Effects of Interprofessional Working on Service Users

Effects of Interprofessional Working on Service Users Grace N Gaisey Enhancing Health and Social Care through Interprofessional Education Beresford and Carr (2012) identified a service user as an individual who essentially receives an impeccable and person- centred care from a healthcare professional or service. Thus, using appropriate and evidence-based literatures, this essay will critically analyse and discuss how service users’ experiences are influenced through Interprofessional working. An introduction to what Interprofessional working is will be defined with brief discussion of the need for Interprofessional working. The essay will also have a critical discussion of two key points on how service users’ experiences are influenced through Interprofessional working. The key points consist of; more understanding of team, team roles and personality types-more positive experience for service users. Increased knowledge of other professional roles- ability to relate them to own role- understand of gaps and overlaps in service provision-increased ability to relate across professional boundaries. The essay will then conclude by looking at how Interprofessional working is essential in the delivery of service users’ outcome. As explained by Day (2013), Interprofessional working occurs when healthcare professionals from diverse disciplines work together to identify needs, solve problems and make joint decisions on how best to provide an integrated care for the benefits of service users. As a result in making a difference, the Department of Health (DH) (2015) suggested that effective care is the product of Interprofessional working. This is because professionals working in collaboration give care which is designed to meet the needs of service users. This concept was further endorsed with the publication of The NHS Plan in the year 2000 (DH, 2015). The purpose of the plan was to create a service designed around service user needs, encouraging healthcare professionals to work together to meet the needs of service users, as lack of Interprofessional working can cause harm to service users. For instance, several researchers have shown that failure to collaborate and failure of communication between different h ealthcare professionals contributed to the death of Victoria Climbie (Royal College of Nursing (RCN), 2015). This highlights how Interprofessional working is essential and massively influences service users’ experience. Coherently, government policies emphasises the need for effective Interprofessional working to provide optimal and safe service user care. Thus, as published in 2010, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recognised that, Interprofessional working is an essential component in the satisfactory of service delivery as it enables the delivery of excellent care to service users. As a result, a key point to consider about the influence of service users experience through Interprofessional working is; it enables more understanding of teams, team roles and personality types which provides more positive experience for service users. This is for the reason that every professional have their own roles, skills and responsibilities that formulates efficient practice in curing, managing or treating specific ailments (Brumfitt Baxter, 2011). This also allows healthcare professionals to identify a distinctive difference in, and to understand the roles and contributions of other healthcare professiona ls (MacDonald, 2011). Therefore, this influences service users experience as it is suggested that it contributes to patient safety and enhances the understanding of professionals’ roles (Vincent, 2012). Because these professionals working together will have the ability to collaborate effectively, and understand each other team roles to provide effective care for a service user. A study by (Jones, 2011) states that when professionals from various disciplines collaborates, it facilitates better service user outcomes as they work as a group, and utilise individual skills and roles to generate an understanding and make decisions to reach the highest service user care standards. However, RCN (2014) proposed that if healthcare professionals do not work together and understand each other’s professional roles, it can compromise service users’ experience. This is because they need to manage the relationship with each professional and understand their roles in order not to compromise any clinical decision making (RCN, 2014). This was further concurred in a study by Zwarenstein, Goldman Reeves (2011) proposing that Interprofessional working involves issues such as, lack of understanding of other professional roles and responsibilities that arises due to different healthcare professionals working together which can have adverse harm on service users. Thu s, it is thought that understanding of roles within the healthcare professionals encourages team approach to service user needs where information and knowledge is shared to facilitate improved decision making regarding service user care (RCN, 2015). Consequently, upon understanding each professional roles and working together, it enables them to provide a plan of care for the service user. This therefore influences services users experience as the care given will be individualised for their needs. A typical example would be an elderly care patient with diabetes who develops a pulmonary embolism while on the ward. The healthcare professionals that will care for this service user will be more aware and able to collaborate to provide a plan and develop their workforce to increase the safety of the service user. Thus, there will be collaboration between an endocrinologist, a respiratory physician, cardiologist, a diabetic nurse and a general nurse who will work together and understand each professional’s role to coordinate care to this service user as they all have different roles that will help in the service users’ recovery. In addition, a study by Kenny (2013) disputed that Interprofessional working can be very challenging and not an easy thought for healthcare professionals to adopt. The author disputed that Interprofessional working is not being delivered to service users’ effectively due to healthcare professionals misunderstanding the policies and research regarding Interprofessional working. However, plans for improvement were recognized within the NHS Plan regarding effective Interprofessional working which was utilised to meet these challenges (DH, 2015). The NHS Plan for Interprofessional working recommended that healthcare professionals should collaborate effectively, understands each other’s roles, and communicate collaboratively to deliver a gold standard care to service users (DH, 2015). Hence, providing this plan was used in shaping the way in which Interprofessional working is viewed and adopted today by healthcare professionals (DH, 2014). The second key point to consider on how Interprofessional working influences service users’ experience is; it increases knowledge of other professional roles, making it possible for individual professionals to relate them to their own role, and understanding of overlap in service provision, which influences service users’ experience. This is because it helps in gaining experience on how other healthcare professionals work, and leads to an enhancement of knowledge required to collaborate with other healthcare professionals in providing effective healthcare to service users (MacDonald, et al., 2011). For instance, this influences service user experience because upon healthcare professionals increasing their knowledge of other professional role creates the maintenance of professional boundaries. Though, a study by Nancarrow (2011) looked at the impact of care delivery on healthcare professional role boundaries. It was established that professionals of the Interprofessional team were not threatened by role overlap and that role overlap was usually undertaken. It was further suggested that this role overlap can have an effect on service delivery (Nancarrow, 2011). However, another study by Jones (2011) disputed on this belief. The author argued that this is why Interprofessional education and Interprofessional working was introduced to increase the knowledge of healthcare professionals, and for them to understand each other’s role and not carrying out tasks of other professionals to prevent role overlap. As a result, this influences service users experience as healthcare professionals working together will respect each other and will not overstep their professional role amongst them (Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), 2013). It also enables a healthcare provider to know when service users’ need referrals, and the right professional to be referred to. A study by MacDonald, et al., (2011) points out that there is no way an individual professional can deal with all determinants of service users’ health. It has to be a group of professionals with different knowledge base, different experiences with different roles and willing to learn from each other. As such, this creates the provision for healthcare professionals to be able to participate in shared team experience, which therefore enhances individual knowledge and the ability to relate them to their own role which consequently influences service users’ experience. An example will be a service user with Parkinsonà ¢â‚¬â„¢s disease who is admitted on the ward due to a fall at home. This service user will be referred to a Parkinson’s specialist nurse, occupational and physiotherapist and a doctor to work towards on how best these service users’ needs will be met as an individual service provider cannot provide the care this service user needs on his/her own. Conversely, research shows that this outcome is not always the case as healthcare professionals may be unclear not only about other professional roles, but also about their own role. Hence, an evidenced-based research by (Lowes Hulatt, 2013) also shows that Interprofessional education was introduced in undergraduate nursing and other healthcare students to facilitate them gain insights into different healthcare professional roles, practice of collaborating team members, as well as the ability to relate to their own role. This influences service users’ experiences as these professionals working together are increasing their knowledge of other professional role in a directive way, putting service user at the heart of care and working towards their improvements. Today’s service users have complex health needs and require more than one healthcare professional to address issues regarding their health needs. Thus, professionals from various disciplines working together and understanding each other roles can best communicate and collaborate together to address these complex needs to maintain service users health and improve their health outcomes while combining resources (Bridges, Davidson Tomkowiak, 2011). This essay has highlighted the need for Interprofessional working and how it massively influences service users’ experience. Upon writing the essay, it has increased my knowledge of the different professional roles within the healthcare profession and the value of these roles in relation to service users’ management. It has also enabled me to understand my own professional identity. Hence, as a soon to be nurse, this will be applicable to my own professional practice to ensure service users’ needs are met holistically. References Beresford, P., Carr, S. (2012). Social care, service users and user involvement. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Bridges, D. R., Davidson, R., Tomkowiak, J. (2011). Interprofessional collaboration: three best practice models of Interprofessional education. Journal of Interprofessional care. 17(6), 342-400. Brumfitt, M. S., Baxter, S. K. (2011). Professional differences in Interprofessional working. British journal of nursing, 22(3), 239-251. Day, J. (2013). Interprofessional working: An essential guide for health and social care professionals. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes. Jones, I. F. (2011). The theory of boundaries: impact on Interprofessional working. Journal of Interprofessional care, 21(3), 355-357. Kenny, G. (2013). Interprofessional working: opportunities and challenges. Nursing standards. 17(6), 33-35. Lowes, L., Hulatt, I. (2013). Involving service users in health and social care research. Oxfordshire: Digital printing. MacDonald, B.M., Bally, M. J., Ferguson, L. M., Murray, L., Fowler, K. et al. (2011). Knowledge of the professional role of others: A key Interprofessional competency. Nurse education in practice, 10(4), 238-242. Nursing and Midwifery Council. (2013). Maintaining Boundaries. London: NMC. Retrieved February, 22, 2015, from http://www.nmc-uk.org/Nurses-and-midwives/Regulation-in-practice/Regulation-in-Practice-Topics/Maintaining-Boundaries-/ Royal College of Nursing. (2014). Safeguarding the young. London: RCN. Retrieved February, 18, 2015, from http://rcnpublishing.com/doi/pdfplus/10.7748/paed2003.12.15.10.24.c827 Royal College of Nursing. (2014). The impact and effectiveness on inter-professional education in primary care: an RCN literature review. London: RCN. Retrieve February, 21, 2015, from https://www.rcn.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/78718/003091.pdf. United Kingdom: Department of Health (2015). Delivering high quality, effective, compassionate care: Developing the right people with the right skills and right values. London: DH United Kingdom: Department of Health (2015). The NHS Plan: a plan for investment, a plan for reform. London: DH. Vincent, C. (2012). Patient Safety. 2nd (ed.). Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. World Health Organisation. (2010). Framework for action in Interprofessional education and collaborative practice. Geneva: WHO. Zwarenstein, M., Goldman, C., Reeves, S. (2011). Interprofessional collaboration: effects of practice-based interventions on professional practice and healthcare outcomes. British journal of nursing, 33(4), 159-170.

Grendels Mothers Attack :: Essays Papers

Grendel's Mother's Attack Grendel's mother, unknown to the Danes or Geats, is plotting to avenge the death of her son. After the celebrations are over in Heorot and everybody is asleep, Grendel's mother appears out of her dwelling place, the swamp. She enters the hall where the warriors are sleeping. They wake in time to ward off the attack with their swords but the monster manages to escape with one victim in her claws (this is Aeschere). After she escapes, the warriors realize that she has managed to steal back Grendel's claw from where it has been hanging. The victim is one of Hrothgar's closest advisors, "the man he loved most of all men on earth." The king summons Beowulf and his men. There's a feeling of desperation in the air. We know Beowulf realizes that something is dreadfully wrong -- no doubt he can hear the uproar from the main hall- but he also knows that it's his job to convey confidence and self-control. At this moment, the young warrior seems wiser and more mature than the aging king. Beowulf is told by the King that Grendel's mother has "avenged the feud" (Abrams, 44). The king, once again, asks Beowulf to help him. Beowulf, upon seeing the king's condition, says: Sorrow not, wise warrior. It is better for a man to avenge his friend than much mourn. Each of us must await his end of the world's life. Let him who may get glory before death: that is best for the warrior after he has gone from life. Arise, guardian of the kingdom, let us go at once to look on the track of Grendel's kin. On their way to the swamp, they discover Aeschere's bloody head sitting on top of the cliff.

Marketing Brand Strategy

Decide if you would like to brand your product or service. Then identify three products or services in your industry that have a logo or slogan. After which, either develop a logo or slogan that will identify your product or service or explain why branding is not the best marketing plan. Then write a marketing memo to the advertising division of your company rationalizing your choice. Evaluation Criteria: Have you included all the required elements? Have you identified the environmental factors and described their influence appropriately in the given situation? Please use the textbook – Marketing Management 12E by Kotler & Keller and other sources. If you are using sources other than the text, you must provide complete citations. Is the paper professionally presented? Remember your audience – senior management at your company. It is important to present your information as clearly and succinctly as possible. Please read the instructions carefully. Please make sure that 1 of the 3 references that you are using is my text book – Marketing My product brand : â€Å"Smiley ulcer-guard toothpaste†, Company: Teethal Slogan : Guardian in disguise –   forever with a smile [ which implies that this above mentioned toothpaste prevents from the oral infection of ulcers which shadows a face with grin and no smile for a long period. ] Logo: A smile embedded in a circle Three products in the industry having logo or slogan are as follows – 1. HLL’s Close-Up 2. Proctor and Gamble’s Pepsodent 3. Colgate Palmolive’s Colgate Why banding is not the best marketing plan? Strategic planning is a process which gives a detailed understanding of the growth and provides a futuristic view of a business enterprise. Careful study of the strategic planning helps in scrutinizing and developing a steady marketing plan for a product line or a brand. Every marketing plan should involve a thorough analysis of the external and internal environment. If the environment is stable, most of the activities will be predictable and convenient for the organization. But in today’s scenario, the environment is changing faster and faster which leads to discontinuity with the past. The environmental survey is the cornerstone to every marketing plan. The various macro environmental factors like political, social, economical, technological, natural and legal environment imbibe a sense of competitive advantage over other competitors. In the course of studying and analyzing the marketing plan, marketers also identify the brand power of the product lines existing in that firm, which speaks about the positioning and differentiation of the products. Branding is a process of developing a differentiated product which is positioned in the minds of the consumers as a brand by way of its logo and slogan. Branding is just one strategy in the whole of the marketing strategy of the marketing plan. If Branding is studied without looking over the marketing plan, then the outcome would be disastrous as branding is a subset of the marketing strategy which in turn is a subset of the marketing plan which is a subset of strategic planning. Hence it is said that branding need not be the best marketing plan. If a marketing plan is properly carried out, it satisfies the process of branding too (Batra et al 1999, Kotler, 2001, & Ramaswamy et al;, 2004). Marketing Memo to the Advertising firm: Lintas My organization â€Å"Teethal† deals with the manufacture of varied products of toothpaste. Recently a new product is been manufactured named – Smiley ulcer-guard toothpaste, which has a unique differentiating factor of overcoming the worst oral infection caused by ulcers. I have carried out a detailed learning of this product which is branded by taking into consideration the environmental factors like consumer and demand for the product, industry competition, technology and social environment which plays a major role. The following specification needs attention while carrying out the advertising plan (Batra et al, 1999 & Gilbert, 2003). Product Specifications: Attributes of the brand: long lasting fresh breath, ulcer protection, economical Personality of the brand– always charming and vibrant Benefits of the brand – All the attributes provide a functional benefit â€Å"I won’t have to worry about my oral protection†. The attribute economical translates into an emotional benefit which makes the user feel important for maintaining value-for-money. Values of the brand – The brand also says something about the manufacturers’ values – hygienic and effective and powerful. User of the product: all age group.   Strongly advisable for teenagers who have bad eating habits and executives working under stress. Pricing:   Although the product is very much effective for every user, the price is economical to encourage the masses to buy the product and avail the benefit of its healing touch. 200 gm toothpaste is priced at US Dollars 3. Promotion: The product could be initially advertised in the urban cities on Television, in metros on FM radios and in the rural places on TV cables [just a suggestion] Distribution: The product is a convenience product and hence will be sold at every local convenient store. Intensive distribution mode will be adopted to enhance its usage and improve its beneficial value. Based on the above requirements, kindly prepare the advertising budget to bring out the clarity of this advertising campaign so as to provide the necessary resources. Also provide us with your study carried out with regards to the internal differences between the advertising plans which arise from the differences in the external factors and the environmental situations which the advertisers face (Batra et al 1999, Kotler, 2001, & Ramaswamy et al;, 2004). References – Batra, R., Myers, J. G., and Aaker, D. A. (1999), Advertising Management, 5th ed, New Delhi: Prentice. Gilbert, D. (2003), Retail Marketing Management, New Delhi: Pearson. Kotler, P. (2001), Marketing Management, Millenium ed, New Delhi: Prentice. Ramaswamy, V. S. and Namakumari, S. (2004), Marketing Management: Planning, Implementation and Control, 3rd ed, Delhi: Macmillan.      

Product Process Matrix Essays

Product Process Matrix Essays Product Process Matrix Paper Product Process Matrix Paper The product-process matrix, developed by Hayes and Wheelwright in 1979 was designed to show the trade-offs in operations and marketing by linking product plans and process choices. The model is based on traditional trade-offs evident in a single manufacturing facility environment. The product-process matrix has been empirically tested, but improvements in operations flexibility by applying advanced technologies have caused many to question the models continued validity. In recent years, the environment has changed significantly, with manufacturing companies offering more product customization as they gain process flexibility. In addition, the model as originally developed, does not incorporate the supply chain perspective. New models are required that include the entire supply chain as well as the impact of developments in manufacturing. The operations strategy literature discusses the importance of defining the appropriate production process to support the competitive priorities specified in the business strategy. Building on the works of Skinner (1969) and Abemathy and Townsend (1975), this hierarchical structure was further analyzed by Hayes and Wheelwright as they looked at the relationships between marketing and operations. They suggested that there should be a link between product plans and process choice that supports the overall business strategy (Hayes and Wheelwright, 1979). Furthermore, they contended that firms operating on or close to the diagonal of the product-process matrix will outperform those that hold significantly off-diagonal positions (see Figure 1). Much of the operations strategy literature since then has supported their assertions, and many operations management texts use the model to describe process choice in manufacturing. More recently, research has been conducted to validate empirically whether firms actually link their process choice to product volume and customization and whether those decisions result in better performance. Safizadeh et al. (1996) in a study of 144 U. S. manufacturing plants, found that process choice was linked to product plans and competitive priorities and that there was some evidence of improved performance when they were well aligned. However, the authors recognized that some batch shops and continuous flow shops were able to increase their ability to customize products through lexible manufacturing systems and by using common parts and subassemblies. Their work suggests that as flexibility increases it may be possible to move away from the diagonal on the matrix and still be successful. The authors go on to suggest that flexibility is a complex phenomenon and the literature has gradually uncovered its multiple dimensions and their strategic implications. They also note that companies may appear to be off the line because product and process choices dont happen simultaneously. Companies may have partially implemented processes that would move them closer to the diagonal, but not have the processes completely in place. More work is required to determine the true relationship between process choice and product customization. About the same time, other researchers felt it was necessary to continue to validate the Hayes and Wheelwright model, given changes in manufacturing technology and practice. McDermott, Greis, and Fischer (1997) conducted an in-depth study of nine firms that made up 95% of the total U. S. market for portable electric tools. Through surveys, semi-structured interviews, and plant tours, they determined that new production technologies and practices enable firms to provide flexibility, responsiveness, and low-cost production at the same time. Their results suggested that the process-product trade-offs may have changed and that the Hayes and Wheelwright model may no longer be suitable for describing the environment in that particular industry. They proposed that models based on mass customization (Pine, Victor, and Boynton, 1993) and flexibility (Collins and Schmenner, 1992) may better capture current manufacturing practices. However, they suggested a need for additional research to provide a more prescriptive model for operations strategy. Significant advances in manufacturing and information technologies and changes in competitive priorities suggest that the Hayes and Wheelwright model should be revisited. One attempt to describe a new type of model, given the changes in business environments, is illustrated in Heim and Sinha (2001). They described electronic business-to-customer (B2C) operations and developed a framework in the form of a product-process matrix to explain elationships between electronic service products and service processes. While their model was not empirically tested, it did suggest that the product-process matrix had the potential to be useful as a planning tool in other business environments. A study by Ariss and Zhang (2002) provided some evidence that companies might achieve multiple competitive performances rather than settle for fewer priorities because of trade-offs. Their survey of 31 firms in the Detroit area supported the hypothesis that because of flexible process capabilities firms fall within a wide scope of the diagonal on the product-process matrix. While the sample was small, there was evidence that firms with a highly flexible process capability could perform well despite being off the diagonal. They suggested that flexible process capability is necessary to overcome the technological or economic constraints inherent in the product-process matrix. Matching Supply Chain Processes to Products While these more recent studies examine the appropriateness of the model regarding a firms ability to make process choices predicted by the matrix, they continue to look only at one firm and its process choices. Recent literature suggests that rather than firms competing with other firms, the new competition is supply chain to supply chain (Bhattacharya et al. , 1995; Whipple and Frankel, 2000; Rice and Hoppe, 2001). There is little disagreement among operations strategy researchers that the operations strategy should be aligned with the marketing strategy and support the companys overall strategy; hence, the relationship between product choice and process choice. Others might argue that the overall company strategy must support the supply chain strategy. This leads to the question: is there a relationship between a supply chains product characteristics and competitive priorities with the supply chain firms process choices? As Lee notes (2004, p. 108) Smart companies tailor supply chains to the nature of markets for products. Some researchers provide support for the suggestion that supply chain design should be based on the nature of demand for the product, i. e. , there must be a match between the type of product and the type of supply chain. Fischer (1997) divides products into two types, functional and innovative. Functional products are likely to be staples with stable predictable demand versus innovative products with short life cycles, many varieties, and volatile demand. For functional products, supply chains should be physically efficient and manufacturings focus should be on minimizing inventory and maintaining high average utilization rates. For innovative products, supply chains should have responsive processes, and manufacturing should focus on where to strategically place inventory and deploy excess buffer capacity to meet changes in demand. Fisher suggests that making these alignments will provide a competitive advantage. Lee further defined the characteristics of functional versus innovative products (2002). Functional products have low demand uncertainties, stable demand, long product life, low product variety, higher volume per stock keeping unit (SKU), along with other characteristics. Innovative products have high demand uncertainties, variable demand, short selling seasons, high product variety, low volume per SKU, along with other characteristics. He then defines four supply chain strategies to meet product demand. Efficient supply chains use scale economies and optimize capacity and distribution utilization. Risk-hedging supply chains use strategies to pool inventory and other resources to avoid supply disruption. Responsive supply chains have strategies that are responsive and flexible and use build-to-order and mass customization processes. Agile supply chains utilize strategies to be responsive and flexible but also pool inventory or capacity resources to meet unpredictable demand with minimal disruptions. As Lee states, Only those companies that build agile, adaptable and aligned supply chains get ahead of the competition (2004, p. 105). Determining how a supply chain can, or should be, improved to gain flexibility can be difficult. One proposition suggests that supply chain flexibility is affected by decisions or process choices inherent in the operations systems, logistics processes, the supply network, organizational design, and information systems of every firm within the supply chain for a given product (Lummus et al. , 2005). Evidence from this study reveals that practitioners recognize many different facets associated with supply chain flexibility but do not necessarily perceive differences between those in terms of greatest-to-least impact on flexibility. Childerhouse, Aitken, and Towill (2002) detail how an organization achieved focused processes in their demand (supply) chain through a case study of a major U. K. lighting company. Figure 2 describes their proposed model for the development of focused demand chain strategies. They suggest that the marketplace today has diverse requirements for alternative products, and no single demand chain can best service all these requirements. Through a review of literature, they identified five key product characteristics that influence the design of supply chain strategies. The characteristics included: duration of product life cycle, time window for product delivery, high versus low volume, variety in required product offerings, and variability in demand. From there, they documented the lighting companys efforts to identify customer requirements and realign their supply chain strategy to focus on specific demand requirements. The company focused its efforts on the supply chain activities of planning (choosing between material requirements planning [MRP] and pull system execution [kanban]), simplifying the ordering and communication between players in the chain and improving the new product design process. The company identified four focused demand chains, and over a four-year period transformed its supply chain in to a competitive, market-focused demand chain. Supply Chain Product-Process Matrix Building on the work of Hayes and Wheelwright, the product classification work of Fisher and Lee, and the focused supply chain discussion just outlined, it may be beneficial for companies to define a model that aligns product characteristics and processes across a supply chain. As supply chains compete with supply chains, companies within a supply chain must select processes consistent with end-customer value and competitive priorities. The purpose of this research is to propose a model that may be used by companies when making product and process decisions across a supply chain. There is clearly support for the product-process matrix, i. e. , firms that operate on or near the diagonal will outperform those that are significantly off-diagonal. However, as noted, there is also some evidence that as companies adopt more flexible systems and identify inventory pooling strategies they may succeed despite operating further from the diagonal. If demand characteristics are important for defining the competitive priorities and process choice within a company, why wouldnt end-customer demand characteristics also be important for defining the process choices across a supply chain? The association between process choice and end-customer requirements across a supply chain has not been empirically tested. Therefore, the following proposition is suggested: Proposition 1: The competitive priorities and end-customer value with regard to a supply chains primary product line must be consistent with the supply chain firms process choices. While Proposition 1 suggests the importance of alignment, it does not imply that each company in the supply chain must have similar processes, or even that the processes would have similar capabilities (i. e. , speed, volume, changeover, etc. ). What is suggested is that regardless of where the company is positioned in the supply chain, the focus must be on end customer requirements. If end-customers require a variety of products with short lead times and variable volumes, each partner in the chain must be able to react quickly to provide different varieties and ramp production up or down. An end customer focused on low cost and consistent product in high volumes requires each partner to focus on streamlined production and efficient operations. How each partner meets the capability required by the end customer may differ, but the focus must be on what the supply chains end customer requires. As noted by both Lee and Fisher, there are key differences in the characteristics of products that affect supply chain design. Uncertainty surrounding the specific product design volume and delivery requirements increases the need for flexibility across the supply chain. Each firm within the supply-chain plan processes must understand end-customer value to maintain the flexibility required by all upstream partners. Types of uncertainty include: the need for differently defined product (make-to-order [MTO]), the desire to choose from an existing group of designs (options), the need for different volume requirements, and the need to design new products. End-product uncertainty suggests that entire supply chains must be adaptable. Therefore, the following is suggested: Proposition 2: End-customer product uncertainty characteristics increase the need for supply chain flexibility and influence process choice. As an example, consider the level of uncertainty associated with customer demand for fashion items, such as womens handbags. There is great uncertainty associated with how well any particular design might be accepted and eventually purchased by the end customer. Systems must be established to move product to the location with the greatest demand. Demand characteristics, including general market response and seasonality, may affect the sales or shelf-life of the product and, therefore, require a supply chain that can make adjustments in production, design, and raw materials. At the other end of the uncertainty spectrum resides a product like sugar. Stable demand and specific product characteristics allow for the development of a supply chain where minimal flexibility is required. These examples and the propositions offered suggest the need for a new model to define the relationship between processes and products across a supply chain. Successful supply chains will focus on end-customer demand and select the appropriate processes to match the demand characteristics. Figure 3 describes a proposed supply chain product-process matrix. The proposed supply chain matrix takes into account Lee and Fishers perspectives on end-product customer characteristics. The horizontal axis represents product uncertainty that can vary from a repetitive standard product to a highly variable product, where the customer wants to participate in the design or at a minimum wants a customized product. The horizontal axis represents the needed flexibility for the entire supply chain and ranges from the highly efficient supply chain to one that uses processes for specific customer requirements. Efficient supply chains can produce products in large quantities at a low cost and with short lead times. Responsive supply chains can respond to changes in customer requirements and produce a customized product in quantities as small as one. In Hayes and Wheelwrights original model (see Figure 1), they suggest that companies will be most successful when operating closely on the diagonal. While a particular location on the proposed matrix (see Figure 3) does not suggest particular processes for the firms in the supply chain, it does suggest the types of processes required across the supply chain. For example, the make-to-order clothing retailer must have processes that can gather size information, translate that information to drawings, and transfer the information quickly to the clothing manufacturer. The clothing manufacturer must have equipment that can interpret design requirements, quickly change from one size to another, and incorporate color and other choices. The textile manufacturer must stock or quickly produce the right color and thickness of material to match the particular customers needs. The entire supply chain must be able to react to customized design. At the opposite extreme are supply chains that produce a standard product in one or a very small number of options and are focused on efficient production throughout the supply chain. Many supply chains today are finding more and more customers requiring customized products. Companies currently mass producing products, such as shoes, are considering how to build a product specific to the customer. In this example, the customers foot measurements are translated into a custom-fit product. This movement from repetitive products to more mass-customized items suggests that supply chains in the future must be more responsive. Therefore, the following is suggested: Proposition 3: The goal of the supply chains firms, depending on the product and competitive environment is either to move up and to the left of the matrix without sacrificing efficiency and cost effectiveness or to move down and to the right without sacrificing flexibility and customization. Expectations for mass customization are certainly changing the competitive environment. This push requires that companies redesign processes to gain flexibility without increasing costs. As an example, a local cabinet manufacturing firm requested help redesigning a manufacturing process that would allow it to customize cabinets for product sold though a large home improvement chain. The push from the store was to provide reasonably priced custom cabinets to its customers. In addition, lead-time from order receipt to ship was very short. The manufacturing company set a rip-to-ship goal of 24 hours. The retail chain promised high sales volume. The company then needed to change its high-volume manufacturing processes in such a way that customization could occur without adding to costs-a move up and to the left on the supply chain product-process matrix (Figure 3). Results from this manufacturing change were expected not only to increase the companys ability to customize its high-volume products, but to also increase margins for its low-volume, highly-customized products as manufacturing process improvements were moved to its low-volume lines. For this product line, the improvement would be down and to the right of the matrix, improving costs without sacrificing flexibility and customization. The cabinet company example illustrates another issue in selecting processes within a specific company to match supply chain objectives. While the company aligned its processes to provide a customized, short lead-time product, it also provided a high-volume standard product. Many companies have multiple product lines with differing end-customer requirements. It may be necessary to provide diverging paths through a manufacturing process to accommodate multiple customer objectives, or to create secondary processes. Either way, the key issue is to focus on end-customer requirements and vary process choice to accommodate product variation. Companies often find themselves members of multiple supply chains and must plan processes accordingly. At the same time, companies make process choices that are unique from other companies choices and provide them distinctive capabilities. They make trade-offs in process choice, which allow them to satisfy a given range of customer needs. These decisions allow a broad range of customers with a variety of needs to be served by different companies with distinct capabilities. While this may limit one companys capability to serve some customers, it opens opportunities for others to serve that market. Conclusions Determining supply chain processes is not an isolated task and should be considered in relation to end-customer requirements and the competitive priorities of the entire supply chain. Hayes and Wheelwright concluded that, with their well-known product-process matrix, companies focusing on aligning processes with product requirements will be most successful. Today, as supply chains compete with supply chains, the entire supply chain must be focused on the end customer. Childerhouse et al. (2002, p. 687) summarized the perspective of a focused demand chain: The theory of focused demand chains is based on the premise that modern day marketplaces have diverse requirements for alternative products and services. No one demand chain strategy can best service all these requirements. Hence, focus is required to ensure demand chains are engineered to match customer requirements. This paper proposed revising the Hayes and Wheelwright model to incorporate a supply chain perspective. Future work is needed to apply these concepts across multiple companies and industries to validate the proposed model. Rather than looking only at the companys products and customer requirements, it is important to examine the role of end-customer product characteristics in the processes of all the firms that are partners in the supply chain. Supply chains have one role, which is to serve the end customer. Understanding that end customer should help firms set competitive priorities and establish processes to match end-customer demand. REFERENCES Abernathy, W. J. , and Townsend, P. L. (1975). Technology productivity and process change. Technical Forecasting and Social Change, 7, 379-396. Ariss, S. S. , and Zhang, Q. (2002). The impact of flexible process capability on the product-process matrix: An empirical examination. International Journal of Production Economics, 76, 135-45. Bhattacharya, A. K. , Coleman, J. L. , and Brace, G. (1995). Re-positioning the supplier: An SME perspective. Production Planning Control, 6, 218-226. Childerhouse, P. , Aitken J. and Towill, D. R. (2002). Analysis and design of focused demand chains. Journal of Operations Management, 20, 675-89. Fisher, M. (1997). What is the right supply chain for your product? Harvard Business Review, 75(2), 105-116. Hayes, R. H. , and Wheelwright, S. C. (1979). Link manufacturing process and product life cycles. Harvard Business Review, 57, 133-140. Heim, G. R. , and Sinha, K. K. (2001). A product-process matrix for electronic B2C operations: Implications for the delivery of customer value. Journal of Service Research, 3(4), 286-299. Lee, H. (2002). Aligning supply chain strategies with product uncertainties. California Management Review, 44(3), 105-118. Lee, H. L. 2004, October). The triple-a supply chain. Harvard Business Review, 102-112. Lummus, R. R. , Vokurka, R. J. , and Duclos, L. K. (2005). A delphi study on supply chain flexibility. International Journal of Production Research, 43(13), 2687-2708. McDermott, C. M. , Greis, N. P. , and Fischer, W. A. (1997). The diminishing utility of the product/process matrix: A study of the U. S. power tool industry. International Journal of Operations and Production Management, 17(1), 65-84. Rice, J. B. , Jr. , and Hoppe, R. M. (2001). Supply chain vs. supply chain: The hype and the reality. Supply Chain Management Review, 5(5), 46-54. Safizadeh, M. H. , Ritzman, L. P. , Sharma, D. , and Wood, C. (1996). An empirical analysis of the product-process matrix. Management Science, 42 (11), 1576-1591. Skinner, W. (1969). Manufacturingmissing link in corporate strategy. Harvard Business Review, 47(3), 136-145. Whipple, J. M. , and Frankel, R. (2000). Strategic alliance success factors. Journal of Supply Chain Management, 36(3), 21-28.

buy custom Special Clinical Issues Associated with Providing Older Adults with Mental Health Treatment essay

buy custom Special Clinical Issues Associated with Providing Older Adults with Mental Health Treatment essay Question 1 A vast number of factors contribute to the mental health status of an individual. Some of them include biological, demographic, social, and psychological factors. Older adults in society are people who are particularly affected by these conditions. In order to deal with older adults and help them in their care effectively, mental health clinicians may need to modify their testing environment to ensure optimal performance. Thus, the assessment should entail the mental status of the individual, cognitive ability, medical status and social support that is available to the older person. Apart from physical changes and diseases that occur in older adults such as hearing impairment, visual changes, arthritis, cataracts and osteoporosis, mental health concerns are also prevalent in such people. Dementia, depression, delirium and psychosis are among the mental health challenges facing individuals in this category (Erikson, 1980). Different kinds of dementia occur in older adults with Alzheimers disease being the most common. In order to identify this mental disorder in older adults, mental health clinicians usually notice its early symptoms such as language difficulties, failure to identify objects, memory loss, and difficulty in performing various motor functions and delusions correctly. Moreover, delirium is a mental concern faced by older individuals. Typical symptoms of this include a decline in the ability to sustain attention, impairments in judgment, disturbed consciousness, and an increase or decrease in motor activity. Additionally, depression is a common mental health issue in elderly patients and is majorly associated with distress, which may lead to social and physical functioning impairment in the long run. Due to depression, many adults develop suicidal thoughts, feelings of guilt and face disturbances in their appetites, sleep, memory, and self-esteem. By assessing these characteristics in an o lder adult, mental health clinicians can povide the best care to these individuals since they know how to deal with the symptoms effectively (Erikson, 1980). For example, a test of attention and reasoning ability may be used in the assessment of dementia. Question 2 In order to create an effective mental health treatment plan for an older adult, it is important to perform a psychosocial assessment of the patient. It will aid in understanding the latter, enabling the provision of the best treatment plan. In order to do so, I will focus on establishing a rapport with the patient and seek to gain an understanding of an illness that the one has. Identifying any recent life changes in the individual can aid in assessing and discovering the persons strengths such as any positive coping strategies that he or she may have. Urging the person to retell his or her life story such as diet, drug use or social support will be vital in the assessment. The psychiatric history, medical record, social situation and the evaluation of suicide risks will aid in creating an effective plan from the information that will be presented (Erikson, 1980). Question 3 The older adult population perceives mental health problems and social issues differently. Experimental subjects that older adults talk about may vary according to various factors such as age, race, gender, socioeconomic status, and even cultural background. For example, an older person who is racially profiled may feel discriminated having mental health illnesses such as depression. For others, the onset of certain ages comes with the lapse of memory, while others with economic hardships face certain levels of stress, which lead to depression (Krauss-Whitbourne Whibourne, 2014). Since people have different attitudes and perceptions regarding various issues, mental health problems are viewed differently by the community. In society, the attitudes of people towards meental illnesses usually set the stage for how they interact and support persons with mental disorders. Additionally, individuals beliefs regarding mental health issues xpress emotional and psychological distress they face. Unfortunately, in society, other normal people view persons with mental illnesses in a negative way. Often affected by culture, mental problems are seen as a taboo in some nations. Thus, people associated with it are given a wide berth. These attitudes are formed across different age groups, where most young people view a mental illness as a weakness and consider persons with such a problem as strange. Consequently, the older generation has a different attitude towards mental issues, while some still view them as a form of disability. Moreover, others change their attitude towar ds mental illness once they learn about it (Krauss-Whitbourne Whibourne, 2014). The majority view individuals with mental problems as being violent and see them as a threat to society. Unfortunately, peoples lack of understanding of mental illness has caused the stigmatization and discrimination of individuals living with this disease. Older adults have to live with this stigma as they are viewed by the younger generation as being too dependent and demand constant care from them. As a result, some prefer not to tell their families about the issues they are facing in regards to their mentality due to the fear of rejection. The stereotype has caused many older people to isolate themselves from society and look for forms of escape by indulging in drug and alcohol abuse. Some lose self-dignity since they perceive themselves as a burden to others, especially their families (Krauss-Whitbourne Whibourne, 2014). It demands people of different ages to be more educated and well informed about mental illnesses to change their perception of the latter. Through the awareness of the disease, people can recognize, manage and even prevent worsening of its symptoms in their loved ones. Buy custom Special Clinical Issues Associated with Providing Older Adults with Mental Health Treatment essay

Looking For Alaska Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Looking For Alaska - Research Paper Example In the novel, Looking for Alaska by John Green, a girl named Alaska mysteriously dies, and her friends must go on a  journey to figure out what exactly happened to her. Not only do the readers follow them on their journey, but they are also given a look into the suffering of Alaska and her own quest to find the end to hers. Although many people suffer and may consider suicide as their solution. It is essential that they find their own way to end their suffering and escape the Labyrinth, and to do so they need to realize that life has so much to offer, people are there to help them, and with hard work anything is possible. Although many people suffer and may consider suicide as their solution, it is vital that they find their own way to end their suffering and escape the Labyrinth, and to do, so they need to realize life has so much to offer, people are there to help them, and with hard work anything is possible. John Green was born in 1977, in Alabama. John Green is inspired by aut hors like Laurie Halse Anderson and Walter Dean Myers. He began writing his writing career while working at Booklist. In the book looking for Alaska, john green uses his native birth place as the setting for the novel. John Green grew-up in Orlando Florida and attended Kenyon College. In 2007, John and his brother Hank made a pact to cease communication  through texting and only communicate via YouTube video posts. They video posted each other every day. The two brothers named this Project brotherhood 2.0 (Nicholas, 2011). The decision to use YouTube to communicate to each other, inspired ‘nerd fighters’ an online community, who fight for intellectualism and try to reduce by large the level of suck worldwide. This attempt has received thousands of dollars through donations from various charities (Nerdfighters, 2012). We are all born with hope and desire to fulfill and have a purpose in life. The finding of this purpose is beneficial to individuals. The effort to find this purpose is all left to an individual. Looking for Alaska is a story about finding that purpose in an individual’s life. Miles describes  the labyrinth suffering  as the greater perhaps in life and quotes from Francois Rabelais (Green, p.5). In looking for Alaska, John Green uses his characters to demonstrate the search for this purpose in life. He says, â€Å""Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia. (...) You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it one day, and how fearsome it will be, and imagining that future keeps you going, but you never do it. You just use the future to escape the present."(Green 30) The distractive lifestyles of the teenagers, dabbles in sex and drugs and the pranks, this is all an attempt to find their purpose in life. As one is trying to find their purpose in life, they meet obstacles and suffer  along the way. How  a  person  deals or perceives this suffering is notable as it will help how one tackles with them. The paper discusses the different answers that the characters in looking for Alaska give after searching themselves. Alaska’s last words were â€Å"how do I get out of this labyrinth of suffering?† this word taunted her classmates as well as those that she told. They all try to find an answer to this question. Throughout the book, this question is answered. To some they thought that the only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is through death. Miles and Alaska are out to find the

Drug Addiction Disorder & Group Therapy as Part of Recovery Dissertation

Drug Addiction Disorder & Group Therapy as Part of Recovery - Dissertation Example Doweiko has also discussed the problem of drug addiction and its therapeutic treatment in his famous book â€Å"Concepts of Chemical Dependency†. He has analyzed the problem among the adolescents and suggested the individual and group therapy for the cure from drug addiction disorder. He declares modern civilization and technological advancement as responsible for drug addiction among children. Detachment and distances between the family members, Doweiko estimates, force the young ones to seek the artificial and temporary support from chemicals and drugs. Furthermore, child abuse is one of the most significant causes of chemical codependency among adolescents. Moreover, decline, in the sound family ties and relationships, has also paved the way in this direction. As a family is the basic unit of a society and plays a primary role in nourishment and socialization of young generation, it is also responsible for the emotional uplift of the children. The decline in the family bond age and ignorance of religious practices, ethical values, and moral obligations, result in the deterioration of the youth of society. Doweiko has discussed the case of young Brittney, who got recovery from therapy. Brittney, a young girl of fourteen years only, had been very bright and graceful student at the school. It was surprising for the whole family when she was recommended by her teacher, to a rehabilitation program after being found the drug- user. She was referred to the Alateen, the rehabilitation institute that deals with the cure of adolescents consuming alcohol and other intoxication.