Managing Information Essay Essay Example

Managing Information Essay Essay IntroductionWith about 40 years’ experience has seen the industry alteration many times. and has ever kept itself at the head of that alteration. Its repute is a beginning of pride for all who work here. and it’s something we’re keen to continue and develop the lone manner possible: through fulfilling our clients. We have developed into a prima multidisciplinary contractor offering a genuinely comprehensive. incorporate service to clients in development. building. energy and many other sectors. ( See appendix 1 for Organisational chart’s of company ) My occupation function within the administration is quiet a varied one in that my twenty-four hours to twenty-four hours activities are neer rather the same. but to summarize my chief responsibilities include subjecting monthly applications in line with the assorted contracts worked on for illustration NEC and JCT to call but a few. go toing site progress meetings with a scope of clients from the commercial / proficient and building sections. subjecting internal applications and working advancement. go toing internal fiscal meetings with the Financial Director / Demolition Director and Management Accountant and bring forthing a study with the inclusion of monthly prognosiss. go toing meetings with Contracts Managers and Estimating manager to discourse and bring forth budget and mark sheets. completion of contract sum analysis and stop life prognosiss which are so discussed and agreed by the Demolition Director. supervising a broad assortment of sub contractors from different building subjects used which requires the demand to direct out stamp bundles. raising and presenting bomber contract orders. elevation of sub contract payments after measuring applications received. All the above aids in the monitoring of assorted contracts and ensures undertakings are delivered on clip within budget and the client receives maximal satisfaction to procure future work chances. We will write a custom essay sample on Managing Information Essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Managing Information Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Managing Information Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer 1. 0 Understand the Management of Information within the administration 1. 1 Critically assess information flow through a figure of different channels within the administration Throughout the administration there is assorted different types of information used which is transferred throughout the administration in several capacities. Information by and large described as below: Production and Operational – Information on assets / quality / criterions Financial Information – Profit / Costs / Margins / Cash Flow / Targets Internal Documentation – Purchase Orders / Delivery Notes / Invoices A ; Applications / Credit Notes / Departmental studies / Department Meetings and proceedingss / Hire Sheets / Plant Sheets and Information / Allocation Sheets and Plant Returns / Employees Records / Cost Books A ; Tender Information / Applications and Invoices ( Client ) All the above is aided with an Integrated Management System ‘This Integrated Management System outlines how Cuddy plans to fulfill the: Quality demand of ISO9001:2008 ( Quality Management System Specification ) Health A ; safety demands of OHSAS18001:2007 ( Occupational Health A ; Safety Assessment Series 18001 ) Environmental demands of ISO14001:2004 ( Environmental Management Systems Specification ) by runing a model based on these demands This Integrated Management System is intended to straight run into the demands of the undermentioned statute law and ordinances: Health A ; Safety at Work Act 1974 – Section 2 ( 3 ) requires administrations to hold a Health A ; Safety policy which should include: Statement of Intent ( i. e. Health A ; Safety mission ) Administration ( i. e. construction. functions A ; duties )Agreements ( i. e. process and counsel ) Management of Health A ; Safety at Work Regulations 1999 – Regulation 5 requires administrations to hold agreements for set abouting effectual planning. administration. control. monitoring and reappraisal of the preventative and protective wellness and safety steps. HSG65 Successful Health A ; Safety Management – This counsel outlines the direction system demands for implementing the agreements required within ordinance 5 of the Management of Health and Safety A ; Work Regulations 1999. This Integrated Management System will supply the mechanism for pull offing other legislative. regulative and other policy demands ( e. g. hazard appraisal. preparation. etc ) . ’ Above abstract taken from Cuddy To be read alongside the IMS as an assistance is the followers:Standard processsForms and Guidance NotesStandard Operating ProceduresCertificates. Insurances. LicensesPolicy StatementsStandard COSHH and Risk Appraisals As touched on there are assorted different ways in which the information is transferred throughout the administration with the usage of electronic. difficult transcript and spoken for the assorted types. all this aids us to capture the different types of difficult and soft information we need in order to guarantee a undertaking is a successful 1. ‘Soft information includes feelings. perceptual experiences. sentiments ; values on the other manus difficult information includes verifiable informations and cognition. ’ hypertext transfer protocol: //onemind. com/2010/03/07/hard-and-soft-information/ I have touched on how information is transferred internally and specifically in the office and from a manager’s point of position through assorted different capacities but haven’t gone into depth how information is transferred to the male childs on the front line on site. As I presently see it within the company there is clear breakdown in communicating from when we tender and win a occupation to what information is received on site and in peculiar how the site forces are managed on that specific occupation In relation to what precisely we priced. This I believe is impacting on the continuance we are taking to finish the occupation and impacting on the possibility of doing the occupation every bit successful as possible. besides this may hold a negative consequence on the company as whole whilst tendering for plants in the hereafter. As portion of the IMS there are processs in topographic point ( listed below ) . but neither allows for the mode and information to be transferred to site. To summarize from the information that is transferred demands to be clear. simple and set out in the manner in which the site supervisor understands what is required in order to guarantee the undertaking is successful. Topographic point for Enquiry. stamp and contract reappraisal Undertaking Delivery As a brief apprehension in mention to specifically the Demolition Department we have an gauging manager who will see the sites which require pricing and bring forth a cost book papers which is passed to the destruction manager and managing manager for remark before subjecting what they believe to be our most competitory stamp and or command. If we are lucky plenty to be successful in winning that specific occupation the cost book along with the stamp information will be passed to the relevant contracts director and measure surveyor in order to bring forth a budget / mark sheet and an extent of works sheet. This is when the center directors have the chance to raise any questions sing the occupation with the gauging manager or the destruction manager on what precisely has been allowed and priced for. The following measure in the current procedure is for the stamp information to be copied and a site file produced and passed to the supervisor in order to transport out the plants. The cost book. aim / budget sheet is non passed onto site and this is merely for mention between the center directors and managers of the company for the protection of critical information. Therefore I propose we come up with a process that will let the smooth transportation of information to site and give a clear indicant of what precisely has been allowed in the stamp. In puting this process I hope to bridge the spread between site and the information held at the office. and in making so keep regular meetings with dockets. proceedingss disturbed. 1. 2 Propose betterments to the flow of information within your country of duty. based on your organizational appraisal Due to my occupation function being one in which I try to understate cost and heighten value you for money. I believe in puting clear and simple marks to the Supervisors on site this will authorise them and give them inducements and a clear apprehension on what needs to be achieved in order to guarantee the occupation awarded becomes a successful and profitable 1. As mentioned antecedently in the current state of affairs the Supervisors are given the stamp information and briefly explained the occupation but in some senses are left to run the occupation with unfastened ended marks and no clear sense of way or direction. this is bend is doing occupations to run over and us non maximizing profitableness. Presently the transportation of information from stamp phase Michigans at the center directors point. The grounds being for this is due to confidentiality of the information contained within the cost book and mark / budget sheet and as directors there is information we do non desire the site operatives to see. Therefore the first action in the process would be to keep a pre start meeting or initial meeting or the similar on site with the following being in attending. The ground I have listed the below as typically they will be make up ones minding factor on how good a occupation goes: Relevant Contracts Manager Relevant Quantity SurveyorRelevant Site SupervisorWithin this meeting the occupation as a whole would be discussed briefly merely. In destruction for illustration it is possible to interrupt a general occupation up into the undermentioned classs: Site set upAsbestos RemovalSoft StripDestruction to exceed of slabRemoval of slabs and foundationsCrush stuffClear Site As you can see from above by and large there are a few different classs of work required to be carried out on a typical destruction occupation. Therefore I believe we should non take to discourse the whole occupation in item but marks given for each single work activity merely. as if we discuss the occupation in item this may do the supervisor to travel into his / her shell and be intimidated before the occupation has even commenced. Therefore within this process it will be broken down into the specific work activities and depending on the size of the occupation these work activates could even be broken up into stages if demand be. For illustration in the first pre start meeting or initial meeting the general site set up would be discussed and peculiar what is required in regard of cabins / public assistance / heras fencing to call a few points and the location of where we intend to site up site. As it presently stands the contracts director normally sets up the site but I believe if we have the supervisor on board early doors and let him to hold an input of the set up needed / location this will give him a sense of pride and authorization that he is in charge of the site. What site set up that’s required normally depends on the size of the site but typically this normally takes a hebdomad or longer and under current H A ; S and CDM Regulations 2007 no plants are to get down unless the followers are in topographic point: Blushing lavatories and running H2O and drainage systems. Washing Facilities with hot and cold H2O.Soap or other suited agencies of cleansing.Towels or other suited agencies of drying.Sufficient airing and lighting.Sinks big plenty to rinse face. custodies and forearms.Drinking Water.Changing suites and cabinets.Rest Facilities and warming. After initial site set up has been completed another advancement meeting will be held on site with a specific mark laid out for the work activity in inquiry. By and large on a destruction site Asbestos Removal normally has to take topographic point before we can get down soft strip depending on what type of asbestos and in line with the specific site asbestos study in topographic point. But for illustration if we take the occupation as a additive undertaking and the soft strip can non get down until after the asbestos. so within this meeting we discuss in length the asbestos remotion and put a clear mark with the input from the supervisor. Typical of illustration of this mark could be once more depending on size of the site but take for statements sake we take it as the site is split up into 5 stages. Phase 1 -10 Men x 6 Weeks Phase 2-5 Men x 3 WeeksPhase 3 -8 Men x 5 WeeksPhase 4 -8 Men x 2 WeeksPhase 5 -6 Men x 6 Weeks The basis will set in by the center directors to guarantee the mark above is in line with the cost book and or aim / budget sheet. and in line with this process it will try to put it out every bit basic as possible in order to try to take every bit much force per unit area off as possible. Weekly advancement meeting will be held after the initial meeting in order to reflect on the old week’s activity. Within this meeting it will be an chance for the supervisor to measure his public presentation and the public presentation of his squad on site. in making so will be a ego assessment tool for the supervisor without cognizing. It will besides give the center directors an update of current place in regard of the marks set out and give an chance to amend or alter anything that is non quiet working right and maintain the things that are. The meetings will go on on a hebdomadal footing with clear marks and unfastened and blunt treatments with input from all parties to make a sense of a squad as I believe this will assist with the running of the occupation. Changeless communicating will be held throughout on a day-to-day footing to guarantee all parties are cognizant of changeless ongoing on site. When plants have been completed the concluding action in the process would be to hold a station contract meeting once more with all parties where all the information is discussed /analysed / marks reviewed and the similar. This will be ready to hand in traveling frontward and used as a tool to garner day of the month / information. This information could be fed back to the gauging manager and destruction manager in order to hold the full circle should a similar occupation arise in the hereafter. The above will be written out in a clear process therefore should person go forth the company. or the occupation being transferred to person else so everyone will be cognizant what is required of them. See Appendix 4 for proposed new Procedure By seting in topographic point the above process it will help with spoken. electronic and difficult information and the transportation of. Spoken – Due to the nature of the process it encourages the day-to-day duologue between directors and the site supervisors. Hard Copies – Agendas and Minutes will be taken of all meetings taken placed. which will be updated electronically and distributed consequently. Electronic – Targets will be collated and circulated. along with transcript of the proceedingss. 2. 0 Gather and Analyse information to do determinations to work out jobs in your country of duty 2. 1 Collect information from a broad scope of beginnings to back up direction decision-making Site Managers / Supervisors Verbal illustrations from site directors / supervisors saying that the deficiency of information in regard of the range / stamp inclusions is holding a negative impact on the overall public presentation of our occupations. As mentioned this is transferred verbally therefore we will hold to take into history of its dependability and cogency. As mentioned antecedently there is a clear dislocation in the flow of information from when we monetary value and win a occupation to the information passed onto site and the direction of that information in order to do the occupation every bit successful as possible. This is readily backed up from verbal conversations with the site supervisors themselves who are unsure of what the extents of plants are and the possible impact this is holding on the continuance of the undertakings? Specifically within the Construction Industry as a director the below is at the head of every determination we make. The trigon illustrates the relationship between three primary forces in a undertaking. Time is the available clip to present the undertaking. cost represents the sum of money or resources available and quality represents the fit-to-purpose that the undertaking must accomplish to be a success. hypertext transfer protocol: //www. projectsmart. co. uk/project-management-scope-triangle. hypertext markup language But finally the determinations we make from site degree up the concatenation to the pull offing managers determine the result. Below is grounds that everyone makes determinations. Above it shows the impact and importance of determinations with respects to the Cuddy Group it is possible to divide the three groups up into the followers: High Value -Managing Directors and Directors Medium Value-Middle Managers e. g. Contracts Managers and Quantity Surveyors Low Value-Site Managers and Site Personnel Quiet frequently when doing a determination we use past cognition in order to assistance and help us. Past cognition or the information that is by and large contained within the encephalons of persons is by and large known as tacit cognition. This cognition is continually acquiring updated and revised depending on larning. experiences and penetration. There are assorted different types of cognition and this is summarised in assorted theoretical accounts. One of the widely accepted attacks to summarizing cognition direction is the Nonaka A ; Takeushi. ( see appendix 9 for web location ) Below are a twosome of diagrams demoing the matrix. Nonaka A ; Takeuchi model the procedure of organizational cognition creative activity as a spiral in which cognition is amplified through these four manners of cognition transition. Quote taken from category notes. Along with the particular undertaking direction matrix / flow and cognition diagrams there is general direction information available that will help in determination devising see below. Dependability and Validity Model ( see appendix 9 for web location ) Knowledge Classifications Model ( see appendix 9 for web location ) Good determinations make good undertakings. so what makes a good determination ( and. hence. a good undertaking ) ? The reply is. one that’s good planned. But so you run into the inquiry of how long the decision-making procedure should take. Well. the last thing we need is a new formal methodological analysis for decision-making—nothing would of all time acquire done. That’s why I’d like to suggest several utile regulations you can use to decision-making: See the importance of the determination. To find the importance of a determination. inquire yourself: What are the effects for both the undertaking and for you? In world. how pressing is the determination? ( Note that there’s a difference between of import and urgent. ) Ask yourself if there are more options. In other words. if you’re choosing between three options. inquire yourself if there’s besides a 4th option. Think about stakeholders’ sentiments. Have you listened to the sentiments of stakeholders in the determination? You should. Even though they may non wish your ultimate determination. they’ll have to populate with it. Concede the fact that you’re traveling to do some irrational determinations. We frequently make determinations about by physiological reaction. utilizing a combination of experience. informations analysis. gut feelings. fright. personal penchant. and peer force per unit area. I’m non stating that you shouldn’t take into history your sense of self-preservation. the positions of your squad. or your remembrances about why a old undertaking caused you heartache. You merely necessitate to be cognizant that each new state of affairs demands a clear point of position and a fresh determination ; otherwise. the same errors will repeat. Remember that even some little picks can hold large effects. Don’t underestimate the possibility that major effects could ensue from apparently undistinguished picks you make along the manner. hypertext transfer protocol: //www. techrepublic. com/article/decisions-decisions-make-them-timely-wisely-and-responsibly/1049740 Along with the information above collated from the web I have besides read the following text books / Management books. NLP Pocketbook ( see appendix 10 ) Prosecuting Employees. A practical usher for busy leaders A ; directors ( see appendix 10 ) Both books aid direction and in peculiar with determination devising. In regard of the NLP Pocketbook it produmitaly focal point on yourself and your actions. It works on a SMART end puting scheme. SMART end scene is Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic and within a defined Time Frame. SSpecific and positive M Measurable and meaningful to youAAchievable and covering all countries of your life. stated in the present tense as if you have achieved it now RRealistic and right for you TTimes and targeted. towards what you want. In add-on to SMART end puting. NLP incorporates a procedure called ‘creating a grammatical result. Making a grammatical result involves inquiring a series of inquiries that will assist you clear up your end. They will assist you to determine how of import the end is to you. how ( if necessary ) to revise it and do it more accomplishable. Well –formed outcome inquiries: Is the end stated positively? What do you desire? ( Eg. desiring to increase company net incomes instead than a statement about cut downing the loss ) Can you get down and keep the procedure of accomplishing the end by yourself. and maintain it in your control? Does the end include all the senses? How will you cognize you have achieved it? What will you experience. see and hear when you have achieved it? What will other people fee. see and state when you have achieved it? Is the context clearly defined? How long will it take? Who will be involved? Where will it take topographic point? How will it be achieved? When do you desire it? Have you checked that it is ecological or meaningful for you. Internet Explorer is it worth the investing in clip and money? Does the result tantrum in with your life and who you are? Does the end keep those facets of the present state of affairs you want to continue. Internet Explorer are at that place positive elements you wish to keep? Does it place the resources you need – those you already have or those you need to get? What first measure must you take? What are the following stairss? Abstract straight taken from the NLP Pockebook.But in contrast to the above the Engaging Employees. A practical usher for busy leaders A ; directors text book focuses predominately on how to acquire the best out of your squad. See contents page taken from the text book to endorse this up. Is starts with youPlaning to pass onUnderstanding your audienceProsecuting people in alterationFace to face affairsTeam meetings ; acquiring it togetherHigh Impact presentationsChecking you’re acquiring throughEffective electronic mail – at lastThe write material. 2. 2 Analyse the information collected from a broad assortment of beginnings. to inform decision-making Project Management Models When undertaking pull offing a occupation in building there are assorted different types of theoretical accounts that we are able to follow some of which I have given illustrations of but finally the primary focal point specifically within the building industry is the trigon between the three primary forces. Delivering the occupation on clip. within budget to a high criterion. Decision devising theoretical account With the trigon in head we all have to do determinations of variable impact and volume as is set out in the determination doing theoretical account. With this in head pull offing information and the determinations we make are cardinal. ‘By non doing a determination you’re doing a determination to non do a decision’ taken from the ILM category notes. The determinations we make as a concern finally determines how successful the result is. and in peculiar the flow of information within the company to help our determination devising is critical. Therefore before we make any determinations we have to take into history the impact of the determinations we are doing. Nonaka A ; takeuchi theoretical account When doing a determination we normally take into history past experiences / making otherwise defined as Tacit Knowledge. Under the Nonaka A ; Takeuchi model it explains the relationship and how we can turn Tacit Knowledge into Explicit cognition which can be readily transmitted to others. Most common signifiers of expressed cognition are manual. paperss and processs in our administration we can associate to the ILM system and the assorted processs in topographic point. Please see below which makes good reading. The patent had attempted to be bought by a purchaser in other words the tacit cognition had attempted to be turned into expressed cognition but due to it perchance non being documented right or the mode in which it was presented non being explained right it failed. Therefore the tacit cognition that had been turned into expressed cognition was small or no usage to the purchaser. We must bare this in head if we are trusting excessively to a great extent on expressed cognition and in peculiar how dependable the cognition is? In the same sense it’s possible to categorize Wikipedia as expressed cognition but we have to take into history the beginning and what past experience or where the information originated from before utilizing it to do a determination. ‘Bessemer steel procedure — Bessemer sold a patent for his advanced steel doing procedure and was sued by the buyers who couldn’t acquire it to work. In the terminal Bessemer set up his ain steel company because he knew how to make it. even though he could non convey it to his patent users. Bessemer’s company became one of the largest in the universe and changed the face of steel devising. [ 15 ] ’ hypertext transfer protocol: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Ta cit_knowledge Measuring Validity and Reliability theoretical account When garnering information to do a determination we must take in the cogency and dependability of what we looking to accomplish. Particularly within the building industry there is specific ways in which to mensurate or cipher something and this can be best described as the below. Dependability Dependability refers to how consistent a measuring device is. A measuring is said to be dependable or consistent if the measuring can bring forth similar consequences if used once more in similar fortunes. For illustration. if a speed indicator gave the same readings at the same velocity it would be dependable. If it didn’t it would be pretty useless and undependable. Importantly dependability of self-report steps. such as psychometric trials and questionnaires can be assessed utilizing the split half method. This involves dividing a trial into two and holding the same participant making both halves of the trial. If the two halves of the trial provide similar consequences this would propose that the trial has internal dependability. hypertext transfer protocol: //www. holah. karoo. net/reliabilityandvalidity. htmIn regard of cogency this refers to the extent of what we are mensurating and what we hope to mensurate. Cogency This refers to whether a survey measures or examines what it claims to mensurate or analyze. Questionnaires are said to frequently lack cogency for a figure of grounds. Participants may lie ; give replies that are desired and so on. It is argued that qualitative informations is more valid than quantitative informations. hypertext transfer protocol: //www. holah. karoo. net/reliabilityandvalidity. htm Both the dependability and cogency have classs in themselves in which we can utilize to mensurate if they are accomplishing what we set out to accomplish. To summarize we need to be aware if we are utilizing specific informations or gathered information if it’s dependable and valid in footings of what we are trusting to accomplish and suit for intent. Information to Knowledge Management With regard of the following theoretical account it gives us an penetration of how the of all time germinating computing machine industry and in peculiar the capacity to hive away and administer informations / information is enabling forces larning and besides the capacity to do right determination in traveling frontward. Given an illustration that is relevant to the Cuddy group is the below. We are able to salvage / shop and distribute natural facts and figures on a peculiar occupation and in making so we are able to see if a occupation was successful in regard of net income? We so can travel on to give significance to the obtained informations in regard of information and give grounds why that occupation was successful? We so can analyze the derived information and understand what we did good on that occupation. This will so give us the wisdom traveling frontward to cognize what to make for the best on other occupations. As mentioned germinating engineering is helping us with the transportation and storing of this information and helping us with the capableness of forces larning. There are assorted illustrations and theoretical accounts that differ somewhat some of which I have given illustrations but all cover the above. General Management Tools As the assignment is targeted at in-between directors I have looked into the impact that determinations have and what to see before doing determinations? As a regulation the undermentioned applies: See the importance of the determinationAsk yourself if there are more optionsThink about stakeholders sentimentsConcede you’re traveling to do some irrational determinationsRemember that even little pick have large effectsI besides looked into how Smart end scene and how to prosecute with employees. 2. 3 Use this analysis of information to do and warrant a direction determination Using the analysis and the information collated along with the process I believe this will break the flow of information throughout the company. The trigon The process will help with presenting the occupation on clip within budget and to a high criterion. Delivering the occupation on clip – By holding hebdomadal meetings on site and the changeless day-to-day duologue this should enable any jobs to be caught at an early phase and therefore giving clip to pinch in the bud the possible to impact on advancement and in peculiar the terminal day of the month which quiet frequently is cardinal to a occupation being a successful one from a clients point of position. Within Budget – Due to the process leting for a reappraisal of the mark v existent on a hebdomadal footing this will enable hebdomadal monitoring of the budget to guarantee everything is on path. atm at that place if merely an allowance of monthly coverage and it’s possible for any occupation to alter dramatically from month to month. High Standard – Again as the process allows for the contracts director / measure surveyor to see site at least one time a hebdomad with the supervisor holding opportunity to set his / hers positions across together this should raise criterions. Decision devising theoretical account In mention to the process this will repeat the fact that everyone makes determinations particularly as proceedingss will be keep. actions assigned and closed out as and when this occurs. Nonaka A ; Takeuchi Model With the process in topographic point it will let for smoother transportation of silent cognition into Explicit Knowledge. This will be done by taking proceedingss ; supervising advancement against marks and describing this information back to managers / pull offing managers in order to hold the full rhythm. Validity and Reliability Under the process advancement meetings will be held on site this will let us to scrutinize and supervise the dependability and the cogency of the information we are being told by the site director / supervisor. This will be used as a look intoing tool before information is transferred around the company to managers and pull offing managers likewise. Knowledge Management With the process set in topographic point where proceedingss are taken / marks are monitored it will let for us to salvage / shop and distribute natural facts. Besides with the hebdomadal proceedingss we will be to give significance to the obtained informations for illustration why we missed out specific marks? Why we bettered marks? From this so we can analyze the information and understand how and why? This will so enable us to do the correct determinations in traveling frontward. Along with the analyzing the above theoretical accounts and information. I have taking history of why from a directors point of position why the process in topographic point will help with the running of occupations on site and the transportation of information. With respects to the current state of affairs of bring forthing the cost book that is translated to a mark / budget sheet. this information will be small or no usage to the supervisor for a figure of grounds listed below: Information Overload – Due to the nature of the papers this may do confusion in the manner the papers is set out. hence as set out in the process by interrupting things the whole occupation down into specific undertakings this will more than probably take the force per unit area off and give a clear apprehension of what is required and expected off of them. This is likely to do them less intimated and more confident as if they are clear More custodies on and practical – The academic degree of a supervisor by and large is non the same as what we would usually anticipate from a in-between director in that the cost book / mark and budget sheet will non be fit for intent if passed onto the supervisor. therefore the information should be broken down so it is easy understood. Team ethos – As it presently stands the information is passed to the supervisor with no clear way and direction spring. hence by using the proposed process this will so bridge the spread and increase the we are in it together attack. Why will meetings be held face to confront? Sense of Importance – By doing the attempt to go to site. as typically our sites are all of the United Kingdom so this will instil into the supervisor the assurance he needs in that he got your support should he necessitate it. Ability – may non be able to utilize the computing machine hence face to face will enable supervisors to hold an chance to lend their input without experiencing intimidated Sense of importance – By keeping the meetings face to confront this will enable them to experience like they got you in their corner and in making so should make a clear divide from site secret agents to supervisors. Meetings more forces – Generally meetings face to face are more forces and can be structured better with agendas / proceedingss and the similar helping Why will the supervisor in regard of the site operatives be the lone site member to be portion of the meeting? Clear degree of direction between site secret agents / supervisors and in-between directors – This will authorise the site supervisors and in making have a clear barrier between the site secret agents and himself. Self Worth – It will besides give the site supervisor the ego worth and common regard between himself and the in-between director. hopefully this should increase productiveness as he is likely to desire to make more for the in-between director if he believes he has the regard. Respect earns regard! Company by and large uses bureau Labour – As touched on antecedently due to the company runing throughout the company there is the demand to use bureau labor. by holding hebdomadal meetings with the supervisor in attending once more this is making a clear construction. How the meetings should be conducted? Ability – plentifulness of treatments inquiries to guarantee supervisor gets points you’re devising. Let supervisor to hold their say and input – By inquiring inquiries this will let supervisor to hold their say and input. Informally instead than officially. don’t want supervisor to experience under limelight – Due to the nature of the building industry and particularly on site it is instead informal. hence if the meetings are held in the same mode this should enable the in-between line directors to acquire the most out of the supervisors. From analyzing the assorted different theoretical accounts and uniting with general in-between direction duties I believe the process I have put in topographic point will significantly assist with the transportation of information from site to board degree likewise. 3. 0 Disseminate information on a direction determination. through the right organizational channels 3. 1 Communicate information to team member or other co-workers to run into concern aims. utilizing appropriate organizational channels In mention to the process set up this should let for the changeless communicating of how a specific occupation is executing from site degree to the board of managers and in peculiar through the right organizational channel. To lucubrate on the above ; Site Supervisors will hold changeless duologue with in-between directors on a day-to-day footing. with a hebdomadal advancement held on site to discourse public presentation. Munities of the meeting with be typed up and public presentation analysed with cognition added to explicate how public presentation is runing? Are we traveling to hit our mark? Be on clip? Within budget? To call a few of the inquiries answered? This will so in bend be disrupted to the relevant manager. finance manager and the direction comptroller. This will so be discussed on hebdomadal footing in the departmental hebdomadal advancement meeting. and the biweekly Trading Review run intoing with finance with the relevant managers. This in bend so can be reported back to the MD by the relevant managers when board degree meeting happens. As you can see from the process put in topographic point we will let for the coverage from site to board of managers level to be on a hebdomadal footing instead than a monthly as is presently in topographic point. this in bend will give us every chance possible to accomplish the best possible result in regard of the building trigon. Delivering the occupation on clip. within budget to a high criterion. 3. 2 Communicate information to stakeholders or clients to run into concern aims In mention to the process as mentioned antecedently this will let for the changeless flow of information from site to pull offing managers ( stakeholders ) to be done on a hebdomadal footing. In regard of clients or clients quiet the building trigon is cardinal. hence by holding hebdomadal advancement meetings this information will be able to be fed back to the client. giving them the assurance that we are seting their demands foremost ‘the client is ever right ethos’

Trench Warfare essays

Trench Warfare essays World War I set a new precedent for wars to come, it was the first war to involve the new technologies in warfare we know of today. The machine gun and heavy artillery reduced the individual soldier to insignificance, leaving no room for heroes. Tanks, bombs, and poisonous gas were the new age of war, and left deep and psychological scars on the Western World long after the War. In the first few battles of the Great War a new style of combat called trench warfare was created. This new style of combat was created to protect the soldiers from large tanks and massive amounts of artillery. Life for the common soldier on the Western Front consisted of extreme unpleasantness for weeks spent in muddy, vermin-ridden trench communities, and the horrifying experience of battle. Each battle not only consisted of heavy artillery, machine guns, and barbed wire; but also of exploding bullets, liquid fire, and poison gas (P.P. pg 452). In this paper I will show how the new technologies of war gave little hope for a soldier to make it out of the War alive. In Alan Seegers Rendezvous he describes the feeling he has during his time in the War. He says, I have a rendezvous with death | On some scarred slope of battered hill, (P.P. pg. 454) This shows that Seeger has a strong feeling that he will not make it out of this war alive. He repeats this line over and over throughout the poem, I have a rendezvous with death (pg. 454) it gives the reader a sense that Seeger felt helpless and scared in this carnival of hell. Alan makes his strongest point in the last two lines of his poem, he writes, And I to my pledged word am true, I shall not fail that rendezvous (page 454). Alan Seeger did not make it out of the war alive. He knew that this war was different and was like no other before; he felt he could not make it out alive and he was right. In Wilfred Owens Dulce...

JAMES JOYCE Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

JAMES JOYCE - Research Paper Example In 1914 the short story Araby was published in the collection called Dubliners. From the first line of this story the readers can learn about the cheerless life he had in Nort Richmond Street. The main character is a boy. He lived with his uncle and aunt. The author emphasizes that only due to the inexhaustible energy and fantasy of kids the street that was really dark and sad, seemed full of light. He provides a very beautiful description of the life in the street and the feeling of children: â€Å"When the short days of winter came, dusk fell before we had well eaten our dinners. When we met in the street the houses had grown sombre. The space of sky above us was the colour of ever-changing violet and towards it the lamps of the street lifted their feeble lanterns. The cold air stung us and we played till our bodies glowed. Our shouts echoed in the silent street. The career of our play brought us through the dark muddy lanes behind the houses, where we ran the gauntlet of the roug h tribes from the cottages, to the back doors of the dark dripping gardens where odours arose from the ashpits, to the dark odorous stables where a coachman smoothed and combed the horse or shook music from the buckled harness† (Joyce). Children played the game that elucidated the street. The author wants the readers to understand how children see this world (Special issue on James Joyce). ... All their cries echoed in the secretive streets. The success of the game depends on children themselves. The children were eager to make a so-called career. Certainly, it was a very childlike career. The author depicted the indifference of kids to the adult world, but at the same time their great interest to it. They spied on the adult characters of the story, for example the uncle of the narrator and the sister of Mangan. The boys would like to get to know more about the opposite gender. For them it was something mysterious, something hidden and unknown. By spying they revealed the secrets of the adult life and world, which was very interesting for them (McCourt 3). The culmination episode connected with the romantic idealization of the sister of Mangan deserves special attention. The boy dreamt about her not even talking to her and maybe only children can dream this way: â€Å"her image accompanied me even in places the most hostile to romance†¦Her name sprang to my lips at m oments in strange prayers and praises which I myself did not understand. My eyes were often full of tears (I could not tell why) and at times a flood from my heart seemed to pour itself out into my bosom. I thought little of the future. I did not know whether I would ever speak to her or not or, if I spoke to her, how I could tell her of my confused adoration. But my body was like a harp and her words and gestures were like fingers running upon the wires† (Joyce, â€Å"Araby†). Their first meeting was also mysterious, maybe because a boy imagined it in his dreams all the time. It was a rainy evening, when the boy was along in the room. This room was soundless, dark and empty. He was full of imaginations. He constantly repeated the word

CORRECTIONAL PSYCHOLOGY Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

CORRECTIONAL PSYCHOLOGY - Research Paper Example Forensic hospitalization averages $500 per day while a jail’s housing cost is only $50.00. Buelle (2003) comments that â€Å"shifts in public policy regarding public safety, de-institutionalization of mental health populations and complexities in accessing funding for mental health treatment all have contributed to this problem† (p. 141). Sabbatine (2007) add that jail is the only institution that accepts everyone legally presented for custody unlike some mental health institutions which have admission criteria. That is why there is a growing population of mentally disturbed offenders in correctional facilities. However, since these inmates are psychologically ill, they have the right to be treated while incarcerated. The American Psychiatric Association, the National Commission on Correctional Health Care and the American Correctional Association all agree that these inmates need to go through screening and diagnosis so the necessary treatment can be done. Diagnosis is determined from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, fourth Edition (DSM-IV). This system has a five axis/ level structure. The most significant disorders are on the first axis and are termed Axis I disorders, which include schizophrenia, bipolar disorders and major depression, among others. Mentally ill offenders are at times identified by these Axis I disorders. (Norton, 2005). Treatment would include a variety of care options incorporating crisis intervention, ongoing psychiatric treatment – accompanied by psychotropic medication, if prescribed, and well-trained mental health staff who undergo an ongoing training program in the treatment and care of the mentally ill (Maloney, Ward & Jackson, 2003). There are many available options for treatment of mentally disturbed offenders ranging from simple psychotherapy to psychotropic medication to community-based therapy. These shall be described in detail as follows: A number of counseling and psychotherapeutic

Life Poetry And Legacy Of Emily Dickinson English Literature Essay

Life Poetry And Legacy Of Emily Dickinson English Literature Essay Emily Dickinson is a monumental figure, a true icon, to the realm of poetry in the 19th century. A time when transcendentalism ruled upon the civilized world and when American poetry was masked by European influences, Emily Dickinson broke off of conventional norms and established her own style of poetry. Through her reclusive upbringings to her untimely death, Emily Dickinson has invoked her unique style and language into her poetry that has established herself into one of the founders of modern American poetry. Emily Dickinsons external and internal life was nothing less than unadventurous (Context 909). She read widely English literature and would often think deeply about what she read. She expressed a particular fondness for the poetry of John Keats and Robert Downing, the prose of John Ruskin and Sir Thomas Browne, and the novels of George Elliot and Charlotte and Emily Bronte. One of her most favorite books is the King James translation of the bible, which contained influences of both Walt Whitman and of her own. One of Dickinsons styles involves the influence of religion. Dickinsons adaptation of 2 hymn meter unifies with her adaptation of the traditional religious doctrines of orthodox Christianity. Although her poems reflect a Calvinist heritage particularly in their probing self-analysis she was not an orthodox Christian. (Context 911) Her religious views, like her life and poetry, were distinctive and individual. Even when her views tend toward orthodox teaching, as in her attitude toward immortality, her literary expression of such a belief is strikingly original. In addition, Dickinsons mischievous humor contrasts sharply with the menacing gravity characteristic of much Calvinist-inspired religious writing. Finally, her love for nature separates her Puritan precursors, allying her instead with such transcendentalist contemporaries as Emerson, Whitman, and Thoreau, though her vision of life is starker than theirs. One notable poem of Dickinsons is Success is Counted Sweetest. The speaker starts off by saying that those who neer succeed put the greatest rate on success: They count it sweetest. To comprehend the cost of a nectar, the speaker says, one has to sense a sorest need. (Dickinson 914) She says that the associates of the victorious army are not able to define triumph as well as the conquered, failing man who hears from a distance the melody of the victors. (Dickinson 914) Several of Emily Dickinsons most notable works seem to take the structure of brief ethical proverbs, which emerge as apparently straightforward, but in reality describes complicated moral and psychological truths. Success is counted sweetest is a fine example. Its first two verses convey its moralistic point in which success is counted sweetest by those who neer succeed; people tend to desire things in a greater aspect when they do not possess them. (Dickinson 914) The following lines then develop that manifest truth by submitting two pictures that illustrates it: the nectar is an emblem of conquest, and lavishness, and success can best be understood by someone who needs it. (Dickinson 914) The conquered, failing man comprehends triumph better than the victorious army does. The poem demonstrates Dickinsons 3 ardent consciousness of the complex facts of human desire, and it shows the beginnings of her abrupt, firm style, whereby intricate connotations are condensed into tremendously short expressions. (Dickinson 914) I taste a liquor never brewed is another such poem by Dickinson in which her views are vividly depicted. The speaker in Emily Dickinsons I taste a liquor never brewed is describing a spiritual state that she experiences through her soul awareness; the state is so overwhelmingly invigorating that she feels as if she had become intoxicated by drinking alcohol. However, there is vast difference between her spiritual intoxication and the literal, physical intoxication of drinking an inebriating beverage. The poem consists of quadruple four-line stanzas. The second and fourth lines in each stanza rhyme, with the first rhyme pair Pearl and Alcohol being seemingly a slant rhyme. (Dickinson 917) Emily Dickinsons style of writing contributes to the irony of her life; she uses dashes profusely throughout I taste a liquor never brewed. Dashes are meant for interruption; thus, she seems to be questioning herself as she writes the poem. There are many dashes in this poem, indicating many pauses throughout; this could be for added dramatic effect or simply for interruptions. Dashes allow the reader time to think and feel (as shown after the first line). The dashes create the impression of a struggling voice, as if a violent wind is carrying some of the words away from the reader. The dashes help to make the speakers voice in the poem seem distant, as if he or she is speaking from somewhere else, even another dimension away. She uses simple diction which creates a down to earth feeling of hope. Her verses are very short which can indicate her short life. As a young woman, Emily Dickinson was a very intelligent and conscientious. (Context 909) However, over time, she decided to secl ude herself from the rest of the world, only talking to certain family members. Her father was a very strict man whose heart was pure and terrible. Because of that, she became very shy and grew a discomfort in social 4 situations. She gradually became more and more self-conscious and decided to go out less and less. Eventually, she lived all alone in her familys house and would not leave to see anyone. However, she still managed to keep in touch with a few close acquaintances through letters. The only time she ever let anyone inside her room was when she became terminally ill and needed a doctor to come see her. Even so, she only allowed the doctor to examine her from a distance. I died for Beauty but was scarce truly portrays Dickinsons thoughts on life and death. The speaker says that she died for Beauty, but she was barely accustomed to her tomb before a man who died for Truth was placed in a tomb beside her. When the two gently told each other the reasons for their death, the man announced that Truth and Beauty are the same, and thus, he and the speaker were Brethren. The speaker says that they met at night, as Kinsmen, and conversed between their tombs until the moss arrive at their lips and enclosed the names on their tombstones. (Dickinson 926) The bizarre, allegorical death fantasy of I died for Beauty recalls Keats, but its approach of appearance belongs exclusively to Dickinson. In this brief lyric, she is able to invoke a feeling of the disturbing physicality of death, Until the Moss had reached our lips-, the great impracticality of martyrdom, I died for Beauty. . . One who died for Truth, a specific type of romantic nostalgia signified with the yearning for divine friendship, And so, as Kinsmen, met a Night-, and a cheerfulness about the hereafter with scarcely sublimated horror about the reality of loss: it would be pleasant to possess a companion with similar interests; it would be terrible to lie in the cemetery and talk through the walls of a grave. (Dickinson 926) As the poem progresses, the high impracticality and desire for friendship steadily surrender to silent, chilly death, as the moss sneaks up the speakers carcass and her headstone, demolishing both her ability to speak (covering her lips) and her identit y (covering her name). The definitive result of this poem is to portray that every feature of human life, whether it be ideas, feelings, or identity 5 itself, is ultimately obliterated by death. However, in the process of creating the obliteration steadily-something to be adjusted to in the tomb-and by depicting a speaker who is unaffected by her own bleak condition, Dickinson devises a picture that is bizarre, persuasive, terrifying, and at the same time, soothing. (Dickinson 926) This is one of her most extraordinary declarations about death; in addition to several of Dickinsons poems, it has no comparisons to the works of any other writer. A Bird came down the Walk is another one of Dickinsons poem for which she utilizes her style and language. The speaker witnesses a bird come down the walk, ignorant that it was being observed. The bird ate an angleworm, then drank a Dew from a convenient Grass-, then jumped sideways to let a beetle pass over. The birds anxious, round eyes looked in all directions. (Dickinson 921) Carefully, the speaker proposes to him a Crumb, but the bird unrolled his feathers and flew away-as though rowing in the water, but with a beauty more soothing than that of Oars divide the ocean or butterflies leap off Banks of Noon; the bird seemed to swim without splashing. (Dickinson 922) Emily Dickinsons life has shown that one does not need to travel throughout the world or live a full life in order to write great poetry. Living alone in Amherst, she considered her experience as fully as any poet who has ever lived. (Context 909) In this poem, the effortless practice of viewing a bird jump down a trail permits Dickinson to demonstrate her astonishing poetic power of surveillance and portrayal. Dickinson eagerly describes the bird as it is devouring a worm, jabs at the grass, skips by a beetle, and peeks around horrendously. As an ordinary being alarmed by the speaker into flying away, the bird becomes a symbol for the rapid, energetic, ungraspable untamed spirit that separates nature from the human beings who intend to cultivate it. However, the most outstanding aspect of this poem is the descriptions in the final stanza where Dickinson offers one 6 of the most spectacular images of flying in all of poetry. By merely offering two quick contrasts of flight and by using aquatic motion, she brings to mind the frailty and variability of moving through air. The picture of butterflies jumping off Banks of Noon, effortlessly swimming through the heavens, is one of the most unforgettable scenes in all Dickinsons works. (Dickinson 922) Dickinson pursues that knowledge wherever it is to be found, no matter how it makes her feel. She reports her pursuits with such great attention to her poetry that her works offer excitement, now matter how dismal the topic. (Critics 948) Emily Dickinson was brilliant, well educated, and confident in her use of conceptual, scientific, legal and linguistic terminology; however, the truly remarkable quality of her poetry illuminates from her refusal to separate mind from body and the emotions which are bound in it. She writes close to the traditions of post-Romantic poetry and womens poetry in that her poetry expresses strong emotion. She stands to the side of her poetry that seeks to ensure that knowledge dominates, and the matters of the heart and soul are seen as part of that knowledge, united as one. (Critics 948) Emily Dickinson is thought of as an influential and continual figure in American culture. Although much of the early reception centered on Dickinsons unconventional and secluded nature, she has become widely acknowledged as an original, pre-modernist poet. (Context 909) Critics have placed her alongside Walt Whitman, Robert Frost, and T. S. Eliot as a major American poet. Dickinsons poetry is difficult to comprehend because it is far-reaching and unique in its denunciation of most traditional nineteenth-century themes and techniques. (Context 910) Her poems demand vigorous awareness from the reader, because she seems to dismiss so much with her indirect style and remarkable contracting metaphors. Even so, these obvious openings are packed with connotations if we are susceptible to her use of devices such as personification, allusion, symbolism, syntax, and grammar. Because her use of dashes is at 7 times confusing, it aids read her poems out loud to hear how vigilantly the words are positioned. What might seem threatening on a simple piece of paper can shock the reader with meaning when heard. Dickinson was not always consistent in her views, as they can change from poem to poem depending upon how she felt at a given moment. (Critics 948) American poetry characteristically embodies acts of process: the Dickinsonian process is a passionate investigation. Her investigative process often implies narrative by taking speaker and reader through a sequence of rapidly changing images; even when all the action is interior. These investigations structure Dickinsons poetry; the flexibility of her investigative movement is the major reason why Dickinson generally was contented with common meter. She may even have enjoyed the way her condensed discoveries press against the limits of small form. (Critics 949) All and all, form and function, Emily Dickinson exerted an influence upon American poetry beyond measure during her time despite the fact that she lived a reclusive life: An irony indeed. 8

Biography Of Emily Bronte :: essays research papers

Emily Bronte was born in Thornton on July 30, 1818 and later moved with her family to Haworth, an isolated village on the moors. Her mother, Maria Branwell, died when she was only three years old, leaving Emily and her five siblings, Maria, Elizabeth, and Charlotte, Anne, and Branwell to the care of the dead woman’s sister. Emily, Maria, Elizabeth, and Charlotte were sent to Cowan, a boarding school, in 1824. The next year while at school Maria and Elizabeth came home to die of tuberculosis, and the other two sisters were also sent home. Both spent the next six years at home, where they picked up what education they could.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1835, Charlotte became a teacher at the school at Roe Head and Emily joined her as a student. After three months Charlotte sent her home again, afraid that Emily was extremely homesick from her beloved moors. For a short time in 1837 Emily moved to Halifax in order to teach at the Law Hill School. She returned to Haworth when her health again began to fail. After this agonizing experience, Emily remained at home for five years. During this period, she wrote poetry and short stories to fill her time. In 1842, she attended school in Brussels with her sister Charlotte. There they studied music and foreign language. Emily also wrote her French essays at this time. Charlotte and Emily were described as “literary geniuses.';   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All the family was reunited at home, in 1845. In the course of time, the Brontes gave up hope for a school of their own. Branwell, working on a novel, told his sisters of the profitable possibilities of novel writing. In the autumn of 1845 Charlotte discovered Emily’s poems and convinced her sister to collaborate on a volume of poems. One year later, the volume was titled Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Action Bell and was published. The first venture into publishing was a failure. By July, Wuthering Heights was finished, along with Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. All three were seeking a publisher and finally had their novels published in late 1847. Initially, the results of Wuthering Heights were poor, selling few copies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1848, Branwell died. Emily left home for the last time to attend his funeral service, and caught a severe cold which developed into inflammation of the lungs.

Emerging Standards of Care: Cultural Competence Essay

The United States is often referred to as a melting pot. Cultural diversity is an inevitable reality in today’s society. We are faced with an increasingly diverse patient population and a diverse group of health care providers. Culture is a dynamic and complex phenomena that most understand as something that describes a particular ethnic group (Mitchell, Fioravanti, Founds, Hoffmann, & Liebman, 2010). Culture influences a person’s behaviors, practices, norms, customs, and beliefs on health, illness, and health care. According to Freidman, Bowden, and Jones (2003), people view culture as a model for our way of behaving, living, and feeling. There is an existence associated between culture and health practices. As the world becomes more diverse with migration, it is important that nurses and other health care workers understand and recognize the various cultures they encounter. The current U.S. population exhibits unparalleled ethnic and sociocultural diversity, yet the nursing workforce fails to reflect the current state of the nation’s diversity. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. nursing workforce is predominantly White/Non-Hispanic and female (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, 2010). Nurses face the challenge to meet the health care needs of a culturally diverse population while promoting diversity in the workforce. Nurses promote diversity in the workforce through educating nurses on cultural sensitivity and competence. Cultural competence in nursing is evolving as a standard of care. It is essential that nurses and other health care providers employ knowledge of various social and cultural influences in the care setting to promote  patient-centered care (Mitchell, Fioravanti, Founds, Hoffmann, & Libman, 2010). It is necessary to appreciate and recognize the relevance of diversity in the acute care setting to set standards of culturally competent nursing care, and to improve delivery of care through improving and meeting these standards. It is important that health care providers not only embrace cultural diversity, but also strive for cultural competence in order to ensure that all patients receive the best possible care. It is imperative that health care professionals integrate a patient’s cultural beliefs and practices into his or her treatment and recovery plan. Health care is rapidly changing. Patients and families are more receptive to these changes in modern medicine if their traditions and practices are integrated (Chater, 2008). Cultural competence not only pertains to race, sex, age, and ethnicity, but also encompasses â€Å"other inseparable factors of culture such as economic, political, religious, psychosocial, and biological conditions† (Stein, 2010). Delivery of culturally competent care entails promotion of the principles of social justice. According to the American Nurses Association (2001), â€Å"respect for the inherent worth, dignity, and human rights of every individual is a fundamental principle that underlies all nursing practice† (American Nurses Association, 2001). These principles model the standards in providing culturally competent care. They also guide nurses’ decisions pertaining to patient care. It is crucial that nurses and other health care providers examine their own beliefs and values. They must determine how their beliefs and values influence their interactions with patients, families, and colleagues. The concepts of cultural aspiration, cultural skill, cultural appreciation, cultural knowledge, and cultural acquaintances all produce cultural competency. Motivation of the nurse to become culturally proficient leads to acceptance of cultural diversity. Cultural awareness is the profound self-exploration of an individual’s personal cultural background. This includes identifying one’s cultural assumptions, biases, and prejudices of different cultures. The capability of assessing and assembling relevantly cultural facts that are significant to the patient’s presenting problem  refers to cultural skill. Cultural knowledge includes both seeking for and acquiring a strong educational foundation of the existing multicultural population that includes health beliefs and practices. And, lastly, the process that encourages nurses to interact face-to-face with diverse cultures is cultural encounter. Culturally competent care is reached by incorporating these concepts. By doing so, there is a decrease in health disparities and an increase in the potential for better outcomes and relevant care (Campinha-Bacote, 2003). The HHS Disparities Action Plan was initiated by the Department of Health and Human Services. This plan coordinates with other agencies to reach its goal of promoting health equality by using provisions set forth from Healthy People 2020 and the Affordable Care Act (HHS, 2011). According to HHS (2011), ethnic groups such as Hispanics, Asian Americans, American Indians, and African Americans experience higher mortality rates than other ethnic groups. The HHS Disparities Action Plan identifies factors such as poverty, socioeconomic status, lack of access to health care and racially driven disparities to promote safe patient outcomes and health equality. Several critical components establish standards of practice contribute to an organization’s capacity to provide culturally competent care. These components include: critical reflection, transcultural nursing knowledge, social justice, cross-cultural practice and communication, patient advocacy, health care systems, multicultural workforce education, policy development, training, and evidenced-based practice and research (Brady, 2010). Health care facilities need to ensure that tools such as multilingual teaching materials and interpreters are in place to effectively provide care. The use of cultural knowledge in composing a patient’s plan of care is a way to value diversity. Cultural competency is a continuous learning experience. Health care facilities may collaborate with professional organizations to establish best evidence-based practice in order to develop policies and standardized culturally competent care and reduce disparities (Brady, 2010). So, how does one become culturally competent? The initial step to becoming culturally competent is self-awareness. We must be aware of and value our own culture in order to identify with and recognize the value of the culture of others. We do this by critically reflecting on ourselves. â€Å"Examining and reflecting on one’s own ethnicity, belief structure, and values† determine the impact on our ability to â€Å"deliver culturally competent care† (Brady, 2010). A Nurses who understand themselves are able to understand and appreciate cultural differences. By doing so, the nurse can establish ideal ways to render effective health care services. An example would be that of a patient from the Far East. A nurse caring for a Chinese patient must appreciate that the Chinese adhere to traditional healing practices such as acupuncture, meditation, and homeopathy. Knowing this, the nurse will attempt to integrate these traditional practices into the patient’s treatment plan. The nurse can integrate acupuncture as an alternative treatment for pain management. A nurse who appreciates cultural diversity will strive to understand the cultural practices and beliefs of that patient and integrate applicable elements of the patient’s culture in the plan of care. Explanation of the plan of care and identifying the needs and expectations of the patient and family will aide in reducing tension, hence, develop a trust between the nurse, patient, and family. Nursing is making advances in promoting and implementing culturally competent care. Transcultural Nursing Society is a professional nursing organization involved in ensuring cultural competence is being included in the curriculum of nursing schools throughout the nation. The Transcultural Nursing Society is also involved in ensuring that curriculums are providing nurses with the necessary knowledge base to ensure cultural competence in their practice (Transcultural Nursing Society, 2013). Another organization, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), provides guidelines to enhance culturally competent care in health care facilities. This organization recognizes the disparities in health care delivery due to linguistic differences. They also recognize that there is prevalence in racial and ethnic disparities in health care delivery in the United States. The AHRQ points out that culturally and linguistically  diverse groups, as well as individuals with limited proficiency in English are disadvantaged in the health care system. These groups often experience poor health status and outcomes by accessing inadequate medical care in regards to quality despite consistent insurance status and income. Policy makers, civil rights groups, and health care facilities are responsible to understand the reasons behind persistent disparities and implement effective strategies to eliminate them. One way to do this is to improve cultural and linguistic competence of health care providers (Wilby, 2009). Linguistic competence is the ability of health care facilities to provide individuals with limited English proficiency appropriate oral and written language services. Health care facilities can hire bilingual/bicultural staff, train health care providers, or hire translators to assist during communication. The National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services, (CLAS), standards are â€Å"intended to advance health equity, improve quality, and help eliminate health care disparities by establishing a blueprint for health and health care organizations† (OMH, 2013). There are four categories under which these standards fall: principle standard; governance, leadership, and workforce; communication and language assistance; and engagement, continuous improvement, and accountability. Health care professionals can make the production of positive health outcomes for distinct populations possible by customizing services to a person’s verbal communication preference and way of life. Pursuing health integrity must remain at the forefront of healthcare’s efforts, with continuous identification of dignity, respect, and quality of care as rights of all, and not the civil liberties of some. According to OHM (2013), culture defines how individuals receive health care information, and how individuals exercise their rights and protections. It is what individuals consider a health dilemma, and how individuals express their indications and anxieties regarding the crisis. Holistic care involves designing care to meet the individual needs of the patients, to care for the whole. This includes considering cultural differences when planning care. Barriers to culturally competent interactions entail verbal communication, communication approach,  individuality, and sometimes a lack of respect for the patient’s preferences and needs. Language is a method by which a patient approaches the health care system, becomes aware of services, and formulates determination in relation to his or her health performance (Woloshin, Schwartz, Katz, & Welch, 1997). Communication endorses the opportunity for people of various backgrounds to learn from each other. Put the patients’ desire to understand first and make certain that they receive a chance to describe, in their own words, the information regarding their health care concerns and plans are fundamental initial measures in eliminating descrepancies and enhancing quality of care. Cultural competence requires people to develop an awareness of the differences of other people and their cultural personality groups. One is not capable of being culturally competent without considering the differences. Cultural competence does not involve giving up one’s own beliefs, values, or practices (Elliott, 2011). According to Elliott (2011), we can crack the cultural competency code by asking questions, listening, and aligning our attitude. The late Madeleine Leininger was a pioneer in the influence of culture on health care. Leininger was a Transcultural Nurse. She advocated two leading standards that nurses can employ in caring for patients from various diverse cultures. First, preserve an extensive, independent, and open attitude in regards to each patient. Secondly, evade the perception that all patients are alike. Leininger believed that by pursuing these principles, we can free ourselves to discovering the way others envision health and illness, and develop relationships that are therapeutic. She viewed every clinical experience as cross-cultural (Leininger, 2002). Diversity at the Workplace I work in a hospital in the small city of Tarpon Springs, FL. Tarpon Springs is located in Pinellas County. According to the 2010 census, the population was 23,484. Tarpon Springs has the highest percentage of Greek Americans than any other U.S. city. The city of Tarpon Springs has a total area of 16.9 square mile. 9.1 square miles being land, and 7.7 square miles  being water. Tarpon Springs has a series of bayous which feed into the Gulf of Mexico, and was first settled around 1876 by white and black fishermen and farmers. It got its name because some visitors spotted tarpon jumping out of the waters. The first local sponge business was founded by John Cheyney. In the 1890s, a few Greek immigrants arrived to work in the sponge industry. It was in 1905 that John Cocoris introduced sponge diving to Tarpon Springs and recruited divers and crew members from Greece. Tarpon Springs became the largest sponge dock industry in the world. Many restaurants serving traditional Greek cuisine line the streets of Tarpon Springs, as well as quaint boutiques. Nearby beaches are popular for swimming, picnics, boating and windsurfing. Viewing bottlenose dolphin are a favorite past-time of many. Tarpon Springs is also known for its Greek Orthodox festivities, including the January 6 Epiphany celebration that includes youths diving for a cross and the blessing of the boats and waters. This celebration attracts Greek Americans from across the country. The racial makeup of the city is 90.07% white, 6.15% African American, 0.29% Native American, 1.04% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.81% from other races. Hispanic or Latino is 4.33% of the population. 11.8% of the total population report their ancestry as Greek, which is included in the white statistic of 90.07%. 8.87% report speaking Greek at home, while 3.46% admit to speaking Spanish, and another 1.09% French. There are 91.8 males for every 100 females. The median income for a household is $38,251. About 7.7% of families and 9.8% of the population are below the poverty level. The hospital which I work is the only hospital in Tarpon Springs. The hospital has 168 beds which comprise 150 acute care beds, 18 transitional care beds, 14 ER beds, 9 ORs, 2 C-Section rooms, and 2 cathlabs. Adventist Health Systems acquired the hospital from University Health approximately 4 years ago. As you can see from the above demographics, this hospital serves a diverse population and community. From a religious perspective AHS is of the Adventist religion, however, welcomes, serves, and does not discriminate against any religion. The primary language is English, however, various  languages such as Greek, Spanish, French and Italian are spoken as well. Unfortunately, there are some patients who only speak their native language, and do not speak, nor understand English. For the most part, the hospital experiences minimal difficulty in assisting the patients and families in translation. Recently, the hospital contracted with a translation service using the internet. The hospital does provide admission and treatment information sheets and consents in other languages, as well. Our hospital is dedicated to serve the multicultural community of Tarpon Springs. Our food service caters to different cultures on a daily basis. Of course, Tuesday is Taco Tuesday. However, other ethnic foods are offered daily such as Greek, Italian, and Chinese cuisine as well as Soul Food and food that is in accordance with the beliefs of the Seventh Day Adventist religion, which excludes pork and shellfish from their diet. Chaplains and different religious figures are available to visit and pray with patients and families. Every Friday at sunset, a prayer recognizing the beginning of the Sabbath is heard over the intercom. Every Saturday evening at sunset, another prayer is heard over the intercom to recognize the end of the Sabbath. All committees, meetings and gatherings are started with prayer. There is signage throughout the hospital to portray our mission: Extending the healing ministry of Christ. I feel confident in saying that this hospital does follow Culture Care Standards. Signage is posted in all patient care areas and public areas regarding the hospitals standards. Signage includes anything from Equal Opportunity Employer to EMTALA. Because the workforce is very multicultural, the hospital is at an advantage at meeting these standards. There is one thing that all employees know; we are family despite our cultural differences. I am very proud to say that I work for this hospital. Conclusion The United States is a melting pot, and is becoming more and more diverse every day. Recognizing that diverse cultures exist is the first step in decreasing health disparities, and providing the best possible care to  individuals. Health care workers, including nurses, need to practice self-awareness. By becoming aware of self, they can then embrace other cultures and the needs of their patients. It is important for all health care professionals to understand the culture and beliefs of the patient population which they serve, in order to integrate these beliefs in his or her practice, whereby enhancing the quality of care provided to all patients. Education and training is vital in ensuring that health care professionals attain clinical excellence and strong therapeutic relations with the patients they serve. We cannot dictate the communities that we serve. Cultural competence does not mean giving up one’s own beliefs or values. It means opening eyes to the beliefs and values of others. 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