Reflective Practice Nursing :: Reflective Practice Nursing

Reflection There are many definitions in the literature of reflection, most however agree that it is an active, conscious process Reflection is often initiated when the individual practitioner encounters some problematic aspect of practice and attempts to make sense of it. Dewey Dewey (1933) defined reflection as: An active persistent and careful consideration of any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the grounds that support it and the further conclusion to which it tends. Dewey worked as an educationalist and developed his concept of reflective practice and reflection through experiential learning theories. He concluded in his work that the experience the individual lives through can be described as a dynamic continuum - and that each experience influences the quality of future experiences.   Boud - the learner's point of view Boud et al (1985) take a different perspective and define it as: A generic term for those intellectual and effective activities in which individuals engage to explore their experiences in order to lead to a new understanding and appreciation. Boud and his co-writers view reflection from the learner's point of view. They emphasise the relationship of the reflective process and the learning experience against what the learner can do.   Schà ¶n - types of reflection Schà ¶n (1987) in his work identifies two types of reflection, these are reflection-in-action (thinking on your feet) and reflection-on-action (retrospective thinking). He suggests that reflection is used by practitioners when they encounter situations that are unique, and when individuals may not be able to apply known theories or techniques previously learnt through formal education.   Others Greenwood (1993), however, identifies weaknesses and inconsistencies in Argyris and Schà ¶n's work as they fail to follow their own recommendations. This, she argues, has resulted in the implementation and prescription of dubious strategies for the promotion of what Schà ¶n refers to as enlightened professional artistry. Often formal education cannot answer the complex questions of clinical practice and there remains a gap in knowledge gained. Schà ¶n, however, argues that wisdom can be learnt by reflection on dilemmas that are encountered in practice and that by using reflection-on-action practitioners can continue to develop their practice.   Reid (1993) in her definition also noted reflection as an active process rather than passive thinking. She states: Reflection is a process of reviewing an experience of practice in order to describe, analyse, evaluate and so inform learning about practice. Kemmis (1985) agrees with Reid that the process of reflection is more than a process that focuses 'on the head'.

Customer Service in the Transport Logistics

The South African transport industry is one that is changing. In terms of Customer service there are certain companies that are excelling and are able to provide service that gains them a greater measure of customer satisfaction. Good customer service is an integral part of any business or organization. The process of managing stock, warehouse inventory, and freight transportation is at the heart of logistics. Logistics is the management and coordination of moving inventory from its origination to its ultimate destination. The goal of a logistics team is to find a way to do this process in the most streamlined, cost efficient method possible. The overall High costs in the logistics industry though are a cause for concern as they hinder the ability of organisations to provide maximum efficiency, to their customers thus not achieving maximum customer service. We will discuss what customer service is and its importance in the transport industry. We will look at the challenges facing the South African Transport industry as well as current developments going into the world cup and what these developments mean for the future of the South African transport industry. Customer Service is defined by Vogt and Pienaar as â€Å"the integrated series of activities between a supplier and a buyer, which enhance the sale and facilitate the effective use of the suppliers’ products. When rendered effectively, customer service is the overriding logistics supply chain function that can create demand and retain loyalty. In a broader sense customer service is the measure of how well the logistics system is performing in providing time and place utility for a product or service (Pienaar & Vogt; 2009, 25). According to Christopher and Peck (2003) customer service includes points of contact between a supplier and buyer also including tangible and intangible elements. Logistics performance is extremely important in achieving customer satisfaction. Importance of Customer service The importance of customer service in any organisation and the transport industry as a whole cannot be over emphasized. Customer service is the most critical aspect of the whole supply and distribution chain (Ron). According to Karl it has been proven in surveys that most customers do not come back to certain business establishment because of the indifferences they might have had with the owner, manager and employees regardless if they like the product or service the business renders. Every business management must recognize the reality that customer service is imperative in the success of the business. This ensures customer loyalty and commitment to the business. The company’s ability to focus on customers needs rather than on their own will ensure that company is cost effective and efficient at all times. Characteristics of customer service in transportation There are a number of factors that make up customer service and specifically for the transport industry these include, dependability, time in transit, flexibility of mode chosen, loss and damage performance of the mode, and ability of the transport to adapt to the changing customer needs. (Craig, 2004) Most customers are more interested about receiving their delivered goods on time than whether the person delivering the goods has a cheerful face. Successful companies try to under-promise and over deliver in terms of delivery time. This allows the firms to capture their customers ensuring that the company’s reputation is not jeopardized so firms need to ensure that their lead times are accurate. Customer service excellence is about reliability and consistency. Reliability means that the suppliers commitment to maintain a promised delivery schedule and to advise customers if deliveries subsequently cannot be made on time. This shows that the suppliers are reliable and keep the customer at ease. It is better to switch to a more expensive but reliable supplier than to rely on a relatively inexpensive but erratic supplier. Customer satisfaction is highest when a customer knows they can rely on their goods to be delivered at the specified time and that the goods will be delivered. Companies such as Manline offer customers the service of being able to track their goods in transit through a customer call centre where they can monitor their cargo through real time satellite tracking of their vehicles. Such services allow customers to be more at ease. In South Africa overall this is a concern in the transport industry as the rate of hijacking is high and thus the risk of goods not arriving is high. This means that in South Africa it is imperative that an organisation gets the best security technology in order to meet customer needs. The amount of time in-transit is another important element in customer service within the transport industry. Goods need to be transported and delivered as quickly as possible as customers need their cargo on hand as soon as possible. The flexibility of any mode of transport is another important element in customer service. If an organisation is to provide the best service they need to react to a customer’s changing needs. In the South African transport industry it is sometimes difficult for there to be immediate changes in customer requirements as the most used mode of transportation is road transportation. This means that service delivery in any other form is sometimes difficult or unreliable. The idea is to move goods as quickly, efficiently and cost effectively as possible. JIT (Just-In-Time) deliveries are a powerful force in the modern epoch. Deliveries are getting smaller but more frequent. We are moving into a situation where there is a continuous flow of goods from source to final delivery. Those carriers who are able to adapt to the changes in the market and accommodate a wide set of logistical competencies will be the winners in the new age of transport. Traditional haulers must change their ideas of what industry they belong to and face the challenges of the new order. Fast-moving, 2005) Challenges affecting customer service in South Africa Within the last couple of years the country has been able to address some of the issues within the transport industry, though there is still much that needs to be addressed. There have been various challenges that have and still face South Africa’s growing transportation and physical distribution industry. One of those challenges is that with increased globalization the local industry has to compete wi th foreign industry. Customers want the most reliable yet inexpensive way of transporting their goods and foreign companies are doing this, making it difficult for local companies to stay relevant. Another major challenge which has been addressed to an extent by some companies and aspects of the transport industry is that of technology. Customers want to know the exact specifications of the transportation of their goods. They want to know time of departure, time of arrival, amount of time in transit, and even the route of transit. This then means that the best tracking technology is required. In South Africa this high technology has been slow in infiltrating the transport industry. Devices for tracking and monitoring load carriers using real time satellite tracking is not something that is widely used in the industry. A good example of a company that is doing this though is Manline . This Company has set up a 24-hour control centre operated by fleet trackers that constantly monitor all vehicles and also to apply effective route rationalizing techniques and maximize vehicle productivity and utilization. (Manline 2010). According to the findings of the ‘Research Report for the Infrastructure Inputs Sector Strategy’, commissioned by the Presidency, and compiled by Sudeo International Business consultants. One of the other major challenges facing the South African Transportation industry going into 2010 is that freight volumes travelling by all modes of transport will have to be suppressed for the duration of the world cup. This will have considerable impact on the logistics industry as a whole. Ways to improve and Developments in 2010 The challenges that face the South African industry are ones that can be remedied. The 2010 World cup in South Africa has become a catalyst event in developments in the country and the transportation industry as it is one of the most integral parts of achieving efficient customer delivery and thus achieving high customer satisfaction. An important component of ultimate improvement would be making on-time deliveries every time. When a product is ready for use, the clock starts to count down how long it will take to complete the cycle from completing the manufacturing of a product to the consumption of that product. The longer it takes to get the product into the hands of the consumer, the more money a company loses. It is important that the products are delivered quickly and on time to the customers in order to maintain the company’s customers and keep them loyal. So how does one streamline this process? By implementing a logistics plan of action, a company can do just that. Larger manufacturers will hire a logistics team that is responsible for the routing of goods from the company, to the freight transportation company, and finally to the end client. They will have a database system to track all inventory. They will monitor inventory levels to make sure that a backlog of supply occurs. An additional responsibility of transportation and logistics specialist is to account for accurate transportation times. It is vital for companies to be able to rely and trust that their shipments will arrive in a timely manner. Being well organized accounts for much of this success, but the ability to transport the shipments quickly is also important. Because the country's infrastructure has improved with better maintained highways and interstates, transportation times have decreased. Freight transportation is more reliable now because companies can more accurately predict when a shipment will arrive. Some trucking companies will even guarantee the precise day and hour that a delivery will be made. This is very important because customer satisfaction is often based around on-time deliveries and accurate accounting of merchandise. This has also helped to reduce the cost of shipping freight, since trucking companies now have reliable, more direct routes to utilize. It indirectly affects cost because better roads create less wear and tear on shipping vehicles. It is important for the organization to answer all e-mail and phone calls from customers within an hour. If possible, the owner of the business, personally take care of the problem. This will show that the organization cares about customers and will improve the service quality of the organisation. This is an important area of improvement in South Africa as clients would be able to trust load carriers as they would be in constant contact. It will give customers peace of mind if they can continuously monitor their cargo themselves and also stay in contact with their company. The organisation should offer as many contact methods as possible. Allow customers to contact you by e-mail. Hyperlink the e-mail address so customers won't have to type it. Offer toll free numbers for phone and fax contacts. Some trucking companies have contact numbers written on their trucks so that the customers can be able to contact that particular company when they need their service. The organisation should invite customers to company meetings, luncheons, workshops or seminars in the meeting the manager can inform the customers about when the products will be available in the market because it is important to give customers more than they expect. Create special events for the customers like parties, barbecue's, dances etc. This will make them feel important when the company include them in regular business operations and special events (Larry Dotson, 2004) If a logistic team only concentrates on reducing freight cost, they could potentially lower customer service quality. Therefore, the goal of a logistics manager, or third party administrator, is to find a balance between cost and customer satisfaction. They must also be able to provide accurate tracking information, correctly estimate shipping cost, and be able to calculate delivery dates and times. By being organized, keeping cost low for the clients, and by making on time deliveries, freight management can help control the overall customer satisfaction of their clients. Reducing cost in freight transport is great, but if you can improve customer service at the same time, that’s even better. Logistics software can help reduce costs in freight transportation and logistics while improving customer service quality. (Barone, 2003) In the South African industry research shows that there should be plans to shift back to rail-freight and reduce that of road as the overall cost of damage to roads will eventually filter down in costs to the customer. Although currently there are greater cost savings and cost competition in using road freight. Measuring Customer Service. Measuring customer service in logistics for any organization is crucial to determine whether the organization is doing what the customers are expecting. The needs of the customers differ to a large extent and the reason being is not all customers are treated the same. Since the needs of the customers differ to a large extent, organizations end up knowing so little in general about the customers’ real requirements hence they end up setting the service levels that are too high and hence too costly (Ballou, 1978). The high service levels result also in higher distribution costs and therefore the overall price of a product. Even though the aim of any organization is to meet the needs of each and every customer, the organizations should however try to generalize about customer service as much as possible to drive down the costs. The problem that is encountered while trying to measure the customer service is what factors to measure exactly. There has always been a contradiction on whether the service levels should be determined by the customers or be set by the organizations. The firms normally select factors that are easier to measure such as order handling, order picking times whereas customers might be interested or concerned about the order transmittal and delivery which tend to be more difficult to measure. Therefore to determine those factors or aspects that the customers value the most, the organizations normally use the performance model (Murphy and Wood, 2004). The performance model is a questionnaire that the customers fill on receipt of their orders; its main objective is to determine the percentage of times the firm accomplishes specific goals and objectives. Managers normally set some visible goals against which performance can be measured. These come in two forms; standards and policy statements (Ballou, 1978). The managers might for example set a standard whereby the target is to ensure a 95% in-stock rate, filling customer orders within 24 hours of receipt or a one day order cycle time for all customers staying close to the organization. Against these standards managers can be able to tell if they are meeting and exceeding the customer service levels the organization had set. I should be further noted that it is inefficient and costly to provide more service than the customer expect or requires hence the firm should try to meet to break-even. Some companies take customer service seriously in a sense that they even have the written printed statements. The policy statements promise the customers that the company intends to act in a specified way with regard to service. There are five ways in which the organizations measure or test the customer service levels (Gwilliam M, 2008). Firstly, if the organization is able to fill the orders then it must be meeting the customers’ expectations. Normally the acceptable standard is the 95% fill rate whereby it is only 5% of the time when there is stock out. Secondly it is the delivery of the goods on time. It is vital to measure how fast the organization can deliver the products that have been ordered. If most of the time the goods are not delivered at the targeted date then major changes need to be done. Furthermore, it is important to measure how successfully the customers’ concerns can be resolved. Since the customers use the enquiries to express their concerns, the proportion of the number of customer enquiries that have been effectively resolved can be used as a means of measuring customer service given the number of enquiries that have been received. Another way to measure customer service can be how quick the organization responds to the customers’ mails, emails, and phone calls. If the organization is able to respond to the customers within 24 hrs than the level of customer service is up to standard. The last way of measuring the customer service in logistics is by letting the customer decide. The customers can let the organization know if it is fulfilling the needs of its customers. The customer surveys that focus on the customer service issues can be conducted and from the response of the customer surveys the organization can be able to improve on the areas that the customers are not happy with. Once the level of customer service is known it becomes easier to control it. When the level of customer service is below the standard the customers become dissatisfied, however if the level of customer service is above or exceed what the customers require it increases the costs of the organization. Control is therefore defined as a process of taking corrective action when measurement indicates that the goals or objectives of customer service are not being achieved. For example, if the delivery targeted dates are not met there might be a need of changing the mode of transport or simply the route being used. Firstly the service level standards are set, and then the actual is compared to the standard. If there is a variation then the corrective measures need to be done so that the standard is met. At times the reason why the standard is not met is because it was set too high that it cannot be matched, in this case the standard itself needs to be revised. Conclusion â€Å"The success of South Africa’s infrastructure growth challenges will be dependent on the ability of logistics infrastructure and, in particular, transportation, to cope with the demands placed on it. †(Engineering news, 2007). In the future the quality of customer service will be the main determining factor in the survival of a company as customers become more aware of product offerings that will suit them. The transportation industry in South Africa is changing, with greater emphasis being placed on the customer and their level of satisfaction. This will bring a greater move forward in the industry that will see South Africa competing on the world stage in terms of transportation. Customer service is vital to the survival of any company, organisation or industry and establishing and implementing customer service policies that work is what will lead organisations and industries to greater growth and success.

General Appliances Essay

Introduction:The General Appliance Corporation is a manufacturer of all types of home appliances. The company has a decentralized, divisional organizational structure, which consists of four product divisions (electric stove, laundry equipment, refrigeration and miscellaneous appliance division), four manufacturing divisions (chrome products, electric motor, gear and transmission and stamping division) and six staff offices (finance, engineering, manufacturing, industrial relations, purchasing and marketing staff). The staff offices do not have functional authority over the divisional general managers, who are each responsible for their own divisional personnel. The manufacturing division made approximately 75 percent of their sales to the product division. In addition, the parts made by the manufacturing division is designed and engineered by the product divisions. Since the eight divisions are expected to act like independent companies, the transfer prices are negotiated amongst themselves. But, if two divisions could not agree on a price, they submit the dispute to the finance staff for arbitration. The product division does not have the power to decide whether to buy from within the company or from outside. If there was a disagreement with the sourcing, the manufacturing division could appeal to the purchasing staff to reverse the decision. Problem:At the General Appliance Corporation, the purchasing staffs are the personnel that decide which part would continue to be manufactured within the company (org. chart may need to be revised). When the part is decided to be manufactured internally, the manufacturing division must hold the price at a level the product (purchaser) division could purchase it outside. Currently, the managers do not have the freedom to source and choose the alternative that is in their best interest, even though an alternative for sourcing does exist. The three problems that exist in the company are:-Determining a transfer price that includes the extra $0.80 per unit spent on developing the new quality standards. Also, the arbitration committee should determine whether the appearance is a subjective or objective matter. -An excess capacity (supply is greater than demand) caused a temporary  decrease in the selling price. -The standard price used for calculations of the total cost, profit and proposed price is determined from the price given in a competitor’s proposal – this is not a definite price. Investment Centres – don’t know when to produce or when to outsource (what role does innovation or engineering for lower costs play?)For each case, calculate if it’s better to outsource or manufactureArbitration committee which considers all â€Å"staff† functionsDo something quick & fast (cheap) and easy to doAnalysis:Stove Top Problem – Survey has shown that the company’s reputation as a producer of quality products has deteriorated, and resulted in the Chrome Products Division implementing quality improvements to the stove tops. Chrome has proposed to increase the price of the stove top by $0.90; $0.80 represents the additional costs of quality improvements and a $0.10 profit mark-up. The Electric Stove Division does not see the improvements as necessary changes since there is no change in engineering specifications, the changes made were never requested or approved, consumers may not even notice or want the change, and believes that the improvements made will only bring the quality level of the stove tops to the competitor’s level. Ultimately, Electric Stove sees these quality changes as being more subjective rather than objective. The engineering department of the manufacturing staff has verified that the new improvements were of superior quality then of their competitors and the costs were reasonably allocated. Thermostatic Control Problem – Electric Motor Division has been able to consistently reduce the price of the thermostatic control units to mirror the price of Monson Controls Corp. from $3.00 in 1984 to $2.40 in 1987. Monson has decided to further reduce their price to $2.15, which according to the general manager of Electric Motor Division, would result in selling at a loss rather than a profit. The GM believes that they are just as efficient as Monson, therefore Monson must be selling at a loss at $2.15. Laundry Equipment and the Refrigeration Division both require a total of 120 000 units for their division (100 000 units for Laundry and 2 000 units for Refrigeration). Refrigeration has made an agreement with Electric Motor that  they will be able to competitively source to the lowest bidder, in this case, Monson for $2.15. Laundry Equipment believes that for such a large order, they could probably obtain a lower price than $2.40 if they were to outsource. In reviewing this dispute, the Finance Staff stated that there was excess capacity in the market that results in soft prices. The purchasing staff believed that Refrigeration could purchase their requirements at $2.15 for the next year but if the corporation’s orders were all place externally, the price would rise to $2.40 through increase in demand or limited supply. Considering the 120 000 units of thermostatic control that is required by both the Laundry Equipment and the Refrigeration Division, and the fact that their requirement is large enough to increase Monson’s price of $2.15 to $2.40, General App. will have to outsource and purchase from within. Assuming that the more units General App. outsources, the price will gradually increase due to the increase in demand. The best combination of outsourcing and purchasing from within would be to outsource 60 000 units at an estimated price of $2.25 and purchase 60 000 units internally for $2.40. This would cost the organization $279 000, a savings between $1 000 and $9 000. The average price per unit is $2.325, less than the cost of the market price if the required volume was entirely outsourced. It is also less then purchasing the entire volume internally. This would result in Laundry Equipment saving $7 500 and costing $3 500 to Refrigeration as oppose to purchasing their required volume at $2.15. Transmission Problem – Laundry Equipment has previously entered into an agreement with Thorndike Machining Corp to purchase one-half of its transmission for 10 years. Two years before the expiration of the agreement, General App. decided to manufacture their own transmissions to extend their capacity. Thorndike proposed a price reduction of $0.50 consistently for the next two years with a new economy transmission unit at a price of $10. The Gear and Transmission Division estimates that they can replicate a comparable model of the economy transmission at a competitive price of $9. The Gear and Transmission Division’s proposal failed to eliminate the cost of design features of $0.50 per unit. This would bring the proposed total  unit cost for G&T from $11.66 to $11.11. This error makes Thorndike’s proposed price of $11.21 appear more favourable. Bibliography: Anthony, Robert N., and Vijay Govindarajan. Management Control Systems. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2000.

Commentary on Three Lunulae, Truro Museum

Three Lunulae, Truro Museum is a poem written by Penelope Shuttle and it is written with the perspective of a person who visits a museum and views the Lunulae. The visitor, upon first seeing the Lunulae begins to imagine their history. The gender of the viewer is unknown but it seems to be a woman, given the gentle and delicate way of writing, shown through the first stanza â€Å"gold so thin, only an old woman would notice its weight†. The poem consists of 14 stanzas but varies in length probably contributing to a shift in mood and tone of the poem.The poem begins with the description of the Lunulae as soon as the visitor walks in where they comment on the gold on the Lunulae and that it was so thin only an old woman would notice it, creating imagery in our mind about how fine and delicate the Lunulae is and therefore, adding to the speakers intrigue towards the object. This description continues in the second stanza where she compares the gold to crescent moons that came out of the â€Å"sunken district of the dark†. This comparison probably tells us how the Lunulae were found after the â€Å"archaeologists† dug it out of the ground.This gets the poet to start describing the ornaments and how the women of the Bronze Age â€Å"threw no barbaric shadows† which seems like a connection with the Bronze age and how it may have been a time of violence. The reference to â€Å"freeze† in stanza five and â€Å"winter† links to a seasonal recurrence where spring probably represents the young people and that winter symbolizes doom, old age and eventually: death. Contrasting to this description, the poet uses a lot of delicate and gentle sounds such as moon, women and mood to probably ease out the process, almost as if it was a cyclic movement.When the speaker describes these ornaments, it’s as though time stands still while she is entranced by the ornaments but the mention of the â€Å"slight quick tap of a clock† ( stanza 6), the reader is reminded that time still exists and that it waits for no one. This idea is supported by the previous mentions of the moon and the women of the Bronze Age where the speaker describes the event almost as if she were back in time with them and that it stood still when she spoke about it.In stanza 5, the reference to insects’ legs is quite an odd simile to use but it conveys the fact that the clocks hand, is like and insects’ leg, quiet and unseen, almost as if it goes on unspoken till we meet our end, or when it is winter. The next few lines only add to the intrigue of the speaker towards the object where she tries to see what others could not see. She wants to go beyond the three women’s’ faces and actually understand the story behind the Lunulae. The reference to the word â€Å"sickle shapes† along with â€Å"insects’ legs† and â€Å"thin gold remains of autumn† show the delicate and fragile imagery with a link to nature.In stanza 9, there is a possible connection to stanza 3 and in this stanza, the women seem to be appearing in front of the speaker, almost in a ghost like form with â€Å"a face like a frost fern†. The description here is very dark and aggressive. The â€Å"Light twists in a violent retching† and this shows the manner in which the women are manifesting themselves. In contrast to what was said earlier in stanza three, it seems now that these women did have a violent past. The â€Å"dusty snakes† which are used to describe the women implies that they are very old and possess a sly character.Towards the end, the readers understand that the custodian is about to close the museum and this intriguing story behind the Lunulae is about to come to an end. The speaker must leave as they are closing. The speakers friend waits there to buy him a postcard and they both step outside where there are autumn leaves. This reference to the autumn leaves touches u p upon the previous mentions of seasons, time and how life is almost like a cyclic movement: pre planned and inevitable.The poet tries to convey to us that every single thing has its own story, its own identity and that every thing we do in life connects us to events in the past and the future. This poem conveys the importance of time and how it is destructive in nature where at one point, everything seems fine but after a while, things tend to fall apart and ugly truths begin to reveal themselves. It teaches us that the mind is very fragile and gullible but explains to us that what is shown on the surface is not always the truth.

Traditional vs. Online Education

The battle between online education and traditional education has been raging since online school began. With online education, there is a higher chance for success due to the personalized approach to learning. Along with success in the learning area, you can also be successful in the business area of life. With online education, there is a much greater acceptance rate due to the â€Å"less strict† guidelines, as well as a broader area of class options because of the online aspect. For this reason, online education, is in my eyes, a much better choice than traditional education.Although face to face contact is considered the best form of education, online education is much more flexible than traditional education. Not everyone can make time to sit in a lecture hall at eleven a. m. five days a week. Since it is much easier to keep a job while attending an online school, it allows you to make other commitments as well as have other activities due to a regular income. It is easie r to keep a steady job and stay in school due to such flexible hours from an online education. Since Traditional classrooms have a schedule that you must stick to, it is much harder to keep a job.You can have other commitments as well due to the fact that most online schools have all assignments due on one day. You complete your degree while balancing your work and family responsibilities. At a traditional school, you are exposed to a variety of distractions in the classroom that are seemingly uncontrollable. While in an online school, because your classroom is wherever you choose, it is easier to stay focused without the distractions of the classroom. At home, you are able to control what is around you, unlike in a classroom where distractions are uncontrollable.Some online degree programs have frequent start dates, some even weekly. This allows you the opportunity to complete courses quickly. Online schooling gives you a broader spectrum of choices for your major as well as a much greater acceptance rate than traditional college. Online education would be ideal because of the flexible nature of classes offered. Since school online is well, online, they provide a much greater choice of classes and degrees that are more suitable for your own personal standards. You do not have to fight for classes as you would have to in a traditional school environment.So with all that, I consider online education to be a much more practical option for schooling. There are many more upsides to online education than there are down sides. In my opinion, there are many more downsides to traditional education than there are to online education. For this reason, online education, is in my eyes, a much better choice than traditional education. Although face to face contact is considered the best form of education, online education is much more flexible than traditional education.

Occupational Health and Safety Management Essay

Occupational Health and Safety Management - Essay Example The rest of this essay will lay out the benefits of providing a safe working environment by citing relevant legislative, financial and moral rationale. Legal Aspects: The Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare Act of 1986 will be the basic document of reference for my decisions and initiatives. Section 19 of the act is particularly relevant, for it outlays the duties of employers toward employee safety. This section notes that an employer must, â€Å"in respect of each employee employed or engaged by the employer, ensure so far as is reasonably practicable that the employee is, while at work, safe from injury and risks to health and, in particular, must provide and maintain so far as is reasonably practicable, a safe working environment, safe systems of work, plant and substances in a safe condition†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (www.austlii.edu.au, 2012) The OHSW Act is quite thorough in the range of clauses it includes, covering all contingencies and freak occurrences. As OHS Manager of a large national transport company, one of my primary challenges is in sorting and managing the slew of complaints, grievances and lawsuits that will be raised against the company, especially against the department. But rather than an antagonistic approach toward disposing these issues, an empathetic and compassionate approach will fetch better results. (Murphy & Cooper, 2000) After all, given the high risks taken by workers by involving themselves in the transportation business, one should respect their genuine concerns and seek to resolve them. The government of South Australia has heeded to the demands of workers of the region and has tightened its laws governing OHS. The verdict on recently held case Farrell v B & A Fisheries Pty Ltd [2012] SAIRC bears out this fact. (www.safework.sa.gov.au, 2012) Financial Aspects: From a financial point of view, the costs incurred by the management in building safety nets for workers are worth it in the long run. For example, offering them disability insurance, life insurance, installing air bags in transport vehicles, etc, are worthy investments when one considers the emotional and monetary distress that they would later save employees. Creating a feeling of security and trust among employees will benefit the company by reducing attrition rates, enhancing loyalty and increasing motivation level of employees. Hence, from a financial standpoint, every dollar spent toward building safety mechanisms for worker health, will indirectly boost the bottom line. Moreover, the provisions for fines in the OHSW Act, makes it prudent to invest in safety rather than pay for negligence and poor standards. For example, under the OHSW Act, a first offence would lead to a Division 2 fine and a subsequent offence a Division 1 fine. That preventing a mishap is wiser than paying after the fact is underscored by the elaborate dictates of the OHSW Act. The moral angle is also taken into account in the Act, as it states that â€Å"an employer must so far as is reasonably practicable, monitor the health and welfare of the employer’s employees in their employment with the employer, insofar as that monitoring is relevant to the prevention of work-related injuries† (www.austlii.edu.au, 2012) The verdict on Symons v Downer EDI Works Pty Ltd [2012]

Wk3 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Wk3 - Assignment Example table, is found to be less than 0.05, therefore, we cannot accept null hypothesis which states that the average salaries of employees of each grade is equal. It can thus be concluded that significant difference exists in the average salaries of employees at different grades. The first null hypothesis that states that average salaries for all grades are equal is accepted as the associated P value is found to be equal to 0.07 which is greater than 0.05. The second null hypothesis that states that average salaries for both male and female employees are equal is, however, rejected as the associated P value is found to be equal to 1.5 x 10-10 which is quite less than the significance level 0.05. The third null hypothesis that tests whether the interaction is statistically significant is found to be statistically significant as the associated P value is found to be 0.17 which is significantly greater than the significance level of 0.05. It means that the grades and gender do have an interaction that impacts the equality of pays amongst employees on average. Moreover it shows that the mean salaries are equal amongst different grades while they are found to be unequal amongst male and female employees without considering their grades. Moreover in order to avoid biasness in the results the observations have been chosen at random so that the sample results can be employed for the interpretation of population parameters. Therefore mean value in this case can be used to interpret the results of mean values of population. In order to test that the compa values in the population are equal by grade and/or gender, and are independent of each factor the ANOVA has been done using Data Analysis Tool pack of MS Excel 2007. The values are chosen on convenience basis for each category. The summary of outputs thus obtained is mentioned below. The two factor ANOVA has been performed with replication. All three null hypotheses are rejected as the associated P values are found to be less