A Critique of Tess Onwuemes Tell It to Women - 1023 Words

In Tess Onwueme’s play Tell It To Women, we travel back to a Nigerian village in postcolonial Africa. The story enlightens the audience about the dichotomy of traditionalism versus modernism and the ways in which different cultures interact. It ends by revealing the true meaning of culture; the real quality in a society that arises from a passion for what is excellent in arts, manners, and customs. Overall, the play discusses the role of women within this Nigerian village and largely examines the conflict of whether it is better to advance with the rest of the world, or to hold on to the traditions that truly make a society independent and beautiful. The play begins with Yemoja, the most important woman in the village, in a house with†¦show more content†¦It becomes clear to Yemoja at that point that western culture is not for them. Daisy and Ruth’s superior arrives to enlighten the women about her ideas of feminism. She is the one that will decide whether or n ot the movement has succeeded or not. When it is time for Yemoja to perform the dance, however, she and Sherifat perform one of the Idu rituals instead. Bose even joins in the dancing. Ruth falls and becomes extremely injured while Daisy is thrust into the middle of the action. The play ends here in a beautifully tragic scene as Ruth chokes to death while the rest of the villagers celebrate having revitalized their culture. Tess Onwueme’s play was delightfully written and captivating to any audience. The story was intriguing and definitely matched it’s title. Now I see that, Tell It To Women, is a statement on how the women of the village are always being told to do or be something. Whether it is by Daisy and Ruth or by their husbands, the women never really find their own voice until the very end. We see in the first movement, Sherifat telling the chorus of women that being a wife is â€Å"meaning that a wife deserves to be treated like a daughter and not something that you possess.† Yet, throughout much of the story, we see the women being treated like servants and as subhuman to Daisy and Ruth, the village men, and western civilization as a whole. However, I believe that even as a woman, the author was at times, very

Biography of Sarah Good Salem Witch Trial Victim

Sarah Good is most known for being among the first to be executed in the 1692 Salem witch trials; her newborn died during her confinement and her 4- or 5-year-old daughter, Dorcas, was also among the accused and imprisoned. Sarah Good Facts Age at time of Salem witch trials: about 31Birth: Exact date unknownDeath: July 19, 1692Also known as: Sarah Goode, Goody Good, Sary Good, Sarah Solart, Sarah Poole, Sarah Solart Good Before the Salem Witch Trials Sarahs father was John Solart, an innkeeper who committed suicide in 1672 by drowning himself. His estate was divided among his widow and children, but his daughters shares were to be in his widows control until the daughters were of age. When Sarahs mother remarried, Sarahs stepfather had control of Sarahs inheritance. Sarahs first husband was Daniel Poole, a former indentured servant. When he died in 1682, Sarah remarried, this time to William Good, a weaver. Sarahs stepfather testified later that he gave Sarah and William her inheritance in 1686; Sarah and William sold the property to settle debts that year; they were held responsible for the debts Daniel Poole had left. Homeless and destitute, the Good family relied on charity for housing and food and begged for food and work. When Sarah begged among her neighbors, she sometimes cursed those who did not respond; these curses were to be used against her in 1692. Sarah Good and the Salem Witch Trials On February 25, 1692, Sarah Good—along with Tituba and Sarah Osborne—was named by Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Parris as causing their strange fits and convulsions. A warrant was filed on February 29 by Thomas Putnam, Edward Putnam, and Thomas Preston of Salem Village against Sarah Good. She was accused of injuring Elizabeth Parris, Abigail Williams, Ann Putnam Jr. and Elizabeth Hubbard over two months time. The warrant was signed by John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin. The constable was George Locker. The warrant demanded that Sarah Good appear at the house of Lt Nathaniell Ingersalls in Salem Village by the next day at ten. In the examination, Joseph Hutchison was also mentioned as a complainant. Brought to the hearing on March 1 by Constable George Locker, Sarah was examined that day by John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin. She maintained her innocence. Ezekiel Cheevers was the clerk who recorded the examination. The accusing girls responded to her presence physically (they were all tormented according to the transcript), including more fits. One of the afflicted girls accused Sarah Goods specter of stabbing her with a knife. She produced a broken knife. But a man among the spectators said that it was his broken knife he had thrown away the day before within sight of the girls. Tituba confessed to being a witch, and implicated Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne, saying they had forced her to sign the devils book. Good declared that Tituba and Sarah Osborne were the true witches, and continued to assert her own innocence. An examination showed no witchs marks on any of the three. Sarah Good was sent to Ipswich to be confined by a local constable who was her relative, where she escaped briefly and then voluntarily returned. Elizabeth Hubbard reported that during that time, Sarah Goods specter had visited her and tormented her. Sarah was taken to Ipswich jail, and by March 3 was in Salems jail with Sarah Osborne and Tituba. All three were questioned again by Corwin and Hathorne. On March 5, William Allen, John Hughes, William Good, and Samuel Braybrook testified against Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba. William testified to a mole on his wifes back, which was interpreted as a witchs mark.  On March 11, Sarah Good was again examined. Sarah Good and Tituba were ordered to be sent to the Boston jail on March 24.  Dorcas Good, Sarahs 4- or 5-year-old daughter, was arrested on March 24, on complaints that she had bitten Mary Walcott and Ann Putnam Jr. Dorcas was examined by John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin on March 24, 25, and 26. Her confession implicated her mother as a witch. She identified a small bite, likely from a flea, on her finger as being caused by a snake her mother had given her.   Sarah Good was examined again in court on March 29, maintaining her innocence, and the girls again were in fits. When she was asked who, if not her, had hurt the girls, she accused Sarah Osborne. In jail, Sarah Good gave birth to Mercy Good, but the baby did not survive. The conditions at the jail and the lack of food for mother and child likely contributed to the death. In June, with the Court of Oyer and Terminer charged with disposing of the cases of accused witches, Sarah Good was indicted and tried. One indictment lists witnesses Sarah Vibber (Bibber) and John Vibber (Bibber), Abigail Williams, Elizabeth Hubbard, and Ann Putnam Jr. A second indictment lists Elizabeth Hubbard, Ann Putnam (Jr.?), Mary Walcott, and Abigail Williams. A third lists Ann Putnam (Jr.?), Elizabeth Hubbard, and Abigail Williams. Johanna Childin, Susannah Sheldon, Samuel and Mary Abbey, Sarah and Thomas Gadge, Joseph and Mary Herrick, Henry Herrick, Jonathan Batchelor, William Batten, and William Shaw all gave testimony against Sarah Good. Her own husband, William Good, testified that he had seen the devils mark on her. On June 29, Sarah Good—along with Elizabeth How, Susannah Martin, and Sarah Wildes—was tried and convicted by the jury. Rebecca Nurse was found not guilty by the jury; spectators hearing the verdict protested loudly and the court asked the jury to reconsider the evidence, and Rebecca Nurse was convicted on that second attempt. All five were thus condemned to hanging. On July 19, 1692, Sarah Good was hanged near Gallows Hill in Salem. Also hanged that day were Elizabeth How, Susannah Martin, Rebecca Nurse, and Sarah Wildes who had also been condemned in June. At her  execution, when urged by Salems Rev. Nicholas Noyes to confess, Sarah Good responded with the words I am no more a witch than you are a wizard, and if you take away my life, God will give you blood to drink. Her statement was remembered widely when he collapsed and died later of a brain hemorrhage. After the Trials In September of 1710, William Good petitioned for compensation for his wifes execution and his daughters imprisonment. He blamed the trials for the destruction of my poor family and described the situation with their daughter, Dorcas, this way: a child of 4 or 5 years old was in prison 7 or 8 months and being chaind in the dungeon was so hardly used and terrifyed that she hath ever since been very chargeable haveing little or no reason to govern herself. Sarah Good was among those named by the Massachusetts Legislature in a 1711 act restoring all rights to those who had been convicted of witchcraft in 1692. William Good received one of the largest settlements for his wife and his daughter. Sarah Good in The Crucible In Arthur Millers drama, The Crucible, Sarah Good is an easy target of the early accusations, as she is a homeless woman who behaves strangely.

Impaired Cognitive Performance Occurs Within Children With...

Background: Impaired cognitive performance occurs in children with multiple sclerosis (MS). In adults, cognitive impairment (CI) is seen at the time of first attack suggesting a prodrome of disease progression prior to first onset of physical disability. Children who develop multiple sclerosis also have CI at time of diagnosis suggesting that actual disease onset occurs prior to manifestation of physical symptoms. It has not been reported whether children who go on to develop a clinical diagnosis of multiple sclerosis are delayed in acquiring early developmental milestones. Objective: To determine whether children with early onset MS are delayed in attaining early developmental milestones and whether children with MS diagnosis prior to the age of 11 years are more likely to need special education services. Methods: Pediatric-onset MS and cases and controls less than 18 years of age from 14 pediatric MS centers in the United States were studied. A questionnaire on environmental and genetic influences was completed by family members, capturing information on demographic and developmental history. Data on time of first walking unaided and acquisition of two word phrases were captured on MS and control groups. The need for special education services was captured in MS subjects only. Results: A total of 467 cases and 428 controls were enrolled. Patients with early onset MS prior to age 18 were not delayed in walking or using two word phrases compared to healthy controls.Show MoreRelatedUnit 2 study guide8637 Words   |  35 Pagesclose, or open the gate. (p.482) 7. Know the type of nerve fibers that transmit pain impulses. Medium sized A delta fibers are stimulated by mechanical deformation (mechanonociceptors) and/or extremes of temperature(mechanothermal nociceptors) Occurs quickly. Carry well localized, sharp pain sensations and are important in initiating rapid reactions to stimuli (fast pain). Mechanical, thermal, and chemiacal nociception are transmitted by excitation of polymodal nociceptors and are carried onRead MoreHsc Level 5 Unit 534 Essay14626 Words   |  59 PagesCandidate Performance Evidence Record | | NVQ Title and Level: Health and Social Care level 5 Unit 534 †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...... Candidate Name: Rafal Gac †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..................... Use this form to record details of activities (tick as appropriate) Observed by your assessor | | Professional discussion | | Evidence ref:Unit numbers: | Seen by an expert witness | | Product evidence observed | | | Seen by a witness | | Assignment/ ProjectOther__________________Read MoreChallenges Integrating Students With Disabilities6780 Words   |  28 Pagesas walking, seeing, breathing, working, and learning. Examples of disabilities listed in the federal regulations include, but are not limited to orthopedic, visual, speech and hearing impairments, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, emotional illness, specific learning disabilities, and HIV disease (Non-discrimination on the Basis of Disability in State and Local Government Services Final rule, 1991). Some disabilities commonly found among

Essay about Indecisiveness in Hamlet - 839 Words

Shakespeares Hamlet is truly a great play to analyze. It is also unique in that a play based on revenge we dont see any action until the end. Hamlet has immediate suspicion and proof of his fathers murder and does not act. This poses the question, why does it take so long for Hamlet to kill Claudius? Hamlets apparent indecisiveness to act is due to his constant habit of over thinking in addition to several conscious and subconscious distractions. Immediately following Hamlets conversation with the Ghost, he is determined to fulfill the Ghosts wishes. However, the next time he appears in the play, which is long after the Ghosts visit, he has not yet done the deed. He is plagued by questions of death and the supernatural. What†¦show more content†¦If he does this he will be no better than Claudius. Maybe a part of him wants Claudius there in order to keep him away from his mother. we know that Hamlet longs to show her affection; to comfort her and to be comforted by h er (Mabillard). The only time when Hamlet does not hesitate to carry out his moral duty is when he is in the bedroom with Gertrude. Hamlet stabs Polonius instinctively because he is where he truly desires to be, with his mother. This is the only time when Hamlet actually has the courage to try to kill Claudius, thus opening the path to Gertrude. Hamlet thinks he understands how action should be taken. He considers factors such as rationality, spirituality, emotion, ethics, and so on in his actions. These constant considerations of ideas just added to his problem of over thinking and questing himself. He is particularly drawn to difficult questions or questions that cannot be answered with any certainty (Phillips). Sometimes it seems that he doesnt believe any action can be taken in a controlled manner. If he takes a bold and decisive action, like Claudius did in killing the King and marrying Gertrude, it will yield results but he will be plagued by guilt. If he resolves hims elf to revenge and remains completely focused, like Laertes, he will be easily manipulated. These characters show the complexity of action Hamlet considers. When Hamlet does act it is a blind explosion of emotion and violence. Another source ofShow MoreRelatedThe Effects of Hamlets Indecisiveness in William Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Hamlet664 Words   |  3 PagesHamlet from William Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, is unable to commit to a decision throughout the play. His indecisiveness does not allow him to act quickly on any decision, leaving them lingering until it’s too late. Mentally, he thinks too much. Physically, he does not take enough action. Emotionally, his thoughts cause him to do irrational things. His delayed reaction to take revenge on Claudius results in everyone in the royal family dying. Hamlet’s weaknessRead MoreThe Tragic Flaw Of Shakespeare s Hamlet1734 Words   |  7 PagesJacqueline B orutski ENG4U Mr. Froome April 11, 2016 The Tragic Overuse of Logic in Hamlet Logic is man s most valuable asset; it is what pushed humanity past other species and helped develop humankind into what it is today. Without such logic and reasoning, humanity would not have evolved into the strongest and most powerful beings alive. It is what has enabled us to dominate the world, create civilization, unlock the secrets of the universe through math and science and reveal the true natureRead MoreEssay On The Tragedy Of Hamlet1122 Words   |  5 Pagesof Hamlet’s father becomes Hamlet’s main struggle throughout the course of the play The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare. This play takes place mostly in the royal castle of Denmark in the late middle ages. The play follows Hamlet in his quest to determine the truthfulness of the ghost and to avenge the death of his father. In the play, major characters include Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude, Laertes, Polonius, and Ophelia. Claudius is the King of Denmark and the ghostsRead MoreH amlet As An Anti Hero998 Words   |  4 Pagesaudience when exploring Hamartia and Peripeteia in its depiction of Hamlet as an anti-hero? Hamlet is a Shakespearian tragedy written and published in approximately 1603; this play depicts the protagonist Hamlet as a gritty anti-hero with human flaws and qualities such as arrogance, apathy and paranoia. He is driven to fuel his revenge against King Claudius without regard to the others consideration because of his selfishness. Hamlet is frustrated with his mothers haste marriage and believes he isRead MoreHamlet by William Shakespeare648 Words   |  3 PagesTo be, or not to be, or maybe just to pretend to be – Hamlet - make up your mind already! Before discussing Hamlet’s hamartia, please let me say that Hamlet is one of my all-time favorite plays. Yes, it is tragic. Yes, they all fall in the end. But, good lord, what action! So, what is this shortcoming the unfortunate Hamlet possesses that brings about his undeserved end? Before discussing the frailty of this tragic hero, let us examine the word, hamartia, used by Aristotle in â€Å"The Poetics†. HamartiaRead MoreWilliam Shakespeares Hamlet Essay680 Words   |  3 PagesIn the mind of an individual there is a battle between inner choices and outside pressure from the society when both are in the opposite poles, a battle in which in which well being can be lost or found. In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the unpropitious hero Hamlet is negatively influenced by demands and enters into a mental dilemma, as he is unable to decide whether he should follow his inner voice and kill his father’s murderer, or whether he should be a law abiding citizen and respectRead MoreHamlet by William Shakespeare714 Words   |  3 Pagesvowed never to become, it kills your soul until there is nothing left but a soul full of hate and evil. One charac ter that knows revenge the best and knows how it can destroy your life is Hamlet, his soul is gone and there is nothing but hate left in his life, he has truly lost everything and everyone. Hamlet is basically on a warpath to find out who killed his father, and he doesn’t hold back, he does anything to find answers, even if that meant he had to hurt his loved ones and friends. AllRead MoreAnalysis Of Hamlet s Hamlet 1547 Words   |  7 PagesHamlet’s Hamartia Shakespeare s longest play is Hamlet, which takes place in the Kingdom of Denmark. Hamlet is a tragic tale about the Prince of Denmark and is a drama about revenge. Prince Hamlet is visited by his father’s ghost who demands he kill his uncle, Claudius, after Claudius killed Hamlet’s father. Yet despite being â€Å"†¦ the son of a dear father murdered, prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell,† Hamlet delays enacting vengeance on Claudius (II,2,584-585). This delay ultimatelyRead MoreHamlet: a Virtuous and Indecisive Character879 Words   |  4 PagesIn William Shakespeares Hamlet, the image patterns such as an unweeded garden, rot, and deception conveyed by Hamlet demonstrate how his impelling sense of justice and inability to act on his decisions doom him to his fate. The image pattern of an unweeded garden exemplifies Hamlet’s melancholy view of Denmarks monarchy and his hesitation to uproot the metaphorical weeds. Hamlet’s use of rot imagery manifests his dissatisfaction with life and inability to vie for his throne. The pattern of deceptionRead MoreThe Self Defeat of Heroes in Shakespeares Tragedies: A Character Analysis of Hamlet and Othello1495 Words   |  6 PagesThe Self-Defeat of Heroes in Shakespeares Tragedies: A Character Analysis of Hamlet and Othello Introduction Aristotle asserted that all tragic heroes had fundamental flaws that were the source of their undoing, and that were typically the source of their initial success, as well. Oedipus thinks he acts with justice, wisdom, and the assurance of success, and these things also cause him to completely destroy himself when he discovers the truth of his situation, as one prominent example. The

The Cheater s Guide For Love By Junot Diaz - 895 Words

In â€Å"The Cheater’s Guide to Love†, Junot Dà ­az presents a story about love that goes sour after the primary character, Yunior’s infidelity is discovered. But beyond just an emotionally bleak story, Dà ­az also uses the background of a love story gone bad to explore issues of race through Yunior’s narrative style, second-person point of view, and the characterization of the various women Yunior meets. One of Dà ­az’s greatest gifts in storytelling is the intimacy of his voice through the use of second-person point of view. Throughout the entire story, the reader is placed in the position of Yunior. â€Å"You write her letters. You drive her to work. You quote Neruda.† (p. 2) But even though second-person point of view is usually used to include readers of all types and all races, in this story, it is clear that the â€Å"you† that Dà ­az uses does not encompass all readers. This is apparent as soon as page two of the story when Yunior (Dà ­az) writes, â€Å"For some Negroes that wouldn’t mean shit. But you ain’t that kind of Negro.† Through this sentence, it is clear that the â€Å"you† refers to a person of color. Yunior is openly angry and while most of his ire is directed at the women in his life and his failing body, as he gets more and more depressed, some of it starts to get directed at white people as well. White people scream at him at traffic lights, white kids throw soda cans at him, drunk white guys try to pick fights with him, and even though he’s a tenured professor, he is unable to stepShow MoreRelatedThe Cheater s Guide For Love By Junot Diaz997 Words   |  4 Pagesthen you should read, The Cheater’s Guide to Love, by Junot Diaz. In his story, The Cheater’s Guide to Love, Diaz covers the journey of Yunior of finding and losing love and the ups and downs along the way. This journey is chronicled by year, starting at year â€Å"0† t he breakup and ending in year â€Å"5† where he starts to write his story. Throughout the story Yunior is faced with internal and external conflicts, including his downfall and rise towards the end. Diaz also covers the effect of these conflicts

Multinational Retail Chain Business

Question: Describe about the Essay for Multinational Retail Chain Busines. Answer: Introduction Marks Spencer (MS) is a multinational retail chain business founded in 1884. Over the years the business house has survived dramatic changes and has been able to retain its position as one of the leading brands in the global market. Born in United Kingdom (UK), MS runs as many as 1382 stores globally out of which 914 outlets run in UK. The company caters products like clothing, home dcor, gifts, and food. Nonetheless, the world goes gaga over the companys food and clothing due to its valued quality, innovative designs and premium pricing rates. There are 83,069 numbers of lives employed worldwide under the business unit. Marks Spencers food business is alone accountable for providing 58 % of the entire turnover while the other 42 % of the turnover is contributed by the clothing and home dcor products (Campbell and Rahman, 2010). Inside the Organisation and Current Information A particular business enterprise functions in two environments- the internal and external. The business unit holds control over the internal environment as the factors related can be controlled by the organization. The factors upon which the internal environment of Marks Spencer depends are the quality of products and services catered, corporate social responsibility and ethical considerations, employees, structure of the management committee, the companys liabilities and the expenditures, set of policies, corporate culture, skill management, role management aspects, customer service and others. Among these there are factors that are strengths and weaknesses, which the business organisation deals with from time to time (Balmer, 2006). Nonetheless, Marks Spencer has its own set of strengths and weaknesses which are as followed: Strengths The company focuses on catering innovative quality products to its consumers which makes the company a favourite amongst its customers. Be it the food, apparel or home furniture, the consumers are satiated with the premium quality, innovation and labour that MS puts (Hallbauer, 2008). Marks Spencer possess a strong corporate social responsibility (CSR) reputation as according to the Plan A (2015) Report of the company, it is noted that MS performs carbon neutral operations (Bevan, 2007). The organisational structure of MS is somewhat flat which renders it unique characteristics of taking prompt decisions in demanding situations. Too much authoritative layers of the employees have been shed which has allowed the remaining workers to be more accountable than before thereby working in groups (Harris, 2008) Marks Spencer always strives towards providing a class customer service to its targeted consumers. Staying at par with the tech savvy world, the company offers so many functional links and sites for its consumers, who can always shop online, give feedback, query regarding any products, find the store, earn loyalty points and rewards, and voice their complaints online, refunds of money, use M S banks and others (Chang and Lee, 2007). The employees are the assets to the organisation because not only the company trains its employees but also look after their needs through the implementation of training sessions, competitive remuneration, bonus schemes and work flexibilities (Campbell and Rahman, 2010). Weaknesses Though marks Spencer employs innovation and quality on its line of clothing, but the company is observed to be suffering a great blow in case of its clothing business. The summer and spring collections exhibit a poor demand from its targeted consumers (Ruddick, 2015). There is a loss in the market share of MS thereby causing lack of competitiveness in pricing affairs. The companys clothing prices compared to that of other brands like Next and Debenhams are almost 20% higher which has been a prime reason for market share shrinkage (Bevan, 2007). BBC reported during 2013, the general merchandise sales shrunk to a 3.8 % though the company boomed in food business. Especially the 11 % market share that is occupied by the woman clothing line of MS is noted as one of the weakest spots according to the financial analysts (BBC News, 2013). The companys research and development team is also put to question as it exhibits that MS did not conduct effective market research prior to entering the foreign countries. For example, the venture encountered with DAlliards did not prove fruitful as an international business activity resulting in sale of DAlliards (1996) (Parry and Hansen, 2007). MS faced hurdles in the business due to their selection of partners. The company allied with diverse partners in different locations due to which the business house went through several shut down of stores phase. For example, during 1999, the agreement with Portuguese franchisee was discontinued (Hallbauer, 2008). Performance It is noted that the performance of a particular organisation depends on certain factors such as organisational structure, corporate culture, leadership qualities, corporate governance and others. MS also shows similar trends and thus these factors will be discussed briefly (BBC News, 2013) Good/ Bad performance Marks Spencer is still acknowledged as one of the leading brands in UK as the company makes a commitment to deliver sustainable value towards their related stakeholders. Both the annual reports of 2000 and 2001 display the overall performance is disappointing. The equity ratio return as well as the per share earnings of the financial year 2000-2001 was almost zero due to very less profit ( 1.3m) made by the company. Moreover, the sales in the general merchandise segment (women clothing, men clothing, children wear, home products, and lingerie and beauty products) of the company depicted a fall and thus the operating profit also exhibited a fall in the above mentioned year. It was further speculated that the selling price minimised by 2.5 % also was one of the reasons for the fall in sales (Campbell, 2000). Nonetheless, the annual reports (2000) showed the company earned better profits in their international business segment except for the continental Europe segment. Marks Spencer deals with the financial services like offering the account cards, personal loans, pensions and others. The sales transactions of the charge card as noted got reduced from 26 % to 22 % in the year (2000). Further the company proclaimed a steep cut in the dividends during may, 2000 which was a blow to the shareholders. Luc Vandevelde, the then executive chairman pleaded to the shareholders to hold on to their grounds without losing faith upon the company as it was a transitional phase since the traditional retail company was about to transform into a multi channel retail business enterprise (Buckler, 1996). Leadership and Senior managers When it comes to incorporating leadership strategies, the company possess a fine line of officers and executives who are harnessed with leadership skills, qualities and remarkable experiences. Michael Marks and Tom Spencer gave birth to this organization. Marks started selling products and items on a small stall in Leeds, London. Gradually within 6 years, it became a company which run 36 outlets all over the nation. However, during the period of 2nd World War, many of the stores got highly damaged due to air raids. Marks son Simon Marks gave his place to Israel Sieff, his brother-in-law. Later in 1972, Marcus Sieff was appointed as the chairman during 1972. However, after 12 years, Derek Rayner was appointed as the chairman who did not belong to the Marks family tree (Gereffi, 1996). It was Rayner who introduced the charge card and also came along the profits with the inception of the charge card concept. Richard Greenbury was the new CEO of the company in 1991 while Reyner retired. Nonetheless, Greenbury was not able to give profits and exhibited sluggish performance and thus was replaced by Peter Salesbury. However, the poor performance persisted which resulted in 700 job cuts as well as closure of as many as 38 Canadian outlets. Due to such sluggish and underrated performance, the company faced with a sudden takeover bid from the Arcadia group headed by Philip Green. At this stage, the company appointed its new CEO, Belgian Luc Vandevelde. Under the leadership of new CEO, the company launched recovery plan that concentrated on shedding off its international operations (Spitzeck and Hnasen, 2010). However this decision affected the traditional values of the old board members like David Sieff, Ralph Robins, and Michael Perry who resigned immediately in 2001. Leadership wise, Marks Spencer previously possessed an authoritative leadership till 1970s as the members of the Marks family held the authoritative positions. Thus, the company started hiring its senior officials from outside thereby changing its authoritative approach to a transformational approach. It is speculated over the two decades, that the company has switched over to consultative leadership style which employs the consultation aspect before forming any decisions (Campbell, 2000). Corporate Culture Previously Marks Spencer used to follow the tall and the power culture which actually did not blend very well with the new innovative strategies incorporated by the company. The company focuses providing quality services to the consumers. The company at the beginning inculcated the original culture that is taken from the companys founders and forefathers. Formerly, culture comprised aspects like fast turnover rates, putting in hard labour and being honest. Thus Marks Spencer also focused on these typical attributes which are often considered as paternalistic in nature and fits well in family businesses. However, the outcome of this sort of corporate culture exhibits that one cannot attain the top unless and until the individual is from the family. However, it was speculated that after the World War II episode, especially during 1960s the corporate culture and structure of the company went through drastic transformation which focused on aspects like capital mobility, acquisitions as well as mergers. Hence, the stereotyped and conventional corporate methodology shattered into fragments thereby making ways for new transformational strategies (Buckler, 1996). Corporate Governance There have always been debates and discussions going around while it came to Marks Spencers corporate governance. It was speculated that Sir Rick Greenbury who was once worshipped as the leader of MS inserted certain recommendations pertaining to the salary structure of the directors in the report that was brought out by Sir Adrian Cadbury during 1992. Nonetheless, due to his authoritative governance, the company faced a sharp blow. These debates and hot discussions in the corporate governance used to occur because of the authoritarian and arbitrary salary packages drawn by the directors of the company. For example, the salaries drawn by Sir Stuart Rose as well as his fellow colleagues drew lots of negative attention and controversy. Moreover, Stuart Rose insistently held both the designations of Chairman as well as the chief executive that indicated offend to corporate governance code followed by the company (Gereffi, 1996). This kind of strategy pertaining to corporate governance did not support the business enterprise that made ways for transformational strategies by bringing in new ideas, concepts and hiring efficient managers (Korac-Kakabadse et al. 2001). Conclusion Thus to conclude, Marks Spencer which is undoubtedly considered as one of the leading brands in UK as well as in the global market focuses on building and shaping a strong and effective internal environment so that the business enterprise in challenging situations always remain ready to combat with the external forces. References Armstrong, A. (2016). New Marks Spencer boss Steve Rowe shakes up management. [online] The Telegraph. Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/05/12/new-marks--spencer-boss-steve-rowe-shakes-up-management/ [Accessed 26 Jun. 2016]. Balmer, J.M. (2006). Corporate brand cultures and communities.Brand culture, pp.34-49. BBC News. (2013). Marks and Spencer food sales offset clothing weakness - BBC News. [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-22104228 [Accessed 26 Jun. 2016]. Bevan, J. (2007).The Rise and Fall of Marks Spencer: And how it Rose Again. Profile Books Limited. Buckler, B. (1996). A learning process model to achieve continuous improvement and innovation.The Learning Organization,3(3), pp.31-39. Campbell, D., Rahman, M.R.A. (2010). A longitudinal examination of intellectual capital reporting in Marks Spencer annual reports, 19782008.The British Accounting Review,42(1), pp.56-70. Campbell, D.J. (2000). March. Legitimacy theory or managerial reality construction? Corporate social disclosure in Marks and Spencer Plc corporate reports, 19691997. InAccounting Forum(Vol. 24, No. 1, pp. 80-100). Blackwell Publishers Ltd. Chang, S.C., Lee, M.S. (2007). A study on relationship among leadership, organizational culture, the .0.operation of learning organization and employees' job satisfaction.The learning organization,14(2), pp.155-185. Gereffi, G. (1996). Global commodity chains: new forms of coordination and control among nations and firms in international industries.Competition Change,1(4), pp.427-439. Korac-Kakabadse, N., Kakabadse, A.K. Kouzmin, A. (2001). Board governance and company performance: any correlations?.Corporate Governance: The international journal of business in society,1(1), pp.24-30. Ruddick, G. (2015). Marks Spencer 'suffers clothing setback'. [online] Telegraph.co.uk. Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/epic/mks/11718182/Marks-and-Spencer-suffers-clothing-setback.html [Accessed 25 Jun. 2016]. Spitzeck, H., Hansen, E.G. (2010). Stakeholder governance: How stakeholders influence corporate decision making.Corporate Governance: The international journal of business in society,10(4), pp.378-391.

Performance Improvement Plan Dynamic †Free Samples For Students

Question: Analysis Performance Improvement Plan Dynamic? Answer: Introduction The healthcare industry is a very dynamic and interesting industry. There are lot of stakeholders in this industry and an active participation of different stakeholders is required to have effective health care management system in place. One of the key objectives of health care management system is support the healthy community (Janamian Upham, 2016). A healthy community is one in which all members are able to live their lives freely and without extenuating health issues that interfere with quality of life. Healthy communities are clean, the members are respectful towards each other, and community members all take part in keeping the community nice. Part of keeping a community nice is not leaving certain groups out of the community and not aiding those in need. In recent times, the stakeholders have realized the benefits of using technology and Information System to manage health care needs. Health Management Information Systems (HMIS) are one of the six building blocks essential f or health system strengthening. HMIS is a data collection system specifically designed to support planning, management, and decision-making in health facilities and organizations (Janamian Upham, 2016). Building upon a sound understanding of contributing factors that lead to health degradation, Healthy People 2020 strive to create environments that combat and reverse health problems such as tobacco use, obesity and physical inactivity. As these are the major contributors to morbidity and mortality in Australia, a concerted effort needs to be made to reverse them. This paper would discuss the role of leadership in developing a performance improvement plan in the area of HMIS. The specific health related practice that would be discussed in this paper would be the use of Information Technology or Health Care Management System by health care organizations to increase the educational and awareness level of health care community (Maddern Courtney, 2006). The paper would focus on large hospitals and health care institutions in Australia, as the use of HMIS is high for large organizations as compared to small hospitals. Analysis Authors argued that many challenges need to be overcome in order to address the ground level problems and the effective use of technology. Local, state and federal government need to agree in the laws that regulate the use of Information System in health care. There are various areas in healthcare that requires or that demands the support of effective leadership at top. The initial research suggests that servant leadership is the style that is most effectively connected with the effective leadership in health care industry (Siriwardena, 2006). The role of leadership, change management plan, and various other part of this report can be discussed as: Role of leadership in HMIS (Healthcare Management Information System) To attain the complete benefits of healthcare management system, all the stakeholders in the organization should have a common understanding of the drivers and benefits of HMIS. It is critical that different stakeholders should not have their own perception about HMIS. The key role of leaders is to understand the expectations of different stakeholders and to ensure that all the stakeholders are on same page. It is critical that the leaders and public health professionals should focus on providing education to people about the risk of unhealthy habits (Sullivan, 2013). Also, it is imperative to provide guidance and support to programs such as free smoking environments and cessation programs. Leaders should model and set regulations that encourage healthy habits. For example, talk to the manager of a company to create a free smoking area, build a gym onsite for all the employees, and conduct free healthy cooking classes. Education leaders should incorporate a stronger focus on health e ducation and childhood obesity. Issues of health disparity and factors that contribute to them are immense and oftentimes hard to overcome. A solid and growing understanding of how these disparities become present is the beginning of abating them. Through a strong focus on how these issues occur there then can be action which allows for effort to overcome them (Son Chuck, 2011). It is evident that the implementation or optimization of any HMIS needs big change in the organization. Therefore, it is crucial that the health organization has god the strong leadership that can steer the change in the organization (Sullivan, 2013). The types of leadership that can bring the change successfully for the performance improvement plan for HMIS implementation can be discussed as: Leadership types to bring the change There are various leadership types and styles that leaders can follow. Authors argued that transformational leadership style and servant leadership style are the best leadership styles that would be best to manage the change of this sort (Sullivan, 2013). These two leadership styles and their impact on change of HMIS implementation and optimization can be discussed as: Transformational leadership style The transformational leadership style would be one of the most suited style in this scenario as the focus of the leaders is to transform the business from current state to desired state. The effective and efficient implementation of HMIS would need transforming the current way of operations (Marquis Huston, 2015). With the transformational leadership style, leaders follow on the end state and end objective. To implement the performance improvement plan, the leaders must have a vision in place. Servant leadership style The advocate of servant leadership style believes that the leaders should lead from front and they should first follow. The servant leadership style focuses on doing the things rather than getting the things (Son Chuck, 2011). It is important that leaders should be committed to take the organization forward by bringing the changes in the healthcare information management system. It is crucial that leaders must be willing to serve others. Steps required or implementation plan It is suggested that the organization should use the Kotter change management model to bring the change in the organization. The logical diagram of Kotter change management model can be shown as: As shown in the above diagram, the leaders must first create an urgency to implement the change. These phases of Kotter change management model to implement the change of HMIS can be discussed as: Phase 1: Create Urgency This is the first phase of change management plan. In this phase, the leaders must communicate the drivers of change to different stakeholders. In this phase, the leaders must understand the vision associated with the change and the same should be explained to the internal and external stakeholders (Sullivan, 2013). Phase 2: Form a powerful coalition The implementation of any big change may have the resistance from internal or external stakeholders. This is the phase in which leaders must form strong partnership or coalition with different stakeholders group. This partnership could be fruitful only when the stakeholders are convinced about the drivers of change. Phase 3: Create a vision In this phase, the leaders must create the vision of the change to different stakeholders. It is important that an end-state should be associated with the change and it is the role of leaders to create this end state to different stakeholders. Phase 4: Communicate the vision In this phase, the leaders must communicate the vision of the change to different stakeholders. It is important that an end-state should be associated with the change and it is the role of leaders to communicate this end state to different stakeholders. The leaders would be able to gather the support of stakeholders only when this vision is communicated to different stakeholders (Kotter Schlesinger, 2008). Phase 5: Empower Action This is the phase in which the leaders would decide the change agents and the empowerment should be given to the change agents. The empowerment of change agents or the employee empowerment is necessary to have effective implementation of change in place. Phase 6: Create quick wins To take maximum benefits of the change, leaders must first focus on low hanging fruits. It is the responsibility of leaders to create the avenues of quick wins. The possibility of quick wins not only generates the confidence in the team but it also keeps the momentum going. Phase 7: Build on the change This is the phase in which the change is matured in the organization. In this phase, the focus is to derive the benefits from the change. In this phase the leaders must work together with employees to understand various intricacies and risks involved in the change management process. Phase 8: Make it stick Once the change is implemented, it is important that the organization can get the continuous value from the change. It can happen only when the leaders could keep the things moving with the change (Kotter Schlesinger, 2008). The impact of workplace culture It would be correct to say that the change management would work best only when the organization that wish to implement HMIS has got the supporting culture. This is one of the reasons that leaders must communicate the reasons or the drivers of change to all the employees of the organization. For any sort of change in the area of technology, it is important that the organization should have an agile culture in place (Grol Bosch, 2007). The people in the organization should be willing to change and they must not apprehend the change. It is the responsibility of leaders to ensure that people support the change. The culture of the organizations should be supportive where the employees can reach out to leaders to clarify any doubts. It is recommended that the leaders should be available to interact with the people and employees at different levels. It would create a feeling of self-belongingness among the employees and would ensure that the change could be implemented in a successful man ner. Barriers/ Challenges and facilitators in change process It is so challenging to get a more multi-faceted, multi-disciplinary approach to addressing public health outcomes because there are so many barriers making it so hard. First of all, multi-disciplinary approach needs a policy change and it is difficult in a first place to know which policy will be more effective. Then, more data are needed in order to achieve a multi-disciplinary approach when wanting policy change. Finally, people need to understand more the importance of social determinants in order to successfully have everyone involved in this. It is the role of public health professionals to achieve more public awareness so that people understand the importance of social determinants (Hindle Braithwaite, 2006). The specific challenges and facilitators in the change process can be discussed as: Challenges As discussed above, one of the key challenges in this performance improvement plan would be change management. In order to implement this performance improvement plan, leaders would have to manage a big change in the organization. There is always a possibility that the existing employees in the organization may not want to switch to technology and Information Systems. Resistance to change is one of the biggest problems in healthcare. Many people who are use to doing things the same way that they've done for many years are typically the one's that resist the most (Baars Evers, 2010). That makes it difficult for everyone as a whole, because if there is division among the group, then there is a potential for a compromise in patient safety. Resistance can cause harm, because the reason why change takes place is to improve the overall system. Another key challenge would be cultural challenges and the failure to understand the ground level issues. Within nursing many experienced nursing leaders understand nursing in general but may not appreciate the subtleties of perioperative nursing or some other sub specialty. So what seems like a simple solution to the leader may seem simplistic to the nurses. Challenges certainly change circumstantially (Westphal, 2005). A strategy that is proceeding well this week may suddenly falter next week because of a change in the circumstance. Again, the change may not be readily apparent to the leaders but may be palpable at the line level. Facilitators The four functions of management (planning, organizing, leading and controlling) can be leveraged to assist organizations in implementing successful innovations and change management by: Demonstrate value creation: This step can be related to the planning function of management which is the key function because it involves the process of determining ahead of timewhat needs to be accomplished, when, by whom, how, and at what cost. Planning can contribute greatly to success as well as productivity. Planning also is about determining any organizations goals and objectives Generate business model options- This step can be related it to the organizing function of management because it involves establishing structures and systems through which the organization objectives will be defined and coordinated. This is where management can strive to create that unique product or creating a culture thats unique only to the organization, which stands out and sets that organization apart in its uniqueness. Prioritize the risks: This step can be looked at as the leading function of management. Leadership can identify variables that are likely to have the most success, which leads in cultural alignment, and best-practice management processes, which can effectively transform the organization (Scott Mannion, 2003). Reduce risk through business experiments: This step provides a window of validation so it can be related to the controlling function of management where the leadership teams or management can leverage to create a meaningful, manageable, and sustainable strategy for fulfilling an innovative vision. Benchmarking best practices It would be correct to say that benchmarking is a powerful tool for organizations to keep themselves updated. In Australia and in other parts of the world, there are various examples of successful implementation of HMIS (Healthcare Management Information Systems). The organization that wishes to bring the performance improvement plan and change in the field of HMIS can use benchmarking to learn from the successful implementation of other players in the health care industry. Isouard Messum (2006) lays out how important it is to actually manage transitions rather than to just dream them up and tell people to change. One way to deal with resistance is to show people that the change is truly necessary and to allow them to help get themselves through the loss of the old and on to the acceptance of the new normal. With the use of benchmarking, the organization would be able to learn the industry best standards. Strategies for motivating and engaging stakeholders It would be correct to say that nurses would be a key stakeholders and it is never easy to keep nurses motivated. Nursing is primarily concerned with throughput and resource management while the doctors and PAs are concerned with quality and not missing any problems which might lead to patient harm and legal issues (Jones Redman, 2000). Meanwhile ancillary services such as Lab and Housekeeping have smaller windows of concern over the piece of the puzzle that they deal with. All of the concerns are legitimate and must be given some weight. If rooms are dirty and lab tests are not reported in a timely way then the concerns of both the nurses and doctors are not going to be met. This challenge is solved by Information Systems and relationships, understanding, conversation, and standard work processes (Isouard Messum, 2006). Relationships help because they break down the us-versus-them walls that people tend to have. It is easy to see ones own priorities but often difficult to understa nd competing priorities of others. As people relate they begin to understand and appreciate the considerations that others use when looking at problems. Conversations enhance this understanding and open vistas to collaboration and consensus. It is suggested that leaders should use Maslow need hierarchy model to keep nurses motivated. The Maslow model can be shown as: The leaders should start with the basic need of employees and then should move forward to address the higher level needs (Mickan Boyce, 2006). It is also important to mention that different set of employees in the organization can have different motivation level. The efforts should be made by leaders to manage the motivation need of different set of employees differently. Conclusion The above paper discusses the performance improvement plan in the area of implementation of healthcare management information system for large organizations or hospitals in health care system in Australia. With the above discussion it can be said that the implementation of HMIS would certainly bring large changes in the organization and it is important that the organizations and leaders should be willing to drive the changes in the organization. The paper discusses the Kotter change management model that should be used to bring the change in the organization. It is important that the leaders must understand the motivation level of different stakeholders before making any decision References Baars, I.J., Evers, S.M., Arntz, A. van Merode, G.G. (2010). Performance measurement in mental health care: present situation and future possibilities. International Journal of Health Planning Management, 25, (3), 198-214 Grol, R., Bosch, M.C., Hulscher, M.E., Eccles. M.P. Wensing, M. (2007). Planning and studying improvement in patient care: The use of theoretical perspectives. The Milbank Quarterly, 85, (1), 93138 Hindle, D., Braithwaite, J., Travaglia, J. Iedema, R. (2006). 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