Mt Sinai School Of Medicine - 783 Words

If you are currently not a full time student, please briefly describe the activities you are participating in this academic year, if it is not listed on your AMCAS application. In addition to working full time as a research technician at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, I have been trying to gain more clinical experience. I have shadowed a few physician-scientists from my laboratory who are oncologist while they are at clinics. I have also been in contact with a family doctor whom I plan on shadowing every weekend starting in September. Most of the physicians I have shadowed in the past were specialists in their field and I feel it is important to expose to all types of different physicians. Shadowing a family doctor will give me a better idea of what being a primary care provider entails. How did you learn about the program you are applying to? I first heard about Mt Sinai School of Medicine because my mother used to work as a cytogeneticist there. During high school, I spend a summer doing research at Mt Sinai in the lab of Dr Emily Bernstein, whose research focus was epigenetic regulation of gene expression in various biological processes, including cancer. I examine the expression level of a histone variant- macroH2A in breast cancer cell lines and was able to show that macroH2A expression is higher in metastatic than nonmetastatic cell lines. I had the opportunity to learn more about Icahn School of Medicine from a medical student I was working with. He told meShow MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Alzheimer s And Dementia Among Elderly Populations1709 Words   |  7 Pagesmental health must be addressed with urgency in light of the prevalence of increasing diagnoses of Alzheimer’s and dementia among elderly populations ( â€Å"President s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health†). The Physician’s Committe e for Responsible Medicine estimates that by age 85, nearly half of all North Americans will be affected by Alzheimer’s disease. 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According to Eric Hollander, M.D. (2010), Professor of Psychiatry and Director of Clinical Psychopharmacology, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, diminished levels of serotonin have been implicated in the disorder. Low-levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter well-known as a contributor to the feelings of well-being (Madison, 2010), cause less activity in the frontal lobes of theRead MoreEssay on Atypical Childhood Social Behavior and Phthalates, BPA879 Words   |  4 Pagesthat same effect in humans (Miodovnik, 2011). Additional studies also show a connection between these chemicals and hormonal signaling. According to this article 137 mothers and their children were observed over a span of nine years by Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York City (Braun, 2011). These mothers came from varying ethnic backgrounds and came from a lower income area of New York City. These women also were of lower education although a majority of them increased their education levelsRead MoreInvestigating Dose And Regimen Of Durvalumab1096 Words   |  5 Pagesprovided below: ïÆ'Ëœ University of Arkansas, Arkansas, USA ïÆ'Ëœ John Hopkins Oncology Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA ïÆ'Ëœ Dana-Faber Partners Cancer Care, Inc., Boston, MA, USA ïÆ'Ëœ Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, New Jersey, USA ïÆ'Ëœ Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, New York, USA ïÆ'Ëœ Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, USA ïÆ'Ëœ Levine Cancer Institute, Charlotte, NC, USA ïÆ'Ëœ Ohio State Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA ïÆ'Ëœ Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA ïÆ'Ëœ Tom BakerRead MoreThe Benefits Of Having Hospice Care Essay1458 Words   |  6 Pageshospital chaplain obtain an advance directive from the family, or a registration clerk trying to obtain an advance directive from a family member, but it is not the same or as personable. 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Whether my instincts were correct or not, I played it safe andRead MoreThe Admissions Committee Is Doing Gaining More Insight Into You As A Person1935 Words   |  8 Pagesdistinctly recall my eleven year old self repeatedly saying to anyone who tried to talk to me. It was my first day of school in America and that was the only sentence I could put together in English. I was born in in China and lived there my whole life until my mother decided to move to New York. I thought I was just visiting her for winter break, but she dropped me off at school just a week after my arrival. As my new classmates tried to talk to me, I can see their mouth moving but they might asRead MoreCommunication And Healthcare Sciences : Is It The Real Of Science Fiction?2949 Words   |  12 Pagesthe recent hullabaloo, telemedicine is hardly a novel concept – by their loosest definiti on, telemedical practices emerged more than a century ago. (The prefix tele, derived from the Greek telos, implies â€Å"distance†; telemedicine literally means â€Å"medicine at a distance.†) During the Civil War, medical supplies lists and casualty reports were transmitted over Western Union s burgeoning telegraph network. The telephone was adopted early by physicians who used it to conduct consultations. And by WorldRead MorePtsd2558 Words   |  11 Pagesoften forgot fearful events (Hamilton). When administered in low doses intravenously to treat depression, ketamine has an almost immediate effect that can last up to 10 days and almost rid a person of depression. Dr. Dennis Charney, dean of Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, says â€Å"Better treatments are needed for PTSD because of the seriousness of the disorder, and available treatments are generally only partially effective (Chedekel). New research is showing that the depression and stress that cause changes

Proto-Cuneiform Earliest Form of Writing on our Planet

The earliest form of writing on our planet, called proto-cuneiform, was invented in Mesopotamia during the Late Uruk period, about 3200 BC. Proto-cuneiform consisted of pictographs — simple drawings of the subjects of the documents — and early symbols representing those ideas, drawn or pressed into puffy clay tablets, which were then fired in a hearth or baked in the sun. Proto-cuneiform was not a written representation of the syntax of spoken language. Its original purpose was to maintain records of the vast amounts of production and trade of goods and labor during the first flowering of the urban Uruk period Mesopotamia. Word order didnt matter: two flocks of sheep could be sheep flocks two and still contain enough information to be understood. That accounting requirement, and the idea of proto-cuneiform itself, almost certainly evolved from the ancient use of clay tokens. Transitional Written Language The earliest characters of proto-cuneiform are impressions of clay token shapes: cones, spheres, tetrahedrons pushed into the soft clay. Scholars believe the impressions were meant to represent the same things as the clay tokens themselves: measures of grain, jars of oil, animal herds. In a sense, proto-cuneiform is simply a technological shortcut instead of carrying around clay tokens. By the time of the appearance of full-fledged cuneiform, some 500 years after the introduction of proto-cuneiform, the written language had evolved to include the introduction of phonetic coding--symbols which represented sounds made by the speakers. Also, as a more sophisticated form of writing, cuneiform allowed the earliest examples of literature, such as the legend of Gilgamesh, and various bragging stories about rulers--but thats another story. The Archaic Texts The fact that we have tablets at all is accidental: these tablets were not meant to be saved beyond their use in Mesopotamian administration. Most of the tablets found by excavators were used as backfill along with adobe bricks and other rubbish, during rebuilding periods at Uruk and other cities. To date there are approximately 6,000 preserved texts of proto-cuneiform (sometimes referred to as the Archaic Texts or Archaic Tablets), with a total of approximately 40,000 occurrences of 1,500 nonnumerical symbols and signs. Most of the signs occur very rarely, and only about 100 of the signs occur more than 100 times. Proto-cuneiform writing was first identified on nearly 400 impressed clay tablets found in the sacred temple precinct of Eanna in the southern Mesopotamian city of Uruk. These were found during the early 20th century excavations by C. Leonard Woolley, and first published in 1935. All of them date to the very end of the Uruk period [3500 t0 3200 BC] and the Jemdet Nasr phase [3200 to 3000 BC].The largest assemblage of proto-cuneiform tablets are also from Uruk, about 5,000 of them discovered between 1928 and 1976 during excavations by the German Archaeological Institute.The Schà ¸yen collection, a collection of manuscripts looted from an untold number of archaeological sites all over the world, includes numerous proto-cuneiform texts from sites such as Umma, Adab and Kish.Proto-cuneiform texts comparable to Uruk III have been found at Jemdet Nasr, Uqair and Khafajah; illicit excavations since the 1990s have found several hundred additional texts. Content of the Tablets Most of the known proto-cuneiform tablets are simple accounts documenting the flow of commodities such as textiles, grain, or dairy products to individuals. These are believed to be summaries of allotments to administrators for later disbursement to others. About 440 personal names appear in the texts, but interestingly, the named individuals are not kings or important people but rather slaves and foreign captives. to be honest, the lists of individuals are not that different from those which summarize cattle, with detailed age and sex categories, except that they include personal names: the first evidence we have people having personal names. There are about 60 symbols which represent numbers. These were circular shapes impressed with a round stylus, and the accountants used at least five different counting systems, depending on what was being counted. The most recognizable of these to us was the sexagesimal (base 60) system, which is used in our clocks today (1 minute 60 seconds, 1 hour 60 minutes, etc.) and the 360 degree radii of our circles. The Sumerian accountants used base 60 (sexagesimal) to quantify all animals, humans, animal products, dried fish, tools and pots, and a modified base 60 (bisexagesimal) to count grain products, cheeses and fresh fish. Lexical Lists The only proto-cuneiform tablets that dont reflect administrative activities are the 10 percent or so which are called lexical lists. These lists are believed to be training exercises for scribes: they include lists of animals and official titles (not their names, their titles) and pottery vessel shapes among other things. The best known of the lexical lists is called the Standard Professions List, a hierarchically organized inventory of Uruk officials and occupations. The Standard Professions List contains 140 entries beginning with an early form of the Akkadian word for king. It was not until 2500 BC before the written records of Mesopotamia included letters, legal texts, proverbs and literary texts. Evolving into Cuneiform The evolution of proto-cuneiform to a subtler, broader type of language is evident in a discernable stylistic change from the earliest form about 100 years after its invention. Uruk IV: The earliest proto-cuneiform comes from the earliest layers at the temple of Eanna in Uruk, dated to the Uruk IV period, about 3200 BC. These tablets have only a few graphs, and are quite simple in format. Most of them are pictographs, naturalistic designs drawn in curved lines with a pointed stylus. About 900 different graphs were drawn in vertical columns, representing a bookkeeping system of receipts and expenditures, involving the goods, quantities, individuals and institutions of the Uruk period economy. Uruk III: Uruk III proto-cuneiform tablets appear about 3100 BC (Jemdet Nasr period), and that script consists of simpler, straighter lines, drawn with a stylus with a wedge shaped or triangular cross section nib. The stylus was pressed into the clay, rather than dragged across it, making the glyphs more uniform. Further, the signs are more abstract, slowly morphing into cuneiform, which was created by short wedge-like strokes. There are about 600 different graphs used in the Uruk III scripts (300 fewer than Uruk IV), and instead of appearing in vertical columns, the scripts ran in rows reading left to right. Languages The two most common languages in cuneiform were Akkadian and Sumerian, and it is thought that proto-cuneiform probably first expressed concepts in the Sumerian language (Southern Mesopotamian), and soon after that Akkadian (Northern Mesopotamian). Based on the distribution of the tablets into the broader Bronze Age Mediterranean world, proto-cuneiform and cuneiform itself were adapted to write Akkadian, Eblaite, Elamite, Hittite, Urartian and Hurrian. Resources and Further Reading Algaze G. 2013. The end of prehistory and the Uruk period. In: Crawford H, editor. The Sumerian World. London: Routledge. p 68-94.Chambon G. 2003. Meteorological Systems from Ur. Cuneiform Digital Library Journal 5.Damerow P. 2006. The origins of writing as a problem of historical epistemology. Cuneiform Digital Library Journal 2006(1).Damerow P. 2012. Sumerian beer: The origins of brewing technology in ancient Mesopotamia. Cuneiform Digital Library Journal 2012(2):1-20.Woods C. 2010. The Earliest Mesopotamian Writing. In: Woods C, Emberling G, and Teeter E, editors. Visible Language: Inventions of Writing in the Ancient Middle East and Beyond. Chicago: The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. p 28-98.Woods C, Emberling G, and Teeter E. 2010. Visible Language: Inventions of Writing in the Ancient Middle East and Beyond. Chicago: The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago.

Macro Environmental Analysis Free Essays

Melanie Verreault STMT-500 Strategic Management Analysis of Child and Family Services of Timmins and District Word Count: 2,494 November 8, 2009 Tracy Hillier Table of Contents Introduction†¦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‚¬ ¦.. 3 External Situation†¦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‚¬ ¦. We will write a custom essay sample on Macro Environmental Analysis or any similar topic only for you Order Now . 3 Internal Situation†¦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‚¬ ¦ 5 Five Forces Analysis†¦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‚¬ ¦ Competitor Analysis†¦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 Objectives†¦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‚¬ ¦. 11 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¢ € ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 11 References†¦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‚¬ ¦ 12 3 Introduction In 2000, CFSTD became the second social services organization in Ontario to amalgamate Children’s Mental Health and Protection Services. An appreciation of CFSTD and its services can be obtained by visiting its website: http://www. timminschildfamily. org In order to gain a greater understanding of CFSTD, a strategic management analysis will be completed. This goal will be achieved by completing the following: 1. an analysis of CFSTD’s external and internal situation; 2. an evaluation of CFSTD by using Porter’s Five Forces model, and; 3. an analysis of CFSTD’s main competition. Based on this assessment, strategic objectives will be identified and recommended. External Situation As presented by Grant (2007), macroenvironmental factors are beyond a firm’s control. To adapt and remain competitive, a firm must understand how these external influences â€Å"affect the firm’s industry environment† (p. 66). The six factors impacting the endeavours of a firm are demographic, economic, political/legal, ecological, socio-cultural, and technology. Barney (2007) states an analysis of the external situation identifies a firm’s â€Å"critical threats and opportunities in its competitive environment† (p. 1) and â€Å"examines how competition in this environment is likely to evolve and what implications that evolution has for the threats and opportunities a firm is facing† (Ibid). The following outlines these factors and their level of influence on CFSTD. Demographic:High The population of the City of Timmins can best be described as aging with a decrease in birth rate. It is important to add that the population of Native People migrating to the Timmins area from the James Bay coast is increasing. Since CFSTD’s main reason for operating is to offer services exclusively to youth under the age of sixteen and their respective families, the demographic factor scores high. Without this, threats such as decrease in ministry funding and personnel layoffs can occur. To 4 adapt to the changing demographic environment, CFSTD can implement new and creative initiatives by collaborating with other service providers. Economic:High The current economic situation has impacted most if not all of the world. As a result, government funding to organisations has been affected. Due to current budget cuts, CFSTD is facing threats of potential downsizing in various services, capping travel and other expenditures and suspending relevant personnel training initiatives. To respond to the changing economic environment, CFSTD can explore amalgamating programs and services, developing new partnerships and increasing its capacity in the volunteer sector. Political:Medium Whenever a new government is elected, changes to the legislation can be anticipated. Amendments made to provincial legislation such as the Child and Family Services Act impact CFSTD’s operation. Threats CFSTD can face due to the changing political environment are mostly cost and time demanding: development of new operation and administrative procedures, staff training in these areas, to name a few. However, developing and implementing new initiatives can translate into opportunities for CFSTD with the influence of the political environment. Ecological:Low Although located in a city where extreme weather conditions are experienced such as harsh winters with abundant snowfalls, the ecological situation poses minimal impact on CFSTD’s service delivery. Fortunately, with the implementation of videoconferencing services, travel to various areas is reduced. Thus, programming continues to be offered to the client population. Social/Cultural:Medium CFSTD’s culture encompasses a unionized personnel, which is mostly female, with a diversity in educational backgrounds, expertise and work experience. In addition, some of the personnel are fast approaching retirement. This factor can pose threats such as a delay in services offered to clients due to union issues, potential work stoppage, and a wealth of knowledge and expertise lost when veteran personnel retire. Should this be the case, an opportunity that CFSTD could explore, as mentioned in an article by Dychtwald et al. (2004), is to â€Å"create a culture that honors experience† (p. 51), 5 that is, to offer flexible contracts to retiring staff who can â€Å"step in at a moment’s notice by filling gaps and help bringing the next generation of leaders up to speed† (p. 54). Technological:Low CFSTD ensures that new technological initiatives are implemented on a regular basis. Potential threats could be additional staff training and resistance to endorsing new technological initiatives. Technology creates many opportunities such as improving efficiency of work practices and reducing overall costs. In sum, the DEPEST analysis indicates that demographic and economic factors significantly impact CFSTD while technological and ecological factors are minor influences. The socio-cultural and political factors have a mid-level effect on the organization. The external analysis points out the possible threats and opportunities that CFSTD faces. To complement this external analysis, an internal assessment will follow. As noted by Barney (2007), â€Å"an internal analysis helps a firm identify its organizational strengths and weaknesses† (p. 11). Furthermore, it will illustrate â€Å"which of its resources and capabilities are likely to be sources of advantage and which of them are less likely to be sources of such advantages† (Ibid). CFSTD’s internal situation will be analyzed using the VRIO framework. Internal Situation Barney (2007) states the VRIO framework is a â€Å"structured in a series of four questions to be asked about the business activities in which a firm engages† (p. 138). In addition, the â€Å"answers to these questions determine whether a particular firm resource or capability is a strength or a weakness† (Ibid). The following table summarizes the VRIO questions as they apply to CFSTD. 6 TABLE 1: VRIO analysis of CFSTD RESOURCES| CAPABILITIES| VALUABLE| RARE| IMITABLE| ORGANIZATION| IMPORTANCE| Annual funding| Staff are remunerated for providing services; covers capital costs for overall agency functioning. Finances are ministry driven. | YES| NO| NO| YES| High| Technology| Records agency’s overall administrative tasks (i. e. reports). Communication vehicle for staff. Video-conferencing services are available. | YES| NO| YES| YES| Medium| Personnel| Certified employees providing expertise inservices to client population. | YES| YES| NO| YES| High| Quantitative and qualitative assurance measures| Data collected through client surveys and agency’s network enables the agency to identify the client needs, develop new programs and initiatives and ensures the client population is being adequately serviced. | YES| NO| YES| YES| Medium| Location| Where services are provided for clients. Programming occurs in these various locations. YES| NO| YES| YES| Medium| Services| Multi-disciplinary agency providing a wide range of services to meet client population needs. | YES| YES| NO| YES| High| The findings of the VRIO analysis indicate which resources and capabilities are of significant importance to CFSTD. Ministry funding, is extremely relevant. Although provided on a quarterly basis, funding can change based on data re garding client 7 volume. CFSTD is bound to a funding formula which is reviewed on an annual basis by the government. Despite its potential for fluctuation, funding is a strength for CFSTD. Technology is a pertinent vehicle of communication. Technology permits CFSTD to offer specialized services to clients that are not readily accessible in the North. CFSTD personnel present as a relevant resource. The diversity and expertise of the personnel is of great value, strength and rarity. Data is another noted strength. The gathered information, analyzed with evidenced-based qualitative and quantitative measures, enables CFSTD to assess the needs and pressure points and, in turn, develop proposals and implement new initiatives that will better serve the client population. Services are also a relevant resource. CFSTD is the largest social service organisation within the area offering more than twenty programs and services that are unique and valuable. Annually, service enhancements take place via the program review process. Furthermore, collaborative projects are occurring with other service providers to offer services that meet clientele needs. Currently, location resources are a weakness. CFSTD is facing a potential closure of one of its facilities due to the constant low number of young offenders coming into custody. CFSTD is communicating with the ministry at this time regarding next steps. Overall, the internal analysis of CFSTD clearly identifies areas of strength and weakness and those requiring improvement. It is important to analyze how and where CFSTD fits into the non-profit industry and determine the intensity of competition and profitability (in this industry, profit is viewed by client volume and ministry funding). In order to do so, an evaluation of CFSTD will be conducted using Porter’s Five Forces of Competition Framework. Five Forces Analysis Grant (2007) states â€Å"Porter’s five forces of competition framework views the profitability of an industry as determined by five sources of competitive pressure† (p. 71). The following table evaluates CFSTD with these five forces. 8 TABLE 2: Evaluation of CFSTD using Porter’s Five Forces FACTORS| INDUSTRY: Non-Profit Child and Family Social Services Organisations| Threat of New Entrants| New government policy and/or amendments to legislation directly impact licensing requirements and overall service operations in social services organisations. Thus, new procedures are developed and new criteria must be met to receive allocation of funds and subsidies for programs and initiatives. | Bargaining Power of Suppliers| Unionized organisations are threatened by disagreements on job descriptions, training and worker performance, thus creating significant delays in service delivery and having an impact on funding. There is a threat of the collective bargaining agreement review and negotiation turning into a strike thus halting service operations. | Bargaining Power of Buyers| Ministry allocated funds for program proposals regarding new initiatives that meet Ministry expectations. Other service providers looking to collaborate and develop new partnerships for Ministry driven initiatives in order to receive financial allocation. | Threat of Substitute Products or Services| Private firms offering similar services. New provincial initiative where psychiatric services in the north will be offered via video-conference instead of face-to-face thus, decreasing the wait-time and wait-list for clients. New legislation regarding young offenders indicates that youth involved with the law are kept out of custody and instead assisted in their local communities. Thus, the number of youth entering facilities has decreased to the point of facility closures. | Rivalry Among Existing Competitors| Similar firms within the industry are competing for Ministry funds. Some firms are collaborating and creating partnerships on some initiatives thus dividing Ministry funds among them. | The findings in this analysis reveal the most significant aspects of CFSTD’s competitive environment. In his article, Porter (2008) note the â€Å"strongest competitive force or forces determine the profitability of an industry and become the most important to strategy formulation† (p. 0). Threat of new entrants and bargaining power of buyers are significant forces for CFSTD. Interesting enough, these forces pertain to the same entity: government. More 9 specifically, government legislation and funding influence CFSTD’s course of action when it comes to service implementation and development. However, in the non-profit industry, there is dual influen ce occurring. Funding, for instance is service/client driven. Thus, if CFSTD’s client volume is high, funding forecasts are at a higher level. Another significant factor is the bargaining power of suppliers. In this case, it is the firm’s personnel. Similar to the government, staffing poses as a threat and/or opportunity. The vision of CFSTD is to offer services to clients in order to promote well-being and safety. This goal cannot be achieved without the expertise and efforts offered by CFSTD employees. Although Porter’s model is better served in the profit industry, it has validity in the non-profit sector. It identifies the fundamentals and constraints of CFSTD all the while permitting CFSTD to have a certain degree of flexibility and creativity in this prescribed environment. In sum, Porter’s model is good to predict changes of profitability. In the case of CFSTD, profitability is a combination of funding with client and service volume. How can CFSTD predict the competitive moves rivals are likely to initiate? One possibility is to conduct a competitor analysis. The following will examine how information regarding rivals can assist in predicting behaviour. Competitor Analysis Grant (2007) notes that competitor analysis is an intra-industry analysis involving a â€Å"systematic approach of information gathering that makes clear what information is required and for what purposes it will be used. The objective is to understand one’s rival† (p. 107). At present, there are social services firms offering similar services to CFSTD. This paper focuses on the competitor most similar to CFSTD: Kunuwanimano Child and Family Services (KCFS). More details about KCFS can be found at their website: http://www. kunuwanimano. com The tool selected to complete this analysis is Porter’s four-part framework for predicting competitive behaviour. The following table outlines these details. 10 TABLE 3: Analysis of KCFS Factor| Comments| Strategy| * KCFS focuses on delivering child welfare and mental health services to First Nations children within their catchment area and work collaboratively with the communities they service. * Children and families will be cared for by the community and inherit the skills, knowledge and cultural traditions that will be provided by community members (www. kunuwanimano. com) * Approaches to working with youth and families guided by the seven sacred teachings. | Objectives| * Develop a service model respecting the inherit authority for child protection matters. Develop policies and procedures and protocols with service providers and First Nations communities that will address decision-making regarding child protection matters. * Obtain Ministry designation to offer mandated services. | Assumptions| * All First Nations people want to obtain services from KCFS. * All First Nations people want to inherit and learn traditional, cultural skills, customs and knowledge. | Resources and Capa bilities| Strengths: * Culturally specific services offered by staff with Native ancestry. * Ability to service eleven Native communities. Weaknesses: * No child welfare designation. * Collaboration with service providers in order to develop protocols, policies and procedures. * Frequent changes in personnel. | Currently, KCFS is at a standstill in obtaining its designation due to their unwillingness to collaborate with similar community service providers. In order for a firm to obtain designation from the Ministry, supervision by a similar firm is required. KCFS refuses to have CFSTD as their supervisor. Based on the above-mentioned, CFSTD can predict the following: 11 KCFS will not obtain its designation for several years and thus will not take over CFSTD’s Native client population; * There is a probability that many of CFSTD’s Native clients will choose to remain as clients of CFSTD, and; * CFSTD will remain as the leading organisation in child welfare services for the Timmins area. It is important to note that CFSTD continues its efforts to work with KCFS, in most part, to no avail. This framework has enabled CFSTD to assess key components of KCFS in order to make future predictions. Objectives Based on the various analyses completed in this paper, recommended strategic objectives are for CFSTD to: * Develop and implement a performance appraisal tool that encompasses competency modelling and that is congruent with CFSTD’s strategic plan; * Develop a contingency plan with the Ministry in the possibility of the closure of one of CFSTD’s locations; * Research and identify a framework such as management innovation that can be applied agency wide and that is in alignment with CFSTD’s strategic plan, and; * Develop and implement a plan to recruit qualified Native professionals. Conclusion Overall, the analyses completed in this paper have allowed us to better understand CFSTD. Now, we can appreciate how CFSTD is doing, what is working well, what requires enhancing and what directions CFSTD plans on going into in the near future. 12 References Barney, J. B. (2007). Chapter 1: What is strategy? In Gaining and sustaining competitive advantage (3rd ed. , pp. 1-16). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Barney, J. B. (2007). Chapter 5: Evaluating firm strengths and weaknesses. In Gaining and sustaining competitive advantage (3rd ed. , pp. 127-169). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall Inc. Dychtwald, K. , Erickson, T. , Morison, B. (2004). It’s time to retire retirement. Harvard Business Review, 82(3), 48-57. http://library. athabascau. ca/mbadrr/STMT-500/ Chapter 5-Evaluating firm strengths and weaknesses. pdf Grant, R. M. (2007). Contemporary strategy analysis (6th ed. ). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. Kunuwanimano Child and Family Services (2009). Retrieved November 7, 2009, from http://www. kunuwanimano. com . Porter, M. (2008). The five competitive forces that shape strategy. Harvard Business Review, 86(1), 78-93. http://0-search. ebscohost. com. aupac. lib. athab ascau. ca/login. aspx? direct=true;AuthType=url, ip,uid;db=bth;AN=28000138;site=ehost-live How to cite Macro Environmental Analysis, Papers

Infection Risk Management for Health Inequalities - myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theInfection Risk Management for Health Inequalities. Answer: Through Health Equity Audit (HEA), the decision making authorities are able to arrange the resources in planning of policies, strategies and projects so that it can help in reducing health inequalities. The Health Equity Audit Cycle consists of analyzing the issues with the highest impact on the society followed by assessing the gap between the need and access to the services, developing an action plan to bridge the gap between the two, prioritizing the actions, navigating the resources to suit the needs and lastly evaluating the progress and assessing the influence of the actions on the society (European Portal for Action on Health Inequalities, n.d.) . Analyzing the issues with the highest impact on the society is the first component of the Health Equity Audit which would be discussed in detail. There are various issues such as cancer, infant health, primary care which have a serious impact on the society. According to Pauly et al., (2013)various policy makers, public health professionals and the government are conducting several comprehensive health care programs to raise awareness for the prevention of cancer. The community groups and doctors are encouraging the citizens to increase their physical activity and to reduce the use of alcohol. They are also conducting campaigns to prevent the use of tobacco. For this purpose, Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs are being established to prevent and reduce tobacco use (Wallerstein et al., 2017). For example, Public Health Association of New Zealand has executed various prevention programs, early intervention programs to raise awareness among the people and to reduce the risk of CVD and cancer (Public Health Association of New Zealand, 2016). Thus, to conclude, it can be said that Health Equity Audit is a crucial device to reduce health inequalities. It provides a framework for analyzing the issues which have the highest impact on the society and develops the equity profiles, prioritizes the strategies and plans and monitors the action. References European Portal for Action on Health Inequalities (n.d.). Health Equity Audit Retrieved March 24, 2018 from https://www.health-inequalities.eu/tools/health-equity-audit/ Pauly, B., MacDonald, M., Hancock, T., Martin, W. Perkin, K. (2013). Reducing health inequities: the contribution of core public health services in BC. BMC Public Health, 13(550), 1-11. Public Health Association of New Zealand (2016) .Get Curious. Retrieved March 24, 2018 from https://www.pha.org.nz/ Wallerstein, N., Duran, B., Oetzel, J.G. Minkler, M. (2017). Community-Based Participatory Research for Health: Advancing Social and Health Equity. John Wiley Sons.