Morrie Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Morrie - Essay Example to always be able to look at death itself straight in the eye and fight back no matter how hopeless the situation can be and then be on the positive side of things, to look at the future in an optimistic way.The professors future looked short as he has only a few months left to live but he managed to touch everyone around him, from family, relatives, peers, colleagues, and even complete strangers who saw his interview with Ted Koppel when it was shown on television. This paper discusses the important things in life worth knowing about to be happy on earth, in particular, how to live life fully by learning how to die gracefully. Despite being diagnosed with ALS with a very bad prognosis, Morrie Schwartz, the old and sickly professor mentioned earlier, was fiercely determined to live a useful life. He is of the belief that dying people need not be entirely useless; instead he encouraged all people who knew him to come and visit him if they had the time and the inclination so he could still be available to listen to their problems and perhaps give them a piece of useful advice. Morrie Schwartz was indeed a wonderful listener who can help other people because he had empathy and understanding; by letting them unload their problems to him, he would willingly listen despite his pains from the ailment. He was fond of aphorisms, of which the statement, â€Å"once you learn how to die, you learn how to live,† he said (Albom 82) had a very profound meaning for everyone who will listen. What he had meant with this statement is that people looking at impending death realize how precious life and valuable is, tha t these people suddenly realize the importance of the idea of living life to the fullest which means enjoy life without any hesitations or reservations about what other people may think and not waste a minute of it on trivial things that do not really matter in the grand sweep of life. In other words, most people go through life as if sleep-walking, doing things

A Rose for Emily By William Faulkner :: essays research papers

Symbolism in A Rose For Emily William Faulkner (1897-1962) was a southern writer; he spent most of his time in Oxford, Mississippi. "A Rose For Emily" was a vehicle for him to write about the South and the old ways of the South. He was a well respected writer. In 1950 he received the Nobel Prize for Literature. faulkner uses symbolism to make his message stronger. Faulkner uses symbolism as a way to repersent the qualities of the character, places and events in his work. Emily came from a well to do family that had alot of history in the town. The Grierson's were so powerful, Emily did not have to pay taxes. The whole townspeople seemed to think taht they were snobby because in Emily's father's eyes, none of the men were quite good enough for Emily. Unfortunately, Emily turned out to be a lonely old woman because of her father's influence. in "A Rose for Emily", Faulkner uses the element of time to enhance details of the setting and vice versa. By avoiding chronological order of events of Miss Emily's life, Faulkner first gives the reader a completed puzzle, and then allows the reader to examine the puzzle piece by piece. By doing so he enhances the story and presents two different perspectives of time held by the characters such as, the world of the present and, the world of tradition and the past-"confusing time with it's mathematical progression...divided from them by the narrow bottleneck of the most recent decade of years"(Faulkner 35-36). Faulkner uses symbolic elements to compare the Grierson house with Emily's life- "lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and the gasoline pumps-an eyesore among eyesores"(Faulkner 29).

Evaluation of Canon’s Strategies

Evaluation of Canon’ Strategies The first part of this investigation involves an evaluation of the strategies used by Canon and the key factors for success. In order to being this review, it is first necessary to consider how the company has performed in recent years. Table 1 provided below provides an overall review of the organization’s performance in recent years. The data clearly suggests that Canon has made notable progress toward developing market share, revenues and profitability. In addition to reducing its debt to asset ratio in 2008, the organization also increased its stockholder equity to assert ratio.Table 1: Key Performance Indicators for Canon, 2004-2008 [pic] Data courtesy of: http://www. canon. com/ir/annual/2008/report2008. pdf Other indicators of Canon’s success are provided in Figures 1 and 2 below. These illustrations provide a review of net sales and ROE/ROA for 2003-2007. Figure 1: Net Sales for CanonFigure 2: ROE/ROA for Canon Data courtes y of: http://www. canon. com/ir/annual/2007/report2007. pdf With the realization that Canon has performed so well in recent years, it is pertinent to consider the specific areas which have promulgated success for the organization.A crucial review of the case information provided on the organization suggests that there are a number of pertinent strategy elements which have been pertinent to the success of the organization. In particular the organization has worked to develop a mission and vision which it has incorporated on all levels of its operations. The development of a guiding mission for the organization is essential for success (Henry 2007). Missions provide the foundation for the development of actionable processes which can be used for moving the organization toward specific goals (Johnson, Scholes & Whittington, 2008).In addition to developing a mission and vision which provided the organization with a directive for action, Canon also developed a firm strategy focused on at tainable goals for operations. Specifically, the organization set the specific goal of obtaining 30 percent of the world market by the 1980s. Research regarding the current state of achieving this objective suggests that even though Canon has not been able to maintain a 30 percent market share in the industry, it has overcome competitor Xerox to become second only to Hewlett Packard.Figure 3 below provides a review of global market share for companies competing in Canon’s industry. Figure 3: Global Market Share for Canon and Competitors [pic] (Data courtesy of â€Å"Office electronics industry profile,† 2008, p. 12) The focus on a specific goal for the organization has clearly had an impact on outcomes for operations. By using this specific goal for development, Canon has been able to set clear, measurable objectives which can be evaluated by the organization to determine outcomes. Setting measurable goals is an important component of developing a strategic plan for th e organization (Huang, 2009).Measurable goals are viewed as essential to the successful implementation of a strategic plan which provides significant results for the ongoing development of the organization. Another issue which appears to have had notable implications for the successful development of Canon is the use of specific core competencies to ensure the outcomes of operations. In addition to developing a strategic plan which provided clear and measurable objectives, the organization delineated specific core competencies which it has been able to optimize in order to coordinate its strategic objective and achieve its goals.A review of what has been noted regarding the use of core competencies suggests that core competencies can provide the organization with the ability to focus development in particular areas (Zook, 2007). This process, in turn, sets the stage for the development of management practice and shapes how the organization approaches the market and its competitors. Collis and Montgomery (2008) provide a more integral review of core competencies noting the importance of review intended core competencies in the context of the external environment in which an organization competes.As reported by these authors, organizations need to consider the external environment and competitors in developing core competencies. While it is evident that core competencies must meet the internal demands and capabilities of the organization, Collis and Montgomery assert that improper alignment of core competencies in light of competitors and the larger industry in which the organization operates will result in failure of core competencies to be effective. In developing its core competencies, Canon appears to have taken these issues into consideration.The specific outcomes in this area are witnessed by the fact that in the 1970s, Xerox held a majority market share, which it has subsequently lost to Canon. In the 1970s, Canon recognized that the formula for success b eing used by Xerox was not the same formula which it wanted to pursue in the development of its organization. In this context, Canon chose to pursue a different pathway for competitive development; one which enabled the company to synthesize its internal capabilities with the market environment to create a unique competitive advantage against its largest rival.Because of this process of developing particular core competencies for operations, Canon was able to maximize its internal capabilities and use this as a strategic advantage in the marketplace. In summarizing the overall approach used by Canon to develop its strategic plan and subsequent management processes, it seems reasonable to argue that Canon did more than just place words on paper to establish a foundation for the organization. Rather, the organization developed a comprehensive plan for vision, strategy and development which were implemented on every level of the organization’s operations.In addition to delineati ng the larger objectives for the organization, Canon developed all of the intermediate steps that would be needed to achieve these objectives. In doing so, the organization aligned all of its activities toward the achievement of the organization’s overall strategy. The development of strategy in this manner is commensurate with what scholars note about the strategic planning and management processes. Kaplan and Norton (2008) assert that the strategy planning and development processes for the organization often end in failure because of the inability of the organization to effectively execute its strategy.Further, these authors assert that strategy failure is common because of implementation problems which manifest as organizations attempt to make critical connections between strategy objectives and specific outcomes which will be achieved to ensure that objectives are reached. Placing this information into the case of Canon, it becomes evident that these issues did not arise. Rather than struggling to implement, the organization developed to tools and resources needed to effectively ensure that it built a foundation which would enable success.It is this specific process which has enabled the success of Cannon. When strategy development is formulated as more than just specific words on paper the end result is the development of a strategic plan which provides concrete action steps for the organization to take. With these action steps in place, the organization is better poised to control the development of the strategic plan and its implementation (Neilson, Martin & Powers, 2008). This element of control in the strategic planning process has been noted to be an important contributor to the success of strategic implementation.When control is established in the strategic planning process, the organization is able to dictate the specific changes which will occur and respond to outcomes in a manner that is commensurate with the capabilities of the company an d responsive to the specific external environment which will impact the outcomes of operations. What Other Companies Can Learn With a basic review of the success of Canon in the development of its strategy provided, it is now possible to consider what, if anything, can be learned by other companies from this case.In examining the development and outcomes of Canon, it becomes evident that the specific protocols and practices which have been used by the organization to achieve success should not be mimicked by other companies. Even though Canon has been quite successful in its efforts to develop its products and services, the reality is that other companies cannot expect to use the same formula for success and to achieve the same outcomes achieved by Canon. Other companies have attempted to use this approach in the past—i. . Circuit City, K-Mart, etc. Even though mimicking another organization may provide some benefits in the short-term, the reality is that the outcomes achieve d will not provide an organization with a long-term foundation for development. Even though companies examining the case of Canon may not be able to use the same specific tactics employed by the organization, Canon did employ a number of general models for strategic planning and development which could be considered by other organizations.In particular, the development of core competencies for operations is an important tool which other companies could consider for success. An examination of models for the development of core competencies in the organization suggests that companies need to begin with a core strategy for the development of their operations. Once this core strategy has been delineated, it is then possible to articulate specific areas of organizational development by attaching them directly to the core strategy.Figure 4 on the following page provides a generic model of how core competency development for the organization has been conceptualized in for translation of co re competencies into organizational practice. The application of this model to the development of core competency planning for the organization would serve as the foundation for the development of the basic ideas which could then be used for the further development of the organization. Based on the specific core competencies decided upon by the organization, a formal strategic plan for organizational development could be implemented.This plan would need to reflect the development of measurable goals to ensure the overall success of achieving core competencies. Figure 4: Generic Model for Core Competency Planning [pic] Image courtesy of: http://www. ulv. edu/cbpm/business/img/mba_exp_graphic. jpg Once the core competencies for the organization have been delineated, it will then be possible for companies to consider the development of a strategic plan. Examining the specific steps used by Canon, it becomes evident that solid advice for planning and development in this area are provide d in the case.In addition to developing a driving vision and mission, the organization also implemented critical success factors which enabled the organization to formulate goals. The goals were codified in the context of action steps which provided a concrete foundation for the organization to achieve success. All of these issues were supported by the core competencies established by the organization. Figure 4 below provides a review of this process and demonstrates how other organizations could effectively adopt this process to generate success in their strategic planning and management processes.Figure 5: General Strategic Planning Processes [pic] Figure courtesy of: http://www. bottomlineresultsonline. com/images/uploads/StrategicPlan-Graphic_t humb. jpg In the end, the most pertinent lessons that organizations can learn from the Canon case are those related to the development and execution of strategy. Although Canon’s success is due in part to the specific choices that it made, the development and implementation of strategy on every level of the organization’s operations clearly had implications for the success of the company.Other organizations seeking to capitalize on this success should consider the development of core competencies, the evolution of an integrated strategic plan and the development of clearly defined goals for execution which can be measured to ensure progress and outcomes. By following these basic processes, other organizations should be able to create notable success in strategic planning and development. Reference List Canon Annual Report (2007). Canon. Accessed April 19, 2009 at: http://www. canon. om/ir/annual/2007/report2007. pdf. Canon Annual Report (2008). Canon. Accessed April 19, 2009 at: http://www. canon. com/ir/annual/2008/report2008. pdf. Collis, D. J. , & Montgomery, C. A. (2008). Competing on resources. Harvard Business Review, 86(7/8), 140-150. Henry, A. (2007). Understanding Strategic Management. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Huang, H. C. (2009). Design a knowledge-based system for strategic planning: A balanced scorecard perspective. Expert Systems with Applications, 36(1), 209-218. Johnson, G. Scholes, K. , & Whittington, R. (2005). Exploring Corporate Strategy. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Kaplan, R. S. , & Norton, P. (2008). Mastering the management system. Harvard Business Review, 86(1), 62-77. Neilson, G. L. , Martin, K. L. , & Powers, E. (2008). The secrets to successful strategy execution. Harvard Business Review, 86(6), 60-70. Office electronics industry profile: Global. (2009, March). Datamonitor, 1-32. Zook, C. (2007). Finding your next core business. Harvard Business Review, 85(4), 66-75.

Customer Service For Health Care - 1292 Words

Customer Service in Health Care Customer services is a very important part of managing ongoing client/patient relationships, because they are the key to bringing in revenue. The concept of customer service is to deliver outstanding services so the customers will have a great experience. I currently work in the healthcare industry and the company that I work for is starting to have trainings and meetings to improve customer service to our clients to help increase our patient satisfaction levels. There are some employees who strive to help the patient by going far and beyond their line of duties, and as others are burned out and feel like they just need to get the patient in and out without really understanding the patient’s needs or†¦show more content†¦This will help with revenue and keeping their business growing. Customer service is kind of different in healthcare. Even though healthcare professionals do their jobs and take care of their patient’s needs, customer satisfaction has never real ly been a must. It is usually understood, do the minimum and get them in and out of the office and on to the next patient. We all know that when patients get sick they usually do not want to go to the doctor but they know it is a necessity. Since it is not an option, but a necessity; patients sometimes feel they do not deserve superior treatment. Now that there’s a patient satisfaction survey this will change the way customer service works due to the patient s rating their experience. Therefore, the hospitals have to step up their game and set different rules. There needs to be many changes made from communication between staff, the quality of care, and the patient s visit with the healthcare provider in order to increase their ratings. I would like to share a couple of examples showing good customer service and bad customer service. Good customer service- A homeless man comes into a public health clinic, and he needs to have services so that he is able to stay in the shelter later on that evening. The clerk assists the patient by getting