Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Reflection of Cannibalistic Societies through Diary of a Madman And the

The meager image depicted by Lu Xun's 'Diary of a Madman' projects an illustration of society that stresses submission to authority, and the ultimate compliance to tradition. Lu Xun battles the idea that society is constantly being manipulated and controlled by the masses of people who know no better than to follow tradition. His story 'Diary of a Madman' gives the representation of a culture that has not only failed, but failed by the cannibalistic nature of humans corrupting them-selves over and over again therefore feeding upon themselves. The analysis of 'Diary of a Madman' gives way to a new interpretation of societies of the past, present, and future. Following the idea that history tends to repeat itself, I have paralleled the idea that society as a whole can be seen as cannibalistic not only in the reference by Lu Xun, but also in the current society we live in today. Only through willingness to change can societies transform their behaviors and actions giving way to i mprovement. To gain insight into the cannibalistic representation of society, the writing style of Lu Xun must first be addressed. The preface of ?Diary of a Madman? is written in classical Chinese language, where Lu Xun uses an ironic technique to suggest a false, polite world made exclusively by social appearance. This traditional approach to literature shows the conventional method that is followed by those who act upon the ways of the past and the culturally accepted methods of the masses. As the story unfolds the story leaves the classical Chinese language and moves to the informal language that is known by the common societies. Lu Xun also incorporates the diarist and main character of the story, and uses him as a reflection of the curre... ...s,? we can still do our best to improve. And we can start today!? (p. 1927). The story ?Diary of a Madman? produces hope of a future existing that rejects oppressive traditionalism, and the liberation of the individual and asks society to recognize the problem and help save society by, ?saving the children? (p. 1929). ?Diary of a Madman? is a depiction of society that stresses observance to a powerful authority, and the ultimate compliance to tradition. Lu Xun explains the idea that society is constantly being controlled and devoured by the masses of people who know no better than to follow tradition. His story gives the representation of a culture that has conformed to the cannibalistic nature of humans that feed upon themselves. Only through willingness to change and evolution can societies transform their behaviors and actions giving way to improvement.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Free Admissions Essay - Sojourn to Medicine :: Medicine College Admissions Essays

Admissions Essay -  Sojourn to Medicine    On the first day that I walked into the Church Nursing Home, I was unsure of what to expect. A jumble of questions ran through my mind simultaneously: Is this the right job for me? Will I be capable of aiding the elderly residents? Will I enjoy what I do? A couple of hours later, these questions were largely forgotten as I slowly cut chicken pieces and fed them to Frau Meyer. Soon afterwards, I was strolling through the garden with Herr Schmidt, listening to him tell of his tour of duty in World War II. By the end of the day, I realized how much I enjoyed the whole experience and at the same time smiled at the irony of it all. I needed to travel to Heidelberg, Germany to confirm my interest in clinical medicine.    Experiences like my volunteer work in the German nursing home illustrate the decisive role travel has played in my life. For instance, I had volunteered at a local hospital in New York but was not satisfied. Dreams of watching doctors in the ER or obstetricians in the maternity ward were soon replaced with the reality of carrying urine and feces samples to the lab. With virtually no patient contact, my exposure to clinical medicine in this setting was unenlightening and uninspiring. However, in Heidelberg, despite the fact that I frequently change diapers for the incontinent and deal with occasionally cantankerous elderly, I love my twice weekly visits to the nursing home. Here, I feel that I am needed and wanted. That rewarding feeling of fulfillment attracts me to the practice of medicine.    My year abroad in Germany also enriched and diversified my experience with research. Although I had a tremendously valuable exposure to research as a summer intern investigating chemotherapeutic resistance in human carcinomas, I found disconcerting the constant cost-benefit analysis required in applied biomedical research. In contrast, my work at the University of Heidelberg gave me a broader view of basic research and demonstrated how it can expand knowledge -- even without the promise of immediate profit. I am currently attempting to characterize the role of an enzyme during neural development. Even though the benefit of such research is not yet apparent, it will ultimately contribute to a vast body of information which will further medical science.    My different reactions to research and medicine just exemplify the intrinsically broadening impact of travel.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Nursing Process Change Paper -- pre-operative management

The pre-operative stage is an important phase in patient’s surgery process. This is the time where the patients is experiencing a lot of anxiety issues and have questions regarding the impending procedure. To help ensure good patient outcomes, it is imperative to provide complete preoperative instructions and discharge instructions (Allison & George, 2014). It is the nurses’ duty to safe guard and protects the patient’s welfare during the surgical experience. Effective preoperative preparation is known to enhance postoperative pain management and recovery. Health professionals need to be cognizant of the contextual factors that influence patients’ preoperative experiences and give context appropriate care (Aziato & Adejumo, 2014). This essays attempts to address the elements of pre-operative management and issues that could potentially cause surgery delays or cancelation at the Veterans Affairs Southern Nevada Healthcare System (VASNHS) Surgical Spec ialty Outpatient department. Moreover, it also depicts the need for a new pre-operative management system. Assessment New consults for the Surgical Specialty Outpatient department comes from the primary care provider. During the initial visit the surgeon evaluates the patient and discusses the plan of care. If patient requires surgery, the surgeon orders pre-operative tests such as blood work, urine test, electrocardiogram (EKG) and chest X-rays. After completing the â€Å"buck slip,† a hand written operating room (OR) request form, the surgeon hands it to the primary care nurse of that particular Surgical Specialty clinic. The nurse then turns in a copy of the buck slip to the operating room scheduler and another copy to the nurse pre-operative unit. There are instances... ... 26, 2014. Mitchell, M. (2013). Anaesthesia type, gender and anxiety. Journal Of Perioperative Practice, 23(3), 41-46. Retrieved from http://ozone.nsc.edu:8080/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rzh&AN=2012030991&site=ehost-live on on April 27, 2014. Pritchard, M. (2012). Pre-operative assessment of elective surgical patients. Nursing Standard, 26(30), 51-56. Retrieved from http://ozone.nsc.edu:8080/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rzh&AN=2011513584&site=ehost-live on April 26, 2014. Shapiro, F. E., Punwani, N., & Urman, R. D. (2013). Putting the Patient Into Patient Safety Checklists. AORN Journal, 98(4), 413-418. doi:10.1016/j.aorn.2013.08.003. Retrieved from http://ozone.nsc.edu:8080/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rzh&AN=2012318462&site=ehost-live on April 26, 2014.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Denim Finishing Company Case Essay

1. Mrs. Kelsey Bowser using the ABC method decided to use the number of garments as the cost driver of the change-over costs. Nevertheless, I argue that this was not the best possible choice. I will try to defend my point using the following example. Let’s assume that Guess Who Jeans demands 600, not 500 garments per shipment. Although the number of garments changes, the total change-over costs would stay the same, because no additional retooling of the machine would be necessary. The whole change-over process takes 3 hours regarding if the number of garments is 200, 500 or 800. Furthermore, let’s strictly theoretically assume that the company is able to achieve some extra capacity and one batch is now composed of 150 garments instead of 100 garments. Still, although the total number of garments would vastly increase, the change-over costs would be altered only partially. The opportunity cost measured as a lost contribution margin would slightly increase, but the out-of-po cket costs would stay the same, as the wages of the employees and supplies costs will not change. Thus, it is clear that the number of garments is not the proper cost driver for the change-over costs. In my opinion the number of shipments would be a much better cost driver for the change-over costs. Regarding the number of garments or the number of batches Guess Who Jeans demands every shipment requires the change-over costs to be incurred twice. For instance, if 99 shipments were made, the total change-over costs would equal $351 * 198 = $69,498, because two change-overs ($702) would not have to be undertaken. Thus, the number of shipments clearly drives the analyzed costs. Unlikely the previous example with the number of garments per batch increasing to 150, the number of shipments fully ‘drives’ the change-over costs. Every time the number of shipments rises or falls, the change-over costs change by the full amount of the two per-changeover costs which properly reflect the real situation. Using such a cost driver may be problematic when the allocation of the chang e-over costs is analyzed. Nevertheless, I argue that those cost should be solely allocated to the propriety denim finishing. The demand for the stonewashing services exceeds the company’s capacity. Thus, if the Guess Who Jeans’ offer was declined, the company would use the whole capacity for stonewashing. However, if the offer was accepted the stonewashing processes would be somehow ‘interrupted’ by the propriety denim finishing. Each ‘interruption’, and therefore each shipment would require incurring the change-over costs twice. No factor connected with stonewashing ‘drives’ those costs. Regarding the number of batches or garments used in the stonewashing process each shipment necessitates the cost of $702. Therefore, I believe this cost should be associated with every shipment done by Guess Who Jeans. In Appendix A I present the product profitability analysis using the number of shipment as the cost driver. Moreover, Mrs. Kelsey Bowser claims that the change-over costs should be treated as product-sustaining costs. Nevertheless, I believe her opinion is wrong. I believe these costs should be on the batch level in the cost hierarchy. Hence, I believe the initial analysis undertaken by Mrs. Bowser was correct, although the cost driver she selected was improper. Product-sustaining level costs could be defined as ‘activities that are needed to support an entire product line but are not performed every time a new unit or batch of products is produced’ [Hilton 2010]. Although the first part of the definition applies to the change-over costs, it is clearly not the case when the second part of the definition is concerned. The change-over costs have to be incurred every time the shipments is delivered and the propriety denim finishing has to be done. Therefore, I believe these costs should be rather placed as the batch-level costs in the cost hierarchy. Batch-level costs are believed to ‘arise from activities performed once for each batch or lot of products’ [Zimmerman 2011]. Since the change-over costs need to be incurred every shipment, placing them at this level in the hierarchy seems reasonable. 2. It is clear that before accepting the proposal several nonfinancial issues have to be considered in order to make a reasonable decision. First, the management should think how accepting the Gues Who offer would affect the relations with the other clients. Since Guess Who requires the Denim Finishing Company not to offer the particular type of finish to other customers, it is very likely that relations with other firms will worsen. The Denim Finishing Company has been cooperating with many companies for a long time. Therefore, those companies may dislike the fact that the new client receives the special treatment, while such benefits could not be observed in their case, even though they have been the customers for ages. Consequently, the Denim Finishing Company’s reputation may shrink and furthermore the firm may lose some of its customers that it had long term relations established with. Accepting the Guess Who offer, as mentioned before, would require the Denim Finishing Company to offer the certain time of finish exclusively to Guess Who. Hence, the firm would be prohibited from providing other companies with this service. Before making the decision it should be analyzed if that could lead to potential losses in the future. For instance, although cooperating with Guess Who may be beneficial, the potential gains from offering that type of finish to other clients could be higher. If so, the Denim Finishing Company should rather provide the service to other firms. Naturally, before making such a decision it has to be determined if other firms would require the Denim Finishing Company to offer the service exclusively to them, like it is the case for Guess Who. Offering exclusive service to one company may result in other companies’ (not only potential clients as mentioned in the previous paragraph, but also current ones) demands for exclusive treatment. If other clients, especially those who have been cooperating with the Denim Finishing Company for a long time, realize that it is possible to receive such a special treatment, they would likely claim for it too, as it could give them a competitive advantage over other firms in their industry. Thus, the Denim Finishing Company would undoubtedly face a big problem. It theoretically could increase the prices for the firms that demand exclusive service, but it could lead to losing those clients. Accepting or declining the Guess Who offer may also result in potential conflicts within the firm that have to be considered. For instance, Bruce Farrand who is against the offer may be so determined in defending his point of view that if the offer is accepted, he will decide to terminate his employment. However, he might be so valuable for the company that the gains from the cooperation with Guess Who would not compensate for the value added by Mr. Farrand. Moreover, some other conflicts could arise in the company after deciding either. Before making the decision it would also be recommended to analyze the potential influence the service offered to Guess Who could have on the machine. Since providing the finish would require constant and often retooling of the machine, it could negatively affect the lifetime of the machine. What is more, it is possible that the quality of services done by the machine would shrink because of those often changes. Hence, the satisfaction among clients could diminish and the high cost of purchasing new machine would have to be incurred soon. It also cannot be forgotten that the current demand exceeds the firm’s capacity and some of its clients already use services provided by other companies. Thus, if the Denim Finishing Company’s has even less time for stonewashing, these clients can shift to competitors. Finally, it should be estimated what potential nonfinancial benefits could cooperating with Guess Who bring to the Denim Finishing Company. Guess Who is considered to be a company that offers innovative and premium products. Thus, being an important business partner of such a firm could have a positive impact on the Denim Finishing Company’s reputation. Consequently, it could attract new clients and encourage more companies to cooperate with the Denim Finishing Company. Moreover, successful cooperation with Guess Who Jeans could lead to extending the business relations with that company. For instance, it could outsource more of its production to the Denim Finishing Company. 3. If I were Tom Corcoran, I would undoubtedly have a few questions for the controller. First, I would ask about all the problems mentioned in the two previous questions. As mentioned before, I believe that Mrs. Bowser did not place the change-over costs at the right level in the cost hierarchy. Hence, I would like to get to know why she decided to treat them as product-sustaining costs, while there are a lot of arguments supporting the idea to treat them as batch-level costs. Furthermore, the cost driver chosen by Mrs. Bowser is highly doubtful. I would require the explanation how and to what extent in her opinion the number of garments ‘drives’ the change-over costs. Since I believe the number of garments is not the right cost driver, I would ask Mrs. Bowser for some other type of profitability analysis, such as the analysis presented in Appendix A. The analysis presented at the meeting by the controller could be misleading. Both Exhibit 3 and Exhibit 4 present data that is in my opinion inaccurate. Moreover, as it was analyzed in the second question accepting or declining the offer could lead to multiple nonfinancial outcomes that may play a significant role on the company’s profitability. Hence, I would ask if such factors have been analyzed and if so, what possible impact they may have. I also believe that Tom Corcoran would be most interested in the total profit his company would have under both scenarios. Analyses presented at the meeting, as valuable as they might be, do not contain such information. For instance, they do not include the facility-sustaining costs that the Denim Finishing Company has to incur. Hence, it would be recommended to present Tom Corcoran with the yearly profit the firm may earn. Moreover, I would ask Mrs. Bowser about the accuracy of her assumptions in Exhibit 4. She estimates that the costs of the proprietary process, as well as the price paid by Guess Who Jeans will not change during the year. However, it may not necessarily be the case. The analysis relies on historical costs that may not be appropriate for the future estimations. Thus, I would like to know if Mrs. Bowser took that aspect into account. Another question would regard the overhead rates of the batch- and unit-level costs. The rates were estimated when only stonewashing was done. However, accepting the offer from Guess Who Jeans would require retaining from using the machine for 600 hours. This could likely result in different overhead costs and consequently different overhead rates. The batch-level utility cost can be particularly problematic. It is ‘driven’ by the machine hours and as previously mentioned the machine is not used for 3 hours before and 3 hours after the shipment. Furthermore, the case makes it unclear whether drying is also performed by the Unit #4. The per-garment utilities cost includes 3 hours for washing and 3 hours for drying. However, when the change-over is undertaken, the washing is not performed, because the machine cannot be used. Therefore, during the change-over the utilities cost is possibly lower. This is especially important for the opportunity cost analysis. Since the case is lacking information explaining the problem, if I were Tom Corcoran I would like to clarify it. Finally, I strongly believe that it would also be necessary to ask Mrs. Bowser about the facility-sustaining costs. Such costs are ignored in the controller’s analysis. Nevertheless, they still affect the company’s profitability. Hence, I would like to get to know how big those costs are. Moreover, the facility-sustaining costs could also be somehow influenced by the possible cooperation with Guess Who Jeans. For instance, the security or insurance costs could rise, since the service is supposed to be offered exclusively to that particular client. Therefore, the analysis of the capacity-sustaining costs would also be useful. To sum up, if I were Tom Corcoran I would have many doubts about the controller’s analysis. I would probably ask her to prepare yet another presentation that includes my suggestions. However, if I were to make the decision, I probably would accept the Guess Who Jeans’ offer. The analysis in the Appendix A, although it does not include nonfinancial factors and may not properly reflect all the costs, clearly shows that such a scenario leads to increased profits. 4. Activity-based costing is undoubtedly a useful tool that could help the management to make the optimal decision. It is much more accurate that the traditional costing systems. Distinguishing various activities and determining cost drivers relating to them helps to more precisely allocate the costs. Using one cost driver for all the amount of the overhead could create the situation where the indirect costs are not really ‘driven’ by the particular cost. For instance, although direct labor hours might to some extent determine the value of the overhead, the influence may only be partial, especially regarding certain products. Using various cost drivers for various activities largely eliminates this problem. What is more, selecting particular cost drivers for respective activities enables ‘taxing’ certain activities. This internal tax system gives an incentive to reduce certain costs and therefore improve the company’s efficiency. For instance, if machine labor hours are chosen as a driver for the production activity there is an impulse to lower the number of machine labor hours which consequently results in decreased value of overhead, lower costs and higher profits. Under Activity-Based Costing the share of costs allocated directly to the products increases. Thus, the company better understand where its overhead costs go to. It enables the firm to identify the products that are not profitable and undertake relevant actions, such as decreasing costs, raising the price or withdrawing the product. However, the cost hierarchy helps to make such decision regarding not only particular products, but also batches and product lines. This undoubtedly allows making decisions that are more profit-maximizing. Moreover, in the ABC the practical capacity is used. Therefore, it is possible to determine the unused capacity. Diminishing the unused capacity is definitely helpful in maximizing the profits of the company. Hence, Activity-Based Costing provides the management with the information necessary to make optimal decisions. To compare, the traditional costing systems do not give such a possibility. However, the ABC method also has some flaws that may result in making a non-optimal production decision. Some of those disadvantages could be observed in the previous questions. First, the system is believed to be complicated. As noticeable in the first question choosing the proper cost driver for the particular activity might be problematic. Selecting the wrong driver could lead to biased results and consequently the decision that is not profit-maximizing. Furthermore, trying to maintain the cost hierarchy may also be difficult, as shown in the example of Mrs. Bowser from the Denim Finish Company. The results when the costs were determined as the batch-level where completely different than when they were analyzed to be product-level. Thus, such easily made mistakes could result in a non-optimal decision. Furthermore, as it could be seen in the second question Activity-Based Costing does not include any nonfinancial measures. Thus, even though pure financial values may show that a particular decision is profit-maximizing, it might not necessarily be the case. Other factors, such as e.g. loss of reputation could actually result in decreased profits. Finally, the ABC method requires gathering data from the whole company, often through interviews. Hence, there is a relatively big possibility that collected data is not perfectly accurate. To sum up, the Activity-Based Costing method is quite reliable tool in making optimal production decisions, especially compared to the traditional costing systems. However, the system has to be carefully planned and implemented, because any mistakes could lead to inaccurate results. Choosing the wrong cost driver and improper assignment of the costs in the cost hierarchy may result in undesired errors. Furthermore, as useful as the ABC is, the management cannot rely solely on financial values provided by the method. Before making the decision all nonfinancial factors have to be considered. Only such a consideration combined with the information supplied by the properly designed and applied Activity-Based Costing system can lead to the optimal production decision.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Internal Selling: “Putting Theory Into Practice”

Mental Model: As mentioned by John Bradley Jackson, â€Å"internal selling can be the hardest sale†. A salesperson might feel that convincing the customers and winning the deal is the end to it, but that is not true. Convincing the people within the organization and specially the higher management is a tougher job to do. There is resistance and inflexibility to change. The internal sales cycle is almost similar to the process of selling to the end customers. A salesperson has to understand the process, his role in it and then communicate everything to everyone (From John Bradley Jackson). After studying the course â€Å"Internal Selling†, I have understood the importance of selling within the organization. Like a ray of white light consists of all the colors, behind any decision in a company, there are different persons involved. These people have different ideologies, mental models, constraints and resistances. To be a successful internal seller, one has to accept this fact and be adaptable to apply different approaches to convince these people with the help of three types of selling skills: strategic, tactical and self-management. Thus he will be able to network and effectively implement any idea or plan internally. Executive Summary: This report talks about the Super-Ware case and tries to analyze how different internal selling concepts can be used in such a scenario in real life. There are two challenges here. The first one is to win over the customer Australian Home and the second one is to convince the people within the organization to agree to the demands of Australian Home. SPIN selling techniques can be used to convince Australian Home. For the second part, six stage internal sell process is explained. For each of the stages, relevant theories and concepts have been used. The final goal is to convince both the companies to strike a deal so that a long term good business relationship can be started. Putting Theory into Practice: I will consider the â€Å"Super Ware† case and try to analyze it in the lights of the theories learnt in the course â€Å"Internal Selling†. First, I will describe the situation in brief. Then the two parts will be discussed separately. The first part, convincing the customer, Australian Home will have discussion on how SPIN selling technique can be used here. The second part, convincing the company people, will be dealt with the six stage internal sell process. Situational Analysis: Super-Ware is a cookware company. It designs products to simplify people’s lives. For more than 100 years, they are helping people to save money and time by keeping their food fresh for longer. Super-Ware offers a wide range of products for storing food, food preparation, cookware, storage and serving items. They have designed a new technology cookware. This is called Snap-Shut which has the patented Easy-Find technology. The first challenge of the sales representative is to win the deal from the most shopped general merchandise retailer of Australia, Australian Home. Then the second challenge is to convince the departments within the organization to agree to the needs of Australian Home. 1. Convincing the End Customer: Australian Home 1. 1 SPIN selling technique: First, I will try to apply the SPIN selling technique as proposed by Rackham, 1987 to be able to win over the customer, Australian Home. †¢Situation: Australian Home is one of the biggest retailers of Australia. It is part of Australian Home Corporation, Limited which operates in retail, financial services and petroleum. More than 25,000 Australians work across the company. It has 254 stores in a wide range of communities nationwide. Australian Home stores offer a unique mix of products and services through the leadership of three specialty stores under one roof- Automotive, Sports and Leisure and Home Products. The product in question, Snap-Shut is currently not listed in Australian Home but other products of Super-Ware are sold in Australian Home as well as other competitive products like Lite-Box and Snap-Tight. Snap-Shut is sold in three retailer stores in Australia currently: All-Mart, Wellworths and Dollarland. The objective of the salesperson is to secure full listing of the Snap-Shut product line before the key summer picnic season. It is known that the future relationship with Australian Home is dependent on successfully getting this deal. †¢Problem: Consumers cannot find the lids of their containers and the Easy-Find technology of Super-Ware solves this problem. But there are some issues. Super-Ware does not accept returns of products and there is no guarantee that the products will sell as it is a new innovative range of cookware. The shipping policy of Super-Ware is FOB (freight on board) to the retailer. This means Super-Ware’s responsibility ends once the products are on board and the retailer has to bear the responsibility from then onwards. To add to these, Australian Home wants the products to be delivered in boxes of 20 instead of the Super-Ware convention of 10. They also want the boxes to have red transparent lids and not blue. Moreover, they demand to sell below the MSRP (manufacturer’s suggested retail price) by at least 2 cents for each if the items. They do not want the FOB policy for shipping and want the products to be delivered directly to their Melbourne depot. Implication: Over 70% of consumers are routinely unable to find the lid that matches their containers and another 52% loose the lid completely. The Snap-Shut products solve two problems, leakage and easy organization. They have unique locking tabs for secure storage and the lid snap to the base so that it cannot get lost. The lids are transparent which means whatever is stored within the boxes can be seen easily. It will help the customers to find what they want in a time efficient manner. This Easy-Find technology is patented by Super-Ware. So these boxes will attract more customers than competitors. This will mean more business for Australian Home. The competitors of Australian Home: All-Mart, Wellworths and Dollarland currently sell Snap-Shut products. So not listing this range will result in competitive disadvantage for Australian Home. Moreover, after the Christmas season, customers will have many leftover foods and Summer being a picnic season, they will need more food storage boxes. These customers will be more than happy to buy the unique Snap-Shut products. These are some of the main reasons why Australian Home should store this new product range. Need-Payoff: Australian Home is convinced about the innovative Snap-Shut products. But they have raised some demands to be fulfilled before placing the order. Getting this deal is very important for Super-Ware. This will ensure start of a good professional relationship with Australian Home which can be turned into a long term one. Australian Home is the biggest player in Australia and having a good relation with them will help S uper-Ware to gain more profits. If the demands of Australian Home are fulfilled and they are given guarantee of sales, they will order the products. This will mean gaining their trust and future orders. To make it a success, the sales representative has to use his selling skills to convince the people within different departments in the organization to accept the demands of Australian Home. 2. Convincing the Internal People of the Company: Super-Ware I will use the six-stage Internal Sell Process as proposed by Friesen, M. E. , 1998 to describe how the people within the organization, Super-Ware can be convinced to agree to the demands of Australian Home so that the deal comes to a successful end. The sales representative has to use the three selling skills of Strategic, Tactical and Self-management to do this task. 2. 1 Identify the Problem: There are four demands of Australian Home which is related to four departments. †¢The Marketing/Brand team has to be convinced that supplying red lids will be beneficial and cost effective †¢The Production team has to be convinced that changing the pack box quantities from 12 to 20 is viable †¢The Sales, Finance and Marketing teams are to be convinced that selling 2 cents below the MSRP will benefit the company †¢The Supply Chain team should agree to ship the products to the Melbourne depot 2. Generate Ideas: People are different. They have different mental models. These models influence how they observe and understand the world and finally how they take actions and behave. They have different constraints and resistances. To convince these people, one has to accept that they are different and try to think in the same w ay as they do. Different approaches are needed to accomplish this. One has to be ready to apply them and be effective at gathering information to successfully apply them (Spiro, & Weitz, 1990). This is called Adaptive Selling. As explained by John Bradley Jackson, â€Å"Internal selling can be the hardest sell†, one need to explain the unique attributes of the new customer agreement and don’t expect people to seek out the details about the new agreement. The people within the organization should be specifically communicated about the importance of the deal. They should be involved to generate ideas about how to meet the demands. The four departments can be given the following four reasoning: †¢Marketing: As Christmas is coming and red is a popular colour in Australia, changing the lid colour from blue to red might become more beneficial for the company. The department people might argue that changing the colour of the lid will confuse the end customers. The end customers can easily identify the colour blue with the Super-Ware brand name. This is part of their brand recall. And doing something which may affect the brand loyalty is a very risky decision. But the counter argument here can be that Australian Home and Super-Ware will engage in cooperative advertising which will feature both the companies. This adds will carry the message that Super-Ware has brought new Christmas special red lids exclusively for the Australian Home customers. This will help to increase the brand loyalty rather than affecting it. Another argument from the department can be that there is no guarantee that customers will like these red colour lids and buy them. The reasoning here can be that Australian Home, being the biggest retailer has more knowledge about the customer preferences and they have the confidence that the red lids will attract more and more customers during this festive season. †¢Production: Australian Home wants the products to be delivered in pack of 20. The Production department will say that doing this will mean different packaging process for Australian Home. Currently, the products are delivered in cases of 12 for all the other customers. Changing the packaging process only for one customer will result in more cost. Super-Ware might outsource the entire packaging process but that will mean losing the control over it. And if Super-Ware decides to standardize the process and package all products in cases of 20 for all customers, then the other customers might disagree to it. The sales representative can try to address these concerns by saying that packing in cases of 20 instead of 12 will save packaging material and thus save cost. The other customers can be convinced to accept delivery in packs of 20 with the reasoning that this is an environment friendly manner of business. †¢Finance: The Finance and Sales teams are to be convinced that selling below the MSRP will be beneficial in long term. They might say that if Australian Home is sold at 2 cents below the MSRP, then the other customers will also demand the same. But the counter argument here can be that, Australian Home is one of the biggest retailer and they have the biggest customer base. Profit = quantity * price. The reduction in price will result in more quantity being sold and thus more profit. If the other customers also demand same reduction in price, then Super-Ware can say that Australian Home gives the guarantee of more quantity, if they are also ready to buy more products and confident to sell them then they can also be given this privilege. Thus in long term, this will mean more Super-Ware products being sold and more profit for the company. †¢Supply Chain: Currently Super-Ware has the FOB shipping policy. The products are shipped from China and it is the responsibility of the buyer once the products are on board. Australian Home is worried about this responsibility, they are not worried about the money i. e. they are ready to pay the shipping prices but do not want the hassle of customs and other responsibilities. The Supply Chain department may say that changing the policy will mean new agreements and more legal costs and moreover the other customers will also start demanding the same. But they can be convinced saying that Australian Home is a major key account and they mean more business for the company. And they are not concerned about the money. Super-Ware only has to arrange for the responsibilities. All they have to do is to contact some outsourced expert shipping company for this. The expenses will be paid by Australian Home. If the other customers demand this, then they can be asked to enter into a long term business contract to avail this service. 2. 3 Network the Ideas: After talking to different departments, convincing them and asking them for suggestions, the ideas have to be communicated to all within the company to gain support from top management and others within the organization. The sales representative has to use his networking skills in this stage. He has to understand that people have different ego states from which they can communicate. This is the transactional analysis proposed by E. Berne, 1986. There are three ego states: †¢Parent †¢Adult †¢Child And there are three types of transactions possible within people: †¢Reciprocal/Complementary †¢Crossed †¢Duplex/Covert While communicating with someone, one should try to analyse the ego state of that person and try to guess the type of transaction he is trying to do. Accordingly, the sales representative should behave with that person to perform a successful friendly communication. Everyone in the organization should be convinced about the importance of the deal with Australian Home and the new ideas thought of to meet the demands of them. The sales representative can use his different powers, coercive, utility and honour, to influence and convince people. Influence is termed as the highest level of all human skills. The sales representative has to identify the most influential persons within the company or the opinion leaders. If these people are convinced, then they can motivate others to agree to the changes required to meet the demands of Australian Home. The other people who should be targeted first are the people with knowledge, people who have good connections in the company and also who are trustworthy. These people might help to get support and cooperation from others. People do not like changes. They are resistant to changes. And the worst part is, if one process succeeds then people become more resistant to change it. Meeting the demands of Australian Home requires some serious changes in the company policy. So the sales representative has to be very careful to make sure everyone is convinced that these changes are good for the company in the long term. Everyone should be involved in this process. People feel more obliged to agree to changes if they are engaged in and part of the process. The sales representative should keep in mind that there is the ladder of inference as proposed by Peter Senge. These are the stages that one goes through while inferring something. One decides what information to select from the pool of available information, and then he describes this information to himself and makes the interpretation. After that he evaluates it based on his views and opinions. Then finally he theorises it and concludes. This is the complex procedure behind any inference. People do these steps in mind without knowing that he is doing these. So, it is important to know that everyone has their own different ladder of inference. To convince someone and sell some idea to him, the seller has to act in a friendly way so that the person infers the exact thing that the seller wants him to infer. The ideas generated by talking to the four departments should be networked within the company with these theories kept in mind to ensure effective communication and generating support. The sales epresentative has to use his powers and influence skills to successfully convince everyone in the company. He should use his four types of influence styles depending on the situation: †¢Involving: He should use this style with people who are friends and trustworthy. It should be used to build collaborations based on the same goals. They can form a team together and work towards motivating and convincing others in the com pany. †¢Inquiring: He should use this style of influence with people who have some other needs. He should talk to people and try to identify their objectives and goals. Then he can try to convince them about his ideas and in turn he will help them to get success on their respective issues. †¢Leading: He should use this influence style to let everyone know the importance of this deal and the importance of Australian Home as a major long term key account customer. If the employees within the company are convinced about the importance of the issue then they will shed their resistance and come forward to make the deal a success. †¢Proposing: This style of influencing involves proposing various options and solutions with rationalizations. It is a structured style. This style might be used with people within the four departments. The sales representative should try to get these people involved in the whole matter. He should ask for their suggestions and they should work together towards a win-win solution for both the companies. 2. 4 Close the Deal: This is the hardest of all the stages. Getting the commitment from the top management can be as hard as possible. They can be convinced still not committed. The sales representative might have to use different closing techniques depending on the situation and the persons involved. While closing, the sales representative can use the concept of co-opetition, Brandenburger and barry, 1996. It is not necessary that one party has to be defeated for the win of the other party. It can be a win-win situation for both Australian Home and Super-Ware. The top management has to be convinced that. The solutions should be made in such a way so that they benefit both the companies. 2. 5 Implementation: This is the stage once commitment is gained from the top management. The ideas should be implemented. The sales representative should personally ensure that all the four departments can successfully implement all the olutions. He should be involved in the entire implementation process. He should also ask the Australian Home representatives for their feedbacks. He is the middle man between the two companies. He has the responsibility of maintaining the interests of both the companies and keeping both of them happy and thus helping to grow the inter-organizational relation. In t his stage also he has to use his people skills to ensure that everything is going smooth. 2. 6 Sell the Results: This is the final stage of this six stage internal sell process. The results of the deal, the final success story should be communicated to everyone. The sales figure of Australian Home, the growth in revenue and other financial figures should be communicated to everyone. He should also not forget to thank everyone and mention their contributions everywhere. This can be explained with the help of the Double Loop Learning concept as proposed by Argyris, 1976. Single loop learning is only problem solving and is a one way approach. This helps only in improving the system as it exists. But double loop learning is more than just solving the problems. This involves questioning the underlying assumptions and beliefs behind the techniques in which we do something, goals and values. The final outcome is the result that we get. We should analyse this result and try to learn from it. This learning can help in building the underlying assumptions which explains why we do something. This will also help in the techniques, goals, values and strategies which explain what we do. The outcome of building a successful business relation with Australian Home should be considered as a learning experience for the company Super-Ware. The results should be communicated to one and all within the company. This will help in internal sell process in future for other decisions in other situations. References: †¢John Bradley Jackson, â€Å"Internal Selling Can Be The Hardest Sale† †¢Rackham, 1987, SPIN Selling Technique †¢Spiro, & Weitz, 1990, Adaptive Selling †¢Jennifer McFarland, 2001, â€Å"The Inside Sales Job† †¢Friesen, M. E. , 1998, â€Å"The Internal Sell Process† †¢E. Berne, 1986, Transactional Analysis †¢Peter Senge, Ladder of Inference †¢Brandenburger and Barry, 1996, Co-opetition †¢Argyris, 1976, Double Loop Learning

Acceptable Use Policy

Acceptable Use Policy Artiesha Artis CIS 462 Security Strategies and Policy Professor Darrell Nerove October 20, 2012 Working in many different arenas while pursuing my degree in Computer Security has opened my eyes to many things, one thing that I have noticed is that some companies felt that they were immune to data breaches. I have worked in smaller organizations that just didn’t have the knowledge to protect their network against security breaches.One inexpensive and very productive way to counteract lack of resources or know how is with an Acceptable use police. An acceptable use policy is not put in place to snoop on individuals rather than to protect the businesses assets. The AUP (acceptable use policy) that I want to focus on is one that governs internet usage. Acceptable use policy regarding internet usage normally includes information about websites that are off limits as well as defining a scope for what sites are allowed to be accessed for personal surfing.Most AU P’s are put in place to protect the company’s employees, partners and the company itself from any illegal or damaging actions by individuals knowingly or unknowingly. Confidentiality, integrity and availability are the founding stables of insuring that information is secure. An acceptable use policy enforces confidentiality, integrity and availability by limiting access and disclosure to authorized users — â€Å"the right people† — and preventing access or disclosure to unauthorized ones — â€Å"the wrong people. , as well as requiring employees to authenticate themselves in order to control access to data system resources and in turn hold employees responsible if violations occur under their user id. The company that I presently work for has an acceptable use policy it purposes is to highlight an outline the acceptable use of the computer equipment and systems that we are granted access to. It is always stated throughout all the acceptable use policies I have seen that users must be aware that data created on corporate systems are property of the company.Employees are to exercise sound judgment regarding personal usage of computer systems. To be quite honest the AUP at my current organization is very straight forward and what I consider to be week. It is literally a blurb in the handbook that states that the internet systems are for business purposes only, and that the company observes the right to monitor the usage of the software. I can only think of a few reasons why the AUP at my organization is so brief.I work in the healthcare industry and because we deal with a lot of member information we are more concerned with HIPPA violations. In conjunction with HIPPA we also focus on making sure we remain in compliance with the HITECH act. Since there are other rules that we become preoccupied with the focus is no longer place on the AUP at my job. You will notice although there is no strict regards to an AUP at my place of employment there are filters and blocks in place so that certain websites are not able to be accessed.I have a few ideas on how I would implement a better AUP at my place of employment. I would first conduct a current policy review. By performing an audit of my current internet usage policy I would compare it with what I want my new policy to be. Taking into careful consideration the degree of policy enforcement required. Next I would want to gain visibility of your network traffic. Using a Web traffic assessment tool, such as a proxy appliance, to identify and monitor Internet traffic and to identify specific areas or groups that are engaging in inappropriate or excessive Web use.This would allow me to analyze how much time users and user groups spend on the Internet during an â€Å"average† workday and what policies may need to be implemented. I would then concentrate on working collaboratively with all departments to enforce my end goal concentrating on the departments that have a bearing on the companywide Internet use policy, especially human resources and IT ensuring that there are no mismatches between the policies established and the ability of the network infrastructure to support them.After all this is completely then we would need to test my new policy by conducting an exercise with key users when the policy is at a draft stage. This will ensure that the policy is both practical in terms of achieving its objectives and sufficiently flexible to accommodate change or emergency situations. Then I would create a plan for announcing the new Internet usage policy throughout the organization to ensure that employee communication is well managed, the policy is understood and the restrictions imposed are fully justified.This would include denying access to Internet resources until users agree to accept the new policy. I would then ensure monitoring employee use is automated through Web monitoring software. I feel it would be a waste of human resou rces to assign a person or team to monitor the Internet activities of all company employees as a supervisor I know that there is just no time for looking over someone’s shoulder. Web monitoring software would provide efficient and comprehensive reports and data can be accessed within minutes.Stricter automation would allow management to set boundaries for site browsing, prevent downloading and installing of software and has multiple scanning engines to ensure that allowed downloads are free of viruses and other malware. By controlling downloads and browsing in real-time, the network is protected from malware. There is also the prevention of data leakage through socially-engineered websites and it also helps reduce cyber-slacking, thus boosting employee and business productivity.In order to increase awareness of the importance of AUP and the need for them I would hold formal companywide training. I would also have quarterly reviews on what to do if. I have always believed that the only way for end users to truly embrace and understand the importance of any new policy or procedure implemented is to make them part of it, so during training I would ask for suggestions on how the employees feel they could make things smoother or easier and I would advise them to keep an eye out for violations.Having individuals keep an eye out on violations is the more challenging part of it all because no one wants to be a snitch but in order for any policy or procedure to work well to its fullest all wheels have to turn in the same direction. Of course the responsibility of reporting violations won’t be solely on staff because I would want monitoring in place to assist with that.AUPs are put in place to protect a company's data assets and confidential information while also safeguarding employees and maintaining standards concerning the use of the Internet during working hours. Implementing Web monitoring software is an investment in security and could prevent emplo yees from cyber-slacking or abusing the company's trust with work-related information. By implementing and enforcing a solid AUP and providing ongoing, end-user education and training, a company can minimize risk, allowing them to focus on growing their business ather than the need to repair it. ? References Gaskin, J. E. (1998). Internet acceptable usage policies. Information Systems Management, 15(2), 20 Johnson , R. , Merkow, M. (2011). Security Policies and Implementation Issues. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett. Palgi, R. D. (1996). Rules of the Road: Why You Need an Acceptable Use Policy. School Library Journal, 42(8), 32-33. Siau, K. , Nah, F. , & Teng, L. (2002). ACCEPTABLE INTERNET USE POLICY. Communications of the ACM, 45(1), 75-79.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Most Dangerous Game

The Most Dangerous Game† are examples of foil characters with two very different personlaties as well as characteristics. These two characters are on opposite sides of the spectrum. Zaroff is the hunter and Rainsford is the prey in this story. Also, General Zaroff has very unethical ideas and hobbies. This is very different from Rainsford's humane beliefs. Lastly, Zaroff is far more ostentatious compared to Rainsford, who is more resourceful with his hunting experience.It is clear that their character traits differ greatly. To begin, Zaroff and Rainsford have two very different roles in â€Å"The Most Dangerous Game†. General Zaroff is perceived as the hunter and Rainsford is the prey. Zaroff presents a â€Å"game† where the two characters hunt each other. Although Rainsford wins this â€Å"game†, Zaroff is known as the hunter. This is because he is known for hunting humans. He has also never lost this â€Å"game† to any of his other opponents. Rains ford is seen as the prey (prior to him winning) because he is against hunting humans and considers it murder.He also appears to be afraid of Zaroff in he beginning. † I wish to leave this island at once† (Connel 175). This represents his fear. Knowing this, it is automatically assumed that Zaroff will hunt and kill Rainsford. To continue, the two characters are considered foils because they have different beliefs and morals. General Zaroff is open about his hobby of hunting humans. He even ridicules Rainsford by saying that he â€Å"harbors romantic ideas about the value of human life† (Connel 172). On the other hand, Rainsford's character hunts animals. He considers it murder to hunt human beings.Zaroffs reason for hunting humans is hat they are able to reason with the hunter, therefore making it more of a challenge to hunt them. One possible reason for this difference of morals are the nationality of the two men. General Zaroff is Russian while Rainsford is Amer ican. This could explain the difference because the culture and lifestyle of the two countries could cause its citizens to act in certain ways. Additionally, Zaroff and Rainsford are foil characters because of their behavior and character. In the story General Zaroff is ostentatious while Rainsford is more resourceful.Zaroff shows off his home and lifestyle when Rainsford is there. He also appears bossy in the story. He orders around Ivan and seems to brag about the people he is training in his basement. This might also be a reason that Zaroff loses the â€Å"game†. â€Å"‘To date I have not lost,' he said† (Connel 174). He underestimates Rainsford's abilities and is too confident about himself. He is sure that he will win the game. Rainsford is considered resourceful because he uses features of the forest to build traps for Zaroff and his dogs multiple times in the story. He also uses his Knowledge 0T nuntlng to create a trall tnats OITTlcult to Tollow Dy Laron. RalnsTora relies on his talents while Zaroff seems to rely on other sources such as the hounds. In conclusion, General Zaroff and Rainsford represent foil characters in â€Å"The Most Dangerous Game†. They are two extremely different people with different beliefs and traits. Zaroffs character is an amoral one who likes to hunt humans. His character is also depicted as the showy and arrogant hunter. Rainsford on the other hand is ethical compared to Zaroff. He is also seen as the prey of the story. General Zaroff and Rainsford are very obvious examples of foil characters. Most Dangerous Game The Most Dangerous Game† are examples of foil characters with two very different personlaties as well as characteristics. These two characters are on opposite sides of the spectrum. Zaroff is the hunter and Rainsford is the prey in this story. Also, General Zaroff has very unethical ideas and hobbies. This is very different from Rainsford's humane beliefs. Lastly, Zaroff is far more ostentatious compared to Rainsford, who is more resourceful with his hunting experience.It is clear that their character traits differ greatly. To begin, Zaroff and Rainsford have two very different roles in â€Å"The Most Dangerous Game†. General Zaroff is perceived as the hunter and Rainsford is the prey. Zaroff presents a â€Å"game† where the two characters hunt each other. Although Rainsford wins this â€Å"game†, Zaroff is known as the hunter. This is because he is known for hunting humans. He has also never lost this â€Å"game† to any of his other opponents. Rains ford is seen as the prey (prior to him winning) because he is against hunting humans and considers it murder.He also appears to be afraid of Zaroff in he beginning. † I wish to leave this island at once† (Connel 175). This represents his fear. Knowing this, it is automatically assumed that Zaroff will hunt and kill Rainsford. To continue, the two characters are considered foils because they have different beliefs and morals. General Zaroff is open about his hobby of hunting humans. He even ridicules Rainsford by saying that he â€Å"harbors romantic ideas about the value of human life† (Connel 172). On the other hand, Rainsford's character hunts animals. He considers it murder to hunt human beings.Zaroffs reason for hunting humans is hat they are able to reason with the hunter, therefore making it more of a challenge to hunt them. One possible reason for this difference of morals are the nationality of the two men. General Zaroff is Russian while Rainsford is Amer ican. This could explain the difference because the culture and lifestyle of the two countries could cause its citizens to act in certain ways. Additionally, Zaroff and Rainsford are foil characters because of their behavior and character. In the story General Zaroff is ostentatious while Rainsford is more resourceful.Zaroff shows off his home and lifestyle when Rainsford is there. He also appears bossy in the story. He orders around Ivan and seems to brag about the people he is training in his basement. This might also be a reason that Zaroff loses the â€Å"game†. â€Å"‘To date I have not lost,' he said† (Connel 174). He underestimates Rainsford's abilities and is too confident about himself. He is sure that he will win the game. Rainsford is considered resourceful because he uses features of the forest to build traps for Zaroff and his dogs multiple times in the story. He also uses his Knowledge 0T nuntlng to create a trall tnats OITTlcult to Tollow Dy Laron. RalnsTora relies on his talents while Zaroff seems to rely on other sources such as the hounds. In conclusion, General Zaroff and Rainsford represent foil characters in â€Å"The Most Dangerous Game†. They are two extremely different people with different beliefs and traits. Zaroffs character is an amoral one who likes to hunt humans. His character is also depicted as the showy and arrogant hunter. Rainsford on the other hand is ethical compared to Zaroff. He is also seen as the prey of the story. General Zaroff and Rainsford are very obvious examples of foil characters.