Admission to Physical Therapy Graduate Program Free Essays

In all aspects of my life, perhaps the most significant inspiration that has shaped my life becoming the person I am today and gave me direction is experience itself who has taught me well. I had a tough childhood with my parents and my first marriage was unsuccessful. However, the outcome made me a stronger, more responsible and compassionate individual developing a heart for others in need. We will write a custom essay sample on Admission to Physical Therapy Graduate Program or any similar topic only for you Order Now My loving and forgiving grandmother imparted to me values that have served as my guiding principles through the years. I always give my best in everything I do no matter how insignificant that may be. I believe in the saying do unto others as you would have them do unto you because true happiness to me is caring for others. This is the very reason why I worked so hard to complete my education by all means despite many obstacles so that I could be of great service to many when I finished my graduate program. Pursuing my college education was quite a struggle. I have to joggle raising two boys and studies as well as financial resources. As a stay-home mother, I took initiatives to continue schooling whether on-line or on-site at Mountain State University and Chattahoochee Technical College maintaining very high marks. Due to lack of funds, I stopped during the fall of 2005 until April 2006. With much dedication, I moved on with my studies in May 2006. I thought then that it was impossible but I did it because I was determined, committed and focused. Currently, I am senior at Charter Oak State College finishing my undergraduate studies with a 3.90 GPA at the same time doing my required 80-hour observation. Besides my family, realizing my education would be my other great accomplishment more so when I graduate from this program. I am motivated to undertake this study because I believe that this is a good foundation to sharpen not only my intellectual purpose but my capabilities that will propel me to more achievements in life and a career in physical therapy. Ever since growing up I have uncovered my desire to help others probably because I have an outgoing personality. When I started college, I wanted to be psychologist. However, I have a neck problem that needed to be addressed through physical therapy. During my treatment, I just fell in love with whole process and like what I saw. The therapist was truly concerned about my pain and tried to make me strong and healthy again. There were these exercise equipment that help the patients strengthen their weak areas. Fitness and health are part of me. I play golf once a week at the same time goes fishing, horseback riding and hiking. I joined the Country Music Marathon last April with a time of four hours and three minutes, which landed me at the top 7% overall and top 3% in the women’s. I feel that I am a healthy person and could promote the benefits of nutrition and exercise to a lot of people. There is a shortage of physical therapist. I believe I would make a great therapist. While searching for a graduate school that would meet my goals, I was excited to find the holistic approach of Alabama State University in Montgomery to physical therapy. I have devoted my undergraduate studies to prepare for this so that I can finally practice what I have learned. By adopting the tools and methods the university will provide, I can correctly interpret the theories and practices of physical therapy that are both insightful and sound. After graduation, I intend to pursue this career either in government or private to support my family and help those in need of physical rehabilitation making sure they get the necessary care and attention. When I gained enough knowledge and experience, I plan to set up my own therapy sessions at home during my free time to serve nearby patients. Though school may be over, I will still continue educating myself through research on-line to further expand my knowledge. I really enjoy what I do because I want to be a good example to my children and hopefully give them better education. All the hardships are nothing if you love your family. Reference Alabama State University, Montgomery. (2006). Physical Therapy. Heath Sciences. Retrieve August 15, 2006, from http://www.alasu.edu/Health_Sciences/default.aspx?id=16 How to cite Admission to Physical Therapy Graduate Program, Essays

Roanoke Essays - Roanoke Island, African-American Historic Places

Roanoke The very first effort to colonize The New World was attempted by the English in the late sixteenth century, at Roanoke Island. Beginning in the year of 1584 efforts were made to explore the east coast of The New World and find land that would be habitably for future colonists. It was in 1587 that a permanent colony was finally established. However, this accomplishment for the colonists and for England was learned to be one of the greatest American mysteries when the colony was discovered abandoned in 1590. There are theories on what could of happened to the men, women and children who called this land their home but no one knows for sure. Roanoke Island is an island just off the coast of present day North Carolina. The Albemarle Sound, Croatoan Sound, Roanoke Sound, and the Pamlico Sound are four bodies of water that surround this island. The Atlantic Ocean is less than ten miles away from Roanoke on it's eastern coast, and direct contact with the ocean is connected by a strip of land called Bodie Island, which is part of the Outer Banks. The western coast of the Island is also less than ten miles from the mainland of North Carolina. In the late 16th century Queen Elizabeth encouraged exploration and settlement of new lands by issuing charters for exploration, and it was during this time period when the English discovered Roanoke Island. However it was not until March 25, 1584 when the significant history of Roanoke was made with the re-issuing of the charter to Sir Walter Raleigh. It was the responsibility of Raleigh to make the necessary provisions to complete the journeys to the New World and accomplish the goals of the charter. So Raleigh began hiring ship captains and their crews who were worthy seamen and could succumb to the new environment on the ship and on their new homeland. He would recruit possible colonists who had a dream of leaving their homeland in pursuit of a new land and who could also adapt and help build this new colony. He would need to purchase food and other supplies that would last them their voyage over the Atlantic and until they could manage their own crops. And the most difficult was finding those who would invest capital in the missions. Although Raleigh named the land he found Virginia, the queen would not give him the financial assistance that he needed for his mission. There were a total of four expeditions, under the Raleigh charter. The first and second expeditions took place from 1584 to 1586. The accomplishments of these missions included producing contact and establishing friendly relations with a native tribe called the Croatoan, the fortification of the island, and searching for an appropriate place for a permanent settlement. It is during the second expedition that Raleigh decided to leave behind some of the colonists, while the ships returned to England for supplies. They left a few more than one hundred men to continue the search for a permanent settlement sight, and to keep an English hold on the island. This effort failed due to the lack of supplies, weather conditions, and the strained relations with the Croatoans and other more violent native tribes. These men who were left also did not have the skills of building, cooking, and hunting their own food therefore survival on this new land was a struggle. The situation becomes extremely d esperate for the men when they resort to their dogs as a source of food. Some claim they even dug up the newly deceased as a source of food. Luckily for the colonists, a ship came to their rescue and took all but fifteen of the men back to England. The mystery of Roanoke begins with the third expedition of 1587. John White was named governor of the colonist, which would now include women children. The permanent structure of this mission was due in part by the involvement of entire families. To further insure success, the colonist themselves were the investors. The third expedition comprising of almost one hundred twenty men, women and children ready for colonization, arrived on the island in the spring of 1587. Their intent was to locate

Burgess and Atwood and linguistic communication in dystopian societies Essays

Burgess and Atwood and linguistic communication in dystopian societies Essays Burgess and Atwood and linguistic communication in dystopian societies Essay Burgess and Atwood and linguistic communication in dystopian societies Essay as the State attempts to change Alex’s really ideas and behavior forms to do him conform to their impressions of the right citizen ; a point testified to by the words of Dr. Branom when he says: ’You felt ill this afternoon†¦because you’re acquiring better. When we’re healthy we respond to the presence of the hateful with fright and sickness. You’re going healthy that’s all. You’ll be healthier still this clip tomorrow. [ 6 ] In the dystopian universe ofA Clockwork Orangelangauge, in the signifier of slang, is used as a manner of urgently cleaving to the impression of individualism in the face of the homogenising forces of the State and at the book’s decision it is finally successful as Alex retains both his linguistic communication and his sense of Self. The Handmaid’s Tale – Gender Dystopia Margaret Atwood’s novelThe Handmaid’s Taleoffers us a similar and yet subtly different dystopian vision, one that is based ondirectphysical aggression and suppression. WhereasA Clockwork Orangedepicts a society and a State whose force and development is, at first covert and is so revealed, inThe Handmaid’s Talethe power of Gilead over the organic structures and heads of the adult females is obvious from the book’s really gap: We slept in what had one time been the secondary school. The floor was of stained wood, with chevrons of and circles painted on it, for the games that were once played at that place, the basketballs for the hoops cyberspaces were still in topographic point, though the cyberspaces were gone. [ 7 ] There is no covert State power here, none of the concealed docket ofA Clockwork Orange, this gap scene reminds us of the images of disfranchised and anomic refugees or concentration cantonment captives. The adult females have been stripped of all material worth, ready to be molded into what the patriarchal State desires. Womans are classified and characterised harmonizing to their comparative utility to the male dominated societal order, a point most clearly reflected in the coloring material of their apparels: red for the Handmaids, blue for the Wives, brown for the Aunts etc. The desires of the patriarchate are literally inscribed on the organic structures of the adult females in the signifier of their garb and, through the usage of names ( Offred, Ofglen etc. ) their position non merely as objects but as ownerships is invariably asserted. Womans in are Gilead non merely suppressed and exploited, they are dehumanised and de-individuated. In chapter 20 seven, for case Offred offers us a description of the local town that has had all mention to muliebrity removed: We turn out dorsums to the Wall, caput left. Here there are several empty shopfronts, their glass Windowss scrawled with soap. I try to retrieve what was sold in them, one time. Cosmetics? Jewelery? Most of the shops transporting things for work forces are still unfastened ; its merely the 1s covering in what they call amour propres that have been shut down. [ 8 ] In Gilead, female gender is deemed as either unsafe or worthless, it needs to be either restricted or expunged. Handmaids are used strictly as vass for kids, they are robbed of their gender, non even being allowed to utilize soap or cosmetics. Again, as Nancy Walker ( 1990 ) points out, control in Gilead is closely linked to linguistic communication and its utilizations: InThe Handmaid s Talemerely the opinion category have entree to books, scriptural injunctions are distorted, and even Scrabble is a cloak-and-dagger activity. [ 9 ] The linguistic communication that Atwood utilises for her novel is a unusual mixture of antediluvian Biblical mention and modern-day concatenation, as we have already seen, the naming of the Handmaids reflect their position as ownerships through the evocation of of Fred or of Glen but there are deeper significances: Gilead, for case is found in the Old Testament ( Jeremiah 46: 11 ) , the frocks are called habits’ ( Atwood, 1996: 34 ) and the citizens of Gilead greet each other by stating Praise be ( Atwood, 1996: 29 ) , all are clearly mentions to the alteration of linguistic communication to reflect spiritual indoctrination. The Handmaid’s Tale, as David Sisk ( 1997 ) tells us concerns itself, to a really big extent, with the grade that control over a society’s linguistic communication besides means control over the heads of those within it. It is no accident that Offred’s minute of minor rebellion, in the signifier of the Scrabble game with the Commander, is twinned with an enraptured usage of words, as if their really sound signals some exciting glance of release: We drama two games. Larynx, I spell. Valance. Quince. Zygote. I hold the calendered counters with their smooth borders, finger the letters. The feeling is juicy. This is freedom, an eyeblink of it. Limp. I spell. Gorge. What a luxury [ 10 ] Here we see some of the lingual sense ofA Clockwork Orange, like Alex, Offred finds a sense of freedom in the usage of words that are outside of the proscribed, regulated linguistic communication. However, whereas, in Burgess’ novel the semantic change of linguistic communication comes from the user ( Alex’s slang ) inThe Handmaid’s Taleit comes from the oppressive power of the State: Gilead restricts linguistic communication and so excessively the ideas and responses of those that use it. Decisions As we have seen, the word picture of dystopian societies and the representation of linguistic communication inA Clockwork OrangeandThe Handmaid’s Taleare linked and yet perceptibly different. Ultimately both concern themselves with the extent that control over linguistic communication and look equates to command of lives and fates ; Alex is all the stronger for asseverating his control via nadsat and Offred is all the weaker for releasing hers to the linguistic communication of the Republic of Gilead. Both novels characteristic State force of a sort, Burgess’ through Capitalist brainwashing and behavior alteration and Atwood’s through an open patriarchal subjection of adult females ; both of these rather clearly have a modern-day relevancy, the former to theories of psychological intercession prevalent in the sixtiess and 70s ( see for case Alan Kazdin’s bookBehaviour Modification in Applied Settings( 1975 ) ) and the latter to feminist writers such as Andrea Dworkin and Laura Mulvey’s averments on the jussive mood for censoring in arguments refering erotica and the objectification of adult females in the modern media. In an progressively diverse and technologically based society, nevertheless, the existent relevancy of both of these plants lies in their word picture of the power of linguistic communication to both liberate and subjugate. Each suggests that there is a direct correlativity between the ownership of linguistic communication and the flexing of power, a point made by Robin Tolmach Lakoff in his surveyTalking Power: The Politicss of Language in Our Lifes: Language is powerful ; linguistic communication is power. Language is a change-creating force and therefore to be feared and used, if at all, with great attention, non unlike fire. ( Tolmach Lakoff, 1990: 13 ) Mentions Atwood, M ( 1996 ) ,The Handmaid’s Tale, London: Vintage. ( ISBN 0099740915 ) Burgess, A ( 2000 ) ,A Clockwork Orange, London: Penguin. ( ISBN 0141182601 ) Fiedler, K and Bless, H ( 2001 ) , Social Cognition , published in Hewstone, M and Stroebe, W ( explosive detection systems ) ,Introduction to Social Psychology, London: Blackwell, pp.115-150, ( ISBN063120437 ) Holy Bible( 1991 ) , Oxford: Oxford University Press. ( ISBN: 0195283708 ) Kautksy, K ( 1888 ) , Thomas More and his Utopia , available online at hypertext transfer protocol: //www.marxists.org/archive/kautsky/1888/more/ [ accessed 14ThursdayDec 2005 ] Kazdin, A ( 1975 ) ,Behaviour Modification in Applied Settings, London: Dorsey Press, ( ISBN 025601681 ) More, T ( 1980 ) ,Utopia, London ; Penguin ( ISBN 0140441654 ) Morrison, B ( 2000 ) ,Introduction, published Burgess, A,A Clockwork Orange, London: Penguin, ( ISBN 0141182601 ) Partridge, E. ( 1933 ) ,Slang: Today and Yesterday, London: Stephen Austin and Sons Sisk, D ( 1997 ) ,Transformations of Language in Modern Dystopias, London: Greenwood Press ( ISBN: 0313304114 ) Sutz, E ( 1957 ) ,The Praise of Wisdom: A Commentary on the Religious and Moral Problems and Background of St Thomas More’s Utopia, Oxford: Oxford University Press ( ISBN: B0000CJXIS ) Tolmach Lakoff, R ( 1990 ) ,Talking Power: The Politicss of Language, London: Basic Books, ( ISBN: 0465083595 ) Walker, N ( 1990 ) ,Feminist Options: Irony and Fantasy in the Contemporary Novel by Women, Mississippi: University of Mississippi ( ISBN: 0878054421 ) Bibliography hypertext transfer protocol: //www.sparknotes.com/lit/clockworkorange/ [ accessed 14ThursdayDecember 2005 ] hypertext transfer protocol: //www.sparknotes.com/lit/handmaid/ [ accessed 14ThursdayDecember 2005 ] 1

Definition and Examples of a Written Summary of Text

Definition and Examples of a Written Summary of Text A summary, also known as an abstract, precis, or synopsis, is a shortened version of a text that highlights its key points. The word summary comes from the Latin, sum. Examples of Summaries A Summary of the Short Story Miss Brill by Katherine MansfieldMiss Brill is the story of an old woman told brilliantly and realistically, balancing thoughts and emotions that sustain her late solitary life amidst all the bustle of modern life. Miss Brill is a regular visitor on Sundays to the Jardins Publiques (the Public Gardens) of a small French suburb where she sits and watches all sorts of people come and go. She listens to the band playing, loves to watch people and guess what keeps them going and enjoys contemplating the world as a great stage upon which actors perform. She finds herself to be another actor among the so many she sees, or at least herself as part of the performance after all....One Sunday Miss Brill puts on her fur and goes to the Public Gardens as usual. The evening ends with her sudden realization that she is old and lonely, a realization brought to her by a conversation she overhears between a boy and a girl presumably lovers, who comment on her unwelcome pr esence in their vicinity. Miss Brill is sad and depressed as she returns home, not stopping by as usual to buy her Sunday delicacy, a slice of honey-cake. She retires to her dark room, puts the fur back into the box and imagines that she has heard something cry. -K. Narayana Chandran. A Summary of Shakespeares HamletOne way of discovering the overall pattern of a piece of writing is to summarize it in your own words. The act of summarizing is much like stating the  plot of a play. For instance, if you were asked to summarize the story of Shakespeares Hamlet, you might say: Its the story of a young prince of Denmark who discovers that his uncle and his mother have killed his father, the former king. He plots to get revenge, but in his obsession with revenge he drives his sweetheart to madness and suicide, kills her innocent father, and in the final scene poisons and is poisoned by her brother in a duel, causes his mothers death, and kills the guilty king, his uncle. This summary contains a number of dramatic elements: a cast of characters (the prince; his uncle, mother, and father; his sweetheart; her father, and so on), a scene (Elsinore Castle in Denmark), instruments (poisons, swords), and actions (discovery, dueling, killing). -Richard E. Young, Alton L. Becker, and Kenneth L. Pike. Steps in Composing a Summary The primary purpose of a summary is to give an accurate, objective representation of what the  work  says. As a general rule, you should not include your own ideas or interpretations. Paul Clee and Violeta Clee Summarizing condenses in your own words the main points in a passage: Reread the passage, jotting down a few keywords.State the main point in your own words and be objective: Dont mix your reactions with the summary.Check your summary against the original, making sure that you use  quotation marks  around any exact phrases that you borrow. -Randall VanderMey, et al. Here...is a general procedure you can use [for composing a summary]: Step 1: Read the text for its main points.Step 2: Reread carefully and make a descriptive outline.Step 3: Write out the texts thesis or main point. . . .Step 4: Identify the texts major divisions or chunks. Each division develops one of the stages needed to make the whole main point. . . .Step 5: Try summarizing each part in one or two sentences.Step 6: Now combine your summaries of the parts into a coherent whole, creating a condensed version of the texts main ideas in your own words. -(John C. Bean, Virginia Chappell, and Alice M. Gillam, Reading Rhetorically. Pearson Education, 2004) Characteristics of a Summary The purpose of a  summary is to give a reader a condensed and objective account of the main ideas and features of a text. Usually, a summary has between one and three paragraphs or one hundred to three hundred words, depending on the length and complexity of the original essay and the intended audience and purpose. Typically, a summary will do the following: Cite the author and title of the text. In some cases, the place of publication or the context for the essay may also be included.Indicate the main ideas of the text. Accurately representing the main ideas (while omitting the less important details) is the major goal of the summary.Use direct quotations of keywords, phrases, or sentences. Quote the text directly for a few key ideas; paraphrase the other important ideas (that is, express the ideas in your own words.)Include author tags. (According to Ehrenreich or as Ehrenreich explains) to remind the reader that you are summarizing the author and the text, not giving your own ideas. . . .Avoid summarizing specific examples or data unless they help illustrate the thesis or main idea of the text.Report the main ideas as objectively as possible...Do not include your reactions; save them for your response. -(Stephen Reid,  The Prentice Hall Guide for Writers, 2003) A Checklist for Evaluating Summaries Good summaries must be fair, balanced, accurate, and complete. This checklist of questions will help you evaluate drafts of a summary: Is the summary economical and precise?Is the summary neutral in its representation of the original authors ideas, omitting the writers own opinions?Does the summary reflect the proportionate coverage given various points in the original text?Are the original authors ideas expressed in the summary writers own words?Does the summary use attributive tags (such as Weston argues) to remind readers whose ideas are being presented?Does the summary quote sparingly (usually only key ideas or phrases that cannot be said precisely except in the original authors own words)?Will the summary stand alone as a unified and coherent piece of writing?Is the original source cited so that readers can locate it? -John C. Bean On the Summary App  Summly Upon hearing, in March of [2013], reports that a 17-year-old schoolboy had sold a piece of software to Yahoo! for $30 million, you might well have entertained a few preconceived notions about what sort of child this must be...The app [that then 15-year-old Nick] DAloisio designed, Summly, compresses long pieces of text into a few representative sentences. When he released an early iteration, tech observers realized that an app that could deliver brief, accurate summaries would be hugely valuable in a world where we read everything - from news stories to corporate reports - on our phones, on the go...There are two ways of doing natural language processing: statistical or semantic, DAloisio explains. A semantic system attempts to figure out the actual meaning of a text and translate it succinctly. A statistical system - the type DAloisio used for Summly - doesnt bother with that; it keeps phrases and sentences intact and figures out how to pick a few that best encapsulate the entir e work. It ranks and classifies each sentence, or phrase, as a candidate for inclusion in the summary. Its very mathematical. It looks at frequencies and distributions, but not at what the words mean. -Seth Stevenson. The Lighter Side of Summaries Here are some...famous works of literature that could easily have been summarized in a few words: Moby-Dick: Dont mess around with large whales, because they symbolize nature and will kill you.A Tale of Two Cities: French people are crazy.Every poem ever written: Poets are extremely sensitive. Think of all the valuable hours we would save if authors got right to the point this way. Wed all have more time for more important activities, such as reading newspaper columns. -Dave Barry. To summarize: it is a well-known fact that those people who must want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it. To summarize the summary: anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job. To summarize the summary of the summary: people are a problem. -Douglas Adams. Sources K. Narayana Chandran,  Texts and Their Worlds II. Foundation Books, 2005)Richard E. Young, Alton L. Becker, and Kenneth L. Pike,  Rhetoric: Discovery and Change. Harcourt, 1970Paul Clee and Violeta Clee,  American Dreams, 1999.Randall VanderMey, et al.,  The College Writer, Houghton, 2007Stephen Reid,  The Prentice Hall Guide for Writers, 2003John C. Bean, Virginia Chappell, and Alice M. Gillam  Reading Rhetorically. Pearson Education, 2004Seth Stevenson, How Teen Nick DAloisio Has Changed the Way We Read.  Wall Street Journal Magazine, November 6, 2013Dave Barry,  Bad Habits: A 100% Fact-Free Book. Doubleday, 1985Douglas Adams,  The Restaurant at the End of the Universe. Pan Books, 1980

UK Retail Market and Financial Comparison of GAP and NEXT Case Study

UK Retail Market and Financial Comparison of GAP and NEXT - Case Study Example This paper illustrates that the top five clothing retailers, M&S, Next, Arcadia Group, Matalan, and BHS, claimed 44% of sector sales in 2004 making the UK one of the most concentrated clothing sectors in Europe. In spite of this, value-led retailers, such as TK Maxx, ASDA (George range) and Tesco outperformed the rest of the market, continuing to be the fastest growing channel and generating  £2 billion in clothing sales. Next retail also continued to grow, overtaking the Arcadia Group and moving into second place behind M&S. The value clothing market has become increasingly competitive. Not only have many of the retailers in this sector really got their act together in terms of upgrading store environments and enhancing their product offers - becoming, in effect, the new lower middle market, but the middle market has been fighting back. The last 18 months have seen a strong recovery at M&S, and BHS - that describes itself as premium value- is also a much stronger player. Therefore , there is more and better choice for consumers. However, while 2001 and 2002 were buoyant years for retail and for clothing, 2003 is seeing a significant slowdown. It is much quantifiably harder to persuade consumers to spend. A key factor is that value clothing retailers now know that they cannot succeed with low prices alone. Consumers expect a pleasant environment and mainstream-quality merchandise even if they are paying very little. So they have had to make very significant investments in their store estates - at a time when many are expanding rapidly too. Also, this space and product expansion has been very challenging. Many have found that their infrastructure, systems, IT and logistics have just not been up to it and this has affected their sales performance. In 2004, the competitive environment in the UK retail market has experienced a dramatic re-shape. This re-shape has been led by the acquisition of the Safeway supermarket chain by Morrisons, which has created the count ry's fourth-biggest retailer and has given Morrisons the chance to pose a real threat to Sainsbury's, in the fight for third place behind the UK's biggest retailers, Tesco and Asda. According to new research analyzing the Retailing industry in the UK by Euromonitor International, the move towards greater consolidation continue to impact the UK retail industry over the next five years. Euromonitor suggests that future mergers and acquisitions in UK food retailing are likely both to be on a smaller scale and to involve the take-over of convenience retailers by hypermarket chains wishing to strengthen their presence in the UK's high streets. According to Raphael Moreau, Retailing Analyst "Diversifying into convenience stores is on the agenda for the UK's top hypermarket chains because this retail format offers good growth prospects. Convenience stores have increased their share of the UK food retailing market from 20% to 21.9% between 1999 and 2003. Clearly, these stores are appealing to UK consumers, thanks to their convenient locations and extended opening hours. Hypermarket retailers want to make sure they don't miss out on this growing area of the UK market." High Street convenience stores are also particularly attractive to hypermarket retailers, due to strict planning rules restricting the opening of new out-of-town hypermarkets. Euromonitor International believes that this trend is likely to intensify in the next five years.

Design & defend an optimal performance appraisal system for a position Research Paper

Design & defend an optimal performance appraisal system for a position you aspire to hold (medical supervisor) - Research Paper Example The typical methodology geared to dealing with performance appraisal systems relies on using a generalized approach where one performance appraisal system is used for a number of different hierarchical positions in an organization (Cascio, 2013). However, it would only make sense to design a performance appraisal system that is attuned to the needs of a particular position being appraised. This paper attempts to design an optimal performance appraisal system for the position of a medical supervisor based on current research findings. Description of Position The performance appraisal system under design is for the position of a medical supervisor. Essentially the position requires a large amount of daily interaction with patients as well as members of staff and occasionally contact with members of regulatory agencies. Additionally, the medical supervisor represents a senior position at any medical institution and is responsible for overseeing the training and skill development of his subordinates. The medical supervisor needs to keep tabs on the budgeting of resources and scheduling of staff members to ensure uninterrupted medical service to patients. The multifaceted nature of the job of a medical supervisor means that the incumbent medical supervisor needs to be ready on all fronts to deliver in order to be relevant to the organization’s overall objectives. Proposed Optimal Appraisal Performance System The proposed appraisal performance system for the position of a medical supervisor is divided into sections based on the major responsibilities for the position. The responsibilities are segregated through broad overviews since the current paper is not intended to dissect all of the responsibilities in complete detail. The primary responsibility of a medical supervisor is to the patients under treatment. Patients can be seen as the customers for any medical system so delivering to the customers is of the utmost importance. The medical supervisor is suppor ted by his staff at various levels and positions in order to service the patients so dealing with staff is a secondary responsibility to ensure satisfactory service provision at least. Moreover, the medical supervisor is responsible to his immediate superiors and members of regulatory agencies such as the American Medical Association (AMA) who require consistent feedback for continuous performance assessment. Performance Appraisal for Patients The basic contention behind performance appraisals is to provide employees with feedback regarding their performance (Broady-Preston & Steel, 2002). In the case of medical institutions, the customers are patients under treatment. Performance appraisal needs to emanate from patients and their relatives who judge the quality of services being delivered by a medical supervisor. Essentially such a grass roots level performance appraisal system bases itself on the 360 degrees appraisal system proposed by Milliman (1994). The idea behind such an app raisal system is to ensure that all people interacting with an employee especially customers provide their effective feedback in relation to the employee’s attitude and behavior (Cascio, 2013). This provides the medical supervisor with a more goal oriented performance appraisal system that encourages a quantitative method to evaluate job

The general concept of contemporary strategic procurement

The general concept of contemporary strategic procurement This research paper introduces the general concept of contemporary strategic procurement and some of contemporary strategic procurement issues, including services procurement, corporate social responsibility, procurement in merging market, ethics in procurement. But this research paper focuses on such issues as sustainable procurement including its benefits and some main environmental issues that should be taken into account in the procurement activity, based on a global mining organization, Rio Tinto Group. Those main environmental issues mentioned in this research paper refer to climate change and greenhouse gas emission. Next, it is discussed that how to implement the sustainable procurement strategy and it takes Rio Tinto Group as an example. Later in the research paper it is discussed an important question that is why it is critical for mining organization to be sensitive to sustainability and from three respects including resource scarcity, environmental impact, and supplier se lection. At last, it is showed that a critical market mechanism, carbon emission trading, which is a hot topic with the development of sustainable economy. It is on the purpose of achieving greenhouse gas emission reduction. Introduction In recent years, corporations are in the intense global competition. It is evident that it is hard for company to remain its competitive advantage just by production and sales. Nowadays, increasingly more organizations view procurement as a critical source for improving the competitive advantage. However, the conventional procurement is lacking of explicit procurement strategy, whats more, is neglecting to form the long-term relationships with the supplier. Facing with all kinds of development tendency affects procurement prospective, companies are demanded to pay close attention to the strategic procurement. What is strategic procurement? To begin with, strategic procurement is the procurement which distinguishes from the conventional procurement that focuses on purchasing items at a possible lowest price. In other words, strategic procurement concentrates on total cost ownership (TCO), namely, life cycle cost (LCC). Secondly, strategic procurement is that through advanced planning, scheduling, and team purchasing initiatives as well, a company can achieve effective cost reduction. Apart from hard dollar savings, there will be additional savings generated through a more efficient business operations and hence increased profitability. In the case of resource limitation of a corporation, explicitly understand internal demand and external supply, supplier capacity and market condition, in order to manage the relationships with suppliers effectively and efficiently and to establish the long-term strategic partnerships with suppliers. By means of strategic procurement, it enables company to be aware of its type of internal demand more explicitly so as to make control of the demand. In once sense, through some valuable analysis an organization can make clearer of the production process of supplier and cost structure even than the supplier, and these analysis also supports the organization in terms of supplier selection, negotiation, supplier relationships management and so on. Therefore, the organization can give up supplier who doesnt meet requirements, moreover, look for the new substitute to improve the holistic level of supplier. When it comes to the critical principles of strategic procurement, the lowest acquisition cost, win-win strategic partnership, integrated purchasing capability and so on should be taken into account. With the development of contemporary strategic procurement, it indicates a host of strategic procurement issues such as services procurement, corporate social responsibility, procurement in merging market, ethics in procurement. This research paper focuses on sustainable procurement and some environmental issues like carbon emission and climate change, with Rio Tinto Group which is a world leader in finding, mining and processing the earths mineral products include aluminum, copper, diamonds, gold, and energy products such as coal and uranium, and industrial minerals like borax, titanium dioxide, salt, talc, zircon, a nd iron ore. As we know, sustainability is one of the hottest topics people talk about in this modern society. Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For human beings, sustainability is the potential for long-term maintenance of wellbeing, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions. Another word which is also mentioned is sustainable development. Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come. In the concept of business, sustainable procurement, also called green procurement, is a spending and investment process typically associated with public policy, although it is equally applicable to the private sector. Sustainable procurement broadens the framework of procurement which has historically been based on two criteria, price and quality. It takes account of third-party consequences of procurement decisions, forming a triple baseline of external concerns which the buying organization must fulfill. There are two essential parts in terms of sustainable procurement. First part is to purchase raw materials and/or products to meet the current customers needs and/or to meet the requirements of production to fulfill current customers demands. Second part is to preserve the ability of the coming generations to meet their needs. Sustainable procurement encompasses all issues where procurement is seen as having a role in delivering economic, social and environmental policy objectives. Specifically speaking, sustainable procurement means that when buying goods and services, some consideration needs to be taken into account. For instance, avoid unnecessary consumption and manage demand; minimize environmental impacts of the goods and services over the whole-of-life of the goods and services; consider suppliers socially responsible practices including compliance with legislative obligations to employees and value fo r money over the whole-of-life of the goods and services rather than just initial cost. In addition, use sustainable or recycled materials and/or products; consider the availability of the product. Organizations practicing sustainable procurement meet their needs for goods, services, utilities and works not only on a private cost-benefit analysis, but also to society and the economy, whilst minimizing damage to the environment. Sustainability can be incorporated into the whole procurement process: defining the need, evaluating options, design and specifying, supplier selection, tender evaluation, post-contract management and supplier development. It has been already integrated within the mainstream of procurement policy and practice. If the mining industry is to retain its access to resources, it must understand the sustainability better. Thus, it can continuously improve its performance and succeed in restoring public trust. How significant is sustainable procurement? To begin with, there are a number of environmental issues with mining organizations including Rio Tinto. Environmental issues can include climate change, loss of biodiversity, and contamination of soil, groundwater and surface water. In particular, that people pay more attention is climate change which is a hot topic of discussion worldwide. In recent usage, especially in the context of environmental policy, climate change usually refers to changes in modern climate. It may be qualified as anthropogenic climate change, more generally known as global warming or anthropogenic global warming. Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of earths near-surface air and ocean; arise from increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases. Global warming results in extreme weather, increased freshwater flow, sea level and temperature rise, and it is detrimental to the social system and biological system. As matter of fact, a host of activities of human beings and companies are contr ibuting to climate change. For instance, Rio Tinto Groups coal operations contributed to global warming. Carbon dioxide emissions are the most important cause of global warming. As a consequence, in order to achieve environmental protection thus resource can be met not only in the present but also for generations to come, at the same time, not bring harm to the economic interest of a company, the company needs to conduct sustainable development. Among the contemporary strategic procurement issues, sustainable procurement is listed into a key issue. When it comes to the benefits of sustainable procurement, first of all, it reduces adverse environmental impacts arising from the procurement activities of human beings and companies. For instance, it reduces waste to landfill, saves water, reduces air and water pollution, saves money through reusing materials and products, reduces consumption of both natural and processed resource, and decreases carbon emission. In terms of carbon emission, as mentioned above, it is the most critical cause of global warming and is mostly generated by the heavy industries like the mining organization. As one of serious issues that all mankind faces, a host of developing countries even some developed countries are taking actions to limit carbon emission primarily via some economic and political measures such as voluntary agreement, carbon dioxide tax and carbon trading. Carbon emissions trading is a form of emissions trading that specifically targets carbon dioxide and it currently constitutes the bul k of emissions trading. It is a general method that countries utilize so as to fulfill their responsibility specified by the Kyoto Protocol. In this respect, sustainable procurement builds a sustainable supply chain for the future. And it is with the addition of assisting in the protection of environmental biodiversity all over the globe, and ensuring the health and safety of the community. Secondly, it is the benefit from more sustainable goods and services. That means by choosing to invest in the sustainable solutions, it can influence the decisions made by other bodies and by individuals. Demand for sustainable goods and services can help to make these solutions more generally available, at more affordable prices to the purchasers. Buyers who conduct sustainable procurement will also demand their suppliers for sustainable products and services. As a result, the whole supply chain will become sustainable. Thirdly, sustainable procurement will be likewise more efficient use of shar eholders resources. Specifically, for the shareholders, what they pay most attention is the cost. And sustainable procurement reduces costs through greater energy efficiency, waste disposal, risk management, and the costs for products over the life cycle. In general, sustainable procurement plays a key role in the both economic and environmental development in that it identifies more sustainable ways of meeting requirements and designs sustainable procurement specifications accordingly. The approach can address the social, economic and environmental implications of product and service choices. It also can embrace whole life costing and address how aspects such as design, manufacturing materials, operating costs, energy consumption, waste and recycling options support a more sustainable approach. How to implement the sustainable procurement strategy? Sustainable procurement is a product of sustainable thinking throughout the entire organization. The organization must share the drive, responsibility and the commitment and this should be reflected in policies, strategies and procedures. Every organization should develop its own plan to improve the sustainability of its procurement activity. The plan should declare the future plans in terms of improvement showing what and by when they will be achieved. Chief Executives and senior management must demonstrate leadership and a genuine commitment by incorporating sustainability objectives into their procurement activities, policies and strategies. All those involved in specifying demands and procuring goods and services need to contribute to incorporating sustainability into contracts.4 It is critical that those who originate and develop requirements consider sustainability at the outset and through each stage of the process. Information and training on the importance and value of speci fying and purchasing sustainably is also essential for all the staff in the organization and organizational procedures and plans should reflect this. Sustainable procurement will come about only if the organization and those within it understand, and are committed to, operating sustainably. Organizations need to keep to all environmental legislative and regulatory rules when buying products, services and works; integrate the environment into procurement decisions; raise staff concerning and awareness on environmental issues into procurement by providing relevant information and training; get products, services locally wherever possible taking into account the need to achieve best value for money; and get energy supplies generated from renewable sources. At Rio Tinto Group, they have their own procurement department called Rio Tinto Procurement (RTP). They focus on the ways in which it can bring sustainable socio-economic benefits to the areas in which it operates, namely mining business. Rio Tinto Procurement claims that they deliver value to the Rio Tinto Group by providing a safer, efficient and effective procurement and inbound supply chain service to business units and functions. With respect to sustainability, Rio Tinto Procurement also declares they conduct their procurement activity in a manner that is holistic, transparent and sustainable. Respect for the environment is central to their approach to sustainable procurement. Rio Tinto Procurement seeks to contribute to sustainable development. Specifically, in the process of procurement activity, they work as closely as possible with their host countries and communities, respecting their host countries laws and customs. They minimize adverse effects and strive to improve every aspect of their procurement performance. Before they make decisions in terms of what kind of material to purchase, Rio Tinto Procurement will competitively test the material commitments to ensure that Rio Tinto obtains the best value available considering all relevant factors, such as safety, quality, delivery, specification, price, environmental and community impact and sustainable development. They believe that conducting a successful business and sustaining quality of life and the environment go hand in hand. Their commitment to responsible stewardship and business practice benefits society by keeping economies and the planet healthy for the future generations, and it benefits the company by enhancing its long-standing reputation as a good business partner and neighbor. Firstly, for society, Rio Tinto Procurement provides goods jobs, goods opportunities and a safe working environment for all employees, and partnering with neighbors to deal with a variety of issues that affect th e communities. Secondly, for environment, they minimize their environmental footprint and maximize the contribution their products make to the environment. Thirdly, for economy, they create value for their customers, shareholders, employees and economies. Why is it critical for mining organization to be sensitive to sustainability? One of the implications is that the conventional technical and professional strengths of mining and metals people are no longer sufficient for the requirements of today. Companies need to ensure that they are sensitive to sustainability. Then, why is it critical for mining organization to be sensitive to sustainability? As we know, mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, normally from an ore body, vein or coal seam. It also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock salt and potash. Mining resources are one of the most critical natural resources and are the important material foundation of society. For example, mineral fuel and iron are basic need of the country. Copper, lead and zinc are mostly used in industries. While gold and silver is used in industrial development. Nickel, manganese, fluorspar, vanadium, tungsten, a sbestos, mica, mercury, graphite, antimony a tin used in various industries. However all of them are non-renewable resources. From the perspective of sustainable procurement in the mining organization, what to concern is less investment while high productivity, as well as environmental protection. That means purchase the raw materials and relative accessories used to production at the reasonable prices to meet mankinds requirement and to improve peoples life quality, at the same time, eliminate the negative effects to the ecology. First of all, from the perspective of resource, sustainable development of resources focuses on exploring new ways to maximize the value of the resources. The first key question is whether the resources all over the globe are utilized adequately? As we know, a characteristic of all the resource is the scarcity. That means resource whatever tangible and intangible is all limited. Resource which is rich today will be exhausted one day in the future. Whats more, resource is a core element for any company, especially for the mining company. In recent years, it indicates that with the dramatical development of technology and productivity the demand of mineral resources is at all-time high in that economic prosperity and societal wellbeing require a safe and reliable supply of energy and mineral resources. For instance, in USA, it consumed 35 billion tons petroleum, 7.3 billion tons steel, 140 million tons copper and 200 million tons aluminum during 20 century. Although a plenty of mineral resource is enough for the production for this generation and a few next generations, these mineral products will be exhausted eventually in a certain generation. It is reported that there exists potential risks in terms of the quantity of other mineral resource excluding coal in Peoples Republic of China. As a result, mining organization needs to pay more attention to procure the mineral resources sustainably. Some mining organizations which conduct sustainable procurement emphasize that renewable resources, recycling, resource substitution, and increases in efficiency and conservation are needed to enhance the stability and security of non-renewable energy and mineral resources supply and demand. Some substitution can extend the mineral supplies. At Rio Tinto Procurement, their approaches is not only discovering new mineral resources, but also finding ways to contribute to recycling as well as looking for more sustainable materials and ingredients in order to preserve the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Some recycled materials should be taken into account in the process of procurement activity. In terms of recycled materials and resources, Rio Tinto also does a significant job. It is reported that 20 percent of the materials that are used in the production comes from recycled content. The second key question is whether the certain material needs to used really. This means that both the end customers of the products and the buyers have to review their product requirements and identify potential opportunities for increasing the efficiency of use. It can both cut procurement costs and save the resources which can be used more suitably. Secondly, from the perspective of environment, sustainable procurement of mineral resources also concentrates on the environmental protection. For instance, a new process at BMA Peak Downs Mine (Australia) is not only decreasing coal loss by nearly nine percent, but also improving the mines sustainability performance via reducing the area disturbed, waste production and fuel consumption, the latter assisting to meet greenhouse gas emissions targets. When the organization purchases goods and services, environmental issues should be taken into account. As a consequence, organization should purchase materials which bring less environmental impacts to both current and future life. It is inevitable for the mining organization to create adverse environmental impacts in the operations. As mentioned above, it mainly refers to climate change, carbon dioxide emission. For instance, at Rio Tinto Alcan which is one of five product groups operated by Rio Tinto and is a global supplier of high qua lity bauxite, alumina and aluminum, they invest in zero and low emission technology research, development and deployment to address climate change issue because the aluminum industry generates approximately one percent of global greenhouses gases emissions in the integrated production of aluminum products. Therefore, by running sustainable procurement, it enables Rio Tinto Alcan to reduce operating costs, enhance product value and quality with less impact on the environment. In order to produce products that meet the requirements of sustainable development, procurement department is also responsible for buying the raw materials and ingredients which have less adverse impacts on the environment. For example, at Rio Tinto, they procure low emitting materials that include adhesives, sealants, paints, primers, carpeting and composite wood products to support the manufacturing activity. Rio Tinto Procurement also carefully selected products to avoid volatile organic compounds, formaldehy des and other hazardous and irritating chemicals, ensuring that products they procured are with hazard to both living beings and environment as little as possible. Additionally, Rio Tinto Procurement is also working to better understand the future needs for metals and minerals. Sustainable procurement considers not only materials, environmental effects, but also supplier selection. Under the condition of strategic procurement, company has not focused on purchasing items at a possible lowest price. Normally, when conducting sustainable procurement it is essential for organization to make sure that suppliers and contractors are aware of environmental issues and policies, promote environmental awareness among suppliers and encourage them to minimize the environmental impacts of the supply chain. Take Rio Tinto Procurement as an example. Rio Tinto Procurement sources its suppliers with high criteria. Firstly, Rio Tintos suppliers and potential suppliers must meet the requirements of sustainable development. In other words, they must be able to demonstrate strong organizational commitments to the sustainable development such as natural resource conservation and management, carbon and greenhouse gas emission reduction, energy and fuel efficiency, waste minimizati on, improved health and safety, human rights and labor practices. Rio Tinto Procurement values suppliers whose policies and practices demonstrate active awareness of and support for sustainable development principles and help them achieve the goals of sustainable development. Through collaborating with suppliers to obtain the objectives of sustainable development, Rio Tinto Procurement seeks to create business relationships that have positive and enduring effects in the developing economies where they operate. As a result, suppliers who are safe, efficient, and meet the requirements of sustainability play a critical role in Rio Tintos success. General speaking, one of key factors of sustainable procurement is to motivate vendors to offer more sustainable products. Company may share supplier information with respect to products functional performance specifications including sustainability instead of the technical specifications of known products. Carbon emission trading In addition, sustainable development cannot be achieved by industry alone. It requires concerted collaborative effort from industry, governments, inter-governmental agencies and civil society. For instance, as a key word of sustainable development, carbon emission trading plays an important role in sustainable procurement. Carbon emission trading is a form of market mechanism on the purpose of achieving greenhouse gas emission reduction, especially reducing carbon dioxide emission. This form of permit trading was specified by the Kyoto Protocol that takes market mechanism as a new method that resolves the issue in terms of greenhouse gas emission reduction. In other words, it is a market-based approach that trades carbon dioxide emission credits. Specifically, if an organization comes in below the limit of allocation of allowable emissions, they can sell the remainder of the allocation. On the other hand, if a company produces carbon dioxide more than its allocation of allowable emis sions, they either have to offset that or buy additional allocation. Rio Tinto is encouraging governments to implement workable fair trading schemes. They invest capital in developing new technologies such as AP technology which is the most efficient approach of smelting aluminum, low emissions processing for iron ore, and block cave mining process which reduces materials handling and allows the ore to begin to break itself during the handling process. As new technologies become available, these will be adapted to further reduce emissions and improve energy efficiency. Conclusion All in all, procurement has never played such as important role in the increasingly globalized economy. Strategic procurement can mean completely different things in different industries and sectors. What cannot be denied is procurement decisions are more and more based on total supply chain cost, carbon footprint impact, other ethical, social and economic factors, rather than just purchase prices. In this modern society that people emphasizes sustainability and sustainable development, contemporary strategic procurement should also pay more attention to sustainable procurement and environmental issues. Sustainability requires the purchasing organization to be aware of both life cycle costs (LCC) and the life cycle environmental impact associated with their purchase decision and to add these factors into their supplier selection as well as relationships with suppliers. Organization which has a better understanding of sustainable procurement may implement the following three points: m inimizing impacts of the supply chain, minimizing impacts of the product and/or service, and buying resource efficient products. And their sustainable procurement activity considers products, services, and suppliers. It includes issues such as resource extraction and consumption, manufacturing and production, use and maintenance, recycling and disposal options. As a result, this organization can obtain significant economic interest, at the same time, maintain the sustainable development of ecology, keep the resources for next generations and make an effort in its social responsibility.