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Abortion and its Changes over Time

Abortion is termed the process by which pregnancy is ended, resulting in no child’s birth. It can also be referred to as termination of pregnancy where due to some unavoidable reasons, the woman is forced not to deliver the baby. There are many reasons why this practice is done, why some people oppose it as they think it is evil. In some cases, pregnant women may not be willing to give birth and raise a child, and the doctors may decide to stop the pregnancy at early stages according to the woman’s will. Before a woman gets into the decision to terminate her pregnancy, the individual is believed to have undergone a severe problem or fear of being a mother. It is not always an easy decision for expectant mothers to choose to eliminate the unborn child, but some circumstances which cannot be easily avoided lead to such practices.

Health complications can also lead to terminations of the pregnancy, where medical doctors may advise the pregnant woman to choose between losing her life or that of the unborn child (Henshaw, 80). Such health complications are unavoidable and are the most logical abortion across the world. Death may also happen to the unborn child. Suppose a child dies while still in her mother’s womb. In that case, the condition may become critical to the mother, whereby doctors and other surgical specialists may take out the fetus to avoid contaminating the mother’s internal body parts. Such cases even lead to the mother’s death as it needs extra medical care and an emergent one in that matter. Failure to remove the dead unborn baby from the mother’s womb may also lead to permanent complications where the woman may not bear children anymore.

Two ways are known and legally accepted worldwide in the performance of abortion and related activities. The first type of terminating a pregnancy is by using medicine or medical methods. Under this process, medical doctors give specific tablets or injections to the pregnant lady, and then the drugs, the drugs react with the body and womb carrying the fetus; thus, the process begins (Summer, 73). Abortion pills are widely known in most parts of the world, primarily being used by youths and other young ladies. These drugs have strict instructions on use and are advisable to be administered not after 24 weeks of pregnancy to avoid side effects. Surgical abortion is the second type of abortion. Surgical abortion is the second type of abortion where the pregnancy is terminated by taking the victim to a surgical room, where surgeons do specific operations to stop the pregnancy.

Dilation and evacuation, all linked to this type of abortion, are done from the 15th to the 24th. The vacuum aspiration is expected to be done no longer than 15 weeks after the pregnancy is detected. All these practices are supposed to be done by medical doctors, where the involvement of another person may lead to reverse results or death of both the mother and unborn child. Although these practices were not guaranteed, the specialist ensured that every step they knew was done until the abortion was successfully done and completed. These practices needed experience; thus, most of the cases were done by the elderly in the community. In some cases, the activities even led to the mother’s death still being in the run to ensure that they have aborted the fetus ( Marquis, 200).

History of Abortion

Abortion is a practice that has been taking place for many years. Many documents, researchers, and laws on the method confirm that the termination of pregnancy has been taking place since 1075BCE were a piece of evidence containing punishment offered to Assyrian women who aborted children was discovered (Henshaw, 80). The document stated that death is the only punishment imposed on abortion, wherein my thought, I take it as the perfect punishment for such a crime. During that time, miscarriages were the only allowance that could be allowed by the administration as an excuse for to loss of pregnancy, where still the condition was termed as a sign of curse on the lineage.

The verdict law of India gave an explanation taken against women who practiced the act, where ex-communication was the expected punishment for sinning. These practices didn’t end during these times; people continued terminating procedures until 1550 BCE when evidence extracted from Egyptian papyrus showed signs of an induced abortion practice that was a completely new turn. Some abortions were legal, whereas some cultures did not react to the realization of the effect of the pregnancy on the mother. The medicine men and women were supposed to do the practice, where they did the specific techniques to the expectant women in aborting (Henshaw, 80).

Surgeries had not been invented; thus, every practice used was traditional and practical. In some cultures, techniques such as climbing, diving, and weightlifting were forced on pregnant women as a step in fastening the process and making it less painful; other communities used special herbs boiled leaves or made women sleep on shells to terminate the pregnancy. Most of the practices were relatively slow but effective. Abortion kept on advancing where new and more advanced methods of preparation were invented.

Due to the low advancement of technology, such practices were done by special elder people who seemed to have the exact knowledge of what they were doing and who did it successfully. These specialists were given respect in the community, where their practices were considered pure and essential in cases where the act had to be done. The procedures done during the ancient times had a certain probability of failure; hence the victims were supposed to be patient and offer the specialists enough time to do what they were supposed to do.

By the 8th century, traditional methods changed whereby women started sitting on steamed pots or using onions as a means of terminating the pregnancy. Japanese in the 12th century decided to switch the induced pregnancy to better ways where high taxation and another mistreatment by the government made women practice abortion regularly to avoid more expenses on child care (Adams, 719). Logically, some of the practices which the government forces its citizens to do may cause such injustices in the society, where the low-class level people in the community may choose such methods of abortion in order to guarantee their ability in sustaining themselves. Most of the expectant mothers in the low class or middle class in the society are always worried about how to take care of their children upon delivery. Such worries result in certain practices and feelings, such as being ready and willing to eliminate an innocent child before they are born.

New Zealand was not an exemption in history. The citizen introduced new ways of miscarrying pregnancies by use of drugs which ensured that the pregnancy was terminated and no harm was done to the woman. During this period, technology had improved; thus, people could easily access medical care through manufactured drugs and substances. The Greeks were different; also, the practice was illegal and even punishable by death, and the system of administration in the Greek-roman world had permitted specialists such as the mid-wives and educated laypeople to perform such practices under conditions such as the death of the mother. Greeks had developed a particular herb known as silphium, which they relied on upon in abortion.

The herb has a unique and expensive product that was exported to other parts near Rome, where they considered it excellent and helpful (Mattinson, 177). The biblical view of abortion was different as compared to the traditional way, where miscarriage was regarded as a curse, and the people who committed the act were termed as evil and cursed too. Christians during the early church believed that life is given by God, and thus, no one is allowed to do it. Using facts from their set of beliefs, these Christians emphasized keeping unborn babies as much as possible and that they are unique gifts from their supreme being.

Change of the practice over time

During ancient times, abortion was considered a crime, whereby many communities and cultures punished people who practiced it. Over the years, the act has slowly been allowed in our daily lives, where some acts are considered not as crimes as in the old days. It is evident that someone can terminate a pregnancy and walk away due to some rules which allow people to practice the ac (Luker, 46). Abortion methods have increased and improved as several new ways of abortion without drawing attention, pain, or side effects. Science and technology today are offering more ways of conducting the practice; unlike in the past, where there was a risk of death for both, today there is a safe way for mothers to practice abortion.

In the past, these practices were considered evil and whereby the people taking part in the activities did them in secluded places, away from all other people (Mattinson, 177). These days, the act is done in hospitals and other clinical areas, where people have no fear in asking for such services. Abortion has become a talk of the world for an extended period of time, where some people have taken advantage of its trending way to benefit themselves in many ways. The culture has completely changed; there are no longer any morals in the community; hence any person willing to do the act is currently free to do it as long as the law does not recognize the action.

Today, doctors are allowed to do the practice, unlike in the olden days where uneducated specialists were allowed to practice. In the past, it was done to save the lives of the mother, today termination of pregnancy can be by choice. Unlike today, in the past, no one wanted to be associated with abortion or anything, and anyone related to the act today advertisement is even put up in social media promoting advertising. it was illegal, and the law allowed it to be performed under the most severe of conditions today; it has been legalized in many countries

Human Perception on Abortion in the Ancient Times

The Romans had different beliefs on the practice of abortion; they had their own reasons why the act was practiced, where they all believed that there was an allowance for one to decide whether to be a father or not through termination of pregnancies (Henshaw, 80). The culture did not promote or care about the welfare of the unborn, where all the responsibility was left to the parents to keep the parents or not. The father being the most respected figure in the family, he had a choice whether to be a dad or not, then he went on and took action himself; he could force the mother to undertake the abortion if he was not interested.

The bible, on the other hand, discouraged the act whereby scriptures spoke of impending judgment and punishment on people who took lives. Abortion in the bible was considered murder; hence believers are discouraged from taking part in the act, and miscarriages in the bible were considered as curses. People who underwent miscarriages were supposed to pay for the loss as miscarriage was a mistake that could be avoided. England made abortion illegal, and no woman could partake in the act; if one was caught, death was the punishment declared, life was considered as sacred hence the law made sure that such practices were avoided. Terminating a pregnancy in America was different; laws concerning the course kept on changing as they later gave permission where abortion could be done, and mothers were supported to keep the pregnancy unless the loss of the mothers’ life was at risk.

Human Perception on Abortion in Recent Times

As time changes, so do practices and beliefs; abortion is not an exemption as it has led to several changes in the rules which govern the course (Henderson, 46). Due to the independence of nations, freedom, and power for each country to make its own rules, this act has been perceived differently over the years where people from different places in the world have different opinions on how and why they should be done. Currently, each country has its own understanding of the issue of abortion, where each administration has laid down specific ways of dealing with cases of abortion. It is heartbreaking that some of the countries in the world have allowed the act to be done, unlike the ancient times where individuals were always against the front of killing unborn children.

Technology and advancement of knowledge have led to other ideas concerning abortion where young people do not consider the life of the unborn as unique or essential in comparison to how ancient people used to think about it (Griebel, 1245). Evil practices increased in the world, whereas abortion was changed into a business idea hence attracting more people to do the act. Families have now lost bonds whereby mothers decide to terminate the pregnancy without consulting the husband; such cases increase among the young couples who feel like they have the freedom to terminate unwanted pregnancies at any given time.

Cheap and straightforward methods of abortion have been introduced, which make people ready and confident to abort anytime, anywhere. As the technology grows, some private doctors and other clinical officers dealing with maternity practices have opened their own hospitals where they do the activities behind the knowledge of the health ministry and governments. Some people and cultures accept abortion; this encourages and convinces the people to abort; women think of abortion as a way of relieving themselves of child burden as they can abort when financially they cannot take care of the baby (Adams, 736).

Reasons for Abortion in the Ancient Times

Ancient beliefs did not allow early practices, marriage was advised to the young people to have children, and parents could recommend them to terminate the pregnancy in fear of punishment by the community elders. No woman could be allowed to get married after conceiving out of wedlock, and some pregnancies were conceived as curses, creating by a relative was a curse, and abortion was convinced so as to steer clear of the curse. Elders could not allow an omen on their tribes and ordered such pregnancies to be terminated at all costs. Pregnancies from rape were also removed as they were also considered as bad an omen.

Specialists and elders convinced those under such conditions to abort so as to evade an impending curse on them or their generations; women involved in such could not ignore it as it was their beliefs (Summer, 52). Medicine men could advise women on what to do while pregnant and the dangers involved in delivering while in various conditions such as sickness. In the case of illness, termination occurred or whereby the pregnancy caused infection and affected the personal health of the mother whereby delivery could lead to the death of the mother or other adverse effects. During times of war or political unrest, women were forced to abort due to the inability to raise children during such conditions.

Modern Reasons for Abortion

Child care and expenses that come with raising a child need prior preparations by the parent. Raising a child requires a lot of financial readiness. Young girls abort due to the financial inability to take care of a young toddler as they see abortion as the only way to get rid of the problem (Summer, 46). Some families consider taking time before making decisions on childbearing. The process requires a lot of thinking; thus, some people prefer to take some time before having another child, by chance the woman gets pregnant before the specified time, she may end up terminating the pregnancy as spacing the time periods between children helps the family to plan for the children financially.

Although abortion is not a legal act, women may be forced to take the lives of their unborn children due to the harsh conditions in the world. Raising a child requires the consent of both parents. If the parents are at loggerheads before the child is unborn, the mother may decide to terminate the pregnancy. Young girls partake in activities that endanger their statuses and which lead to early pregnancy to continue with their studies; research has confirmed that many young girls undertake abortion so as to continue with their education. Young girls should be educated on how to protect themselves from such practices, which may lead to early pregnancy, which leads to abortion.

Abortion can lead to complications and new diseases during the early stages of the termination; thus, a mother should visit the clinic regularly to ensure she is healthy; if birth can lead to complications or death, health experts may advise her to terminate the pregnancy. Peer influence among young girls as they convince each other that abortion is safe causes them to engage in the practice, where young girls listen to each other and the media on the safe ways of conducting the activity. Peer groups tend to believe amongst themselves and what they hear, hence endangering their lives as they may indulge in the practice without knowing or considering what may happen to their bodies and future childbearing process (Luker, 23). Some mothers claim that they want a better life for their children. This idea may force them to abort the unborn children as they think they cannot take care of their children once they are born.

Effects of Abortion

Abortion leads to excessive loss of blood; the abortion process includes damaging the fetus until it comes out in the form of blood (Mattinson, 167). Averagely a woman who has aborted bleeds for over fourteen days. Cramping is another side effect associated with abortion where the woman may go through painful periods or menstruation, which seems to last forever as it can last for over a month suicidal feelings may be had by the patient, dizziness in the first few days of terminating the pregnancy is expected as the woman feels exhausted due to the massive loss of blood, this may be followed by vomiting or nausea and drowsiness, the woman may feel light-headed to low blood levels in her body.

In severe cases, death can also occur. Death occurs due to poor medical conditions and neglecting drugs and supplement offered by the doctor during the termination of the pregnancy. During an abortion, the womb and cervix, which had accommodated the fetus, are damaged; in some cases, the damage caused can be permanent, resulting in barren women. After the abortion, the woman may undergo septic shock, incomplete abortion is also expected as the woman may need to go through special procedures to finish the process, and the uterus is left in a state where it can support no more pregnancies, contamination of the uterus is also known as uterine perforation.

Abortion can lead to one being unable to produce urine at the right time and manner, the more one performs the act, the more adverse the effects of the abortion are, and this also causes the cervix to be weak, and this can lead to a woman delivering earlier than due according to a study done on women in Canada (Marquis, 190). Breast cancer can also affect women who have undergone abortion as the lady cannot breastfeed as she is supposed to, the gland in the breasts have already been triggered, and this causes the body to malfunction.

Sexually transmitted diseases can also infect the mother at the time of the abortion due to the kind of instruments used during the surgery; these diseases may be a threat, especially to someone who has lost a lot of blood, mentally the victim may have trauma, and this may cause poor mental health rejection by family, and this may cause trauma. The incidence or situation that the woman lives with after abortion makes it look unbearable as she may feel totally rejected and see no reason to live, thus leading to certain feelings of suicide. It is considered advisable to keep such cases out of the knowledge of other close people. Someone may feel ashamed when people start talking about such incidences, which may later make her lose self-esteem over other people.

On matters concerning sexually transmitted diseases, the victim is expected to suffer from any of those diseases due to excessive contamination during the whole process (Adams, 720). It is likely for the expectant mother to be infected with such complications immediately after the practices, which are always a result of bleeding and other discharges passing through the cervix. Generally, abortion is not a clean activity, just like any additional medical checkup, meaning that the victim is always left exposed to diseases that may even lead to her death.

Sexual drive is lowered after abortion, and this makes it difficult for her partner and his conjugal rights. A sense of guilt can also be evident in the person as in ancient times, abortion was closely linked with curses where people who did such were exempted from the community and even excommunicated, in other cases, abortion led to death, and the people believed that it was a curse by a supreme being, the cultures this punished the offender as a form of pleasing the ancestors. Christians thought that it was punishable by God.

Abortion also has positive effects as the child may die in the womb of the mother; in such cases, the abortion should be quick and safe to save the life of the mother, so the doctors are allowed to terminate the pregnancy in favor of the mother; thus abortion can also be used to save lives (Henderson, 46). The media has also played a massive part in popularizing abortion to young people. When abortion was legalized in many countries, media had a frontline in advertising the rule of law to all citizens, thus offering them the confidence they need in performing the abortion. The information by the media as it released the freedom of abortion was perceived differently by different people.

People who present information concerning abortion should behave in a way that would explain to young people the disadvantages and facts so that the people may not misinterpret the information given (Henshaw, 78). The media should be cautious with the people they target with such details to avoid leaking them to sensitive parties as curious young girls. Portraying adverts and information concerning abortion may lead to more abortions as the young earn from what they see, and the young ay fails to inform their parents due to fear. The parents should be responsible where media is related.

Society should start respecting the gift of life and learn not to take it away from a person, both born and unborn. People should start being held responsible for their actions, whether prepared or unprepared. Technology and its advancements have led to a higher increase in the rate of abortions. In the world today, people can easily access drugs or services through social media platforms (Luker, 23). Technology has also developed safe ways of abortion, which are quick, and this also encourages. It is up to us to team up and ensure that abortion as a form of killing is minimized to the point of unavoidable circumstances. Life is essential to every human, including the unborn ones. Abortion nowadays happens to be one of the most problematic practices to control in the evolving world, as it is hard to differentiate a person who has done the act from another who has not. As it is widely known, this practice is done currently done at the early stages of pregnancy, hence making it hard for people in authority to take action against people who commit such crimes. Again, these drugs are being manufactured and sold illegally, thus confirming that chances of getting these people who do the business are meager.

Works Cited

Adams, Greg D. “Abortion: Evidence of an issue evolution.” American Journal of Political Science (1997): 718-737.

Griebel, Craig P., et al. “Management of spontaneous abortion.” American family physician 72.7 (2005): 1243-1250.

Henderson, Jillian T., et al. “Effects of abortion legalization in Nepal, 2001–2010.” PloS one 8.5 (2013): e64775.

Henshaw, Stanley K. “Induced abortion: a world review, 1990.” Family planning perspectives (1990): 76-89.

Luker, Kristin. Abortion and the Politics of Motherhood. University of California Press, 1985: 23

Marquis, Don. “Why abortion is immoral.” The Journal of Philosophy 86.4 (1989): 183-202.

Mattinson, Janet. “The effects of abortion on a marriage.” Abortion: Medical progress and social implications 115 (1985): 165-177.

Sumner, Leonard Wayne. Abortion and moral theory. Princeton University Press, 2014: 45-78

Management and Decision Making

Briefly describe a named organization in terms of the product/service it provides to its customers.

Claridge’s Hotel is a traditional grand five star hotel Mayfair, Central London with a history stretching back to the 19th Century (Claridge’s 2012b, para.1). The hotel offers accommodation services through its 203 finely designed rooms and suites. There are restaurants and bars within the hotel where guests can enjoy breakfast, lunch, diner and cocktails. Its bar offers one of the largest champagne menus in London. On the ground floor and 6th floor, there are a number of spacious rooms filled with natural light and equipped with state-of-the-art communications and audio-visual equipment.

All these provide a stunning venue for various types of occasions like weddings, cocktail parties, private dining, meetings and conferences. The hotel’s beauty and fitness suite has a modern, well equipped gym and a number of treatment rooms (claridges.co.uk. 2010). The other services include afternoon tea, gifts and flowers. Currently, the hotel is under the ownership and management of Maybourne Hotel Group. The Claridge’s Hotel was chosen for the assignment because of reputation among the central London luxury hotels.

Identify the main inputs, outputs and the transformation process involved

The operations process of any organization leads to the production of a given product and/or service through the transformation of a set of inputs resources to outputs. Greasley (2009) explains that they achieve this by using the input-transformation-output process. The products and services therefore represent the organisation’s output. Just like other organizations, hotels are places where inputs are transformed into outputs. The inputs of a hotel are categorized into two, that is, transformed and transforming resources. Greasley (2009) defines transformed resources as those types of resources that are treated, converted or transformed in the process. In a hotel, these include customers and materials like foodstuff,

The other type of inputs in an hotel is transformation resources. Chambers, Johnson and Slack (2007), describe these as those resources that which act on the transformed resources. In other words, they carry out the transformation process. Examples of these resources in the hotel industry are hotel staff and hotel facilities like buildings and equipment. The main transformation process for the identified transformed resources is value adding. For example, food supplies are acted upon by employees through cooking to produce ready-to-eat food saleable to customers. The customers on the other hand receive accommodation and other services and the end result of this is satisfied guests.

Inputs Transformation Process Output

hotel stay experience

Give a Detailed Critique of Planning and Control in Claridge’s Hotel

As noted, the operations process of any organization describes how the organization transforms its set of inputs into output. This therefore has to do with the planning and control in the organization. Planning and control provides a way of reconciling the potential of the operation of an organization to supply products and services to meet the demands of its customers. The validity of this is evident in the definitions of the two terms. Basically, planning entails setting performance expectations and laying strategies for achieving this while control is the process of responding to the changes in the plan and its related operations. Planning and control can therefore be described as the daily activities for running the operations of the organization continuously.

Claridge’s Hotel fall under the service industry and this means that its most dominate input resource is staff. This also implies that staffing and staff rostering are critical tasks that require careful planning and control. Generally, hotels require the right quantity of staffing to be able to respond to the demands of its customers at various times of the year. This is because schedule for working times greatly determines the capacity of the hotel’s operation. Planning in this area of the hotel therefore entails analyzing the number of rooms and types of services offered by the hotel and using this information to determine the right number of staff the hotel requires.

Control on the other side entails a close monitoring of customer demand and responding to this by adjusting the staffing levels and work scheduling. This is done to make sure that there are enough numbers of employees working and attending to the needs of guests at any given point to ensure the hotel has the sufficient capacity in order to meet customer demand at all seasons.

Claridge’s Hotel has achieved a commendable level of staff planning and control and this has kept alive the hotels glory and has enabled it to maintain its list of prestigious guests. Just like any other hotel in London, Claridge’s Hotel receives a high number of quests during the peak season starting from June to September and during Christmas season. The response of the hotel management evidences one important element of control, that is, periodic intervention. The management of Claridge’s Hotel recruits, hires and schedules the employees with demand in mind. This is to say that their staff control is in direct response to the demands of their customers. This is important because the service industry does not keep output in inventories unlike other industries like manufacturing industry.

From the above discussion, it is clear that the staff control is done through the most appropriate method, that is, pull control. This is where production is triggered by customer demand. Having increased its staff over the years to gain the capacity it requires in an average 5 star hotel, the management of the hotel now focuses on responding to seasonal deviations in its staffing plan to ensure that vacation and other time-off blocks are covered. Through its staffing control, it also ensures that days off continuously match with the work conditions agreed by the staff like off times and that the lengths of work shifts are continuously attractive to the staff. The hotel’s staffing plan indicates that sufficient flexibility has been built in the staffing to facilitate efficient coverage of unexpected changes in the levels of staff either through unexpected increase in customer demand or employee sickness.

According to Chambers, Johnson and Slack (2007, p287), the front desk of an hotel is the maximum revenue earner because it sells the hotel in various ways. For example, the first impressions they give to the guests will influence guest perception of the hotel and their willingness to go back another time. At the same time, the front desk staffs handle guest requests, conduct room reservations and sells rooms to the guests. Over the recent years, the English hotel industry, including Claridge’s Hotel has seen a rise in the number of non-English speaking guests and this has increased sensitivity of multi-culture in the entire English hotel industry.

In response to this situation, the Claridge’s Hotel has employed people from various cultural backgrounds and its front desk is staffed hours a day with multilingual staff 24 who can provide express check-out and concierge services. The workers of the hotel are trained to handle more than one job for example the front desk staff are also familiar with food and beverage services. The main aim of doing this is to facilitate quick capacity management. This is to say that whenever there is an increased need for staff in one department of the hotel, other employees can be deployed quickly and without fear that they will fail to deliver for the hotel.

Perhaps one of the other important areas of management in an organization observing economies of scale as illustrated in the Claridge’s needs is the optimization of resources utilization to achieve to achieve results at lowest possible costs. As suggested by the drum, buffer, rope concept, resources utilization must be focused on a tight outlay that is likely to yield the highest possible returns yet operation costs and wastage should be reduced accordingly. This inverse relationship is important for the development of the best sustainability strategies. At Claridge’s, the bulk of resort related services of a five-star category is composed of rooms and suites, restaurants and bars; conferences, meetings and private events; beauty and fitness services as well as gifts and flowers facilities. In order to ensure that the hotel remains balanced in terms of support for every component of the services portfolio, wastage and unnecessary costs cannot be accommodated (Claridge’s 2012a, para.1-7). Under the hotel system with as diverse service and product lines as Claridge’s, the drum, buffer, rope concept applies well in terms of identification of disparity areas in the delivery of flawless services. Different lines of operation delivery at Claridge’s portfolio imply that different operation needs will be directed to each of them. However, under one management as a package for the hotel, control is targeted at reducing bottlenecks at different stages of the diverse operations as conceptualized by Goldratt (Poirier and Walker 2005, p190).

According to the authors, identification of the constraint section of the operation process and timely rectification spares the rest of the operation from negative impact. Management of wholesome business process requires consideration of underperforming areas and evaluating the potential of negative impact from one point affecting the rest of the business. At Claridge’s, there is a relatively perfect balance of control in terms of investment needs for every portfolio front for the said services. However an ambiguity may face this analysis since the hotel business can be seen to be composed of individual standalone service departments that may be closed down in case of an adverse effect at Claridge’s. Difficulties in running these different arms of the business may be departmental and not a general problem involving every wing of the portfolio as highlighted above. Control of the Claridge’s operations is therefore a factor of many amorphous factors which can be difficult to be conceptualized as a single business process (Jones 1995, p18).

As a facility offering luxury services to clients, it would be easier to harmonize the various aspects of such a facility if certain features are availed by the management in order to ensure harmonized service delivery almost resembling a single complete business process. According to Chambers, Johnson and Slack (2007, p292), enhanced control will be facilitated at a facility such as Claridge’s if high level definitions are present for; clear operations objectives are agreed, if the output is measurable for all the input areas, knowledge of operation’s attributes and repetition of duties for each portfolio function.

Certain attributes of the inventory or stock cost control in order to ensure that the business operates sustainably is through economic order quantity (EOQ) which defines the least operation cost functions. Although it may be difficult to ascertain if Claridge’s management strictly observes the EOQ for all its needs in the various departments, it is important to identify the postulates of the model. There are three elements of costs that should be defined to launch a cost minimization function namely ordering, holding and total costs (Jones and Lockwood 2004, p121). Taking care of stock ordering and storage costs illustrates the direct impact they have on total costs of inventory operation. What is needed at the store should be dependent on ordering costs since both have an impact on the total stock costs. This analysis is followed by other decisions regarding the timing of placing an order as defined by the demands of the particular stock. Bearing in mind that Claridge’s use customers bookings to determine their stocks for the operations, it is important to identify at what quantity level an new order is supposed to be placed, when to place it and what quantity, which subsequently defines annual volumes of stock held.

Such an analysis reduces costs on the fact that the most accurate computation eliminates idle time, wastage, extra warehouse maintenance costs and many unnecessary order costs (Rutherford and O’Fallon 2011, p297). Stock control therefore presents an area of cost reduction where managers can ensure smooth running of operations without disruption due to shortage or avoid accumulating unnecessary costs of taking care of overstocking. At Claridge’s, a continuous review of stock levels is conducted to avoid running out of stock particularly during rapid changes in booking patterns. Reorder level is never reached at such a scenario where continuous stock control is exercised to create some shield against depletion during abrupt changes in hotel bookings (Holkar and Waghmare 2010, p47). A computerized stocks system at Claridge’s augurs well with continuous stock control since it can be tedious to manually keep records of inventory movement (Cho and Wong 1998, p270). According to the authors, there are many ways to compute the functionality of a process in any industry with functions that can be isolated and attributed with management input. Actual stock taking in the computerized stock system is delayed a little longer since keeping track of stock is pretty accurate using the computer. It is possible to determine the various factors of maintaining the EOQ by the use of the formulae below (Chambers, Johnson and Slack 2007, p362).

WhereEOQ= is the quantity that should be placed in a new order for minimum cost

Co= is the cost of making a new order

Ch= is the cost of holding stock at the store

D= is the quantity demanded in a whole year

t= is the duration of time before placing an new order (reorder period)

Taking care of the reordering period and quantity in stock control for sustainable operations and reducing costs thereon is heavily depended on the establishment of a safety stock quantity to mark the reorder quantity also referred to as two-bin system (Chambers, Johnson and Slack 2007, p362). The authors also propose a second review analysis referred to as the three-bin system which monitors the element of excessive consumption by separately distinguishing reorder level and safety quantity. These control systems may prompt the use of stock prioritizing system where items are classified for proper control. The ABC inventory control is based on important stocks before the less priority stocks are handled. As an illustration of the most important stocks at Claridge’s, food and beverages are class A items while sanitation items are class B items while entertainment items are class C. ABC classes possess 20, 10 and 10 percent of usage respectively but their importance in stock control should be handled in that order of priority, such as maintaining safety levels for the higher classes.

According to the demands of the nature of business at a white-star hotel, a little imbalance may result in serious consequences that may result in huge loses, such as failure to maintain a sustainable stock level (Botherton and Wood 2008, p195). Claridge’s is operated by professional process operating systems who are in touch with the proceedings of every stock need. Bearing in mind that the hospitality industry presents a unique set of challenges to the management roles in terms of decision making needs, clarity and precision are of essence at Claridge’s, which makes it one of the most successful hotels with a rich British history (Claridge’s 2012b, para.1).

References

Botherton, B. & Wood, R. C. (2008) The Sage Handbook of Hospitality Management. London, UK: SAGE Publications

Chambers, S., Johnston, R. & Slack, N. (2007) Operations Management. (5th Edn). New York , NY: Prentice Hall/Financial Times.

Cheng, J. & Chew, M & Petrovic-Lazarevic, S. (2006) Managers’ Role in Implementing Organizational Change: Case of the Restaurant Industry in Melbourne. Journal of Global Business and Technology, vol. 2, no. 1, pp.58-67

Cho, V. & Wong, J. (1998) Measuring Service Quality of the Computerized Food and Beverage Cost Control System in Hong Kong Hotels Using a Gaps Model Approach. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism, vol. 22, no. 3, pp268-287

Claridge’s (2012a) Claridge’s London: Hotel Information [Online] Available from <http://www.claridges.co.uk/uploadedFiles/Claridges/About_the_hotel/Claridges_English.pdf> [Accessed 29 January 2012]

Claridge’s (2012b) Claridge’s: History [Online] Available from <http://www.claridges.co.uk/page.aspx?id=1846> [Accessed 29 January 2012]

claridges.co.uk. (2010) Claridge’s. [Online] Available from: <http://www.claridges.co.uk> [Accessed 26 January 2012]

Greasley, A. (2009) Operations Management. (2nd Edn). Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons,

Holkar, K. S. & Waghmare, L. M. (2010) An Overview of Model Predictive Control. International Journal of Control and Automation, vol. 3, no. 4, pp.47-64

Jones, P. & Lockwood, A. (2004) The Management of Hotel Operations. London, UK: Thomson Learning

Jones, P. (1995) Hospitality Operating Systems. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 7, no. 5, pp.17-20

Mabin, Victoria J., Forgeson, Steve and Green, Lawrence. 2001. Harnessing Resistance: Using the Theory of Constraints to Assist Change Management. Journal of European Industrial Training, vol. 25, no.2/3, pp.168-191

Mohney, K. (n.d) Hotel Management and Operations. [Online] Available from <http://articles.webraydian.com/article19864-Hotel_Management_and_Operations.html> [Accessed 29 January 2012]

Okumus, F. & Nigel, H. (1998) Barriers and Resistance to Change in Hotel Firms: An Investigation at Unit Level. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 10, no. 7, pp.283.

Poirier, C. & Walker, I. (2005) Business Process Management Applied: Creating the Value Managed Enterprise. Boca Raton, FL: J Ross Publishing

Rutherford, D. & O’Fallon, M. (2011) Hotel Management and Operations. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley & Sons

Management and Leadership

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Management and Leadership

Wal-Mart Stores

While management and leadership are two integral aspects of organizational behavior, each of these facets has diverse implication to an organization. This research paper is an attempt to assess various aspects of management and leadership with respect to Wal-Mart Home Depot

The company runs a chain of large discount department in American corporation and still outstands as the world’s largest corporation among the public sector. This has been approved as per the 2008 Fortune Global. The founder of this fast growing company was in the year 1969 by the so called Sam Walton and the company named after Him. Within a few years the Company was listed in the New York Stock Exchange late in 1972. This makes it to be the largest private employer in the in the whole of United States and it even It serves about 47 million Americans. The major operation areas are Mexico as Walmex, as Asda in the United Kingdom and as Best Price in India.

All the organizations have two basic different tasks that aid them to make the organization as efficient as possible and to create new ideas and directions for the success and future expansion. More emphasis has been laid on innovation as this has become the major source of competition. Leadership is the episode act like creativity that some people exhibit at a times but not at all times. It is an aspect of management which serves as a good asset for the manager to possess (see 1997). It does not become a as a rank of responsibility as most people would I imagine. Leadership might not be primarily concerned with the issue of making. It is basically about challenging the people and making them to change their deep thoughts and directions. It is a gradual change process not firm decision making in an organization. This is because the decisions can be made but they might not be to the organizations benefit. It entails having directions and good and profitable motives. The participative leadership is not always the best because it will only be one person making decisions and implementing them. This becomes a stupid idea. Management on the converse is the set of responsibility. Managers have to organize to deliver agreed outcomes. What others used to be called leadership is the management. To become a manager means one has to occupy a position of having and accepting to have responsibilities. A manager has more task than a leader. She/he uses variety of styles on his/her personality and conditions. Managers do use the decisions made by the leaders efficiently. Management hence becomes a huge term covering variety of aspect in an organization. It basically refers to giving directions, control of the business, and supervision. Leadership on the converse is restricted to only a group of people.

Roles and responsibilities that organizational managers and leaders

Managers and leaders create and learn how to run the business. They ensure existence of a good relation between them and the employees to maintain the good working relation in the organization. Good working relations also aid to improve the safety working conditions in Wal-Mart. It is due to good managerial and leadership that Wal-Mart has achieved fifteen members of the board of Directors. These boards of directors are to be elected annually the shareholders. The former son of the founder serves as the chairman of the Boards. The annual election also helps in the monitoring of the leaders performance.

Coughlin left after stealing the hundreds of Dollars from Wal-Mart in 2005. This was due to good and effective system created by the managers and leaders and sentenced to 27 months of home confinement, five years of probation and further forced to pay a fine of $411000. They in a great percentage help to boost and to maintain a competitive atmosphere. Wal-Marts competitors are, store such as ShopKo, Target, Kmart and Canada Zellers from Canada. This is achieved by ensuring the resources are mainly applied to the activities and fields that make the greatest returns and profits. Good branded goods are made and fair prices also made to reduce both indirect and direct competition from the alternative goods and also companies. They play a great role in cost of products to give customers affordable prices. The prices are as per the expectorations of the most potential buyers. They have low prices that the majority can afford even those who do not own bank accounts (one-fifth of the buyers). They also ensure that the customer’s utility is achieved by the high quality of the products. In 2006 financial report by al Mart it has been evident that the Wal-Mart’s customers have been sensitive to utility cost and prices. They can even make an estimate of them. This has resulted to almost 100 million customers who visit the company. This is about a third of the U.S population. Wal-Mart leaders and managers have taken a great step in expanding its customer base for the customers who reside in US Wal-Mart have grouped its customers to three categories; low income people, shoppers who are considered wealthier, and people who like low priced goods and who cannot purchase much. It’s the managers and leaders who ensure all the customers are satisfied (rural residents and suburbanites). The wide gap between rich and enabled filled. They also monitor the process of production such as labor used; product quality and even the quantity packed and even make a change in the system and structures. The manager comes together with the employers and even the employees in pursuing of Wal-Mart’s goals and objectives. This the company makes real by maintaining a mechanism in a two way relation and communications. Leaders and managers get the decisions from the employers and employees but not from themselves. The employees are there hence given their wants, their needs in the company and creating a healthy organization culture.

Managers and leaders make changes in needs of the employees to achieve higher level of production. This they achieve by changing management practices, specialization of employees in different fields according t the level of education and interests of the employees (Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research 2002). They also supervise the work of the employers and employees for the organizations goal and objectives. Although they have been accused of bad treatment of employers and product suppliers and even environmental practices, they have to a great percentage improved in this. The accusations have been mainly that they use excessive, unfair, unwanted and wasteful corporation welfare. The female employees were discriminated in matters regarding to payments and promotions in the organization. They made up to 65% of the Wal-Mart’s workforce who are paid hourly but surprising they contributed to only 35% of the managerial staff. This over years has been looked into by the leaders and managers. They help to plan the companies business and the asset to be used in the production level, sales and even marketing of the products in various countries and regions. They plan on how to fulfill the Wal-Mart’s objectives, and goals. They plan formulators even for the workers and to produce a method that boosts the percentage of the organizations income percentage. They show annual budgets and this makes high organization and focus for the organization.

Affect of globalization and management across borders

Globalization has made Wal-Mart to expand greatly over a short period of time. It has expanded internationally. This has driven growth and aided in maintaining Wal-Mart’s position in the rural and international markets. This has made Wal-Mart to diversify in both its production and marketing. Globalization has given the organization an upper hand in the global advertisements and even the customers can access the organization’s products and make orders. This has resulted to the Wal-Mart products moving abroad and finding a good market. Globalization has also improved communication levels that have reduced the cost. It has joined China and many more countries (Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research 2002).

Strategies that organizational managers and leaders can use to create and maintain a healthy organizational culture

The strategies that organizational managers and leaders can use to create and maintain a healthy organizational culture includes; implementation of several measures to increase energy efficiency. They should use the renewable power resources like wind turbines, photovoltaic solar panels, biofuel-capable boilers to reduce the cost of running the organization. These sources are also environmental friendly. All the products should be advertised through the electron means to reduce the cost of advertisements. For the fast and efficient expansion they should set up companies in different areas and countries. In order to reduce the competition from other goods and companies they should produce low priced products as it has wanted to become the world’s seller of the organic milk.

Reference:

See (1997) Leadership; Accessed on November 29, 2009 from URL: http://www.see.ed.ac.uk/~gerard/MENG/ME96/Documents/Intro/leader.html

The Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (2002) Leadership and management in the information age; illustrated Edition I.B.Tauris Publishers

Microservice Deployment

Name

Institutional Affiliation

Microservice Deployment

Slide 1: Introduction

According to Jamshidi, 2018 microservices is a software development technique that arranges applications as a collection of coupled services that are loosely packed. In the architecture of the microservices, services are designed to be fine-grained while protocols are lightweight (Jamshidi, 2018). Ideally, microservices are independent pieces of business functionality that have clear interfaces and can implement layered architecture using its internal components. For this reason, microservices are not part of the monolithic application. The adoption of this software development technique is high in cloud applications, light weight container deployment applications and serverless computing. Fowler points out that as a result of a high number of services in microservices, decentralized delivery and DevOps with holistic monitoring are vital for effective development, maintenance and operations of the applications (Fowler, 2014).

Slide 2: Microservices Deployment Patterns

Microservice deployment is a vital role in a microservice architecture. In most cases, the deployment of microservices is dependent on some key elements. These elements include the ability to deploy or un-deploy independently of other microservices, ability to scale at each microservices level, ability to build and deploy microservices quickly and failure of a single microservice must not affect other services. These requirements are not found in monolithic architecture, where the failure of a single microservice causes the entire system to fail (Thönes, 2015). There are four main microservice deployment patterns; Multiple Service Instances per Host Pattern, Service Instance per Virtual Machine Pattern, Service Instance per Container Pattern and Serverless deployment.

Slide 3: Multiple Service Instances per Host Pattern

In this type of deployment pattern, one or more hosts are provided to allow execution or multiple services on each host. Notably, the provided hosts are either physical or virtual (Murugesan, 2017). This deployment pattern is the oldest.

Slide 4: Variants of Multiple Service Instances per Host Pattern

Multiple Service Instances per Host Pattern has two common variants. They include each service instance is a process or process groups and multiple service instance are executed in the same process or process groups (Murugesan, 2017). An example of each service instance is a process involves deployment of a .NET service instance as a web application in Internet Information Service (IIS). In the case of multiple service instances being executed on the same process is when several .NET service instances are deployed as web applications on an IIS.

Slide 5. Benefits of Multiple Service Instances per Host Pattern

One of the key benefits of using Multiple Service Instances per Host Pattern is resource usage where multiple instance share server and the operating system. Other benefits include fast service instance deployment and fast service startup due to lack of overhead (Brown, 2016).

Slide 6: Drawbacks of Multiple Service Instances per Host Pattern

Multiple Service Instances per Host Pattern has various drawbacks. They include lack of isolation of service instance not unless each service runs in a separate process. Other drawbacks include, technical knowledge requirements are high, no isolation of multiple instances in the same process and complexity of the process makes the deployment pattern riskier (Brown, 2016).

Slide 7: Service Instance per Virtual Machine Pattern

This is the first specialization of service instance per host pattern. In this, the services are packaged as virtual machine images (Murugesan, 2017). A good example of a VM image is the Amazon EC2 AMI. In this pattern, each service instance, for example, EC2 instance is a product of a launch from the VM image such as Amazon EC2 AMI.

Slide 8: Benefits of Service Instance per Virtual Machine Pattern

One of the key benefits of using Service Instance per Virtual Machine Pattern is that service instances run in complete isolation with a fixed memory, thus no resource sharing. Other benefits include one is able to take advantage of cloud infrastructure to provide autoscaling and load balancing features (Brown, 2016). Service Instance per Virtual Machine Pattern also keeps all implementation and technical details encapsulated.

Slide 9: Drawbacks of Service Instance per Virtual Machine Pattern

A key downside aspect of using Service Instance per Virtual Machine Pattern is that it is less efficient in terms of resource use. Each service instance has its own operating system, which is an overhead for the entire pattern. Other drawbacks include due to the large size of the build, deploying a new service is usually slow (Brown, 2016). Service Instance per Virtual Machine Pattern is also time-consuming and labour-intensive as it requires one person to be responsible for the building and maintenance.

Slide 10: Service Instance per Container Pattern

Service Instance per Container Pattern is a lightweight deployment pattern. In this, each service instance runs in its own distinct container. Containers are deemed to be portable and resource controlled operating environment which is visualized at the operating system rather than IT resources layers (Murugesan, 2017). A container is an environment in which one or more processes can be executed simultaneously. It allows one to limit the container memory and CPU resources as well as input-output limiting.

Slide 11: Benefits of Service Instance per Container Pattern

Service Instance per Container Pattern allows for isolation of service instance isolation, easy resource monitoring per container as well as encapsulates the technology used in the implementation process. Ideally, since the patterns uses a container management API, service management API is also provided for in the same platform (Brown, 2016). Other benefits include easy building since it is lightweight technology.

Slide 12: Drawbacks of Benefits of Service Instance per Container Pattern

While Service Instance per Container Pattern proves to be beneficial, it has various drawbacks. One of the key drawbacks is that the technology is not as mature as VM technology. Ideally, since containers share the OS kernel, the level of security is low compared to that of VM technology (Brown, 2016). Other drawbacks include the deployment of containers is done on per-VM priced infrastructure.

Slide 13: Serverless deployment

This an advanced deployment pattern. It allows one to explicitly focus on application development without concern of the IT infrastructure. In this, services must be stateless since technologies used may run a separate instance for each request, and they must be quick to start and written in supported languages (Brown, 2016). Common technologies in this pattern include AWS Lambda, Azure Functions and Google Cloud Functions.

References

BIBLIOGRAPHY l 1033 Brown, K. &. (2016). Implementation patterns for microservices architectures. Proceedings of the 23rd Conference on Pattern Languages of Programs, (pp. 1-35).

Fowler, M. (2014, August 28). Microservice prerequisites. Retrieved from martinfowler.com: https://martinfowler.com/bliki/MicroservicePrerequisites.html

Jamshidi, P. P. (2018). Microservices: The journey so far and challenges ahead. IEEE Software, 35(3), 24-35.

Murugesan, V. (2017). Microservices deployment cookbook. Packt Publishing Ltd.

Thönes, J. (2015). Microservices. IEEE software, 32(1), 116-116.

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Pit Bulls: Friend or Foe

The controversy concerning the Pit Bull has for a long time been a source of debate in present society. The breeding of the pit bull is a result of the interference of man due to the crossbreeding of two dogs. The mixture of the terrier and the bull dog was appropriate for the creation of the perfect fighting dog. The use of the pit bull in the world wars, dog baiting and hunting are practices reflective of the previous culture. The introduction of a globalised way of thinking saw the change from a radical lifestyle to the respect of all forms of life. At the centre of this argument was the treatment of the dogs by human beings. This was marked by the creation of organizations that rallied in the better treatment of the dogs. The end of the wars, the ban of dog baiting and the switch of hunting to an industrialize way of life saw the reduction of the significance of breeding the dog. Investors in pit-bull breeding had to find alternative ways of marketing their product to their customers. One of the strategies involves domesticating the dog as an indoor pet as opposed to an aggressive animal. This decision has however led to a new controversy which questions the validity of domesticating the dog in relation to the safety of human beings. This has created the formation of two extreme sides that either oppose or propose the domestication of the dog. Coming up with a middle ground position is thus ideal in that it weighs both arguments and comes up with a compromise of both notions (Rollin, p. 333).

Domesticating the Pit-bull

A large percentage of the population has stated their stance on the issue of pit-bull rearing. Supporters of this notion state that pit-bull can live the same domesticated lifestyle as their peers. Domesticating a pit-bull involves treating the dog in a less aggressive manner so that it can acquire a more sensitive side. Owners of pit-bulls mention that they have managed to control the temper of the dogs when around people. Pit-bulls are associated with fighting vigorously to the extent of killing their victims. This occurs when they are provoked by member of the surrounding environment. Statistics have shown that the dogs have on several instances lost their tempers due to slight provocation (Rollin, p. 189). This has in turn led to the introduction of laws that monitor the society’s ownership and breeding of the dog. Supporters of the domestication on several occasions justify the behavior of the dog. Some of the excuses place the blame on pit-bull owners who enjoy the aggressive nature of the dog. Experts argue that dogs with aggressive pasts such as the German shepherds and the Rottweiler’s have managed to shed of this image. This gives hope that pit-bulls can also live a life that does not identify with the vicious character it is associated with. Most owners domesticate their dogs to maintain their aggression for protective purposes. This in turn endangers the lives of people who are exposed to the animal on a regular basis. Pit bulls should be distanced from human beings when they reach the age of fifteen years. This is credited to their uncontrollable tantrums that place the life of the owner at risk (Stahlkuppe, p. 213).

Opposition of the domestication of the pit-bull

The domestication of the pit-bull continues to meet an enormous amount of resistance from the opposite side of the argument. Several organizations have been formed to outlaw the breeding of the dog. Their premise is based on the number of lives that have been lost due to the attack by the dogs. Statistics show that pit-bulls are responsible for 71% of the dog bites. This is a relatively large number of attacks for one breed. Owners place the blame of the behavior of the pit-bull on their past. Pit-bulls were bred to meet the aggressive characteristics that they display to date. Despite this, their behavior towards people in close contact to them should not pay the price for this character. Opposes of the breeding and domestication of the pit-bulls continue to deny the claims of their possible control. One of the most affected areas in the country is the California bay area. This location is infamous for the routine breeding and raising of a large percentage of pit-bull. The presence of the breed in this area is responsible for the unsafely of the people in the bay. Some of the extreme cases have seen the maiming of victims who were in close contact to the dog. Most cases record that the victims did not provoke the dog in any war or form. The following statistics display that a high number of pit-bull owners do not take into consideration the safety of their neighbors. This has led to the protest on the legalization of the breeding and ownership of the dog. Protesters do not believe that there is a difference between the carefully trained pit-bull and the neglected ones. The main aim of their cause is to completely eradicate the existence of the breed from the society (Palika, p. 302).

Personal position from a middle ground point of view

The analysis of the two extremes reveals the positions of the supporters of both sides. One side displays its complete backing of the breeding and domestication of the pit-bull. The opposing side on the other hand showcases that disadvantages that come with the trade. Both sides have carefully laid out arguments that argue in their favor. The middle ground is thus ideal in that it provides a compromise of the two sides. It is evident that the human beings are responsible for the inbreeding of the pit-bull. The main motivation was to create a fighter that would meet the demands of the customers at that period. The pit-bull does not know an alternative way of life. They are thus subject to the inhumane actions of selfish human beings. Despite this, progress is being made by associations of pit-bull owners. These groups recognize the danger that comes with the domestication of the dog. They however insist that pit-bulls can coexist peacefully with man if they are well trained and carefully monitored. Extensive research has been done to control the aggressive nature of the dog. This has seen the improvement of the attitude towards pit-bull and pit-bull owners. It is possible for both sides to come to a compromise so as to remove the stigma that comes with the mention of the fierce breed (Kruuk, and Brown, 290).

Works cited

Foster, Ken. The Dogs Who Found Me: What I’ve Learned from Pets Who Were Left Behind. Guilford, Conn: Lyons Press, 2006. Print.

Kruuk, Hans, and Diana E. Brown. Hunter and Hunted: The Relationship between Carnivores and People. Cambridge [u.a.: Cambridge Univ. Press, 2002. Print.

Palika, Liz. American Pit Bull Terrier: Your Happy Healthy Pet. Hoboken, N.J: Howell Book House, 2006. Print.

Rollin, Bernard E. An Introduction to Veterinary Medical Ethics: Theory and Cases. Ames, Iowa: Blackwell Publishing, 2006. Print.

Stahlkuppe, Joe. American Pit Bull Terriers/american Staffordshire Terriers: Everything About Purchase, Housing, Care, Nutrition, and Health Care. Hauppage, NY: Barron’s Educational Series, 2010. Print.

Microsoft

 

Background

 Microsoft is an organization that was found in 1975, and one year later, it was registered in Mexico. Its headquarter is located in Redmond, found in Washington. Microsoft deals with computer-related licensing services, manufacturing, and the invention of new products that belong in the same category (SVetlik, 2019). The organization was founded by two people who were friends in their childhood moments: Bill Gates and Paul Allen. These two individuals were among the best proficient computer experts when they came up with innovative ideas that led to Microsoft’s rise. During the 1970s, access to computers was one of the biggest challenges that faced computer experts during those moments.

In 1977, under the leadership of Bill Gates and Paul Allen, Microsoft opened the first branch of the organization. The branch was located in Japan, and the two founding fathers named it ASCII Microsoft. In 1979, after the launch of ASCII Microsoft, the organization changed its headquarters to Bellevue, located in Washington. In 1981, the organization was incorporated under Microsoft Inc (Reed, 2019). In 1980, the organization introduced its first operating system under the name Xenix. One year later, after the introduction of Xenix, the company came up with Microsoft Dos. It is an operating system that was specifically designed to work for IDM. In 1983, Microsoft introduced its first mouse to the market, and the same year, Windows was also manufactured and availed for Microsoft users.

Services

 Microsoft offers an enormous variety of products to its customers. The organizations deal in operating systems for computers, mobile phones, and other devices that require an operating system to function. The company also offers server services to its customers. Since it is a computing organization, Microsoft has several applications that carry out distinct functions to the Microsoft operating system (Business Description, 2019). There are several software that are generated by Microsoft and tools for developing various software. In situations where other organizations have computer issues, Microsoft offers various consultation services to its clients and different solutions.

        The organization offers online advertising platforms for its customers. There are several cloud computing operations which the company has for the clients who prefer their services. The typical cloud computing services by Microsoft are Microsoft Office 365. It is an online tool that enables various users to carry out distinct tasks online whenever they want, and it has a user-friendly interface (Business Description, 2019). Xbox Live is a platform where clients gain access to gaming platforms from Microsoft and social networking activities. Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online is a platform offered by Microsoft so that clients can carry out their marketing activities. The organization also has communication tools such as Skype, used for connection services in different devices.

Senior Leadership

 Just like other organizations, Microsoft has its format of leadership. The leaders carry out different duties within the organization. Currently, there are 17 different senior leadership positions fulfilled but I will go over a couple of the Executive Vice Presidents and the President. The chief executive officer of Microsoft is Satya Nadela. He became the CEO of the organization in 2014 after Steve Ballmer. Nadela is in charge of the artificial intelligence unit. Before he became the CEO of Microsoft, Nadella was the vice president of Microsoft in cloud computing. He is knowledgeable in this field to the extent that he wants to take the organization to the next level of the artificial intelligence field. The CEO has an affinity for a cloud computing platform, one of his visions for the company (Ward, 2019). Nadela has two master’s certificates, one in computer science and another one in business administration. At the same time, he has a degree in electrical engineering. 

After Nadela, Judson Athloff is the Executive Vice President and is in charge of all the sales within Microsoft. He controls the public enterprise of the organization. Athloff joined the organization in 2013 as president of Microsoft North America. Under his leadership, Microsoft North America achieved double-digit revenue growth in a $30 billion business and triple-digit cloud growth. Chris Capossela is Microsoft’s chief marketing officer and executive vice president of the worldwide Consumer Business. As the chief marketing officer, he runs marketing across both the consumer and commercial businesses, which includes product marketing for all Microsoft services and products, brand, advertising, communications and research. As leader of the Consumer Business, he oversees the Consumer and Device Sales team, Microsoft Advertising sales and Microsoft Stores. These teams are collectively responsible for driving revenue, growth and share across the consumer businesses. Capossela has been working for Microsoft for twenty-five years. One of Capossela’s primary drives is the organizations’ mission: to empower everyone who uses their products (Ward, 2019). Before he became the chief marketing officer, he was in charge of the organizations’ Microsoft office division. The CMO has a bachelor in the field of computer science and economics. The president of Microsoft is Brad Smith. As the president, he leads a team of more than 1,500 business, legal and corporate affairs professionals located in 54 countries and operating in more than 120 nations. He joined Microsoft in 1993 and now plays a key role in spearheading the company’s work on critical issues involving the intersection of technology and society, including cybersecurity, privacy, artificial intelligence, etc. He spent many years leading work to resolve the company’s antitrust controversies with governments around the world and companies. Recently, Smith has done work to advance privacy protection for Microsoft customers and immigrants and has brought multiple lawsuits against the U.S. on these issues.

There is a lot of senior leadership which can be seen in the current organizational chart below: 

Competition

        Nadela is the CEO of the organization, and his primary drive is the fact that he wants to transform Microsoft’s bureaucratic culture. His transformational leader style sets them apart from their competitors. Microsoft’s management style starts by understating the current culture and trying to realign their new vision, values, norms, and shared assumption to form some kind of a new culture. He poses a good leader’s characteristics, such as encouraging other employees within the organization to develop a growth mindset (Novet, 2020). With a growth mindset, employees within Microsoft can develop skills in carrying out their respective tasks. 

Capossela, the chief marketing officer in Microsoft, is unique from other leaders within the same organization. He tends to understand the organization’s flow within the organization than any other leader (Novet, 2020). Athloff is credited for the essential sales made by the organization in 2017. In this same year, he led the company to the health industry.   

Mission, Values, Vision Statement

 Every organization has its mission, which its members work on daily to achieve. Microsoft is an organization that is depended upon by several clients globally. The organization’s primary mission is to offer empowerment to all the clients so that they can achieve their core objectives (Mission Statement Academy, 2019). The organization intends to generate opportunities for its local clients and the ones from the rest of the world.

        Technology keeps changing daily, and the clients who interact with the changing technology also change their mode of interactions. Last year, the organizations’ motto was to generate the best services and equipment for its clients (Mission Statement Academy, 2019). This is because cloud technology changes how clients use distinct technologies.

Management and discrimination revised

Name of Student

Name of Institution

Abstract

This paper will assess case studies of unprofessional behaviors and discrimination by professionals and business people. In so doing, it aims at bringing to attention of the reader that such behaviors are unethical and should be avoided for the sake of a harmonious society.

Introduction

Bahrain, a country in the Middle East, is well known for collectivist culture. Based on collectivist theory, collectivist cultures tend to have strong and deep relationships. Under collectivism, people have a tendency of favoring similar groups that share same values and have a common background as them. Besides, there are also other subgroups within the main culture. These affiliations are sect based since Bahrain is predominantly Islam. The major sectarian subgroups are the Sunni and Shiite. Each one of them has its own values and norms, and their members have strong interpersonal relationships.

The sects openly favor and prefer one of their own whenever a choice involving different sects has to be made. To put it in black and white, they discriminate against each other along sectarian lines and racial divide. In the mentioned cases, it was obvious how that concept was applied. In the first case, the manager of the saloon preferred Noor to Eman because she was Sunni. This was despite the fact that she was less qualified.

In the second case, the doctors showed a discriminative behavior toward the injured Sunni students and refused to treat them, just because they were not Shiite as they are. In this case, doctors were sent on an emergency mission, a case in which violence had erupted in Bahrain University. There were casualty cases and doctors were ready to attend to their call and duty as usual. However, it was not business as usual when upon arriving, it turned out that the injured were Sunni. Only one doctor responded to the emergency as others declined to cooperate. Discriminating against the Sunni students was not ethical (Gabriel, 2010) since all doctors are under the Hippocratic Oath to keep patients away from harm.

An overall analysis shows that in Bahrain, sectarianism has been in existence in the society from long time. Sunni and Shiite have lived in separate settlements. Discrimination is not limited to the governmental policies in work place, but also among people in Bahrain community. Shi’ites have for a long time complained of discrimination in Bahrain. They claim that the government distributes jobs and housing along a pro-Sunni sectarian basis. This has risen to the extent that the government grants nationality to Sunnis from other countries to offset Shi’ite numbers.

As can be seen, the first mentioned case was influenced from these circumstances. Although the saloon was not a governmental organization, and has no laws that prohibit hiring Shiites, the manager declined to hire the Shiite Eman since she was not of the same sect as the manager. After the recent crisis between Shiite and Sunni, social discrimination upraised between the two sectarians. In the second case when the Shiite doctors refused to cooperate with the witness doctor, and left him to deal with the situation by himself, they practiced a type of professional bullying and misconduct. They refused to co-operate with him in the emergency, leaving the witness doctor shocked and disappointed.

To summarize, loyalty and commitment are essential values for any job, especially for doctors who oath to exploit their abilities to treat needed people no matter what are the circumstances. In the second case, when the doctors refused to treat the injured student because they do not belong to their sectarian was breaking the nobility of doctor’s job. They showed immoral behavior, and they did not have loyalty to their organization, which can affect organization’s performance (Player, 2010).

References

Player, M. A., (2009). Federal Law of Employment Discrimination. New York: West Publishing.

Gabriel P., (2010). How to Be a Great Leader and a Great Manager Both At The Work Place and At Home. New York: Blue Sky

Brown V. Board Of Education (1954) Simulation

Students Name

Institution Affiliation

Course Number and Name

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Due Date

Brown V. Board Of Education (1954) Simulation

Introduction

Justice, equity and equality are all very important elements of a state or a nation. About the United States of America, this brings even more concern when people of colour are denied their rights and privileges. Herein the case of brown versus education board is discussed in a simulation form, which reveals the nature of the American system and how this system affects people of colour. This is brought out in the case of Brown v. Board of Education (1954). In the case, Oliver Brown accused the district education board of segregation of the white students from the black students because he was denied admission into a white school. He came up with a class-action suit against the board of education and stated that the segregation laws violated the 14th Amendment to the constitution. Herein the party and the case are discussed, the argument presented by the accuser, the counter-argument is also considered and finally, the conclusion. This paper discusses this case in a simulation format.

The Party & Case

The case is mainly about the violation of the constitution and the effects of the violation of the constitution towards Oliver Brown, who was denied admission to a white school. Representing Oliver Brown in the case, the client will provide the evidence and the information needed. Oliver Brown was the father of to girl who was denied admission. He went forward and accused the district board of education of denying the student equality since according to the 14th Amendment, the blacks and the whites were supposed to interact freely and learn together. However, in cases that were difficult to be together, the resources and amenities present in the schools had to be the same for both the whites and the blacks, and this was one thing that was warring. This is because segregation not only considered the resources available but also the social effect on black students was too much to be just left alone.

The social effect the segregation had on the black students was very bad in that when the students saw that they were supposed to go to a certain school because of their skin colour, the one thing that came to their mind was the fact that they were less superior. The quality of education they were going to get from that school was very poor, and they were not going to benefit (Brown v. Board of Education (1954), n.d.). The good thing about observing the 14th Amendment and making sure that both whites and blacks were equal is social justice and an equal share of the resources available.

The fact that the party discriminated against was a black person also made the case very ambiguous. It was easy for most people within the justice system to do away with the case and decide against brown. This shows the continuous systemic racism which has always existed within the American system, with its roots in the slavery form ingrained into the minds of the whites about the blacks. Oliver Brown and her daughter were black made him lose the case in the district court and failed admission into the white school, respectively. The failure to be admitted into the white school was a big issue since it was not just denial and being given a better or equally good chance (Ethridge, 1979). Oliver’s daughter was denied a chance at the white school, which was the closest school to their home, and given a chance in another school that was far away and inconvenient to the girl. This brought out a very large desire to know more about the 14th Amendment and if it provided for this kind of treatment towards the daughter of Oliver brown.

After detailed research and reflection, Oliver brown decided to sue the board of education, and he failed. However, he appealed his case at the united states supreme court, and this was when his intentions were discovered to be very serious since he never gave up. He wanted to fully make sure that he got to all places possible to see her daughter get a quality education without having to go through a hell of experiences in order just to fit into the white led society. He wanted her daughter to get the best education possible, and that would give her everything she needed to become who she wanted to become in her life.

The Argument

The possible arguments range from law to common basic human logic. The major way to convince the judges that the point is valid is to make sure that the facts being talked about are very well documented and connected from law, logic and basic human emotions.

The first and the most important thing is the clear analysis of the 14th Amendment concerning racial relations in schools and how this has affected the American educational system. The 14th Amendment is about the equal application of the law. This Amendment states that the same laws will bind every person within a state, and they are not supposed by any chance to be treated better or in a bad way than the others since this will result in the faulty application of the law, and it is illegal. When a state allows a certain group of people to engage in a certain activity and at the same time denies another group the same right, then it becomes evident that the equal application of the law is not being observed.

When cases about the 14th Amendment are brought before the judges and the jury, there is a very clear consideration of the situation at hand. The two major ways of the court system to look into the issues are rational basis and legitimate state purpose (14th Amendment Equal Protection Clause | United States law, 2020). For example, suppose a state imposes a certain law and a person who feels offended by the same law. In that case, they are allowed to present the issue in a court of law and based on rationality, and the judges decide if the issue is based on ration or legitimate purpose or something else. For example, some police officers getting loans, and others are not being given loans. This can be a valid argument, and it can raise a lot of questions.

There is also suspect classification whereby the state views that a person is a suspect. They are being placed in a situation of segregation or just any situation whereby they cannot get away with their suspected crimes. When a jury realizes that a case involves a case of suspect segregation, it is even looked into deeply. The jury looks at all the factors and decides upon the best interpretation of the law and the case at hand.

In the case of brown versus education board, there is a suspect classification whereby the supreme court had to review the while issue and later came up with their decision, favoured brown due to discrimination he faced because of his daughter wishing to join a white school.

The number one argument is that the 14th Amendment was violated because even though the resources might be the same for the white and the black school, the quality of education and teachers were not the same. The other thing is that the 14th Amendment never mentions it is good to separate blacks and whites (Lutz, 2005). The other argument is that it was not logical for students to be denied access to a nearby school just to be given a chance in a school far away from their home. The other argument was that in the development of the constitution and its amendments, there was a lot that was not yet present. There were new developments that were not foreseen by those who amended the constitution. Therefore we have to be logical and only remain fixed onto a rule that was made when almost no black person attended school.

The Counter Argument

Even though the accuser presents the 14th Amendment as the best weapon, the accused can do the same. The major counter-arguments of the other party would be that the 14th Amendment was not violated in that both schools had the same kind of educational system and that the quality of education was the same (Brown v. Board of Education (1954). From this perspective, therefore, the accused can state that the kind of life that the child chooses to live, whether they feel discriminated against or not, is theirs since they have provided the same resources and everything for both schools. This can add to the accuser’s statement that even though all the material resources are available, how can the teachers be motivated, and how can the black people be helped to deal with their many psychological issues without affecting the performance and success of both schools.

Another counter-argument that the accused can bring up is the case of Plessy v. Ferguson of 1896, which stated that racial segregation did not violate the 14th Amendment. In this case, it is possible that the accused can state that there is no problem with the district board of education practising segregation since the same Supreme Court stated that it was not illegal. The Supreme Court was not supposed to contradict itself by judging otherwise. In the case of Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court argued that it was not wrong for racial segregation as long as the issues at hand were the same. In this case, the accuser can get information from the accused in that the facilities were the same, but the situations were not the same. In this, therefore, the accuser wins.

The accused’s other argument could be that the accuser was not denied basic rights like the right to education. The accused can state that the accuser was given all the rights only just the inability to choose where to study from the in the real sense when this was denied, it was for the good of the accused since going to a far school enabled her to interact with new people (14th Amendment Equal Protection Clause | United States law, 2020)

. The accuser can learn from this that even though everything can be provided, sometimes the intention matters a lot and not the amount, quantity, and quality of actions taken.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the case of brown versus the board of education does not go through an easy route, but justice is served because brown wins over the board of education. This is justice, and it was what was most needed. There is also a mention of contemporary interpretations of the constitution, which was very important because issues keep coming up and building up, leaving no law to deal with the issue.

References

14th Amendment Equal Protection Clause | United States law. (2020). Www.getlegal.com. https://www.getlegal.com/legal-info-center/14th-amendment-equal-protection-clause/#:~:text=14th%20Amendment%20Equal%20Protection%20Clause%20The%20Equal%20ProtectionBrown v. Board of Education (1954). (n.d.). LII / Legal Information Institute. https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/brown_v_board_of_education_(1954)Ethridge, S. B. (1979). 5.2 Impact of the 1954 Brown v. Topeka Board of Education decision on Black educators. Handbook of Research on Teacher Education, 30(4), 650.

Lutz, B. F. (2005). Post Brown vs. the Board of Education: The effects of the end of court-ordered desegregation.

Abnormal Psychology Term Paper: Anorexia Nervosa (AN)

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Brief Introduction on Case Study

Sophia is a 19-year-old female who is currently living with her parents while she attends a local community college. Sophia is experiencing a persistent behavior in eating behavior. Sophia fears gaining weight, and therefore, she does not eat. Sophia’s eating disorder has caused her to have low body weight, dizziness, fatigue and sometimes nausea. She has frequent urination due to her dehydration. Her lowest weight was 70 pounds, which is 10 kgs. (At least 25% of her ideal body weight). Sophia’s parents noticed that she started losing appetite since she was a little girl while in elementary school. Every year during the holidays she would lose her appetite and her food intake would be very low compared to the other members of the family. The parents were very concerned about Sophia because they knew that the daughter may be developing an eating disorder that could cause harmful effects on her health.

Sophia did not change her behavior and as time passed, she started complaining about feeling cold, fatigue, low blood pressure, osteoporosis, fainting, nausea, dizziness, and low body weight. Her parents were not aware that their daughter has an eating disorder that is likely to cause complications on the future of the family. Sophia had been complaining about her low body weight and fatigue, but she did not go to get medical help or treatment because she was too embarrassed and afraid that her family would find out what she was going through.

Nowadays, many people are developing eating disorders like Anorexia Nervosa (AN) due to many factors such as peer pressure, changing social environment, a lack of communication with others, stress and self-starvation practices. To address Sophia’s eating disorder, her parents brought her to the doctor. In the clinic, Sophia was examined, and the doctor concluded that she is suffering from an eating disorder. The doctor diagnosed her with Anorexia Nervosa due to the physical symptoms of low body weight and other physiological problems such as dizziness, fatigue, and nausea. The doctor told Sophia’s parents that she will be hospitalized in order to treat her eating disorder. Sophia was at first reluctant to be hospitalized because of her embarrassment when others would know about her condition.

DSM-5 Diagnostic Criterion

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th edition; DSM-5), Anorexia nervosa is the most severe eating disorder that is characterized by a distorted body image and the refusal to maintain minimum weight. Patients with AN are preoccupied with their low body weight, they think they are fat, they try to control their eating and discourage themselves from eating. However, if the patient fails to maintain a reasonably low body weight for an extended period of time, then he or she may be diagnosed with AN. DSM-5 defines maladaptive behaviors as an overall pattern of behavior that includes clinical features of “self-starvation” and “self-induced vomiting”, self-mutilation or engaging in harmful activities (antropophagia). The DSM-5 includes a subtype Diet Induced Anorexia, which is characterized by paraclinical features of self-starvation. In order to diagnose anorexia nervosa, the causes must be known and these causes must play a role in the development of the illness. In this paper, we will explore the possible causes that may lead to developing AN.

Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder that can cause a person’s weight to be less than 80% of what it should be for his/her age, height, and gender. People with Anorexia often have obsessions about food and calories, portions sizes etc., are afraid of becoming fat even though they are underweight and have a distorted body image that prevents them from seeing themselves properly (Kästner et al.,2021).

One can easily know that a person is experiencing Anorexia nervosa when he or she is not maintaining a normal weight and has a distorted body image. People who are suffering from this disorder keep their physical appearance as well as their weight as the center of their life. They tend to look at themselves excessively as well as others when they are in public places. They constantly weigh themselves in order to know their correct body weights and they regularly check their body size comparing it with others.

Anorexics may become compulsive exercisers in an effort to control their weight because they have a distorted body image that makes them view themselves as being fat, despite the fact that they are not (Kästner et al.,2021).

Etiology of Anorexia nervosa

The causes of AN are not only moderate but also psychological or biological. The psychological causes of anorexia include the following:

1) A desire to be thin, which is widespread in our culture. This desire may be due to various reasons such as peer pressure, but it also results from a lack of acceptance of one’s physical appearance by oneself.

2) Obsession with body image. Concerns about body image can cause people to develop an eating disorder. Having a high regard for appearance can create unhealthy competition and even lead to mood disorders such as depression or anxiety.

3) Depression is often associated with the onset of anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders. A person may feel depressed and in turn, he or she might try to control their eating. However, when a person does not eat enough to feel full he or she may become more depressed.

4) Substance abuse is also associated with anorexia nervosa and it is likely that the two conditions share a common neural circuitry. Thus, many people recover from substance abuse after overcoming anorexia nervosa.

5) People who are genetically predisposed to being thin may be more at risk for developing anorexia nervosa. This is due to their body perception of what it means to be thin which will lead them deeper into the disorder.

Theorists suggests that there are certain biological and environmental factors that predispose a person to anorexia nervosa (AN). These factors or causes of AN may vary within the population in a variety of ways. Studies have shown that there is a link between AN and genetics. Not all people that have relatives with AN will develop an eating disorder, but these individuals are at a higher risk of developing anorexia nervosa. There is usually no family history of eating disorders evident in the first-degree relatives (parents, siblings) of someone with AN (Reed et al., 2021). However, it has been found in twins studies that there is a strong genetic influence on those who do develop AN. Various research showed that monozygotic twins were more similar than dizygotic twins, suggesting a genetic influence on vulnerability to AN. Twin studies have also shown that there is a strong genetic influence on the development of anorexia nervosa and AN (Dinkler et al., 2021).

AN is a chronic illness and causes people to withdraw from social situations, but there are many other symptoms that develop as well. Withdrawal may be the physical aspect, where individuals refuse to eat or even maintain adequate blood glucose levels and body temperature. Another aspect is the psychological aspect, where individuals find it difficult to be in social situations and communicate effectively with others. These traits put people at risk for developing a psychiatric disorder like anorexia nervosa and lead to further problems.

The article is a compilation of research on the causes and symptoms of anorexia nervosa, as well as a brief overview explaining what it is. This article will help readers understand this condition better. I also hope that it might give those who are struggling with the disorder some idea about how to beat it, should they choose to do so. It is my intention to create awareness and understanding about anorexia nervosa so that people can make informed decisions before making any important decisions or changing their lifestyle in order to avoid its consequences.

Impairment

The physiological symptoms of anorexia nervosa described in this article are extremely common, affecting over 50% of patients. It has a profound impact on their lives and is the principal cause of death from eating disorders. For these reasons it’s important to understand how anorexia nervosa affects each individual patient, as well as to recognize warning signs for those that wish to seek treatment. This can help reduce the number of deaths and prevent future cases of anorexia nervosa.

The main symptoms of anorexia nervosa are inappropriate food control and body image distortion, which can affect many other facets of everyday life. Other common symptoms include amenorrhea; hypersomnia; and orthostatic hypotension. A physician’s discovery of these physical symptoms is often their first indication that a patient has an eating disorder. Anorexia nervosa can occur in individuals of any body type, any sex, and at any age (although the onset is typically earlier in females). Anorexia nervosa has been found to have the highest mortality rate of all psychiatric illnesses (Kästner et al.,2021).

Two major factors are responsible for the increased mortality rate of anorexia nervosa. The first is the patient’s body weight and body mass index. These patients are typically at least 15% below normal body weight, with a BMI of 17 or less. Patients who suffer from anorexia nervosa often weigh 40-50% below normal weight (Kästner et al.,2021). The second factor is the patient’s refusal to seek medical treatment for their eating disorder. In a recent study, 75% of patients did not seek treatment for their illness. In addition, friends and family members of anorexics were not supportive in encouraging them to seek treatment (Herzog, 1994).

Physical complaints that are commonly found in patients who develop anorexia nervosa are excessively dry skin, hair and nails, excessive sweating which causes weight loss, nausea and vomiting that can lead to dehydration. Both men and women are affected by premature osteoporosis and heart muscle weakening. Chronic low blood pressure can cause acute cardiovascular collapse if not treated with medication. The lower the person’s body weight is the greater the potential risk of mortality.

Prevalence Rates

Anorexia nervosa is the primary form of eating disorder and the most severe. It mostly common among the females, typically during the adolescence and early adulthood. Anorexia nervosa starts with self-starvation. The person has an intense fear of gaining weight, they become consumed with body image, and they think that they are fat even though they are actually very thin. This disorder is caused by a combination of social factors, genetic issue, and life events – which could be anything from a traumatic childhood experience to being forced to diet as a child.

The lifetime prevalence rates of anorexia nervosa might be up to 4% among females and 0.3% among males. Anorexia nervosa is usually diagnosed in females. The diagnosis usually happens during adolescence or early adulthood. Research has found that the mean age of onset is between 16 and 18 years old. There are risks to those with anorexia nervosa, including poor health, injury, and death. More so, those with this disorder can have the possibility of taking their own lives because of the severity of their illness. Those with anorexia often lose a lot of weight very fast and even if they gain some weight after a period of time it never seems to be enough for them because everything looks so small to them.

The highest prevalence of anorexia nervosa is between the ages of 13 and 18 years old. The highest point of incidence is between the ages of 12 and 13 years old for girls. Anorexia nervosa is about 90% more common in females than males. The rate of mortality for anorexia nervosa is six times greater than the general population’s mortality rate. Most people with anorexia have a low body weight, but not everyone who has a low body weight has anorexia (van Eeden et al., 2021). Body mass index (BMI) is not a factor that determines whether or not someone has anorexia nervosa – it only tells how much body fat a person has.

Treatment

Different therapeutic interventions have been studied as potential treatments for anorexia nervosa .Cognitive behavioral therapy for people with anorexia nervosa (CBT-AN) is one of the most promising treatments currently available. However, the outcomes of CBT-AN may well be affected by the expectations of patients and their families. This study investigated whether parents of adult patients with AN expect that their children will improve after treatment for AN (Agras, 2019).

Data were collected from parents of children aged 10–16 years attending outpatient clinics for treatment for AN in three hospitals: Emergency Ward 3 in Princeton, NJ; University Hospital at Northwick Park, London, UK; and National Hospital, Singapore. Doctors and nurses treating patients with AN completed a semi-structured interview about their expectations for therapy outcomes following CBT-AN treatment (Agras, 2019). A self-report questionnaire was also used to measure parental expectations. The questionnaire contained items that were scored on a five-point Likert scale; scores on higher scores were indicative of higher expectations. Parents were found to have more positive expectations of children’s improvement after therapy than their doctors and nurses did. This study suggests that parents do expect the improvements they believe will result from CBT-AN, although they may expect these improvements to be slower than other clinicians hold them to (Dalle et al., 2020).

There was another study done by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, which has had many studies published that support CBT. This study focused on the importance of parent involvement in the treatment process. It was found that when positive parental involvement with therapy occurred, children showed less episodes of AN and weight gain than those who did not receive support from their parents (Agras, 2019). Many variables were studied to determine what factors were related to these differences (e.g., number and length of hospitalization, family dynamics).

Adolescents represent a prominent subgroup of individuals with AN. Their treatment approach typically involves psychotherapy in addition to family therapy. The most commonly studied psychotherapeutic method used in the treatment of adolescents with AN is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for anorexic adolescent girls.

However, results from clinical trials of CBT-AN have been only partially positive; thus, there is a need to examine other treatment approaches.

Motivational interviewing is a non-confrontational counseling style used in motivational enhancement therapy (MET) that guides individuals through solving ambivalence and bolstering their motivation to change their maladaptive behaviors (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Motivational interviewing has been used with adolescents with AN, and the results have been positive. Theoretically, motivational interviewing is based on the assumption that regardless of their motivation to change their maladaptive behaviors, individuals will only change if they engage in an active, objective process of problem solving.

Although there are positive studies regarding the use of motivational interviewing (MI) with adolescents with AN, there is also resistance to this research. Amongst this resistance is the concern that it may be too confrontational in nature, and as a result not be effective. The purpose of this study was to explore the doubts held by adolescents with AN, their parents and clinicians regarding the use of motivational interviewing. Participants in the study were interviewed alone, invited to participate in a diagnosis workshop, and subsequently interviewed about their opinions about motivational interviewing for adolescent girls with AN. The interviews were conducted between February through May 2012.

The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) is also another option to treating anorexia nervosa. This medication is also referred to as antidepressants. In many cases, this medication works well for the anorexic patient (Resmark et al., 2019). And then, the medications such as antipsychotics and mood stabilizers are used in conjunction with these types of medications to produce a combination of treatment that often helps improve anorexia nervosa symptoms. Other treatments include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and family-focused treatments or social-skills training that focuses on communication and problem-solving between parents and children about weight issues. This therapy is also referred to as parent-child psychoeducation programs or family psychoeducation programs (Agras, 2019).

References

Resmark, G., Herpertz, S., Herpertz-Dahlmann, B., & Zeeck, A. (2019). Treatment of anorexia nervosa—new evidence-based guidelines. Journal of clinical medicine, 8(2), 153.

Kästner, D., Weigel, A., Buchholz, I., Voderholzer, U., Löwe, B., & Gumz, A. (2021). Facilitators and barriers in anorexia nervosa treatment initiation: a qualitative study on the perspectives of patients, carers and professionals. Journal of eating disorders, 9(1), 1-11.

Dalle Grave, R., Conti, M., & Calugi, S. (2020). Effectiveness of intensive cognitive behavioral therapy in adolescents and adults with anorexia nervosa. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 53(9), 1428-1438.

Agras, W. S. (2019). Cognitive behavior therapy for the eating disorders. Psychiatric Clinics, 42(2), 169-179.

van Eeden, A. E., van Hoeken, D., & Hoek, H. W. (2021). Incidence, prevalence and mortality of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Current opinion in psychiatry, 34(6), 515.

Reed, K. K., Abbaspour, A., Bulik, C. M., & Carroll, I. M. (2021). The intestinal microbiota and anorexia nervosa: Cause or consequence of nutrient deprivation. Current Opinion in Endocrine and Metabolic Research, 19, 46-51.

Dinkler, L., Taylor, M. J., Råstam, M., Hadjikhani, N., Bulik, C. M., Lichtenstein, P., … & Lundström, S. (2021). Anorexia nervosa and autism: a prospective twin cohort study. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 62(3), 316-326.

BRING IT ALL TOGETHER

HSA 505

Distinguish the marketing approach that a health care marketer would take to handle products and services to a marketer of consumer goods.

Conduct research on the health care climate in your state and articulate how each of the pricing objectives impacts the health care system in your state. Provide statistical data when applicable and / or expected. Based on your findings, discuss the implications of your research.

Assume you are the decision maker of a health care firm and you need to communicate changes to the distribution strategies for products offered by your company. Devise a plan that outlines the communication strategy you would use to reach your main stakeholder groups. Be sure to identify the stakeholders.

Assess the advantage of each advertising classification

Craft a policy for health care marketing firms you would recommend to be used to avoid ethical violations in the areas of pricing, service, and advertising.

ANSWER:

Distinguish the marketing approach that a health care marketer would take to handle products and services to a marketer of consumer goods.

Introduction marketing in health care is going through dramatic change and reinvention due to the emerging trends in the industry, the emergence of social marketing, reform uncertainties, and a renewed emphasis on outcome, quality, and prevention. Executives in health care organizations are demanding greater impact as well as more returns on the market investments, and it is becoming more and more necessary that the marketers align their marketing efforts to the strategic objectives of their organizations, as well as with consumer experience and the incorporation communications across multiple channels and platforms. Marketing in health care thus requires professionals should adopt marketing approaches to proactive health care marketing with defined strategies, techniques, action steps, and tactics to enhance visibility, understanding, awareness, market share and profitability (Van Rompay & Tanja-Dijkstra, 2010).

Research has showed that marketing of products and services in health care differs a great deal from marketing of consumer products. It is important to note that marketing health care services and products present unique challenges that are not experienced in marketing of other consumer products and services. This is due to the fact that marketing of health care products and services tend to deal with health behaviors rather than purchasing behaviors, as is the case in the marketing of consumer products and services.

Marketing of health care products, as opposed to marketing of consumer goods entails education and awareness as well as behavior adoption or change. These factors are often challenging and can take time. To become an effective marker of health care products is at the end of the day more challenging compared to becoming an effective marketer of consumer products. Another difference is that a dynamic population normally influences marketing of health care products and services as well as related issues, advance in research and technology, and other factors in the external environment (Van Rompay & Tanja-Dijkstra, 2010).

Demographics, trends, policies and privacy have great effects on marketing of health care products and services, as compared to the marketing of consumer products. Change s in population affects marketing, not just in the “how” of marketing the products and services, but also on the “where” of marketing. There are various reasons that people change their health behavior as compared to how they change their purchasing behavior when dealing with consumer products. Marketers in health care products and services are tasked with the need to understand these changes as they affect their role and performance as marketers(Van Rompay & Tanja-Dijkstra, 2010).

Government policies tend to have more impact on health care products and services as compared to other consumer products. Thus, there is a greater demand placed on marketers in the healthcare sector to understand how the policies impact on their sector. Privacy issues are more common in health care as compared to the consumer sector. Understanding of laws and policies that govern privacy is therefore of paramount importance for marketers in the health care sector (Van Rompay & Tanja-Dijkstra, 2010).

Conduct research on the health care climate in your state and articulate how each of the pricing objectives impacts the health care system in your state. Provide statistical data when applicable and / or expected. Based on your findings, discuss the implications of your research.

There are various pricing objectives in the health care sector in New York. Most of the objectives are available and should be carefully considered, as some do not have any influence on health care products and services, while others have a negative impact. Health care organizations in the state are required to carefully consider the attributes of their products and services, as well as their market before making the decision as to the pricing objective to adopt. It is also important to note that the pricing objective adopted by an organization does not have to be used over and over, especially if it is not achieving the desired goals. In health care system in the state, the pricing objective is decided in accordance to the goals and objectives of the entire organization (Keller & Fay, 2012).

Four main pricing objectives are used in the health care sector in New York: survival, profit, sales and status quo. Survival as a pricing objective suggests that prices are not fixed and should be varied as long as they ensure survival of the organization. In the health care system in the state, prices are lowered most of the time to increase demand for services, but to a lever that survival of the organization is ensured. This mostly applies to the health care sector where the costs should not be too high such that some patients are unable to afford. Price has a direct as well as an indirect effect on profit.

Most of the health care organizations in the state are operated on a for-profit basis, and therefore pricing is performed in such a way that the organization remains profitable. At times, the objective might have a negative effect on the health care system where the prices are set too high to gain profits at the expense of affordability for those in need of the services. Sales-oriented pricing objective seeks to increase volume or expand market share. The sales that the organization seeks to make dictate the price of its products. This might have a positive or negative impact on the healthcare system depending on where the prices are set. Low prices to increase sales have a positive effect. A status quo price objective can be viewed as a tactical objective to encourage competitiveness on other factors, besides price. This objective has a positive effect as its focus is on maintaining market share, and can have a stabilizing effect on the health care system (Keller & Fay, 2012). This research is important in realizing how products are priced in the healthcare sector in the state.

Assume you are the decision maker of a health care firm and you need to communicate changes to the distribution strategies for products offered by your company. Devise a plan that outlines the communication strategy you would use to reach your main stakeholder groups. Be sure to identify the stakeholders.

The main stakeholder groups targeted by this communication strategy are the marketers and the customers. The marketers will be directly targeted for the communication such that they will deliver the message to the consumers. The following communication strategy developed aims at communicating the changes and distribution strategies to the marketers in such a way that the message will reach the customers. The main role of the communication strategy is to maximize sales through a communication of the changes directed towards this end (Grandjean & Guéguen, 2011).

The communication strategy

Good communication will not only involve telling people that you and your organization exist but it should be accompanied by the provision of quality products and services to the customers. In fact, people refer customers to professionals and organizations that they have confidence that they will deliver and this makes quality products and services more important than communication. Confidence is also not built on a one-time communication between professionals but rather on a long-term relationship and this is why professionals engaged in healthcare marketing are advised to join associations that bring professionals together. The key principle here is networking between professional as it is the only way that professionals in the same field can establish constructive friendship and come to build confidence on each other.

Branding is another tactic of marketing in healthcare. Branding refers to multiple aspects inculcated in marketing to ensure that a marketing firm or a marketer is different from others. It is doing things out of the ordinary and some things may be simple but make a marketing firm or an individual marketer of healthcare products and services to be over others. Being different does not mean doing big things that other people or organizations have not done but it is doing small things those other organizations or other people have ignored.

Context

The context of this communication is the change that is affecting the entire organization, and more so the marketing department. Marketing is therefore the policy area that is covered by the communication strategy. The implementation of the strategy is aimed at protecting the organization from any negative outcomes emanating from the change. this is a major change that have negative effects if not handled properly, but its main purpose is to boost the sales of the product and thus the profits of the organization.

One more essential element is the determination of the various groups of employees and the work that they do and to what degree they would be affected by the change in the event that it occurs. This way, the staff to be affected by the change shall be well informed on the effects of the change on their day to day operations, so that they may be ready and psychologically prepared to act in the event of the change. It is essential to note that organizational change can only take place effectively when the employees are committed to accept the change. Forcing the employees to accept the change is only good for a short term but results into more challenges for the human resource management.

Goals and objectives

The goals and objective of this communication strategy is to communicate the changes to distribution strategies to the marketers in such a way that the message will reach the customers. The cost of healthcare services and products influences the outcome of marketing. For example, cases of fraudulent billing which are very relevant in healthcare sector especially in the private sector has incapacitated marketing in the healthcare arena. Facilities that charge customers heavily have received fewer customers than organizations that charge their customers reasonably. Poor communication to the customers and stakeholders has also been a problem that has dwarfed marketing efforts and this need to be improved.

An area that may require changing in communication in healthcare marketing is communication between the producers of healthcare products and the distributors of these products. In many cases, customers require the distributors to explain the details of the products to them and many have been unable to explain the details to the customers appropriately. There is thus a need to first communicate to the people about these products before they go on marketing. As a decision maker in changing this particular area of communication, workshops and seminars will be used as the strategy to pass the message through to the distributors.

Message

The customers need to know that the distribution strategy that has been in use in the organization has changed. This will include the details of the new distribution strategy. The message will also include the communication of the implications of the change, in terms of such aspects as prices of the product.

Marketing in the area of healthcare is clustered into several levels and each level will require different approaches. For instance, there are health products which if they are made easily available may be abused by the consumers and for this reason they should only be taken under the prescription of a doctor. Other products may not have immense effects on the consumers and any person can market these. For instance, the exercise equipment which are health products may be marketed by any person as their use have no negative effects. On the other hand, medicines are required to be marketed by medics who have full knowledge of their advantages as well as disadvantages.

The massage though relayed through the marketers, has to reach the customers. For this, there will be use of customer-facing materials such as press releases, brochures, Web sites, and trade show presentations. The brochures will be distributed to the potential consumer, while the information will be available in the company’s website. The press release will be used to communicate the changes through the media. Healthcare services and products are crucial aspects that should not be taken lightly. Of late, there have been cases where some people have sold products to desperate patients that have turned to worsen their health rather than improving it. With multiple of organizations having been allowed to produce health products, monitoring their activities has been difficult and some of these organizations have taken this chance to exploit their customers.

Stakeholders

Besides the marketers and the customers, other stakeholder groups that will be impacted by this change are the suppliers of the products, and the invertors of the company. Therefore, these groups should also receive the message. Health of citizens is very important for any national development and sale of fake products makes the population to be unhealthy. The government should therefore intervene by regulating the production of healthcare products. If possible there is need to reduce the number of organizations producing these products to a manageable number. The pricing of these products should also be regulated as many of organizations mandated with provision of healthcare services have become notorious in being fraudulent. Healthcare is really an important sector and government should treat it as such.

Key activities

The marketers will be responsible for distributing the communication materials to the customers, and generally getting the message of the changes to them. The marketers are the determinants of the success of the change process. A marketer can also use the Internet to boost public relations, which is another model of marketing. In this model a marketer makes the firm known to the public and this can be through publications like free leaflets or magazines, research publications newspaper articles or even interviews in the radio or TV. This is a cheap way to advise as many of the tactics used in this model are not paid for. However, some like research publications require input of some resources that have been found to be few than what is used in other models of marketing.

Assess the advantage of each advertising classification

Advertising is the process of promoting products and services of a company via different mediums with the aim of increasing the sales of the product and services. Advertising achieves this aim through creation of awareness on the product as well as focusing on need of the customer to purchase the product. Universally, this process has become a very important part of the world of business. It is for this reason that companies are investing large parts of their income to the advertisement budget. It also plays an important role in building the product brand that in turn is important in achieving sales for the company (Bruce, Peters & Naik, 2012).

There are five main types in the classification of advertising: print, broadcast, outdoor, covert and public service advertising, each of which has its advantages. The main advantage of print advertising is that it is a popular media and has been in use for the purpose for a very long time. Newspapers, magazines, fliers and brochures remain effective means of communication. Print media also provides a relatively permanent medium of advertisement. Broadcast advertising has the advantage of reaching a wide audience, especially in the use of TV, radio and Internet. The Internet has the advantage of interactivity, and can also maintain the message for a relatively long time and the audience can view it any time he or she wants. Outdoor advertising make use of various outdoor tools to gain the attention of the audience. The billboards, kiosks, as well as events and tradeshows have the advantage of catching the attention of the audience, even though that might not be out to look for the message (Bruce, Peters & Naik, 2012).

Covert advertising is a unique advertising means where products or messages are ingeniously included in a TV serial or movie. Though there are no real ads, this method can be used in advertising different products to specific targets. The message targeted to a group that love a particular movie can be passed to the target audience alongside the movie. Public Service Advertising is used for public causes. These kinds of ads are advantageous in the health care sector to pass message on important issues like HIV/AIDS, disease outbreak, drug resistance or medical invention. It is also effective in passing message on prevention of diseases or events organized for medical purposes. They are more effective where the awareness of the general public is necessary (Bruce, Peters & Naik, 2012).

Craft a policy for health care marketing firms you would recommend to be used to avoid ethical violations in the areas of pricing, service, and advertising.

Carried out in a proper ways, ethical marketing in health care can increase profits, provide the cases and patients the organization desires, and build the reputation (brand) of the organization. However, in the increasingly competitive world of business, more and more health care organizations are involved in marketing to create awareness on their products and services, expand their market share, and generate the required revenue and profits for the organizations. However, the organizations are engaging in marketing for their products and services without consideration of the fact that they are different from other consumer organizations(Ruger, 2008)..

Generally, it is worth noting that the altruistic nature of health care organizations makes it inappropriate to engage in certain kinds of marketing that other companies engage in. given the fact that health care organizations should not market their services and products for the sake of financial enhancement, there are various ethical considerations that should be taken in marketing their products and services (Ruger, 2008).

Unlike other organizations, health care organizations should observe the ethical principles of honesty, fairness, as well as avoidance of conflicts. The consumer needs in healthcare are always a priority and should therefore come before the interests of the organization. In healthcare marketing, it is unethical for the message or the information to be false, unsubstantiated, misleading or deceptive, or information that mislead through omission of important details. While other organizations can get away with this, health care organizations are founded on the observance of the interests of the people in need and should observe that on all occasions(Ruger, 2008).

Any information to be disseminated to the consumers of health care services should be substantiated and completely factual. It is important to note that while other organization should also act in an ethical way in their marketing, the integrity of health care organization depends on ethical practice, this also being the foundation of health care service provision. Additionally, when unethical marketing is experienced, whether perceived or real, it can be damaging to the health care organization. It is thus important that all health care organization engage professionals who are trained, not only on how to market, but also on the ethics in health care marketing. Such training should also be carried out on regular basis to equip the marketers with what it takes to be ethical in marketing (Ruger, 2008).

References

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Grandjean, I., & Guéguen, N. (2011). Testing a Binding Communication Strategy in a Company:

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Keller, E., & Fay, B. (2012). Word-of-Mouth Advocacy: A New Key to Advertising

Effectiveness. Journal Of Advertising Research, 52(4), 459-464

Ruger, J. P. (2008). Ethics in American Health 2: An Ethical Framework for Health System

Reform. American Journal of Public Health, 98(10), 1756-1763.

Van Rompay, T. L., & Tanja-Dijkstra, K. (2010). Directions in Healthcare Research: Pointers

Prom Retailing and Services Marketing. Health Environments Research & Design Journal (HERD), 3(3), 87-100.