking Corporation since they give consideration to all aspects of the organization that is necessary for the growth and again align with the vision and mission of the organization. The compatibilities of the values with organization objectives create efficiency and maintain workers focus on meeting the companys key aims. Objectives of Westpac Banking Corporation Objectives give direction and show the focus and the right way to follow. The objectives should be reviewed every year to ensure that the organization copes with the changing business environment. It helps to balance the risks and returns thus promoting growth. Westpac Banking Corporation has various objectives in line with performance. It looks forward to being the most performing bank in Australia. Also, it is determined to: achieve a management balance between returns, growth, and productivity, to maintain high capital levels to gather for stakeholders requirements, to improve funding types to fund diversity for customers and to maintain asset portfolio. These performance objectives aim at improving the performance and sustainability of the business (Hill, 2008, p. 423-440). Further, the Corporation has objectives in line with the service leadership. These objectives are to: provide the best customer experience regarding products and services offered by the organization, to work on the context-based experiences of the client, to acquire new customers. These objectives are to ensure that the organization gets a good number of clients and that get to be the best experience in the organization. The organization also has targets to consider digital transformation (Daneshvar, et al. 2010). It involves the use of technology to: simplify the operation regarding the services and process, to create a newly digitized bank and to work on the efficiency opportunities from using modern technology. This objective ensures that the company maximizes the latest technology and every chance that comes from it. Westpac Banking Corporation has goals that target the growth of the corporation. The objectives pursue the growth opportunities and focus on the growth of small and medium enterprises in the region of operation. It will ensure that the organization growth is taken into consideration. Lastly, the organization has objectives that focus on customer service and workforce revolution (Chen, et al. 2006). These targets are to focus on customer service, to strengthen the skills of the workforce that serve the customers, to help workforce to be innovative in serving customers. These objectives are suited for the Westpac Banking Corporation since they are well aligned with its visions. These objectives also are in alignment with the mission of the organization which is to be a leading provider of financial services in the Australian and New Zealand Markets. In addition, the objectives are also well aligned with the core values making them appropriate for the corporation. Environmental Analysis of the Westpac Banking Corporation SWOT analysis is an appropriate tool for the analysis of the Corporation external environment. The tool is essential in evaluating the business situation. By a smart look into Westpac Banking Corporation using the approach, one can identify the weakness and threats to its operation (Fleisher, 2003, p.59). It presents a clear opportunity to do what is necessary to the business in handling operational challenges to improve the service. Therefore, it is important for any Westpac Banking Corporation to analyze the business environment to realize an efficient way for success in the industry (Belch, 2014, p.31-34). To start with the strengths, it looks into factors that favour Westpac Banking Corporation over other competitors (Rugman, et al. 2008). Regarding this aspect, Westpac Banking Corporation is comparatively better than the closer rivals in the industry. The company applies unique input resources that enables it survive the stiff competition from banks like Commonwealth Banks, National Australian Bank, and more. Among the companies, strengths include: provision of flexible banking services, a large pool of employees, a socially responsible bank, and leading regarding ATMS in the entire Australia. On the other side, Westpac Banking Corporation also faces various types of weakness. On the edge of the weaknesses, the company faces stiff competition in from rivals in retail banking. Also, it still has a smaller number of branches with the country. These shortcomings have reduced the pace of the companys growth. The company has some opportunities that come by. Opportunities are much related to external factors that favour the performance of the business enterprise. It involves knowing the lucrative opportunities that can be sported. Some of the opportunities the company enjoys include the acquisition of a license to open branches to other businesses, high technological focus and innovation, and ability in setting up operations in developing economies (Sonia, 2012, p. 410-420). Lastly but not least, the threats facing the company includes worsening Australian economy, unfavourable regulatory changes by the state. Westpac Banking Corporation Strategy and its Importance The strategy of Westpac Banking Corporation is in alignment with the vision by seeking to provide more returns to the shareholders, creating a healthy relationship with the customers, creating a healthy working environment and to be leading and exemplary in the region. In the strategic plan, Westpac Banking Corporation should focus to offer some financial products and services to the core market which is New Zealand, Australia, and the surrounding areas (Bigler, 2013, p. 95-115). The growing number of customers should be given attention to ensure their satisfaction regarding range of service and products and their satisfaction. This will greatly help Westpac Banking Corporation to build a healthy and stronger customer relationship thus success. To achieve a range of products, the Westpac Banking Corporation should provide varieties financial services thus providing a greater variety that will attract and satisfy increasing number of customers. The diversification will help the company reach and meet the needs of individual customers. This strategy should seek to get a big number of clients and ensure that each customer can have more than one product. Consequently, this plan will enhance business continuity hence more profit to the corporation. Challenges are expected on the way when building the business to a high level. It is because as the firm grows, the environment becomes more complex becoming hard to handle. In this case, the strategy should seek to straighten the financial position and improve the business efficiency. The management should ensure that services offered are of high quality and satisfies the customers needs and at the reduced costs (Armstrong, 2006, p. 256-260). Further, the strategic plan should cover and anticipate change and emerging issues. It is crucial to expect cultural and demographic change and the effects they will have to the customers and the workplace. Therefore economic solutions should be created to the possible environmental challenges. This plan will sustain the vision of Westpac Banking Corporation in the case of the changing business environment. Finally, a strategic plan is strongly critical to Westpac Banking Corporation because it is the way to achieve the vision of the organization. A well-executed strategy will assure more revenue to customers of Westpac Banking Corporation. It will also help deliver quality services and products to the customers. The best way to achieve execution of this strategic plan is to embed it in business culture, values and business processes. The revenue will result from the determination of the employees towards achieving a common purpose. The growth objective usually surfaces in the form of profit and command of the large market (Macky, 2000, p. 123-130). Conclusion To sum up, Westpac Banking Corporation can thrive well than it performs today if the proposed strategic plans are incorporated into the existing ones. After an analysis of the appropriateness of the organizations vision, mission, core values of the organization, the right course to take becomes clear. Appropriate objectives will give direction and help the organization to move towards its set goals. In addition to this, an analysis of the external and internal business environment will help Westpac Banking Corporation to find opportunities and realize its strengths, point out weaknesses, and the potential threats to the organization. After understanding all this, Westpac Banking Corporation will take the right strategy which is appropriate to the organization. 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