Moment Generating Function for Binomial Distribution

The mean and the variance of a random variable X with a binomial probability distribution can be difficult to calculate directly. Although it can be clear what needs to be done in using the definition of the expected value of X and X2, the actual execution of these steps is a tricky juggling of algebra and summations. An alternate way to determine the mean and variance of a binomial distribution is to use the moment generating function for X. Binomial Random Variable Start with the random variable X and describe the probability distribution more specifically. Perform n independent Bernoulli trials, each of which has probability of success p and probability of failure 1 - p. Thus the probability mass function is f (x) C(n , x)px(1 – p)n - x Here the term C(n , x) denotes the number of combinations of n elements taken x at a time, and x can take the values 0, 1, 2, 3, . . ., n. Moment Generating Function Use this probability mass function to obtain the moment generating function of X: M(t) ÃŽ £x 0n etxC(n,x))px(1 – p)n - x. It becomes clear that you can combine the terms with exponent of x: M(t) ÃŽ £x 0n (pet)xC(n,x))(1 – p)n - x. Furthermore, by use of the binomial formula, the above expression is simply: M(t) [(1 – p) pet]n. Calculation of the Mean In order to find the mean and variance, youll need to know both M’(0) and M’’(0). Begin by calculating your derivatives, and then evaluate each of them at t 0. You will see that the first derivative of the moment generating function is: M’(t) n(pet)[(1 – p) pet]n - 1. From this, you can calculate the mean of the probability distribution. M(0) n(pe0)[(1 – p) pe0]n - 1 np. This matches the expression that we obtained directly from the definition of the mean. Calculation of the Variance The calculation of the variance is performed in a similar manner. First, differentiate the moment generating function again, and then we evaluate this derivative at t 0. Here youll see that M’’(t) n(n - 1)(pet)2[(1 – p) pet]n - 2 n(pet)[(1 – p) pet]n - 1. To calculate the variance of this random variable you need to find M’’(t). Here you have M’’(0) n(n - 1)p2 np. The variance ÏÆ'2 of your distribution is ÏÆ'2 M’’(0) – [M’(0)]2 n(n - 1)p2 np - (np)2 np(1 - p). Although this method is somewhat involved, it is not as complicated as calculating the mean and variance directly from the probability mass function.

Science and Technology in World Agriculture - 735 Words

In â€Å"Science and Technology in World Agriculture: Narratives and Discourses,† Pasquale Lucio Scandizzo persuades the experts in biotechnology that the World Bank can create a balance between conservative and radical parties. In order to reinforce his stance, Scandizzo uses various forms of evidence: the narratives of both parties, the description the ecological problems, and the World Development Report. Scandizzo uses a description of the narratives of both conservative and radical parties to establish common ground amongst readers. This evidence is important because he realizes that his readers might come from either one of those parties. Therefore, Scandizzo creates a balance by equally providing evidence of narratives from conservative and radical parties. Providing a balanced narrative for both views effectively shows readers that Scandizzo values the neutral position between two opposing views. This is important to successfully gain attention from both types of readers to continue listening to what Scandizzo is saying. In telling the evidence of narratives from both sides, Scandizzo is more concerned with discussing both sides’ achievements in increasing the yield in agriculture. This is effective because it creates a dynamic in readers’ minds: Scandizzo can first boost readers’ confidence about their belief and, in turn, makes readers consider the achievem ents of the opposite parties, thus successfully establishing common ground. Before Scandizzo describes theShow MoreRelatedTechnology And Farming During The World809 Words   |  4 PagesTechnology and Farming Introduction Many advances in farming have helped the world grow and prosper, for example, technology has changed farming drastically by enabling farm equipment to be motorized, allowing farmers to be able to farm more land and more crops, and by allowing scientists to experiment and make hybrid crops. 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Concepts Analyzing the ALDI Supermarket †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Concepts Analyzing the ALDI Supermarket. Answer: Introduction ALDI Australia is regarded as one of the most discounted supermarkets that looks forward to offer products of greater quality at very low prices. The supermarket focuses on the exceptional value of the product having a greater quality. Their goal is to provide the customers grocery products of full range. A customer friendly supermarket enables the customer to shop in a smarter way (Aldi.com.au 2017). ALDI has expanded its branches and also brought structural changes in the organization. The aim of the topic is to apply a particular theory and concepts to describe the structural change. ALDI : Changes that took place in the organization ALDI has made a confirmation that more number of stores locations would open in the end of the year 2017. Initially in the year 2015, ALDI has expanded its branches in the other parts of Australia and also brought a change in the structural reforms by appointing a new Chief Executive Officer in the office. ALDI brought this structural change in terms of expansion in order to keep with the competitive advantages (Aldi.com.au 2017). With the increase of the new entrants in Australia, the rise of the consumers demands have become the important reasons to push the interest of the ALDI to expand its branches. The situation has permitted the organization to bring a structural change (Aldi.com.au 2017; Burke, 2017). Against this background, to relate the role of the manager has to be related with certain theories and concepts. The application of the PESTEL analysis and the description of the SWOT analysis in this topic, would enable the research to be done accordingly of the market structure. PESTLE analysis of ALDI Political analysis: The government of Australia might bring transformation if the new political parties are elected. However, the concern of multinational corporations is about the change in laws irrespective of the fact, which government is in the power. This in turn might affect the status quo of the ALDI Australia regarding the next decision the company takes. Economic analysis: The consumer expenditure includes the declining of GDP of Australia since the year 2003, the increasing level of the debt of the houses. However, the continuous fall in the levels of unemployment would lead to the enhancement of the purchasing power of the customers; this might lead to the increase of profit of the Australian supermarket. Sociological analysis: The Australian population is increasing, which might lead to the increase in the level of the consumers want. To top it, the huge migration from the South Asian countries, would led to the increase of the population in Australia. With the rise of consumer level in the country, the ALDI Australia derives economic benefits from the consumers by selling more items. Technological analysis: With the increasing use of internet, Australia is also connected with a fiber optic technology having the satellite coverage. The ALDI can easily reach the customers for their promotion of their products. Environmental analysis: The supermarkets of ALDI manage the carbon emission process. They take care of the fact that, the atmosphere is not getting polluted. Legal analysis: Australia follows the legal system of Common Law which is quite challenging to the ALDI since it is considered to be a German of Company and they are actually accustomed to the usages of the The Code Law (Yuksel 2012; Aldi.com.au 2017) SWOT analysis of ALDI Strengths: The ALDI claimed to have super quality products that they give in an affordable price. The shop looks forward to keep the cost of the operation low. It has the operation for over 15 countries in the world. Weaknesses: The ALDI supermarket is comparatively smaller. It has not impacted globally. However, it is at times considered to sell low quality at cheap prices. Opportunities: The super market needs to invest in advertisement in order to gain competitive advantages. It needs to grow its economy in Asia, Africa and in many other countries. Threat: The supermarket has engaged itself in the competition with retailers who have different Stock Keeping Units and the private level brands of the supermarket can get eclipsed by the other established brands (Hill, Jones and Schilling 2014; Aldi.com.au 2017). Conclusion On a concluding note, it could be stated that, ALDI supermarket is a growing market and the application of the contingency theory, Chaos theory and the SWOT concept helped to analyze the strategy of the organization. The application of these theories provided a basic understanding of the structure of the organization. References Aldi.com.au. 2017.ALDI Australia - ALDI Australia. [online] Available at: https://www.aldi.com.au/en/ [Accessed 19 Jul. 2017]. Hill, C.W., Jones, G.R. and Schilling, M.A., 2014. Strategic management: theory: an integrated approach. Cengage Learning. Yksel, ?., 2012. Developing a multi-criteria decision making model for PESTEL analysis.International Journal of Business and Management,7(24), p.52. Burke, W.W., 2017.Organization change: Theory and practice. Sage Publications.

Causes of Childhood Obesity Essay Example For Students

Causes of Childhood Obesity Essay Causes of Childhood Obesity Essay Works Cited Axmaker, Larry. Childhood Obesity Should be Taken Seriously. Online Posting 24 November 2004. Accessed 9 April 2005. 1-4. Bastin, Sandra. Perils of Childhood Obesity. American Academy of Pediatrics Quarterly. Volume 31 (11/2001): 44-49. Retrieved Medline 9 April 2005. 1-5. Buffington, Cynthia. Causes of Childhood Obesity. Beyond Change: Information Regarding Obesity and Obesity Surgery. Volume 17 (12/2003): 12-17. Retrieved Academic Search Elite 9 April 2005. Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Services. Special Issues: Childhood Obesity. Online Posting 7 July 2003. Accessed 9 April 2005. 1-5. Reading, Richard. Increasing prevalence of obesity in primary school children: cohort study. Child: Care, Health Development; Vol. 28 Issue 2 (03/2002): 189-197 Retrieved Academic Search Elite 9 April 2005 Rush, Traci. Childhood Obesity. Online posting 13 October 2002. Accessed 9 April 2005. 1. When speaking of her 8-year old daughters obesity, a prideful mother replies Oh its no big deal, she just still has her baby fat. Unfortunately, chances are that the daughters obesity is really no cause of her baby fat, but can be contributed to a combination of diet, genetics, and a sedentary lifestyle. Studies show that obesity among children 6-17 years of age, has increased by 50% in the last 20 years, with the most dramatic increase seen in children ages 6-11 (Axmaker, 1). This obvious epidemic has raised great concern in the medical community because widespread childhood obesity has increased the prevalence of the once rare juvenile diabetes and pediatric hypertension (Bastin, 45). This concern has prompted intense investigation of the causes of childhood studies, aside from socioeconomic status, three major causes have been shown: diet, genetics or biological factors, and lifestyle. Because fat must have a source from which to increase, diet is an obvious contributor to obesity in children. Dietary guidelines recommend that children between the ages of 6 and 11 should receive about 1800 calories a day, with 50% from carbohydrates, 30% from fat, and 20% from protein (Bastin, 47). With the ready availability of high calorie/high carbohydrate soft drinks, fruit juice, and high carbohydrate snacks, childrens diets have become increasingly less nutritious. Surveys conducted among children and teenagers have shown that 7 out of 10 children eat fruit once a day, and 5 out of 10 teenagers eat fruit once a day (Bastin, 47). Because children are replacing the missing fruit servings with high calorie snacks, weight gain will occur dramatically over time. An over consumption of 50-100 calories can lead to a gain of 5-10 pounds a year (Oklahoma Cooperative, 1). Many parents mistakenly encourage carbohydrates with a high-glycemic value as substitutes for fat and protein. High-glycemic carbohydrates prevent fat breakdown and drive fat into fat deposits, causing fat to accumulate, which occurring in high levels is obesity. The era of home cooking has all but disappeared from our society, with meals being replaced with pizza, or fast food creating yet another innutritious aspect of childrens diets. Carbohydrates also take far less time to empty from the stomach than do those foods high in fat or protein, causing hunger (Buffington, 14). A child having eaten a bowl of cereal for breakfast is likely to be hungry by mid-morning with the need for a snack. At school, he or she may satisfy their mid-morning hunger with yet another high carbohydrate food such as a soda, candy, cookies, or a bag of chips. These poor food choices are contributing to the increasing epidemic of childhood obesity. Everybody knows the child that can eat any type of food all day and never seem to gain weight. This occurrence has led researchers to investigate the role that genetics plays in childhood obesity. Not all children who are inactive or who eat poorly are obese, much in the same way that some obese children eat fairly healthy, and exercise moderately. Heredity has recently been shown to influence body fat percentage, regional fat storage, and the bodys response to overeating (Rush, 1). Children who have obese parents are 80% more likely to be obese than their lean parented counterparts (Buffington, 16). This familial correlation is contributed to genetics as well as the parents eating habits. History of Anthropology EssayResearchers suggest that a sedentary lifestyle is the greatest cause and predictor of childhood obesity (Bastin, 46). This sedentary lifestyle is due in large part to television, computers and video games occupying much of a childs time that would otherwise be spent in physical activities. Some studies have shown that children and teenagers spend up to 25 hours a week in front of the television, not including the time spent using computers or playing video games (Bastin, 46). With the increased time of television viewing, not only are childrens lifestyles becoming more sedate, but they are eating higher calorie foods in these drastically reduced times of activity. Researchers have found a very close correlation between Television viewing and the consumption of high calorie snacks (Oklahoma Cooperative, 3). When children combine extended periods of inactivity with consumption of high calorie snacks, a recipe for obesity is created. Studies conducted by t he American Academy of Pediatrics have shown that with every hour of television a child watches daily, chances of becoming obese increase by 2% (Bastin, 47). Years ago children typically spent this time outside engaging in physical activities. Not only did children get more exercise at home, but 80% of children were involved in physical education, while currently only 20% of children are involved in some type of physical education (Rush, 1). Educators hope to increase academic performance by decreasing emphasis on physical aspects of education, disregarding that recess fosters free and creative play, a component necessary for children to develop properly (Axmaker, 3). Much like in dietary respects, sedentary lifestyles can create a cycle in which, inactivity promotes obesity, and obesity promotes inactivity, making it difficult for a child to overcome obesity. Because of the drastic increase in obese children as well as adults, the issue of child obesity is finally being given the attention warranted. While many people may suggest that only one factor contributes to a childs obesity, scientists know that it is a conglomerate of factors all playing a role in whether or not a child will become obese. While diet and genetics play a large role, scientists are finding more and more that the factor with the greatest effect on obesity is a childs lifestyle. Childrens television viewing time should be limited, while active play should be encouraged. If parents and children alike can create a healthy balance between genetics, diet and lifestyle, the growing issue of obesity may one day be no longer a concern, and generations will live to be healthier.

Saudi Student in USA

Table of Contents Introduction Surveillance Society Interpretative principle Education for Social Justice Conclusion Works Cited Introduction The United States government is putting virtually all security strategies and machinery on alert due to the continual threats of the terrorists to attack the country and its citizens all over the world. Following claims of responsibility on attacks and threats from the Islamic extremists such as Al Qaeda and Al shabaab, Islamic countries and their citizens have been labeled as terrorists or potential terrorists hence they are under great surveillance worldwide.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Saudi Student in USA specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Although, the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001 has passed almost a decade ago, Saudi students in United States of America are living under pressure of hard surveillance and discrimination and that would affect their educat ion in bad ways and sometimes in a good ways. Surveillance Society September 11, 2001 attacks and subsequent threats transformed United States of America into a society full of vigilance and surveillance in fear of potential terrorists attacks. Due to the stereotypes that Saudi students are potential terrorists, they experience hard surveillance and discrimination that make them feel isolated from other students (Staples Para. 2). The government surveillance is highly coordinated due to the use of modern surveillance technologies that permeate every aspect in the society in terms of phones, internet, cameras, biochips, electronic transactions, drug testing, genetic testing and perceived integrity tests when tracking crime suspects or watching ordinary people. The culture of surveillance is developing in the society, as modern technologies are becoming an integral part of the community: schools, colleges, workplace and even our homes. Constant surveillance in the society means that w e no longer have privacy and this is going to shape the society in terms of our practices and attitudes towards our safety and privacy. Staples argues that â€Å"surveillance rituals constitute the building blocks of a rapidly emerging society of discipline, one increasingly stripped of personal privacy, individual trust, and a viable public life that supports and maintains democratic values and practices† (Para. 1). This is of much benefit to the society. However, hard surveillance and discrimination of Saudi students have negative effects on their performance since they lose confidence and trust of the government, lecturers and their fellow students. Although it seems that Saudi students are stripped of their privacy through constant hard surveillance, this is done for the sake of their safety and the Americans, as surveillance is the only way to assure safety to everyone from the unknown terror.Advertising Looking for essay on rhetoric? Let's see if we can help you! G et your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Interpretative principle The September 11, 2001 attacks had residual and cumulative effect on the minds of Americans due to the acceptance of the great loss of lives and cultural responses experienced. Rendell argue that writers resort to allegorical mode in times of great losses and enormous cultural changes to explain realities that are too hard to comprehend (Para. 1-2). The writers use comics to describe complex circumstances that are too disturbing if presented in their reality. In the McCloud comics, Blood in the Gutter, â€Å"magic and mystery are the heart of comics† (Rendell Para. 8). McCloud used the concept of closure to explain mental ability to construct a unified reality from the fragmented events hence aid the understanding of traumatic moments. The concept of closure as depicted in the McCloud comic has six aspects: moment-to-moment, action-to-action, subject-to-subject, scene-to-scene, aspect-to-aspect, and non-sequitur (McCloud Para 1). When applying the concept of closure to the effect of surveillance and discrimination of Saudi students, it shows that the mind has ability to accept reality and abstract conditions and transform them into positive perspective. The education of the Saudi students will not be adversely affected since their minds are going to transform and accept reality of the need and intention of the surveillance. Constant hard surveillance may cause tolerance and more hostility of the Saudi students to other cultures. Education for Social Justice According to Berta, â€Å"shared ethnic heritage between teachers and student does not imply that one is able to make meaningful academic and social connections† (Para. 7). The learning environment requires development cultural awareness so that students do not stereotype their perspective on the way they view different cultures from diverse races worldwide but focus critically on their performance that determines th eir future. Cultural and political diversity are assets in an education system since they are importance in the formation of robust relationships that brings real experienced to the acceptance of other cultures that feel or seem to be marginalized or discriminated against. Students from Saudi need to integrate and accept to live in harmony with diverse cultures in the course of their studies.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Saudi Student in USA specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Conclusion Security surveillance is inevitable and very invaluable for the safety of any nation in this era of great technology and potential terrorists’ attack. Saudi students must have a positive view of the circumstances surrounding the hard surveillance and their perceived discrimination as a way of enhancing not only the safety of Americans but also their own safety and anybody else for the sake of a better and discipline socie ty free of any terror. The aspect of cultural diversity must be accepted as an asset for creation of strong relationships that can build the society for the common benefit of all people regardless of the race or political wing. Education is an absolute right and anybody must be given equal chance to assess quality education in spite of political or racial classification. In the current world, security is given priority over privacy as there is no value attached to the life of any human being; better to be safe being watched than to die in secrete. Works Cited Berta, Avila. â€Å"Critical Xicana/Xicano educators: Is it enough to be a person of color?†Ã‚  High School Journal. 2004. Web. McCloud, Scott. â€Å"Blood in the gutter† in Understanding comics: The invisible art. University Wyoming. 1994. Web. Rendell, Smith. â€Å"9/11 TragiComix: Allegories of National Trauma in Art Spiegelman’s In the Shadow of No Towers.† Shift. 2008. Web. Staples, William. â⠂¬Å"The Culture of Surveillance† in the culture of Surveillance: Discipline and social control in the United States. University Wyoming. 1997. Web.Advertising Looking for essay on rhetoric? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This essay on Saudi Student in USA was written and submitted by user Nehem1ah to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Paste) - Delphi Code

Clipboard Basics (Cut / Copy / Paste) - Delphi Code The Windows Clipboard represents the container for any text or graphics that are cut, copied or pasted from or to an application. This article will show you how to use the TClipboard object to implement cut-copy-paste features in your Delphi application. Clipboard in General As you probably know, the Clipboard can hold only one piece of the same kind of data for cut, copy and paste at one time. If we send new information in the same format to the Clipboard, we wipe out what was there before, but the contents of the Clipboard stays with the Clipboard even after we paste those contents into another program. TClipboard In order to use the Windows Clipboard in our applications, we must add the ClipBrd unit to the uses clause of the project, except when we restrict cutting, copying and pasting to the components already possessing built-in support for Clipboard methods. Those components are TEdit, TMemo, TOLEContainer, TDDEServerItem, TDBEdit, TDBImage and TDBMemo. The ClipBrd unit automatically represents a TClipboard object called Clipboard. Well use the CutToClipboard, CopyToClipboard, PasteFromClipboard, Clear and HasFormat methods to deal with Clipboard operations and text/graphic manipulation. Send and Retrieve Text In order to send some text to the Clipboard the AsText property of the Clipboard object is used. If we want, for example, to send the string information contained in the variable SomeStringData to the Clipboard (wiping out whatever text was there), well use the following code: uses ClipBrd; ... Clipboard.AsText : SomeStringData_Variable; To retrieve the text information from the Clipboard well use uses ClipBrd; ... SomeStringData_Variable : Clipboard.AsText; Note: if we only want to copy the text from, lets say, Edit component to the Clipboard, we do not have to include the ClipBrd unit to the uses clause. The CopyToClipboard method of TEdit copies the selected text in the edit control to the Clipboard in the CF_TEXT format. procedure TForm1.Button2Click(Sender: TObject) ; begin   Ã‚   //the following line will select   Ã‚   //ALL the text in the edit control   Ã‚   {Edit1.SelectAll;}   Ã‚   Edit1.CopyToClipboard; end; Clipboard Images To retrieve graphical images from the Clipboard, Delphi must know what type of image is stored there. Similarly, to transfer images to the clipboard, the application must tell the Clipboard what type of graphics it is sending. Some of the possible values of the Format parameter follow; there are many more Clipboard formats provided by Windows. CF_TEXT - Text with each line ending with a CR-LF combination.CF_BITMAP - A Windows bitmap graphic.CF_METAFILEPICT - A Windows metafile graphic.CF_PICTURE - An object of type TPicture.CF_OBJECT - Any persistent object. The HasFormat method returns True if the image in the Clipboard has the right format: if Clipboard.HasFormat(CF_METAFILEPICT) then ShowMessage(Clipboard has metafile) ; Use the Assign method to send (assign) an image to the Clipboard. For example, the following code copies the bitmap from a bitmap object named MyBitmap to the Clipboard: Clipboard.Assign(MyBitmap) ; In general, MyBitmap is an object of type TGraphics, TBitmap, TMetafile or TPicture. To retrieve an image from the Clipboard we have to: verify the format of the current contents of the clipboard and use the Assign method of the target object: {place one button and one image control on form1} {Prior to executing this code press Alt-PrintScreen key combination} uses clipbrd; ... procedure TForm1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject) ; begin if Clipboard.HasFormat(CF_BITMAP) then Image1.Picture.Bitmap.Assign(Clipboard) ; end; More Clipboard Control Clipboard stores information in multiple formats so we can transfer data between applications using different formats. When reading information from the clipboard with Delphis TClipboard class, we are limited to standard clipboard formats: text, pictures, and metafiles. Suppose youre working between two different Delphi applications; how would you define custom clipboard format in order to send and receive data between those two programs? For the purpose of exploration, lets say you are trying to code a Paste menu item. You want it to be disabled when there is no text in the clipboard (as an instance). Since the entire process with the clipboard takes place behind the scenes, there is no method of TClipboard class that will inform you when some change in the content of the clipboard has taken place. The idea is to hook in the clipboard notification system, so youre able to access and respond to events when the clipboard changes. To enjoy more flexibility and functionality, dealing with clipboard change notifications and custom clipboard formats listening to the Clipboard is necessary.

Article on a controversial subject Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Article on a controversial subject - Essay Example First, the author does not indicate, who conducted this study, where it was conducted as well as the materials that were used to facilitate the data that was collected. In this regard, this statement and the data may be regarded as a generalized perspective owing to the fact that its validity is yet to be proven. Secondly, the author provides data indicating a research that was undertaken in 2008 by the Pew Research Centre concerning the support and opposition of gay marriage; the research indicated that approximately 47% of the American Populace opposed gay marriage while 43% supported gay marriage. However, the article fails to indicate where specifically the study was conducted and how it was conducted. America is considered one of the largest nations in terms of geographical and demographical size: Therefore, the essence of providing data regarding a study that was conducted in America without proper proof and credibility, would lead to a scenario where information is considered general or less credible. At the beginning of the article, the author makes a claiming indicating that it seems in the previous year, that opposition to gay marriage was used as a strategy to rally and energize conservative foundations. This statement is not supported by any fact or data, and may be considered a personal perspective of the author. Additionally, acknowledging the fact that the owner uses the word ‘seems’, one may conclude that the information provided by the author could be basically a personal opinion rather than factual information. Taking into consideration the fact that the article was published in 2012, the major issue that arises in regard to usability and reliability of the information indicated is that the article may be considered out-of date: This is due to the fact that society is dynamic in nature, meaning that there are various changes that occur on a daily basis i.e. socio-economic developments in this

An Investigation of the impact of change on Sotheby's Research Paper

An Investigation of the impact of change on Sotheby's - Research Paper Example 5 Changes in Auctioneering Process†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦. 6 Impact of Technological Changes to Sotheby’s Company †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 7 Impact of Technological Changes on Buyers and Sellers†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 8 Financial Policy Changes†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦ 8 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 9 Recommendations†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦... 10 Bibliography†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.... 12 Impacts of Changes to Sotheby’s Company Introduction and Background Sotheby’s is a multinational corporation that has its origin in Britain, but is currently headquartered in New York. It is one of the world’s largest brokers of decorative and fine arts real estate, jewelry, and collectibles (Innovation, Theories of Art, and Sotheby’s Company 2011, 63). The company divides its operations into three segments. These include finance, Dealer and auction. Among other products and services, the company deals in a range of services including Private Sales to Corporate Art Services. Traditional operations of Sotheby†™s Company make it the fourth oldest auctioneering company in continuous operation in over 40 countries and with 90 locations worldwide (Gus 2012, 44). By December 2011, the company boasted of 1446 employees worldwide. Sotheby’s is arguably the world’s largest art enterprise with global sales that totaled up to $5.8 billion in 2011 (Gus 2012, 44). Relative success of the company can be attributed to its efficient mode of operation that it established right from its inception in 1744 in London. The company has maintained a culture of management that looked at the business in three distinct dimensions. The company viewed and treated the business as having the categories of finance, auctions and finance. Sotheby’s is a master at managing timing during biding struggles among wealthy buyers. This is a unique piece of art the company has learnt to perfect and preserve over the years. Auctioneering capabilities of the company has made it become a marketing timer as w ell. In November 2013, the company’s shares were trading just below the highest level hit in two years. The company announced reviewing its finances and capital allocations in a bid to determine the best options it has of returning capital to shareholders. Terms of reference This report focuses on intricate analysis of the procedures the company uses to acquire and sell the products it involves in. Additionally, the research places emphases on financial changes that the company has developed and how it is expected to change the future of the company. Other than considering the changes that have taken place from the earliest years of the company, the research puts into account dynamics in the design of the business to the latest plans the company has. It is aimed at providing academic reference to academicians and general audiences who have the interest in knowing the development of Sotheby’s as it embraces changes over the decades of its existence. It was compiled and presented on 15, November 2013. Procedure In order to determine the effects of change on the operations of Sotheby’s Company, the research took an analytic assessment of publications concerning the

The Most Recent Reforms to the Child Maintenance System are Good News Essay

The Most Recent Reforms to the Child Maintenance System are Good News for Fathers but not Mothers - Essay Example 100 to be paid by the applicant. A total application charge for parents on benefits in the range of ?50 with ?20 of this paid upfront and the remainder paid in installments. The installments for the application only become payable where maintenance is in payment. Therefore a parent on benefit who applies will never pay more than the upfront charge if no maintenance is received from the application. A charge of ?20-25 for the calculation only service to be paid by the applicant. A collection surcharge (on top of maintenance to be paid) of between 15% and 20% to be paid by the non-resident parent. A collection deduction charge (retained from maintenance collected for the parent with care) of between 7% and 12%. A charge on the non-resident parent when enforcement measures (e.g. an order of sale for property) need to be used because of non-compliance. An application charge for the calculation only service.7 This reform is criticized by many because its impact is to be primarily on mothe rs,8 In most of the cases, it would be the women who apply for a maintenance as they would be the care-giving parent.9 1011It is so because â€Å"fathers on the whole do not negotiate full-time work with daily responsibility for child care, especially very young children, either during or after marriage.†12 A study by Atkinson and Mckay concluded that non-resident parents had no wish to share parental responsibility.13 The DWP Equality Impact Assessment for the Green Paper has observed â€Å"that 95% of parents with care are women, and a similar proportion of non-resident parents are men...†14 It is officially calculated,†the full cost of an application is likely to be around ?200. 15 The women in Britain mostly work in â€Å"part-time, low paid, (and) insecure jobs...†16 17 The single mothers have to schedule their working hours so as to undertake child care also.18 19 Mostly, this is why â€Å" women poverty begins with divorce...†20 The new refor ms are sure to put more financial burden on such women, who are already under-privileged. Here, it is important also to note that there is a proven connection â€Å"between poverty and single parenthood.†21 Power equations and maintenance Under the new provisions, if both the parents agree upon a maintenance amount under family agreement, they need not go to the government service provider.22 The power to take such a decision rests equally with the â€Å"parent with care† and the â€Å"non-resident parent.†23 If a non-resident parent decides to â€Å"pay by maintenance direct†, that is, not through government agency, then he/she can do so.24 The non-resident parent most often being the father, this might be a convenient decision for him, as he could avoid government action on non-payment. A Relationship Separation and Child Support Study carried out by a group of researchers showed that it was mainly the non-resident pa

Hospitality and hospitality management

Hospitality and hospitality management The aim of this paper is to critically review the nature of hospitality and hospitality management that Hilton Worldwide adapted. In view of this it is to be expected that analysis may range from the view at one end of the continuum that this is a lot of unnecessary nonsense which only serves to confuse the issues further, to that which sees this exercise as a stimulating and liberating contribution at the other. The views expressed in the paper clearly raise some significant issues and questions which Hilton management needs to be addressed more fully in the future. The challenge to the conventional wisdom highlights both the identity and parameter issues related to the nature and scope of what should be properly regarded as hospitality and hospitality management. This, in turn, poses some fundamental evaluation concerning the most appropriate orientation and priorities for both hospitality and hospitality management research and practice for Hilton. Counted Words:  ± 4200 Company Overview Hilton Worldwide previously known as Hilton Hotels Corporation is a leading hospitality company located worldwide. The new formation signifies the companys global business reach and strategies; the logo denitrifies the hotels affluent heritage and values and excellence in service (Hilton Worldwide, 2009). The companys vision is to fill the earth with light and warmth of hospitality and the mission is to be the global hospitality company; be the first choice for the guests, employee and owners alike (Hilton Worldwide, 2009). The values of Hilton worldwide is embosses inside the name itself which are H (hospitality) delivering outstanding hospitality experience I (integrity) always do the right thing L (leadership) prominent leader in key business areas and communalities T (teamwork) success is the combination of teamwork in everything it does O (ownership) owner of business actions and decisions N (now) operate in terms of urgency and discipline Hilton worldwide consists of 10 brands includes more than 3300 hotels in 77 countries as of today and is planning to open 300 in coming days. All of these hotels are either operated by contract or wholly owned by Hilton. Management body is headed by a chairman and CEO, the company is divided into 4 global regions: America, Europe, Middle East Africa, and Asia Pacific (Hilton Worldwide, 2009). External Audit Macro Environmental (PESTE) Analysis) A PESTE Analysis is an analysis of external macro-environmental factor that affects firms business. PESTE is an acronym for Political, Economic, Social, Technological and Environmental issues that influences the strategic development of a business. These issues are different in different locations and thus business firms may adopt different strategies in different countries where it operates to identify the business opportunities as well as threats. This assessment task would consider the worldwide strategy of Hilton (King, 1995). Political Political factors include government rules, regulations and legal issues under which the firm must operate and adhere (Nailon, 1982);(Wood, 1994). The issues discussed are environmental regulation and protection, political stability, corporate and consumer taxation, framework for contract enforcement, intellectual property protection, trade regulations, trading partners, anti-trust laws, pricing, mandatory employee benefits, industrial safety regulations, product labeling requirements, competition regulation etc (Edgar and Umbreit, 1988). The political movement can have definite effects on hotel business in UK. For example, if government set a rules under 18 years patrons must be accompanied with parents or guardians, it may result the decrease of young visitors. Imposing high goods and service tax (GST) or similar taxes would prevent more people to visit the hotel more often. By loosing these potential customers, Hilton may loose income and may need increase products and services to recover losses. Though Hilton groups are committed to use high scale safety standards, UK government rules may not give permission to operate business due to safety reason (like hill, low lying areas) even though there may have choice if business growth (Middleton, 1983). If the government plans to subsidies some of the service it provides (e.g. for disabled or senior citizens), the hotel may gain profits as well as increase services. Thus political actions may have both negative and positive impact on hotel business (Edgar and Umbreit, 1 988); (Hilton Worldwide, 2009). Economic Economic factors positively effects hospitality business. It determines how easy or difficult to sustain in a business along with capital, cost, demand, monetary policy, unemployment rates, exchange rates of foreign currencies, tax on exchanges (Wood, 1994). When economic growth is high, consumers income level raises thus demand for hospitality will increase too. Since the recent economic recession started, hospitality business was hit badly and it is yet to recover from the losses incurred. Increase of rates would prevent hotelier to seek for alternative choices (e.g. budget hotel or even home stay). In UK, hotel accommodation prices are extremely high than any other countries around the world. Consumers income level didnt rise up much and they fell the stringent budget allocation for daily needs. Very few people will consider spending holidays in luxurious hotels if they dont afford to. A higher income or wages will allow domestic traveler to get high class hospitality in high clas s hotels (King, 1995). Social Social factors are income level, demographics, geographies, life style, education, weather, culture and fashions (Wood, 1994). Social factors can be both opportunities and threats for a hospitality business (Lewis, 1988). Different age or sex of people would require different services (Slattery, 1983). Elderly people demand is not similar to young people. Business people will seek to have more work related facilities (e.g. internet, video conference) while holiday makers would seek more natural touch (e.g. garden, fishing) (Burgess, 1982). Cultural differences are a major play in hospitality business. While local people like crowd and gossip, tourist would seek for quiet and silent place as they plan holiday. Season is also an important factor (Middleton, 1983). Year end and holiday season are peak time for hotel business while therere not much crowd during working days or off-peak season. Most travelers are affected by bad weather and usually dont think for leisure during extreme either condition specially in winter season (Edgar and Umbreit, 1988). Technological This is the century of technology enhancement. So does business. Aggressive development of technological factors brought rapid growth for hotel business (Slattery, 1983). The factors may include spend on technological research; government effort focus industry based technology, new invention and their impacts, communication alternatives, speed of technology transfer, cost of usage, rate of technological diffusion. New technology could prove a useful input in hospitality business but it has to established with purchase and installment cost along with training to employees (King, 1995). Hiltons business will mostly depend on technological factors. Customers from around the world is now able to evaluate the products and services provided by Hilton through the respective websites, compare prices, seek advice and even can reserve a facility as early as one year prior to arrival. Hilton group itself placed much effort to keep the website simple and user friendly so that visitor will not feel difficulty to find any available information. Any latest service or products can reach to millions of customers through the website or communications (Reuland, Choudry, and Fagel, 1985). Providing details of every facilities Hilton placed itself to the top choice of any search engines. Traveler from any part of the world can communicate in real time with Hilton representative and made their choices, payments etc (Burgess, 1982). Besides for in-hotel customer, Hilton offers state-of-the art high speed wireless, video communications, and teleconferencing, to keep guests always in touch with outside world. These services received a bug thumbs up since it was introduced and continuously keep enhancing technology to stay ahead in business (Edgar and Umbreit, 1988). Environmental Environmental factors have been considered important factors for large organizations which particularly operated worldwide (Wood, 1994). This factor includes environmental responsibility, improvement of performance towards sustainable future, guest and team commitment to environments, reuse and recycle materials etc (Khan and Olsen, 1988). Hilton hotels recognizes their responsibility by embracing environmental mission includes all members under its group to focus on energy water efficiency, CO2 reduction, waste management, renewable energy. It take environment friendly initiatives which will impact guests positively, influence use of resources in harmony with nature by promoting the use of best environment sociable practices, supports local environment policies (Middleton, 1983). As of present days, Hilton promised to reduce energy consumption, CO2 emissions and waste output by 20% and water consumption by 10%. These steps ahead will place the firm in lead position and will increase reputation by means. Industry Dynamic (Porters 5 Force) Analysis Porters model determines the competitiveness of an organization using the five different forces and shows how the forces are related. To develop business strategies effectively, organizations must understand and act in response to those forces. (Porter, 1985) Rivalry Among Existing Competitors Competitive rivalry analysis is one of the key areas that business must consider to determine business strategy that firm must adopt and implement continuously over time (Wood, 1994); (Porter, 1985). The hotel business now days are very much competitive. With millions of tourist travels every year, luxurious hotel is the first choice for most tourists. Having numerous competitors in market (e.g. inter continental, best western) the competition between players are intense (Burgess, 1982). For example, British consumers are said to having higher buying powers thus will seek for high end luxuries. That works behind the reason why companies constantly compete for better products and attractive prices. In order to be leader is luxurious market, Hilton has to offer unique offers (E.g Park and fly with up to 8 days airport parking, ultimate spa journey with six senses spa in London). This force is in favor of Hilton. Threat of New Entrants Threat of new entrants may consider the ease of new entry, competitive advantages, place and positions, customers, government support etc (Porter, 1985). To open a new luxurious hotel by another firm in UK would be quite difficult since there are huge regulations and rules imposed by governments. UK government chooses to advise the existing hotels to improve their business rather than consider letting bring new competitors. Besides, consumer now days doesnt seek much luxurious hotel; instead they would prefer budget hotel. Thus new entry to comfy hotel business is not deep (Nailon, 1982). This force is in favor of Hilton. Threat of Substitute Product and Services This force is said to have much influence in Hilton business strategy in recent years. There force includes factors such as product for product substation, need, facilities, budget etc (Reuland, Choudry, and Fagel, 1985);(Porter, 1985). Hilton not only requires looking after new entrants as threat but also substituted product and service as a major threat. When there is matter of hospitality, its consumers choice what they chose to take. For example, a water bottle in Hiltons cafà © may cost few more pounds which is cheap just the opposite side grocery shop. A lavishness spa may cost few hundreds of pounds which may be proven cheapest for similar kind in other dedicated spa shops. For one night stopper, back packers and Hilton doesnt have any special prices which usually find their way in budget hotel. These type of consumers seems to be become a huge amount at the end as budget hotel is booming every where around the world. Hilton came up with idea of including a theme park in hote ls without considering that some areas may already have amusement park which provide same services as they plan; often in cheap price. This force is against Hilton (Burgess, 1982). Bargaining Power of Buyers This force consists of high income, large service provider, low switching cost etc (Porter, 1985). Before economic recession, consumers were having high incomes and seek more luxuries. As there are choices available in the market, Hilton has to react very quickly to retain customer intention to be their choice of providing world class hospitality in possible lowest price (Lewis, 1988). Todays buyers are most dynamic and well motivated requires more concentration on their needs . Hilton would have to avoid what they think about customer; instead they should identify what consumers think about Hilton. Consumers will definitely seek most affordable having all facilities they required and so, hospitality firms have to struggle of adopts the new trends, lifestyle as quickly as possible to offer their loyal customers (Slattery, 1983). This force is against Hilton. Bargaining power of suppliers This force may include switching cost, high purchase cost etc (Porter, 1985). Raw material suppliers play an important role in firms business growth (Tideman, 1983). A foodstuff supplier may not offer todays price tomorrow due of supply shortage (Middleton, 1983). Thus to offer catering to guest, Hilton has to purchase the same stuffs in higher prices which will be sum of large amounts of money (Burgess, 1982). If this extra money is to be imposed on guests, this would result Hilton loosing business. Besides, switching to another supplier would be a difficult choice too (Edgar and Umbreit, 1988). For example, Hilton has hired a transportation Company to ferry its guest everywhere they go. Considering, high demand of transportation business offers high price, Hilton has to pay high prices than normal to retain transportation facilities in operation. This force is not in favor of Hilton (Khan and Olsen, 1988). From the above analysis of Hiltons 5 forces analysis, the diagram below will provide a summary of the firms overall industry analysis. Porters 5 force analysis talks about the external forces applicable to the outside of business. Todays business is much more vast and robust requiring dynamic approaches which should be an integration of different approaches rather than depends on a single analysis (Porter, 1985). Internal factor analysis requires much analysis as external. Designing, visioning and learning approaches should be considered when an industry analysis is done. Porters 5 forces are lack of these factors. (Jones, 1996) Bargaining Power of Buyers (-) Threat of Substitute Products and Services (-) Bargaining Power of Buyers (-) Threat of New Entrants (+) Rivalry among existing competitors (+) External Factor Evaluation (EFE) Matrix External factor evaluation a strategic tool used for analyze the current business strategy. External factors consider the opportunities and threats that a business or firm may face. These factors are closely related to PESTE analysis. Developing EFE matrix is generally easy in mathematical term. The first step is to gather external factors for opportunities and threats. Next, assign weight to each factor. The weight should be between 1 to 100 (0 means the factor has no value, 1 is most influential and 100 means most critical). All weights at the end must be sum to 100. Then, rate of factors is necessary. Rate indicates how responsive the firm is towards the factors Rating usually be done between 1 to 4 (1 = poor response 2= below average, 3= above average, 4 = fast response). Next, multiply each factor weight its ratings resulting weighted score. Lastly, total sum of all weighted score will determine the EFE of the firm. For Hiltons Worldwide Weight Rating Weighted Score Threats Economic recession 20% 4 0.80 Government Tax 10% 2 0.20 Low cost hospitality 15% 4 0.60 Price change of raw materials 8% 2 0.16 Opportunities Strategic location 10% 1 0.10 High hospitality in low price 7% 2 0.14 Awarding loyal customer 15% 2 0.30 Associate with other business 15% 3 0.45 Total weighted score 100% 2.75 The weighted score 2.75 indicates that Hilton has the high ability to response to external factors (value below 2.50 indicates lower response). Internal Audit Value Chain Activities Internal Quality of Service To sustain in this high competitive market Hilton has to maintain strict internal quality of service (Lewis, 1988). Employees are trained in training center to face any kind of difficulty to ensure the harmony in hospitality business. Up to date information are distributed in a moment when new decision are made (Burgess, 1982). Employee Satisfaction Proper attitude of employer towards the employee in Hilton has been recognized as one of the important factors of company growth which is reflected in their high quality of services to customers. All employees are closely monitored to ensure they dont feel trouble in both on and off-duty (Edgar and Umbreit, 1988). Employee Loyalty Hilton has always come up with the issue to retain their talented hosts to serve guests. Employee has been given extensive facilities and almost 95% employees are proven to be loyal to Hilton groups. Reallocation of task brought diversification to employees and influence them grow their career in first class hospitality business (Edgar and Umbreit, 1988). External quality of Service Hilton is said to be one of to best strategic partner other companies would love be part of. From airlines to travel agencies, Hilton has maintained a good chin of network to reach to any part of the world virtually (Hilton Worldwide, 2009). Customer Satisfaction Consumers in hospitality business seek high quality personnel and dedicated client services (Tideman, 1983). Since adopting high range hospitality strategy, Hiltons focus always has been in its superior client service. From Beijing to Sydney, From New York to Paris, consumer satisfaction has been always taken care of provided with culture and life style mix (Khan and Olsen, 1988). Customer Loyalty The company also manages the world-class guest reward program HHonors. HHonors branding enables their hospitality brands to further build their distinguishing identities and the strong value proposition of the HHonors program through customer loyalty (Pfeifer, 1983). Customer loyalty is yet to get the desired outputs since it is not too long it was introduced (Edgar and Umbreit, 1988). Higher Income So thus, having values in hand, Hilton has no way to slip from business. It has been growing over time. Despite having hard time during recent economic recession, Hiltons business is said to be growing further up with expansion plan to build up to 300 hotels worldwide (Burgess, 1982). Internal Factor Evaluation (IFI) Internal factors consider the strength and weakness that a business or firm may face. Developing IFE matrix is similar to EFE matrix that has been done is page 7. The first step is to gather external factors for opportunities and threats. Next, assign weight to each factor. The weight should be between 1 to 100 (0 means the factor has no value, 1 is most influential and 100 means most critical). All weights at the end must be sum to 100. Then, rate of factors is necessary. Rate indicates how responsive the firm is towards the factors Rating usually be done between 1 to 4 (1 = major weakness 2= minor weakness, 3= minor strength, 4 = major strength). Next, multiply each factor weight its ratings resulting weighted score. Lastly, total sum of all weighted score will determine the IFE of the firm. For Hiltons Worldwide Weight Rating Weighted Score Strength Good reputation 17% 4 0.68 Large hotel chain 20% 3 0.60 Well-built management team 16% 3 0.48 Wide range of services 14% 2 0.28 Weakness Not for all consumer 10% 1 0.10 Expensive 10 % 1 0.10 Poor customer service 8% 2 0.16 Slow growth in change of demand 5% 2 0.10 Total weighted score 100% 2.50 The weighted score 2.5 indicates that Hilton has the mutual response to internal factors. Strategic Plan for Next 3 Years TOWS Matrix Strength-Opportunities Strategies Hilton hotels have a good reputation in hospitality business and a large amount of customer chain. Introducing low cost packages for travelers will means a true hospitality to the existing customer as well as for new customers (Slattery, 1983). Hiltons wide range of services may be available to people of all income level (Edgar and Umbreit, 1988). Strength-Threat Strategies Retain the talented and well managed employees for a smoother business in future could be proven vital (Pfeifer, 1983). Hilton should ways perform task variation, and frequent conversation will all employees to prevent dispute. Employee may be shifted to international chains to gain experience so that they would be loyal to the firm (Burgess, 1982). Weakness-Opportunity Strategies High hospitality in low price is definitely a go ahead step Hilton could adopt to overcome its weakness (King, 1995). Now that, market is been volatile, Hilton may consider leaving high scale profit to high range of customer levels to make its facilities open to all customers (Pfeifer, 1983). For example, golf course facility should be opened to all hotel guests not only for guest who additionally buy the facility. Hilton may not loose much amount of money but it would be proven a customer oriented approach (Jones, 1996). Weakness-Threats Strategies Poor customer service has been shouted long as major drawbacks for Hilton hotels. Sometimes customer has been given something that is not asking for and has been charged for that said services (Middleton, 1983). Price structure very often is not described to customer before offering thus it brings confusion. In hotel customer services is very crucial to maintain in very high level at always and customer must get the price focus than anything else (Lewis, 1988); (Reuland, Choudry, and Fagel, 1985). SMART Objectives (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-framed) SMART objectives refer to an acronym for five measures of well business growth plan. Often these measures are used to define firms objectives and future goals and evaluation of growth plan. Specific (What to do? For who? With whom) Any growth strategy should be specific and certain. Confusion on goals will bring ambiguous results which may prove fatal for a hospitality business like Hiltons. Well specified business goals, responsible resources, affected peoples, impact on the firms business should be well defined in this stage (Burgess, 1982). Measurable (Is measurable? How to measure?) Of course, once the growth plan and objectives are specified, a certain quantity or quality must be assigned to determine the success or failure of the process (Pfeifer, 1983). As an example, for future expansion, Hilton plans to open 300 new hotels in next years. 300 is a measurable amount. So then, if the actual success rate is only 200 hotels, it can be said that, the plan didnt succeed fully (Khan and Olsen, 1988). Achievable (Can it be done within the resource available?) Future growth depends upon many aspects specially political, economical and social aspects. If a sudden increase of raw material price, construction of 300 hotels may not be possible within the said budget. Re- calculation might predict a lower scale of growth size (Jones, 1996). Relevant (Does this step lead to expected outcome?) Once achievable measurement are defined, Hilton must consider whether getting 300 more hotels would be viable; specially consider the recent economic downturn. In some places, consumer may not afford to get Hiltons service; especially poor developed where tourism sectors are not blooming, opening a high scale hotel may not provide desired output (Edgar and Umbreit, 1988). Time-Framed (How much time need to get the objectives done?) Time is a very important factor for any objectives to be proven very profitable or even failure. Timely decision and timely implementation is the crucial mixture of time-frame (Pfeifer, 1983). For any growth strategy, Hilton must choose the right time to go ahead and put a hold when the time is not right (Taylor and Edgar, 1996). When demand competition is high, Hilton may offer lower price for customers which may includes unique packages for a limited time (Khan and Olsen, 1988). 4.3 Ansoffs Growth and Contingency Matrix The Ansoff Growth matrix is a strategic direction tool that helps businesses decides their strategies for growth. Ansoffs product/market growth matrix discuss about the strategies on which the business deliver new or current products in new or current markets (Tideman, 1983). Overall output of Ansoff product/market matrix is sets of strategies that set the direction for the business growth. These are described below: http://strategyiseverywhere.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/ansoff_matrix.png Market Penetration Market penetration is a general name of selling current products into current markets. Hilton should continuously introduce new products and service to customers to leap ahead (Jones, 1996); (Reuland, Choudry, and Fagel, 1985). Since the hotels most incomes come from hospitality facility, reshape of current products will ensure market growth and increase of demands by existing customers (Burgess, 1982). Market penetration for Hilton will be focused on the central markets that it is very familiar with, competitors are known, customer needs are defined and returns are potential (King, 1995). Market development Market development tells about the distribution of current products in new market. With its existing facilities, the hotel may introduce private hospitality for the customers who love personal luxury (Taylor and Edgar, 1996). A possible example could be provide terrace houses for high end customers with dedicated services (e.g. personal driver, personal chef etc). (Lewis, 1988) Product development Product development is the name given to a growth strategy where a business aims to introduce new products into existing markets (Reuland, Choudry, and Fagel, 1985). Customer lifestyle has been changed dramatically in recent years so does demands (Jones, 1996). New generation customers wants champagne instead of coffee. Thus opening of new products with unique style will remind the customers that Hilton cares what customer wants (Edgar and Umbreit, 1988). Diversification Distribution of new products in new markets is risky. Only in certain aspects large organization does adopt this. However, it can be proven a major milestone in firms business if diversity has been done and succeed. Self service kiosk is a new service recently introduce in Hilton hotels (Burgess, 1982). Most consumers still prefer to use traditional over the counter facilities to get the process done manually or meet special request (Taylor and Edgar, 1996). New expansion business should not introduce directly this self service facility. First customer should have provided training or information about the usage of system in new market. Else, this step would be proven as a disappointment (Jones, 1996). Conclusion Hilton International, the worlds best known hotel brand, has triumphed at the prestigious UK National Business Awards for a second year by winning the coveted Broadsystem Customer Focus Award 2005. The judges awarded Hilton Best Customer Focus for demonstrating it has the customer at the heart of its business and deploys and manages its resources to most effectively meet the needs of its customer base. Creative marketing agency, campaign works, has supported Hiltons new brand strategy. The next phase saw the development of innovative internal and external marketing tools that communicated and delivered the brand strategy throughout the organization and to the customer. The strategy led to outstanding success for Hilton International with significant commercial returns. However, like any other company, Hilton still has room to improve further (Burgess, 1982).

A Marxist Reading of One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest Essay -- One Flew

Fred Wright, Lauren's instructor for EN 132 (Life, Language, Literature), comments, "English 132 is an introduction to English studies, in which students learn about various areas in the discipline from linguistics to the study of popular culture. For the literature and literary criticism section of the course, students read a canonical work of literature and what scholars have said about the work over the years. This year, students read One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, by Ken Kesey, a classic of American literature which dates from the 1960s counterculture. Popularized in a film version starring Jack Nicholson, which the class also watched in order to discuss film studies and adaptation, the novel became notable for its sympathetic portrayal of the mentally ill. For an essay about the novel, students were asked to choose a critical approach (such as feminist, formalist, psychological, and so forth) and interpret the novel using that approach, while also considering how their interpr etation fit into the ongoing scholarly dialogue about the work. Lauren chose the challenge of applying a Marxist approach to One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest. Not only did she learn about critical approaches and how to apply one to a text, she wrote an excellent essay, which will help other readers understand the text better. In fact, if John Clark Pratt or another editor ever want to update the 1996 Viking Critical Library edition of the novel, then he or she might want to include Lauren's essay in the next edition!" At first glance, a reader may wonder how Ken Kesey’s novel One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, a book depicting a group of mentally unstable men and their boisterous Irish-American leader, connects with the economic and sociological view o... ...lett, Moyra. Marxist Literary and Cultural Theories. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2000. Print. â€Å"Industrial Revolution.† The New American Desk Encyclopedia. 5th ed. 1989. Print. Kappel, Lawrence. Readings on One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2000. Print. Kesey, Ken. One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest. Ed. John Clark Pratt. New York: Viking-Penguin, 1996. Print. Viking Critical Library. Loeb, Roger C. â€Å"Machines, Mops, and Medicaments: Therapy in the Cuckoo’s Nest.† Lex et Scientia 13. 1-2 (1977): 38-41. Rpt. Kappel 85-91. Malin, Irving. â€Å"Ken Kesey: One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest.† Critique 5.2 (1962): 81-84. Rpt. in Kesey 440-444. â€Å"Marxism.† The New American Desk Encyclopedia. 5th ed. 1989. Print. Parker, Robert Dale. How to Interpret Literature: Critical Theory for Literary and Cultural Studies. New York: Oxford, 2011. Print.

Capstone Project

Schizophrenia and Physical Activity Grand Canyon University MRS.-441 V-230 Professional Capstone Project January 9, 2014 Research shows that implementing physical activity into a lifestyle is a vital part of being healthy and encouraged for the general population. The importance of physical activity is a knowledge deficit for the person living with schizophrenia as the education and support needed from the treating psychiatrist and nurse is not consistently provided. An emphasis is placed on medication adherence, treatment compliance and reduction in hospital admissions.Research also shows that a person living with schizophrenia has a higher mortality and morbidity rate. This population often has chronic illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease which often is the cause for premature death. Therefore prescriptive physical activity prescribed by the psychiatrist with support from the assigned nurse to provide much needed education and program structured to su pport this change in lifestyle is a much needed service provided in the current psychiatric outpatient clinic setting.Physical activity for patients should be seen as integrative care and art of the common practice for mental health nursing. (Happens, Plantain-Phone, and Scott 2011). Keywords: schizophrenia, physical activity, serious mental illness Capstone Project A problem frequently found in the outpatient mental health clinic, inpatient facilities and within the community is the lack of importance placed on physical activity being part of the schizophrenic patient's life.There needs to be a shift to encourage the mental health nurse, the treating psychiatrist and the clinical team to take the time to educate the patients diagnosed with schizophrenia on the importance of incorporating physical activity into their daily routines. The benefits of becoming physically active should be described in detail to the patient as an effort to show them how this would improve their quality o f life.For many suffering from schizophrenia it may be difficult for many reasons not to be physically active but for others it is the simple lack of understanding of how being active can impact their lives in a positive way as well as having support within the clinical team. Much education of the schizophrenic patient lies with the busy mental health nurse who fete fails to realize that this type of education is Just as important as the education given to the patient on medication compliance for management of their symptoms and treatment adherence for long term stability.There is a need for greater access to physical activity information, opportunities, and professional standards for staff in mental health care (Wand & Murray 2008). The World Health Organization (WHO) finds that physical activity, ranging from daily walking to structured exercise regimens, is internationally recognized as a key prevention and health management strategy (2007). If physical activity is a health prior ity for the general population why should it not be Just as important for the schizophrenic patient?Physical health in this group is often poor and individuals tend to die early with life expectancy reduced by up to ten years compared to the general population (Philae 2001). It is common knowledge to the nurse and psychiatrist that regular physical activity can improve several common physical ailments such as hypertension, hyperglycemia, and hyperventilation's as well as reduce the risk for developing cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. In adult schizophrenic patients does implementing physical activity versus not implementing physical activity improve overall health in 1 year?There are many factors that should be addressed in order to solve this problem. The education of the mental health nurse, treating psychiatrist and clinical team on the importance of taking the time to educate these patients with this information is a very important part of providing care. The identif ication of the barriers for which patients who receive this education and do not implement physical activity to their current lifestyles is also important. There is also a need for immunity based physical activities or places where a patient with schizophrenia will feel welcomed and supported.The likelihood and reality of these patients to be accepted in general population venues for physical activities is often low due to the stigma and lack of education within society of the mentally ill. Review of Literature Education and Barriers In reviewing the articles similarities were found in a few of the articles. The importance of physical activity within all the articles was identified for the Schizophrenia patient. Each article stressed the fact that this patient population has high morbidity and mortality rate.One that with incorporating physical activity can reduce risk factors that contribute to premature death. Physical activity is determined to be an important factor in improving the quality of life as well as quantity of life for these patients. The main point in my research was to show how the mental health nurse can influence the patient's perspective of physical health as well as support it by promoting the physical activity and assisting the patient in identifying ways to incorporate physical health in their daily routines.In the first article the argument is made on how the mental health nurse should provide leadership in promoting physical activity even if the mental health nurse is not educationally prepared to perform this role. It also concluded that mental health nurses can provide directions in understanding physical activity for their patients by using evidence-based research and mainstream physical activity in the mental health clinic. Physical activity for patients should be seen as integrative care and part of the common practice for mental health nursing. Happens, Plantain-Phone, and Scott 2011). Two of the articles were studies that identif ied barriers for why patients with schizophrenia do not engage in physical activity. It is has been found that these patients self-report up to a 47% that they are sedentary but without any physical limitations. The first study included 27 patients from four community clinics that were interviewed individually using a structured questionnaire. This study used the recommended American College of Sports Medicine guidelines for weekly activity levels.The data showed that two-thirds of the participants were inactive and almost a third of the participants minimally active. Only two participants met the criteria of active which is described as having moderate intensity activity or walking for at least 30 minutes for 5 days per week. The study identified four barriers: limited experience of physical activity, impact of illness and the medication, effects of anxiety and the influence of support networks. It concluded that physical activity may need to be more individualized with case manage ment approaches by health care providers.The development of physical activity programs should include professional and peer support which would facilitate physical activity and program adherence. Moonstone, Nicola, Donated, and Laurie, 2009). The second study explored the perceived barriers and benefits to physical activity in people with serious mental illness. A total of four focus groups were held with a total of 34 patients from two program sites which included 16 men and 18 women. The data showed that barriers to physical activity were identified as mental illness symptoms, medications, and weight gain from medications, fear of discrimination and safety concerns.The benefits were identified as the program offered a feeling of belonging, program offered comfort and support, physical activity was viewed costively, they were able to link being active to improved health. The conclusion of this study was that these patients did value physical activity and were aware of its health be nefits. The report of fear of discrimination and relying on the staff to plan and initiate physical activities also contributed to their inactivity.The recommendation is that any program implemented should include independent initiation of activity as a method of improving one's health as this would assist the serious mentally ill patients in becoming more active and increase program compliance. McDermott, Snyder, Miller and Wilbur 2006). Lifestyle Factors and Activity Five articles, two of which were randomized studies that emphasized the importance of physical activity in relation to mortality rate, quality of life and identified activity interventions for the Schizophrenia patient. They also identified the importance of lifestyle factors such as diet, alcohol consumption and smoking.All of the studies in this section supported the fact that a poor diet can be identified in this population and should be correlated with chronic illnesses such as Diabetes and Cardiovascular disease. The first study identified a lack of physical activity participation and impaired functional exercise capacity compared to healthy controls contributed to health related quality of life. Patients diagnosed with Schizophrenia (n=60) and health controls (n=40) completed the SF-36 Bake Physical Activity Questionnaire and performed a 6 minute walk test.The results were significantly lower in patients with Schizophrenia compared to those of matched healthy controls. The activity scores indicated that patients with schizophrenia were significantly less' active during their leisure time and less involved in sports activities. The participants walked a shorter distance on the 6 minute walk test (19. 3%) and reported more symptoms of despise after the 6 minute walk test (28. 3%). This data suggests that patients with higher IBM might also be limited in completing daily life activities such as walking as a sedentary lifestyle correlates with a higher IBM.This study recommends that patients s hould be made aware that increased body weight and physical inactivity are modifiable risk factors. Educational programs should focus on these risk factors as they are key for both treatment and prevention of disease. Bancroft, Probes, Eschews, Marriages, Sewers, Knap, and De Here, 2011). The second study evaluated evidence of physical activity with or without having diet counseling on creditability parameters in people with schizophrenia.It is well documented that people with schizophrenia have a reduced life expectancy of 20-25 years in comparison to the general population related to premature cardiovascular disease. They also have twice the normal risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. This study reviewed 13 articles that addressed physical activity with or without diet counseling. The conclusion was that physical activity with or without diet counseling is effective in reducing weight and improving creditability risk factors in people with Schizophrenia.It is recommended tha t clinicians assess and monitor cardiovascular risk factors as well as refer patients to a physical health programs. It was noted in the study that without the support of clinicians, people with schizophrenia exercised sporadically and dropout rates were at 90% after 6 months. (Bancroft, Knap, De Cert., Van Winkle, Deck, Marriages, Puddles, Simons and Probes 2009). The third article focused on the impact of poor hysterical health in relation to the mortality rate of patients with schizophrenia.This study summarized lifestyle factors such as poor diet, low rates of physical activity, increased weight, smoking, lack of dental care, social isolation, limited to no family involvement and unemployment which can all be considered underlying causes of increased mortality in this population. This article found patients with schizophrenia have the inability to provide self-care which also places this population at greater risk for premature death. This article emphasis the need for health ed ucation that retrofires physical health as an effort to improve mortality and morbidity of people with serious mental illness.These health education strategies would include education of lifestyle factors to intervene before a serious health problem is established. As well as secondary interventions which include health screenings to aid in the early detection and management of high risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. (Pack 2009). The fourth article was also study that was based on assessment of the metabolic profile for individuals with schizophrenia in relation to dietary and physical activity habits.This study interviewed 130 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia from the outpatient clinic. The data from these 130 patients and another 250 participants of the 2005-2008 ENHANCES were analyzed by using SPAS version 17. 0 for Windows. The data showed that less than half of the sample reported moderate physical activity and few individuals reported any vigorous physi cal activity. The controlled group showed a higher frequency of moderate physical activity but no difference in vigorous activity.Previous studies have found that 40% of patients with Schizophrenia report no moderate physical activity and 75% port no vigorous physical activity. This study found that household income did correlate with moderate activity and did impair participation in physical activity for those patients who had a lower income. The conclusion of this study is that interventions should combine education and physical activity as a form of outreach that would be more appropriate for the serious mentally ill patient who has limited knowledge of the benefits of exercise.Health care providers should offer increased opportunities for physical activity for patients with Schizophrenia as this may improve treatment outcomes and ease the burden of disease. Rattail, Palmers, Returnee, Lisbon, Grill, Take 2012). The objective of the fifth and final study was to evaluate the assoc iation between a sedentary lifestyle and psychiatric symptoms in obese and overweight adults with schizophrenia or specification disorders. This was a randomized study which included weight assessment and intervention in schizophrenia treatment.The data was collected during 2005-2008 in an outpatient setting and included 55 patients. Sedentary behavior has been shown to be an independent risk factor for mortality in the general population and may be a factor hat is increasing the risk of common co-morbidity's in adults with schizophrenia or specification disorder. This study found in regards to physical activity that patients who were monitored spent 13 hours per day practicing sedentary behaviors and that physical activity was very limited.Physical activity was primarily light physical activities 17% of the monitoring time and moderate to vigorous activity was 2% of the monitoring time. Self-reported sedentary behavior was found to be associated with psychiatric symptoms such as ne gative symptoms, depression, cognitive symptoms ND extramarital side effects to psychotropic medications. This study suggests that public health campaigns and mental health providers should focus on decreasing sedentary behaviors as an effort to reduce the risk of co-morbidity's which are often experienced by adults with schizophrenia or specification disorder. Ann., Gauguin, Richardson, Hellman, Tang, Caules, and Karakas 2013). There is much evidence to support the fact that the mental health nurse should spend time educating, promoting and possibly even facilitating the programs within the clinic that support the schizophrenia patient with the lifestyle change to incorporate physical activity into their lives to increase their quality and quantity of life. It would be realistic to set a goal for the patient to be able to incorporate 30 minutes of physical activity into their routines at least three times per week.Physical activity teaching and support should include topics that de al with barriers to physical activity, poor diet and their influence as factors that contribute to the development of Diabetes and Cardiovascular disease. Implementation Plan In the current outpatient clinic setting such as Partner's In Recovery decisions about NY change that will affect the patients care are made not only at the administrative level but the patient level as well. There is an identified Advisory Council which is made up of volunteers which consists of patients, clergy and community members.Prior to any proposal for change or new program within the clinic to be brought before administration the information must be presented to the Advisory Council at one of their monthly meetings. Once approval is obtained from the council then the information would be presented to the patients for their input and approval. Moving onto administration will be the tough part. The presentation will have to include physician approval, URN endorsement and willingness to adapt teaching to their current practice, patient testimony on the importance of having physical activity ordered by the physician as part of their treatment plan.As well as the patients currently participating in a walking program for 30 minute intervals two to three times per week. This presentation would be given by the URN with self-identified patients who would help facilitate and share their personal experiences. In order for administration to be on board with a change the buy in would have to be monstrance at the patient level with a few patients willing to go the extra mile and advocate for this change to happen. A presentation for the patients would be developed and presented to the patients in the current onsite classes.This presentation would highlight the high risk behaviors that can be modified to avoid the development of chronic illnesses such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. It would also include the high morbidity and mortality rates found within this population which i s also attributed to schizophrenia and the lack of physical activity. A healthy snack would be served to them during the presentation. Patients that were self-identified as wanting to participate in this process would be called to additional Once the patients were on board and actively walking we would move meeting. Onto the physicians and nurses. This presentation would have the same information and would be presented to them during one of the monthly clinical staff meetings with arrangements made for lunch to be served since it is normally held during their lunch hour. This presentation would focus on the importance of physical activity being prescriptive by the physician. Reinforced, supported and taught by the URN who is assigned to that patient for continuity and adherence.It is recognized among the medical staff that serious mentally ill patients across the spectrum of diagnosis suffer from a sedentary lifestyle. Physical activity may need to be more individualized with case m anagement approaches by health care providers. The development of physical activity programs should include professional and peer support which would facilitate physical activity and program adherence Moonstone, Nicola, Donated, Laurie 2009). This presentation would be adaptable to the audience for future reservations.For the physicians and nurses it would have statistical data to support the change and show the positive outcome for reinforcing a lifestyle change for many of their patients. For administration it would have data to support that the quality of life would be greater and the quantity of years of life extended with the patient who is being supported to be physically active. The cost may be increased for the mental health system as the SIMI patients diagnosed with Schizophrenia will live a longer life related to implementing this change.This small change may motivate the patient to incorporate more healthy behaviors such as quitting smoking, eating healthy and seeing thei r primary care physician regularly to manage their chronic illness such as diabetes and hypertension which will in turn lead to healthier more productive lives. For some, patients possibly even the opportunity to reach full recovery in which they would no longer need to be part of the mental health system. The problem at hand is that physical health in this group is often poor and individuals tend to die early with life expectancy reduced by up to ten years compared to the general population Philae et al. 001). It is common knowledge to the nurse and psychiatrist that regular physical activity can improve several common physical ailments such as hypertension, hyperglycemia, and hyperventilation's as well as reduce the risk for developing cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. At the outpatient clinic level much of the patient education is provided by the busy Mental Health Nurse. Time constraints, patients in crisis needed to be triages or hospital discharges often take preced ence to teaching or reinforcement of physical activity.There is a need for rater access to physical activity information, opportunities, and professional standards for staff in mental health care (Wand & Murray 2008). The World Health Organization (WHO) finds that physical activity, ranging from daily walking to structured exercise regimens, is internationally recognized as a key prevention and health management strategy (2007). In the additional meeting these patients would be given more specifics about what their participation will mean to move this change forward to Administration for final approval to be implemented for all the patients diagnosed with Schizophrenia.A detailed explanation of the commitment being made to themselves in become physically active. Patients would receive a pre-test and a plan would be set for implementing walking for 30 minute intervals two to three times per week as well as a log to track their participation. Patients would receive a pedometer if they were interested in seeing their walking translated into steps. Patients would return weekly to report their progress, enjoy a health snack, receive additional support and reinforcement from their assigned Nurse as well as planning the following weeks activity.A room within the clinic would be designated or this meeting. The cost for implementing this walking program for the patients would be minimal as the clinic receives donations of food and water on a weekly basis. Often time staff is also willing to support activities such as this with donations of fruit or vegetable trays. The cost on the other hand maybe viewed differently from Administration as this program would take time from a designated URN to meet with the patients on a weekly basis which in turn would take away from clinical hours and billable patient care. The average URN at PRI makes $28-$32 per hour.Considering one our for the patient meeting time, prep time and possible phone call allotment time may come out to thr ee to four hours per week which would average $112-$128 per week. Not being privileged to the average billing rate for a visit with an URN for one hour in the clinic a weekly average of the loss in unable to be determined. There would also be a cost incurred with paper, ink and printing of materials. If this program was to be implemented as identified above with the physician prescribing the physical activity to the patient diagnosed with schizophrenia and the support given by the URN the outcome would be phenomenal.Mental health nurses can provide directions in understanding physical activity for their patients by using evidence-based research and mainstream physical activity in the mental health common practice for mental health nursing. (Happens, Plantain-Phone, Scott 2011). Resources that would be needed for this program to be implemented would include the meeting room, healthy snacks, power point presentation or printed handouts, pre-test for the patients, a nurse to run weekly meetings, weekly tracking log, pedometers and a post-test to measure the increase in awareness and knowledge.A elaboration or recognition of some sort for the patients who continue to practice this lifestyle change after a pre-set timeshare. This patient group would be followed by the assigned URN for one year and their progress would be reported to the Physicians, Nurses, Advisory Council, Administration and other patients suffering from serious mental illness at each quarter through the year. Another resource that may be necessary after the initial year would be to continue this program with new patients.In the clinic setting peer support is a big deal, maybe the patients who have been successful, faced challenges and are now practicing this new lifestyle may be the ones facilitating the weekly meetings with the URN present for additional support and reinforcement. How much more effective would it be to see and hear it from your peer and your nurse to get you motivated to actuall y give physical activity a try? Theory There are two theories that will address the issue of increased physical activity in the Schizophrenia patient population.The first is the Health Belief model in which the key concepts are based on the patient's perception of the threat, benefit and barriers. In this model in order for the patient to adopt the new behavior such as physical activity, their perception of the threat for chronic long-term illness, the severity of those identified illnesses and the benefits of their participation in physical activity must outweigh their perceived barriers to incorporating this activity. This theory would be one that is easy to implement and incorporate into a visit with the nurse or psychiatrist without needing additional time scheduled.The use of this theory would facilitate the education much needed by this patient population in regards to deeding physical activity as part of their treatment plan. It is the hope that once the patient is given this information by a nurse or psychiatrist their interest in physical activity will be increased. Once there is motivation behind the interest then the patient can implement the physical activity. The second theory is the Theoretically model which entails the stages of change. In this model it is believed that a person (patient) shift in a progression though five levels related to their readiness to make a change.The first stage is pre-contemplation in which the patient maybe thinking bout making this change. The second is contemplation in which the patient maybe more serious about making this decision. The third is preparation in which the patient is now taking steps to be able to make the change. The fourth is action in which the patient is actually doing the activity or incorporating the change into their routine. The fifth and final stage is maintenance in which the patient is implementing the activity into their routine and doing other activities to support their new lifestyle cha nge.This theory would be easy to include into a support group or class setting. This theory can aid in facilitating the class structure. With this theory each patient will be able to identify what stage they are in, identify what is needed to make the change and even set a date to incorporate change into their current lifestyle. This theory can be beneficial in addressing physical activity as a healthy lifestyle change that is much needed in this patient population as an effort to prolong their lifespan.The hope is that with a class structure the patient can be supported as he/she incorporates physical activity into their current lifestyle. Evaluation The methods used to evaluate the progress of implementing a walking program will be a pre and post-test (Appendix A). This walking program will be implemented as part of a Wellness program that entails enhanced patient education and consists of group walking 3 days a week for 30 minutes with the self-identified patients being treated f or Schizophrenia at an outpatient psychiatric clinic.The identified variables that will be measured throughout the year of this program will be an increase in knowledge of the participants about the importance of physical activity, increase in he amount of physician referred or prescriptive physical activity, increase in amount of referrals to the walking program (Appendix C). A long term outcome worth measuring would be the decrease in IBM, cholesterol and triglycerides in the patients who participate in the walking program for one full year (Appendix B). Dissemination Results would be disseminated first of all with Administration and the Advisory Committee in one of the quarterly meetings.A power point presentation would outline the Journey of the implementation of the walking program as well as the outcomes. It would include the amount of physician and nurse educational sessions, physical activity weekly nurse run classes, amount of participants actively walking, amount of referr als via physician referral or self-identified participants, measurable changes in lab results for cholesterol and triglycerides, changes in IBM tracked for 1 year. Posters would be printed in colorful themes displaying the outcomes which were tracked over the year.These posters and the power point presentation would then be shared with the referring physicians and nurses during Grand Round. Results would be shared with the patients and staff with these posters by placing them on the walls throughout the clinic. It would be the hope that these posters would build motivation and interest of other patients to encourage them to follow and start exercising. Results would be shared with all clinical staff, case managers, family and peer mentors in the monthly staff meetings with the power point presentation.Each time the power point presentation is presented it will be given by a patient who has completed or is currently actively walking and has some personal experience with the outcomes of decrease in IBM, lower cholesterol or triglycerides so that they may share their story during this time as well. These results and personal accolades will be shared with the Arizona Department of Health Services, Behavioral Health Services Division for Mauricio County as an effort to provide education to other outpatient clinics with the same patient population.