Housing Solution and Housing Issues

Question: Discuss the ways or strategies to improve the quality of life and services on a problem estate? Answer: Introduction In this paper, as a housing management consultant recommends the ways or strategies to improve the quality of life and services on a problem estate managed by Mountclaim Housing Association. The association has called you in to provide a strategy to improve this estate. Mountclaim Housing Association are faced the key issues these are the level of income collection is low, the quality of repairs and maintenance is low, and tenant representatives say that tenants are scared to go out at night because there are kids hanging around all the time. This paper address these key issues through recommend a strategy to improve the quality of services to the estate, including improvements in collection of rent, reduction in anti-social behaviour and improved repairs and maintenance services. The allocation of properties should also be included. Recommendations Mountclaim Housing Association perceives that powerful occupancy and bequest administration is an essential piece of the landowner administrations procurement we convey to inhabitants and occupants of the Borough. Mountclaim Housing Association ought to be updated Tenancy and Estate Management Strategy 2015-2018 to face the key tested. Occupancy and domain administration is not just about caring for structures and the physical environment; it is likewise about guaranteeing our tenures are successfully overseen and about giving and masterminding counsel, backing and support to those occupants and inhabitants who need it (Wood, 2003). The key point of this system is to convey magnificence in tenure and bequest administration including hostile to social conduct through enhancing existing administrations and the nature of our lodging homes. This method diagrams the developing vision of our tenure and home administration benefit through the following three years. The archive is liable to change as it is impacted by inhabitants, accomplices, partners and business issues. This procedure will address the key occupancy and home administration issues that have been recognized as needs by our inhabitants, leaseholders and different occupants. It will add to our point of making practical groups and will add to the Council's Strategic Improvement Plan. Basildon Borough Council perceives that powerful administration of our occupancies and neighborhoods will guarantee the long haul supportability of homes and groups (Jowsey, 2014). In the Tenancy and Estate Management Strategy, Mountclaim Housing Association should be used the software to improve rent collection. For example, it should use Buildiums software that is all-in-one property management software. In recent times, more than 10,000 customers use Buildium to manage over three-quarters-of-a-million units. Buildiums software helps Mountclaim Housing Association to properly manage streamline daily tasks in the rent, vacancy, and maintenance cycles (Virginia Richard, 2001). In recent times, Mountclaim Housing Association performance has decline from 55% to 43%, so this Tenancy and Estate Management Strategy through use the property management software would be beneficial of it to enhance revenue. The property management software can improve the financial capability of the organization through able it to collect revenue securely from all customers at less time. According to Audit Commision (2002) report, a small reduction on the percentage of rent collection will have a great impact on the service provision. So, that the use of property management software can help Mountclaim Housing Association to collect rent more fast and accurately, which help it to maintain their services. It can also save the money and time of Mountclaim Housing Association, so it able to provide best services of the more than 5,700 homes per year. Mountclaim Housing Association ought to be focused on building up our Tenancy and Estate Management Strategy and going with administrations through colossal interview with administration clients and key partners. This dedication is reflected inside of our marketable strategy and occupant investment minimal. We utilize a scope of systems to get input, including bequest reviews, natural champions, group boards, occupant monitors, secret shopping, review reactions and administration change bunches (Williamson, Fearon Kelly, 2014). This empowers us to tailor administration conveyance and upgrades to mirror the needs of individual neighborhoods, homes or roads, whilst keeping up spotlight on manageability of groups and tenures. The route in which Mountclaim Housing Association ought to oversee Council tenures and lodging domains has a critical effect on every nearby occupant and this method sets out how we mean to accomplish a serene, sheltered and great quality living environment for all inhabitants (McCulloch, 2012). Huge advancement has been made in enhancing the nature of our administrations and client concentrate around occupancy and home administration administrations. Mountclaim Housing Association ought to have built up our staff to guarantee that they are prepared to convey fantastic administrations, and building up two expert groups that arrangement with all matters identifying with Tenancy and Estate Management and Anti-social Behavior. Tenancy and Estate Management Plan: Tenancy and Estate Management is a term used to portray an extensive variety of administrations identifying with the administration of Council tenures and the encompassing neighborhoods. It covers a different scope of issues that are described in this paragraph. It providing counsel and help to each of the inhabitants with respect to the rights and obligations contained inside of their tenure assertion. It ensuring that inhabitants conform to their occupancy assentions and where they are not, making proper move to guarantee that they do, including making authorization move. It dealing with against social conduct, despise wrongdoing and residential misuse on our lodging domains, where important, in association with different organizations and in accordance with the needs of the Basildon Community Safety Partnership. Moreover, it providing backing and guidance to each of the inhabitants however especially new and defenseless occupants and guaranteein g fitting tenure sustainment backing is set up for those that oblige it. (Ihuah Eaton, 2013). This plan should be conducting tenure surveys to guarantee there are no abnormalities in our occupancies and where there are, working with Housing Fraud and different organizations to make fitting move. It should be dealing with deserted properties and unlawful subletting. It providing exhortation and support on tenure matters, e.g. progressions, assignments, shared trades and name changes. It should be undertaking standard domain investigations with inhabitants, accomplices and builders to distinguish and cure any imperfections on our lodging domains, for example, vandalism, shared repairs, litter, junk and congested trees. It should be working nearly with Operational Services to arrangement successfully with issues, for example, fly tipping, graffiti, litter and relinquished vehicles. In addition, this plan should be ensuring mutual zones are kept clean, clean and safe. It should be delivering an exhaustive cleaning administration in association with Pinnacle and checking execution of the agreement. It should be developing and actualizing home activity arranges and recognizing hotspot ranges for development. It should be delivering natural plans and Neighborhood Pride activities including a system of renovating drying and deny ranges all through the Borough and creating reusing activities on our bequests. Key Objective: It is imperative that Mountclaim Housing Association keep on building and enhance the magnificent administrations that we effectively convey (Williamson, Fearon Kelly, 2014). This methodology and going hand in hand with activity arrangement empowers us to give a reasonable concentrate on zones of further change that have been recognized as key issues by our occupants and different partners. These are the main 15 key objectives of this strategy: 1. To bolster conveyance of our Business Plan 2015-17 and to be an Excellent Housing Service for nearby individuals.2. To guarantee we meet our statutory commitments in connection to tenure and home administration including the way we oversee against social conduct.3. To enhance the security of our groups and diminish occurrences of hostile to social conduct.4. To enhance backing to casualties and witnesses of hostile to social conduct.5. To reduce incidents of occupancy extortion and to act quickly where this is distinguished.6. To enhance consumer loyalty with the tenure and home administration administrations we give. (Bright Dixie, 2014)7. To give high caliber, steady and open tenure and home administration benefits that are proactive, delicate, proficient, responsive, adaptable, responsible and reasonable.8. To give advanced offices on our domains and guarantee bequests and squares are clean and clean.9. To guarantee we consistently look for and use subsidizing sources and orga nization attempting to accomplish results that advantages the more extensive group.10. To guarantee that the assets that are accessible are centered on the needs recognized by key partners.11. To guarantee the administrations we convey give worth to cash.12. To enhance execution administration over the administration and the utilization of administration level understandings.13.To guarantee compelling instruments are set up for inhabitants to be counseled on changes that influence them and that they have the chance to give criticism that will be contemplated.14. To build inhabitant contribution and strengthening to empower inhabitants to settle on choices about their group especially in connection to use of the Environmental Champions Budget. (Ihuah Eaton, 2013)15. To enhance the techniques and the assortment of ways that inhabitants can draw in with Landlord Services in connection to tenure and home administration, for example, consistent domain walkabouts Delivering the Strategy: Mountclaim Housing Association ought to be perceived that the effective execution of this technique won't be accomplished in segregation and is subordinate upon fruitful working with nearby inhabitants, other Council divisions and our accomplices. We will work with accomplices to secure an all encompassing way to deal with tenure and bequest administration and wherever conceivable we will share assets to decrease our expenses. It ought to be re-organized our specialty to make authority groups, devoted to giving top notch occupancy and bequest administration administrations including the powerful administration of against social conduct (Byrne, Jackson Lee, 2013). It will guarantee that all our staff gets the fundamental bolster and preparing to empower them to completely meet the prerequisites of their part. These pro groups will be instrumental in guaranteeing the effective usage of this system. Mount claim Housing Association has an obligation to protect youngsters and defenseless grown-ups and we will follow our concurred approaches and strategies in doing as such. It will likewise routinely report any protecting concerns to the pertinent offices as suitable including Adult Social Care, Children's Services and the Child Protection Unit. It will add to an activity arrangement which will be evaluated yearly and observed quarterly to guarantee it meet the wanted results of this system (Hawkey, Webb Winskel, 2013). Tenancy and Estate Management Team: The group manages a mixture of tenure administration issues including progressions, assignments, common trades and name changes to the occupancy as per Council approach. It do a post tenure audit four weeks after the occupancy starts to guarantee that are occupants are accepting the proper help and backing in their new homes and they are mindful of their obligations. It has a project of occupancy surveys and embraces 20% of these every annum with the goal that we have surveyed each tenure over a five year period (Pottinger Tanton, 2014). Notwithstanding this it embraces audits on solicitation or where there are issues recognized that need further examination. These audits are done by our Tenancy and Estate Management Officers and guarantee enlisted inhabitants are still in occupation. This helps us to rapidly recognize lodging misrepresentation and ensures every one of our occupants and imminent inhabitants by guaranteeing the framework is not mishandled (Lawrence Dandy, 2014). The occupancy audits likewise empower us to examine and prompt occupants on issues they may have that may influence their occupancies. The group additionally signpost occupants to different associations for bolster if needed. The group likewise bargains a scope of home administration issues including, estate Inspections and walkabouts; reporting environmental defects such as graffiti or repairs; identifying areas for improvement; planning queries; right to buy checks; block inspections for cleaning; monitoring of SLAs, Contract Management of the universal cleaning contract (Adams, 2014). It has a group of three General Assistants who help to battle the issue of refuse dumping on our bequests and they likewise do minor repairs on our protected lodging plans. They find themselves able to give a quick reaction to issues of worry that has been raised by occupants (Virginia Richard, 2001). In addition, ABS Partners Real Estate, LLC that is a real estate services company that provides landlord and tenant representation services in New York also developed or maintain tenancy and estate management team to successfully implemented Tenancy and Estate Management Strategy. Tenancy and estate management team is the essential need to successful implement nd achieves the objectives of goals of Tenancy and Estate Management Strategy. Tenancy and estate management team helps real estate firms to generate their revenue and improve services (Jowsey, 2014). Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Team: The Anti-social Behavior Team are perpetrated to making positive move in conjunction with our accomplices, to manage all types of hostile to social conduct including disdain wrongdoing and household ill-use, independent of residency. Our approaches for handling hostile to social conduct completely bolster this technique. The ASB Manager is the vital lead for against social conduct in the Borough and speaks to Landlord Services on the Basildon Community Safety Partnership. We work together at an operational level through multi office boards and tasking gatherings and seat the month to month Problem Solving Group Meetings. The motivation behind these gatherings is to encourage a multi organization reaction to lessening and anticipating hostile to social conduct and enhancing nearby neighborhoods by using a critical thinking methodology (Ming Yip, 2001). The group comprises of ASB Officers, Neighborhood Nuisance Officers and Community Wardens. Reported cases are ordered by reality and multifaceted nature and managed appropriately. Where ASB does happen, it will deliver issues rapidly to keep the issue from rising. It has a scope of apparatuses accessible to handle an extensive variety of against social conduct. It will guarantee our staff are completely prepared and have the essential information and abilities to utilize these devices adequately to ensure groups (Wood, 2003). Residents: It has secured various administrations change bunches over a scope of administrations which inhabitants, leaseholders and other intrigued inhabitants go to. Occupants are engaged and urged to get included through a scope of alternatives and our administration gauges were produced in discussion with administration clients. Each of these gatherings has Terms of Reference which are definite in the Tenant Compact (Wysocki, 2004). Community Safety Team: The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 put an obligation on nearby organizations to cooperate in organization to decrease wrongdoing and issue in their neighborhood. The Community Safety Team is key individuals from the Mountclaim Housing Association Community Safety Partnership and work with different offices to execute methodologies and activity arrangements to keep on lessening wrongdoing, issue and hostile to social conduct (Lester, 2006). It contributes to initiatives such as the Community Safety Action Zone and the annual Together against Crime events. Conclusion On the basis of the above discussion, it can be concluded that Mountclaim Housing Association should be updated Tenancy and Estate Management Strategy to face the current challenges and provide the best services of the customers or residential at low price. Tenancy and Estate Management Strategy would be beneficial of Mountclaim Housing Association to improve the quality of life and services. Moreover, through updated Tenancy and Estate Management Strategy, Mountclaim Housing Association would able to improve income collection of rent, reduction in anti-social behavior, improved repairs and maintenance services that enhance quality of services to the estate. References Adams, D. (2014) Growth, structure and priorities of the UK real estate development industry: the longstanding division between commercial and residential developers. International Approaches to Real Estate Development, 46. Bright, S., Dixie, H. (2014) Evidence of green leases in England and Wales. International Journal of Law in the Built Environment, 6(1/2), pp. 6-20. Byrne, P., Jackson, C., Lee, S. (2013) Bias or rationality? The case of UK commercial real estate investment. Journal of european real estate research, 6(1), pp. 6-33. Hawkey, D., Webb, J., Winskel, M. (2013) Organisation and governance of urban energy systems: district heating and cooling in the UK. Journal of Cleaner Production, 50, pp. 22-31. Ihuah, P. W., Eaton, D. (2013) A framework for the sustainable management of social (public) housing estates in nigeria: A pilot study. RICS COBRA. Jowsey, E. (2014) Real Estate Concepts: A Handbook. UK: Routledge. Lawrence, A., Dandy, N. (2014) Private landowners approaches to planting and managing forests in the UK: What's the evidence?. Land Use Policy, 36, pp. 351-360. Lester, A. (2006) Project Management, Planning and Control: Managing Engineering, Construction and Manufacturing Projects to PMI, APM and BSI Standards. UK: Butterworth-Heinemann. McCulloch, J. (2012) The UK Park Trust Model: Nene Park Trust, Peterborough. Australasian Parks and Leisure, 15(2), p.26. Ming Yip, N. (2001)Tenant participation and the management of public housing-The Estate Management Advisory Committee of Hong Kong. Property Management, 19(1), pp.10-18. Pottinger, G., Tanton, A. (2014) Flooding and UK commercial property investment: what is the risk?. Qualitative Research in Financial Markets, 6(2), pp. 211-226. Virginia, G. A., Richard, B. (2001) Corporate real estate management in the retail sector: investigation of current strategy and structure. Journal of Real Estate Research, 22(1), 107-128. Williamson, C., Fearon, D., Kelly, K. (2014) 12 Property asset management. Real Estate Concepts: A Handbook, 281. Wood, M. (2003) A balancing act? Tenure diversification in Australia and the UK. Urban Policy and Research, 21(1), pp. 45-56. Wysocki, R.K. (2004) Project Management Process Improvement. UK: Artech House.

 Two Kinds by Amy Tan and Under Pressure Rescuing Childhood from the Culture of Hyper-Parenting (2008) by Carl Honoré Essay Example

  Two Kinds by Amy Tan and Under Pressure: Rescuing Childhood from the Culture of Hyper-Parenting (2008) by Carl Honorà © Essay â€Å"Do not live down to expectations. Go out there and do something remarkable† (Wendy Wasserstein). Expectations the belief to achieve something great in one’s life – are universally accepted. For many of us while growing up, our mothers have been an important part of who we are. Thus we as children learn to depend on them because they are always there when needed the most. Similarly, Two Kinds by Amy Tan and Under Pressure by Carl Honorà © are two texts which both examine the significance and underlying meanings of a mother-daughter relationship. These extracts are prime examples of a mother trying to live her life through her child. Two Kinds is a short story, which creates a dynamic connection between mother and daughter, demonstrating how the daughter best complies with her mother’s idealistic expectations. T he extract focuses on the idea of power and territory on the mothers side, while the daughter, for entertainment purposes, obeys her mother at a cost without questioning. The story is based on the complex as well as unfavorable relationship between a mother and daughter. Under Pressure in contrast is a self-help book with a didactic purpose, which explains how pushing children too hard at an early age will eventually backfire on the parents and society as a whole. Both extracts were written for adults. Especially parents, teachers and counselors will benefit from reading Under Pressure. While Two Kinds appeals to pathos, Under Pressure informs the reader using scientific facts to support a purpose. Two Kinds and Under Pressure are two extracts that employ differences in voice, organization style, and the characterizations of children as contrasting literary features while sharing a similar purpose. We will write a custom essay sample on   Two Kinds by Amy Tan and Under Pressure: Rescuing Childhood from the Culture of Hyper-Parenting (2008) by Carl Honorà © specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on   Two Kinds by Amy Tan and Under Pressure: Rescuing Childhood from the Culture of Hyper-Parenting (2008) by Carl Honorà © specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on   Two Kinds by Amy Tan and Under Pressure: Rescuing Childhood from the Culture of Hyper-Parenting (2008) by Carl Honorà © specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Initially, Two Kinds and Under Pressure are two articles that illustrate contrasting uses of voice. The titles Two Kinds and Under Pressure hold significance introducing the texts. The words â€Å"two kinds† illustrate the variety in a mother-daughter relationship. There are two kinds of daughters the one that obeys their mother and the other who follow their own mind. The reader can interpret the way in which her mother treats her child as foreshadowing the kind of woman the girl will grow up to be. As a child, the daughter is quiet and obedient towards her mother. However the mother’s actions foreshadow that a more rebellious side will eventually arise due to all the oppression. In fact, it is human nature that everyone has two sides to them, a â€Å"positive† and a â€Å"negative† side. Similarly the girl in the story is shaped by her two different cultures. In Two Kinds the narrative is told from a child’s innocent point of view, which contrast with the point of view of an experienced adult. The child tries her best to please her mum however, â€Å"after seeing my mother’s disappointed face once again† (Line 21), the girl accepts that regardless her mother, she has different expectations. The voice in Two Kinds is an issue of power and territory on the mother’s side, and compliance on the daughter’s part. Although this high pressure made the girl die within, did she never complain. â€Å"I hated the tests, the raised hopes and failed expectations† (Line 22) Her mothers pushed her child to do these tests guiding her unnecessarily in the wrong direction. In addition to that, irony is expressed throughout the extract. The mother expects her daughter to know all sort of fact without having any relation to the topic. â€Å"I had to look at a page from the Bible for three minutes and then report everything I could remember†(Line 17). The ridiculousness of the assignment is clearly expressed through the author’s voice. Quite on the contrary, Under Pressure uses a very formal, factual and strong voice that comes through to the audience. Under Pressure is a self-help book that is supposed to alert parents and educators and remind them of how children should be raised in the 21st century. Over the past decades, children have grown up under the pressure of being forced to accomplish too much. The title â€Å"Under Pressure: Rescuing Childhood†¦Ã¢â‚¬  reminds the reader that something has to be done to solve this problem. It symbolizes a new beginning, a new century in which children are allowed to grow up to be what they want to be, instead of what their parents want them to be. To emphasise the fact that pushing one’s child normally fails, Carl Honorà © uses voice as a literary device to contrast with Amy Tan’s description of her relationship with her mother. He analyzes parenting from a historical and scientific perspective. For instance, he begins by telling a story about an English writer who raised her daughter to be a prodigy, using dates, â€Å"eighteenth century†, (Line 1) and names, â€Å"Hester Lynch Thrale†, (Line 2) to emphasise that he has historical context to back up his message. However, in the story, the daughter never achieved anything great in life due to the high pressure she suffered under. By recalling this tale, the reader thinks about past events that help him or her make sense of the present, and therefore supports the author’s intention of the book. In addition when referring to the children, all parents would wish for an â€Å"uber-child† (Line 16). This word comes from the German word, ÃÅ"bermensch, meaning a super-human, in the sense that this human being has strengths and other skills uncommon to people. This explains the word uber-child, and the wish for parents to have a child, w ho is beyond human proportions. Through his word choice Carl Honorà © wanted to emphasize of the fact that each child is unique, and although driving a child onwards is good, too much pressure might ruin the child’s self-esteem and hope. In other words, Two Kinds and Under Pressure demonstrate differences in the voice of the narrator. Second, Under Pressure and Two Kinds demonstrate contrasting organizational styles as literary features. Both Amy Tan and Carl Honorà © use short sentences written in both active and passive voice, which allows for a more flexible sentence structure. Firstly the short story by Amy Tan is told from the perspective of a young immigrant girl, who is trying to please her mother. Her mother considers the American Dream to be true, and believes that â€Å"everyone can be anything they want to be†. Amy Tan portrays her moral to the reader through a tale. She begins with introducing the setting of the story and then continuous explaining the problems of the situation. The extract ends with an open ending â€Å"I began to cry† (Line 24) which leaves the reader wondering what would have happened next. These organizational styles attract the reader and keep him or her captivated throughout the short story and long after they have finished reading it. Two Kinds similar to Under Pr essure by Carl Honorà © is written to catch and inform the audience. Carl Honorà © is much more realistic, and portrays the life of a childhood which is defined by adults. Childhoods are being shaped and moulded by adult’s fantasies and fears, anxieties and agendas. Every aspect of a childhood is set to please the parents and not the child. Carl Honorà © uses a factual person, Hester Lynch Thrale, to prove his point. He begins by telling a story which is based on facts and not a memoir as Amy Tan has done. In addition he uses scientific facts to appeal to logos through the quote, â€Å"buried deep within the DNA†. Then gradually Carl Honorà © switches his style appealing to pathos through his written work. He reminds the parents that not everyone will end up â€Å"to be truly exceptional in any field† (Line 23) however with tolerance, love and dignity parents have the power to change and accept their children. Both writers launch the reader straight into the issue, and present the bleak picture of modern parenthood and touch upon the daughter-mother relationship having a deep effect on the reader, because each person is able to relate to this theme. However both authors also add their own sense of organizational style into their extract using different ways to attract the reader’s attention. For example Amy Tans text ends abruptly while Honorà © comes to a conclusion of how things should be done in the future. Therefore both extracts contrast the literary feature of organization style. Next Two Kinds and Under Pressure differ in their characterization of children as literary features. In both extracts children are viewed very differently. In Two Kinds, the mother is portrayed with power and the daughter never complains. However from the perspective of the daughter bitterness can be viewed. â€Å"I hated the tests, the raised hopes and failed expectations† (Line 22). The mother pushed her child to do these tests guiding her unnecessarily in the wrong direction. The character of the mother has an all-knowing personality, however this influences the growth of the girl in a negative way. The words â€Å"I began to cry† (Line 24) portrays a voice of lost hope and depression. Every time she did one of these tests did it not raise hope within the mother, but in her as well, willing herself to be extraordinary. Quite on the contrary Carl Honorà © wrote the book because he wanted to explain to parents how to approach children differently. The tone implies that the author wants to inspire parents to trust their instincts and encourage them to find a natural way to handle children. As Carl Honorà © said â€Å"A child is not a project or a product or a trophy or a piece of clay you can mold into a work of art. A child is a person who will thrive if allowed to be the protagonist of his own life.† The text by Tan gives quite a shocking image of a childhood while Carl Honorà © tries to clarify how children should actually be brought up. Both readers bring up the problems in mother-daughter relationship, which are a topic that concerns everyone. Tan and Honorà © differ in their characterization of children as literary features and therefore they are able to bring a similar message across to the reader very differently. A comparison of Two Kinds and Under Pressure as literary extracts shows a shared similarity in purpose. Through their extracts both authors want to portray the difficulties of a mother-daughter relationship. A common theme found throughout both texts is the way in which mothers express their frustrations when expectations are not met, and how in response children mimic their mother’s dreams and ultimately rebel against them. The extracts focus on the idea of how mothers use their power to criticize which leads their children to obeying their mothers without questioning. Both texts come to the conclusion that pushing a child to hard at an early age will end badly and lead to the break down of a child. Through these shared ideas, Tan and Honorà © were able to show a shared similarity in purpose. Two Kinds and Under Pressure are two extracts that employ differences in voice, organization style, and the characterizations of children as contrasting literary features while sharing a similar purpose. Each text focuses on the pressure of mother’s high expectations influencing a difficult mother-daughter relationship. Although the authors have the similar message their written work varies greatly in literary features. Two Kinds uses a voice of loss hope and confusion written from a child’s perspective while Under Pressure uses a more formal register to inform the reader. The extracts portray the yearning of parents for their children to be prodigies as well as the mother’s bitter resentment when the daughter fails over and over again. The authors of the text depict these two themes through different literary techniques and devices, making them different and similar from one another. Therefore Tan and Honorà © in Two Kinds and Under Pressure respectively use th e contrast of literary features of voice, organizational style and the characterization of children, while sharing the similarity of purpose.

Your guide to becoming a Certified Medical Assistant

Your guide to becoming a Certified Medical Assistant Healthcare is a hot industry, no doubt about it. As care becomes more advanced and an ever-growing population needs care in every aspect of health and wellness, these are jobs that will keep growing and demanding qualified professionals willing to take on these crucial roles. And while technology will continue to be a growth area for the field, the most in-demand roles of all may be the ones that handle patient care on the front lines, with and without cutting-edge tech. Certified Medical Assistants are just such professionals, who work directly with medical staff and patients to keep care running smoothly. What Does a Certified Medical Assistant Do?Certified Medical Assistants (or CMAs) are skilled, versatile professionals who may work in patient care assisting doctors, nurses, and other medical team members; in administration; or in a combination of both areas. They can be found in virtually any kind of clinical medical facility (hospitals, clinics, agencies, nursing homes, rehabil itation centers, government facilities) in support roles.A CMA’s tasks may include:Scheduling appointments and lab tests/proceduresAnswering phones and receiving patientsCleaning and preparing exam roomsTaking patient vital signs and medical history informationPreparing patients for specific procedures or testsExplaining treatment plans and follow-up care to patientsGiving injections or medications under the direction of a physicianPreparing patient samples for lab testsEntering patient information into charts and recordsAs you can see, CMAs take a large part in the everyday functions of a medical office, helping to make sure the basics are covered so that patients are receiving high-quality care. Thorough, accurate record-keeping is a large part of the role, as is being able to work equally well with both patients and other staff to make sure that information is clear and correct.Some CMAs have a more administrative focus, with their jobs more heavily weighted toward schedul ing, record-keeping, and managing the office aspects of a medical practice. Others are more oriented toward direct, clinical patient care, handling medical tasks and prep. The focus of the job really depends on the type of medical office and the skills and strengths of the CMA. For example, if you find you’re more inclined toward medical records expertise than drawing blood or taking blood pressure, there are CMA jobs that focus more heavily on administrative tasks.Medical assistants typically work a 40-hour work week, depending on the size and specialty of the practice.What Skills Do CMAs Have?CMAs need to have a pretty diverse skill set, given that their jobs can take on many different tasks.Medical skills: Medical assistants need to have a strong base in biology, anatomy, physiology, and science in general.Patient care skills: In addition to the medical know-how necessary to do the job, medical assistants also need to have strong customer care and service skills. They may be dealing with people as both patients and customers, and so need to have good people skills and bedside manner.Attention to detail: Small details can mean very big things when it comes to medical care, so CMAs need to have an eagle eye for details. This is especially true for administrative tasks like setting appointments and working with patient medical information, as inaccuracies can completely disrupt a medical practice, or a patient’s level of care.Teamwork skills: Medical assistants are crucial members of a whole medical team that may include doctors, nurses, administrative staff, and more. They need to be able to take directions from physicians and help ensure seamless care for the patients.Organizational skills: Efficiency and accuracy are two huge skill areas for medical assistants. CMAs may be juggling a waiting room full of patients on an aggressive appointment schedule, or need to process large numbers of samples for lab testing. Keeping everything calm and orga nized is essential.Communication skills: CMAs need to be able to record complicated medical information, as well as potentially be able to explain instructions or treatment plans to patients. Listening skills are crucial, as is the ability to communicate clearly with people at all points in the process to make sure that patients are getting what they need, and that other medical staff have the information they need too.How Much Do CMAs Get Paid?According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, medical assistants make a median salary of $31,540 per year, or $15.17 per hour, depending on location and experience.How Do You Become a CMA?Although some medical assistants start their careers right after high school, it is far more common for CMA jobs to require some college, or a certificate from an accredited Medical Assisting program. To become officially certified, candidates also need to pass the Certified Medical Assistant Exam offered by the American Association of Medical Assistants .What is the Outlook for Certified Medical Assistants?It’s a bright one- the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the demand for certified medical assistants will grow by 23% by 2024. This is much faster than average. As the need for quality healthcare doesn’t seem to be shrinking anytime soon, the need for high-quality medical assistants will continue to grow as well.If you’re considering joining a healthcare-related field, and can juggle the many needs of a medical practice, becoming a certified medical assistant could be the natural next step for your career. Good luck!

Statistics assignment Project Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Assignment - Statistics Project Example where X1 , X2 , X3 are the three test scores and X is the final score. Assume that your test scores are (integer) values between 1 and 10 with equal probability 1/10, independently from each other. What is the probability mass function of the final score? Q6. (10) The metro train arrives at the station, always on time, near your home every quarter hour starting at 6:00 AM. You walk into the station every morning between 7:10 and 7:30 AM, with the time in this interval being a uniform random variable. The mean is the most commonly-used measure of central tendency in a distribution. The mean is valid only for interval data. Since it uses the values of all of the data points in the populations or sample, the mean is influenced by outliers that may be at the extremes of the data set. On the other hand, the median can be determined for ordinal data as well as interval data. Unlike the mean, the median is not influenced by outliers at the extremes of the data set. Q8. (10) A system consists of 3 components arranged in series. The lifetime (in days) of each component follows approximately an exponential distribution with a mean lifetime of 100 days. The lifetimes of the components are independent. Where p1(x, ï  ¬), p2(x, ï  ¬), p3(x, ï  ¬) are three independent exponential distributions in parallel. After some algebra and if we take q as any of the three independent exponential distributions, q = p1 or q = p2, q = q3, q = ï  ¬

Core Needs Addressed and Bases of Market Segmentation Essay - 16

Core Needs Addressed and Bases of Market Segmentation - Essay Example Examining the case of Lane Bryant, it is ostensible that the company is seeking to meet the basic need for clothing with their introduction of a’ new activewear line’. The workout-wear branded as Livi Active is a product that seeks to meet the clothing desires and demands of women while participating in the gym exercises or as they leave. Availing it in sizes that fit a higher percentage of its target customers has ensured this demand is met (Mahoney, 2015). This base of segmentation considers the demographic variables including age, size, education, religion, gender among others (Blythe, 2008). Considering the case of Lane Bryant’s new product, Livi Active has been initiated with clear conscious about certain variables. Gender, age and body size are the primary aspects that have been examined extensively. The product seeks to meet the demand of ladies and not any other gender. Also, the gap in terms of body sizes has been thought through before coming up with a product that suits size 12. This has been generated from the information and statistics available. Consequently, the psychological influence that drives people into having needs and wants have been considered. In this case, lifestyle is the core aspect that has informed the development of this product. In the plus-size women desire to look sharp and this makes them develop a strong need for gym wears that are designed with colors that can attract them. The bright colors are apparently the best for this. The company’s new product targets plus-size women whose body size are above size 12. The new product is to be designed brightly and fashionably for the large-bodied customers who, in the past, have not had the chance to receive such stylish clothes. Unlike the traditional system where  Lane Bryant only stylishly designed wears for medium and small size customers, the new product will incorporate the large sizes to enjoy the same.  

Tariff and non tariff trade barriers

Tariff and non tariff trade barriers INTRODUCTION Despite all the evident benefits of international trade, governments have a tendency to put up trade barriers to protect the domestic industry. There are two kinds of barriers: tariff and non-tariff. Tariff Barriers Tariff is a tax levied on goods traded internationally, that is on imports. As a result, the price level of imported products rises and the demand for them decrease, thus imports are less. Non-tariff Barriers Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) include all the rules, regulations and bureaucratic delays that help in keeping foreign goods out of the domestic markets. Baldwin  [1]  defined a non-tariff distortion as any measure (public or private) that causes internationally traded goods and services, or resources devoted to the production of these goods and services, to be allocated in such a way as to reduce potential real world income. The WTO After the World War II, many countries focused on protecting home industries. So, international trade was hampered by severe trade restrictions. To remedy this situation, twenty-three nations joined together in 1947 and signed the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which stimulated free trade by regulating and lowering tariffs. The work of GATT is sustained by the World Trade Organization (WTO) which encourages global commerce and reduces trade barriers. Tariffs on goods and services have been reduced to low levels through eight successive rounds of the WTO; still there has been a significant increase of Non-Tariff Measurements which are seriously hindering trade. Countries use many mechanisms to restrict imports. NTBs have gained importance as tariff levels have been reduced worldwide. They are the greatest single threat to a liberal world trading system and they are becoming more widespread: the percentage of industrial countries total imports subject to NTBs rose from 25% in 1981 to 27% in 1983 and they are even higher today. NTBs are therefore one of the most important issues in the round of international trade negotiations. TYPES OF NON-TARIFF BARRIERS Non- Tariff Barriers to trade can be categorized in six types: Specific Limitations on Trade: Quota shares A quota is a restriction in value or in physical terms, imposed on import and export of certain goods for a certain period of time. For example, the US has imposed a quota on textiles imported from India and other countries. Import licenses/ Restrictive licenses Import licensing can be defined as administrative procedures requiring the submission of an application or other documentation, other than those required for customs purposes, to the relevant administrative body as a prior condition for importation of goods  [2]  . For example, in Washington, cheese and cheese products are subject to the requirements of the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture and most importations of cheese require an import license and are subject to quotas administered by the Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service  [3]  . In Mauritius, pesticides require import licence from the Ministry of Health, arms and ammunitions require import permit from the police and many others.  [4]   Exchange controls This is monitoring the amount of foreign exchange available to residents for purchasing foreign goods domestically or while travelling abroad is another way of restricting imports. Foreign exchange restrictions and foreign exchange controls occupy a special place among the non-tariff regulatory instruments of foreign economic activity. Foreign exchange restrictions constitute the regulation of transactions of residents and nonresidents with currency and other currency values. Import bans/ limitations This is a government order forbidding imports of a specific kind or from a particular country. For example, in order to protect the domestic manufacturers against cheap competition from the neighboring country, the government of India imposed ban on the import of Chinese toys. Moreover, many countries, like for example India, have impose a ban on food imports from Japan fearing contamination. Furthermore following a milk scandal that led to the widespread poisoning of babies in China, India banned the import of milk and milk products from China. Embargoes Embargo is a particular type of quotas prohibiting the trade, in other words, when imports from a specific country are totally banned. It is mostly put in place due to political reasons. For example, the United Nations imposed an embargo on trade with Iraq as a part of economic sanctions in 1990. Customs and Administrative Entry Procedures Customs Valuation There is a commonly held view that the invoice values of goods traded internationally do not reflect their real cost. This gave rise to a very subjective system of valuation of imports and exports for levy of duty. If the value ascribed to a particular product would turn out to be considerably higher than its real cost, it could end in affecting its competitiveness by increasing the total cost to the importer due to the excess duty. This would hence act as a barrier to international trade. Antidumping practice If a company exports a product at a price lower than the price it normally charges on its own home market, it is said to be dumping the product. Antidumping is prohibiting a country to dump, that is, to export goods at usual lower prices. Documentation requirements This is when complicated and unnecessary documentation requirements are asked by the importing countries. In Mauritius, according to the Mauritius chamber of commerce and Industry of Mauritius, these imports documents are required; invoice, showing the FOB and CIF value of goods; packaging lists; bill of lading; bill of entry; and where applicable; insurance certificate, certificate of inspection, certificate of origin and imports permits  [5]  . Rules of origin Determining where a product comes from is no longer easy when raw materials and parts across the globe are used as inputs in the manufacturing plants. Rules of origin are important in implementing such trade policy instruments as anti-dumping and countervailing duties, origin marking, and safeguard measures. Technical barriers to trade Technical Barriers Countries generally specify some quality standards to be met by imported goods for various health, welfare and safety reasons. In Mauritius, rice (imported by traders other than the State Trading Corporation) should not exceed 10% broken rice, bakery additives shall not contain potassium bromate as an ingredient  [6]  , etc. This facility can be misused for blocking the import of certain goods from specific countries by setting up of such standards, which deliberately exclude these products. The process is further complicated by the requirement that testing and certification of the products regarding their meeting the set standards be done only in the importing country. The Precautionary Principle The precautionary principle, is a government restrictions on trade in the context of environmental and health concerns, often regardless of cost or scientific evidence. The precautionary principle has been interpreted by some to mean that new chemicals and technologies should be considered dangerous until proven otherwise. It therefore requires those responsible for an activity or process to establish its harmlessness and to be liable if damage occurs. Sanitary and phyto-sanitary conditions This is a restriction on imports from certain places in order to protect consumers, the environment, or agriculture from harmful diseases or pests that may accompany the imported product. For instance, in Mauritius, agricultural goods require a phytosanitary certificate from the ministry of Agriculture, prepared foods, drugs, and chemicals with potential adverse effects on health require phytosanitary certificate from the Ministry of Health.  [7]   Packaging conditions, labeling conditions and product standards. Countries usually impose standards on classification, labeling and testing of products in order to be able to sell domestic products, but also to block sales of products of foreign manufacture. These standards are occasionally entered under the excuse of protecting the safety and health of local populations. In Mauritius, the establishment in charge for the control of standards mainly for food and other items is the Mauritius Standards Bureau. In addition, European exporters and investors are facing an increasing number of unjustifiable non-tariff barriers in the form of product certification, labeling standards, import approval requirements and customs clearance delays. Also, many of the Chinese standards such as the CCC standard require certification by the Chinese authorities before a product can be put on the Chinese market. Important information has to be submitted and the factory has often to be inspected at the expense of the exporter. Government Participation in Trade Complex regulatory environment Some countries have complex regulatory framework, for e.g. complex business registration and license, and thus this hamper free trade. For instance, rules recently enacted in China, prohibit European financial information agencies and operators to sell directly their services customers in China. Government procurement policies This is another type of NTB where governments pretty frequently follow the policy of procuring their requirements (including that of government-owned companies) only from local producers, or at least extend some price advantage to them. This closes a big potential market to the foreign producers. Subsidies to Local Goods This occurs when governments directly or indirectly subsidize local production in an effort to make it more competitive in the domestic and foreign markets. For example, tax benefits may be extended to a firm producing in a certain part of the country to reduce regional imbalances, or duty drawbacks may be allowed for exported goods, or, as an extreme case, local firms may be given direct subsidies to enable them to sell their goods at a lower price than foreign firms. Countervailing duties This is a duty placed on imported goods that are being subsidized by the importing government. This helps to even the playing field between the domestic producers and the foreign producers receiving subsidies. Buy national policy This is a policy hosted by the government to help the national economy. For instance, in 2009, the Paraguayan Finance Ministry specified changes to public procurement policy in relation to the national stimulus plan. That is, public bodies that seek to spend money from the stimulus money are to give preference to national goods and services. More specifically, domestic goods shall receive a preferential margin of 70 percent over imported products. In terms of labor, the announcement declares that at least 70 percent of the labor involved in stimulus projects shall come from local employees living in the territory of the contracting public authority. Charges on imports Variable import levy A  variable import levy  is a  levy  on imports that raises their price to a level at least as high as the domestic price. Such levies are adjusted frequently in response to changes in world market prices, and are imposed to defend administered prices set above world market prices. Under the  Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture, the variable levies of the EU have been converted into fixed tariffs or tariff-rate quotas. Border taxes It is a tax system for imports and exports, especially one that compensates for internal taxes in Common Market countries by levying fees or paying rebates. Others Voluntary Export Restraints This is an act of limiting exports. It happens when a country facing a persistent huge trade deficit against another country pressurized the latter to adhere to a self-imposed limit on the exports. For instance, after facing consistent trade deficits over a number of years with Japan, the US persuaded it to impose such limits on itself. Direct and Indirect Restrictions on Foreign Investments A country may directly restrict foreign investment to some specific sectors or up to a certain percentage of equity. Indirect restrictions may come in the form of limits on profits that can be repatriated or prohibition of payment of royalty to a foreign parent company. These restrictions discourage foreign producers from setting up domestic operations. Foreign companies are generally interested in setting up local operations when they foresee increased sales or reduced costs as a consequence. Thus, restrictions against foreign investments add impediments to international trade by giving rise to inefficiencies. PROBLEMS CAUSE BY NTBs The reduction of tariffs in progressive rounds of trade liberalization at the multilateral and regional levels has been mirrored by the rise to prominence of NTBs. NTBs for instance specific limitations on trade and charges on imports such as quotas, import ban and so on, will directly affect trade negatively as they will impact on exporting countries by decreasing or prohibition their exports. Although embargo is usually introduced for political purposes, the consequences, in essence, could be economic. This decrease or ban in exports, if it was of an important quantity/ value, will create serious economic catastrophe for the exporting countries and may result in Balance of Payments deficiency, a decrease in GDP, an increase in the level of unemployment and if nothing is done to remedy the situation, the country can go in a recession. NTBs in the customs and administration entry procedures category and in the standards category do not directly hamper free trade but they add to business cost. These testing procedures being expensive, time consuming and cumbersome to the exporters, act as a trade barrier. This will eventually raise their costs, leading to higher prices thus making them less competitive at international level, and small and medium enterprises may be discouraged to export. A vivid example is in Iran where  NTBs negatively impact on the trade of pistachio and shrimp products. The most important reasons for the reduced export of these products are Sanitary Phyto-Sanitary (SPS) and Technical Barriers (TB). According to WTO rules, countries are allowed to adopt regulations under the SPS and TB agreements in order to protect human, animal and plant health as well as the environment, wildlife and human safety.  [8]   However, by imposing NTBs, both counties will lose, that is, the country which imposes the NTMs also loses. This can be demonstrated by the following facts: for instance, Japanese consumers pay five times the world price for rice because of import restrictions protecting Japanese farmers. American consumers also suffer from the same double burden, paying six times the world price for sugar because of trade restrictions. Hence, allowing free trade in a way will benefit everyone. European consumers pay dearly for restrictions on food imports and heavy taxes for domestic farm subsidies.  [9]   HOW TO REDUCE NTBS The action should start from the top, that is, from the WTO itself. The WTO has already reached some agreements like the Anti-dumping Agreement, SPS agreements, technical barriers agreements and many other agreements. Moreover, RTAs is the first step to reduce NTBs, as it is easier to get the consensus of all an RTA members on a matter that the consensus of all the WTO members. In addition, RTAs normally constitute of country members with a similar/ more or less the same economic background. For instance, in ASEAN, most members are from developing countries while EU has members from developed countries. As a result, removing NTBs will benefits all the members equivalently. For example, there has already been an agreement on the general features of the process for eliminating NTBs in ASEAN. The process Involves, verification of information on NTBs, prioritisation of products/NTBs, developing specific work programmes, and obtaining a mandate from the ASEAN Economic Ministers to implement the work programme.  [10]   In addition, different RTAs have different methods of reducing NTMs. Such as, the Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies aims at building a shared regulatory framework and at achieving greater security for consumers and workers, better protection for the environment and reduced cost for international trade.  [11]  They also developed standards for agricultural produce that define minimum quality requirements in order to facilitate the trading process. CONCLUSION Free trade, will surely benefits many countries. Thus in order to allow trade to occur freely, tariffs as well as non-tariff barriers need to be reduced. However, sometimes for safety reasons, some NTMs are required. For instance the import ban on food from Japan is necessary in order to avoid the proliferation of the radioactive contamination. Thus some trade restrictions may be necessary for countries to ensure the safety of the food supply and the health of plants, animals and the environment. However, sometimes governments go beyond what is necessary to protect domestic industries.   Moreover, free trade can increase the poverty gap. This is so because developing countries and LDCs will not be able to compete with developed countries and multinationals may implant themselves in the LDCs just to reap the benefit of cheap labour and resources and does not contribute more to the development of those LDCs.

Salem :: essays research papers

The Salem Witchcraft Trials: A Time of Fear and Confusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Imagine, just for a minute, living in a time and place where you are not free to practice your own religious or spiritual beliefs and you are forced to live in fear because of persecution by the church and everyone around you. Persecution back in 1692 in Salem Massachusetts was a very real, very serious thing. Those persecuted were hanged, burned, and even pressed against rocks if found guilty of witchcraft. The Salem Witchcraft Trials stands as one of the darkest times in American history of religious tolerance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Salem Witchcraft Trails were caused and continued by various events and people. Diseases, natural catastrophes, misfortune, and deaths seemed to be around every corner for the people that lived in Salem. Instead of writing these events off as bad luck people in Salem blamed these horrible things on the Devil. The people of the town believed that the Devil recruits witched and wizards to do his work for him. As soon as something bad happened, the God-fearing people of Salem were quick to blame it on a witch or wizard. Anything a little out of the ordinary like children claiming to see things that someone else could not was blamed on a witch. The people seemed to be always out to find a witch in hopes of stopping their misfortunes. They believed that once the witch was executed all the bad luck they were experiencing would disappear. Since their bad luck never disappeared their witch hunt would not soon be satisfied. The whole tragic trials were apparently started when several young girls were found playing with a ball made of crystal. Only trying to escape their punishment, they claimed to have been forced to do so by a witch. The church tried to seek out and punish the witch or wizard responsible for tormenting the girls and thus started this whole out of control event. The minister of the town, Samuel Parris, not only didn’t help the problem, but added fuel to the fire by telling the town that witches were everywhere and that no one could be trusted. Since people were allowed to testify in court about spirits talking to them, everyone backstabbed each other in order to financially gain another’s property. If you were convicted of being a witch the only way to escape death was to confess.