The Challenges Faced By Kingfisher Airlines Commerce Essay

The Challenges Faced By Kingfisher Airlines Commerce Essay While starting this assignment, I was required to conduct my research based on any company or organization. This could prove to be very tricky as the company selected should have been both challenging as well as with some scope for applying managerial theories. Kingfisher:-Kingfisher is an Kingfisher based in Mumbai, India, and focuses primarily on domestic routes, along with several international services to neighboring countries in Asia. Kingfisher is state-owned, and is administered by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. It is one of the two flag carriers of India, the other being Air India. The Kingfisher was rebranded as Indian for advertising purposes as a part of a program to revamp its image in preparation for an initial public offering (IPO). The Kingfisher operates closely with Air India, Indias national carrier. Alliance Air, a fully-owned subsidiary of Kingfisher, was renamed Air India Regional. In 2007, the Government of India announced that Kingfisher would be merged into Air India. As part of the merger process, a new company called the National Aviation Company of India Limited (NACIL) was established, into which both Air India (along with Air India Express) and Kingfisher] (along with Alliance Air) will be merged. Once the merg er is complete, the Kingfisher which will be called Air India will continue to be headquartered in Mumbai and will have a fleet of over 130 aircraft. C:Documents and SettingskamalDesktop64748.jpg History:- Kingfisher Kingfisher is a private airline based in Bangalore, India. Currently, it holds the status of Indias largest domestic airline, providing world-class facilities to its customers. Owned by Vijay Mallya of United Beverages Group, Kingfisher Kingfisher started its operations on May 9, 2005, with a fleet of 4 brand new Airbus A320, a flight from Mumbai to Delhi to start with. The airline currently operates on domestic as well as international routes, covering a number of major cities, both in and outside India. In a short span of time, Kingfisher Kingfisher has carved a niche for itself in the civil aviation industry. Kingfisher Kingfisher proved to be a stiff competition for other domestic Kingfisher of India, with its brand new aircraft, stylish red interiors, stylishly dressed cabin crew and ground staff. The airline introduced in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems, for the first time to Indian consumers. The IFE systems were provided on every seat, even on the dom estic flights. The airline offers attractive services to its on board passengers. Years following its inception proved to be beneficial for the airline, in terms of its booming business, with a good track record of customer satisfaction. However, it faced a worsening economic scenario in 2008 MANAGEMENT Management in all business areas and human organization activity is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives. Management comprises planning, organizing, staffing, leading or directing, and controlling an organization (a group of one or more people or entities) or effort for the purpose of accomplishing a goal. Resourcing encompasses the deployment and manipulation of human resources, financial resources, technological resources, and natural resources. Because organizations can be viewed as systems, management can also be defined as human action, including design, to facilitate the production of useful outcomes from a system. This view opens the opportunity to manage oneself, a pre-requisite to attempting to manage others Management can also refer to the person or people who perform the act(s) of management. Basic functions of management:- Management operates through various functions, often classified as planning, organizing, leading/directing, and controlling/monitoring. * Planning: Deciding what needs to happen in the future (today, next week, next month, next year, over the next 5 years, etc.) and generating plans for action. * Organizing: (Implementation) making optimum use of the resources required to enable the successful carrying out of plans. * Staffing: Job analyzing, recruitment, and hiring individuals for appropriate jobs. * Leading/Directing: Determining what needs to be done in a situation and getting people to do it. * Controlling/Monitoring: Checking progress against plans, which may need modification based on feedback. Management hierarchy In an organization:- The management of an organization may have three levels:- Senior management (or top management or upper management) Middle management Low-level management, such as supervisors or team-leaders Top-level management:- * Require an extensive knowledge of management roles and skills. * They have to be very aware of external factors such as markets. * Their decisions are generally of a long-term nature * Their decisions are made using analytic, directive, conceptual and/or behavioral/participative processes * They are responsible for strategic decisions. * They have to chalk out the plan and see that plan may be effective in the future. * They are executive in nature. Middle management:- * Mid-level managers have a specialized understanding of certain managerial tasks. * They are responsible for carrying out the decisions made by top-level management. Lower management:- * This level of management ensures that the decisions and plans taken by the other means employees. * Lower-level managers decisions are generally short-term ones. Management Theories:- These are three basic management theories:- Classical Viewpoint (scientific management, bureaucratic management, administrative management) Behavioral Viewpoint (Hawthorne studies, human relations movement, behavioral science approach) Quantitative Viewpoint (management science, operations management, management information systems) 1. Classical Viewpoint:-It includes Scientific management Bureaucratic management Administrative management Scientific management: Scientific management is defined as the use of the scientific method to define the one best way for a job to be done. Taylors Four Principles of Scientific Management:- 1. Study each part of the task scientifically, and develop a best method to perform it. 2. Carefully select workers and train them to perform a task using the scientifically developed method. 3. Cooperate fully with workers to ensure they use the proper method. 4. Divide work and responsibility so management is responsible for planning work methods using scientific principles and workers are responsible for executing the work accordingly. Bureaucratic management:- GENERAL ADMINIST Characteristics of Webers ideal bureaucracy The major characteristics of Webers ideal bureaucracy include for an organization:- a. Specialization of a labor b. Formalization of rules and procedures c. Impersonality in application of rules and sanctions d. Formalization of lines of authority into a hierarchical structure Effectively. Max Weber Theory of Administrative Management:- The role of administrative management concludes that all activities that occur in business organizations could be divided into six main groups:- Technical (production, manufacturing) Commercial (buying, selling, exchange) Financial (obtaining and using capital) Security (protection of property and persons) Accounting (balance sheet, stocktaking, statistics, costing) Managerial (planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating, controlling). Fayals 14 principles of management:- Division of labor: work must be subdivided to facilitate specialization; Authority: authority and responsibility should go hand in hand; Discipline; discipline is important to develop obedience, diligence, energy and respect; Unity of command: subordinates must report to one superior; Unity of direction: all operations with the same objective must have one manager and one plan; Subordination of individual interest to general interest: the interest of one individual or group should not dominate the interest of the enterprise as a whole; Remuneration: remuneration and all other methods of payment should be fair; Centralization: managers always hold final responsibility but should delegate certain authority to subordinates; Scalar chain: a clear line of authority or chain of command should extend from the highest to the lowest level of an enterprise. This helps to ensure an orderly flow of information and complements the principle of unity of command; Order: there is a place for everything and everything in its place. Proper scheduling of work and timetables to complete work is important. This can facilitate the channeling of materials to the right place at the right time; Equity: employees should be treated with kindness and justice; Stability of tenure of personnel: management should work towards obtaining long-term commitments from staff and avoid unnecessary turnover of staff which is costly and works against overall goal accomplishment; Initiative: workers should feel like an active part of the organization through conceiving and executing plans in order to develop their capacity to the fullest; Esprit de corps: harmony and union help to build the strength of an enterprise. It is an extension of the principle of unity of command, emphasizing the need for teamwork and the importance of communication. Contribution of the classical viewpoint for an organization:- Highlights the need for a scientific approach to management. Points out that work methods often can be improved through study. Identifies a number of important principles that are useful in running organization efficiently. 2. Behavioral Viewpoint: -From this viewpoint of management of personal reactions (thoughts, feelings, and behaviors) rather than solely from the problem-solving perspective, this orientation involves conceptual input and feedback interwoven with trainee self-examination and practice of new behaviors in a structured human relations training context. Hawthorne studies: -The Hawthorne studies, initially undertake to investigate the relationship between work-place conditions and worker productivity, introduced a wide range of topics to the field of management study. individual work behavior is driven by a complex set of factors, work groups develop norms which mediate between the needs of the individual and institution, employees should not be considered appendages of machinery, awareness of employee sentiments and participation can reduce resistance to change, the workplace is an interlocking social system, not simply production system, social structure maintained through Symbols of prestige and power These findings opened the door to the study of client-centered therapy, small group behavior, and organization theory and research methodology. Human Relations Movement: It is defined as a movement in management thinking and practice that emphasized satisfaction of employees basic needs as the key to increased worker productivity. Because it is impossible to cover all aspects of the human relations movement, I will relate the Hawthorne Studies and focus on three key points to discuss the advantages and problems 1. Respecting and concerning with workers 2. Understanding and satisfying the employees wants and needs 3. Working together and encouraging workers. The reason workers are motivated by such things is that individuals have a deep psychological need to believe that their organization cares about them, is open, concerned, and willing to listen. Human Relations Movement Behavioral science approach: The behavioral approach to view management from a social and psychological perspective. This concern about the well-being of the workers and wants them to be treated as people, not as a part of the machines. Introduction to the behavioral science approach Advocates of the human relations movement believe that if managers focused on employees rather than on mechanistic production, then workers would become more satisfied and thus, more productive. They supported the notion that managers should be paternalistic and nurturing in order to build work groups that could be productive and satisfied. The behavioral science movement stressed the need for scientific studies of the human element of organizations. This model for management emphasizes the need for employees to grow and develop in order to maintain a high level of self-respect and remain productive workers. Theory X and Theory Y developed by Douglas McGregor also emphasized about these things. 3. Quantitative Viewpoint: -Quantitative Management (also known as Operations Research) of a systematic and scientific approach to problem solving and decision making in complex Environments and situations of uncertainty and conflict act. Quantitative Management is a practical field. It can be applied in many areas: manufacturing, businesses management, banking, environmental planning, mining, housing and engineering projects, management consultancy in fact, in every situation where numerical data are available and management or decision making takes place. Management Science:- A discipline(a branch of knowledge)that attempts to aid managerial decision making by applying a scientific approach to managerial problems that involve quantitative factors ,management science is also called operations research (OR).A rational, structured approach to problem solving and often takes a quantitative view of decision making. Operations management: -Operations management is an area of business concerned with the production of goods and services, and involves the responsibility of ensuring that business operations are efficient in terms of using as little resource as needed, and effective in terms of meeting customer requirements. It is concerned with managing the process that converts inputs (in the forms of materials, labor and energy) into outputs (in the form of goods and services). Operations traditionally refer to the production of goods and services separately, although the distinction between these two main types of operations is increasingly difficult to make as manufacturers tend to merge product and service offerings. More generally, Operations Management aims to increase the content of value-added activities in any given process. Fundamentally, these value-adding creative activities should be aligned with market opportunity (see Marketing) for optimal enterprise performance. Management information system: -A management information system (MIS) is a subset of the overall internal controls of a business covering the application of people, documents, technologies, and procedures by management accountants to solve business problems such as costing a product, service or a business-wide strategy systems applied in operational activities in the organization. Academically, the term is commonly used to refer to the group of information management methods tied to the automation or support of human decision making, e.g. Decision Support Systems, Expert systems, and Executive information systems. Information is the lifeblood of all organizations now more than ever. MIS professionals work as systems analysts, project managers, systems administrators, etc., communicating directly with staff and management across the organization. APPLICATION OF MANAGEMENT THEORIES The above mentioned theories play an active role in framing any organization and company nowadays. If well-implemented, these theories can bring out the best in an organization leading to tremendous progress, both financially and productively. Kingfisher is one such company utilizing the merits offered by these management and administrative theories. Implementation of Scientific management Employee Recruitment: Kingfisher follows a very transparent policy in its employee recruitment system. For the job to be done it is of almost importance that the individual must be well-qualified and should possess the right skills or tools; and this is exactly what Kingfisher considers during its selection-process. Training and development: Kingfisher followed by detailed training and development programmer for their new recruits, they are familiar with the operating environment, and trained to provide the company wants and needs.  Employees are trained in their specific areas such as company decides the tasks to be performed by workers. Division of labor: Kingfisher goes a well Structured Hierarchy of authority to cause minimum fuss management. Work here is evenly divided between management and Employees, as each is given work appropriate to them. In Kingfisher, no particular section is to Burdened with excessive work, in a proper division of labor. Standardization: A specific pattern is set for the work to be carried out at Kingfisher and everyone is well-aware of their duties and responsibilities. Before starting any job, our company first decides the way to carry out that job, resulting in standardization. Work place environment: Kingfisher competitive and creative attempt to exceed an employees ability to protect them across borders and good spirit of cooperation between workers Companion spirit of fair play, the companys smooth operation and a healthy work environment. IMPLEMENTATION OF BUREAUCRATIC MANAGEMENT: Distribution of workload: Our company, Kingfisher completely concurs with Max Weber when he describes distribution of work as one of the traits in bureaucracy. Here at Kingfisher, there is even division of workload and no extra stress in put on our employees. Defined hierarchy: Work done really effectively and professionally at Kingfisher as we followed a very well-defined hierarchy.  Our institution is a full hierarchy of structure and, therefore, highly proficient We Kingfisher fully working manners and ethics, which is vital for all organizations.  Detailed rules and regulations are strictly according to our life and work is always done with established and appointed .Impersonal relationship: Abandoned in favor of strictly on our company as we believe that a person should hold office based on their work and not because of personal contacts or social status.  Corruption is an aspect that can never be found in kingfisher.  Due to the transparency of our company. Formal authority: The position that each and every employee holds is made clear in our company so that the manager can exercise his/her formal authority at the workplace. Technical competence: Only those who meet the conditions sufficient for the job is placed in the position of our company.  The work-related concerns with other responsibilities and authority that does not interfere with the proper development to four companies. Thus, by applying the theory of manaeaucracy by Weber always, our organization has successfully achieved the maximum production employed and our employees, while maintaining good employees satisfaction corruption and  favoritism are not really pleased IMPLEMENTATION OF ADMINSTRATIVE MANAGEMENT Forecasting and planning: Kingfisher has a team of dedicated professionals working on the future of our organization.  We always plan ahead and predict any kind of obstacle or obstacles in our path and plan to remove them accordingly.  Strategic planning is important. Organization: Our concept of organization is one of the most famous one, companies in the world.  We are aware of the extensive development of our people, and service resources. Co-ordination: As our business is distributed in various regions, there is a high priority as well coordinated, and thats exactly what we are trying to do with Kingfisher.  Without proper coordination, the company has not reached the heights, where we are today.  Teamwork is very bad Commanding: We are the king, who was scheduled to due to the different commands to be run smoothly and our work processes.  It is responsible for as they get the job, which means that the body knows that these people. Controlling: For companies to motivate employees and their location to their needs.  They motivate employees to run the programmer.  Employees or reward your efforts, simply ask them to achieve the objectives of the mission.  To maximize the motivation of the staff and very useful discussion about incentive APPLICATION OF BEHAVIORAL VEOPOINT Application of Hawthorne studies: For companies to motivate employees, their needs for their position.  They run employee motivation programmer.  Employees to achieve the objectives of their duties or simply for your efforts rewarded well ask.  To maximize employee motivation, the motivation of employees through a very useful discussion about following procedures and staff. The company is Changing the pay rules so that the group was paid for overall group production, not individual production. Providing food during the breaks. shortening the day by 1 hour Parts time jobs available for newcomers. Application of human relation movement: The company Kingfishers approaching each employee as a source of unique knowledge with something valuable to contribute to the company. The company is taking care of employees needs to do the job in Mechatronics. Communication of expectation of employees keeping the goal in mind. Knowing their goals, their stressors, what excites them and how they each define success? By providing good training. The company takes feedback of employees. Providing Reward and recognizing employees in ways that are meaningful to them Keeping success story alive Being consistent in every work which is related with employees. Application of behavioral science approach: Job rotation: Cross training staff, teaching staff or each others work. Expand your knowledge and ability to work Expansion of jobs in Mechatronics: employees are given a wider breadth of tasks and responsibilities within our jobber close to work and increase the depth of the responsibilities of employees. Organizational Behavior: This is my understanding of organizational behavior is the way people communicate he work environment.   Through the study of organizational behavior,we can know each other better and in ways to cooperate.   Kingfisher depends on the individual services, as well as the organizations management. Therefore, it can help understand the individuals quality of work.  I found my organization Kingfisher all these things. Contribute a better translation Marketing and Consumer Behavior: Kingfisher marketing attempt to influence this process with examples of marketing when consumers evaluate a brand they are trying to get an overview of installation services allows the consumer to decide whether to think about it.  Some brands of evaluation criteria may include price, brand, flavor, functional features, style, and sometimes the way consumers feel of an enterprise of an organization of their choice. Resolving Conflicts: The case is structured so that you understand why and how the kingfisher was constantly harassed by HR problems.  We should be able to see the pilots and other workers using arm tactics to get back to IA to accept all their demands.  This case also provides insight into how his treatment IA HR issues in dreams have contributed to the overall mess that found themselves in kingfisher Training: Generally the training in Kingfisher. Happens in these terms- a) Managing Teams b) Managing Emotions c) Strategies for Peak Performance d) Managerial Wisdom e) Problems Solving Decision Making Application of Quantitative Management Application of Management Science: In the Kingfisher the management system is used by Scheduling Kingfishers, both planes and crew, Deciding the appropriate place to site new facilities such as a warehouse or factory, Managing the flow of water from reservoirs, Identifying possible future development paths for parts of the telecommunications industry, Establishing the information needs and appropriate systems to supply them within the health service, and Identifying and understanding the strategies adopted by companies for their information systems. Application of operational management: Operations management  is an area of business concerned with the production of goods and services, and involves the responsibility of ensuring that  business operations  are  efficient  in terms of using as little resource as needed, and  effective  in terms of meeting customer requirements. It is concerned with managing the process that converts inputs Operations management focuses on carefully managing the processes to produce and distribute products and services.   great deal of focus is on efficiency and effectiveness of processes. Therefore, operations management often includes substantial measurement and analysis of internal processes. Ultimately, the nature of how operations management is carried out in an organization depends very much on the nature of products or services in the organization, for example, retail, manufacturing, wholesale, etc Sections of This Topic Include:- Procurement (Purchasing) Practices This topic reviews guidelines for buying various materials from suppliers and vendors materials, including computers, services from lawyers, insurance, etc Management Control and Coordinating Function Management control and coordination includes a broad range of activities to ensure that organizational goals are consistently being met in an effective and efficient fashion.   Product and Service Management As noted above, the major activities involved in product and service management are similar to those in operations management. However, operations management is focused on the operations of the entire organization, rather than managing a product or service. Quality Management Quality management is crucial to effective operations management, particularly continuous improvement. More recent advancements in quality, such as benchmarking and Total Quality Management, have resulted in advancements to operations management as well. Logistics and Transportation Management Logistics is focused on the flow of materials and goods from suppliers, through the organization and to the customers, with priority on efficiency and cost effectiveness Facilities Management Effective operations management depends a great deal on effective management of facilities, such as buildings, computer systems, signage, lighting, etc. Configuration Management Its important to track the various versions of products and services. Consider the various versions of software that continually are produced, each with its own version number. Tracking these versions is configuration management. Distribution Channels The means of distribution depend very much on the nature of the product or service Applications of management information system The company is implementing Management Information Systems (MIS) is the term given to the discipline focused on the integration of computer systems with the aims and objectives on an organization The development and management of information technology tools assists executives and the general workforce in performing any tasks related to the processing of information. MIS and business systems are especially useful in the collation of business data and the production of reports to be used as tools for decision making. Applications of MIS With computers being as ubiquitous as they are today, theres hardly any large business that does not rely extensively on their IT systems Strategy Support- While computers cannot create business strategies by themselves they can assist management in understanding the effects of their strategies, and help enable effective decision-making. Data Processing- Not only do MIS systems allow for the collation of vast amounts of business data, but they also provide a valuable time saving benefit to the workforce. Where in the past business information had to be manually processed for filing and analysis it can now be entered quickly and easily onto a computer by a data processor, allowing for faster decision making and quicker reflexes for the enterprise as a whole. Benefits of MIS- The field of MIS can deliver a great many benefits to enterprises in every industry. Expert organizations such as the Institute of MIS along with peer reviewed journals such as MIS Quarterly continue to find and report new ways to use MIS to achieve business object Core Competencies- Every market leading enterprise will have at least one core competency that is, a function they perform better than their competition. Enhance Supply Chain Management- Improved reporting of business processes leads inevitably to a more streamlined production process. With better information on the production process comes the ability to improve the management of the supply chain, including everything from the sourcing of materials to the manufacturing and distribution of the finished product. CONCLUSION After completing my report on Aviation Industry take the example of Kingfisher World Corporation, a leader in the provision of flight simulators I found that all companies use the four-management laws, which I have discussed only three. Kingfisher Systems, Incorporations designs and manufactures flight training devices and flight simulators.  It offers pilot training tools for ground school, distance learning and flight training, Nova, a car park management system that provides access to information such as occupancy or the status of parked vehicles Valorous, a treatment for municipal and industrial sludge generated by wastewater treatment plants.  The company serves aviation market, including commercial and general aviation.  It serves customers in North and Latin America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Middle East and Oceania markets.  Kingfisher Inc. was founded in 1953. The company uses all managerial laws in accordance with their employees.  The company has so many different flight simulators, so many different flight training equipment solutions for all types of flights, to customer support media centers, technical center, take it in progressive way.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ultimately we learned after completing this project, it is easy to manage an organization, resources, if we know all about governance. REFRENCES Airline quality of Kingfisher http://www.airlinequality.com/Forum/kingfisher.htm , last accessed on 29, March 2010 Books at red

anger :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ANGER Anger is a healthy emotion when it is expressed appropriately. When it is not, it can have devastating effects. Anger is at the root of many personal and social problems, e.g., child abuse, domestic violence, physical and verbal abuse, and community violence. Problematic interpersonal relations may also disrupt employment activities because of the interference of anger on workplace performance. Left unchecked, anger can destroy relationships, obstruct problem solving skills, and increase social withdrawal. Anger also affects our physical health. For example, it can tax our immune system; contribute to headaches, migraines, severe gastrointestinal symptoms, hypertension, and coronary artery disease. Anger is a healthy and valid emotion. But many of us are taught not to express or show our anger. This often leaves us feeling frustrated and unable to express how we feel inside. As a result, some of us store and suppress our anger, while others may express it, but in negative and unhealthy ways. Individual counseling sessions will assist you in learning how to express and communicate your anger in positive and effective ways. Anger is 'an emotional state that varies in intensity from mild irritation to intense fury and rage,' according to Charles Spielberger, Ph.D., a psychologist who specializes in the study of anger. Like other emotions, it is accompanied by physiological and biological changes; when you get angry, your heart rate and blood pressure go up, as does the level of your energy hormones, adrenalin and/nor adrenalin. Anger can be caused by both external and internal events. You could be angry with a specific person (Such as a coworker or supervisor) or event (a traffic jam, a canceled flight), or worrying or brooding about your personal problems could cause your anger. Memories of traumatic or enraging events can also trigger angry feelings. The instinctive, natural way to express anger is to respond aggressively. Anger is a natural, adaptive response to threats; it inspires powerful, often aggressive, feelings and behaviors, which allow us to fight and to defend ourselves when we are attacked. A certain amount of anger, therefore, is necessary to our survival. On the other hand, we can't physically lash out at every person or object that irritates or annoys us; laws, social norms and common sense place limits on how far our anger can take us. People use a variety of both conscious and unconscious processes to deal with their angry feelings. The three main approaches are expressing, suppressing, and calming. Expressing your angry feelings in an assertive --not aggressive -- manner is the healthiest way to express anger. To do this, you have to learn how to make clear what your needs are, and how to get them

In Cold Blood Theme Essay

There are many prominent themes in the novel In Cold Blood, and they cover a wide spectrum of topics. They include the effects (if any) caused by environment in childhood, how a person of any of locale can be a victim of hostility, and the presence of contrasting personalities. Truman Capote gives the reader a detailed account of Perry Smith’s and Dick Hickock’s childhoods. Smith’s childhood was very problematic and scarred by years of abuse. He witnessed beatings of his mother by his father; as a result of the domestic violence, his parents divorced. Due to these problems he rans away from home, and he was â€Å"in and out of detention homes many times† (277). He is severely beaten and humiliated by a cottage mistress because of a mixuration malfunction. These violent episodes compelled his bitterness toward other humans. When Smith entered adulthood, he commited acts of thievery and acts of battery. While in the merchant marines, he once threw a Japanese policeman off a bridge and into the water. All these events had an impact on Smith, and his adulthood provided him with the opportunity to avenge the experiences that enraged him. Hickock’s childhood was marked by no horror stories. His years of childhood showed no signs of abuse or neglect, but his parents were a little overprotective. He showed no real contempt for his parents or his childhood. Dick’s inception into adulthood reveals his abnormal â€Å"tendencies,† (Reed 115) and in the novel proof is given by Hickock: â€Å"I think the main reason I went there [the Clutter home] was not to rob them but to rape the girl† (278). The two killers’ childhoods were obviously dissimilar, and their differences bring to question the formation of a killer’s mind. Is it childhood that affects the criminal mind’s mentality? Smith’s lack of companionship during his childhood led him to search for companionship in Hickock. Hickock took advantage of Smith’s need by promoting Smith’s fantasies. Hickock truly felt that Smith’s fantasies were ludicrous, but he supported his fantasies because he needed Smith’s aid to commit the murders. A second theme of In Cold Blood is the randomness of crime. The Clutter family lived in rural Kansas hundreds of miles from a major city, and people of this small community felt a sense of security. The Clutter family murder made national headlines because this crime fit no stereotype. The Clutter family was well loved and respected by the people of Holcomb, who would have never seriously considered a such a crime happening in their own backyard. The Clutter family was successful financially; they lived as well as any other family in town. However, there was no jealousy of the family’s success. This is another one of many reasons why this murder consternated the inhabitants of Holcomb, the investigators, and the rest of the nation. Another theme throughout In Cold Blood is the attraction of opposite personalities and what they can become once united. The reader sees these opposing personalities in Hickock and Smith. The first scene of Perry Smith is with a guitar and a set of road maps. The guitar appears to function as a feminine image and symbol. The reader also learns that part of what attracts Hickock to Smith is that Hickock fells â€Å"totally masculine† by this association. In one scene the contents of the criminals’ automobile is mentioned. One of Perry’s possessions is the guitar, and the â€Å"instrument that typifies his combative companion Dick†¦ a twelve gauge pump-action shotgun.† Another instance of Smith’s feminism is Hickock’s constant addressing of him as â€Å"sugar,† â€Å"honey,† and â€Å"baby.† Smith’s feminine qualities are evident; however, the reader is left to interpret their importance (Reed 113-114). In conclusion, there are many different themes throughout the novel. In Cold Blood discusses the issues of childhood influences, the randomness of a crime, and opposing personalities. These themes are unique in that they they can be molded into a nonfiction novel such as In Cold Blood.

Features of Private Payer Consumer Driven Health Plans Essays

Features of Private Payer Consumer Driven Health Plans Essays Features of Private Payer Consumer Driven Health Plans Essay Features of Private Payer Consumer Driven Health Plans Essay Individual Features of Private Payer and Consumer-Driven Health Plans Individual Features of Private Payer and Consumer-Driven Health Plans Looking for medical health plans can be demanding on time, but it is worth the time to look over all the options offered. There are many features to go through from Private Payer Plans, such as Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs), Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), Group HMOs, Independent Practice Association (IPA), Point of Service (POS), Indemnity Plans, and Consumer-Driven Health Plans (CDHP) such as, Health Reimbursement Plans, and Flexible Savings Accounts, (Bayes, 2008). Bayes (2008) stated â€Å"PPOs are used by hospitals, physicians, clinics, and pharmacies that help provide care for their insured consumers. † The plan covers â€Å"discounts for fee-for services to the physicians to help with their fee schedules. † Patients or consumers are responsible for â€Å"annual premiums, deductibles† that generate from â€Å"low with high premiums or high with low premiums,† copayments, coinsurance which is a charge for in-net-work providers, services used for out-of-network will cause a higher deductable (p. 292, 293). Bayes (2008) stated that â€Å"HMOs are all licensed by the state†. Plan is strict on guidelines, has few choices of providers. The participating providers are salaried based. Coverage for consumers are given an â€Å"assigned Primary Care Physician (PCP)†, must use network providers to be covered, unless emergencies. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, (2011) states their â€Å"plan includes monthly rates, copayments, deductible, annual maximums, prescriptions, dental, and must be in network PCP† (Para. 4). Bayes (2008) stated that HMO programs included in plan are â€Å"complete preventative or screening, wellness and health promotion, disease management, and chronic care† (p. 293). : Bayes (2008) stated that â€Å"Group HMOs are contracts with more than one physician group† mainly these are facilities owned by HMO and they can treat nonmembers. HMOs are run under a contract that uses â€Å"paid per member per month (PMPM)† with agreements that capitates the rate, or sub-capitates â€Å"episodes of care (EOC) option† (p. 294, 295). Independent Practice Association (IPA) that is separately owned and formed by physicians. It is a form of an HMO the association provides care by contracting together. IPA receives negotiated fees from the HMO for medical services. IPA capitates a rate to pay its physicians, or they may se a fee for payments. Bayes (2008) stated that â€Å"Point-of-Service (POS) Plan is like a hybrid of HMO and PPO networks. † Offers two networks a primary and a secondary, which the members can choose from. Just like a HMO is considered primary and offers specialty care for non-network physicians. Just like a PPO the secondar y network has annual premiums, copayments, possible tiered plan payments. Indemnity Plans are non-PPO, and non-HMO. This plan has high deductibles, premiums, coinsurance payments that are required. This plans payment method is a fee-for-service for its participation providers. These plans generally have high deductibles, but many offer managed care features; to try to cut costs they use contracts for employers (Bayes, 2008). The CDHPs have two components combined, a funding option and the high-deductable health plan. The plan has one or more tax savings accounts, after deductable is met then there is a discounted fee-for-service, patient pays up to deductable, â€Å"savings account pays for out-of-pocket or non-covered expenses† stated by Bayes (2008). CDHPs offer funding options of, flexible savings accounts, Health reimbursement accounts, and Health savings accounts (p. 296). Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) is employer paid, but other health plans can be offered with it. The U. S. Department of Treasury (2011) stated â€Å"plans cannot be used for deferrals under a cafeteria plan. † Employee receives payment from employer after expenses incurred after date of enrollment. Employer â€Å"sets the limits for rollovers, tax-deductable deposits, under employers rules portability is allowed, tax-free with drawls for qualified expenses. † Flexible Savings Plans are plans that the employees pay premiums and funds get set aside for other medical expenses that generally are not covered by the health plan. This plan allows for dependent care to be covered, employees and employer make contributions to the plan, but unused funds go back to the employer, there is no portability, tax-free with drawls for qualified expenses, and deposits are all tax-advantaged (Bayes, 2008). There are many more options that are not listed, for more information on individual features of Private Payers and Consumer-Driven Health Plans there are many local insurance companies’ websites that offer this information, such as Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, Prudential, Cigna, AARP and many others. When looking for health insurance it is important to know all the benefits of the plan before choosing one. References Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan,  (2011)  Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan  retrieved from bcbsm. com/myblue/hmo-smart-select. shtml U. S. Department of The Treasury. (2011). U. S. Department of The Treasury. Retrieved from irs. gov/pub/irs-pdf/p969. pdf Valerius, J. Bayes, N. Newby, C. , Seggern, J (2008) Medical insurance: An integrated claims process approach (3rd ed. ). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.

Psychological treatments for depression Essays

Psychological treatments for depression Essays Psychological treatments for depression Essay Psychological treatments for depression Essay Psychological treatments for Depression This essay will discuss and compare Becks cognitive behavioural therapy for depression and the use of drug therapy as treatments for depression. They differ heavily in their ideologies with regards to what depression is caused by. Becks therapy is a cognitive and therefore focuses on thought processes. The idea being, that people with depression can change their thought negative processes to positive ones in order to cure themselves. Whereas drug treatments focus on the biological causes for depression such as chemical imbalances and tries to revert these via the dministration of drugs. Beck Cognitive theory of depression, which is the ideology behind CBT, has three main parts. Firstly Beck said that depressed people have an unrealistic negative outlook on their self, life experiences and future therefore resulting in depression. He called this the Cognitive Triad. For example if someone was to experience losing their Job, they might blame this on themselves, believing they are a bad person and therefore that their life will never improve because they will never get another Job, in turn causing a depressed state of mind. CBT focuses on he patient identifying these negative thought processes and try to change them to positive cognitions. For example realizing that it wasnt their own fault they lost their job. The second part of Becks theory was based around Silent assumptions. These are unconscious assumptions which shape our conscious cognitions. These messages largely derive from the way in which we are spoken to and behaviour we witness, by those that have a large social impact on us; Such as parents, teachers and friends. Examples of silent assumptions might include l must have others approval r l must do everything perfectly. Beck said that believing these assumptions, although not unusual, can make a person vulnerable to depression and the key to recovery using CBT is identifying these thoughts as unhelpful and realizing that a person cannot always be perfect. The third and final part of becks model said that depressed people are prone to distorting events in their life negatively. One example is what Beck called Catastrophising. This being the tendency to blow a small issue out of proportion until it becomes a major setback. Again the focus of CBT is to dentify this negative information processing and make it positive. The main criticism of CBT is that; at its core it assumes that negative cognitions are what cause depression. Biological theorists directly contradict this idea. They say that the psychological symptoms of depression, such as negative cognitions, are caused by an underlying biological defect for instance; a chemical imbalance in the brain. Biological drug treatments focus on correcting chemical imbalances in the brain. Examples of such drugs are SSRI type medications. SSRI stands for selective erotonin re-uptake inhibitors. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter which scientists have discovered to positively correlate with happiness. It is believed that depressed people therefore are lacking in serotonin. Usually when serotonin is used in the brain it is absorbed back into the brain. SSRls work to inhibit that re-uptake in order to leave more serotonin active and create a buildup of the neurotransmitter over time. However the main criticism of drug treatments in general is that they can have side drugs dont necessarily pinpoint the individuals problem. Cognitive theorists would rgue that drug treatment is simply an artificial comfort for depressed people; not addressing the root cause of depression while CBT aims to change the person without the constant need to take drugs. Often CBT can be used alongside drug treatments in order to give the patient the best chance of recovery as neither treatments work for everyone. However the contradiction between these two theories really comes down to a nature versus nurture debate. Is depression a result of our biological make-up and the negative psychological effects are symptoms of that or vice versa?

Free Essays on Ways To Get Fired

and not physical activities. If you want to get a point across to anyone it is extremely important not to offend anyone. It is very rare that human on this earth does not need a job. Yes there are a few who grew up with a silver spoon in their mouth. But for the rest of us, we do need to find a study job to support our families and ourselves. Once we are hired there are many rules that need to be met. For instance, there are several factors that we can not help about our... Free Essays on Ways To Get Fired Free Essays on Ways To Get Fired Ways to get fired By: Khai Le Getting fired can be everyone’s nightmare. Not everyone will get along with everyone. There are many reasons why employees lose their job. In some cases, it could be the fact the manager does not like the way you look. You could also be fired because of your fail to reach responsibilities. Or lack of communication with fellow employer, supervisor and customer. There is always someone who judges a person by his or her appearance. In most cases, it is what we all call racism. In today society, we still have ignorant people who immediately assume someone is bad or good by there outside look. With that assumption, an employee could get fired, and we all know that is not right. The most common reason why an employee could get discharged, is the fact the responsibilities that was assign to them, was never met. This could directly lead into argument with the manager. Usually the manager will quickly remove you, and replace you with someone who is capable of doing the work. Communication is one of the strongest factors you have to have to be able to work, especially if you work with people. Just imagine, walking up to a sale person asking for assistance, and all you receive is negative attitude and an unfriendly welcome. How would you feel? I bet you would feel pretty awful and flooded with anger. To communicate you have to be open, and understanding. It’s very important to be able to express your ideas with words and not physical activities. If you want to get a point across to anyone it is extremely important not to offend anyone. It is very rare that human on this earth does not need a job. Yes there are a few who grew up with a silver spoon in their mouth. But for the rest of us, we do need to find a study job to support our families and ourselves. Once we are hired there are many rules that need to be met. For instance, there are several factors that we can not help about our...

The strategic plan for my future vision Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

The strategic plan for my future vision - Essay Example Social assessment shows that my social domain has been steady till present. In the future Scenario 1 shows possibilities of it increasing with events such as marriage and children whereas Scenario 2 shows that it may remain steady if no such events occur. 13 The diagram above displays my transportation domain which has gradually increased over time. Scenario 1 shows possibility of it increasing further if my goals are met, where as Scenario 2 shows how it may remain the same over the period of time. 14 Although it is not possible to spell out the exact map of the future, there are always ways to develop a viable vision (Kenichi, 2003). This report describes the strategic plan for my future vision. It is based on concepts from the article titled "Personal Futuring: A step-by-step guide" by Verene Wheelwright. Since personal assessment begins with vision (Brott, 2009), therefore this report assesses my current stage in life and uses various information to develop scenarios for the subsequently stages of my life. It further goes to analyze the life trends and forces which impact our lives as humans, and describes the role various foreknown forces play in motivation of actions. Strategic planning helps provide professional vision (Morrissey, 1992, 2) so finally all the information is developed into strategic plans for achieving my future vision. Life Stage According to Wheelwright the phases in our life can be divided into tens stages, namely Infant, Child, Adolescent, Young Adult, Adult, Middle Age, Independent Elder, Vulnerable elder, Dependant elder and End of Life. Each stage differs significantly from the one before it even though transition from one stage of life to another is gradual. Current Life Stage The stage of life I am currently occupying is the Young Adult stage. I am in fact an Early Young Adult at the age of twenty-two. I am presently enrolled in a master's program in university and in the process of completing my education, working part time as I plan for my long term career. Due to my current financial situation I am under some degree of financial pressure. Future Vision Life Stage Future vision is essential for every stage in an individual's life, since each stage is distinct and requires a distinct set of plans. However, I feel that the stage in my life which is the most critical for planning is the Middle Age. This stage is most appropriate to construct a future vision for because concentrating on this phase will not only allow me to meet goals I plan for that time period, but also to work