Electronic Medical Record Implementation: Costs and Benefits

Electronic Medical Record Implementation: Costs and Benefits Sheryl L. Venola Assignment 3 (24 July 2011) NURS 517 Intro to Health Care Financing Saint Xavier University Professor: Dr. Roger Green, DNP, MSN, BSN Abstract This paper discusses the adoption of an electronic medical record system purchased by Howard Regional Health System in Kokomo, Indiana; the rationale behind its timing and choice in expenditure; the ramifications of not implementing the system (e. g. recent health care legislation requirements); the benefits to the organization as well as to the patients it serves, and a cost effectiveness analysis. Additionally, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is discussed including compliance mandates that will require eligible providers and health care institutions to meet electronic health technology implementation deadlines or face no compensation for their implementation as well as reductions in Medicare and Medicare reimbursements. Also included are discussions of the â€Å"meaningful use† guidelines established by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid and the differences between electronic medical records and electronic health records. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of electronic medical records are detailed. In response to the to changes in the health care delivery system as a result of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) signed into law in March of 2010, Howard Regional Health System (HRHS) has recently purchased the Cerner electronic medical record (EMR) system at a cost of $22,000,000. According to chief executive officer, James Alender, accountable care is the focus of this change in addition to stimulus money for electronic health record (EHR) system implementation, which could offset their initial expenditure by approximately $3,100,000 based on the volume of Medicare business the organization had in 2008 (Munsey, 2011). This monetary investment comes in the wake of health information technology implementation requirements set forth in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The Recovery Act specifies that eligible providers and hospitals with a fixed Medicare and Medicaid patient populations must adopt EHR systems by 2015 or face reduction in their compensation under these programs (Department of Health & Human Services [DHHS], 2009). Additionally, the act assigned funds to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to assess existing EHR systems and to provide incentives for eligible providers and hospitals in implementing such systems. With continued funding and legislative measures affecting the organization’s financial future, the adoption of the Cerner system seems to be one of the most important steps in ensuring its financial security in the years to come. If hospital executives and the Board of Trustees were to ignore the requirements set forth in the AARA and ACA legislation, the institution would be in serious jeopardy of losing not only is share of federal funding, but its ability to participate in health care delivery on any level at all. This would signal their demise and would certainly affect the surrounding community as it is one of two hospitals in Kokomo, Indiana, and is the only health care organization of its size in this region of the state. The patients Howard Regional serves will benefit from electronic recording of their health and medical information in many ways. Alender states that Kokomo’s â€Å"snowbirds† should have access to their records so they can be as mobile as they are, suggesting that this will reduce health care costs by reducing duplication of tests, if treatment is obtained away from home. He goes on to assert that digital records will allow more efficient movement of patients through the system allowing seriously ill patients to move more quickly through the emergency department, and other acute care departments within the system. Additionally, if that same patient requires further care away from HRHS, the treating hospital would have access to the previous records so that work already completed is not repeated (Munsey, 2011). Their medical information could be updated with each visit rather than their having to â€Å"provide the same information over and over again (Gurley, 2003). † Gurley also agrees that because patients and providers are better informed through electronic record-keeping, there is less duplication of testing as well as enhanced treatment coordination among health care providers. Along with the patients, the hospital reaps many tangible and intangible benefits from EMR as well. The information in the electronic record is easily accessible to multiple clinicians at multiple locations at the same time, with nearly immediate retrieval time. For this reason, it is updated frequently and is available for access at any workstation whenever the information is required making time spent with patients more efficient (Gurley, 2003). According to Shi and Singh (2003, p. 65), one of the most important aspects of electronic records is the integration of specific patient profiles with clinical decision making tools built into the software which provide evidence-based practice reminders and guidelines for effective, efficient treatment. This type of alert system can result in reduction of medication errors and in appropriate treatment options, saving both the patient and the clinician from harm. The data analysis capability of the EMR can also be used to identify developmen ts among patient populations allowing for early intervention when indicated. It can also be utilized to identify areas in which the organization may need to expand or scale back depending on the trends the data indicates (Dolan, 2011). Having used the Cerner system in the past, this RN noted that with the clinical record being streamlined in such a way that narrative documentation was necessary only by exception, completing it required less time, which left more time for bedside care along with completion of educational requirements, which were also mostly computerized. Hence, the savings could be significant and provide for increased nurse satisfaction related to the ability to provide more actual patient care as well as complete proficiencies without having to stay after a shift or come in on a day off. As mentioned above, EMR can reduce duplication of services, assist in fast-tracking acutely ill patients, reduce the duplication of tests and services that aren’t medically necessary (e. g. the patient’s condition has not changed substantially), allow clinicians to spend less time on documentation possibly reducing overtime, each of which can result in cost savings for the institution. According to Randall T. Huling Jr. , MD, president of Olive Branch Family Medical Center in Olive Branch, Mississippi, since switching over to EMR in January of 2010, they have increased revenue by an estimated $650,000 with an annual cost reduction of more than $85,000. Additionally, they have been able to raise provider productivity by 10,000 visits, raise their fee collection percentage from 68 to 72 percent, and increase the charges per patient from $157 to $172 (Byers, 2010). Wang et al (2003) performed a five-year cost-benefit analysis using primary data from several internal medicine clinics, using their own internally developed EMR system, utilizing a health care organization perspective framework and a conventional paper-based medical record as the reference point. Costs of implementation were approximated to be $3,400 per provider in the first year and included redesign of workflow processes, extraction of data from paper charts, and training. Yearly maintenance cost, including system and network administration and additional technical support personnel, were estimated to be $1,500 per provider annually. The temporary loss of productivity resulting from the transition to an electronic from a paper system, was interpreted using a decreasing loss rate of 20% in month one, 10% in the second month, and 5% in the third, returning to baseline in the following months. With annual averages for provider revenues, this cost amounted to $11,200 in the first year. Although their five-year net benefit per provider was $86,400 and the â€Å"net financial return to a health care organization from using an ambulatory medical record system is positive across a wide range of assumptions (Wang, et al, 2003, p. 401),† the authors cautioned that several variables could affect the net revenues organizations could expect. The patient mix can affect revenues depending on the number of capitated versus fee-for-service patients served by the health care organization. With capitated arrangements, savings to the patient resulting from decreased use of utilization of services, revenues accrue to the provider. However, less utilization of services in fee-for service arrangements result in loss of revenue to the provider, but the payer (i. e. the insurer) saves in expenses. They did postulate that these insurers might provide incentives to providers using EHR realizing that their profits could be increased with more providers utilizing these systems, The study evaluated cost savings from drug suggestions and warnings provided by the EMR software, which aided in prescribing of formulary drugs and prevention of adverse drug events. However, the study was not able to evaluate the intangible cost savings from averted malpractice claims, injury to patients, or reduced quality of life of clients. Additional tangible and intangible savings that were not included due to unavailability of sufficient data were reductions in malpractice premium costs, decreased staffing needs, less paper charting-related storage and supply costs, increased provider productivity, generic drug substitutions, enhanced reimbursement resulting from proper coding, and reduced denials related to insufficient documentation of medical necessity (Wang et al, 3003 p. 402). Limitations of the study cited by the authors included the fact that the research model was centered on primary data from their institution, published literature estimates, and an expert opinion panel which they convened. They also conceded that EMR implementation might produce other costs, including greater system integration expense for larger institutions dependant on the complexity of the various system interfaces involved. Additionally, although effectiveness of electronic medical record interventions has been well-established in inpatient settings, there is less certainty of their effects in the outpatient environment. Other costs could be related to decreased or lost productivity during unexpected network or computer system downtime, reassignment of clinical staff, or redesign of the workflow process (Wang et al, 2003, p. 402). Obviously the above results are based on one study utilizing results from a group of ambulatory clinics making it difficult to extrapolate data to a hospital setting even when that hospital has significant outpatient programs. Indeed, Thompson and Fleming (2008) pose questions regarding the uality and quantity of data found in existing literature, suggesting that health care institutions be cautious in their information sources in order to be better informed in the EMR decision-making process. The authors state that amount of comprehensive studies are lacking requiring hospitals to obtain more sources containing information they are seeking and rigorously compare data so that they can better extrapolate the results to their individual organizations (Thompson & Fleming, 2008 ). They also caution using staff time savings as a factor unless that variable is given a value and that it is used to actually cut costs. For example, if an average of 30 minutes per staff member is realized in utilization of the EMR, how will that impact staffing? Will staffing needs be reduced allowing for fewer staff members per shift, resulting in actual cost reductions? If staff are able to complete other duties that would have required use of overtime or coming in on days off, this would also decrease expenditures. However, the authors point out that staff members are often allowed to perform other tasks that don’t result in salary reductions, although this is implicit when staff time saving related to EMR is discussed (Thompson & Fleming, 2008). It is obvious that the decision to adopt an electronic medical record is not an easy one to make given all the variables discussed previously, but the information presented thus far has not taken into account the more recent changes produced by health care reform. These changes are discussed in the following paragraphs. The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act provides incentives for eligible providers (EP) and health care organizations (i. e. those who serve a defined percentage of Medicare and Medicaid recipients) for the implementation of EHR. The use on EMR and EHR are have often been used interchangeably, but they are not the same. An electronic medical record is the legal record of the care a patient receives from a health care provider or institution during their encounter with either entity. The electronic health record belongs to the patient and encompasses the entirety of their care across all providers within a community, region or state (Garets & Davis, 2006, pp. 2-3). For the purposes of reimbursement, however, providers must use a certified EHR (EHR Incentives, p. ). The recovery Act has appropriated $140,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2009 through 2015, with an additional $65,000,000 for 2016 to be used for administrative funding. Funds are to be made available until completely utilized. â€Å"In coordination with the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology, CMS will develop the policies, such as the definition of ‘meaningful use,’ needed to implement the incen tive program (DHHS, 2009). In addition, it will be necessary to provide education to eligible participants to facilitate their understanding of all the conditions and guidelines regarding their eligibility, the selection of Medicare or Medicaid incentive programs, the incentive payments, and the demonstration of â€Å"meaningful use. † Recovery Act reporting compliance will require guidance to individual states, which will involve Federal and State staff time and require modification of accounting and payment data reporting systems (DHHS, 2009). When the aforementioned requirements were set forth by the DHHS in 2009, the meaningful use guidelines had not yet been established. Following is a link to the summary overview for meaningful use objectives of EHR* (Blumenthal & Tavenner, 2010) as it currently stands, which outlines the steps individual providers and health care institutions (hospitals, ambulatory care centers, clinics, et al) must take in order to receive stimulus funds for the costs associated with implementing electronic health systems (EHR). The initial payments will be made beginning in 2011 depending on each state’s timing in adoption of the Medicare and Medicaid programs. For hospitals, the calculation is based on the volume of Medicare and or Medicaid patients served, but the baseline payment is $2,000,000. Each program is separate, but EPs and institutions can apply for one or both programs, however if they choose only one program, they cannot later add the other, so it benefits them to choose both at the outset since they can drop out of either one at any time (EHR Incentives). Given the stakes of not participating, providers should work diligently to eet all the requirements set forth in order to maximize the return on investment they should obtain in simply adopting EHR. The incentives offered will merely help them realize those return sooner rather than later. Finally, given the state of internet security and the government’s desire to push providers toward electronic data capture, it is only natur al that there would be concerns regarding EMR and EHR technology. Advantages of EHR over paper records include an expansive storage capability, availability of the data from many access points at the same time, and nearly immediate retrieval time (Gurley, 2003). The paper record is fragmented and depending on the charts used (e. g. some tend to fly open when dropped, causing paper to be scattered), pieces of the record can be lost. Additionally, when a patient is hospitalized more than once, their old chart must be retrieved in order to provide continuity of care. Electronic systems bypass this and allow clinicians to obtain information from previous visits much more quickly allowing the patient to have a streamlined entry to and exit from the system. Electronic health records also have built-in medical alerts and reminders allowing providers to be notified of abnormal lab results, potential drug interactions, and timing of tests required for monitoring blood levels associated with certain conditions or as a side effect of medications. It can also provide evidence-based practice plans for certain diseases and disorders facilitating the provider’s choices in judging the right path in caring for each patient. The electronic software allows the clinician to capture information enabling them to provide payers with the outcome based criteria they require in reimbursing the physician. Finally, EHR provides a major step in ensuring patient safety by clearly written order entry by physicians avoiding the mistakes that can occur with handwritten orders when those entries are illegible (Gurley, 2003). The major disadvantage of EHR adoption appears to be the costs associated with implementing them. According to Kent Gale, start-up costs could range from between four and five million dollars for a smaller (200-bed) hospital to $100,000,000 for an organization with three hospitals. He went on to tate that a typical 400-bed facility with a more extensive EHR would likely spend between $20,000,000 and $30,000,000 (Byers 2010). Also, unless one is technologically-savvy, there can be considerable learning needs on the part of physicians and staff. In these cases, it is much better to have systems that are more intuitive and user-friendly in order to get everyone onboard. As previously mentioned, privacy concerns are at the forefront in people’s minds where electronic documentation is concerned. Security measures must be ever-evolving in order to meet the challenge and audits of access to medical data must be done to ascertain the appropriateness of information access. Paper records have also had the potential for unauthorized access without the knowledge of the patient or provider and these invasions of privacy are much harder to detect (Gurley, 2003). Essentially, the electronic record has its advantages and disadvantages, but with all the benefits they can provide to patients, providers, insurance companies, as well as the government in collection of statistics, it appears to be the best choice for all concerned. With a great deal of effort and constant vigilance, electronic health records can provide for safer, more cost efficient care, and conserve resources for use in other areas that are currently lacking. I believe that in the end, Howard Regional’s decision to adopt EHR will result in huge savings and increased revenues that will benefit not only the organization, but the communities they serve. References Blumenthal, D. , & Tavenner, M. (2010, August 5). The â€Å"Meaningful Use† Regulation for Electronic Health Records. New England Journal of Medicine, 363, 501-504. Retrieved from http://ww. nejm. rg/doi/full/10. 1056/NEJMp1006114? ssource=hcrc Byers, J. (2010, November). EMR implementation: One day at a time. CMIO: Information, Evidence & Effectiveness in Medicine, Digital. CMIO. net, 10-12. Retrieved from http://d27vj430nutdmd. cloudfront. net/5165/51383/51383. pdf Department of Health and Human Services Report (2009). Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services: Medicare and Medicaid Incentives and Administrative Funding. Retrieved from http://www. hhs. gov/recovery/reports/plans/hit_implementation. pdf Dolan, P. L. (2011, May 2). Electronic medical records: What your data can tell you. American Medical Association: American Medical News. Retrieved from http://www. ama-assn. org/amednews. EHR Incentives: Eligibility. (n. d. ). Retrieved July 18, 2011, from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services website: https://www. cms. gov/pf/printpage. asp? ref=http://www. cms. gov/ehhttps://www. cms. gov/pf/printpage. asp? ref=http://www. cms. gov/ehhttps://www. cms. gov/pf/printpage. asp? ref=http://www. cms. gov/EHRIncentivePrograms/15_Eligibility. asprincentiveprograms/01_Overview. asprincentiveprograms/01_Overview. asp Garets, D. , & Davis, M. (2006, January 26). Electronic Medical Records vs. Electronic Health Records: Yes there is a difference [White Paper]. Retrieved from A HIMSS AnalyticsTM website: http://www. himssanalytics. org/ Gurley L. (2003). Advantages and Disadvantages of the Electronic Medical Record. American Academy of Medical Administrators, 2004. Retrieved from http://www. aameda. org/MemberServices/Exec/Articles/spg04/Gurley%20article. pdf Munsey, P. (2011, March 26). Howard Regional up to the challenge. Kokomo Perspective. com. Retrieved from http://www. kokomoperspective. com Shi, L, & Singh, D. A. (2008). Delivering health care in America: A systems approach. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Thompson, D. L. , & Fleming, N. S. (2008, July). Finding the ROI in EMRs. Healthcare Financial Manager, 62(7), 76-81. Retrieved from http://www. hfma. org/publications/hfm-Magazine/hfm-Magazine Wang, S. J. , Middleton, B. , Prosser, L. A. , Bardon, C. G. , Spurr, C. D. , Carchildi, P. J. , †¦ Bates, D. W. (2003, April 1). A cost benefit analysis of electronic medical records in primary care. American Journal of Medicine, 114(5), 397-403. Retrieved from http://www. amjmed. com/article/S0002-9343(03)00057-3/fulltext

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Technology and its Backlashes Speech or Presentation

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Negative Consequences of Economic Growth in Bangladesh Essay

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The Struggles of African Slaves - Essay Example No one knows who that was until Nunu reveals a secret to the main character. She tells Shola that she was raped by a white man while being shipped for a trade. There is one more argument which proves that slaves were treated as objects and property. At the beginning of a film when Mona appears to be in the past, we see that white masters catch her and burn a brand on her skin with sizzling hot metal. Animals on farms also get such brands to show who they belong to. Such scenes help the viewers to understand how mistreated the African slaves were, and how desperate their lives were. Apart from sexual abuse, the enslaved people were subject to other types of discrimination. They suffered a lot from physical violence of their masters. Slaves were constantly brutally beaten for every fault and for each act of disobedience. There were special places where the slaves were tightened and severely whipped. The beating was conducted with such a strength that in many cases the victims did not s tand it and died. In one of the scenes from Sankofa, a pregnant woman Kuta is whipped to death, not having any more strength to stand the pain. To crown it all, the cruelty of white masters was sometimes aimed at innocent slaves. If there was some kind of a rebellion or disobedience, slave owners wanted to punish Africans. If they could not find guilty ones, they simply took a random group of innocent people and punished them severely. Poor slaves were locked up in small wooden cages, hung high on trees and left there until they died.

Organ black market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Organ black market - Essay Example People have to stay on waiting lists for years before they may ultimately get an organ that can replace their organ which does not function normally. During this period, patients even end up losing their lives as a result of organ failure. Transplantation of organs is very essential for certain individuals, selling organs on the black market is unethical as the act is against the foundations of organ donation, increases the expenditure of the donor and increases cost for the society. Body Presumed Consent Donation of organ is the act of giving a gift or voluntarily donating an organ to another person. When organ transplantation started taking place, the consent of the donor and his family was given great importance and without their consent organ donation and transplantation could not take place. Due to this, there was a shortage of organs available in the market and nations started applying presumed consent system. Presumed consent refers to one’s belief that a person or his family members have no objection regarding transplantation of organs of a dead individual. Presumed consent may not take place if the family members stop or disallow the transplantation procedure (Devettere 401). Due to presumed consent, ample numbers of patients who need organ donations have started gaining access to organs but the number is still quite low due to the existence of black markets. Because of the existence of black markets, presumed consent can not be practiced in an efficient manner as people prefer selling their organs in the black market rather donating it and this is a common practice in developing nations. Regulating Markets and Black Markets The huge amount of difference between the demand for organs and supply of organs has resulted in an increase in black markets for organs. The demand for organs is much higher than the supply throughout the world; this has made policy makers take measures to counter the difference between the demand and supply. This has led n ations such as Singapore to reimburse and provide incentives to donors in order to encourage them to donate their organs (Cooper 15). Nations such as Singapore are even investing heavily in the procedure of donation and this is a very high cost to the donor in financial terms. The government and policy makers have taken steps such as paying for the transplant procedure and expenses that are bared by donors after the procedure has taken place. A major challenge recognized for the activities conducted by nations is the challenge known as transplant commercialism. Transplant commercialism is referred to the treatment of organs as a commodity which results in the buying and selling of organs and which increases the act of organ trafficking (Danovitch 443). Transplant commercialism is recognized as an unethical act because it shakes the very foundations of organ donation. Policy makers have realized that the nations that are providing incentives for organ donation are conducting an uneth ical act of reimbursing donors in return for their organs. On the other hand, policy makers do not restrict reimbursements. This will not leave the donor with a financial reward and will neither result in a disadvantage to him. According to the utilitarian view of ethics, all activities that are considered ethical must provide the optimum level of benefit to the society. If one views organ donation black

Sherman Alexie Essay Example for Free

Sherman Alexie Essay At any given time in life, we can be described as belonging to any number of categories or tribes based on the roles we value and the areas where we focus the most attention. A few of my personal tribes include: the tribe of creative expressionists, the tribe of college students, and lastly, the tribe of young adults longing to find their place in the world. The first tribe I describe myself as belonging to is the tribe of creative expressionists, which thrive in areas of self expression and creativity. I draw because words are too unpredictable. I draw because words are too limited (Alexie 5). I sometimes find it difficult to express and understant the emotions I feel raging inside. In these moments, I enjoy experimenting with vibrant splashes of paint across a canvas or dark scrawling into a notebook to better understand or cope with these feeligns. I relish being able to question why things work the way that they do, and the freedom to add my personal insights into a situation in order to come up with creative solutions. Being boxed-in or pushed into conventional methods of systematic processes is arduous and boring to me. Instead, I enjoy being able to question why things work the way they do, and being able to add my own personal insights in a situation to help come up with creative solutions. In some ways, I am not always practical in the ways I approach a situation, preferring to rest upon somethings potential, rather than seeing the raw reality of what it actually is I am an idealist to the core, and sometimes find it difficult to let go of the ideals in my mind, in favor of compromising to reach a realistic solution. Another tribe I belong to is one of college students pursuing an education. Oddly enough, after doing poorly my first semester in the fall of 2007, I had written off pursuing a degree. I studied under a couple of missionaries who were affiliated with Harvest Bible College, but never completed any official courses. Instead, my focus was on finding purpose and meaning in relationship with Christ and wrestling through what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus. After moving back home with my mom, and helping her enroll in courses, I began to feel the tug on my heart to consider going back myself. With no clear idea of what degree I would even want to pursue, I kept putting off enrollment. Soon, my aunt was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and began a downward spiral in the winter of 2010. At that time, I focused all my energy on prayer for my family, but also in researching natural science and asking important questions about how and why the body does what it does. I became engrossed with the nuances of human anatomy, disease, and the importance of understanding what we are feeding our bodies. I am passionate about sharing my own journey of discovery with others along the way, and I believe have found something worth working towards for the future! As I am finishing up the last prerequisite courses, I am hoping to enter into the nursing program at Fort Scott Community College in Paola, this fall. Lastly, I belong to the tribe of young (some not-so-young) adults searching for a place of identity in the world. Where are my talents and passions most effective? Where am I most needed; in what areas of life do I find purpose and value? Arent we all searching to find fulfillment and peace of mind? Personally, I believe that it is only after we have learned to let go of the reigns and to truly surrender our demand for control, that the Lord meets us with His perfect provisioning. In my life, a scripture that I have learned to find my identity in is written in Jeremiah, which says, For only I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me, and find me when youve sought with all your heart. I will be found by you! declares the Lord. A friend of mine recently admitted that it was with a heart of half-dread that she had prayerfully submitted to Gods heart for her life, whatever it looked like. She was afraid that in doing so, the Lord would uproot her four children and have them move to a far-away land to do missions. How amazed she was to find that His mission for her life was not in searching out far-away lands, but in reaching far-away hearts, right where He had placed her. Even before she had asked, He had prepared the way for His hand to come forth in her life! She has found such purpose and contentment in life what a rich blessing! How amazing can our lives be, when we surrender our own ideas of what it must look like, and ask for His design. I believe He places dreams and desires within our hearts, that we will truly enjoy the work He puts before us, if only we are willing to wait for His perfect direction!

US Immigration Policy and Reforms Analysis

US Immigration Policy and Reforms Analysis The topic of illegal immigration has been an issue for debate with lawmakers, the President, member of congress and America as a whole for the past several years. In very general terms, illegal immigrants are people, primarily from Mexico and Central America who illegally cross over the border into the United States. These men and women of all ages are not fleeing their homeland because of repression, harsh dictatorships, genocide, civil wars or religious persecution; however, they are crossing over the American border primarily for economic reasons. These individuals are coming to the United States in seek of a better lifestyle. They want to make more money to help support their families both here in America and back in their home country. They are fleeing oppression, chronic unemployment, poverty, and little or no opportunities in their homelands. As unfortunate it is, the law stands between their desire to live and work in the United States. Strict policy is needed to prevent these immigrants from coming into the United States illegally. Otherwise the consequence will be massive illegal settlements in this U.S. Since the early 1800s, immigration has been both a crucial component of Americas growth and a periodic source of conflict. In 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt said, â€Å"we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin.† He went on to say, â€Å"This is predicated on the person becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American. There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isnt an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag! We have room for but one sole loyalty, and that is loyalty to the American people,† (Little, 2006). Its been seen over the past decade that the national debate over illegal immigration has grown. This displays a widespread belief that previous immigration control laws have failed and are continuing to. For example, despite a 1986 federal law that created penalties for employers who hire undocumented workers or illegal immigrants knowingly, businesses continued to do so. President George W. Bushs new strategy had taken form. Instead of his earlier emphasis on finding a way for U.S. businesses to continue employing illegal immigrants on a temporary basis, he now spoke of preventing such undocumented workers or illegal immigrants from ever entering the United States to begin with. â€Å"Weve got a comprehensive strategy that says were going to enforce this border. Were going to prevent people from coming here in the first place,† (Furlong and Kraft 2007, 121). President Bushs new strategy came as Congress prepared to consider legislation that addressed border security and immigration. Unfortunately because the Presidents standing in public opinion polls was so low and conservatives in his own party wanted a different approach, he had few choices but to change his policys direction. Democrats have accused the President of delaying action on immigration reform for far too long. Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts said, â€Å"It is time for President Bush to resist those on the right who rely on fear tactics to prevent our broken system from being fixed†. â€Å"True immigration reform† would have to be more comprehensive and more realistic than the Presidents proposals, he added, â€Å"strengthening our security while bringing an underground economy above ground,† (Furlong and Kraft 2007, 121). In 2005 the number of illegal immigrants in the United States rose dramatically to well over ten million people and was growing rapidly, at an estimate of a half a million people each year. According to Fred Elbel of the Department of Homeland Security, as of November 10, 2007 there was an estimated 34,094,840 illegal aliens in the United States. Since January 1, 2007, 3,134,840 illegal aliens have made their way over the border and into the United States, (Elbel, 2007). The western and southern part of America has seen the biggest influx of immigrants. Among a vast spectrum of other concerns, policy makers focus on the high cost to the states that are providing education and medical care for undocumented workers and their families. Some worry that a high rate of illegal immigrants suggests that the United States borders are without the needed security that is essential to prevent entry from potential terrorists. However, some, particularly business owners, are inclined to minimize the problem. They believe that the health of the U.S. economy is dependent on immigrant workers and they argue that the economy would suffer without the contribution of illegal immigrants. Some disagree and argue that the economic benefits from illegal immigrants working in America only helps their home economy. The Pew Hispanic Center estimates that ten percent of restaurant workers in the U.S., twenty-five percent of domestic help in private households, and nearly sixty percent of agricultural workers are in the country illegally. Also statistics show that fifty-six percent of illegal immigrants in the United States come north primarily from Mexico to supply thousands of U.S. employers and farmers with low-skilled workers. A completely hypothetical way of viewing illegal immigration is to think of the United States like a homeowner who went for a long walk and left their garage door open. Inside the garage is a new car, a wallet, a cellular phone, and a suitcase full of money. Another man, destitute of money and with little or no hope of positive opportunity, walks past the garage and notices that its door is open and unattended. He has a family who needs food and he himself has been unemployed for several months. He decides to enter the garage. No one noticed him enter. He found the new car, the wallet, the cellular phone and the suitcase full of money. Without hesitation, he takes the wallet and the suitcase and quickly disappears and enjoys what he took without permission. To make himself feel better, he tells himself that he only went into the garage and took what he did because he needed to feed his family and because he was down on his luck. He did not hurt anyone in the process and he figures that the homeowner can always file a claim with his insurance company to get back what was taken. When the homeowner returns from his walk, he notices that he has been robbed and files a report with the local police department. The police in turn tell him that there is nothing they can do since there were no witnesses. The police suggest that the homeowner lock up his garage the next time he goes for a long walk to prevent another illegal entry and robbery. Some would argue that the man who left his garage door open is at fault, others would say it was the intruder who stole the property, and some would say its both their faults. Was the one man a thief for entering the garage without permission and the homeowner careless for leaving the garage door open and unattended? Traditional law states that the intruder is a thief and common sense says that the homeowner was careless in failing to protect his assets from potential intruders. Did the homeowner deserve to be robbed because he left his garage door open? Some would say yes because he was careless. On the other hand the robber who walked away with the homeowners valuables committed a crime. If he was caught, tried and convicted, he could face fines and possibly some time in jail. Some people would look at from the perspective that the robber did what he did to feed his family and pay for his basic necessities. He only stole to help his family survive. He views it as something honorable because he provided for his family. In this hypothetical scenario, the fact that the homeowner left his garage door open and easily accessible to thieves does not give them permission for someone to trespass into his property and steal his valuables solely because they were just there. Regardless of the thiefs reasoning for taking someone elses private property, stealing is stealing no matter how it is rationalized. Similarly, illegal immigration may solve financial challenges faced by the growing millions of illegal aliens who are in the United States to work and improve their lives. Yet, no matter how a person looks at it, illegal entry is still just that, â€Å"illegal.† Jobs are taken from those who are rightfully entitles to them. It is not legal, moral, or ethically right to enter the country illegally and benefit from opportunities that were primarily designed for legal residents and citizens. The reasons why millions of people enter the United States illegally does not make it correct to break the law and disregard the sovereignty of the United States. Breaking the law is not justifiable because illegal immigrants want to take advantage of jobs, provide for their family, escape poverty, receive medical care, public education, and much more. As harsh as it is, illegal immigrants are not entitled to the freedom which were primarily designed for those who are in the country by birthright or legal residency status. The belief that it is socially acceptable to break the law as long as a persons reasoning is with good intentions is flawed. A person cannot take advantage of someones benefits because they need to. Immigrating to America legally, whether or not it is easy, is praiseworthy. Breaking they law and crossing the border illegally is not. The punishment should fit the crime. A person should not leave their garage door open if they value what they own and would-be intruders should learn that just because they garage door is open, it does not give them the right to walk in and take what they need. It is seen very often that desperate people do not care much about right and wrong or the law for that matter. Desperation often causes people to rationalize and justify all types of illegal activities. Illegal entry into the United States to work has been allowed to become a complex issue but this is not an unsolvable problem. The United States would be off to a good start if the government imposed hefty fines on employers who knowingly and unknowingly hire illegal immigrants or undocumented workers for labor. The loophole in the current law conveniently allows employers to look the other way and claim that they are not able to verify the authenticity of documents that their workers provide. Millions of people steal social security numbers from American citizens and get away with it. They in turn enjoy many of the same things honest people work for. While illegal immigrants only make up about five percent of the United States work force, they are quickly being noticed in non-traditional areas immigrant to settle. Areas like these are in the midwest and the south. Undocumented workers and illegal immigrants are willing to work for very low wages by American standards. This has caused political turmoil in these new areas where immigration had little or no presence before. â€Å"Immigration is now a national phenomenon is a way that was less true a decade ago,† (Greenblatt, Katel, Marshall 2007, 341). Mark Krikorian, executive director of the nonpartisan Center for Immigration Studies said, â€Å"In places like Georgia and Alabama, which had little experience with immigration before, people are experiencing it firsthand.† The beginning of any policy study involves a description of the problem. Obviously the problem is illegal immigration and unfortunately only a select few legislators are taking measures to fix the problem. The former Mayor of New York City and presidential candidate, Rudy Giuliani, has a firm stance of illegal immigration. He stated that â€Å"real immigration reform must put security first because border security and homeland security are inseparable in the Terrorists War on Us. The first responsibility of the federal government is to protect our citizens by controlling Americas borders, while ending illegal immigration and identifying every non-citizen in our nation. We must restore integrity, accountability, and the rule of law to our immigration system to regain the faith of the American people,† (Giuliani, 2007). The Governor of New Mexico and also Presidential candidate, Bill Richardson, has similar feelings about immigration reform as Giuliani. â€Å"As a Hispanic-American, and Governor of a border state, I know that our nation can no longer afford to ignore the issue of illegal immigration. Undocumented immigrants have broken the law to enter our country, but they are here – and most of them work hard, pay taxes, support families, and contribute to the communities they live in. Entire sectors of our economy rely on these laborers -construction, restaurants, and agricultural, for example. We cant just ignore this issue any longer. Splitting up families, building walls, and making impractical proclamations is not the answer. America needs to solve the problem, not tear itself apart over it,† (Richardson, 2007). He believes in recognizing the reality of the immigration problem and addressing it head-on. He has a plan to solve it by taking four realistic steps. First, secure the border. Second, increase legal immigration. Third, prevent employers from hiring illegal workers. Lastly, provide a path to legislation for most of the eleven million illegal immigrants already here. Representative F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., of Wisconsin, created the Real ID bill. This requires proof of citizenship or legal status in the United States in order to get a drivers license. This bill was signed into law in May 2005 and will take effect in May 2008. â€Å"We will never have homeland security if we dont have border security,† (Greenblatt, Katel, Marshall 2007, 341). Sensenbrenners reform means blocking states from issuing drivers licenses to illegal immigrants, imposing new restrictions on asylum seekers, and finishing a border fence near San Diego, California. The debate of immigration has divided the Republican Party. The Republican controlled House of Representatives passed H.R. 4437 in December 2005. This is a measure that contained procedures for securing the borders, harsher penalties for people assisting illegal migration into the United States and provisions for deporting illegal aliens that are already here, (Greenblatt, Katel, Marshall 2007, 343). The proposed legislation does not provide for a guest worker program or any form of amnesty for illegal workers. â€Å"The borders are out of control,† says T.J. Bonner, president of the National Border Patrol Council, the union representing ten thousand border officers. He said that the patrol catches no more than a third of illegal aliens crossing the border. â€Å"We have a situation where business is controlling our immigration policy rather than sound decisions that take into account all the factors, including homeland security,† (Greenblatt, Katel, Marshall 2007, 344). The government has almost stopped enforcing sanctions approved in 1986 on employers who hire illegal immigrants. According to Mary Dougherty, an immigration statistician at the Department of Homeland Security, in 2003 the agency levied only $9,300.00 in fines against employers. Time also reported in 2004 that the number of fines imposed on employers dropped ninety-nine percent during the 1990s from 1,063 in 1992 to 13 in 2002, (Greenblatt, Katel, Marshall 2007, 345). While there are many ideas and strongly differing views on what to do about illegal immigration, the government must recognize that any program that rewards illegal aliens who have broken the laws of the United States with citizenship is undeserved and unwarranted amnesty. Illegal immigration must be treated much like a broken water pipe. When a water pipe breaks, the very first thing that must be done is have the water shut off and then the mess is cleaned up. This is common sense that most in the government seem to be missing. This requires two different set of actions. First, slowing down and eventually preventing all illegal border-crossings and then making it harder for existing illegal immigrants to live in the US while simultaneously encouraging many to go home as well as deporting others. Doctors at The Heritage Foundation are quoted as saying, Immigration reform should be a matter of national priority. To be successful, reforms must include a comprehensive package of measures to reduce illegal entry into the United States as well as to reduce the current population of unlawfully present persons. The cornerstone of any such initiative must be a fair and practical program for repatriating foreign persons who are illegally present in the United States, (Carafano, Meese III, Spalding, 2005). For the sake of national security, the rule of law, and responsible immigration policy, Congress and the President must move towards reducing the number of people who are illegally in the United States. Immigration reform must not encourage this problem. In particular, any new initiative must not grant permission, as a matter of policy, for illegal immigrants to remain legally in the country. Such a program would undermine the credibility of efforts not only to control Americas borders, but also to advance reasonable legal immigration reform. A better alternative would be for policymakers to create a comprehensive solution that brings better national security. Part of this solution should be a realistic and reasonable program to assist illegal immigrants in returning to their homelands before applying for legal reentry to the United States. What the United States needs is a comprehensive strategy that reverses decades of ignoring, indeed encouraging, the disregard of requirements for legally entering and lawfully residing in this country. A better strategy would be to get the cooperation of federal, state, and local governments and non-governmental organizations to all work together. Laws need to be enforced within the United States, including identity theft,, prosecuting benefits fraud, tax evasion, and immigration violations. Also, America should work with other nations to enforce laws, to educate their citizens, and to develop more desirable legal alternatives for undocumented workers. The government must help other nations to adopt sound governance and economic policies that will promote growth in their economies and negate the need for citizens to take low-paying jobs in the United States. It has been made very clear that America does not want to anger other countries with border security and that most people cannot tell the difference between illegal invasion to work and legal immigration. It should then be up to the individual states to develop internal methods to prevent abuse of tax-based resources. States should not provide any form of preferential treatment towards individuals who break federal laws, even if they work and pay taxes. This may be justifiable in their minds but the fact remains that they are still in the country illegally. The government needs to also help the private sector by teaching employers how to identify legal workers quickly and easily at a reasonable cost and in a manner that respects individuals rights and privacy but at the same time identify the illegal ones through a national identification system, similar to the one crated by Sensenbrenners, The Real ID Act. The government should also implement a central document verification agency to pre-screen all employment applications and issue approval forms and identification photos to prospective employees. While at the current rate the government will never have an efficient wall to block out illegal immigrants. It is up to the individual states to create internal security measures to prevent budgetary and financial abuses caused by the growing illegal population. President Bush and a bipartisan group of ten senators announced an agreement on May 17, 2007, on a comprehensive, compromise plan to tighten border security and address the future of Americas twelve million illegal immigrants. â€Å"The agreement reached today is one that will help enforce our borders,† Bush said. â€Å"But equally importantly, it will treat people with respect. This is a bill where people who live in our country will be treated without amnesty, but without animosity.† Senator Kennedy said, â€Å"The plan isnt perfect, but only a bipartisan bill will become law,† (Greenblatt, Katel, Marshall 2007, 357). The agreement would grant temporary legal status to almost all illegal immigrants, giving then the right to apply for residence visas and citizenship through a lengthy process. Illegal immigrants would have to wait for eight years before applying for permanent resident status, pay fines of up to $5,000.00 and, heads of households would be forced to leave the country and reenter legally. Are these signs of positive actions to be taken toward illegal immigrants? Over the next few years will America see a reduction in the number of illegal immigrants and an increase in the applications for legal immigrants? American surely hopes so. Only time will tell what actions will truly be taken by the American government in response to the increasing number of illegal immigrants crossing its borders. Bibliography Carafano, James Jay, Edwin Meese III and Matthew Spalding. 2005. â€Å"Alternatives to Amnesty: Proposals for Fair and Effective Immigration Reform.† The Heritage Foundation. http://www.heritage.org/Research/LegalIssues/bg18588.cfm. (10 November 2007). Elbel, Fred. 2007. â€Å"How many illegal aliens are in the U.S.? Refernce..† The American Resistance. http://the americanresistance.com/ref/illegal_alien_numbers.html. ( 10 November 2007). Furlong, Scott R. and Michael E. Kraft. 2007.Public Policy: Politics, Analysis and Alternatives. New Jersey. Pearson Prentice Hall. Giuliani, Rudy. 2007. â€Å"12 Commitments To The American People.† JoinRudy2008. http://joinrudy2008.com/getinvolved/emailland.html (10 November 2007). Greenblatt, Alan, Peter Katel and Patrick Marshal. 2007. Issues For Debate: In American Public Policy. 8th Ed.. Washington D.C.. Congressional quarterly Inc.. Little, Dick. 2006. â€Å"Illegal immigrant problem growing.† Paradise Post.com. http://paradisepost.com/columns/ci_468119.html. (10 November 2007). Richardson, Bill. 2007. â€Å"Realistic Immigration Reform.† Richardson for President. http://action.richardsonforpresident.com/page/content/immigrationreform.html. (10 November 2007).

insane narrator :: essays research papers

The Insane Narrator Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston Massachusetts. His parents David Poe Jr. and Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins, both died when Edgar was very young. Calvin Thomas published Poe’s first book, Tamerlane and other Poems in Boston in 1827. His first real job was the editor of Thomas W. White’s Southern Literary Messenger where he worked for nearly a year. In 1836, he was married to his 13-year-old cousin. He wrote many short stories including the Tell-Tale Heart in 1843, which is about a murderer who is subconsciously haunted into confessing what he just did. He died on October 7, 1849 in Baltimore. The narrator is insane because of his unnatural preoccupation with the eye, his distorted logic, and the hearing of voices and sounds, which reveal the madness. For some strange reason, the narrator was obsessed with the old man’s eye. He wasn’t even certain on how it started, but to him, it was an eye of a vulture. The old man was going to be murdered because of his pale blue eye. Infact, for seven straight nights at midnight the eye was closed. It wasn’t until finally on the eighth night when the narrator’s thumb slipped on the tin fastening, which woke up the old man. He grew furious when he did see the eye and new inside that he must murder this old man because of his eye. It is hard to imagine why a person’s eye would bother another person enough to kill, but some people are truly insane. His logic was distorted, so to him, the murder of the old man was the only thing that could soothe his pain. He then made the decision to only kill him when he saw his eye. This took him eight days, though I’m sure he would have done it the first night if he had the chance. While he was killing the old man, he had a smile on his face. The murder of the old man was justified.One might think that the narrator needed to murder something for a reason. The reason for killing the old man was absurd, but it worked for him. He also heard voices that would haunt him day and night. Those voices told him the eye was evil, and that he was doing the right thing. He would also hear a groan of terror many nights at midnight.

Essay on the Image of Lady Macbeth -- Macbeth essays

The Image of Lady Macbeth      Macbeth, one of the greatest tragedies written by William Shakespeare, tells a story about uncontrollable ambition, which destroys Macbeth and his wife. Interpreting the play using the mythological approach, Lady Macbeth exhibits a profound image as the terrible mother,   more so than the â€Å"weird sisters.† Her evil intention foreshadows the awful fate and destiny of her family. The force that drives Lady Macbeth is her insatiable thirst for power.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Macbeth does not have clear ambition to kill King Duncan till Lady Macbeth suggests him to do so. In Act I, Scene III, Macbeth finally encounters the witches and acknowledges their predictions although these temptations are extremely powerful for him. However, he responses:   So foul and fair a day I have not seen. (Act I, Scene iii, line 39) It implies that Macbeth rebuffs the witches’ prophecy in the beginning. When he listens to their predictions, it brings Macbeth into a dilemma, whether to slay the King or not. Perhaps Macbeth means no more than that the weather is mixed  ¡V that nature, like mankind, is to be know only by its ceaseless conflict of good and bad, and that a crisis in this conflict is now at hand.1 Whereas, the point is that the weird sisters never tell or encourage him to replace the monarch by murdering the King. All they express are only predictions rather than orders, and Macbeth absolutely owns the free agency to make a proper decision. Macbeth’s tragedy is not that he decides to kill Duncan but that he cannot become independent.2   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The turning point of Macbeth’s ... ... archetype woman of the  ¡Ã‚ §Terrible Mother ¡Ã‚ ¨ or the  ¡Ã‚ §Fatal Female. ¡Ã‚ ¨ Although, Macbeth is a brave and experienced warrior, and he seems to be perfect and upright, he still has he tragic flaw. He is not able to resist the teasing and temptation from his wife. Moreover, he is merely a puppet controlled by Lady Macbeth. In short, Lady Macbeth is a bourgeois individualist, for whom traditional ties of rank and kinship are less constitutive of personal identity than mere obstacles to be surmounted in the pursuit of one’s private ends.8 In the beginning, they have paved the way of the death for themselves. In the final part of the tragedy, the couple deserve a destructive outcome. As the result, the poetic justice is revealed. To sum up, if compare the weird sister’s prophecy to Pandora’s box, Lady Macbeth is the person who opens it.    Essay on the Image of Lady Macbeth -- Macbeth essays The Image of Lady Macbeth      Macbeth, one of the greatest tragedies written by William Shakespeare, tells a story about uncontrollable ambition, which destroys Macbeth and his wife. Interpreting the play using the mythological approach, Lady Macbeth exhibits a profound image as the terrible mother,   more so than the â€Å"weird sisters.† Her evil intention foreshadows the awful fate and destiny of her family. The force that drives Lady Macbeth is her insatiable thirst for power.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Macbeth does not have clear ambition to kill King Duncan till Lady Macbeth suggests him to do so. In Act I, Scene III, Macbeth finally encounters the witches and acknowledges their predictions although these temptations are extremely powerful for him. However, he responses:   So foul and fair a day I have not seen. (Act I, Scene iii, line 39) It implies that Macbeth rebuffs the witches’ prophecy in the beginning. When he listens to their predictions, it brings Macbeth into a dilemma, whether to slay the King or not. Perhaps Macbeth means no more than that the weather is mixed  ¡V that nature, like mankind, is to be know only by its ceaseless conflict of good and bad, and that a crisis in this conflict is now at hand.1 Whereas, the point is that the weird sisters never tell or encourage him to replace the monarch by murdering the King. All they express are only predictions rather than orders, and Macbeth absolutely owns the free agency to make a proper decision. Macbeth’s tragedy is not that he decides to kill Duncan but that he cannot become independent.2   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The turning point of Macbeth’s ... ... archetype woman of the  ¡Ã‚ §Terrible Mother ¡Ã‚ ¨ or the  ¡Ã‚ §Fatal Female. ¡Ã‚ ¨ Although, Macbeth is a brave and experienced warrior, and he seems to be perfect and upright, he still has he tragic flaw. He is not able to resist the teasing and temptation from his wife. Moreover, he is merely a puppet controlled by Lady Macbeth. In short, Lady Macbeth is a bourgeois individualist, for whom traditional ties of rank and kinship are less constitutive of personal identity than mere obstacles to be surmounted in the pursuit of one’s private ends.8 In the beginning, they have paved the way of the death for themselves. In the final part of the tragedy, the couple deserve a destructive outcome. As the result, the poetic justice is revealed. To sum up, if compare the weird sister’s prophecy to Pandora’s box, Lady Macbeth is the person who opens it.   

Graduation Speech: The Best Four Years of My Life! :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Hi, my name is Pat and I would like to start today by thanking the seniors of 2012 for choosing me to speak today. It is truly my honor. You know, it is really strange how quickly time passes, after spending my whole childhood wishing I was an adult, now here we are and it's a little hard to grasp. It feels like just yesterday I was standing here in the same position at eighth grade graduation. Ahh, middle school, such a joyous time for all of us, free of maturity and not a care in the world. The biggest decisions I ever had to make then was deciding which group to stand with at passing time and choosing which shirt from my extensive collection of Stussy and No Feat apparel to wear. We were all naive to the danger that lurked just around the corner. We were unaware that the carefree world we lived in was about to come crashing to the ground in a blazing inferno of real school work and responsibility ... otherwise known as high school. I am only kidding. It's just when you're young it is easy to get caught up in the here and now, and hard to look to the future. I thought high school would never end and now here we are on the brink of having to go out into the world and actually support ourselves!? I now feel like I never really appreciated my time here and never realized what a valuable experience it would be for me. I spent so much time complaining about high school, I never really had anytime left over to just enjoy myself. There are so many experiences from high school we will all carry with us through out our whole lives and will ultimately help determine what kind of person we are. By the time the end of my junior year rolled around I was ready to get away, so I enrolled in the Running Start program. I felt I had outgrown all that school activities had to offer and I wanted to just get on with my life. But as many teachers have clearly demonstrated over the last four years; you never get too old or too mature to have a little fun in high school. It took me this year to realize this. It was around homecoming that I started to feel a little left out.

“That’s Not My Job” †Learning Delegation at Cin-Made

â€Å"THAT'S NOT MY JOB† – LEARNING DELEGATION AT CIN-MADE When Robert Frey purchased Cin – Made in 1984, the company was near ruin. The Cincinnati, Ohi-based manufacturer of paper packaging had not altered its product line in 20 years. Labor costs had hit the ceiling, while profits were falling through the floor. A solid quarter of the company's shipments were late and absenteeism was high. Management and workers were at each other's throats. Ten years later, Cin – Made is producing a new assortment of highly differentiated composite cans, and pre-tax profits have increased more than five times. The Cin – Made workforce is both flexible and deeply committed to the success of the company. On-time delivery of products has reached 98 percent, and absenteeism has virtually disappeared. There are even plans to form two spin – off companies to be owned and operated by Cin-Made employees. In fact, at the one day â€Å"Future of the American Workforce† conference held in July 1993, Cin-Made was recognized by President Clinton as one of the best – run companies in the United States. â€Å"How did we achieve this startling turnaround? †    Mused Frey. â€Å"Employee empowerment is one part of the answer. Profit sharing is another. †   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the late spring of 1986, relations between management and labor had reached rock bottom. Having recently suffered a pay cut, employees at Cin- Made came to work each day, performed the duties required of their particular positions, and returned home-nothing more. Frey could see that his company was suffering. â€Å"To survive we needed to stop being worthy adversaries and start being worthy partners,† he realized. Toward this end, Frey decided to call a meeting with the union. He offered to restore worker pay to its previous level by the end of the year. On top of that, he offered  something no one expected: a 15 percent share of Cin-Made's pre-tax profits. † I do not choose to own a company that has an adversarial relationship with its employees. † Frey proclaimed at the meeting. He therefore proposed a new arrangement that would encourage a collaborative employee-management relationship â€Å"Employee participation will play an essential role in management. †   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Managers within the company were among the first people to oppose Frey's new idea of employee involvement. â€Å"My three managers felt they were paid to be worthy adversaries of the unions.    Frey recalled. It's what they'd been trained for. It's what made them good managers. Moreover, they were not used to participation in any form, certainly not in decision making. †    The workers also resisted the idea of extending themselves beyond the written requirements of their jobs. † (Employees) wan ted generous wages and benefits, of course, but they did not want to take responsibility for anything more than doing their own jobs the way they had always done them,† Frey noted. Employees were therefore skeptical of Frey's overtures toward â€Å"employee participation.   Ã‚   â€Å"We thought he was trying to rip us off and shaft us,† explained Ocelia Williams, one of many Cin-Made employees who distrusted Frey's plans. Frey, however, did not give up, and he eventually convinced the union to agree to his terms. † I wouldn't take no for an answer,† he asserted. â€Å"Once I had made my two grand pronouncements, I was determined to press ahead and make them come true. †    But still ahead lay the considerable challenge of convincing employees to take charge   :   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I made people meet with me, then instead   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Of telling them what to do, I asked them. They resisted. † How can we cut the waste on his run ? † I'd   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   say, or â€Å"How are we going to allocate the overtime on this order ? † â€Å"That's not my job,† they'd say. â€Å"But I need your input,† I'd say. â€Å"How in the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   World can we have participative management   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If you won't participate? â€Å"I don't know,† they'd say. â€Å"Because that's   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   not my job either. That's your job. ?† Gradually, Frey made progress. Managers began sharing more information with employees. Frey was able slowly to expand the responsibilities workers would carry. Managers who were unable to work with employees left, and union relations began to improve. Empowerment began to happen. By 1993, Cin Made employees were taking responsibility for numerous tasks. Williams, for example, used to operate a tin-slitting machine on the company's factory floor. She still runs that same machine, but now is also responsible for ordering almost $ 100,000 in supplies. Williams is just one example of how job roles and duties have been redefined throughout Cin-Made. Joyce Bell, president of the local union, still runs the punch press she always has, but now also serves as Cin- Made's corporate safety director. The company's scheduling team, composed of one manager and five lead workers from various plant areas, is charged with setting hours, designating layoffs, and deciding when temporary help is needed. The hiring review team, staffed by three hourly employees and two managers, is responsible for interviewing applicants and deciding whom to hire. An employee committee performs both short – and long – term planning of labor, materials, equipment, production runs, packing, and delivery. Employees even meet daily in order to set their own production schedules. â€Å"We empower employees to make decisions, not just have input,† Frey remarked. â€Å"I just coach. †   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Under Frey's new management regime, company secrets have virtually disappeared. All Cin-Made employees, from entry-level employees all the way to the top, take part in running the company. In fact, Frey has delegated so much of the company's operations to its workers that he now feels little in the dark. â€Å"I now know very little about what's going on, on a day-to-day basis,† he confessed. At Cin-Made, empowerment and delegation are more than mere buzzwords; they are the way of doing business – good business. â€Å"We, as workers, have a lot of opportunities,† said Williams. â€Å"If we want to take leadership, it's offered to us. † Questions and answers: Q. 1   How were principles of delegation and decentralization incorporated into Cine – Made operations? Answer :- a. The employee participation was made an integral part of the company's management practices. b. Establishing Participative Management c. Centralized hiring process which was independent in itself and managed by esignated managers. Q. 2  Ã‚   What are the sources and uses of power at Cin – Made? Answer : Collaboration, Innovation, Participative management Empowerment through delegation and decentralization Deriving more output through employees' sense of ownership for their actions Improving flexibility of the companies' employees. Giving a free hand to their imagina tion rather than reining it in. Q. 3. What were some of the barriers to delegation and empowerment at Cin –Made? Answer : Our perceptions about work and the way we are part of it need to change. These are the lessons in management that can be learnt from the Cin-Made experience. a. Transparent management policies are the call of the day b. Managers must lead by example rather than simply lecturing and ordering the employees. c. Any status quo achieved or stagnation point reached by way of policies being in place for long term must be challenged and remedied with cautious efforts; that to while taking care of sentimentalities and emotional attachments of old employees of company – all leading to change for the better.

Should the Uk Leave the Eu?

Nikolai Cremo Understanding the European Union Professor Eiko Thielemann October 14th, 2012 Should the UK remain a member of the European Union? The issue of whether or not the United Kingdom should remain a member of the European Union has been debated heavily over the past decade, with the debate heating up even more from the current European Sovereign Debt Crisis. Recent polls of the UK population showed that around half of the UK’s citizens would vote to pull out of the EU if it went to referendum.However, after all of the economic, political, and social advantages of being a member of the EU are considered, it remains clear that leaving the EU is not in the UK’s best interest. Economically, it does not make sense for the UK to leave the world’s largest trade block considering the EU buys fifty percent of the UK’s exports, at a time when the UK’s current account deficit is at one of its all-time highs.Additionally, the UK would lose its allure a s being a hotspot for Foreign Direct Investment, as they would no longer give companies access to the single market, further contributing to the UK’s growing imbalance of payments. Ultimately this could be detrimental to the value of the British pound, and even worse, cause the UK to lose its position as the financial center of Europe. The UK giving up its decision-making influence in the EU would not likely result in the UK seeing trade polices pass that make this debated exit any easier.From a social perspective the citizens of the UK would lose the highly valued privilege to seamlessly travel, attend school, live, and retire anywhere throughout the EU. After all of these factors are made clear, especially the negative financial factors, the economic impact of a UK exit would triumph over any negative sentiment associated with staying a member of the EU. The most powerful factor marrying the UK to the EU is the undeniable economic dependence the UK has on the world’s largest trading block.The fifty percent of UK exports that goes to the countries of the EU would become much less competitive with trade barriers, which would then raise the necessity for many UK exporters to either lower their prices, or decrease their output to meet the fallen demand of their goods. Additionally, due to the nature of the goods the UK trades with its EU partners, it would not easily substitute this trade with non-EU countries (Oxford 24).According to simple economic theory, this would ultimately decrease the amount of money the UK receives for its exports, as the amount the tariff increases the price of UK goods will ultimately have to be born by the UK company exporting it, and any price increase not born by the UK company will lead to a decrease in exports demanded by the EU. Therefore, a major piece of the British economy would face severe hardship on the basis of the UK not being a member of the free trade block. Another area of the UK’s economy that wo uld be adversely affected by the removal of the EU free trade block is Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) in the UK.The UK is seen as many non-EU countries as the gateway to European market penetration, and this view would ultimately change if the UK left the EU. FDI has an important role in the UK economy, as it has been a consistent source of job growth of 50,000-60,000 jobs a year, while providing protection to another 40,000 jobs each year (Oxford 43). In addition to creating jobs, FDI is known to fuel innovation and competition, as it incorporates the advances in technologies that have been proved successful in other countries.By leaving the EU, the FDI of non-EU countries would relocate their base of operations to European markets to a country within the EU, and out of the UK, and all further FDI intended to reap the gains of the largest trading block would more than likely invest in an EU country. This not only inhibits job growth directly, but also widens the gap of the UKâ₠¬â„¢s balance of payments, which would have to either be filled through issuing more currency (inflation), a devaluation of the currency.Similar to notion that the UK would lose out on FDI, the UK’s position as the financial center of Europe would be inherently weakened by the UK being outside the EU. It is clear that many countries and companies are invested in the UK because of its links to EU, where they have access to 500 million consumers. For starters, companies would move to other financial powerhouses of Europe such as Frankfurt or Brussels, in order to avoid EU tariffs and conform to EU regulations (Oxford 48).Secondly, the EU would implement programs to shift the European financial center to another financial center within their union such Frankfurt or Brussels. Any measures that the UK could take to prevent this would certainly be their best interest, as financial services makes up ten percent of their GDP. Additionally, the portfolio investments that the UK receiv es from being the financial center of Europe would flow out of the country at the same rate as London loses its position as the financial center, and these currently represent a ? 5 billion surplus to the UK balance of payments (Open Europe. This is another crucial piece of the balance of payments within the UK, and would lead to the aforementioned devaluation of the British pound, or inflation, or a combination of both to balance out trade deficit of the country. While the strongest benefits of staying in the EU stem from economic benefits, the political benefits of an influential member of the union are not to be overlooked.Given that UK is in a four way tie of having the highest number of votes in the Council under the Nice Treaty, and their voting power wil be sustained by having the third largest population in the EU once the Libson Treaty comes into effect in late 2014 (Hixx 65). This gives the UK a strong position to influence the long-term goals of the Council, where they wi ll be able to seek compromises with other EU states to pursue legislation that is in the UK’s best interest, and to project the UK’s interests (Open Europe).While if they were outside of the EU, they would not have any ability to directly influence the policies of the EU that have helped them in the past. For example, Tony Blair using his influence in the European Council to launch the Libson Agenda for economic reform, is a example of British intervention that not only benefited the UK, but the entire EU as well (Lake). Additionally, being tied for the second highest number of MEPs in the European Parliament (EP), the UK has an influential role on all of the decisions that go through the EP.Despite the fact the social benefits of EU membership are often overshadowed by the economic and political aspects, the loss of these benefits would negatively impair the freedom of the UK people, and negatively impact UK businesses. The free movement of UK citizens throughout the EU to travel, to attend school, live, and retire. Businesses do not only benefit by having to follow one set of regulations, but also benefit from having a larger source of potential employees to chose from.The EU employment rate in the UK is 3. 3%, while they make 4. 5% of the labor force, which shows that EU citizens have a positive impact on UK GDP (Oxford 34). If the UK were to leave the EU, there is a great possibility that many of the EU workers employed in highly skilled areas that are crucial to the UK economy, such as financial services, would relocate back inside the EU. This again would be another risk of severely impairing the bedrock of the UK economy, and shifting the financial center of Europe outside the UK.Based upon these economic, political, and social advantages of EU membership, it is clear that it is in the UK’s best interest to remain an active member in the EU. The direction of the EU is at another major crossroad as countries pull together to solve th e continents’ Sovereign Debt Crisis. The stance that the UK takes at these crossroads, as the union’s third largest country, is paramount not only to UK’s economic and political prosperity today, but to how UK is seen as a political force and financial hub in the long-term.The UK’s decision to abandon their economic and political partners has strong consequences now while the EU is in a time of hardship, and these consequences will only increase as the EU rises from this crisis. The failure of the UK to invest in their relationship with their European partners has a high probability to be detrimental to the economic wellbeing of the country, especially as these less developed countries are viewed as sources of future growth to the world financial markets.Thus, the British must adopt a more long-term view on their relationship with the EU, a view that they failed to see when declined to partake in the creation of EU by declining Treaties of Paris and Rome (George 32). I’ll conclude with a saying of the philosopher Santayana, which has been noted as a universal truth of investing by father of value investing, Benjamin Graham, that the UK should be reminded of before they further debate if they should opt out of the European integration yet again: â€Å"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. † Works Cited Oxford Economics, ed.An Indispensable Relationship: Economic Linkages between the UK and the Rest of the European Union. Rep. London: Business for New Europe, 2009. Print. Booth, Stephen, Christopher Howarth, Matts Persson, and Vincenzo Scarpetta. CONTINENTAL SHIFT: Safeguarding the UK’s Financial Trade in a Changing Europe. Rep. London: Open Europe, 2011. Print. Lake, Michael. Communicating the Lisbon Strategy – a Civic Challenge. Rep. N. p. : n. p. , 2006. Print. George, Stephen. â€Å"The Background: Britain and Europe, 1945-1973. †Ã‚  An Awkward Partner: Britain in the Eur opean Community. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1998. N. pag. Print.

Pandukabhaya (437 Bc †367 Bc)

Pandukabhaya (437 BC – 367 BC) was King of Upatissa Nuwara and the first monarch of the Anuradhapura Kingdom and 6th over all of the island of Sri Lanka since the arrival of the Vijaya, he reigned from 437 BC to 367 BC. According to many historians and philosophers, he is the first truly Sri Lankan king since the Vijayan invasion, and also the king who ended the conflict between the Sinha clan and local community, reorganizing the populace. His story is one wrapped in myth and legend. There are three prevailing opinions on his origin.In the Mahavansa, his mother is Umaddha Citta and father is Digha Gamini, both of Aryan origin Kumarathunga Munidasa's opinion is that his father is Chittharaja. He has no affiliation to the Aryan dynasty. He is a local hero. [edit]The second ruler The second ruler of Sri Lanka was King Panduvasudeva, the nephew of Vijaya. Panduvasudeva married Baddha-Kacchayana, an extremely beautiful princess from India. The couple had ten sons, the eldest of wh om was named Abhaya, and one daughter named Chitra.When a sage prophesied that Chitra would bear a son who would kill nine of his uncles and claim the throne, nine of Chitra’s brothers told King Panduvasudeva to have her killed. However, Abhaya would not allow it and Chitra was spared. She married a prince named Digha-Gamini (who, incidentally, was her cousin) and had a son, who was named Pandukabhaya. [edit]The exchange of babies Chitra and Digha-Gamini had been made aware of the prophesy at the time of their marriage and had promised to put to death any son that Chitra gave birth to.However, once Pandukabhaya was born, Chitra was unwilling to kill the infant, and so she decided to exchange babies with another woman who had given birth to a baby girl that same day. Chitra announced to her father and husband that she had given birth to a girl. Only her mother, Baddha-Kacchayana, knew of the secret exchange. The woman who gave up her daughter took Prince Pandukabhaya to a near by village called Dvaramandalaka where he would be brought up as a herdsman’s son. [edit]The attempts on Pandukabhaya’s lifeThe first threat to Pandukabhaya’s life came while he was being transported to Dvaramandalaka. The woman who had exchanged infants with Chitra carried Prince Pandukabhaya to the village in a covered basket. Unfortunately, she ran into nine of Chitra’s brothers (the ones who had wanted their sister to be murdered for fear that her child would kill them). They asked her what she had in the basket and she replied that it contained food. Not satisfied with the answer, they asked her to open up the basket and show them its contents.Luckily, two wild boars happened to run past them, and they forgot about the basket in their eagerness to hunt the animals down. The baby was delivered to the herdsman safely. That same year, King Panduvasudeva died and Abhaya became his successor. He was not a great king, but he was certainly a kind one and he was well-loved, especially by the poor. Several years went by and when Pandukabhaya was about seven years old, rumours reached his nine uncles about a boy in Dvaramandalaka who supposedly was a herdsman’s son, but who showed all signs of being of royal background.They suspected that this child may be their sister’s son, because they had reason to believe that the little girl who was being brought up as a princess in the palace was not Chitra’s daughter. They sent out people to kill all boys in the village who were around the same age as their nephew. It was known that all the boys of Dvaramandalaka bathed at a certain pond, and it was planned that they should be killed while they were bathing. The plan was executed and several young children were murdered.Pandukabhaya, however, had been hiding at the time, and so he escaped death. While Pandukabhaya’s uncles were satisfied at the time that they had eliminated their nephew, some years later they became su spicious again when they heard stories of a village boy who looked more like a prince than a herdsman’s son. They attempted to have him killed again, and the attempt failed once more. When Pandukabhaya was about sixteen years old, Princess Chitra, fearing for her son’s safety, arranged to have him live with a Brahman named Pandula.Once he was old enough to become king, Pandukabhaya left Pandula, married his cousin Pali and fought his uncles to claim his right to the throne. Eight of his ten uncles perished in the war, which lasted for seventeen years. Abhaya, who had never fought against Pandukabhaya, and Girikandasiva, who was Pali’s father, were not killed. Pandukabhaya was a good king and reigned over Sri Lanka for seventy years, leaving the country in a prosperous state when he die