Impact of communities of value on growth of information technology

Communities of value may be defined as huge networks between individuals bearing similar interest in value. It is often used about and within groupings in which customers, consumers, and concerned stakeholders are dynamically networking with each other about a given product, service, or brand. Organizations which still adore ancient ways of doing business loathe hearing that individuals are sharing information within themselves. Such firms prefer ‘talking’ more than online communication.Basically, organizations that enjoy fooling consumers will attempt to sabotage and drain any attempt of sharing information within a given socio-economic community of value. It is certain that such companies have to change and embrace information technology fully otherwise they have no option other than to close doors. There are various communities of value. Examples of these communities include; eBay, Napster, Linux, PHP, MySQL, Amazon, Double-Click, Akamai among others. Such communities form by themselves and are found all over the world, wherever online forums are available and regardless of whether concerned companies participate or not.Impact on growth of information technology Communities of value rely on advanced technology. This calls for overhaul of entire information technology. As the communities of value grow both in nature and complexity IT capability is also stretched. Thus need for growth in this industry. Various communities of value need diverse IT options. To tap the collective knowledge of entire network and address common interest of members of these communities calls for innovation in the IT industry. For example, just the other day Web 2. 0 technology developed options that allowed members to connect in ways that were not possible before.Various groups with common interest and value are able to join networks and get involved depending on favored interest. Through advanced IT organizations are able to harness collective value of consumers thus e nhancing customer relationship. In conclusion, communities of value keep on increasing and extending across socio-economic boundaries. Growth of these communities brings in technological demands which can only be addressed through reengineering IT industry. Pressure from communities of value leaves the IT field with one option-dynamic growth.

Homeostasis and Pain Management in Patient with Multisystem Failure Essay

A. Assessment of Patient The assessment of Mrs. Baker should include vital signs including pulse oximetry. Given her difficulty in breathing, lung sounds should be auscultated. Because she is on two different medications that could affect blood pressure, lisinopril and hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ), hypotension could be one cause of her collapsing. In addition to vital signs, decreased peripheral pulses and capillary refill can also be indicators of hypotension. Also, because HCTZ is a diuretic, dehydration should be considered. Since she was in her backyard when she collapsed, it could be that she was doing yard work. Thus, it is important to know what she was doing before she collapsed. The outside temperature and whether Mrs. Baker became overheated or drank enough fluids could be useful factors in assessing her fluid-electrolyte balance. Serum electrolyte levels and vital signs should be taken, and color and skin turgor should be assessed. Dehydration could also contribute to hypotension. Mrs. Baker should be placed on a cardiac monitor and an EKG obtained to rule out any dysrhythmias. Given Mrs. Baker’s respiratory symptoms and her history of hypertension and diabetes (which are the two biggest risk factors for congestive heart failure), a chest x-ray should be done. Arterial blood gases could assist in further assessing her oxygenation, as well as acid-base balance. Also, since Mrs. Baker is a diabetic, a blood glucose level should be done, since hypoglycemia could be a cause of her mental status changes. When Mrs. Baker is alert, pain can be assessed through a verbal â€Å"numbers† scale, or a â€Å"faces† scale if she is mildly confused. When she becomes unresponsive, non-verbal indicators of discomfort should be observed, such as muscle tension, grimace, and grunting. B. Technological Tools A stethoscope is an essential assessment tool. It is needed to assess breath sounds, heart sounds, and perhaps assist in taking the blood pressure. A stethoscope works by amplifying internal sounds through a diaphragm and transmitting them through a hollow tube to the earpieces. (Schunk, p. 1) The sounds can be interpreted by a skilled assessor and used to make a diagnosis and prescribe treatment. In Mrs. Baker’s case, it would be extremely important to listen to her lung sounds to determine if there are changes associated with atelectasis, or more likely, to assess for fluid sounds in the lungs, which would be an indicator of congestive heart failure. If a manual blood pressure measurement is being taken, the stethoscope would also be essential to listening for restored peripheral blood flow as the pressure in the cuff is being released. The benefit of a stethoscope is that it is a simple tool that can be used to easily obtain an initial assessment of a patient’s breath sounds while waiting on more complicated assessments, such as blood gases and chest x-rays. If a manual blood pressure cuff is not available, blood pressure will probably be obtained using an electronic blood pressure device such as a Dinamap. A blood pressure measurement, as well as other vital signs, would be key in determining whether Mrs. Baker was suffering from hypotension related to her new medication, lisinopril. A manual blood pressure cuff has the benefit of being more accurate at extremely high or extremely low pressures, while an electronic device, such as a Dinamap, can be set to automatically check blood pressure at regular intervals. Many cardiac monitors also have blood pressure capabilities built in, so that may be an option for obtaining blood pressure. A cardiac monitor would be used for Mrs. Baker to watch for arrhythmias, which could be caused by lisinopril, or be another sign of congestive heart failure or an acute myocardial infarction. Mrs. Baker has a history of hypertension and diabetes, which are the two greatest risk factors for heart disease. An electrocardiogram (EKG) would be useful for diagnosing heart disease or damage as well. A cardiac monitor is essential in continuous monitoring of the patient, but a 12 lead EKG has the benefit of being able to better pinpoint the specific areas of the heart that are affected or damaged. Blood sugar can be obtained from a drop of blood with a glucometer such as One Touch, or it may be obtained along with the serum chemistry and electrolyte analyses from the lab. A glucometer is a quick and easy way of determining the blood glucose level. Mrs. Baker is a diabetic, and is on an antidiabetic drug, Metformin. Her change in mental status could be due to low blood sugar. This would be easily diagnosed with a glucometer, and easily treated with IV glucose, so it should be one of the first assessments made. A glucometer has the benefit of being a quicker and easier way to obtain a blood sugar level, while a serum glucose may be more accurate at extremely high or low levels. Pulse oximetry can be done with a dedicated pulse oximeter, or it may also be built in to the capabilities of the cardiac monitor. Since Mrs. Baker is suffering from respiratory difficulty, it is essential to find out her blood oxygen saturation level. An arterial blood gas would not only be helpful in giving a more precise measurement of arterial oxygen and carbon dioxide, it would also give useful information about the pH of her blood and the bicarbonate level. Pulse oximetry has the benefit of alerting caregivers to acute changes in blood oxygenation level, while arterial blood gases gives a more detailed picture of the of the state of gas exchange in the lungs Serum electrolytes would be measured by the laboratory. These would be helpful in diagnosing dehydration and/or kidney function. Electrolytes are also essential in cardiac function. In fact, serum electrolytes are a good overall way to assess homeostasis in a patient. A radiographer will use an X-ray machine to obtain the chest x-ray, either in the radiology department, or will use a portable model. A chest x-ray is another way to assess respiratory function. A chest x-ray could show fluid in the lungs, as well as atelectasis or infiltrate. It would also show cardiomegaly, which is another indicator of congestive heart failure. A portable chest x-ray would be beneficial, as it would not require Mrs. Baker to be taken from the emergency department. Finally, if Mrs. Baker has been a patient at this facility before, the Electronic Medical Record can make it easy to find information on her past medical history. This is an improvement over medical records of years past, which usually had to be located in extensive file cabinets or even on microfiche. Sometimes these records were lost or misfiled. Electronic Medical Records are usually easy to locate. C. Data Collection Prioritization Vital signs, pulse oximetry, and a visual assessment should always be the first assessments performed on a patient. The severity of the vital signs will determine whether emergency life-support interventions need to be initiated at once, and will give the caregivers clues to what needs to be looked at next. Since hypoglycemia is an emergency situation, a finger-stick blood sugar should be the next assessment formed. And since Mrs. Baker is having respiratory difficulty, breath sounds should be assessed as soon as possible to determine what measures need to be taken to insure adequate ventilation. Lab work, x-rays, and other tests should be done after the initial assessments, since the results will take longer to obtain. D. Pain Assessment Comparison In alert and oriented patients with no cognitive impairments, the best way to measure pain is to use the â€Å"numbers† scale. Using this scale, you have the patient rate their pain on a scale from 0 to 10, with 0 being no pain, and 10 being the worst pain they can imagine. Pain is subjective, meaning that it can only be judged by the person in pain, and not by an observing party. The numbers scale gives an easy way for a person to tell her nurse the level of her pain, and to judge how much it is relieved by interventions. A geriatric patient who is alert but has mild cognitive impairments may be confused by numbers, but can be given the Wong Baker faces pain scale to help to measure their pain in the same way as the numbers scale. A patient who is not alert or who is unconscious is obviously not going to be able to describe her pain to her caregiver. In this case, the caregiver will have to observe the patient for non-verbal signs of discomfort. These include grimace, muscle tension, increase heart rate, respirations, or blood pressure, and moaning or grunting. E. Pain Management If Mrs. Baker was not alert enough to respond to questions but was showing signs of pain, and given the standing orders of acetaminophen or morphine, I would elect to give the patient morphine. The patient is not alert enough to take any medication by mouth, and an oral medication will take longer to work. Intravenous Morphine works very quickly, and may decrease the work of breathing in patients with congestive heart failure. The caregiver should reassess the patient’s pain after giving any pain medications. In the case of a non-alert patient, the caregiver would look for signs such as stabilization of vital signs and muscle relaxation. I have learned that the geriatric patient has a decrease in physiologic reserve, and therefore there is a shorter time between changes in homeostasis and a state of shock. Because of this, when an elderly patient is showing signs of distress, assessment and interventions should be done quickly to improve outcome. I also learned that an elderly patient may live their everyday life with a certain level of chronic pain, so when they complain of acute pain, it should be taken seriously and treated promptly. F. Team Members Mrs. Elli Baker may have been assessed initially by an EMT or paramedic, if emergency medical services had been called to transport her to the emergency room. Upon arrival, she would have been assessed by a nurse, and at the same time or shortly thereafter, the emergency room physician. The nurse would have obtained vital signs, applied the cardiac monitor, and obtained the finger stick blood sugar, while the physician would have given an initial set of orders. A respiratory therapist would have probably been called, given her respiratory difficulties, and an EKG technician would have been called to do an electrocardiogram. Labs may have been drawn by a phlebotomist or a nurse, and the arterial blood gases would have been obtained by the respiratory therapist or a phlebotomist, depending on the facility’s policy. Finally, a radiology technician would have performed the chest x-ray. When the nurse noticed that Mrs. Baker became unresponsive and started having more difficulty breathing, she would have notified the physician of the changes and called any necessary support staff to assist with Mrs. Baker’s immediate care.

Challenge of Groups and Teams Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Challenge of Groups and Teams Paper - Essay Example They will be able to recognize the meaning of persistent communication building within the team. This training programme will include the sessions where the team mates will be informed of the techniques on how they can handle the diversity element within their team mate circles.This is the most significant, because of the fact that conflict tends to develop where the team mates are from varying backgrounds and culture. Because they are unable to understand each other's difference of speech, likes and dislikes, manners and rituals. The participants will be taught how to relate to their past workplace experiences with their current performances, in addition to how they can actually avoid any bad outcomes later. The team will be taught hot to function efficiently across operations, characteristics. How they can easily break the numerous communication barricades (Mackin, 2007, pg 109). The team mates should be imaginative enough to resolve compound problems. They should have the ability to assess the suppositions in relation to how individuals/teammates can function effectively as one. Developing the individuals self responsiveness in addition to substantiating their facets of self discernment.

Financial Accounting and Reporting Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Financial Accounting and Reporting - Assignment Example 4). iii. They need the information about the resources of the organization not only to assess the prospects for future organization’s net cash inflows but also to identify how efficiently and effectively the organizations management has discharged or performed their duties and responsibilities in using the existing resources of the organization. For instance, it helps them to portray the results of the stewardship management hence being able to assess the management’s accountability so that their decision making process is influenced for their betterment (Weygandt et al 2010, pg. 4). Q1.2. Regulatory agencies and bodies are basically formed to address the needs of various user groups of financial statements. They usually address these needs by specifying procedures and requirements that should be followed in preparing and presenting financial statements. The different aspects used in addressing these needs include This Framework states the basic concepts that should be followed in preparing and presenting the financial statements particularly for the external users. It addresses the needs of different user because by addressing the reporting of the financial reporting, qualitative characteristics of the useful financial information, and by stating the definition, measurement and recognition of different elements of the financial statements (Alexander & Archer, 2008, pg. 2.20). IAS on the other hand, addresses the needs of the users by detailing the preparation of financial statements and by explaining the accounting treatment of various items in the financial statements, for instance inventories, leases, intangible assets to mention but a few. IFRS on the other hand, are designed in order to make company accounts comparable and understandable across international boundaries because it acts as a common global language particularly for multinational corporations. They specify accounting rules to be followed by accountants in

Complete case brief of Nix v. Williams Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Complete brief of Nix v. Williams - Case Study Example During the trial of Williams, the court held that, even in the case that Williams had not made the informative statements to the officer; the body would have been recovered and used as evidence against him (Nix). Procedural History The defendant, Mr. Williams was a mental patient on the loose. Williams abducted and murdered Pamela Powers, a ten-year-old girl from a YMCA on the 24th of December 1968 (Nix). After two days, he went to the police, at another county – making the condition that he was not to be questioned during the process of moving him back to Urbandale. One of the detectives started a conversation with him, and suggested to him that he needed to reveal the location where he had left the dead body, before an anticipated snowfall took place (Nix). He agreed to the proposal, and the directions he gave led the detectives to the recovery of the body (McInnis 397-446). After the recovery of the body, Williams was convicted for the crime, but based on Brewer v. Williams (1977), the Supreme Court held that there had been a violation of William’s right to counsel, like it was directed during the case of Massiah v. United States (1964). For that reason, his conviction was reversed. However, Justice Potter Stewart’s opinion pointed out that the evidence collected from Williams could be used during a trial, in a constitutional manner (Nix). Following the opinion, Williams was offered another trial, during which the attorneys responsible of his case moved a motion suppressing the evidence-bases collected through the interrogation by the detectives. Legal Issues The legal issues to be determined through the case included whether, evidence leading to an arrest could be exempted from case proceedings, based on the grounds that it had been obtained improperly. Decision of the Court The court, based on the inevitable discovery doctrine, held that the evidence (body) would have still been recovered within a short span. Therefore, the method â₠¬â€œ through which the information leading to the recovery – was collected was not relevant; therefore the evidence was admitted as evidence against the defendant. The dissent to the case, by Justice Brennan, maintained that the inevitable discovery doctrine bases its considerations on a hypothetical case, where the supposed evidence may or may not have been recovered; therefore, regarding that it was recovered through illegal means, it remained unconstitutionally collected (McInnis 397-446). Legal Analysis The main reason as to why the exclusionary rule was extended to the evidence collected through illegal police conduct was that, the channel taken was enough grounds to stop the police from violating statutory and constitutional protections, without allowing guilty people to go unpunished. Based on the rationale, the prosecution was not to be offered more advantages, than its case would have been, in the case that the evidence had not been collected through an illegal cours e (McInnis 397-446). However, by contrast, the judges resorted to the independent source doctrine, which allows for the admission of evidence, which has been gathered through means that are independent of the constitutional violation. Despite the fact that the independent source rule did not apply to the case, the rationale derived from it was consistent and offered justification to the adoption of the inevitable discovery rule, to the exclusionary doctrine. In the case that

A Cross-Sectoral Investigation of Strategic Fit vs Flexibility Dissertation

A Cross-Sectoral Investigation of Strategic Fit vs Flexibility - Dissertation Example 6.4.1 Employee Satisfaction 46 6.4.2 Service Quality 47 6.4.3 Customer Satisfaction 49 6.5: Conclusion 50 Chapter 7 - Conclusion 51 7.1: Contributions of the Research 53 7.2: Implications of the Research 55 7.2.1 Implications for Public Sector Organisations 55 7.2.2 Implications for Future Research 57 7.3: Limitations of Study 59 7.4: Final Conclusion 59 References 61 72 Appendix I: Interview Transcripts and Coding 73 Appendix I.1: Organisation A (Public Sector) 74 Appendix I.2: Organisation B (Private Sector) 101 Appendix II: Conceptual Models 124 125 Organisation A Conceptual Models 126 Appendix II.2 131 Organisation B Conceptual Models 131 Organisation A Conceptual Models 137 Appendix II.2 142 Organisation B Conceptual Models 142 Acknowledgements Without the continued emotional and financial support provided by my parents, I may have not reached the end of this journey. During my studies there were times when work commitments and intermittent financial stress made me believe that I would not be able to see this journey through. It was during these times, and many others, that my parents' words of encouragement and their confidence in my ability gave me the motivation to persist. No words of thanks can adequately express the depth of my appreciation and love. I would also like to seize this opportunity to personally thank my supervisor, . I cannot express the extent to which his encouragement, support, understanding and, above all, his prompt, constructive and greatly appreciated criticism and feedback, were invaluable to the research, writing and completion of this study. Thank you. Abstract Strategic human resource management is, undoubtedly, an integral factor in organisational success but, it only represents an element within the... 1.1: Introduction Focusing on the prevalent organisational structure and management distinctions between the private and the public sector, the dissertation aims to demonstrate the tendency of the public sector to adhere to outmoded and inefficient management models as compared to the best practices models, strategies, tools and mechanisms adopted within the private sector. The disparity between public and private sector management styles and paradigms is customarily justified through reference to organisational structural differences. This dissertation takes a contrary position, arguing that even though there may exist structural differences between public and private sector organisations, the differences are not such as to prevent the successful implementation of private sector management strategies and paradigms in public sector organizations, as would allow for the adoption of Total Quality Management lending to the evolution of an effective and efficient human resource. These statements and argum ents shall be validated through a review of the literature on public and private sector organisations and contemporary management strategies and, solidified through the results of the field study. 1.2: Importance of Topic The current study proposes to examine the similarities and differences between the public and the private sector for determination of whether or not private sector management strategies withstand successful adaptation to, and implementation in, the private sector.

Design and Contemporary Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Design and Contemporary Culture - Essay Example The authors also highlight the importance of ideology in creating meaning by providing channels of interpretation for individual thought processes. The authors further define representation as â€Å"the social production of meaning through sign systems†. (p. 68) 2. Media interpretation is based on a plurality of values and perspectives. O’Brien and Szeman introduce an example of a discussion of media violence in Canada to illustrate the way facts and figures can be used to support multiple or conflicting viewpoints in popular media. (pp. 69-71) As media sources form the public dialogue through which meaning is created in modern society, the authors encourage questioning the effects of power, structure, and hierarchy on values that are disseminated in popular culture. 3. Signs are â€Å"the fundamental units of communication† (p.71). O’Brien and Szeman seek to expand the concept of language from alphabetical arrangements and linguistic terminologies to inco rporate the full range of images, symbols, and objects that are used to express meaning in society. This leads to the incorporation of music, fashion, and body language into a greater definition or understanding of language, that can also be related to cross-cultural differences in morals, values, and collective understanding. (p.71) 4. Structuralism and semiotics in theory. O’Brien and Szeman introduce the theoretical basis for structuralism and semiotics in linguistic analysis, stating that the implied meaning of words, signs, and language are less important than the grammatical relationships between terms and their position in hierarchies of social power that are created through personal and collective awareness of systems of meaning in social groups. (pp.71-72) 5.Sausserian Linguistics and Semiotics – a new discipline. The modern understanding of meaning in language is in debt to Ferdinand de Saussure who is credited with inventing the genre or discipline of  "semiotics† that is intended to study â€Å"the life of signs within a society† in a synchronic rather than diachronic or historical model of development. (p. 73) Similar theories were advanced by C.S. Pierce in America through psychological literature. (p. 73) 6. Mythological Interpretation in Barthes’ Cultural Theory. O’Brien and Szeman discuss the work of Roland Barthes in mythological understanding to show how meaning is created socially from â€Å"connotative† values. (p.74) The symbols of mythology combine to fuse the essential values or ethos of a culture through â€Å"chain(s) of associated concepts† linking meaning, memory, and tradition, as in racial or humanistic identity structures. (p. 74) 7. Barthes’ Critique of Humanism. Barthes’ work engages mythology from the perspective of pop culture, as in the instance of â€Å"The Great Family of Man† exhibit in France in the 1960s. (p. 74) While humanism posits a nat ural unity of cultures and races, semiotics contextualizes this popular understanding in the context of history and difference, which suggests that the meaning derived from the symbolic patterns in the exhibit resemble the cultural understanding derived from mythology which then becomes â€Å"fact† via a shared societal acceptance of the value system. 8.