conducting a strategic audit Essay -- essays research papers

Conducting a Strategic Audit http://www.albany.edu/~pm157/audit.html http://faculty.uwstout.edu/adekolaa/STRAMGT/powerpoints/Wal-Mart%20-%202000.ppt#256,1,Wal-Mart – 2000 One purpose of this course is to train you to assess an organization’s strategy. Part of your skill development is utilizing knowledge to address the real problems of a business organization. At the same time, technology is increasing your ability to obtain information rapidly from multiple sources. Being able to gather and use such information will become a competitive necessity for anyone in business and management. To prepare you for this, we used information technologies to analyze, discuss, and present business issues throughout the semester. To achieve these, you will form a group. While some information may be obtained from library research, field work, or direct interviews, it is expected that you will extensively use the Internet to integrate the diverse information from a top-management perspective. Each team will present its findings and recommendations to the class during the final sessions. They may then make changes for their final written report. Please consider these eight dimensions in formulating a unified, comprehensive, and integrated set of decisions that attains organization purpose. ________________________________________ Step 1: Situation Assessment †¢ What is our purpose? What is our "strategic intent"? †¢ How do we rank in our business and why? †¢ What is our fiscal condition and why? †¢ What is the relationship between the business strategy, organization environment, and overall performance? †¢ What is our sustainable competitive advantage? What core competencies do we posess? †¢ What are our strengths? Do we use these fully? †¢ What are our weaknesses? How can we solve or mitigate these? †¢ What are our opportunities? How can we exploit these? †¢ What are the threats to us? What can we do about them? Step 2: Strategic Managers †¢ What is our strategic vision? †¢ Do the executives possess the right leadership skills and abilities? †¢&nbs... ...; What are the expected fiscal results? †¢ What are the feasible alternatives to these activities? Step 7: Implementation †¢ What resources will this action plan require from finance, human resources, marketing, operations, and other functional areas and departments? †¢ What changes will have to occur for us to be successful in 2 to 5 years? †¢ Are there other organizations or individuals we might collaborate with? †¢ What training is necessary? Step 8: Performance Evaluation and Control †¢ When and how will we evaluate performance? †¢ What are the desired quantitative and qualitative measurements of success? †¢ Will this strategy justify the needed time and resources? †¢ Can we afford it? †¢ Realistically, can we implement this action plan? †¢ Have we included all supporting programs? †¢ Can we clearly establish accountability?

Universal Health Care

AP Eng Lang & Comp – 4 442 Precis Source A In the article, Where in the World Can You Get Universal Health Care? , Park informs the reader about the countries that the governments provide health care to their citizens. Park develops the article by listing the countries and giving general details about them. Park's purpose is to provide information about countries where people can get health care in order to make the reader to consider how universal health care can change our nation in positive ways. By using concise and short sentences, the author is writing to a person who wants to know briefly about countries with health care.Source B In the article, Pros ;amp; Cons of Free Universal Health Care, Ireland contrasts the different arguments about universal health care by giving pros and cons. Ireland provides benefits and drawbacks to the type of universal health care system to develop his neutral position. Ireland's purpose is to inform the reader about the positive and ne gative effects of universal health care in order to make them decide whether the government should provide it to all Americans. By using simple sentences and diction, Ireland is writing to a person who wants to have general ideas of universal health care. Source CIn the article, What Are the Benefits of a Universal Health Care System? , Sykora emphasizes all the benefits the citizens can get form universal health care system by listing and give brief explanations about them. Sykora's pro position is developed by all the beneficial factors of universal health care she talks about in the article. Sykora's purpose is to inform about the benefits of a universal health care to the reader in order to make him or her support it. By giving only the benefits of a universal health care, Sykora is writing to a person who has a general idea of both negative and positive view points about it.Source D In the article, Universal Health Care Effects, Uzoma emphasizes how universal health care can ha ve a significant effect on people's health and finance. Uzoma supports universal health care by explaining how a universal health care system can prevent unnecessary suffering and deaths, disability and financial difficulty. Uzoma's purpose is to persuade people who are against a universal health care system in order to have a health system that provides health care benefits to every citizen of the nation. By utilizing detail, Uzoma is writing to the teens and the adults who are interested in this subject. Â   Universal Health Care The main purpose of this paper is to describe and elaborate more on the need to communal or health care for all in America. America is the only developed state that does not provide universal medical cover for its citizens. The paper aims at looking at some of the general aspects on the universal health care, the percentage population of Americans without this cover, government commitment and the cause for hiking prices of premiums and reduced coverage to employees.Beside that, the paper aims at describing the significant problems experienced by the state toward delivering health care services to the entire citizens. UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE This is the medical care and services provided entirely to the citizens through state funding. The government intention is to offer health services to all citizens through tax payers’ money. Some times patients may be forced to meet specific but minor costs. On the other hand, private health care is the medical care and services provided by p rivate hospitals.This hospitals may be entirely private or a corporate entity with the government. INTRODUCTION The main purpose for universal health care for all is to provide medical services to the entire citizens without discriminations. The government offer health services on minimum cost in order to enhance equal quality health services and medical care for all. If the government can afford to offer a communal health care, the entire citizens would have access to medical care. Therefore they can afford to be screened on various diseases that are not affordable to many people.This way the government streamlines and makes living standards of Americans easy, enjoyable and they can have a longer life span. On the other hand, the government won’t spend too much in treating chronic infections in the future if all victims can afford to meet the bill of such infections. On the other hand private health services can be allowed to offer health services to those who can meet their conditions and terms of operations since their medical services are very expensive. Sub-problem 1: Does the provision of health services to the entire citizens by the government meet the desired quality of health care services?Sub-problem 3: Does the degree on the nature of treatment in public hospitals leads to patients’ satisfaction and assurance of healthy life? THE GOVERNMENT OF USA SHOULD IMPLEMENT UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE BECAUSE OF THE FOLLOWING REASONS. In the first place, USA is capable of meeting the cost of universal coverage. The government of USA needs to adjust itself on the amount of money spent in war and defense and set aside money for servicing universal health care for all citizens without sidelining others. In USA, the government operates some organizations for veterans, disabled, children and the most poor.Otherwise, the state encourages payment of health insurances privately (Paul Ramsey, 2003). This should be discouraged and USA should adopt universal hea lth coverage. Another point is that US has been unable to monitor the cost of premiums beside its encouragement to purchase premiums privately. There has been a continuous hike in the cost of insurance premiums. In addition to that, the employers have reduced coverage to employees especially in the civil servants, only the military servants and government officials that are fully covered.Note that American government is the main employer in this case. Because of failure to access proper medical care coverage, most people opt to do away with coverage especially due to high costs experienced in the process. For example, most Americans seek coverage through private bodies through employer-sponsored organizations; employees are not satisfied with this method. They accuse the employers for hiking the coverage levels. Again, the current proposals have little efforts to increase coverage to the poor workers.Assessment of America data shows that there is provision of a broad variety of serv ices in tertiary and secondary level. This is at community hospitals. The government of USA can afford to invest in the latest technologies in their operations. This is according to the Canada Study Medical Imaging 2004, (64-65) available at www. cmaj. ca Therefore, it is possible to implement universal health coverage without spending too much on gross domestic income because of advanced technology application. (Ryan S. on the public-private Debate, Dalhousie Medical School).However, this is a challenge because the government of Canada spends more than 55% of what US spends on health care. Again, Canadians have higher life expectancy as compared to Americans and lower infant mortality rates. The people of US would like to have the same life expectancy and lower infant death. However, according to statistics by Canadians institute for health information, Canada has a fewer doctors per capita than US. But health outcomes and expectancy are better and accessible than in America. (Gond en H. Guyett, 2007). Therefore, America can afford to offer the same services as Canada.Actually, the cause for the above-mentioned differences in health care provision and diversion between these two states is because; Canada was able to introduce a publicly funded medical system that was easily adapted. Again; the government of Canada is able to pass her legislative bills with a lot of ease. The US government honestly provides universal health care coverage for a quarter of the entire population. In USA, the government operates some organizations for veterans, disabled, children and the most poor. Otherwise, the state encourages payment of health insurances privatelyAccording to report by Common wealth fund policy foundation, 43 percents of the working populations were not covered in the 2005. As the population increases, the percentage number increases. The negative side of it is that uninsured people suffer great harm and torture as they try to access medical care. If they meet the cost of hospital bills, they are overwhelmed by other expenses. It is unfortunate that non covered individuals are unable to meet the cost of recommended health screening unlike their counterparts who are covered. Again they cannot access regular physicians like those covered.In 2004, 46 millions Americans were not covered (U. S. survey Bureau). Under the net of income, 52 percents of workers earning 20,000 were not covered. The total number of people without coverage was 27 percents. Due to lack of insurance cover; victims of chronic infections such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and asthma do not have access to proper medical check up. They either do away with the dosage or take half the dose since they cannot meet the cost. Therefore, universal health coverage would eliminate some of the pending problems (Collins, 2005).Failure to implement the system of universal coverage can lead to more problems in the near future since the government will spend too much on treating the disabled and chronic infectious diseases. In general health ministry will have lasting problems. Currently, the government of US spends more than 15% OF Gross Domestic Product on health coverage. This is great value and it can be adjusted to meet the basic needs in providing universal coverage. Even if USA is a rich state, persons aging between 20-63 or 60 millions adults are not covered.This exposes the whole population to spend too much on health care. Insurance companies spend between 4. 5- 8. 5 percents on health insurance premiums. This indicates that the costs of premiums on health coverage are rising drastically than the rate of inflation or than the earning incomes of the individuals. This makes the cost of health care very high. According to NCLR 2003, Hispanic Americans are less likely to be insured than their counterparts Africans and white people in American universal health care.The main cause of this racial segregations is that much of Hispanic population in Americ a is composed of illegal immigrants hence they are denied that service of coverage. The same case applies to other races in the continent. Beside that, most foreigners in America are considered to be poor such that they cannot offer the required standard of the working benefits to the nation. Therefore they cannot re-service for their coverage since they are the working poor who cannot offer health coverage and employees benefits to the government. . CONCLUSIONCOMMUNAL HEALTH CARE EXPECTED OUTCOMES IN THE FUTURE The above analysis of public health care dictates where to seek medical attention. The provision of quality and reliable medical care and services to all is the only control as to where to seek help. This is what the USA is aimed at. But due to too much delay, there are several outcomes such as increase of private health care (Jonathan L. 2006). Lack of implementing this bill on time denies poor patients right to seek medical care. Again, there is abuse of human rights. Fail ure to access health care can lead to loss of lives.However, it is a noble idea if the state is able to provide a universal health care and services that are reliable without discrimination, since patients and the entire Americans will benefit from the government. Therefore, they will be able to seek medical attention where they are assured of safety and better outcomes as a patient. However, it is very true that America is composed to a large number of ethnicity backgrounds. However, all citizens should be treated the same. Reference: Ethnicity and racial background, retrieved on 29th November 2007, available at www. pubmedcentral. nih. gov/Hispanic, Caucasians and African-American, retrieved on 29th November 2007, available at www. springerlink. com Hispanic children and adults uninsured, retrieved on 29th November 2007, available www. klru. org/bythepeople/ Joseph Lois (2004), a noble vision for USA, University Academic Press More Americans than Caucasian eligible for federal hea lth coverage, retrieved on 29th November 2007, available at www. ingentaconnect. com Paul Ramsey (2003), Facts on Private vs. Public Healthcare, Miller New York Truman P. and Christian B. (2005), America universal coverage beyond survival, Miller New York

Paragliding: Gliding and Foot-launched Glider Aircraft

Paragliding Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft. The pilot sits in a harness suspended below a hollow fabric wing whose shape is formed by its suspension lines, the pressure of air entering in the front of the wing and the forces of the air flowing over the outside. Despite not using an engine, paraglider flights can last many hours and cover many hundreds of kilometres, though flights of 1-2 hours and covering some tens of kilometres are more the norm. By skilful exploitation of sources of lift the pilot may gain height, often climbing to a few thousand metres over the surrounding countryside. Paragliders are unique among soaring aircraft in being easily portable. The complete equipment packs into a rucksack and can be carried easily on the pilot's back[2], in a car, or on public transport. In comparison with other air sports this substantially simplifies travel to a suitable take off spot, the selection of a landing place and return travel. Paragliding is related to the following activities: Hang gliding is a close cousin, and hang glider and paraglider launches are often found in proximity. [3] Despite the considerable difference in equipment the two activities offer similar pleasures and some pilots are involved in both sports. †¢ Powered paragliding is the flying of paragliders with a small engine attached. †¢ Speed riding or speed flying is the separate sport of flying paragliders of reduced size. These wings have in creased speed, though they are not normally capable of soaring flight. The sport involves taking off on skis or on foot and swooping rapidly down in close proximity to the slope, even periodically touching it if skis are used. †¢ Paragliding can be of local importance as a commercial activity. [4][5] Paid accompanied tandem flights are available in many mountainous regions, both in the winter and in the summer. In addition there are many schools offering courses,[6] and guides who lead groups of more experienced pilots exploring an area. Finally there are the manufacturers and the associated repair and after sales services.