Our Five Senses

Unit 2: Teamwork Assignment, Team A Romy Brannen, Amy Eoff-Stanley, Kourtney Trehern, Amanda Basher, Nathan Palmer, Debra Lee General Psychology – 2027 May 15, 2010 Our Five Senses, Vision, Smell, Hearing, Taste, and Touch The following paper is an explanation of our five senses. How they work and why do we have them. Would a person be able to function if one or more senses were lost? All these questions are answered in following document. Our entire sensory system consists of numerous amounts of different sensors.The main senses are vision, smell, hearing, taste, and touch. Those senses are important. They play a role in our everyday life. Losing one of these senses could be crucial. Let us start with vision. There are many different parts to the eye. The cornea is the window, which has a curve to it. This feature makes it possible to bend light and helps you see more clearly. The pupil works in two different ways. When increased the range of the pupil focuses on the distance s of the objects. As to when decreased it is harder to focus on the objects.Once the object passes the pupil it enters the lens, which can properly focus on the rear of the eye. Adaption allows the lens to change the thickness by flattening objects at a distance, or becoming rounded for closer objects. The eye’s retina then sends the image to the brain. The retina has a thin layer of nerves in the back of the eyeball. They consist of two light sensitive cells known as the rods and cones. Rods are cylinder shaped cells that are highly sensitive to light. Cones are well cone shaped and they are for sharp focus and color.The cones concentrate on the fovea, which allows us to focus on a certain object clearly. Rods and cones have to adaptations, dark and light. Darkness adaptation is leaving a well-lit room and entering a dim room. Light adaptation is the opposite. When stimulated, the eye triggers a neural response that is the transmitted to the other cells in the retina, called the bipolar cells and the ganglion cells. Bipolar cells get information from the rods and cones and send the information to the ganglion cells, which collect the information, which then is the sent to the brain by the optic nerve.The optic nerve splits behind the eye, where the right side of both retinas goes to the right side of the brain and the left side of retinas goes to the left side of the brain. This turns the image right side up. | Smell is another one of our five senses. We can detect a variety of more than 10,000 smells. With our sense of smell, we are able to detect different emotions as well. We release a certain chemical called pheromones. Once airborne, we cannot smell pheromones, yet our brain will detect them as a hidden form of communication.This explains attraction between people. We receive smell by molecules entering the nasal passage where they meet with the receptor neurons of the nose. Each receptor neuron detects a certain type of smell, then travel to the brain. Our brain then combines all different odors into one particular smell. Next, the sense of taste detects 4 main tastes; sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. The brain combines the four tastes then processes into one taste recognizable taste. About once every 10 days, our taste buds are replaced. Because if our taste buds weren't constantly reproducing, we'd lose the ability to taste after we'd accidentally burned our tongues. † (Feldman, â€Å"Understanding Psychology†, 2008, p. 110). The following describes our skin. This has four additional senses. All of which are very important as well. The skin has receptors that respond to touch, pressure, and temperature. The sense of touch gives us information from our surroundings. A network of nerve endings and touch receptors controls it. One of the main receptors is mechanoreceptors that allow our bodies to feel pressure, vibrations, and textures.Next is thermo receptors, it helps us to feel when something is hot or cold. N ext are pain receptors, they detect pain. And last is proprioceptors, they help us to dress and feed ourselves. If one of those senses would be lost, for instance our sense of pain, we would not be able to feel if we got hurt, like burning our hand on a stove or even break a bone. With our sense of touch, we are able to feel when something is wrong and when something is okay. (Sense of touch: 2010, www. hometrainingtools. com/article). One of our major senses is sound erception, the sense of hearing. We sense sound with our ears. Vibrations detected in the ear change to electrical signals, and then transmitted by nerves to the brain. There, those signals are processed and recorded. Characteristics of sound include pitch and loudness. You may be wondering how the ear works. The way the ear works is as follows; sound waves vibrate the eardrum, just inside your ear. That sends waves through a fluid inside a narrow tube called the cochlea. That in turn vibrates tiny hairs which are tune d to the different pitches of the sound.Information from the vibration of the hairs stimulates nerves that send the signals to the brain for processing. (Feldman, 2008, â€Å"Understanding Psychology†, pp 105-106). The sound you hear has both pitch and loudness. The pitch or tone of a sound wave is determined by its frequency, which is the wavelength divided by the speed of sound. The sound you hear consists of different frequencies or wavelengths, which determine their pitch. The amplitude of a sound wave determines its loudness. There is minimum amplitude required for you to hear a sound.Sounds that are too loud can be very painful to us, or even damage the ear and cause loss of hearing. However, the ear has another function, which is balance. Two main structures make it possible for us to move without falling over. Semicircular canals are three tubes like structures of the inner ear containing fluid. When we move, the fluid moves inside those tubes as well. Therefore, our brain is able to recognize rotation or angular movement. Otoliths are crystals that move within the semicircular canals, which make it possible for our brain to sense body acceleration. Through vision, smell, hearing, touch, and taste, we can see they all work together. For example, a trip to the beach would stimulate our senses for a pleasurable day. Through our sense of vision we see the beauty of the beach. Hearing allows us to experience the sounds of the ocean and waves braking. We can smell and taste the food of the venders on the boardwalk. As well as feeling the sand on our feet when walking to the water. Conclusively we can see that each sense enhances the others.

My Christian Way of Life Essay

I would not start this personal essay by saying that I am a devout Christian and that I love helping people or something to that effect. I am a Christian; however, I am not the devout type. I do not regularly attend church gatherings. I do not really engage in community services or avoid vices. My moral beliefs were first cultivated by my parents’ teaching. They are devout Catholic, so it is reasonable to conclude that Jesus Christ is the most influential philosopher in my life. It is because of Him that I am able to walk through life confidently and accept different challenges. I am against violence and vengeance because He has taught us to forgive. Nevertheless, I still have my own spiritual doubts and questions about life and about being a Christian. I also consider myself as a victim of popular culture who has the tendency to get easily influenced by unreasonable circumstances. I am skeptical most of the time which is why I am convinced that Pepperdine is the most fitting university which can cater my needs for spiritual development. The fact that George Pepperdine did not mean for any of the university’s students to become full-pledged or devout Christians is what attracts me most in the university’s mission. It interest me not because I do not want to become strictly dictated by Christian values but because in this critical point of my life, I believe that I need all the freedom to make my own choices so I can later ponder about them and reflect on my own life. At a young age, a person must be allowed to discover his or her own spirituality by his or her own means. This way, this person can become more experienced and driven to arrive to what he or she believes is the truth about one’s spiritual being. If one would analyze one’s surroundings closely, it is evident that we live in a material world. Everything that our eyes conceive is physically material. On the contrary, I believe that there is much more in this world than earthly things. The world is a puzzle that we need to piece together—a problem that we need to solve. However, it is a problem unsolvable—a problem too complex and beyond comprehension. Yet, we can only see the world as such if we close our eyes from superficiality and open them to greater extents. Simply put, the world is merely an illusion that we have created to fulfill our sight—and the only way to avoid being fully blinded by it is to develop our own spirituality. A person who aspires to accomplish a developed spiritual being must learn how to act in his or her own accord. Religion can be quite pressuring at times, which can even cause a person to lose his way. However, if one is given enough leeway to discover everything on his or her own, this person becomes more responsible in choosing the right path without any feeling of rebellion or being forced. I am confident that through the guidance of a university which values Christianity, I can become more disciplined and responsible in discovering the spiritual aspect of my life. I do not usually attend Sunday church but I honestly have my so-called personal relationship with God. I am more comfortable in talking to Him like a confidant who is always ready and available to listen than repeating prayers everyday. George Pepperdine is right. Maybe I am not fully aware yet of what is the real Christian way of life. Maybe â€Å"personal relationship† with God is not enough to be called a true Christian. Maybe it includes so much more than just a relationship. I guess I am not that confident yet about my own spirituality which is more than just a reason enough for me to become accepted in this university.

The Wrong Side of Attraction

â€Å"Love Can Be Deceiving†, most people would say, but Tommy Shooter did not believe so. A General in the United States Marines in his mid-30’s, Tommy was muscular, quick-tempered, highly trained sniper. One day Tommy led his troops to Afghanistan in search of terrorists when they were ambushed. Tommy was shot in the leg during this and, the medics quickly carried him and his other injured soldiers to the chopper where they were air lifted to the military hospital in Paris, France. Upon arriving at the hospital, the doctors took Tommy to a room for emergency surgery. Dr. Scholl’s Ph. D. , calls for his top nurse to come and assist him. Walking into the room with her candy stripe nurses uniform, was a mid-20s Italian brunette woman with hazel green eyes and a smile to brighten any man’s day. Smitten with love at first sight, Tommy tried repeatedly to gain Blair’s attention. Blair growing up in a wealthy family was very independent and did not want to have to live on her family’s fortune. Blair wanted to work and make her own money. Her dream was to become a Certified Nurse in a big city. She found her dream job in Paris miles away from her family back in Italy. Blair saw Tommy as a cocky general, who always tried to sweet talk her. Every morning when Blair entered his room, the first thing she dreaded to hear from Tommy was â€Å"Hello Nurse†!!!!!! Tommy wore the biggest smile after yelling this to her. After a while, she began to enjoy hearing him say that to her. â€Å"At least I know he has great taste†, Blair would always say. Tommy was held in the hospital for a month before being released, but every morning he would come to Blair with his â€Å"Hello Nurse† and twelve dozen roses, before leaving he always told Blair that she would be his wife. Blair found his persistence very attractive, so she decided to give him a chance; they were married under the Eiffel Tower, and they settled in and off base fancy townhouse flat near every tourist attraction and venue in the heart of Paris, France. They love their new home, marriage, and romantic Paris atmosphere. One day Blair opens her mailbox to find a â€Å"FREE Two Person Admission† to The Number One Magic Show in Paris, France. The night of June Fourteenth two-thousand seven, Tommy received a call that would change everything for Blair and him. He was to be deployed back to Afghanistan. Tommy was not surprised, but he did not know how to tell Blair, since it was the night before their one year anniversary. Upon departure, Tommy says to Blair that he is in love with her and that he would love for her to enjoy herself at the show even though he will not be there, but he will come back home to her soon. After Tommy’s departure, Blair decides to pick up her tears and to enjoy the Paris scenery. Leaving her townhouse flat, Blair sits to an outside restaurant and helps herself to a meal. As the night falls, Blair decides to attend the magic show. â€Å"I will write Tommy as soon as I get home to tell him about my day†. Blair says sipping her martini. â€Å"Hello my name is Johnny Chan and this is my friend Natasha McBain. There before her stood a good-looking low-musculared Asian man. â€Å"Hi my name is Blair Shooter, I am a LPN at the Paris Military Hospital, what about you guys†, Blair says with a smile. â€Å"I have recently opened a Computer Technician’s Store and if you need your computer or laptop fixed, don’t hesitate to let me know. FREE of Charge first visit,† Johnny says sipping his beer. â€Å"Hello my name is Natasha McBain she wore dark-blonde hair as if painted by an artist, curvaceous , and in her early thirties. I’m a supermodel in every top magazine, and it’s so nice to meet you. † Blair did not really like Natasha but enjoyed her and Johnny’s company. Suddenly, the lights dims, â€Å"Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen, my name is Michael Dunn and I am your magician for tonight prepare to be amazed!!!! † Blair was very amazed not at the show, but with her love of magic and mystery Blair saw most of the tricks. The disappearing act, cutting the box in half, and the pulling the rabbit out of the hat trick, but Blair’s attention was on Michael himself. This white debonair magician, â€Å"Looks like he’s in his mid-twenties†, Blair says to herself. â€Å"And for my last trick ladies and gentlemen, I will need one volunteer, How about you miss†, Michael says smiling at Blair. â€Å"Why not, I love magic† Blair says. â€Å"Great I am going to hypnotize you with your consent or course†, Michael says. â€Å"Of course,† Blair says before falling asleep. The crowd clasp and Blair becomes awakened, blinded by the spotlight Blair smiles confusingly and sits back in her seat. She’s was puzzled without any recollection of the trick or anything. After the show, Blair could only think of Michael, he approached her before she went out of the theatre. â€Å"I know you feel this connection between us†, Blair looked into Michael’s eyes. â€Å"Yes† she says. That night, Blair slepted in Michael’s arms, as if she was with her true love. â€Å" Be Careful Who You Fall For† â€Å"It has been two years, and I am ready to see my wife. PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) will not hold me down, my wife’s love can heal me†, Tommy says to himself. Departing the plane he notices that Blair is not there to greet him, puzzled he catches a cab to his townhouse flat. â€Å"Honey, I’m here!!! Tommy yells to find her not there. â€Å"I wonder where she could be Tommy thought to himself. Two months pass and Blair finally enters their townhouse flat. â€Å"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!!!? † Tommy yells. Nonchalantly Blair says â€Å"Oh with friends, and when did you get here umm Tommy, yeah that’s right, as if forgetting his name. â€Å"Friends for two months!!! Tommy snarled â€Å"Yes† Blair smiled. â€Å"I am not going to argue with you umm Tommy I’m going out we will talk later† Blair says slamming the door behind her. Suspicious Tommy follows his wife to a Magic Theatre, walking closer Tommy hears his wife involved with another man. Love can be deceiving,†Tommy says leaving the theatre he gets into his car and grabs his pistol thinking to himself. â€Å"I am confused, broken-hearted and in rage†¦I will kill him, and her† â€Å"NO!!.. † â€Å"I need a drink†, Tommy says getting back into his car he drives to the bar near his home. At the bar, drowning in liquior, Tommy is approached by this gorgeous, dark blonde-haired, blue eyes, curvaceous woman. â€Å"Hi do you need a friend my name is Natasha McBain, I noticed that you seem in need of someone to talk to as well as I do†. â€Å"That’s fine†, Michael says gathering his attention back to his drink. Tommy and Natasha confide in one another over the night, Natasha tells Tommy of her on again off again friend/lover Johnny Chan, and Tommy confides to Natasha by telling her of his wife’s betrayal, his marriage, and uncertain future. â€Å"I will fight for my marriage!! †, Tommy says in a drunken bluster. As the time passes they comforted each other physically and emotionally, and the next morning Natasha was gone. Without any sign from Blair, Tommy grabs his rifle and sets out to her lovers place. Seven o’ clock that morning, Tommy wakes to hear Blair’s laughter. Posted above the roof-top across the street from Blair and her lovers place, Tommy quickly wiped his eyes and perched himself across the ledge with his rifle assembled and aimed. As Tommy looks in the scope to pull the trigger on Michael, Blair jumps into the shot hugging and kissing Michael. Tommy heart drops â€Å"this was a waste of my time, maybe I should just let her be with him†, Tommy says packing up his gun. â€Å"NONSENSE† a voice in the shadows says. â€Å"Who is that? Who is there†, Tommy says frightened. â€Å"Pardon me sir, I would love to offer you a deal in your dilemma,† says the stranger. That man you tried killing. I can give you all of the power you can ever imagine, all you have to do is succeed in eliminating him. He’s cheating with your wife and that’s not right, I will give you a more powerful life.. a better life†¦his life†, says the stranger . â€Å" Who are you and how do you know what I am going through? † Tommy yells. â€Å"My apologies†, the stranger says, my name is Steven Clay appearing from the shadows there stood a very big intimidating, white male with long straight black hair, and piercing wicked green eyes, which made Tommy’s hair stand on the back of his neck and he begin to sweat. That man you tried to kill, his name is Michael Dunn, he is an imposter, he is not a true sorcerer†, says Steven. That night at his little Magic Show, he hypnotized your wife and she fell in love with him. † â€Å"I will not allow him to trick anyone into falling in love with them, that is against the rules and he knows that. † â€Å"A master of the arts, my mentor, and my teacher,† says Steven, BUT when it comes to women he is a fool always that is when a true sorcerer is truly weak and vulnerable,† Steven says smiling at Tommy. What do you want me to do? † Tommy says looking at Steven. â€Å"The deal is for you to come her again in the morning and shoot him again I will give you a special bullet. When Michael Dunn is dead I will know, then and ONLY then will I make you immortal. † â€Å"BUT if you FAIL AGAIN. I will take your life, body, and soul, you see I am a shape shifter, and a soul reaper ALWAYS looking for damned souls, your life will become my and a part of me for all eternity,† â€Å"SO DO YOU AGREE? † Steven says whose eyes were turning red. Yes I agree â€Å" replies Tommy, â€Å"Great, I will know when the job is done†, Steven says before vanishing. It is 2:00 a. m. , fueled with drunken rage, Tommy has not been sleep, â€Å"I can’t sleep, today is the day that Blair’s lover dies,† Tommy says. With his bottle of Jack Daniels in hand and his rifle in his car, Tommy drives to the Magic Theatre, and falls asleep on the roof-top across the street from his wife and her lovers place. It is now 7:00 a. m. , Tom my wakes to hear Blair’s laughter, he then again props himself along the ledge with his rifle assembled and aimed. Tommy sets his scope and waits for Blair to leave, â€Å"See you later Amore†, Blair says â€Å"Okay† says Michael with a look of disgust as he walks back into the Magic Theatre. Ready to aim, Tommy fires his rifle and the bullet shoots out the barrel like lighting, â€Å"BOW†. Michael turns and blocks the bullet with his supernatural powers, when he sees’ Tommy on the roof-top across the street from his building. Michael throws the bullet back toward Tommy knocking his rifle off of the ledge and onto the sidewalk. â€Å"Fool† Michael says as he walks back into the Magic Theatre. Failing miserably, Tommy rushes home to gather his things to escapes Steven’s raft. Barreling into his townhouse flat, Tommy begins packing his things to go back to the United States. â€Å"I have to get away from the liers, cheaters, and most importantly I must keep my soul,† Tommy says laughing nervously. Suddenly Steven appears in a puff of black smoke, â€Å"YOU HAVE FAILED, I WILL SUCCEED WITHOUT YOU!!! † Without a word Steven steals Tommy’s soul, and has the power to now shape shift into Tommy and back to himself. Steven now pleased with enough power to conquer Michael, along with Tommy’s body. The next morning, Steven walks up to Michael and grabs his chest looking into Michael’s eyes, Steven says â€Å"You will NEVER Be ME† showing his true face. â€Å"STEVEN!!! † Michael says before falling dead. Gaining all of Michaels power and stealing his soul, Steven decides to continue roaming the Earth for eternity searching for new souls to take. Meanwhile, Blair reading the morning paper, see’s that her lover Michael has died, she immediately breaks down and goes mentally, physically, and emotionally insane. Her wealthy family finds her homeless in downtown Paris. We have searched all over for you†, Blair’s mother says as tears roll down her cheeks, â€Å"our daughter has become delusional,† Blair’s father says. â€Å"She’s has all these crazy fantasies of magic spells, of disappearing shape shifting men. † â€Å"And all she keeps repeating and the end of all of this nonsense is PIERCING WICKED GREEN EYES, PIE RCING WICKED GREEN EYES, PIERCING WICKED GREEN EYES†, before fainting Blair’s father adds. â€Å"We will just have to admit her, she has gone insane my daughter always believed in that magic nonsense† as he walks away. Blair’s mother kisses her good-bye and they transport her to The Paris Asylum, for the Mentally Insane. It is now Sunday morning, and Natasha McBain wakes up with hope of true love in her eyes. As she begins her day, she walks out of her penthouse suit onto the sidewalk and she says to herself, â€Å" Today will be the day that I will FINALLY tell Johnny Chan how I truly feel,† says Natasha sipping her coffee. â€Å"This time without magic or tricks,† her eyes changing from blue to red as she puts on her shades.

Operational Management Discussion Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Operational Management Discussion - Assignment Example Scheduling has also been enhanced through the functions of various programmable information systems. What is more, there has been the creation of the new concept of user-based scheduling whereby it is possible to make scheduling arrangements that fits the needs of different customers. Before, it was common that service users would be piled up in waiting for their turns to receive service. This has however become a thing of the past. With the current healthcare dynamic, there has also been an all-new and important concept about location, commonly referred to as virtual location. Virtual location refers to a situation whereby service users are able to receive services and care without the service provider being there in person. This has been done on the wings of the technology of multimedia communication such as video calling. Without an iota of doubt, the current healthcare dynamic has been a positive development that has helped service providers within the various stakeholder bases t o be more effective and efficient. However, such effectiveness and efficiency will not happen to anybody but only to those who put their houses in place to embrace the changes (Meredith and Shafer,

Scriabin write about his aesthetic and style for vers la flamme and Term Paper

Scriabin write about his aesthetic and style for vers la flamme and poem of fire - Term Paper Example Although he had small hands, Scriabin became a recognized pianist; he was so fascinated with piano and even ended up damaging his hands at one point because of practicing pieces, which were meant for greater hand spans than his. Scriabin was interested in both Nietzsche's ubermensch theory and theosophy and this played a great part not only in his musical thoughts but also in his music. He also gained interest in Delville's Theosophist movement when he lived in Brussels between 1909 and 1910. Scriabin is believed to be â€Å"the one great pioneer of the new music of a reborn Western civilization, the father of the future musician," (Garzia 277). Alexander Scriabin wrote his poem, Vers la flame (piece 71), towards the end of his life. The piece has very simple melody mainly made up of descending half steps. However an intense, fiery luminance is achieved by the use of remarkable harmonies and complex tremolos. For this reason the piece is considered a poem and not a sonata (Tatarkiew icz 13). Although the piece was meant to be Scriabin’s eleventh sonata, he was forced to publish it much earlier due to financial reasons. Impression when Performed with Accompaniments Scriabin’s compositions in "Vers La Flamme", like his other works, tend to be very unique owing to the artist’s special attention to accompaniments and instruments in the course of his composition. Many of the occasions, symphonists often reflect special emphasis and attention on the symphonic bit of the music as compared to the instrument, in order that it is not dominated by the instrument. On the other hand, Scriabin’s â€Å"Vers La Flamme" and "Poem of Fire† are largely influenced by the composer’s fascination with piano, reflecting more of his piano thinking and still leave a good sense of balance between the instrument and the symphony. According to Leonid Sabaneev (32), Scriabin had designed the symphonies such that they turned out to be so clear and im pressive when performed on the piano. He states: â€Å"The impression was unforgettable, and it sounded much better than with an orchestra."(Sabaneev 32). Thus, these symphonies have been described as having been written and best meant for a piano solo by Scriabin when he was doing the composition (Bowers 335). According to Vladimir Horowitz, a prominent pianist, Vers la flame was inspired by Scriabin’s unconventional belief that the world would be destroyed by accumulation of heat. The title itself, coupled with the emotional upsurge throughout the poem points to the sizzling destruction of the earth. As already pointed out, Scriabin was interested in both Nietzsche's ubermensch theory and theosophy and this played a great part not only in his musical thoughts but also in his music. Vers la flame therefore expresses and reflects Scriabin’s intensifying and deep philosophical convictions, particularly as at the time that the symphony was being composed. Macdonald thus comments that â€Å"†¦ he (Scriabin) later saw every composition as the expression of his mental world and attached much importance to the meaning, whether mystical, philosophical, or fantastic, of each piece† (33). The incorporation of philosophical aspects, intense, fiery luminance achieved by the use of remarkable harmonies and complex tremolos in the poem lends it a high degree of aesthetic appeal and makes the

The Enlightment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

The Enlightment - Essay Example The current research looks at ideals of nature and human potential, absolutism and forms of government, as they are related to Enlightenment models, which were a challenge to the Old Regime. Later ideal government structures of the Enlightenment were more about the people than the divine monarch. â€Å"Supposed innate qualities, such as goodness or original sin, had no reality. In a darker vein, Thomas Hobbes portrayed man as moved solely by considerations of his own pleasure and pain.† (Enlightenment, 2008). There were light and dark sides to this decrease in absolutism. The Enlightenment represented a shift in the form of nature from being totally based on the idea of absolutism of divinity to a paradigm shift from the Old Regime. What many Enlightenment thinkers did was to refine the whole concept of nature-as-absolute, and change it in a way that represented less absolutism. A paradigm shift occurs when the accepted notions about a given subject or theory (absolutism in this case) become disfavored, in the favor of a new way of doing things or a new notion of the way in which things are done. This creates tension as supporters of the old paradigm are often polemical against the new paradigm during the process of change or paradigm shift. In terms of humanity’s successful attempts to control nature, and both of these things are seen as being positive by the various Enlightenment philosophies. The Enlightenment seems to also reserve a lot of praise for those things which are not found in nature, but rather which represent culture and art. Th is is a reflection of what the Old Regime may have been experiencing in terms of an agenda to install Enlightenment ideals of science, rationality and reason being paramount in terms of their opposition to nature and emotion which may be more spontaneous. The idea of the fall of absolutes shows in Enlightenment ideals in many ways, particularly in the appreciation of reason over emotion and the attention to

Ethical Issues in Medical Practices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Ethical Issues in Medical Practices - Essay Example Many a time in courtrooms there have been incidents when lawyers or rivals have been able to search thorough a persons medical records and have been able to turn the case on its head because they have been able to find out some medical condition that the opponent had or for which they are under treatment and hence there have been hindrances in providing justice. The revelation of such information might also be a source of shame for the concerned person because he might not want a certain medical condition to be revealed to the world, for instance the patients of aids have been shunned by the society and this leads to the destruction of self image and self concept and the concerned person can only lead a hermit like life from that point onwards. What if a person, who does not have a contagious disease, wants to live a normal life and function as he did before having the disease His whole life would be disrupted due to a disclosure of a medical condition and who is to blame for that Th ough there are many federal rules and regulations for such instances but there were still loop holes in the system that had to identified and secured and this had to be done in a very comprehensive manner so that security should be provided to every person and the implementation of such a system would not create more hindrances in the health care system. In these conditions the HIPAA (Health Insurance and Portability and Accountability Act) developed a comprehensive plan and covered all aspects of the disclosure of health care information, the suggestions and the rules and regulations stated by the HIPAA have been implemented and hence we can conclude that the security of health care information is a fundamental right that every one is entitled and that should exactly be the case. Rules and Regulations of the HIPAA: There are certain rules and regulations that the HIPAA needs all health care service providers to follow and the paper is based on analyzing these rules and regulations. a) General Provision: The privacy rules allows certain incidental and uses and disclosure but it needs that the reasonable safeguard and minimum necessary standard has been met with where ever it is applicable (Reference: http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/guidelines/incidentalud.pdf) this is in place to ensure the working of the health care system in an efficient manner so that people do not feel hesitant when they need to use the health care services and it should not also be a burden on health care professionals therefore it is permitted under the rules and regulations of the HIPAA that a physician can disclose the medical conditions to a surgeon at another hospital because that needs to be done but even when this is being done the reasonable safeguard and minimum necessary standard rule has to be complied with. b) Reasonable Safe Guards: An entity must have all the proper checks in place for the security of the information regarding health care of patients, this should be done on the technical front, administrative front and also physical safeguards should be made. Incidental disclosure of information is reduced to the bare minimal when these safeguards are in place and most health care insurances have applied the following in their organizational culture to reduce the risks of incidental closures: 1) Speaking quietly when discussing a patient's

IP1 ECON Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

IP1 ECON - Essay Example The price could fall as the A-phone is trying to clear the stock of the current models while developing new models to compete with the promegranate. The curve is likely to move to the left due to a fall in demand. If there is an increase of the price of A-phone due to a flaw found in the promegranate, demand is likely to fall if there are other competitors, but if there is little or no competition, the demand is going to rise (Bernanke and Abel, 2000). The movement is going to move according to the change in demand. If there is a new type of walkie-talkie that has unlimited range, and is basically free, demand for the A-phone is likely to fall. The rate in the fall in demand will depend on how many unique features the A-phone has. There is large number of people interested in the unique features such as cameras, and mp3 players. The price must fall in order to attract buyers even when the walkie-talkie is free, therefore, the curve will shift to the left due to the fall in demand. If it is discovered that there are health concerns when using cell phones, there is will be a drastic fall in the demand and price, since few people w ill be willing to use the phone. In this case, the curve is likely to move to the left due to the fall in demand. If there is a baby boom, there will be an increase in customers and therefore demand is likely to increase, and the price is also going to increase. In this case, the curve is going to shift to the right. If the price of the A-Phone and the Pomegranate both go up, demand is likely to remain the same, however, if the other brands in the market do not raise their prices, the demand may fall. The graph is likely to remain the same if the demand remains the same. If the market price of cell phones goes up, the demand will go down. The supply will outweigh the demand. Therefore there will be excessive supply in the market. If it becomes more expensive to

World Culture Music - Dangdut (Music of Indonesia) Research Paper

World Culture Music - Dangdut (Music of Indonesia) - Research Paper Example Some forms of music are common and recognized everywhere in the world. Examples are music from The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Luciano Pavarotti and, more currently, PSY, Justin Beiber or Beyonce. On the other hand, there are some types of music which are associated with a certain country. Dangdut, for instance, is specifically Indonesian. The term dangdut, pronounced as ‘dang – doot’, comes from how the Javanese people in Indonesia called the sound coming from the tabla drum. The drums come in pairs, one big and one small, and varying pitch. The smaller drum can be set to a specific tone range while the big one has a bass tone. (Courtney) Dangdut is only one of the many genres one can find in Indonesian music. In colonial times, people in the country employed Indonesian, Arabian and Dutch musical instruments to create a unique blend of beat. During those times, Indonesian music, especially the instruments used, was influenced by its visitors from other countries. E ventually, the native sounds combined with Malay modern music and Malay orchestras started to be popular. Melayu music or the music from Malay orchestras was a mixture of Indonesian, Middle Eastern, Indian and Western music. (1 Gorlinski) Melayu music employed a variety of instruments dependent on the group playing. The most commonly used were the flutes, tambourine-style frame drums (tabla), violins and assorted plucked lutes. Later on, artists incorporated music from Indian films, Bollywood specifically, adding a touch of modernism to the beat. Instruments such as electric guitars, electric organs, trumpets, saxophones, oboes and percussions were added. The combined sounds of the various musical influences created a beat that became recognized as Indonesian. Melayu music was for the lower class, played while slaves entertained their masters. (Arsip) It had coarse lyrics and sexually suggestive dancing. It was eventually adapted to appeal to the middle and upper class by Rhoma Iram a. He made the lyrics â€Å"safe† for the society. (Walsh) In the late 1960’s the band OM Soneta and its singer Rhoma Irama started playing around with melayu music. Irama wanted a new and distinct sound. He added a touch of Western rock music to the existing euphony of melayu music and called it dangdut to break away from the traditional melayu sound. (Gorlonski) Singing with Elvy Sukaesih in his band, Irama made dangdut very popular because of its throbbing beat and lyrics. His song Terajana is one of the most-renowned dangdut song that introduced the name ‘dangdut’ in Indonesia’s music scene. A. Rafiq, another dangdut artist, made the people love the new genre in the 1970’s. A. Rafiq was Indonesia’s own Elvis Presley, complete with the hip-gyrating movements. These three artists started the dangdut pop culture. In converting the traditional dangdut sound into a more contemporary music, Irama added electric guitars, synthesizers, dru ms, a flute or a mandolin. The Indian tabla was a main stay instrument, providing any song with that distinct Indonesian sound. Although dangdut was a welcome addition to the diverse music of Indonesia, it has presented a moral issue for the predominantly Muslim society because of its suggestive lyrics and dance moves. Already, several songs have been banned from being played because of its vulgar lyrics. (Vaswani) One singer in particular has been the object of the criticism from conservative dangdut artists and supporters. The musician, the group says, has taken dangdut to a level that is erotic and corruptive the youth. (Vaswani) Her song Jupe Paling Suka 69 translated in English reads Jupe Likes 69 Best. The song contains â€Å"lustful sighs and†¦lyrics which portray intimate relations and the singer’

Perceptions of Childhood Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Perceptions of Childhood - Essay Example The unique criteria of modern early years education gives the impression of being built powerfully on insights and practices honed from the legacy of the Montessori system. Toward the end of the 19th century Maria Montessori built on the work of Jean-Marc Gaspard Itard and Edouard Seguine to develop just such an individualized child-centered approach to education (Kramer, R. 1988:60). Maria created a program for young children in the slums of Rome which became known as the Montessori Method. The incisive outlook that Dr. Montessori brought to early childhood education was her conviction that the education of each child must start from inside the inimitable little person, and that the child must be left free to learn for itself by selecting and using resources with the least amount of adult intrusion for as long as the child is absorbed in the work at hand (Kramer, R. 1988:113). Montessori transformed the role of the educator from a simple trainer to an engaged and attentive guide of children's independent development through the promotion of autonomous activities appropriate to the requirements of each child in the secure setting of the classroom. The rudiments of the Montessori Method and variations of Montessori resources are employed broadly today in early childhood programs world-wide (Kramer, R. 1988:16). Montessori passed on enduring insight into and deep appreciation for the natural aptitude latent in every small person when cultivated judiciously. Public schooling in the wake of the Industrial Revolution centered on passive models for children's learning: the school as a factory and the child as a blank slate. Children were the raw material to be formed forthwith into productive citizens (Lillard, A.S. 2005:7). In the Italy of Maria Montessori's era the family and its social status was the primary determinant of a child's education and profession. The prospects for a young girl of that era were even more firmly determined by convention. A married woman, as wife and mother, was expected first and foremost to be the underlying nucleus in the Italian family (Gutek, G.L.2004:2). Maria's childhood experience in a local primary school adhered to the established practice of a teacher feeding information to the children through dictation, with the child repeating back material learned by rote memory. Italian primary schools generally included all the subjects, reading, writing, arithmetic, history and geography, in a single book. Generally, the educator required the child to stand at attention and correctly repeat responses tediously committed to memory from the text (Gutek, G.L.2004:3). In spite of Italy's 19th-century gender norms, at the age of thirteen in 1883, Maria Montessori opted to study engineering in a state technical school, though by 1890 she had decided to leave engineering to go into medicine (Kramer, R. 1988:34). Through quite resolute persistence she secured admission to the University of Rome as a student of physics, mathematics, and the natural sciences, and passed her final examination with an outstanding grade of eight out of ten points which made her academically eligible to study to be a

U.S. Car Companies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

U.S. Car Companies - Essay Example The huge demand for the products of this industry in the domestic market of U.S., allowed the companies in the industry to enjoy economies of mass production (scale economies). This helped to speed up the rate of growth of the industry. At the beginning in 1890s, the U.S. auto industry began with approximately 100 automobile companies. These companies used to employ several modern technologies in their product and production processes. Steam engines, internal combustion engines and battery powered engines were the various types of engines found in the cars manufactured by these companies. Since that time, electric cars were available in the nation. The use of steam cars was also famous in the country; however, at times of cold weather, these cars could not be used. Lack of proper road infrastructure hindered this industry from expanding in the initial years. The Federal Aid Road in 1916 and the Federal Aid Highway Act in 1921, helped in allocation of substantial funds in U.S., to build proper roads. In 1896, Henry Ford introduced a new car company named The Ford Motor Company in U.S. Model T was the first model produced and sold by the company and its worth at that time was about $850. The model of the company became very famous in U.S. market and experienced high demand. High demand helped the company to enjoy economies of scale in production. This in turn reduced the cost of production and hence, profit and soon made the organization the largest auto company in the world. The next famous prominent auto company of U.S. that had become famous in the world market was General Motors Corporation (Hirsch 245). The company was founded by William Durant in 1908. The company acquired many small car producing firms, like, Cadillac and soon became a strong competitor of Ford Motor Company in the industry. Chrysler Group LLC was another famous car manufacturing company in

Hickory Dickory Dock by Agatha Christie Essay Example for Free

Hickory Dickory Dock by Agatha Christie Essay Hickory Dickory Dock is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on October 31, 1955[1] and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in November of the same year under the title of Hickory Dickory Death[2][3]. The UK edition retailed at ten shillings and sixpence (10/6)[1] and the US edition at $3.00[3]. It features her Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. The novel is notable for featuring Poirot’s efficient secretary, Miss Felicity Lemon, who had previously only appeared in the Poirot short stories. Plot introduction An outbreak of apparent kleptomania at a student hostel is not normally the sort of crime that arouses Hercule Poirots interest. But when he sees the bizarre list of stolen and vandalized items including a stethoscope, some lightbulbs, some old flannel trousers, a box of chocolates, a slashed rucksack, some boracic powder and a diamond ring later found in a bowl of a soup he congratulates the warden, Mrs Hubbard, on a unique and beautiful problem. It is nevertheless not long before the crime of theft is the least of Poirot’s concerns. Explanation of the novels title The title is taken, as are other of Christie’s titles, from a nursery rhyme: Hickory Dickory Dock. This is nevertheless one of her most tenuous links to the original nursery rhyme, consisting of little more than the name of a road. Plot summary Poirot’s solution of the petty thefts is unsubtle but effective: once he has threatened to call in the police, Celia Austin quickly confesses to the pettier amongst the incidents. She denies specifically: stealing Nigel Chapman’s green ink and using it to deface Elizabeth Johnston’s work; taking the stethoscope, the light bulbs and boracic powder; and cutting up and concealing a rucksack. Celia appears to have committed the lesser thefts in order to attract the attention of Colin McNabb, a psychology student who at first regards her as an interesting case study, and then – almost immediately – becomes engaged to her. Celia makes restitution for the crimes and is seemingly reconciled with her victims, but when she is discovered the following morning dead from an overdose of morphine it does not take the investigators long to see through attempts to make her death seem like suicide. Several of the original incidents have not been solved by Celiaâ€⠄¢s confession. Inspector Sharpe quickly solves the mystery of the stolen stethoscope during his interviews with the inhabitants of the hostel. Nigel Chapman admits to having stolen the stethoscope in order to pose as a doctor and steal the morphine tartrate from the hospital dispensary as part of a bet to acquire three deadly poisons. He claims that these poisons were then carefully disposed of, but cannot be sure that the morphine was not stolen from him while it was in his possession. Poirot turns his attention to the reappearance of the diamond ring, and confronts Valerie Hobhouse, in whose soup the ring was found. It seems that the diamond had been replaced with a zircon and, given the fact that it was difficult for anyone but Valerie to have put the ring into the soup, Poirot accuses her of having stolen the diamond. She admits to having done so, saying that she needed the money to pay off gambling debts. She also admits to having planted in Celia’s mind the entire idea of the thefts. Mrs. Nicoletis has been behaving very nervously, as if she were losing her nerve. One night someone gets her drunk and kills her. Poirot focuses his attention now on the cutting up of the rucksack. By comparing an example of the rucksack type destroyed with others, he identifies an unusual corrugated base, and suggests to the police that the rucksack may have been part of a clever international smuggling operation. The rucksacks were sold to innocent students, and then exchanged as a means of transporting drugs and gems. Mrs. Nicoletis had been bankrolling the organisation, but was not the brain behind it. When the police visited Hickory Road on an unconnected issue, the murderer had cut up the rucksack to avoid its being found and removed light bulbs to avoid being recognised. Patricia Lane comes to Nigel an d admits that, in an effort to keep a dangerous poison safe, she has taken the morphine from the bottle in his drawer and substituted for it bicarbonate of soda. Now, however, the bottle of bicarbonate of soda has been taken from her own drawer. While they are searching for this bottle Patricia mentions that she is intending to write to his father in order to reconcile the two. Nigel tells her that the reason for his estrangement from his father is that he discovered that his father had poisoned his mother. This is why he changed his name and carries two passports. Nigel comes to Inspector Sharpe and tells him about the missing morphine, but while he is there, Patricia telephones to say that she has discovered something further. By the time that Nigel and Sharpe get to the house, Patricia has been killed by a blow to the head. Mr. Akibombo comes to Sharpe and says that he had taken Patricia’s bicarbonate to ease a stomach complaint; when he took a teaspoonful of the bicarbonate, however, he had stomach pains and later discovered that the white powder was in fact the boracic powder. By the time Patricia had substituted the bicarbonate, the morphine had already been substituted by the stolen boracic powder. Poirot, whose suspicions about Valerie Hobhouse’s role in the smuggling operation have been proved correct by a police raid on her beauty shop, now closes the case. The murderer has been the most obvious person, Nigel Chapman, who was known to have the morphine in his possession. He killed Celia because she knew about his dual identity and also knew that Valerie travelled abroad on a false passport. He killed Mrs. Nicoletis because she was sure to give the smuggling operation away under pressure, and killed Patricia because she was likely to draw to his father’s attention the recent events. When Poirot outlines to Nigel’s father’s solicitor the case against Nigel, the solicitor is able to provide final proof. Nigel’s mother had been poisoned, not by his father, but by Nigel himself. When the father discovered this he forced him to write a confession and left it with his solicitor together with a letter explaining that it should be produced were there any evidence of further wrongdoing by his son. Valerie confirms Poirot’s solution further. She has placed the call to the police station, apparently from Patricia, after Nigel had already killed her. The green ink was a double-bluff intended to divert suspicion away from him. Valerie is willing to incriminate Nigel fully because Mrs. Nicoletis was actually her mother. Characters in Hickory Dickory Dock †¢ Hercule Poirot, the Belgian detective †¢ Inspector Sharpe, the investigating officer †¢ Miss Felicity Lemon, Poirot’s secretary †¢ Mrs. Christina Nicoletis, the owner of the student hostel at Hickory Road †¢ Mrs Hubbard, Miss Lemon’s sister and the warden of Hickory Road †¢ George, Poirot’s valet †¢ Celia Austin, chemist in the dispensary at St. Catherine’s Hospital †¢ Colin McNabb, a psychology student †¢ Nigel Chapman, a History student, a resident at Hickory Road †¢ Valerie Hobhouse, a resident at Hickory Road and partner in a beauty shop †¢ Sally Finch, a student resident at Hickory Road †¢ Elizabeth Johnston, a student resident at Hickory Road †¢ Patricia Lane, a student resident at Hickory Road †¢ Genevieve, a student resident at Hickory Road †¢ Leonard Bateson, a student resident at Hickory Road †¢ Mr. Chandra Lal, a student resident at Hickory Road †¢ Mr. Akibombo, a student resident at Hickory Road †¢ Maria, the cook at Hickory Road †¢ Geronimo, Maria’s husband

Competition in the Construction Industry: Laing O’Rourke

Competition in the Construction Industry: Laing O’Rourke Select one construction firm and explain the nature of competition in its specific market sector and discuss how it may be advised to secure contracts for future work. Laing O’Rourke is the United Kingdom’s largest privately owned construction firm; it operates internationally across a variety of different sectors within the construction industry. Formerly known as R. O’Rourke Son until its takeover of Laing Construction in 2001, Laing O’Rourke is one of the leading construction firms in the UK. The firm has a strong standing in sectors including, building, transport, power, water and utilities, mining, oil and gas. (Laing O’Rourke, 2014). This firm operates heavily in the private sector, with investments from large scale hotel operators, for example the Atlantis hotel, The Palm, Dubai; to football stadium developments, such as the recent expansion of the Etihad Stadium in Manchester. (Prior, 2014). Laing O’Rourke also engages in a substantial amount of work in the public sector, (Laing O’Rourke, 2014) however over recent years the borders between the private sector and public sector have been blurred to a point where often only a specification is given by the public sector client and the financing, design, build and maintenance is taken on by the private sector firm (Myers, 2013). This method’s popularity has soared over the last 20 years mainly due to the dwindling amount of capital readily available to the public sector and also to the public sectors keenness to utilise as much of the firm’s specialist expertise and experience. This method of public sector and private sector partnership (Myers, 2013) is known as a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) and is often used for projects such as schools, infrastructure, and hospitals. All types of developments which Laing O’Rourke has recently undertaken. The contracts run for roughly 25 – 30 ye ars (Myers, 2013) and so capitalises on the strengths of both sectors; the specifications and requirements coming from the public sector client, and the development and maintenance aspects being handled by the private sector firm. Because the private sector firm has had to invest its own assets into the PFI project, the public sector client pays an annual charge to the private sector firm or can allow the firm to retain any profits made from the operation (Myers, 2013). This method legally ties the contractor to the project and thus greatly increases the likelihood of the firm delivering a high quality product. As they are responsible for the maintenance and running costs, (Myers, 2013) it is in the firms best interests to create a product which will not require a great deal of additional financial input to maintain. Laing O’Rourke operates across most aspects of what Myers (2013) considers to be the broad definition of the construction industry. This ranges from suppliers of basic materials to the providers of services such as transportation and demolition (Myers, 2013). Laing O’Rourke as a whole are capable of operating across such an expanse of sectors in the construction industry through the use of subsidiary companies. These are firms or departments which Laing O’Rourke has either created within the firm itself or purchased and brought under the Laing O’Rourke umbrella and allows for an entire construction project to be completed using only one large contractor, themselves, instead of having to hire in sub-contractors and other professionals. This has a number of advantages as it means that from day one there can be excellent communication between everyone involved and consistency with aspects such as quality, pricing, budget and time management (Laing O’Rourke, 2014). Most small firms specialise in a certain aspect of construction, such as building or civil engineering (Ive Gruneberg, 2000) but not usually a multitude of aspects. Laing O’Rourke is a major firm which owns different subsidiary companies within s ub-industries which are of particularly good use to the parent company. The firm currently owns a total of 17 subsidiaries (FAME, 2014). An example of this practise would be that if Laing O’Rourke were to purchase or develop a steel fabrication firm and bring it under its control then all the steel work could be sourced from that arm of the company and sent to site at internal reduced costs instead of paying a higher price for an independent firm to provide the resources. This allows for a substantial reduction in overall cost and lead time during the construction process and would no doubt have the potential to have a positive environmental effect. Laing O’Rourke have taken this practise a step further and have delved into the mining industry. They are responsible for some construction materials from their initial removal from the ground all the way up to their installation on site. Laing O’Rourke have been mining materials such as coal, iron ore, zinc, bauxite, alumina, diamond, and copper for over 40 years in Australia (Laing O’Rourke, 2014). Since Laing O’Rourke acquired Crown House Technologies and Barclay Mowlem in 2004 and 2006 respectively (Laing O’Rourke, 2014), they have completed some of the most recognisable and both culturally and economically significant building projects in the world. The firm was responsible for the construction works for the half a billion pound regeneration project known as Liverpool One, in Liverpool in 2008 to mark the city’s celebration as the European capital of culture. The project has been hailed as a great success, improved the local economy and transformed the image of the city almost in its entirety. (Laing O’Rourke, 2014). The size and range of Laing O’Rourke’s operations position the firm in a sector of the market which can be described as an oligopoly. Cooke (1996) wrote that â€Å"Oligopolistic industries are characterised by a small number of firms accounting for a large proportion (or all) of total output.† Laing O’Rourke is one of a relatively small number of firms that is responsible for a very large proportion of all construction work. This raises an interesting point as the industry is in fact dominated by a large number of small firms (Cooke, 1996). This is mainly due to the construction industry being location specific. The resources and materials for a project may all come from static factories, but the actual construction activity itself must always take place on the site itself, such is the nature of construction (Cooke, 1996). This is even the case where an entire building may be produced using prefabricated components, the actual coming together of the parts will happen on site. This is where a firm like Laing O’Rourke will utilise the smaller, more location specific firms to aid in their efforts. These smaller firms operate in an area of the market which could be described more as monopolistic competition, even bordering on perfect competition in places. Cooke (1996) describes monopolistic competition as: â€Å"Monopolistic competition exists when a large number of firms are operating in a particular market but, unlike perfect competition, each producer offers the customer a slightly differentiated product†¦ or when firms offering a similar product are located in different geographical areas† This oligopolistic competition at the top end of the construction industry has meant that the top 50 construction firms in the UK, sometimes even the top 10, are usually the same familiar names, granted they regularly overtake one another year to year as the market can often be volatile and firms can easily lose out financially if a project has not gone well. This was touched on earlier where most of the construction work carried out on a whole is actually by a small amount of large firms. Construction can be a very lucrative business even on a small scale. Therefore the amount of money passing through the accounts of a firm the size of Laing O’Rourke is phenomenal. This section will look into some aspects of the firm’s accounts, which are readily available to the public as the firm is a limited company. Parker (1999) states that all company balance sheets are built up from three main categories; assets, liabilities and shareholders’ funds. â€Å"Assets can be defined as rights or other access to future economic benefits controlled by a company as a result of past transactions or other events.† Current assets are assets which are to not be put back into the firm. This includes mainly cash, debtors and stocks (Parker, 1999). In contrast, fixed assets are assets which are to be used in the continued operations and growth of the firm. The total assets can be found by combining the fixed and current assets. The net assets can be found by subtracting the current liabilities from the total assets. Table 1. below shows the total assets and net assets for the years 2012 and 2013. Table 1. Balance Sheet – Laing O’Rourke 2013 2012 Total Assets  £255,100,000 +  £929,700,000 =  £1,184,800,000  £250,300,000 +  £970,000,000 =  £1,220,300,000 Net Assets  £1,184,800,000  £865,400,000 =  £319,400,000  £1,220,300,000  £914,400,000 =  £305,900,000 Source: FAME, 2014 It can be seen that the total assets have dropped from 2012 to 2013, however the fixed assets actually grew by  £4.7 million and the current assets dropped by  £40.3 million. This shows that more money was allocated to be put back into the company in 2013 than it was in 2012. The net assets show a growth of nearly  £15 million. Below; Table 2 shows similar look into another large construction firm Carillion. Table 2. Balance Sheet – Carillion 2013 2012 Total Assets  £1,952,900,000 +  £1,683,200,000 =  £3,636,100,000  £2,026,500,000 +  £1,834,800,000 =  £3,861,300,000 Net Assets  £3,636,100,000  £1,661,600,000 =  £1,974,500,000  £3,861,300,000  £1,688,400,000 =  £2,172,900,000 Source: FAME, 2014 This data shows a drop in fixed assets of about  £73 million and also a drop of about  £150 million current assets from 2012 to 2013, which shows that fewer assets were allocated in both sectors, so it is possible that the firm did not perform as well in 2013 as 2012. The net assets also show a drop over the time period. This is in contrast to Laing O’Rourke, who actually increased its overall assets. This does not mean though that Carillion have less assets than Laing O’Rourke, on the contrary, Carillion, even though the firm did not increase its assets over the year, do however still have about 6 times the amount of Laing O’Rourke. Gross profit can be found by deducting the turnover from the cost of sales. Profit margin ratio can be found by dividing the net profit before tax by the turnover and multiplying the answer by 100. Return on capital employed can be found by dividing the profit before tax by the capital employed and multiplying the answer by 100, as is shown in the table (3) below. Table 3. Profit and loss account Laing O’Rourke 2013 2012 Turnover  £1,640,100,000  £1,622,400,000 Cost of sales  £1,473,000,000  £1,448,700,000 Gross Profit  £1,640,100,000  £1,473,000,000 =  £167,100,000  £1,622,400,000  £1,448,700,000 =  £173,700,000 Net profit before tax  £21,500,000  £27,400,000 Profit Margin 1.31 1.69 Return on capital employed 6.73 8.96 Source: FAME, 2014 Table 4. Profit and loss account Carillion 2013 2012 Turnover  £3,332,600,000  £3,666,200,000 Cost of sales  £2,984,600,000  £3,279,400,000 Gross Profit  £3,332,600,000  £2,984,600,000 =  £348,000,000  £3,666,200,000  £3,279,400,000 =  £386,800,000 Net profit before tax  £110,600,000  £179,500,000 Profit Margin 3.32 4.90 Return on capital employed 5.60 8.26 Source: FAME, 2014 These figures clearly show us that in both firms the gross profit figures have fallen. Also the profit margin and return on capital gained has fallen in both cases. Both firms did however make a profit over both years and the figures show that Carillion’s profit margins and return on capital gained are significantly higher than those of Laing O’Rourke. Current ratio can be found by dividing the current assets by the current liabilities. Acid test ratio can be found by subtracting stock from the current assets and dividing the answer by the current liabilities. Also the efficiency ratio can be found by dividing turnover by the current assets. Table 5. Solvency efficiency – Laing O’Rourke 2013 2012 Current Assets  £929,700,000  £970,700,000 Current liabilities  £865,400,000  £914,400,000 Current ratio 1.07 1.06 Acid test ratio 0.92 0.87 Efficiency ratio 1.76 1.97 Source: FAME, 2014 Table 6. Solvency efficiency Carillion 2013 2012 Current Assets  £1,683,200,000  £1,834,800,000 Current liabilities  £3,636,100,000  £3,861,300,000 Current ratio 1.01 1.09 Acid test ratio 0.98 1.05 Efficiency ratio 1.98 2.00 Source: FAME, 2014 These figures show that both Laing O’Rourke and Carillion’s current ratio and acid test ratios are hovering around the 1:1 mark, but both firms display a reasonably high efficiency ratio. Laing O’Rourke are at the forefront of the construction industry with new ideas and methods with regards to reducing their impact on the environment. Their current methods include cutting carbon, eliminating waste, sourcing responsibly, and implementing a stringent environment policy that should see their impact on the environment be reduced significantly. Their greatest priority though is to eliminate all accidents through their ‘Mission Zero’ policy. This policy aims to eliminate all accidents resulting in the loss of one or more shifts by 2015 and to eliminate all accidents of any severity by 2020 (Laing O’Rourke, 2014). These efforts should go a long way to improving their performance along with eliminating the bad practices often associated with the industry. To provide success in the future the firm could aim to eliminate waste from their productions entirely and endeavour to not just become carbon neutral, but to become a ‘carbon negative’ firm that will actually help reverse the effects that the industry has on the environment. Also a continued development and implementation of Building Information Management (BIM) into their projects of all sizes up and down their supply line would further increase their effectiveness and efficiency as a firm (www.bim.construction.com, 2014). References BIM Construction (2014) Building Information Management. Available from: http://www.bim.construction.com/ [Accessed 22 April 2014] Cooke, A.J. (1996)Economics and Construction. Basingstoke: Macmillan. FAME Database Ive, G.J. and Gruneberg, S.L. (2000)The Economics of the Modern Construction Sector. Basingstoke: Macmillan. Laing O’Rourke (2014) Environment. Available from: https://www.laingorourke.com/responsibility/environment.aspx [Accessed 22 April 2014] Laing O’Rourke (2014) Health and Safety. Available from: https://www.laingorourke.com/responsibility/health-and-safety.aspx [Accessed 22 April 2014] Laing O’Rourke (2014) Our History. Available from: https://www.laingorourke.com/who-we-are/our-history.aspx [Accessed 22 April 2014] Laing O’Rourke (2014) Our Sectors. Available from: https://www.laingorourke.com/our-work/our-sectors/mining-and-natural-resources.aspx [Accessed 22 April 2014] Laing O’Rourke (2014) Our Work. Available from: https://www.laingorourke.com/our-work.aspx [Accessed 22 April 2014] Laing O’Rourke (2014) What We Do. Available from: https://www.laingorourke.com/what-we-do.aspx [Accessed 22 April 2014] Myers, D. (2013)Construction Economics: A New Approach[online]. 3rd ed. London: Routledge. [Accessed 22 April 2014]. Parker, R.H. (1999)Understanding Company Financial Statements. 5th ed. London: Penguin. Prior, G. (2014) Laing O’Rourke wins Man City stadium expansion. Available from: http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2014/03/31/laing-orourke-wins-man-city-stadium-expansion/ [Accessed 22 April 2014] Word Count 2002 Business Economics Management for Construction (UBIL6Y-20-1) Page 1 of 9 Competitive Advantage: Virgin Atlantic and Ryanair Competitive Advantage: Virgin Atlantic and Ryanair This report analyses how organisations can be strategically guided towards success. The report uses the strategic frameworks; the cultural web, the VRIO framework, the value chain and the the three levels of culture to identify how organisations achieve competitive advantage. Virgin Atlantic and Ryanairs strategies are then subject to scrutiny under these frameworks to identify, in reality, how this is achieved. Competitive Advantage and Distinctive Resources; The purpose of strategy is competitive advantage. Competitive advantage emerges when an organisation enforces a strategy that creates value that is not being achieved by its competitors (Henry, 2008). The advantage becomes sustainable when competitors cannot mirror the value creation of the strategy. A distinctive resource of an organisation can be defined as a resource that cannot be imitated by other organisations (Henry 2008). Strategic Planning; Vision, Values Mission A distinct characteristic of a successful organisation is clarity over what is to be achieved. A clear purpose can enthuse employees, managers and senior managers due to the similar values they may share (Scott Jaff, 1993). A vision is the desired state the organisation aspires to accomplish, values are the core principles of an organisation and the mission gives reason to why an organisation exists (Kaplan et al, 2008). They need to be clear and concise and easily understood by all levels of the firm. Carpenter and Porras (1996) emphasised why clarity of vision and mission hold importance they suggested employees who have a better understanding of the mission and vision are able to have a greater awareness of the organisations strategy and how it is implemented. Secondly an explanation is given to staff of how strategy helps achieve the vision and mission of the organisation. Finally they offer guidance to strategy development as they guide the strategy which guides the organisation. Values create the foundations of an organisation; what the company promotes within their working culture can greatly influence decisions on every level thus a companys strategy for the future will be formed around these core concepts and beliefs. They allow the formation of the organisations purpose; the fundamental reason for existence. Case Example: Ryanair Virgin Atlantic Virgin Atlantic and Ryanair are successful airline companies who achieve competitive advantage in different ways. Ryanair is a concentrated low cost airline who offers a no frills service to customers. The strategy of Ryanair is to be a cost leader. The purpose of Ryanair is therefore to provide a cheap, no frills flight service that is profitable. Vision, Value and mission of Ryanair Vision To offer low fares that generate increased passenger traffic while maintaining a continuous focus on cost-containment and operating efficiencies. Values Cost efficient = low fares low costs. Mission To firmly establish itself as Europes leading low-fares scheduled passenger airline through continued improvements and expanded offerings of its low-fares service. Source: http://www.ryanair.com/doc/investor/Strategy.pdf (2013). Ryanair measures its success through profit. Ryanair recorded a jump in profits towards the end of 2012 which indicates that Ryanair is achieving its purpose (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20202579). Virgin Atlantic is a leisure airline who is able to diversify into unusual leisure routes and serve different demographic locations to Ryanair. The overall purpose of Virgin Atlantic is therefore to grow a profitable airline that focusses on business and leisure markets and the quality of service offered whilst empowering staff. Vision, Value and Mission of Virgin Atlantic Vision The success of our three year strategy requires us to build on these foundations by focussing on the business and leisure markets and driving efficiency and effectiveness. Values Caring, honest, value, fun, innovation. Mission To grow a profitable airline where people love to fly and people love to work. Source: Virgin Atlantic (2013) Virgin Atlantic measures it success through feedback from both staff and customers through effective feedback systems including 360 degree feedback. The feedback received is often positive and shows Virgin Atlantic is achieving its purpose of providing an airline where people love to fly and staff love to work (Virgin Atlantic, 2013). The above examples demonstrate how vision, values and mission statement underlie the purpose of an organisation and how combining the three together form the foundation of strategy. Ryanair The first organisation to be looked at is Ryanair and how it achieves its cost leader status by looking at its culture in terms of the three levels of culture framework and by applying the value chain to analyse how they integrate the flow of activities to achieve competitive advantage Culture and its connection to strategy Schein (1988) defined organisational culture as a pattern of basic assumptions a given group has created by learning to handle problems of internal integration and external adaptation. Culture is created through the actions of upper level management in relation to what they take precedence to, what they focus on and what behaviours they punish or reward. Hall (1993) suggested culture can be viewed as an intangible resource that can be classified as an asset or competency contributing to an organisations sustainable competitive advantage as culture can hinder a strategy or make a strategy excel. Scheins (1988): three levels of culture Hatch (1993) described the model as a conceptual framework for intervening with and analysing internal organisational culture. Schein (1988) described culture as three levels categorised into: Artifacts Espoused Values Basic Underlying Assumptions. They show how deeply values and beliefs are embedded into an organisation. The model shows the degree to which culture is visible to an organisation and brings about an understanding of the way business process are carried out and what can be done to assist change in an organisation. It is used to diagnose cultural characteristics of an organisation which can then be used to develop or maintain Strategy and the strategic advantage that ensues. The table below summarises each level of culture; Three Levels of Culture Artifacts The most observable level of culture and can include business process, aesthetics of the organisation or organisational structures for example. All are visible indicators of culture but are difficult to interpret. Espoused Values They underlie behaviour and can, to some extent, determine behaviour. They are not directly observable and can include strategies, goals objectives or philosophies for example. Basic Underlying assumptions These assumptions are unconscious and often stem from values until they are taken for granted and transfer to the unconscious. Source: Williams (2012). Ryanair; Three levels of Culture The culture of Ryanair is cost efficiency which is reflected in their values, vision and mission where they create their main competitive advantage of being a low cost, frill free airline. Using the framework a diagnosis can be made of the culture of Ryanair and how this creates competitive advantage. Artifacts No complementary services are offered at Ryanair; this reflects cost efficient culture as instead they sell secondary services on flight. Head office staff supply own pens and are not allowed to charge their phones at work in the office, reflective of low cost culture. Employees pay for their own training and uniforms. Ryanair use subsidiaries to make fares cheaper, they are obtained from using local airports so the savings can be passed onto customers. Espoused Values The policies enforced by Ryanairs senior management, e.g. the policy of having to buy own uniform/ stationary equipment, reflects cost efficient nature. Basic Underlying assumptions Embedded guidelines in Ryanair; staff employees deliver a cost efficient service to passengers and they know that they are getting a frills free flight where the expectation of other airlines is to receive complimentary services. Source: Ryanair (2013). The three levels of culture demonstrate how the strategy of cost leadership is built into the culture of Ryanair culture so it becomes an unconscious process from staff and an expectation of customers. The Value Chain The value chain was first characterised by Porter (1985) and is a chain of activities that group together the main value adding activities of an organisation and can be used as a strategic planning tool. Porter (2007) described an organisation as a compilation of individually distinct, interrelated, economic activities which include both primary and secondary activities. The value chain serves as a guide for identifying the key activities within an organisation which make up the value chain that have the potential to create a sustainable competitive advantage. The competitive advantage emerges from the ability of the organisation to perform identified activities in the value chain in a superior way to competitors. Source: Williams (2013). The value chain is divided into primary activities and secondary activities which need to linked together strategically across the organisation so resources can be optimised and coordinated in a way to sustain competitive advantage. Primary activities are activities classified as products or marketing related activities. Support activities assist the primary activities and include infrastructure, human resource management, procurement and technological development. Value Chain of Ryanair The Value chain of Ryanair is a demonstration of how they integrate both primary and support activities together to create competitive advantage; Support Activities which add value to Ryanair; Support Activity:  Infrastructure Description:  Ryanairs Head Offices are minimal Support Activity:  Human resource Management Description:  Management control, limited training, Low number of staff Support Activity:  Technology development Description:  Internet booking system, Low tech marketing, Internet sales, Integration of systems Support Activity:  Procurement Description:  Outsourcing, low costs alliances The support activities defined show how they can accommodate the primary activities in a way that is cost effective. For example, Ryanairs point of sale is internet based, cutting out the middle person so flight bookings go directly to Ryanair themselves. Primary Activities which add value; Primary Activity:  Inbound logistics Description:  Quality training, Low cost suppliers, Airport agreements Primary Activity:  Operations Description:  No added frills (low cost.) Primary Activity:  Outbound logistics Description:  Fast turnaround times of aircraft, reliable service Primary Activity:  Marketing Sales Description:  Low cost promotions, Free publicity, Internet sales, controversial Primary Activity:  Services Description:  Limited resources and very basic Throughout the value chain, each activity is based around cost efficiency. Money is saved through; Providing a basic service to customers Using the internet as a point of sale which incurs lower costs as less human capital is needed Instilling a cost efficient mind set in staff through managing staff in a cost efficient manner by lowering overheads on training, uniform and fancy offices Ensuring there technology and logistics are built around time efficiency ensuring maximum usage of craft and ensuring services they offer are reliable. Source; Ryanair (2013). Virgin Atlantic Virgin Atlantic has a reputation of quality, whether it is quality in terms of service, treatment of staff or the design of the actual aircraft. The cultural web will be used to identify how culture contributes to competitive advantage of Virgin Atlantic and how its resources are distinctive to those of its competitors. Cultural Web Strategy Corporate culture and reputation are significant, intangible resources of an organisation that can create sustainable competitive advantage. The cultural web is a diagnostic tool that looks at the internal environment of an organisation aligning strategy with culture Johnson (2000). Seel (2000) describes the cultural web as six interrelated elements centred round the paradigm (the organisations core belief) which constitutes as the work environment. The paradigm is structured on collective experiences and informs what people in the organisation do and has influence over how change should be responded to. Stories, symbols, power structures, organisational structures, control system and ritual routines are the six elements that make up the web and are the focus of strategic change. Each of the elements must be examined in order to gain understanding of an organisations culture (Johnson, 1992). Organisational culture needs to inspire innovation meaning that although culture needs to be embedded in an organisation it needs to also be flexible in order to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. Cultural web of Virgin Atlantic The paradigm of Virgin Atlantic is reflected in their mission statement; to grow a profitable airline where people love to work and people love to fly. The core belief of Virgin is delivering quality experience. Stories; Most stories involve Richard Branson (the founder of the virgin brand) and often relate to his personality or management style and portray him as an anti-corporate, innovative hero. Rituals; Virgin Atlantics headquarters are spacious, have a relaxed atmosphere and when staff reach training milestones they and their families are invited to an event which is often attended by Branson himself. Power Structures; Most decisions and visions are controlled by a driven, close knit group of senior executives Organisational structures; Small, focussed teams that work to maintain a small company mentality inside a big company. Control; Financial and performance results are displayed for everyone to see encouraging and empowering staff to take responsibility for their performance. Symbols; Branding is smart and slick and conveys the good reputation that the brand Virgin has. Source: Virgin Atlantic (2013) The cultural web shows how the six elements interact with each other creating the core belief of quality and innovation. The VRIO framework Barney (1997) described strategic resources as; valuable, rare, inimitable and organisable. The VRIO framework is a tool an organisation can use to examine its internal environment and views organisations as bundles of resources. If these resources are correctly used then an organisation can gain competitive advantage over competitors depending on the four characteristics identified by Barney (1997) and determines whether the advantage is temporary or sustainable. Oriordian (2006) described four questions that need to be asked when identifying an organisations resources and capabilities; How valuable is the resource? How rare is the resource? Can the resource be imitated? Is the resource organised in an efficient manner? If the answer is yes to the above questions then the resource offers a competitive advantage over competitors. When analysing an organisations resources one of the following answers occur (Barney 1997); If an organisations resource is not valuable then the firm can expect to be at competitive disadvantage If the resource is valuable but not rare competitive parity is reached If the resource is valuable but not rare a competitive advantage is reached but it may only be temporary. If a firms resources are rare, valuable but not costly to imitate then temporary competitive advantage results. If the resources of an organisation are valuable rare and costly then a sustained competitive advantage will result if the resources are organised properly. VRIO framework of Virgin Atlantic Virgin Atlantic has a number of resources that help sustain its competitive advantage over competitors. Its brand and reputation are indisputably its strongest resource whereas its customer service, geographic location (in terms of flight destinations) and human resources are a competitive advantage now, but have the risk of being imitated in the future. The VRIO framework for Virgin Atlantic shows that competitive advantage is gained from there resources that are valuable, rare, inimitable and organised. The brand name Virgin and the ability the name has to raise capital due to Virgins reputation are the resources that ensure sustainable competitive advantage is achieved. Technology, the location of where flights are available to and from and the organisational structure of Virgin are all resources that can create competitive advantage but have the possibility of being imitated by competitors which means the advantage may only be temporary. Conclusion; By exploring the strategies of both Virgin Atlantic and Ryanair it is clear that different strategic routes can be taken to achieve competitive advantage. Both organisations use their resources effectively to achieve their purpose. Competitive advantage is about creating and sustaining superior performance (Porter, 1998). Looking to the future Airline companies will be have to face rising fuel costs and an increasing demographic of consumers who have less disposable income. This could propose challenges to both organisations. Ryanair focus on cost efficiency, however, if fuel prices were to rise substantially they would have to consider ways in which they can continue to deliver there no frills flight service at competitively low price. With regards to Virgin Atlantic they would have to cater to the consumer with less disposable income by considering how they could improve the efficiency of its processes and activities to appeal to this audience. There is no right way of forming a st rategy as not one applies to every organisation. The most effective strategies are those that meet the needs of the organisation at hand.

Change Management in an Organisation

Change Management in an Organisation The assignment focuses on the outcomes of the study of the module-Organizational Behaviour which deals with the importance of the organizational principles in any company linked to its success in long run. I have focused myself to study the Case of BHARAT PETROLEUM COMPANY LIMITED in reference to change of organisation structure bringing in success. Though the objective of the study is to analyse the organisation in the context of dynamics of change affecting its very functioning with respect of organizational issues, the limitation of the study is inability to take up all issues considering organisation behaviour. In 1952 two different companies Shell Petroleum Company and Burmah Oil Company, UK signed an agreement with the Indian Government to prepare a new refinery in Mumbai and the name of the refinery was Burmah Oil Refineries Ltd. In 1957 it started and worked in a proper flow, In 1976 Indian Government changed their policy and nationalized the petroleum industry. Indian Government acquired the complete equity in Burmah Oil Refineries Ltd and changed from Burmah Oil Refineries Ltd to Bharat Refineries Ltd. In 1977 the Indian Government again changed its name to Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL). Industry Environment Indian governments acquired BPCL in 1970 in the act of nationalisation arrangement of Indian governments. In 1991 It was monitored and under the supervision of government till economic reorganizations. Government monitored the all the expenses, raw materials and the end products purchase and selling price, manufacture capacity, uses of the raw materials, circulation, and what is the return on investment were monitored by the government. Three main combined marketing and purifying companies were there at that time and many small and independent companies were supplying their product to these companies. Government improved their strategy for work and enlarged the distribution network in all over the country, like setup new retail outlets to reduce the competition along with their competitor. Privatization As a part of the ongoing economic reforms the government was actively pursuing privatization of the public sector companies. A couple of senior managers state Privatization is a slight that will happen. One cant bother too much about the future without knowing what is going to happen. It is inevitable and we cant do about it. We dont know what will happen to BPCL and us. Tomorrow we may not exist as BPCL. We might become a part of Shell or Reliance or some other organization. The impeding competition as well as the uncertainty of existence in the present form created anxiety in the organization across all levels. Some considered it to be an opportunity where as others considered it as a let down by the government and the organization. The organization initiated numerous changes in order to transform itself to face the future competition. Initiation of the Restructuring Process The initiation for restructuring the organization was by the personal initiative of the CMD Mr. U Sundararajan. He had earlier been appointed by the government to study the petroleum industry in other countries as a preamble for deregulation. He had formed a cross well-designed team for studying the effectiveness of the models followed by different countries. Mr. Sundararajan and the team studied more than two hundred books and numerous articles on deregulation, oil industry and best practices. Mr. Sundararajan realized the inability of his organization to compete with MNCs with deregulation. He started the reorganization process through discussions with the top management, the board and the government The path which BPCL LTD choose to face the competition and initiatives taken in terms of organizational Behaviour has been assessed in this assignment. For the purpose of analyzing the focus was laid down on key aspects of organization behavior which are organizational structure, change of team and organizational culture and climate in terms of Coaches of Organizational Learning which can be correlated to the case. Coaches of Organizational Learning Consultants from Innovation Associates (a subsidiary of ADL) initially trained a group of trainer in systems idea and organizational education. A team of around thirty full time coaches and more than sixty part time coaches were trained in turn by these. These coaches conducted two programs namely Visionary Leadership Planning (VLP) and Foundations of Organisational Learning (FOL). More than six hundred managers have undergone VLP and more than five thousand management and non-management staff have undergone FOL. VLP program is designed to help teams clarify and understand reasons for their unique existence, co-create team aspirations, realistically assess current reality and formulate a Strategy to cover up the gap. The teams identify High Leverage Results they are passionate about and assign responsibilities to a few members with the whole team agreeing to support the process. FOL program is designed to create a common language of learning in organizations. The coaches were instrum ental in creating a non-threatening atmosphere for change and also in providing the inputs on systems thinking and learning organization, enabling effectiveness of the various task forces empowered for quick result changes. One of the trainer states We have applied for instructor education with skeptism. We later realized the importance of systems ideas and organizational education. The first program was a mind opening experience. The inputs on functional silos reflected our organization. Now we are hardcore followers of systems ideas. Communication Communication played a important role during out the change process. A bulletin was promoted that provided usual updates to the whole organization about the visioning exercise, the assessment of current reality, status of the quick fix opportunities and the new structure. In every stage the break through teams had a high level of interaction with the concerned divisions. The informal channel of communication was also taken care of by including community from all realistic constituencies in the change break through teams. A top down approach was used to communicate the change plan with help from the break through team members. One CUSECS member reiterates Communication played a fundamental role in CUSECS project. The common updates through the newsletter and informal communication through the members to their parent departments was useful in updating the whole organization quickly. We identified enablers in each department, people who are opinion shapers and we particularly embattled them. We convinced them first and then asked them to communicate to others about the change Top Management Involvement The CMD was occupied throughout the reorganization process. He communicated his hold to the change activities by personal involvement, and regular appreciation to the change management team and the particular task forces. He played the role of a mentor to the team members. He also interacted with a large number of employees during the visioning, assessment and finishing point stages. Young managers recount stories of his support to the change team, where he gave total freedom to come up with creative ideas and safe guarded them from backlashes from well-known constituencies. Mr. Sundararajan recalls In the prime period I talked to lots of group of people regarding the need for reorganization. The leader has to act not just talk. Lip service will not work for long. If individual says one will take of care of the subordinates then one has to when something happens Change Opportunities for Quick Results During the assessment process, the break through teams identified many opportunities where small changes were likely to produce foremost results. Special task forces for working on the identified opportunities were created and started working in equivalent. The job forces were provided with adequate training and were in constant communication with the break through teams. At one point of time there were more than six hundred task forces working across the organization on thousands of opportunities identified in the change plan. Market study, brand building, packaging, operational efficiency of plants, correct quantity and quality of products, cash collections, and safety are some areas where task forces worked to produce quick results. Creating a Shared Vision The visioning exercise was conducted to develop clarity and common understanding about the potential of the association. The visioning work out started with the panel. The exercise was extended across the company in a escalation approach flowing from the top management to the junior management facilitated by internal experts trained particularly for the same. The core of the vision as articulated by the organizational members across the organization is given below. Be the BEST Establish first class brands and Make the workplace exciting corporate image Improve boundary management Excellent customer care and service Fulfill social responsibilities, to Go for excellent performance and ethical operational efficiency Apply the best technology. Make people a source of improvement Make systems strong and dynamic. Below figure elaborates the nine broad themes in the shared vision of BPCL. The visioning exercise provided an opportunity for articulation of the aspirations of the people. The process brought the whole organization out of lethargy, and increased the energy levels and expectations on persons, teams and the company. Since the vision was iterated throughout the organization, there was greater buy in for the change. One of the managers states We were all amazed that the vision was so much in unison across the organization. It clearly stated that people had great aspirations but never expressed them. This exercise made us realize the possibilities for the future of BPCL. Change Plan Based on the inputs from the shared vision and current reality, a workshop was conducted to develop a change plan. The change plan came to six volumes with over one thousand and six hundred pages. The change plan included the Organizational assessment Well defined corporate values Vision articulated in terms of critical business processes, and Areas of change to achieve the vision Organizational Assessment Current Reality Based on the initial diagnosis by the CUSECS team and the visioning workshop for top management, it was decided that an organization wide assessment exercise would be conducted simultaneously with the shared visioning exercise. Six break through teams were formed. The teams were responsible for assessing the organizational reality in terms of Marketing, Lubricants and Refining Support services and management Logistics processes LPG. The marketing team looked at the customer management processes, product management processes and execution management processes. The refining team compared the effectiveness of the refinery; lube oil processing and LPG plants with the best international players taking into account the machinery age and technology employed. Various performance parameters like crude acquisition, energy consumption, and capital expenditure were assessed. The logistics team also looked at the existing logistics infrastructure, economics of supply and distribution, opportunities for cost reduction, supply points vs. consumption centers, impact of taxes and duty, and comparison with benchmarks and competitors. The LPG team compared the LPG marketing with that of the international and local competitors. The customer base, pricing policies, interface between the customer and marketing and future plans were critically reviewed. The lubricants team analyzed the organizational competitive position in comparison to the competition. It also looked at the packaging, pricing, branding, trade channels, the existing joint venture arrangements, and future plans. The team responsible for support services and management processes evaluated the human resource practices (for example work culture, HR processes, training and development, and appraisal and compensation), the information systems (for example use of different software packages, integration and use of IT), and accounting practices in terms of clarity, speed and cost. The break through teams also assessed the organizational structure in terms of roles and responsibilities, levels and accountability, human resource development in terms of training, appraisal and compensation. Each team interacted with all the stakeholders concerned including the unions, suppliers, distributors, customers, financial institutes, local communities, government officials, and so on. Assessment was carried out in a non- threatening manner, with constant and rich communication of the activities carried out by the break through teams. The assessment exercise created an internal environment for change. The organizational assessment exercise found the following Collective dissatisfaction with the status quo Low customer focus and customer orientation Huge gap between the vision and capabilities to achieve it, and Many opportunities for quick improvement Change Team A change team was formed with twenty-two managers nominated from various functions across levels. The team size grew to thirty as the project progressed. The team members had varied performance records, educational qualifications and experience. The CMD did not believe in giving importance to those with higher degrees over others. His philosophy was to provide an opportunity to average people in an empowered and enabled environment to achieve great results. Mr. Sundararajan says Initially when we formed the change team I asked for nominations from various departments and they nominated all kinds of people. I did not nominate the best mangers in BPCL because I have observed many times in my career, if people are given the right environment and opportunities they would rise up to it. And my faith was not misplaced. These youngsters did a wonderful job. The change project was titled CUSECS for Customer Service Customer Satisfaction. The consultant ADL trained the CUSECS team. The training included topics like negotiations, interpersonal effectiveness, presentations, systems thinking, and best practices. The CUSECS team was provided with all the information and support required to develop skills in diagnosis, change strategy formulation, organization design, and implementation. Those who could not take up the huge workload and stress were requested to leave and join their parent departments. The team conducted a short diagnosis of the organizational issues with facilitation by consultants and made presentations to the top management. One of the CUSECS team members state: We were initially frustrated and unable to understand why ADL wanted us to think through everything ourselves, rather than telling us what is best. Later, we appreciated their approach in enabling us to think and decide for ourselves what is best for the organization. We were trained exhaustively starting from presentation skills, negotiation skills to systems thinking and so on. Designing the New Structure There was a clear consensus among the change management team, top management team and the consultants that the functional structure would not be able to sustain initiatives taken to create the customer centric organization. The obvious solution was to create customer centric strategic business units (SBUs). The change management team with assistance of the consultants considered various options. The redesign process took about a month. The CMD was personally involved in this. To prevent any interference from day to day activities he officially took leave and was present as a resource person. The change team discussed the various choices in structure with all the stakeholders. There were apprehensions among senior managers regarding the new structure and no consensus emerged on the new structure. Politicking and power plays were observed, with each function trying to retain the existing status in terms of power and control. Finally the CMD personally called for a meeting of the functi onal heads and other senior managers. Asking the group to discuss, negotiate and come with a concrete solution acceptable to everyone, he locked the room and waited outside. Finally a design was approved that was acceptable to all. The final structure was not the optimum structure as envisioned by the change team but one acceptable to all the members of the top management team. Implementation The new structure was rolled out in phased manner to ensure effective implementation. The new structure was first implemented in the LPG SBU. Based on the experience, the new design was implemented across the organization with necessary modifications. Further, in each of the proposed SBUs specific regions were identified and the new structure was implemented to verify the smooth functioning before full implementation. Organizational Structure The older structure was functionally organized. There were mainly four functions (refineries, marketing, finance and personnel) each headed by an executive director reporting to the (CMD). Other support departments like corporate affairs, legal, audit, vigilance, coordination and company secretary were directly under the CMD. The Director refinery was in charge of refinery, corporate planning, JV refineries and special projects. Other than corporate finance and marketing finance EDP was also under the Director finance. In marketing, there were different departments for retail, industry, LPG, lubricants and aviation segments. Corporate communication was also under Director meeting. The whole of India was divided into four regions and further into 22 divisions. Each region was headed by a Regional Manager who was in charge of all activities within the region and reported to the Director marketing. Each region had a manager in charge of each of regional personnel, regional engineering, regional industrial customers, regional retail, and regional finance. Regional LPG was under regional industrial customers. The division was the responsibility of the Divisional Manager reporting to the Regional Manager. He had a manager each for sales, operations and engineering. Each of these was responsible for sales, depots and engineering respectively for all the customer segments. Across the marketing function, except for the corporate departments (LPG, industrial customer, etc.) specifically looking after a customer segment, every individual and role is focused on multiple customer segments. For example any strategy addressing the industrial customers originates from the Corporate Department (Industrial Customer), goes via the Director Marketing, Regional Manager, Divisional Manager to the Sales Officer. All of them are responsible for multiple customer segments like retail, LPG, industrial, etc. and deal with different classes of customers. Hence there was very low customer awareness in terms of the unique needs of the different customer segments, with no single individual at the operational level having clarity on any single customer segment. Moreover, the marketing strategy was formulated by people who were far from the customer with very low understanding of the customer they were targeting. The implementers were responsible for diverse customers with a l ow understanding of the logic of these strategies meant for each customer segment. Thus the old structure had created a bottleneck between the strategy formulators and implementers in terms of the regional structure, and between the field staff and the corporate offices and refinery. Activities of a business process are spread out across different functions and levels of hierarchy, engaging many individuals. There was a long chain of non-value adding linkages between any two activities targeting a business / customer. For example, when an industrial customer gives a special order of lubes to the sales officer, the corporate lubes purchases the base oil, plant blends it, SD packs it and the sales officer sells it. The Sales Officer would communicate the order to the Divisional Manager, who passes it on to the Regional Manager. Then the order would be routed to the Corporate Lubes for processing. Everyone involved in the activities of this process belong to different functions and hierarchy levels. This long chain of communication had led to a lack of customer orientation, low awareness of customer needs and expectations and slow response. The New SBU Structure The new structure was focused on the business processes and the customer. The new structure at the top management level is the same. Five SBUs Retail, Lubes, Industry/Commercial, LPG and Aviation are customer centered SBUs and come under the director (marketing). The sixth SBU, Refinery along with two new departments IT Supply Chain and RD are under the director (refineries). Each SBU would have its own HR, IS, finance, logistics, sales, engineering, etc. The number of layers in the organization was reduced to four from six or seven. The major change is the introduction of the territories covering a smaller geographical area and focusing on specific customer segments. In retail SBU the new structure had 669 territories reporting to the four regional offices, where as in the earlier structure there were only 22 divisions which catered to all segments. In other SBUs the regional office was removed and territories were designed to directly report to the SBU heads. Each territory team leader was responsible for sales in the territory only for a specific product. The territory structure was designed to enable the field staff to focus on specific customer segments. Authority was also delegated down the hierarchy and decision making pushed to the lowest possible levels. Decisions earlier taken at the regional level were taken now at the territory level. Further authority was delegated to the role and not the hierarchy level. Administrative offices have been moved to supply locations that consist of 125 terminals for mai n fuels and 35 LPG bottling ones. In LPG SBU head office there are only nine personnel and across the territories even managers at senior positions have been forced to get business. The new design incorporated recalibration of roles and responsibilities and redeployment of more than two thousand people (around one fifth of total employee strength) across the organization. It created new roles at the front effectively using redundant manpower to increase customer interface and interaction. Since the corporate and support functions are now located within the SBUs the new design included lateral linkage mechanisms (see Appendix C). Governance Councils, Process Councils, and Task forces (to address specific organizational issues) were the mechanisms for integrating the different parts of the organization. Some Salient Features of New Structure were Highly empowered work force Decentralized decision making De-linking of authority from hierarchical levels Orientation towards internal and external customers Regular market research and customer surveys Conscious brand building efforts Organizational Structure before redesign Organizational Structure after redesign Conclusion Bharat Petroleum realises that, in the long run, success can only come with a total reorientation and change in approach with the customer as the focal point. Today, Bharat Petroleum is restructured into a Corporate Centre, Strategic Business Units (SBUs) and Shared Services and Entities. From the last many years Bharat Petroleum continues face many challenges of the quickly changing environment. Bharat petroleum make advance and changes their products and services according to the changing environment. In day by day changing in bharat petroleum only one factor has remained unchanged this is Bharat Petroleums employees which are the source of strength and motivation of Bharat Petroleums in their future innovations. Bharat Petroleum wants their employees to understand the complexity of the market, customers requirements, and offer the innovative products to meets the customers requirements. For Bharat Petroleum, promise by its staffs is a critical resource. BPCL believe that only a cheerful worker will place his best result and a good relationship with the customs, Bharat Petroleum deployed and also will plan to implement several steps to make the organisation a great place to work or worker get best organisation environment. Hewitt Associates conducted a survey for Business Today magazine in the January 2001 issue to identify the best employers, and in this survey Bharat Petroleum was one of top ten employers in India. The main motive of the survey was to discover out which companies had really charged the expressive and intellectual energy of their employees. The companies who were in the top list were Hughes, ICICI, P and G, Asian Paints, Hewlett-Packard, HLL, Infosys, LG and Compaq. Bharat Petroleum adopts significant value-based HR methods for growth of individuals and their organisational skills with a assessment to provide them with a competitive edge and also to realise their private vision in tandem with the commercial vision. Bharat Petroleum has been conferred the National HRD Award 2000 by National HRD Network for making Outstanding Contribution to HRD. At the National Petroleum Management Programme (NPMP) on Excellence in Creativity and Innovation (1999-2000), Bharat Petroleum employees bagged all the three awards in the individual category, along with four certificates of recognition in the team category.