Public Policy Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Public Policy Analysis - Assignment Example The strength of this framework lies in that it takes into consideration, all the actors at play, and their mutual dynamics, in a given policy situation. The shortcomings in the prevailing, stages heuristic theory, the problems with both â€Å"top-down and bottom-up approaches†, and the lacunae in the existing theories with respect to â€Å"scientific and technical information† had prompted the birth of the Advocacy Coalition Framework (Weible, Sabatier and McQueen, 122). This theory has looked at policy change as an attribute of several factors, namely, science and technology, time span, â€Å"policy subsystems†, and individual â€Å"beliefs† (Weible, Sabatier and McQueen, 122). It is the collective action of different advocacy groups that form into a temporary coalition on a specific issue (even if these groups differ among them on other issues) that is projected as a catalyst for policy change, according to this theory (Birkland, 300). Both the subsystem events and changes in the external policy environment have been viewed by this framework as to cause policy change (Weible, Sabatier and McQueen, 123-4). ... The basic notion of this theory has been that â€Å"individuals- acting alone, or within organizations- are utility-maximizing, rational individuals who are goal-oriented and use near-perfect information to weigh a range of options before adopting the optimal choice based on their calculation of costs and benefits† (Birkland, 302). This is a rule-based framework (where rules are implicit rather than binding), where policy changes are determined by â€Å"encompassing efficiency, equity, accountability, â€Å"conformance to general morality†, (†¦), and adaptability† (Birkland, 304). From this theoretical perspective, the actors who bring about policy change are acting either â€Å"as individuals or as groups functioning as a corporate actor† (Warne, 20). This theory has also envisaged a three tier process of policy creation/change, the tiers being, â€Å"operational tier (†¦) collective tier (†¦) (and) constitutional tier† (Warne, 20-21 ). My personal experiences and understanding of public policy suggest that the Advocacy Coalition Framework has succeeded in identifying the wider and specific aspects of policy making and integrating them beautifully, but it has failed to notice that all negotiations can happen only within the given legal and moral realm. On the other hand, the theory of Institutional Rational Choice has stressed the universal aspect of a policy choice. It has been successful in incorporating the coalition element of the Advocacy Coalition Framework, as one among its three tier model and has thus went beyond the Advocacy Coalition Framework to put forth a more comprehensive theoretical model. But all the same, the Institutional

Reason for Pursuing Graduation degree in Heath care Administration Essay Example for Free

Reason for Pursuing Graduation degree in Heath care Administration Essay Each individual has his own reason for pursuing a graduate degree. Professionally, a graduate degree shows that the person has the motivation, ambition, and dedication to improve and thus strive to obtain a position in which s/he can apply and expand his/her knowledge base. The choice to seek additional education after investing four years in an undergraduate degree shows commitment to learning and recognition of self-worth. I chose to pursue a Master’s degree because; I believe that obtaining a graduate degree will definitely make me more marketable in the corporate world. But my main goal is to broaden my horizon beyond the technical world, unlock career aspirations otherwise blocked, and enhance problem-solving and decision-making skills which lead me to do some excellent research base work in future. I am writing this statement in support of my application to study towards the Master of Health Care Administration degree at Worcester State University (WSU). Here the question is why am I pursuing my graduate degree in HCA/Public Health while I did my graduation/ under graduation from Statistics? My answer is, I want to expand my career level in a broad way by opening some more windows and I believe, the public health will be a good choice for one of them. A Healthcare Administration Degree can be utilized in just about any healthcare related occupation, ranging from hospital CEO, to health insurance manager(who need experience of statistics), to public health official(need statistics), to management consultant, health care analysis(need statistics) and more. Getting this degree under my belt now will ensure that I have a plethora of career options later on. I think health care and statistics are just like cousins. In todays world we are faced with situations everyday where statistics can be applied. Statistics can be used to determine the potential outcome of thousands of things where the human mind alone wouldnt be able to. For example- Researchers employ scientific methods to gather data on human population  samples. The health care industry benefits from knowing consumer market characteristics such as age, sex, race, income and disabilities. These demographic statistics can predict the types of services that people are using and the level of care that is affordable to them. Health care administrators refer statistics on service utilization to apply for grant funding and to justify budget expenditures to their governing boards. Quantitative research guides health care decision makers with statisticsnumerical data collected from measurements or observation that describe the characteristics of specific population samples. Descriptive statistics summarize the utility, efficacy and costs of medical goods and services. Increasingly, health care organizations employ statistical analysis to measure their performance outcomes. Hospitals and other large provider service organizations implement data-driven, continuous quality improvement programs to maximize efficiency. Government health and human service agencies gauge the overall health and well-being of populations with statistical information. Moreover, Public Service Leaders work behind the scenes at hospitals and other healthcare facilities to make sure that patients have access to quality health services. They are trained to manage the financial aspects of hospital administration which include creating and managing budgets, conducting financial forecasting exercises to project future growth and expenditures and overseeing the day to day tracking of accounting data. Some of these healthcare business professionals are involved in public service but at a more strategic level as they work to guide policy making decisions for both government agencies and private healthcare service providers. Students pursuing graduate degrees in Healthcare Administration usually are interested in promoting quality healthcare to everyone not only from inside the hospital base as doctor but from the outside in different necessary way. A graduate level Health Administration degree programs are usually filled with courses pertaining to quantitative analysis, probability and statistics and hypotheses testing. So, I believe Students who have interests in learning how to correctly design research studies, applying statistical models using the latest healthcare software tools and interpreting data to contribute to improve healthcare services do well in graduate level health administration coursework.

Bats :: essays research papers

INTRODUCTION There is an abundant amount of animal species in the world. They all have adapted and evolved to survive in their surroundings. Some have grown fins, others legs, and still others wings. One of the animals that has grown wings is the bat. The bat is a truly great creature. It has all the characteristics of mammals while also possessing the skill of a bird in flight. There are more than 800 species of bats in the world. They are of many different sizes, shapes, and lifestyles. They live all over the world and have drawn the curiosity of millions. Bats also have the unique feature of echolocation that it uses to catch insects. Though other mammals, like the flying squirrel seem to fly but actually glide, the bat is the only mammal that can truly fly (Lauber 1968). A Bat's Body Due to the great variety of species of bats some characteristics vary greatly, but the Little Brown Bat is a good example of a common bat. It has fur on the body, large naked ears, the rear legs have claws, a tail membrane, and it has the most distinguishing feature of a bat, wings (Lauber 1968). The upper arm of the bat is short while the forearm is very long (Fig. 1). The wrist is very small and from it comes the thumb and the four longer fingers. The thumb is short and used for climbing or walking. The fingers are long and thin. Interlocking the fingers is the wing. This arrangement of having the fingers in the wing gives the bat amazing flight maneuverability (Honders 1975). These bones look similar to a human hand. They are connected by rubbery skin to the bat's body enveloping all the fingers but the thumb (Anonymous 1990). Echolocation Bats have a "sixth sense" called echolocation. This was first proved by Donald Griffin. Bats produce ultrasonic sound waves and then use the echo of the returning sound to sense the world around them and in particularly to catch insects. These sounds are usually out of the humans range of hearing (Fellman 1993). This system is similar to that of dolphins. The sound is in the form of clicks that increase as the bat gets closer to the insect or whatever it is tracking (Anonymous 1990). Unlike humans, most insects can hear the bat's echolocation sounds. David D. Yager of the University of Maryland has found that the praying mantis has used this to its advantage.

Best Buy Essay

Best Buy is one of the world’s largest multinational consumer electronics retailers with stores in Canada, China, United States and Mexico. Richard M. Schulze and Gary Smoliak founded Best Buy in 1966, but it was established as a company in 1983. The company’s stores offer video products, audio products, musical instruments, mobile electronics, home & office products, and networking equipment as well; it also provides service contracts, warranties and repair services; therefore, it operates as a retail store, online retail and call center. Best buy has been facing the increase in competition from online retailers and discount stores however the company has been reorganizing its e-commerce offerings and making other site upgrades. An effective communication is important for managers in the organization so that they can perform their jobs and responsibilities. A manager would need the basic functions of management that are planning, organizing, leading and controlling. Customers turn to Best Buy for purchases and answers to their technology questions; this company gives their clients the opportunity to communicate, learn with all different benefits that Best Buy has to offer. Today, we have become more dependent on technology. We live in a society that is called â€Å"technologically civilized†, meaning that every small work we do, is technology dependent. Every person is carrying a device or gadget that is technically advanced. Ultimately we can say that in this technical world of today, we are much dependent on technology. Gadgets make it easier for communication to take place when someone needs to reach out to other people in different countries. We also use technology to work, purchase things online and basically do almost everything. As a company, Best Buy strives to reach out to their local community to provide new and creative programs to serve the community. Best Buy will train their employees to educate shoppers on hand held devices and walk them through purchase and activation. In the customer support section, shoppers can ask Best Buy employees what they can do when something goes wrong with a hand held device, as when the screen breaks. Marketing strategic plans Best Buy is one of the largest specialty retailers in the United States. It is the 10th largest online retailer in the U.S and Canada and it is also number one in customer service. All employees are committed to helping deliver the technology solutions that provide knowledge, values, and ideas whether online, via mobile device or in stores. It also provides variety of services which makes them one of the leading retail and consumer merchandise companies. With each visit, Best Buy offers the customers an inviting and inspiring experience. Best Buy sets high-quality standards of communication and uses different marketing strategies to reach the public. It appeals to a diverse public and makes sure whoever enters their stores, feels comfortable enough to approach one of our employees when they need help. Best Buy’s communication aims to build a reputation with best quality brand and service. Best Buy sells a wide variety of products that appeal to all ages and gender types. They are an electronic store that sells DVDs, CDs, video games, iPod and mp3 music, phones and TVs. There is a music section that appeals to musicians, where you can get music albums and musical instruments. You can find phone sections for those who need or would like to have the latest phones. You can also pick up a computer or laptop for personal use or work. Television lovers have a big section as well. Best Buy has a lot more to offer for the younger audience, there are toys and video games. For the older audience there are appliances, suc h as TVs, home theater systems, car accessories, office supplies and more. Overall Best Buy target audience is not specific due to their variety of products. Best Buy’s  target market is the general consumer; the one that continuously visits their stores and that are satisfied with their product quality. In order to get a hold of their customers, Best Buy mostly advertises the latest phones, such as the Apple iPhone, and Samsung’s Galaxy. Phones are an everyday necessity and Best Buy has made it their main product to advertise. There are seasonal promotions where Best Buy has summer sales for back to school and Christmas sales for the winter. Best Buy takes a hold of their customers by doing this. Customer loyalty is not a problem due to their variety of product. Customer loyalty programs/Customer Service Best Buy has different strategies to keep customers coming back and buying their products. When school is back in session, usually around August 1st they commence their back to school deals on electronics such as laptops, tablets, cameras, phones, TVs and any other sort of devices students need or like to buy, which is their way of getting people’s attention by lowering the prices of their favorite electronics. Best Buy’s slogan on the back to school deal is â€Å"Deal today. Gone tomorrow. Limited quantities.† They have free in-store pick up, which will allow the customers to pick it up at the store, avoiding shipping and delivery charges. Aside from having back to school deals, Best Buy works on developing customer loyalty by having the lower price guarantee, which is finding a lower price and matching it. The way it works is if the customer finds an item at local competitor retail store or Mayor Company online with a lower price than Best Buy, they will do their best to match that price, both in stores and online. It is their way of keeping the customers committed to their stores and to keep them from buying an item at another store. â€Å"Deal of the day† is also a method used to keep customers engaged and to improve customer-driven service quality. Best Buy puts popular items up for sale. They have weekly offers, texts alerts and emails to alert you when there’s a sale going on and customers will have the chance to buy quality items at a more reasonable price. When you order online, they have free standard shipping on sale items and no minimum purchase required. These deals improve customer loyalty an d customer satisfaction. Product Quality and prices When you want to buy an electronic, the first place you think of is Best Buy. You look for Best Buy because is a familiar place and you trust that you can get a quality product along with great prices. They have owned up to their image by building up to customer loyalty along with customer satisfaction and customer engagement. With the merging of different operating systems all in one place, Best Buy promises the latest devices and services, knowledgeable employees, impartial advice, competitive prices, ability to shop online as well as in stores and support for the life of the products. In order to keep those promises, Best Buy offers a variety of exclusive services to make the most of the mobile technology. They have upgrade checker, where buyers are able to know whether or not they are eligible for a new phone. They also have a program called â€Å"trade-in† where customers trade in their mobile phone and in return they get a $200 Best Buy gift card. The â€Å"Geek Squad protection† is a service that Best Buy provides from within the store. They have a section with letters written on top spelling out â€Å"Geek Squad† in orange, black and white. Their slogan is, â€Å"Go ahead. Use us.† It covers accidental damage from handling battery replacement to repairing electronics. They also have an app that customers can access the Geek Squad and get protection benefits. Best Buy also offers phone activation and transfer all of your contacts to your new phone. They call it the â€Å"walk out working† program. They can set up your phone as soon as you buy it and will throw in a Bluetooth set up. And to ensure that you get the best service, they offer a Best Buy rewards card. You pay no interest and you are able to earn rewards as long as you use it. As for product prices, best buy has the most popular operating system, all in one store. They sell the Windows Phone, Blackberry products, iPhone products, Android products, Bose electronics, Beats products, and many more. Prices range from $49.00 to $ 399.99 for phones. And that’s including new phones. They put newer phones at a lower price when the customer signs a service contract. The lower prices help lure the customers in the store, resulting in greater revenue. SWOT Best Buy specializes in consumer electronics, home office products, entertainment software and household appliances, therefore is one of the largest specialty retailers, providing a diverse customer service. Best Buy gives a major importance to the Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) that the company may face. Some of the strengths are that it operates more than 1,150 stores in the United States and abroad. Its revenues are $16.26 billion and profit of $651 million. It also leads U.S retailer offering a wide market mix of services in computers, televisions, tablets and cameras. The weaknesses of the company are primary reducing prices to match competitors, it established image as a lower quality retailer and some impacts from the past of class action lawsuit. The opportunities for Best Buy are primarily to grow in sales of mobile phones and tablets, extended store hours, hiring highly trained sales consultants so that they can assist with technical issues, improving inventory management through long term relation with supplier, as well as outsourcing items to China which will lower production costs. The threats that Best Buy encounter are the online and retail competitors. Its current competitors are Staples, Office Depot, Wal-Mart, Costco, Sam’s club and Amazon. Another threat would be the pressure to reduce prices because of the competitors and rising labor wages. Competitors around 5th Ave Store Its competitors around 5th Ave store (between 43rd St and 44th St) are H and B Digital (located on 46th St between 5th Ave and 6th Ave), RadioShack (located on 42nd St between Madison Ave and Park Ave), and Barnetts Computer Warehouse (located on 5th Ave between 38th St and 39th St). Other than these, there are many electronics retailers on 5th Ave within 10 blocks from 36th St to 46th St all of which have its own competitive advantages to survive in this area. For example, RadioShack retails a wide range of products, from cables to cameras. They offer technology products, accessories, mobile devices, and power supplies. Therefore, competition in this area is also intensive, as many competitors that have their own competitive advantages and strengths surround the store. Competitors in general Major competitors for Best Buy CO., Inc. are Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Dell Inc., RadioShack Corp., Target Corp., etc. The leader of this market is Wal-Mart Stores, which has 252.14 billion market capitalizations. Wal-Mart’s strengths are that large scale of operation and word-wide, which is 3,615 stores in all over the world, and low cost performance. RadioShack Corp. also has 4,453 stores in the United States and Puerto Rico, according to its official web site. Therefore, the electronic retailing market has very intensive competition. How Best Buy survives in this competition is that they have their original loyalty program, which is called â€Å"Reward Zone†. With this program, customers get 1 point for every $1 spending on purchase at Best Buy stores and 250 points is going to be $5 reward certificate. They also e-mail customers when the reward certificates are available. The customers print their reward certificates online or access it with Reward Zone mobile app. Overall Appearance Upon walking into a Best Buy, one can notice the effort they go into keeping their store looking presentable at all times. Not much seems out of place when considering the overall appearance and sanitation of the store, with the few exceptions of items out of place because of customers themselves placing merchandise on the wrong shelf when the item is not needed. This is definitely a place where one can feel comfortable shopping because of its clean and organized environment. When it comes to talking about controversies, Best Buy is no stranger to the issue. Connecticut State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is investigating Best Buy after it was discovered that some locations throughout the country were using a secret website identical to the public website that everyone can access through www.bestbuy.com, to deny customers of the advertised prices when shopping at the locations. Essentially customers would search for deals on their website and decide what they wanted to buy howe ver; when they arrived at the store to buy the item they were denied the price when a store associate would show them a different price on their secret website. The website looked the same as the public one, but only store associates had access to it, with which they could manipulate customers into paying the higher price. It was also found that locations in New Jersey and Ohio were selling used merchandise as new when they would repackage it, as well as not fulfilling customer  rebates. Controversies such as this show an unprecedented market unfairness not often seen with a major U.S. retailer such as Best Buy. One would think a company as big and with so few competitors such as Best Buy would stray away from bad business practices, but the reality is different. Reflections It is interesting how much we, as a collective team, have learned about Best Buy over the course of our many visits, interviews and research. We have come to the conclusion that Best Buy truly is a force to be reckoned with when talking about electronics. From the customer service, their loyalty programs, variety of products, and down to their reasonable prices. As a group we understand the value of these great qualities, and despite the controversies, we stand as loyal customers to this great brand. Best Buy is a great place to shop for electronics. They have several quality brands customers can chose from. Their products are not an issue in this organization, something they should focus is on is their service. New customers walk in and do not immediately know where everything is. In order fix this issue Best Buy should have a staff member that greets the customers and ask if they need any assistance such as help with looking for a certain brand and product, information on current sales and who to speak with in case of any questions on a product. Cleanliness is not a major issue with the stores, but customers sometimes look through the store items and don’t replace them where they belong so staff should improve on their cleanliness and organization of the items. Recently one of our teammates bought a computer to Best Buy, and being an existing customer she expected to receive good service; however she notices that most of the employees did not help each other and there was a long line at the cashier. No one wanted to help until one employee came up to her and asked her if she needed help. He had confessed to her that no one wanted to do anything because the employees found out that they were not receiving commission anymore. There was a lack of communication with employees and with customers. There were a few employees giving the service, the rest were walking around watching the game. Overall, as far as we have come to know Best Buy, we learned that it is a store with a variety of high quality products. Of course it has its flaws, but which business doesn’t? Best Buy does its best to keep their  reputation as the number one retail store, and provides the consumers with their needs and wants. Best Buy is recognized as the number one store for electronics. When you think of buying an electronic, the first store you think of is Best Buy.

Prison Reform Essay

Three inmates could be released from prison today. Two of them will end up right back in the system within three years. This statistic should be enough to conclude that America’s prison systems are failing miserably with the rehabilitation of inmates. How is it plausible for every correctional facility to think isolation, segregation, and overcrowding could possibly benefit the crime rate? Instead of converting these inmates into proper citizens, the system has found ways to hold them down. To suppress their inspiration to change. For many inmates, those bars do not only imprison their bodies, but their motivation and determination as well. US prisons are breeding grounds for violence. These places are supposed to reform inmates into law abiding people. Instead, they turn even the harmless criminals into the most violent ones. One man is sentenced to one year due to drug trafficking. Another man is sentenced to life without parole for several brutal murders. Despite the different levels of their crimes, they could possibly be bunked together in the same cell. This right here is a prime example of what the DOC will do to hold an inmate down. By involving non-violent criminals with heinous ones, they are creating a situation of fear and defense. The man who is in for excruciating violent behavior could easily try to hurt his cell mate. He has nothing to lose. Is the man with minor charges expected to not defend himself? No. That’s where the violence sets in. When you mix completely different criminals together on purpose, there is going to be an outbreak of violence. Everybody has those weeks where you just feel like you need to get out of the house. As if staying home doing nothing one more day would just make you rip your hair out. Imagine having to do that for anywhere up to six months or longer. Not just in a wide open house, but in a small, confined cell. No human contact, nothing to keep you busy, sometimes even going hours wi thout food. This happens daily in the American prison systems. Solitary confinement has been a method used for years in the US. Such isolation can take a huge toll on anybody’s mental stability. Often these inmates are thrown into a single cell, and basically forgotten about. These prisoners are treated like dogs instead of human beings. Do these officers realize that each one of those men have someone who cares about them? For every inmate in that facility there is someone who loves them. Another flaw of the DOC is the hiring process of correctional staff. I have a great deal of thanks for those who  have put their safety on the line to control inmates. However, I also believe they have much to do with the violent outbreaks. For some officers, this position is like a power trip. While there are many honorable officers, you can tell they love the future of the inmates riding in their hands. I have witnessed first hand CO’s getting inmates all wired up knowing the inmate will get themselves in trouble. Often these officers act just as childish as the prisoners! The only difference is the uniforms they’re wearing. The requirements to become a correctional officer is to provide security and to enforce the rules, not to contribute to the chaos! As a new inmate entering the system, there is one factor that everybody recognizes about you†¦The color of your skin. Instead of providing a place where segregation is at a minimum, prisons all across America are dealing with gang violence and race issues. These issues are known as â€Å"Prison Politics† to some. No matter who you are, or where you’re from, when entering prison you become identified by your skin tone. The level of gangs and cultural groups are so high, that often inmates have no choice but to follow the crowd. Sure, they could choose not to cooperate in the gang life, but where does that leave them? Then they will become the targets with no defense. The pressure to become accepted is so important in prison survival, that some inmates will throw away their moral s just to protect themselves. Prison officials often condone the promotion of racial segregation. If one person of a specific race was found suspicious, they have the right to lock down every person of the same nationality. They often bunk same races together to cut down the risk of altercations. This is probably for the best at the time being, but it makes you wonder why they don’t attempt to do something about gang involvement. You hear about classes on drug intervention, schooling, and religion. Why don’t they have a class on racial acceptance? I’m sure it wouldn’t convert the beliefs of many inmates, but it would at least show some effort to bring down the segregation rate. The release of an inmate should be one of the most exciting moments of their lives. It should be a time where they finally get to put all of the knowledge and inspiration they have gained to use. It should be a new stepping stone for them to create a new lifestyle without their past lagging behind them. Sadly, this is hardly ever how it works out. In the past generation, the process of parole and release has started lacking structure. It is very rare that an inmate is  individually prepared to face the real world. Instead of carefully considering ways to provide help upon release, they often just let them go on their own with no support from the inside. I understand these are grown adults, but when you are facilitated for so long, there is a need for preparation for the outside world. When these inmates are faced with the outside realities all at once, they just go back to their old ways. They are not given the support they need to make it through life on their own. These prisons confine these inmates for years, harboring their every move. Yet when they are released, they do not help them along one bit. Something is obviously wrong here. The prison system has a long way to go before it becomes effective. More people need to start paying attention to these correctional departments. The cause seems so minuscule until someone you love becomes the victim. These prisons are inhumane, chaotic, and lacking necessary resources. Until prison systems of America reach a solid stability of rehabilitation, the inmates will continue to involve themselves in crime. These places should be for improvement, not corruption.