Microeconomics

Introduction The term microeconomics is derived from the Greek word mikros which means small. Therefore, in microeconomics, the focus is on individual economic units such as individual consumer or an individual firm or an individual factor owner. Each of these small units seeks to maximize or minimize something (Mukherjee 2007, p. 33).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Microeconomics specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Normally, microeconomics consists of looking at the economy through a microscope, as it were, to see how individuals or households as consumers, and the individual or firms as producers, play their part in the working of the economy. In general, microeconomics concerns itself with the explanation and analysis of how the various cells of the economic organism or the so-called units of economic such as millions of consumers, producers or business firms, workers and factory owners perform their economic a ctivities and succeed in reaching their respective equilibrium states or achieving their optimization goals such as utility maximization, profit maximization, or optimization of incomes. This paper presents a discussion of two issues related to the subject of microeconomics. First, the main economic factors that determine the price of a good or service will be explained and later, economic factors that have led to the rises in the prices of cereals in the past five years will be examined. Factors that Determine the Price of a Good or Service Two main factors that directly influence the price of goods or services in the market are demand and supply. Generally, the price of goods and services is high when the demand is high (Grant Vidler, 2000). A low demand on the other hand implies that the producers have no choice but to reduce the prices as the competition to sell is high and the focus for each seller is to be able to attract as many buyers as may be practically possible. This, h owever, typically applies in a free market economy where the prevailing market conditions determine the prices. In a similar way, low supply will result in high prices for goods or services while a high supply will mean that prices have to go up (Mukherjee 2007, p. 35).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to Odland (2012, p. 1), the price of goods and services is considered a function of both supply and demand. The effects of demand and supply on the price of a good or a service are explained in the following sub sections. Demand Demand relates to the behavior of consumers. The quantity demanded of any good or service is the amount of the good or service that buyers are willing to and able to purchase (Jones 2004, p.64). Although there are many things that determine the price of a good or service, the level of demand for the good or service affects the price that sell ers can offer. Ideally, when the demand is high, the price tends to go up. Regardless of what is responsible for causing the increase in demand, the consumer will be expected to pay a higher price. The demand may rise due to an influx of people into the market, artificial shortages created by suppliers, or poor infrastructure making it difficult to deliver the good or service as expected (Mankiw Taylor, 2006). As an example, consider how the cost of fuel keeps fluctuating in many countries across the world. Usually, the demand of fuel may increase as a result of war experienced in oil producing countries or it may be caused by increased activities such as during Christmas or during Easter celebrations. Given that the same commodity is being sought after by a higher number of people, it is most likely that sellers will take advantage and start selling the good or service at a higher than normal price. In some countries, however, the government has put in place strict measures to reg ulate prices and protect the consumers.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Microeconomics specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, the quantity consumed is affected by the prevailing market price. This is illustrated by figure 1 (Bernanke 2004, p. 61). Figure 1: Demand Curve A fundamental property of the demand curve is that it is downward sloping with respect to price. As can be seen from figure 1, it is clear that consumers will purchase more when prices are low and vice versa. Obviously, the demand curve can be interpreted either vertically or horizontally. Under the horizontal interpretation, we begin with a price and then end up with the quantity demanded at that price. For example, at a price of $ 4 only 8,000 units will be demanded per day while at a price of $ 2, consumers will demand up to 16,000 units. Under the vertical interpretation, we begin with a quantity a specific quantity and go on to determin e the price from the demand curve. For example, when the demand is high, at 16,000 units per day, a lower price of $ 2 is charged while when the supply is only 8,000 units per day, a higher price of $ 4 is charged.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Supply As stated earlier, a high supply of a good or service will result in lower prices while a decline in supply will lead to higher prices. Although some shortages in supply may be natural, others may be influenced by sellers who are out to extort money from unsuspecting consumers (Myers 2004, p. 23). Clearly, when the supply is low, a higher number of consumers will be fighting to get the same commodity. If this happens in a free market economy, the consumer becomes the biggest loser. Figure 2 illustrates how supply affects prices. Figure 2: Supply Curve Like the demand curve, the supply curve can be interpreted either horizontally or vertically. Under the horizontal interpretation, we being with a price and then go over to the supply curve to check the quantity that sellers wish to sell at that price on the horizontal axis. For example, at a price of $ 2, sellers are willing to sell 8,000 units in a day. Under the vertical interpretation, we begin with a quantity and then dete rmine the corresponding price from the supply curve. For example, when the quantity supplied is 12,000 units, the corresponding price is $ 3. Equilibrium Price and Equilibrium Quantity The equilibrium price is that price that sets buyers’ plans equal to sellers’ plans. Similarly, the quantity at which these plans are equal is referred to as the equilibrium quantity. Therefore, in a free market economy, the equilibrium price and quantity are the price and quantity toward which markets will automatically move. At the equilibrium price, the quantity demanded equals the quantity supplied and neither sellers nor buyers will want to change the price or the quantity (Welch Welch, 2009). Often, the equilibrium price is referred to as the market clearing price since at this price, the amount buyers want exactly matches the amount that sellers offer, thereby clearing the market of the good or service. When the price of a good or service is below its equilibrium level, a shortag e will develop, and the price will be driven up toward the equilibrium. On the other hand, if the price is above the equilibrium, a surplus will develop, causing the price to fall toward equilibrium. Figure 3 a combined graph of demand and supply curves and illustrates the equilibrium price and equilibrium quantity (Welch Welch, 2009). Figure 3: Equilibrium Price and Equilibrium Quantity Factors that have Led to the Rises in the Prices of Cereals in the Past Five Years As noted by Meyer (2012, p. 1), poor weather conditions played a big role in the rise of prices of cereals in the past five years. To a great extent, this is also related to the devastating effects of global warming and climate change. Although other factors are partly to blame for the pathetic weather experienced in most parts of the world, increased activities on earth by men and women are largely responsible for degrading the environment. The result of this has been severe droughts in any countries and hence poor harvests. The poor harvests automatically imply that the quantity of cereals supplied can not meet the market demand. Clearly, the low supply and high demand imply that the prices of cereals had to go up. A study by the World Bank also arrived at the conclusion that weather is the most critical factor that is to blame for the soaring prices of cereals (World Bank, 2012, p. 2). The unfavorable weather is generally blamed for vast damage caused to cereal crops and hence affecting the output from farms. As noted by Odland (2012, p. 1), restrictions by the government are also to blame for the rise in cereal prices. Even though this may be beneficial to some degree, it can easily lead to poor harvests. Increased prices are also linked to the fact that the rise in the cost of oil directly affects the cost of transport as well as other production materials. In places like China and India, where the population is always on the rise, a high demand for food stuff leads to high prices for goo ds and services. Another factor that has led to the rise in prices of cereals is absence of government subsidy (FAO 2011, p. 13). Among the most important forms of government assistance to farmers is the fertilizer subsidy. Where fertilizer subsidies are provided by the government, commodity prices tend to be lower. Since farmers receive fertilizers at reduced prices, they are also able to sell their produce at lower prices without going into a loss. In the past five years, however, changes in government policies touching on subsidies for cereal crops have led to increased prices (OECD 2008, p. 8). Unfortunately, the government of the United States has been accused of encouraging farmers to engage in farming practices that consume little water. In as much as this may be of some benefit to the environment, it has the negative repercussion of reducing food supply. The decline in food supply in turn leads to low supply and this eventually results in high commodity prices. Reference Lis t Bernanke, B. 2004, Principles of Microeconomics, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., Hong Kong, China. Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), 2011, Recent Trends in World Food Commodity Prices: Costs and Benefits. Web. Grant, S. Vidler, C. 2000, Economics in Context, Heinemann Educational Publishers, Sandton. Jones, T. 2004, Business Economics and Managerial Decision Making, John Wiley Sons, Hoboken, NJ. Mankiw, N. G. Taylor, M. P. 2006, Microeconomics, Cengage Learning EMEA, Bedford Row, London. Meyer, G. 2012, Moment of Truth for US Grain. Web. Mukherjee, S. 2007, Modern Economic Theory, New Age International, New Delhi, India. Myers, D. 2004, Construction Economics: A New Approach, Taylor Francis, New York, NY. Odland, S. 2012, Why Are Food Prices So High? Web. Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Rising Food Prices: Causes and Consequences. Web. Welch, P. J. Welch, G. F. 2009, Economics: Theory and Practice, John Wiley Sons, Hoboken, N. J. World Bank, 2012, Poverty Reduction and Equity Group Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM) Network. Web. This report on Microeconomics was written and submitted by user Libby Blake to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Writing effective marketing materials, Medtech Business - Emphasis

Writing effective marketing materials, Medtech Business Writing effective marketing materials, Medtech Business Medical technologies may cross language barriers, but words are the building blocks of a marketing message. Rob Ashton of Emphasis explains how mastering writing skills can help you target and influence the right people. Your company has created an exciting medical innovation. Lets say its a new technology that replaces faulty heart valves without the need for open-heart surgery. Its been patented and is ready to take the world by storm. Not only will it save lives, in the long run it will also save hospitals considerable time and money. The technology may be impressive, but convincing the relevant decision-makers to buy the product is easier said than done. As you know, healthcare is a fast-moving area and your innovation will be fighting for attention with the scores of new products, techniques and studies released every day. Your sales team will be promoting the benefits of the product in sales presentations and one-to-one meetings. You can pave the way by creating compelling marketing materials that will generate interest even excitement before those meetings take place. But simply making such material available wont guarantee that your message is heard. Most managers have a stack of reports, letters and e-mails to wade through on a daily basis. Reading a leaflet or letter on a new heart surgery technology may be the least of their priorities. Thats why your marketing materials need to be carefully crafted. They need to be written in language that prompts your reader to take action. A powerful, well-written document can make even the most harried managers sit up and take notice. It can convince them that they need your product. But it must address their needs, not yours. How can you write marketing materials that will really get your products noticed? Do the groundwork Whether youre writing a leaflet, a poster or web content, you need to prepare. Research your market fully before you start and make sure you understand all the challenges your prospects face. A nursing home will have different needs from an NHS hospital, for example. So avoid a one size fits all approach to your marketing. Keep your focus on the reader by asking yourself the following questions: What is the document about? Who will read it? How much do they already know about the subject? What do they absolutely need to know? How important is the subject to them? How interested are they in the subject? (Note that readers arent always interested in whats important to them. So you often need to make them interested.) Then grab a pen and paper and brainstorm all the ways that your product can help to meet your prospects challenges. Use the headings Who? What? Where? When? and Why? to help this process. Then use the information to write a set of powerful reasons why they should buy your product. Arrest the reader The seven steps below will help you to write effective leaflets, posters, sales letters and web content. Create a snappy headline Eye-scanning studies of website users by research body Eyetrack III have shown that people read only the first two words of a headline and ignore the introductory sections. So it is essential to create a compelling statement that will motivate people to read on. For example, a headline that reads Hospitals gain 20 more beds a week through nanotechnology is striking because of the first two words: hospitals are usually overcrowded, so this introduces a solution to a familiar problem. Find an angle Generate more interest by including facts and statistics that relate to the problems faced by your audience. Appeal to their logic and explain how your product makes a difference. For example, you could write: The new nanotechnology means patients spend 40% less time convalescing. Bite the bullet The Eyetrack III research also revealed that only one in six people actually read websites sentence by sentence. Naomi Baron, a linguistics professor at the American University in Washington DC, calls this the search and seize approach. Assuming that your readers will treat all your documents like this will help you to create clear written work. So include lots of bullet points and subheadings and use important words that your readers will be looking for. Make your writing as simple as possible, but dont be afraid to use jargon if youre certain your readers will understand it. Jargon can actually help to build rapport but its a fine balance between that and alienating some readers. Be active Use the active voice where possible. For instance, write You should notice a difference in three days rather than A difference within three days can be expected. Give proof Boost your credibility by using testimonials or endorsements where leading experts have spoken about the technology. Offer a next step Make sure you tell the reader what to do next. In a letter, you might ask them to call you for more information. Or a leaflet might direct them to your website. Keep it simple Always choose simple words over complicated ones. And if you cant say a sentence all in one breath, the chances are that its too long. Aim for a maximum of 1520 words per sentence. Mail mastery According to an Emphasis survey of 200 companies in the UK, senior managers say that at least a fifth of the e-mails they receive are poorly written. So remember to take as much care over your e-mails as you do with your other marketing materials. The first step is to create a descriptive subject line. For instance, Follow-up documents from 20 March meeting may be accurate but if your e-mail is designed to market a product, you need to be creative. Five ways hospitals can save 50 minutes a day should be intriguing enough to persuade a manager to open your e-mail. Structure your e-mail by following the SCRAP formula: Situation Start by explaining the situation (where they are). Complication Introduce the idea that theres a problem (why they cant stay there) they need to solve or a request they need to fulfil. Resolution State how you can resolve the problem or request. Its likely that your reader will be glad to see a practical, considered solution, whatever it is. Action Suggest what action the reader can or should take. Politeness End with a polite sign-off. Following this formula will help your readers to understand your message clearly. (You can apply the same principles to your follow-up letters.) It can be difficult to read lengthy documents on a PC. So if your message wont fit on one screen, use an attachment for the details. You can make the message easier to read by including subheadings. But take extra care with e-mails. Remember that its very easy for them to go viral. So only write what you dont mind having broadcast on the 10 OClock News. Hot news Having news reports or features appear in newspapers and magazines is an excellent way to build credibility with the people you want to influence. Press releases are the standard format for sending journalists news. But with so many in circulation, it can be difficult to get yours noticed. Journalists are also starting to bite back against releases that are poorly written, irrelevant to their needs or little more than thinly-veiled sales pitches. How do you get your press release to the top of the pile? The secret is to give journalists exactly what they want: a news story. The headline is the most important part of your document. Press releases can be very effective if you tie the headline to a topical event. For instance, Medical software helps Haiti earthquake victims is compelling because it ties the technology to a major global health crisis. And it presents a clear angle that makes people want to read on. Next, state the facts of the story. Get to the good stuff straight away, as journalists wont have time to wade through background information. Try to put the word today in the first sentence to show that its news. For example, you could write: Doctors implemented a patient database today in Haiti. If you cant say today then use the present perfect tense (Doctors have saved) rather than the past tense (Doctors saved) where possible, as the former implies something closer to the moment. After using the present perfect tense, use the future tense to show that you have your finger on the pulse. So you could write: Doctors will now be able to track patient progress 75% faster than before. Using figures in this way is very effective. But where possible, also include people in your document. So opt for One in four people will benefit rather than 25% will benefit. Finally, go back to your first sentence and ask yourself: So what? If you cant answer that, your message isnt compelling enough. Refine your document until youre convinced that its news that cannot be ignored. Think of writing marketing material as an investment. Dont be disheartened if a campaign doesnt immediately strike gold. Keep working on your writing style and aim to make it as punchy as possible. The more you practise, the more youll be able to write your way to marketing success. Rob Ashton is Chief Executive of Emphasis, the specialist business-writing trainers.

Article Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Article - Assignment Example The first article â€Å"Aligning Supply Chain Strategies with Product Uncertainties† by Lee discusses theoretically the process involved in supply chain management and the factors, which necessitates the same. The article elaborately discusses the risks in production entailed by demand and supply sides. The center point is supply uncertainties that thereby leads to reinforce the necessity of supply chain management. The second article ‘Avon gets its Makeover’ by Cohen and Roussel point out how Avon, a global cosmetics firm has reformed the infrastructure in its manufacturing and transportation base using an end-to-end approach and the benefits which resulted form this step. The third article ‘Making Supply Meet Demand’ by Fischer, Hammond, Obermeyer and Raman focuses on the errors in forecasting and other means of uncertainties affecting demand supply interaction. The fourth article ‘Mass Customization at’ by Feitzinger and Lee explains t he strategies employed for mass customization. All four articles also incorporate the role played by information in supply chain management. Demand-Supply interaction and supply chain management Managing supply chains is closely associated with demand related uncertainties. Supply Chain Management is an integrated set of complex operations needed for a business to succeed in a competitive atmosphere. Efficient supply chain management functions practiced by a company help it in achieving several business objectives. It helps in reducing the cost of operations, improving the quality of the products and services rendered and in maintaining efficient delivery system. Moreover effective supply chain management practice promotes the system of spontaneous innovation taken by a concern. Effective supply chain management helps in the augmentation of the value and quality of products through proper forecasting of market demand and thereby making necessary replenishment (Fischer, Hammond, Ober meyer and Raman). The challenges and benefits of supply chains should be closely studied before any practical strategies are framed and Lee successfully explore that focusing on the uncertainties on both demand and supply sides. Management of supply chains have been more complicated owing to the shortening of life cycles of a product, expansion of business worldwide and persistent up gradation of information technology. The main indicators of the health of supply chain are its market position, inventory, customer service, cost and returns on assets. One important thing must be noted here. Every product or segment cannot have the same kind of supply chain management and a market with unstable demand or uncertain supply source cannot be managed in the same way as that with a stable demand and supply dynamics. For instance products, which are functional, might have lesser uncertainties in demand structure than those that are innovative in nature (Lee). The distinction on grounds of pre dictability can also be made on grounds of accurate response. Fischer, Hammond, Obermeyer and Raman discuss different models for forecasting demand and consequently supply. The products, which are functional in nature, can be forecast without much risk of deviation (Lee). An instance of a successful supply chain management might be found in case of Avon. The company undertook an end-to-end supply chain structure where it could see the entire chain as

Retail Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Retail - Essay Example Retailing is a critical part of modern society because of convenience. Retailing fosters the transportation and presentation of consumer goods to the doorstep of buyer’s doorstep (O’Brien and Harris, 2012). The community gains from retailing as retail enterprises conduct marketing roles that make it likely for consumers to make use of a wide range of commodities and services. A second critical role played by retailing in contemporary society is availability. Commodities and services do not have value for consumers until they acquire and use them. Retail enterprises get commodities and services from various locations, categorize them at one point in line with consumer needs, and foster consumer availability. Retailing is also a critical part of modern society because of bulk convenience. Retail shops itemize bulk goods and present them in amounts and sizes as wanted by customers (O’Brien and Harris, 2012). Retail stores assist consumers by offering suitable goods, services, and guidance in the packaging and amounts they want. Retailing is assures a supply chain, which is critical to contemporary society. A supply chain ensures the flow and availability of commodities and services to consumers after leaving manufacturers or distribution points (Madaan, n.d.). The supply chain is an incorporated framework in which retail enterprises play a vital role. The relationship between retail enterprises and manufacturers or distributors is a categorization process. This process entails gathering a variety of commodities and services from a broad array of suppliers, and presenting them for sale (Madaan, n.d.). Another chain assured by retailing is the value chain that is critical for modern society. When buyers buy products, retail enterprises ought to order additional products to refill their stock (O’Brien and Harris, 2012). Afterwards, manufacturers buy additional resources to use to make additional products. This process is the root of consumer spending, which drives modern society. Retailing also boosts employment, which is a critical aspect of modern society. A host of enterprise communities and individuals make up the manufacturing, distribution, and retailing process of economy. Retailing makes up the biggest revenue maker and job producer just after agriculture. Retailing offers jobs to the least financially fortunate and unprofessional together with the learned and skilled.

Fairness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Fairness - Essay Example In order to deal with aforementioned workplace issues, the government policy-makers have been focusing on greater regulation of employment practices through effective implementation of existing federal, state and local laws. In simple words, regulation is an attempt to enhance the bargaining power of employees who, in most cases, are the victims of unfair practices of employers (the dominant party). For instance, if workplace laws are not correctly implemented then the dominant party (either employees or workers) may create disciplinary issues, thereby leading to workplace unfairness. However, if laws are not followed then the guilty party has to bear adverse consequences in the form of suits and claims for damages. HR managers also have significant importance because today they are viewed as employee advocates and strategic partners. Therefore, HR managers communicate with strategic planners to comply with workplace legislations for greater workplace fairness that reduces absenteeis m, conflicts and turnover rates; while leading to greater organisational harmony, cost efficiency and business growth. Law-makers could make legislations fool-proof through eradication on any shortcomings, could enhance workplace fairness through audits (visits for check and balance), through surveys and interviews with employees, and through evaluation of employers’ practices. 1. Background / Introduction Today, we are living in a globalised world which is highly competitive and challenging for employers and employees. The growth of media, developments and advancements in information technology followed by improvements in communication networks have forced the companies to change their business strategies and to focus more on product development, market development and diversification in addition to orthodox market penetration policy / strategy / tactic. Without any doubt, the emergence of mass media has greatly affected / influenced the attitudes, perceptions, behaviours, b eliefs and lifestyles of people all across the globe, thereby compelling the people (who are also potential customers of business enterprises) to consider themselves a part of this globalised world. The entrance of new enterprises in corporate arena has intensified the competition among firms; hence every entity is more focused towards cost leadership so that it could ensure business survival and expansion. For instance, the companies also face financial burden because they are morally and ethically obliged to offer workplace benefits followed by provision of safe and healthy working conditions. In addition, the companies have also been found discriminating against potential workers on the basis of gender, race, ethnicity, age, language disability and colour. Therefore, the evident violations of employee moral and ethical rights have compelled government authorities to formulate and implement workplace laws, rules and regulations as an attempt towards assuring workplace fairness. Su ch laws include â€Å"

Impact of Health and Safety Practices in Healthcare Work

Impact of Health and Safety Practices in Healthcare Work Introduction The cases study focuses on the failings in a private hospital due to the non-compliance of health and safety that led to the death of one staff and seriously injuring another. These failings have led to negative impacts on the employees who were affected, the family members and friends of those who affected and the organisation who failed to comply with the health and safety regulations. The impact of the failings on the employees and their relatives Financial In the case study the first employee was financially affected by the failings of the organisation to comply with health and safety regulations. The first employee to be injured by the faulty equipment suffered from third degree burns to their arms. Third degree burns are the most severe burns, which require treatment. (Getty Doyle and George Doyle, 2014) Depending on how badly the burns have affected the function of their arms, the employee will suffer further loss if they have to retire from their job. This will prevent them from bringing in income to support their responsabilities such as family; pay for addition treatment that they may also require in future. It must also be taken into consideration that this employee may never find employment again. If this is the case the individual will either have to depend on their support network or look for other sources of income such as benefits (GOV, 2015). This will also place the family members and relatives of the employee under press ure, having to take on some of the financial responsabilities of the employee not working and having to support them when they may already have their own needs and responsabilities to take care of. Likewise, the second employee to suffer from the non-compliance of health and safety lost their life due to the severity of the incident. This will place a burden and great strain on the family members of the employee. They will have to spend money paying for funeral costs, debts left behind from the person and taking responsibility for any other costs left behind (Cordon et al, 2008). Moral During and after the incident experienced by the first employee, they suffered from pain and will go through trauma of their experience (Osullivan, 2012). Despite the employee reporting the incident it was not taking into consideration that the equipment was unfit to use and the staff member themself was blamed for mishandling the equipment. This in it self was unacceptable as the worker had already suffered without feeling like the incident was their fault. The second employee has lost their life which can not be fixed or replaced, due to the failing of the organisation and the incident that took place could have been prevented had the correct health and safety measures been implemented and practiced. The purpose of health and social care is to prolong life and delay death (McDermid and Bagshaw, 2009) Physical and health implications The first employee to suffer from the non-compliance of health and safety by the hospital, experienced pain and trauma. The physical effects of the incident can also lead to depression and loss in self-confidence due to the change in his appearance. As mentioned, third degree burns are the most severe burns and from this the employees nerves are damaged affecting the way they are able to carry out activities (Getty Doyle and George Doyle, 2014). The health implication to the second worker was that they did not survive the incident, as so therefore that was the end result on their health. The organisation Financial After investigation from the Health and Safety Executives (HSE) and police, it was found that the responsibility of the failings would fall onto the hospital because of the negligence, having no adequate maintenance of equipment and staffs were not trained to a satisfactory level to use the machine. The private hospital will suffer financial loss and have the financial responsibility for the workers who suffered. If the employee who suffered from the third degree burn was to have financial costs to pay for their treatment and any after effects such as depression, it will become the responsibility of the organisation, as it is their fault that this employee sustained those injuries. All organisations have employers liability insurance which will cover these costs, if the organisation failed to have this then they would be breaching the law BBC, 2000) After the imprisonment of the managing director and around one hundred members of staff involved in the incident, the private hospital will lose out on production costs. The organisation will also have to make it a priority to recruit new staff; pay for training and change the way health and safety is implemented and monitored in the organisation. As well as this financial implication the hospitals reputation will also be put on the line due to their negligence, preventing the registration of new clients and also putting off potential staff. Legal Due to the incident being the fault of the hospital, they will be required to pay compensation to the employee who suffered third degree burns. The compensation can be to cover the cost of loss of income and pain caused by the injury (Morris, 2013).   Compensation will also be paid to the family members of the worker who lost their life. This is because of the financial costs they will have and to help support any dependents of the worker. Due to the outcome of the investigation the managing director of the private hospital and almost one hundred members of staff at that hospital were given a sentence of twelve months in prison. This is a form of legal prosecution for their failings and lack of responsibility. Moral When the first incident took place the worker reported it to the hospital. They passed it off as being the workers fault and kept the faulty machine in used for staff, which led to the death of the second worker. Had the organisation followed policies and procedures to monitor equipment and acted on the first incident, the death of the second worker could have been prevented. This shows a lack of care, respect ad consideration for their staff. Conclusion It can be seen how the impact of non-compliance with health and safety measures, policies, procedures and regulations has led to implications on the workers and their family members. Had the hospital followed the health and safety measures, the death of the worker could have been prevented and it could have also prevented all the loss the hospital had to incur due to negligence by a large amount of their staff. 3.2 Analyse the effectiveness of health and safety policies and practices in the workplace in promoting a positive, healthy and safe culture Introduction In my previous employment working as a Support Assistant, there were different policies and practices used to promote a positive health and safety culture. This was achieved through communication, training, providing staff with feedback and reporting health and safety concerns to management. Systems for communicating information and consulting with staff The first practice was to share information on health and safety through different methods of communication. Those methods include appraisals, newsletters, meetings, emails and posters. From my experience I found meetings to be one of the most effective methods used by managers and high level professionals of the organisation to communicate and consult staff. This is due to meetings allowing all levels of staff to make contributions and share their own experiences on health and safety. It also gives professionals the opportunity to communicate and interact directly, minimising the chances of barriers to communicating important information. During each meeting minutes were used to keep records of who attended meetings, what was discussed, what contributions were made and what actions were to be taken on health and safety. This promoted positive health and safety Despite meetings being a way to promote positive health and safety culture in my organisation, some staff failed to make positive contributions and did not achieve the actions that were noted in the minutes. This would often set back the team. For instance, we found that a number of customers who used the service were high risk and staff such as myself bought this up during the team meeting and came up with the solution to make a record of these customers so that we can have the right health and safety measure when they used the service. However, some staff did not take the time to identify the staff, putting others staff and customers at risk. Systems for reporting concerns and addressing feedback Other practices and policies for promoting a positive health and safety culture in the organisation I worked for are systems for reporting health and safety concerns and management addressing feedback from staff. My organisation used meetings and staff surveys. During the team meetings, managers would give feedback to staff about their concerns about health and safety and also took into account the proposals made to staff about methods of improving health and safety in the organisation. Like previously mentioned meetings was an effective system used as what was discussed was recorded as evidence as well as having the whole team present to ensure that everyone was aware. Myself and other staff also had the opportunity to speak directly with managers about our concerns and what the correct procedures were on dealing with health and safety concerns. Although, it was difficult to discuss with one of the managers, this way also meant that the discussion was not recorded and on some occasi ons that manager was not very supportive or active in given staff feedback. Surveys were also provided by other levels of the organisation, which gathered information from every member of staff in the organisation, once the surveys were complete the two-team managers, and the senior manager would give feedback during the team meeting. Training in health and safety Training is another system that was used to promote positive health and safety culture in my organisation. There were multiple forms of training such as distant learning training online and attending training days at a training centre. On my first day of employment I had induction training which introduced me to the organisational structure; fire evacuation plans and fire exit locations; health and safety kit location and the appointed first aider and was given the files introducing me to the customers I would be responsible for. I was given access to an online portal containing the policies and procedures of the organisation such as lone working and Data Protection Act 1998. I had to undergo further training on specific health and safety needs of the customers such as Managing Aggression and Domestic abuse. The training that staff received by the organisation promoted positive health and safety culture as it managers supported staff in selecting their training so that it was focused on the needs of the customers they were providing services for, preventing them from being overloaded with irrelevant information and so that their time was allocated accordingly. Staffs were also required to give feedback at the end of each training session to make contributions to the way that training was provided and if they felt that any changes could be made to improve the training. Conclusion Despite meetings being an effective practice to promote a positive health and safety culture in my organisation, it can be seen that the contribution of staff plays an important role in how positive the health and safety culture is. I also felt that during my experience the way managers and senior professionals in the organisation dealt with addressing feedback from staff was not very effective, despite it increasing staff awareness on health and safety and also increasing their contributions on managing health and safety in the organisation. 3.3 Evaluate  own  contributions  to  placing  the  health  and  safety  needs  of  individuals  at  the  centre  of  practice. Introduction During my experience working as a Support Assistant, I worked with vulnerable customers in the community that needed support for Money; Benefits, debts and rent arrears; Health emotional, physical, substance misuse, sexual; Employment and education; Housing; Loneliness and isolation. (GOV, 2015) In the organisation I worked for it was imperative to place the health and safety needs of the individuals who used the service at the centre of practice. My responsibilities as a Support Assistant that placed the health and safety needs of individuals at the centre of practice My main responsibilities as a Support Assistant in relation to placing the health and safety needs of individuals at the centre of practice, was to work in partnership with other services to provide support to the customers in order to support them in maintaining their accommodation, support them to find accommodation and live independently at home and in the community. I was good at complying with my responsibilities as I actively worked well in multi-agency and multi disciplinary teams, using effective communication, respecting different knowledge, skills and expertise as well as making positive contributions to team work. I executed my responsibilities well always making the individuals the focus of my care and ensuring that through all support provided was for their needs. There were multiple aspects that made it difficult to place the health and safety needs of individuals at the centre of practice, one of those aspects being shortage of staff. During my employment there were periods of high staff turnaround, due to problems with management. This meant that I would have to take on more cases of customers and having to manage a high workload of complex cases. I was still expected to manage my time effectively and work within the same time frames, which I found difficult. I also feel that this limited my ability to placing the health and safety needs of individuals at the centre of practice. My training as a Support Assistant to place  the  health  and  safety  needs  of  individuals  at  the  centre  of  practice On starting my employment I was given an induction training on the organisation as a requirement under the Health and Safety at Work Act (HASAWA) 1974. (GOV. 2012) Some of the training that I received based on the health and safety need of individuals were on The Data Protection Act 1998 which also incorporates confidentiality; Lone working policy and procedures; Fire; Safeguarding of Vulnerable Adults (SOVA); Violence and Aggression policy and procedures; Carrying out risk assessments; Gifts and Gratuities policy and procedures; The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013. During my employment as a Support Worker I attended the training that was chosen by my team manager, to meet the health and safety needs of the individuals using the organisation. Throughout my employment I used my knowledge from training to deal with practical situations. This allowed me to put the needs of individuals at the centre of practice. However, a limited amount of the training required for placing the health and safety needs of individuals at the centre of practice was not available to me as a support worker. Despite this I was able to use my previous experience in health and social care to manage health and safety in order to place the needs of individuals at the centre of practice. For instance, part of my responsibility to placing the health and safety needs of individuals at the centre of practice was to partner up with Support Workers to attend home assessments of the customers. These home assessments involved carrying out risk assessments, asking the customers questions and actively listening to them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Risk assessments were used to identify the needs of the customers, which through my work I would help to support through working in partnership and with other agencies. Despite training allowing me to contribute towards placing the health and safety needs of individuals at the centre of practice, I found that it was not always effective in every situation. Although training is a form of preparation for health and safety measures, real life situations vary and I had to be able to gain experience in dealing with health and safety through my practical work. My interactions as a Support Assistant with individuals, groups and agencies As a Support Assistant I was required to work with individuals, groups and agencies. I interacted with individuals (customers) in accordance with the organisation policies I used the person centred approach of promoting individuals right to make choices and informed decisions in order to place their health and safety needs at the centre of practice. In order to achieve this I used effective communication skills of listen, being empathetic, clarity, feedback and using appropriate communication methods for the individuals needs (Doyle, 2016). As well as using effective communication I worked in the community to meet individuals at their homes for those with physical and mental needs and upon the request of customers. However, on some occasions my interactions with some of the individuals could have been better. For instance, during an interaction with a customer who wanted permanent housing he became aggressive because he was not getting what he wanted from the service being provided. The customer did not feel that his individuals needs were being met by the service. However, he failed to understand that there was a registration process that was required to gather his information including a risk assessment and needs assessment to be able to meet his needs. During this interaction I feel that I could have been assertive, which would have allowed me to minimise his aggression and interactive with him more effectively to place his health and safety needs at the centre of practice. My interactions as part of a group were one of my strengths that allowed me to make a positive contribution towards placing the health and safety needs of individuals at the centre of practice. The team had a good relationship, which allowed continuous interactions through meetings, group discussions and general discussions on how to promote the health and safety of individuals. During group interactions I was able to contribute my ideas, experiences and knowledge which was always taken into consideration and also interacted with the group to gain information and knowledge and skills that would help me to making more and improved contributions to placing the health and safety needs of individuals at the centre of practice. As effective as my interactions were, the interactions with agencies were not always very effective and made it difficult to place the health and safety needs of individuals at the centre of practice. As mentioned, part of my responsibilities were to work in partnership with other services and agencies, so good interaction was crucial. However, for interactions to be effective and beneficial it requires the cooperation and participation of both parties. From my experience I put full effort into interacting with other agencies, using different methods of communication to interact with the agencies if for any reason they were not available. This included sending emails using Information Communication Technology (ICT), writing letters, making telephone calls and attending the organisation directly. I exhausted all efforts especially when the health and safety needs of the individuals were high. On many occasions the organisations did not interact with me. This was often for many reasons such as having other priorities, having other workloads apart from working with the individuals from my organisation and some agencies were just uncooperative for their own needs. Poor and ineffective interaction meant that the health and safety needs of individuals were not always put at the centre of practice despite my contributions. Conclusion I believe that the contributions I made to placing the health and safety needs of individuals at the centre of practice was done to the best of my ability and for me this was a priority due to the vulnerability of the customers who used the services. This was achieved by encouraging customer involvement; using my training to manage health and safety; complying and following organisational practices and using my communication skills to interact with individuals, groups and agencies. I found that despite the contributions I made to placing the health and safety needs of individuals at the centre of practice there were factors that limited my contributions and made it difficult to effectively achieve such as bad partnership relationships, some interactions being limited due to poor partnership working and some training not being accessible. References BBC. 2000. Personal injuries: How they pay. Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/687987.stm (Accessed 7 March 2017) Cordem et al. 2008. Financial Implications of Death of a Partner. Available at: https://www.york.ac.uk/inst/spru/research/pdf/Bereavement.pdf (Accessed 7 March 2017) Doyle, A. 2016. Top 10 Communication Skills for Workplace Success. Available at: https://www.thebalance.com/communication-skills-list-2063779 (Accessed 28 February 2017) Doyle G and Doyle G. 2014. Burns: information on first, second and third degree burns and how to treat them. Available at: http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/conditions/accidents-and-first-aid/a5366/burns/ (Accessed 7 March 2017) GOV. 2012. Health and safety training. Available at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg345.pdf (Accessed 28 February 2017) GOV. 2015. Key Support. Available at: http://www.haringey.gov.uk/housing/housing-related-support-supporting-people/housing-related-support-services-and-charges/key-support#problems_and_issues (Accessed 28 February 2017) GOV. 2015. Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefits: technical guidance. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/industrial-injuries-disablement-benefits-technical-guidance/industrial-injuries-disablement-)enefits-technical-guidance (Accessed 7 March 2017) McDermid R and Bagshaw S. 2009. Prolonging life and delaying death: The role of physicians in the context of limited intensive care resources. Available at: https://peh-med.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1747-5341-4-3 (Accessed 7 March 2017) Morris, I. 2013. Your rights after an injury at work and how to claim compensation. Available at: https://dircect2compensation.co.uk/articles/work-accidents/your-rights-after-an-injury-at-work (Accessed 7 March 2017) Nickle, B. 2013. The Train Drain: Why training may not be the solution. Available at: http://www.leanhealthcareexchange.com/?p=3154 (Accessed 28 February 2017) OSullivan, T. 2012. Workplace Trauma Can Trigger PTSD. Available at: http://www.lhsfna.org/index.cfm/lifelines/june-2012/workplace-trauma-can-trigger-ptsd/ (Accessed 7 March 2017)

Magnets :: essays research papers

Diamagnetics was discovered by Michael Faraday in 1846, but no one at the time thought that it could lead to any appreciable effects. William Thomson (Lord Kelvin), referring to levitation as the problem of "Mohamet’s coffin," had this to say: "It will obably be impossible ever to observe this phenomenon, on account of the difficulty of getting a magnet strong enough, and a diamagnetic substance sufficiently light, as the [magnetic] forces are excessively feeble." Fields strong enough to lift diamagnetic materials became available during the mid-20th century. In 1939, Werner Braunbeck levitated small beads of graphite in a vertical electromagnet. Graphite has the largest ratio c /r known for diamagnetics (8x10-5 m3/g); today, this experiment can be repeated using just a strong permanent magnet, such as one made of neodymium, iron and boron. Leaving aside superconductors (which are ideal diamagnetics), first levitated by Arkadiev in 1947, it took another fifty y rs to rediscover the possible levitation of conventional, room-temperature materials. In 1991, Eric Beaugnon and Robert Tournier magnetically lifted water and a number of organic substances. They were soon followed by others, who levitated liquid hydrog and helium and frog eggs. At the same time, Jan Kees Maan rediscovered diamagnetic levitation at the University of Nijmegen, in collaboration with Humberto Carmona and Peter Main of Nottingham University in England. In their experiments, they levitated ractically everything at hand, from pieces of cheese and pizza to living creatures including frogs and a mouse. Remarkably, the magnetic fields employed in these experiments had already been available already for several decades and, at perhaps half a d en laboratories in the world, it would have taken only an hour of work to implement room-temperature levitation. Nevertheless, even physicists who used strong magnetic fields every day in their research did not recognize the possibility. If you were to tell to a child playing with a horseshoe magnet and pieces of iron that his uncle has a much bigger magnet that can lift everything and everybody, the child would probably believe you and might even ask for a ride on the magnet. If a phy cist were to say such a thing, he or she (armed with knowledge and experience) would probably smile condescendingly. The physicist would know that only a very few materials, such as iron or nickel, are strongly magnetic. The rest of the world’s material are not; or to be precise, the rest of the world is a billion (109) times less magnetic.