Medicare Decisions Healthcare System Issues for the Elderly

Question: Discuss about the Medicare Decisions for Healthcare System Issues for the Elderly. Answer: Introduction Medicare is widely known as a health insurance program for people 65 years and older. It is also for people under 65 with certain disabilities and covers any age with End-Stage Renal Disease (case of a kidney failure and kidney transplant). The CMS popularly known as The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is the federal agency which administers the Medicare program and besides this Social Security Administration also provides information and handles enrollment of consumers (Diane, 1995) Medicare covers various services that help consumers to improve and maintain health and save life. It includes all kind of services extending from expensive to non- expensive procedures and treatments. Long term and large services like transplants, delicate surgeries, cancer treatments and many small services like routine checkups, which are not expensive at all (Barry 2015) On turning 65, one would need to choose a plan that fit all the requirements during getting into the insurance. The plan should fulfill all the healthcare needs and should match the particular benefits that one is looking for. Lets discuss the 4 plans of Medicare and decide which plan is most suitable for Zip code: 90001(Los Angeles), where all the plans seem to be available. Medicare Part A known widely as hospital insurance is the one which provides the care at hospital inpatient care, home health services, nursing facility and Hospice care. Hospital care (Inpatient) services include all the inpatient services that are needed and hospital expenses like meals, nursing care, semi-private room facilities, services and supplies from the hospital. The Inpatient care that is received through Critical access hospitals, mental health care, acute care hospitals, rehabilitation facilities (inpatient) and long term care hospitals is also included in Part A hospital services. Home health care services may include intermittent or part-time nursing care, Speech-language pathology services, therapies which are Physical and Occupational, Medical social services, Medical equipment which are durable and ordered by doctor. It also includes Part-time or intermittent home health aide services. SNF which is known as Skilled nursing facility, under Medicare Part A, is conside red only after a hospital inpatient stay for minimum three days for a related illness or injury. It involves skilled nursing services, medical supplies and equipment used during SNF care, rehabilitation services, semi-private room, dietary counseling, ambulance transportation and medications given while SNF care. Hospice care in Medicare includes care of terminally ill patient who is expected to live six months or less. It has Doctor Services, Nursing care, social worker services, counseling services and many more which focus on supportive care, comfort and quality of life, rather than cure during the final phase of a terminally ill patient. Medicare Part A does not include private-room costs, private nursing service and personal care items cost. It does not cover services that are unrelated to the treatment like meals, 24-hour home care and homemaker services. It also does not cover Personal care services, like help bathing and dressing are also not covered under Medicare Part A., if this is the only care that one need. Medicare Part B (Medical insurance) includes doctor, clinical lab services and supplies that are needed to treat health condition. Therefore, Part B mainly covers hospital outpatient services, preventive care, durable medical equipment, ambulance services, laboratory tests, some Medicare part B also covers one time physical exam, cancer , diabetes and cardiovascular screenings. It also includes mental health care, laboratory tests and x-rays. Part time or intermittent rehabilitative and home health services are also covered when they are ordered by a doctor (Centers for Medicare Medicaid services, 2012) Medicare Part C (Medicare Advantage) is a part of Medicare policy in which Medicare benefits are allowed to be provided by private health insurance companies. Part C Medicare is just a blend of both Medicare Part A and Part B, hence it includes hospital insurance and medical insurance. HMO (Health Maintenance Organization plan), PPO (Preferred Provider Organization plan), PFFS(Private Fee-for-Service plan), SNP(Special Needs Plans) are all branches of Medicare advantage plan. Best part of Medicare Advantage Plans is that it covers prescription of drugs as well (Medicare Part D). Medicare Part D: It is provided by Medicare approved Private insurance companies and is called as prescription drug coverage. It can be combined with Medicare advantage plan and to take the drug benefits through a plan known as Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug Plan. There is a list of covered drugs in every Medicare prescription drug plan. As per the situation where a plan needs to be selected for Medicare insurance, there are few things which should be kept in mind while making a decision. 1. How is the Coverage? It means how well the plan covers the service required. How will the Coverage work with Medicare if there is other health or prescription drug coverage included? 2. Costs, like how much will be the deductibles, costs and how much premiums will need to be paid and are there any limits yearly for the use of these medical services. 3. Hospital and Doctor Choice: Do they accept the coverage and does the plan demand to choose hospital and health care providers from the network only or if the referrals are required. 4. Is it required to join Drugs Prescription plan or is it already present as creditable prescription drug coverage. Sometimes there is also a eligibility for a free Medication Therapy Management (MTM) program. 5. How good is the quality of care and how satisfied the person is from the services offered by chosen plan and healthcare providers? 6. Convenience and Travel: Some general concerns like where is the doctors office located and what are their availability hours? Will they provide prescriptions through mail and do the doctors use electronic health records or E prescribe? Which pharmacies can be used and are they a part of plans network. What about the plan coverage if there is a travelling to other state and outside the U.S.? (Medicare.gov.) Medicare advantage Plan is one good plan to choose after all this discussion. On turning 65, one is eligible for Original Medicare i.e. for Hospital insurance and for Medical insurance which are part A and part B. But one may also choose Medicare Part C which is called as Medicare advantage as it includes some added coverage which seems quite exclusive and beneficial in case of long term treatments. The plan will be available from private insurance companies and benefits of Part A and Part B will be offered into it along with some added coverage such as eye exams, dental and hearing aids. Medicare Advantage plans have extra benefits and mostly they offer low premiums than traditional Medicare insurance. Hence, Medicare Part C, Out-of-Pocket Limits are considered as a safety net (eHealth 2014). Such limits under Medicare advantage plan are quite beneficial in which private health insurance plans put a limit on the amount of money which needs to be paid by your own pocket during any me dical service unlike original Medicare and they are named as Maximum out of pocket limit. In 2015, by the government, the maximum out of pocket limit was $6700. The insurance plan will pay 100% of additional covered charges in the remaining year when the plans maximum out of pocket limit is reached. Original Medicare Medicare advantage plans Costs Medicare premiums, deductibles, and coinsurances need to be paid. Medicare premiums and plans premium are paid if it charges one. The plan sets its own copays and deductibles. Any add-on or extra services Doesnt cover additional services like routine vision, hearing, dental care. Covers additional services that original services doesnt cover but covers the same inpatient and outpatient services like original care. Drugs Coverage (Decision about Part D) A separate Part D plan is required to get Medicare prescription drug coverage. The plans under Medical Advantage plan include Part D drug coverage. Out-of-pocket limit? Not provided Yes, there is an out of pocket limit which can protect from expensive care expenses. The full cost of care is paid by plan once the limit is reached. Transition has been done in traditional practices of Medicare program in past few years. Various private health plan alternatives have been introduced. Due to less enrollments and interest from consumer, the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 started to increase payments to add few more managed care plans which could increase beneficiary choices and hence it was renamed as Medicare Advantage program. These increase in payments resulted in proliferation of number of plans availability, less costs and improved benefits with lower premiums for Medicare advantage consumers (Gold M 2006) Ease of making these decisions: The decision making can be made easier if the basic requirements and expectations are clear in mind while choosing the appropriate plan which is good in terms of health and money. This is an overview of the decision making: Step 1: Decide what kind of coverage is required Step 2: Decide if drug coverage needs to be added The most important learning lesson in this whole discussion is that senior citizens should be confident and contended while making a decision for choosing the best Medicare Plan. Many may find it difficult to compare the plans due to the large amount of information they receive through different sources. In fact, according to many consumers information available at Medicare government website is lacking information and is quite confusing (Jacobson,G, Swoope,C, 2014). This is the reason that insurance agents, trusted advisors or suggestions from doctors, friends or pharmacists must help elderly consumers to narrow down the options and choose the best Medicare plan for them. References Berry, P, 2015, Medicare for dummies, John Wiley and Sons. Centers for Medicare Medicaid services, 2012, Enrolling in Medicare Part A Part B, Retrieved from https://www.medicare.gov/Pubs/pdf/11036-Enrolling-Medicare-Part-A-Part-B.pdf Diane, 1995, Guide to Health Insurance for People with Medicare, Diane Publishing. eHealth Medicare , Facts About Medicare, available at https://www.ehealthmedicare.com/about-medicare/medicare-part-b/ eHealth 2014, Medicare Advantage Maximum Out-of-Pocket Limits, available at https://resources.ehealthinsurance.com/medicare-options/medicare-advantage-maximum-pocket-limits GoldM, 2006, Kaiser Family Foundation, The growth of private plans in Medicare, Washington (DC): (Report No.7473). Jacobson,G, Swoope,C 2014, The Henry Kaiser family foundation, How are Seniors Choosing and Changing Health Insurance Plans Make Medicare work coalition 2011, Medicare and Employer based coverage-The Basics, available at https://www.medicarerights.org/PartB-Enrollment-Toolkit/Medicare-and-Employer-Based-Insurance-The-Basics.pdf Medicare.com, Im Turning 65, What Do I Need to Do? available at https://medicare.com/enrollment/im-turning-65-what-do-i-need-to-do/ Medicare.gov.(n.d.). 8 things to consider when choosing or changing your coverage, available at https://www.medicare.gov/sign-up-change-plans/decide-how-to-get-medicare/things-to-consider/8-things-to-consider.html Medicare Payment Advisory Commission 2010,Report to the Congress: Medicare payment policy, available at https://www.medpac.gov/documents/Mar10_EntireReport.pdf Medicare Rights Center 2016, Differences between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage Plans, available at https://www.medicarerights.org/fliers/MedicareAdvantage/Differences-Between-OM-and-MA.pdf?nrd=1

The metaphors of africa Essay Example For Students

The metaphors of africa Essay â€Å"The Metaphors of Africa†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Wishing Africa† is a poem in which many thought provoking metaphors are usedto make it come alive by giving the reader great illustrations. First of all what is ametaphor? A metaphor is a figure of speech that make comparison between two unlikethings, without using the words like or as. Marilyn Brooks utilizes metaphor to shapeone of the most interesting and dramatic poems. The essence of this poem lies within theThere are metaphors all through out â€Å"Wishing Africa, but the first one is not ametaphor but a simile becuase of the use of the word as. â€Å"The wind delicate asQueen Annes lace† (4) is the first simile in the poem. This line is significant because ithelps to let the reader feel the poem, to feel Africa. It shows the gentle ways of theenvironment, or the peacefulness of Africa. We will write a custom essay on The metaphors of africa specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now This helps to show why the poetic voicewould want to go back. The next metaphor in the stanza is , â€Å"The womens bodies werevariable as coral† (9). This is one of the most imaginative lines in the poem. It gives thefeeling of beauty, as if swimming underwater in the Great Barrier Reef, looking at all thebeautiful creatures. This is significant because the poetic voice is trying to show howgreat and wonderful Africa was. It also serves as an illustration of the differencesbetween not just the women, but also ways of thinking. The woman may representdifferent experiences the poetic voice has had since leaving Africa which has changed itsmind about the country and wishes it could go back there only one more time. Or theycould represent the different parts of Africa that the poetic voice misses so much. The next stanza is a transition from the first. â€Å"I am threaded / with pale veins†(13-14) is the first metaphor in the stanza. This is used to show why the poetic voicecannot not return to the country it longs for. The words â€Å"threaded† (13) and â€Å"pale veins†are the key concepts in the metaphor. The word â€Å"threaded† (13) gives the image of pain. There are numerous possible reasons for the pain, the only limitation is the readersimagination. Also, when a piece of clothe is made, many pieces of thread are threadedtogether, and there is no way to get a single thread out without destroying the whole pieceof clothe itself. Maybe the poetic voice is saying there is no way that he can get awayfrom his â€Å"pale veins† or past, his past being his heritage or skin color. The word â€Å"pale†(14) is used to illustrate that the poetic voice is white. It could be that he (poetic voice)was a slave owner or trader when it was in Africa and now it realizes that what it did wasnot right and is grief stricken. The next metaphor in the second stanza is, â€Å"I am full withdying† (15). The key vocabulary here is obviously, â€Å"full of dying† (15). This illustratesthe poetic voices sorrow for leaving Africa or his sadness for doing what he did while in Africa. Think of being full with something, that something is all you think about, allyou know. Now think about being â€Å"full of dying,† all the poetic voice thinks about isdeath and it torments him everyday. Or maybe the poetic voice killed many Africansduring his stay there and now it haunts him every second of his life as he tries to escapeThe first metaphor in the third stanza is, â€Å"I grew meat in the earths blond side(25). .ue80f31ccd00b875ade9fcfb35704d4c2 , .ue80f31ccd00b875ade9fcfb35704d4c2 .postImageUrl , .ue80f31ccd00b875ade9fcfb35704d4c2 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ue80f31ccd00b875ade9fcfb35704d4c2 , .ue80f31ccd00b875ade9fcfb35704d4c2:hover , .ue80f31ccd00b875ade9fcfb35704d4c2:visited , .ue80f31ccd00b875ade9fcfb35704d4c2:active { border:0!important; } .ue80f31ccd00b875ade9fcfb35704d4c2 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ue80f31ccd00b875ade9fcfb35704d4c2 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ue80f31ccd00b875ade9fcfb35704d4c2:active , .ue80f31ccd00b875ade9fcfb35704d4c2:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ue80f31ccd00b875ade9fcfb35704d4c2 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ue80f31ccd00b875ade9fcfb35704d4c2 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ue80f31ccd00b875ade9fcfb35704d4c2 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ue80f31ccd00b875ade9fcfb35704d4c2 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ue80f31ccd00b875ade9fcfb35704d4c2:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ue80f31ccd00b875ade9fcfb35704d4c2 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ue80f31ccd00b875ade9fcfb35704d4c2 .ue80f31ccd00b875ade9fcfb35704d4c2-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ue80f31ccd00b875ade9fcfb35704d4c2:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Courtly Love and Social Institutions Essay The key concepts are â€Å"grew meat† (25) and â€Å"earths blond side (25). Thisshows one aspect of what the poetic voice did while in Africa. â€Å"Grew meat,† (25) meansthat he (the poetic voice) was a plantation owner that owned slaves, that grew fruit, hencethe word meat, the fleshy part of the fruit. â€Å"Blond side of the earth,† (25) refers to thesunny or tropical climate of Africa. The author used these terms because they provokethought and feeling with in poem by giving the reader the sense that the earth is alive. â€Å"Idid it all with little bloody stitches,† (26) is the next metaphor. This metaphor issignificant because it again shows the poetic voices sadness and regret. These â€Å"bloodystitches, (25) maybe the slaves the poetic voice used to do his work in Africa. Theactual terms â€Å"bloody stitches† brings a whole other feeling to the poem.This feelings greatly contrast from those of the first stanza. Bowering uses these wordsbecause they suggest pain and suffering. The pain and suffering that the poetic voiceexperiences everyday of his life due to the facts of what he did while in Africa. Bowering uses the next line again to so how the poetic voice is unhappy withwhat he did in Africa. â€Å"I am scented with virus,† (31) is the next metaphor. The keyterms in the line are â€Å"scented† (35) and â€Å"virus† (35). The word â€Å"scented† is used to showthatthe poetic voice is tainted with what he did in Africa and cannot get away from it,as if â€Å"scented† by a skunk. The word â€Å"virus† is used becuase whenever a virus is thoughtof death closely related to it. The poetic voice used Africans and killed Africans to do hiswhite man’s work. Again, the next line are not actually a metaphor because of the wordas, (it is a simile), but it is vital to the poem. â€Å"I am white as a geisha/ my rootsindiscriminate† (35-36), this line again goes back to the color of the poetic voices skin. The image of a â€Å"geisha† (35) is used because it is a plant with white flowers. Boweringcontinually brings up the image of white (referring to skin color) because it is key tounderstand the poem to know that the poetic voice is a white person. The other keyconcepts here are â€Å"my roots indiscriminate† (36). Bowering is trying to show that thepoetic voice is lost or confused. The word â€Å"roots† (36) is there to illustrate the poeticvoices family line. Again, we as readers, are not sure his past, but all the metaphors andsimile help to give a picture of what the situation might be. The term â€Å"indiscriminate† iskey because it shows that the poetic voice doesnt know where he comes from andtherefore doesnt know where to go now. Mayrilyn Bowering used many metaphors to make the poem â€Å"Wishing Africa. † These metaphors open and make the poem come alive with every word. She makesyou,as the reader, think. The metaphors also make the reader feel the power of the words asthe come off the page and into your mind. Bowering’s â€Å"Wishing Africa† contains somevery imaginative and mind opening metaphors. Bibliography:

Creating Effective Response Essays

Creating Effective Response EssaysIt is not uncommon for students to get a bit annoyed with the sample prose constructed response essay by the high school or college curriculum's teacher, because this is supposed to be the ideal standard essay. A student has to do everything perfectly, and then only one other student is allowed to read his or her work.Yet in reality, there are many different types of student essays, which may contain more than one sample sentence constructed response essay. Such an essay could be a standard essay, and yet another might be a prepared response essay. If that student takes into account that this form of the essay is a standard for the topic, they may want to read through the examples and decide which essay works better for them, based on their personal circumstances.A student who is writing a specifically based on a specific topic should use the same sample sentences. The difference between the two types of essays will be solely based on the topic of th e student essay. Students should strive to find an essay that best matches their skills and their passion.The constructed-response essay by the student writer usually outlines the essay's main points. This form of the essay is very helpful when a student is writing about the same subject as the original essay that they are responding to. That way, the student can avoid doing what students commonly do when they are writing a response essay, which is changing their ideas about the essay to fit a new situation.Students should never worry about trying to make the responses of the sample prose constructed response essay fit what the original essay was supposed to say. The student essay should be written by the student, and the student should assume that the responses to the essay will read better if the student writer has used the exact same type of sentence construction as the original author.If a student does not have the ability to rewrite the samplesof the sample prose constructed re sponse essay for the sample essay, that means that they should not waste their time making the responses seem more like what the original essay was supposed to be. There is nothing wrong with the response to the essay if it was not written by the student, but just try to make the responses reflect the original thoughts that the author had, and do not try to change the way that the writer has written to fit the situation.Students should also do their best to try to make the responses of the sample prose constructed response essay fit with what the original author said. Of course, this essay should still be a response to the original essay, and therefore, it will be perfect if the original essay does not contradict the new essay. If the original essay is the opposite of the new essay, then the student needs to revise the responses and make them match what the original author wrote.It is easy to find essay prompts online, so students can take the time to prepare their responses before they begin reading the actual essays. They can use the sample sentences to help them make their responses, and this is much better than using the real essay to help them revise their responses.

Seti Essays - Search For Extraterrestrial Intelligence, Astronomy

Seti Essays - Search For Extraterrestrial Intelligence, Astronomy Seti Bertrand Russell wrote, There are two possibilities. Maybe we are alone. Maybe we are not. Both are equally frightening (Jakosky 1). The question of life in the universe is one that leaves many in a state of bewilderment. It becomes even more interesting when it leads to another question that of intelligent life in the universe. Finding other intelligent civilizations among the interstellar space would greatly affect every aspect of our existence. Conversely, not finding such a civilization would force us to examine the purpose of our own existence. To help answer the question, astronomers and scientists set up a program in search for extraterrestrial intelligence. This program, or SETI, was set up to verify, by observation that extraterrestrial life does exist. SETI tries to prove this by picking up and analyzing radio signals by means of satellites and advanced computers (Heidmann 116). The history of the SETI program is quite interesting. It started back in 1959 with the help of two famous Cornell University physicists, Guiseppi Cocconi and Phil Morrison. Both claimed that it would be possible to communicate with other potential extraterrestrial life in space by the use of techniques used in radio astronomy (Heidmann 112). Together, they voiced their belief that if other alien astronomers elsewhere in the universe possessed radio telescopes, that it would be possible to converse between the two (Heidmann 112-113). A young astronomer by the name of Francis Drake agreed with the theories of Cocconi and Morrison. He proposed building a radio receiver in order to listen for waves of sound being transmitted through space. It wasnt until the spring of 1960 that Drake began his first project of SETI, Ozma. In this project, he was the first to conduct a search for signals transmitted from other solar systems. For two tedious months, Drake pointed an eighty-five foot antenna in the direction of two starts the same age as our sun, Tau Ceti and Epsil. A single 100Hz-channel receiver scanned nearly 400kHz of bandwidth, for a repeated series of patterned pulses that would indicate an intelligent message (Heidmann 113-144). Unfortunately, the only sound that came from the speaker was static. Though no intelligent life was found and project Ozma proved to be nothing but a disappointment, it actually spurred the interest of others who created a feasible scientific objective (Project Ozma). In the 1960s the Soviet Union dominated much of the SETI program. However in the 1970s NASAs Ames Research center, located in California began to take over. After nearly a decade of study and preliminary research, the NASA headquarters fully funded and adopted the SETI program. However, five years later Congress ruled the program a foolish unnecessary scientific endeavor that wasted valuable funding. Congress then decided to not allow NASA to support SETI and terminated the funding (History of SETI). Despite the obstacle, the SETI program was reborn, forming the SETI Institute. Its first privately funded project, Project Phoenix, is the worlds most sensitive and comprehensive search for extraterrestrial intelligence that listens to radio signals being transmitted our way. The project focuses on Northern Stars by scanning only those that are sun-like and are more capable of supporting life (Heidmann 146). The Phoenix Project is only one of the many projects run for the search of extraterrestrial intelligence, but is one of the most important. Another highly significant project in the search for other life would be the project run by the Columbus Optical SETI Observatory, or COSETI. This project was formed to promote the optical search for extraterrestrial intelligence. In other words, it seeks to detect pulsed and continuous wave laser beacon signals in the visible and infrared spectrums. Until 1998 however, little, or nothing was ever said to indicate that there might possibly be a sensible optical approach to SETI. Many researchers believe that extraterrestrials, if they exist, are so sophisticated that they would use lasers for their communications rather than radio waves. It is said that by the year 2005 that most SETI activities will be of the optical kind and that the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) could also be retrofitted for COSETI. (The Optical). One of the more recent projects that we are faced with today is the [emailprotected] Home Project. This

Business operational Essay Example for Free

Business operational Essay To provide learners with an understanding of the role and importance of operations management (OM) in the efficient and effective production of goods and services. Scenario: WH Smith is a major, well-known and publically-quoted book retailer and newsagent in the UK. Recently it was reported how Kate Swann, the former CEO for the last 10 years, has turned the company around from ? 135m losses to ? 106m profit in a decade. (source: www. theguardian. com/business/blog/2013/jan/23/wh-smith-kate-swann-profit, accessed 1 October 2013) (Also see copy attached) This is an example of how the principles of operations management can be used to reactivate a firm. How did she do it? Using the above as a starting point, together with other information sources, which you should research yourself, on WH Smith, you are asked to address the Tasks below regarding operations management. Task 1 (this meets LO 1, ACs 1. 1, 1. 2 and 1. 3) Based on the Scenario, produce a document explaining the nature and importance of Operation Management and its key elements. Your document for this Task must include the following elements (among others as you wish): I. A definition of OM and an explanation of its importance; II. The key elements of OM; III. The need to produce goods or services on time and to cost, with the right quality and within the law; IV. The role of OM in achieving strategic objectives; and V. Produce systems and sub-systems diagrams for any WH Smith operations processes, including a brief explanation of your diagrams. Task 2 (this meets LO 2 ACs 2. 1, 2. 2 and 2. 3) Based on the Scenario, produce a document explaining the relationship between OM and strategic planning. Your document for this Task must include the following elements (among others as you wish): I. II. III. Explain the implementation of the â€Å"3Es† in WH Smith; Critically review the tension between cost minimisation and quality maximisation in the context of WH Smith; and Assess the importance of the five performance objectives that underpin operations management. Task 3 (this meets LOs 3 and 4 in full) Base on the Scenario, produce a document explaining how to organise and apply relevant techniques in a typical production process. Your document for this Task must include the following elements (among others as you wish): I. II. III. IV. Comment briefly on the importance of operational planning and control. Explain what linear programming is, and give an example in relation to any part of the operations of WH Smith; Produce a network plan and indicate the resultant critical path for any operation in WH Smith. (for this task, you should include a set of operational outcomes, which are clearly defined). Explain how quality can be defined and maintained. Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria In order to Pass this unit, the evidence that the learner presents for assessment needs to demonstrate that they can meet all the Learning Outcomes for the unit. The Assessment Criteria determine the standard required to Pass this unit. The Assessment Criteria will act as a guide to help you put into context your answers to fulfill the Learning Outcomes. Learning Outcome Assessment Criteria 1. 1 explain the importance of operational management 1. 2 explain the need to produce safely; on time; to cost; to LO 1Understand the quality and within the law nature and importance 1. 3 explain the link between operations management and of operational strategic planning management 1. 4 produce a systems diagram to illustrate a typical business 2. 1 explain the ‘Three Es’ (economy, efficiency and effectiveness) LO2 Understand the link between operations 2. 2 explain the tension between cost minimisation and management and quality maximisation strategic planning 2. 3 evaluate the significance of the five performance objectives that underpin operations management 3. 1 explain linear programming LO3 Understand how 3. 2 evaluate critical path analysis and network planning to organise a typical 3. 3 explain the need for operational planning and control production process LO4 Be able to apply relevant techniques to the production of an operational plan for a typical business 4. 1 produce a set of clearly defined operational outcomes 4. 2 produce a network plan and indicate the resultant critical path 4. 3 explain how quality could be defined and maintained. INSTRUCTIONS AND INFORMATION FOR LEARNERS This assessment and the Tasks above are designed to assess your achievement of all four of the Learning Outcomes and associated Assessment Criteria for a Pass in the ‘Employability Skills’ unit of the qualification you are undertaking. Your tutor/ deliverer will advise you when you should start work on the assignment, the date when you must hand in your completed work and when you can expect to get your mark and feedback on your work. Guidance on this subject is provided on page 1 of this assignment brief. You should make sure that you plan your work carefully, to ensure that you cover all four learning outcomes of the assignment, and complete it within the time limit specified. There is no official guideline wordcount or percentage marking (other than Pass/ Merit/ Distinction/ Refer). By way of guidance only for this particular assignment, it is recommended that you write a minimum of 2000-2500 words total and match the weighting of your efforts to the wordcount indicated. Your statements in answer to the Learning Outcomes need to be prefixed with the specific Learning Outcome title or at least the Learning Outcome number. This will help you keep on track and should ensure you address the details. You must make sure that you acknowledge any sources you have used to complete this assignment, listing reference material and web sites used. The assignment result will be published on BITE’s Moodle online education materials platform, normally within 6 weeks of the submission date. If your assignment is assessed as referred, you will be notified with an indication of the areas to be addressed. You may resubmit an assignment, or submit a new assignment, on a further two occasions during your period of registration as an Institute learner with Edexcel. If there is anything in these instructions or in the assignment itself which you do not understand, please seek guidance from your tutor/ deliverer. Merit grade Descriptors For learners to achieve a Merit they must: Identify and apply strategies to find appropriate solutions Indicative characteristics Learners must demonstrate that: An effective approach to assignment planning, study and research is in evidence Evaluations and judgements, using evidence, have been made Problems with a number of variables have been considered Select/design and apply appropriate methods/techniques A range of relevant theories have been included Relevant theories and techniques have been applied to the case study A range of different sources of information have been used The selection of methods/techniques of analysis and use of source material have been justified Information/ data has been synthesised and processed Present and communicate appropriate findings The written assessment is coherent, shows logical development and a sound understanding of theories, concepts and research evidence The written assessment demonstrates that an appropriate structure and approach has been used The written assignment demonstrates a writing style appropriate for audiences both familiar and unfamiliar with the subject. The written work is clearly written and technical language has been accurately used Distinction grade Distinction descriptors For learners to achieve a Distinction they must: Indicative characteristics Learners must demonstrate that: Use critical reflection to evaluate own work and justify valid conclusions. Conclusions have been arrived at through synthesis of ideas and evaluation of research evidence and have been justified The validity of results has been evaluated using defined criteria Realistic and informed recommendations have been proposed against defined characteristics for success Take responsibility for managing and organising activities. The written assignment shows excellent planning, is organised coherently and is clearly expressed Independence of thought and gathering of research material has been demonstrated Material used has been clearly understood and well organised The importance of individual and group behaviour in organisations and its management has been recognised and addressed Demonstrate convergent/lateral/creative thinking. There is evidence of self-generated ideas with evaluation Convergent and lateral thinking are evident in the written assignment Creative thinking is evidenced with unfamiliar material. Problem-solving is in evidence Innovation and creative thought are in evidence Receptiveness to new ideas is evident Ideas have been generated, evaluated and informed decisions/ recommendations are made. Case Study: WHSmith †¢ WH Smith: Kate Swann turns ? 135m losses into ? 106m profit in a decade One of the UK’s most highly regarded – and highly paid – retailers achieved success by going against the grain WH Smith chief executive Kate Swann favours the old retail adage: sales are vanity, profits are sanity. Photograph: PA When Kate Swann arrived at WH Smith in 2003, there was a widely held view that the chain’s days were numbered. A decade on, she has turned losses of ? 135m into a profit of probably ? 106m this year, and shares that were languishing at 250p are now changing hands at 650p. Swann is now one of the UK’s most highly regarded – and highly paid – retailers. Yet she has achieved this remarkable feat by breaking many of the â€Å"rules† of running a successful high street retail business. When Swann announced she was pulling out of selling music and DVDs because the profit margins were thin and getting thinner, rivals thought she had taken leave of her senses – she was instantly kissing goodbye to about 30% of Smith’s turnover. On a same-store basis on the high street, WHS now sells roughly ? 65 of goods for every ? 100 of custom seven years ago. The demise of Zavvi and HMV in the face of online competition shows it was a brave – and correct – decision. Swann favours the old retail adage: sales are vanity, profits are sanity. By focusing on profitable sales and cutting costs relentlessly, she has boosted profit margins – according to analyst Nick Bubb by an almost incredible 15 percentage points. While other retailers have been pouring resources into the digital world, Smith’s big online strategy is its Funky Pigeon card site. Instead, Swann plans to open more shops, even though they are, to be frank, deeply unpleasant places to shop, stuffed with stock and screaming promotional banners. While the supermarkets have to tread carefully in the products they offer and have been targeted for displaying sweets at the checkout, Smith’s has sold stationery aimed at teenagers and young women adorned with the Playboy bunny motif and Swann’s checkout assistants attempt to force-feed the nation giant bars of Galaxy and chocolate oranges. Her secret? Maybe it’s the low profile. While many rivals enjoy the limelight, holding forth on the woes of the economy, the lack of women in the boardroom and political issues such as the in-out debate, Swann says nothing. She doesn’t give interviews. On Wednesday, at Smith’s AGM, a shareholder stood to offer thanks for her transformation. Asked to respond, she merely said: â€Å"Thank you, let’s move on. † No doubt she will. There will be a queue for her services. Business operational. (2018, Oct 18).

Public Finance(please pick a topic) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Public Finance(please pick a topic) - Essay Example High government levels manage broad tax bases preeminently. In case the subnational governments become essential suppliers of goods and services, higher level jurisdictions are supposed to share a given amount of their incomes with these subnational governments. This enables bridging the gap between incomes and spending organized locally (Wildasin, 123). When budgets are supposed to be balanced, various constraints might result in subnational spending. According to Wildasin (125), the first constraint is the capacity of income rising of these subnational governments becomes limited. The second limitation is the occurrence of horizontal and vertical income sharing. Tax effectiveness grounds determine the optimal size of these subnational governments. The conformations of subnational incomes play a vital role in determining autonomy level over the expenditure management that the subnational governments enjoy. For example, mobilization of the local revenue is enhanced when essential tax bases are controlled by the subnational governments. This enables these governments to take legitimacy over using these resources and managing them to their needs and preferences (Wildasin, 126). Subnational governments are expected to reduce their spending management autonomy when there is reliance on revenue sharing, used in financing subnational spending that can be vertical or horizontal. In addition, fiscal decentralization may be more than delegation (Wildasin, 128). Additionally, subnational governments turn out to be spending agents of higher government levels that have inadequate decision making autonomy over the ways public funds are used up. The advantage of distribution in expenditure management is increased accountability and transparency in service delivery. This is by bringing the spending done by the public sector nearer the taxpayers. Wildasin (130) states that policy making autonomy over shared incomes enables

Pueblo revolt Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Pueblo revolt - Assignment Example The turning point of Pueblo revolt was the imposition of their religion and culture on the indigenous tribe (Weber, 1999). The indigenous population was forbidden to practice their religion or follow their culture through barbaric acts. Christian friars forced them to convert to Christianity by literally cutting one leg of 500 Acoma tribals (sangres, nd). The Pueblo people finally revolted against the Spanish when medicine man, called San Juan Pueblo convinced them to unite and fight collectively against the mighty Spanish raiders. The indigenous people fought valiantly and managed to defeat the Spanish forces and drove them away from their territory for around twelve long years. Pueblo revolt is important chapter of American history because the peaceful Pueblo tribe was successful in driving away their enemies who had threatened their cultural identity by using barbaric means. The bloody revolution also forced others to respect indigenous religion and cultural practice which was amply evident when Spanish conquered the region for the second time. Second time around, they were more respectful towards their customs and did not try to force their religion on